Nickelini Reads in 2014 - Vol 2

I'm starting a new thread as my last one had winter art at the top. It's April 1st and time for tulips instead.

August

51. Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, Linda Betroll
50. Written on the Body, Jeanette Winterson
49. England, England, Julian Barnes
48. The Birds on the Trees, Nina Bawden
47. A Cupboard Full of Coats, Yvette Edwards (Adjoa Andoh)

July

46. Being Wrong, Kathyrn Shultz
45. Every Day Was Summer, O Wynne Hughes
44. Murder City, Charles Bowden
43. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
42. The Swallows of Kabul, Yasmina Khadra
41. The London Train, Tessa Hadley
40. Women without Men, Shahrnush Parsipur

June

39. The Flying Troutmans, Miriam Toews
38. Deceived With Kindness, Angelica Garnett
37. Before I Wake, Robert J Wiersema
36. Before I Go to Sleep, SJ Watson
35. Chocky, John Wyndam
34. A Short History of England, Simon Jenkins
33. Mennonites Don't Dance, Darcie Friesen Hossack
32. Country Girls, Edna O'Brien
31. Astrid and Veronika, Linda Olsson
30. Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue

May

29. A Northern Line Minute, William Leith
28. Seven Sisters, Margaret Drabble
27. Voyage of the Narwhal, Andrea Barrett
26. The China Study, T. Colin Campbell
25. Coventry, Helen Humprheys
24. Harvest, Jim Crace
23. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
22. How Music Works, David Byrne

April

21. Frangipani, Celestine Hitiura Vaite
20. Life of Pi, Yann Martel
19. The Annotated Sense and Sensibility, ed David M Shapard, & Sense and Sensibility, an Annotated Edition, ed. Patricia Meyer Spacks
18. Fingersmith, Sarah Waters

March

17. The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh
16. Lone Survivors, Chris Stringer
15. I am Convinced! God, the Truth, and You, Darrell Hall
14. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, Philip Pullman
13. Orenda, Joseph Boiyden
12. Beauty: a Retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Robin McKinley

February

11. Wild Harbour, Ian Macpherson
10. Pope Joan, Diana W Cross
9. Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan
8. The Outsiders, TE Hinton

January

7. Dangerous Liaisons, Choderlos de Laclos
6. Celebrating Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen's Masterpiece, Susannah Fullerton
5. Wave, Sonali Deraniyagala
4. Broken Harbour, Tana French
3. Three Classic Children's Stories, James Donnelly, illustrated by Edward Gorey
2. A Short History of Myth, Karen Armstrong
1. The Forgotten Waltz, Anne Enright

Just found this--fun!:

(from: http://www.retreatbyrandomhouse.ca/2014/01/reading-bingo-challenge-2014/?Ref=Ema...

B
A book with more than 500 pages: The Annotated Sense and Sensibility 742 p
A book written by someone under 30: The Outsiders
A book with a one-word title: Wave
The first book by a favourite author: the Country Girls
A book your friend loves: Coventry

I
A forgotten classic: Wild Harbour
A book with non-human characters: Life of Pi
A book of short stories: Mennonites Don't Dance
A book you heard about online:
A book that scares you:

N
A book that became a movie: Dangerous Liaisons
A funny book: England, England
FREE SQUARE
A best-selling book: the Language of Flowers
A book that is more than 10 years old: Fingersmith

G
A book published this year:
A book by a female author: the Forgotten Waltz
A book set on a different continent: The Swallows of Kabul
A book based on a true story: Pope Joan
The second book in a series:

O
A book with a number in the title: Three Classic Children's Stories
A book with a mystery: Broken Harbour
A book of non-fiction: Lone Survivors
A book at the bottom of your to be read pile: I Capture the Castle
A book with a blue cover:

I can already see that there are a few I'm unlikely to get around to.

Love the tulips!

It's April 1st and time for tulips Oh to live in Vancouver!

Tulips have long gone; the peony is out.

We haven't even seen any crocus. I am still waiting for patches of snow to melt. Soon..... she says, hopefully.

>1 Nickelini: What a beautiful shade of pink!

Beautiful tulip - my favourite flower. Crocuses are blooming here but the tulips are just poking out of the ground a few inches. Lucky baswood has peonies.

Hi, everyone! Interesting the range of blossom reports posted here! This is my very favourite week in Vancouver--the city has sort of a pinkish haze from the cherry trees that are in blossom everywhere. Also in bloom are magnolias (my favourite!), hyacinths, daffodils, early tulips, forsythia (late this year), muscari, and many different flowering shrubs. The air smells wonderful and the sun is warm!

>8 Nickelini: That sounds so wonderful! It's grey and gloomy here in So. Cal. but we're grateful for the rain (skimpy as it is.) We have gladiolus bulbs planted in the back and I'm crossing my fingers that they make it. I've never grown flowers from bulbs before. It requires more patience than I'm used to.

Snow. But it's slowly melting. Very slowly.

AvidMom - when it's grey and gloomy in So Cal, isn't it sunny by noon? That's been my experience over the years (my oldest brother has lived there since the mid-70s). I haven't tried gladiolus, but from my experience with bulbs, they are pretty forgiving of anything other than someone or some critter digging them up. Good luck.

Tif - :-(

Our cherry blossoms may appear for the festival. I am told they will be delayed by the late snows we've had.

The crocuses are just peeking out here too. But some of the trees have leaf buds. Lucky you in Vancouver, Joyce.

Lucky you in Vancouver,

Well maybe. Yesterday it rained like January--cold, hard, & miserable! Today I think I might maybe see some blue patches.

Acres of bluebonnets here. The grass is green and the oak leaves are out. We just need more rain.

18. Fingersmith, Sarah Waters, 2002, audiobook read by Juanita McMann


Cover comments: no real opinion, but this doesn't do anything for me.

Comments: Sue Trinder grew up in the mean streets of Victorian London under the guidance of mother-figure and baby farmer Mrs Sucksby and her informal group of petty thieves. A conman who she calls Gentleman enlists Sue to help him defraud a young heiress named Maude Lilly, and off Sue goes to pose as a lady's maid at a country house. But Maude Lilly is not who she seems, and her relationship with Sue is not what anyone expects. The story makes several sharp twists, and slowly winds through an estate, a madhouse, south London, and then a satisfying conclusion. Fingersmith was nominated for the Orange Prize and was on the original 1001 Books list.

In places, Fingersmith pays homage to Oliver Twist, and apparently also The Woman in White (although I haven't read the later).

Overall, I enjoyed Fingersmith very much. None of the characters were completely likeable, but I did care to find out what happened to them. I found the novel interesting and well written, but I also thought it was too long.

The reader Juanita McMann was one of the best audiobook narrators I've ever heard--she did a vast number of distinct voices for the huge cast of characters, and they were all perfect for the character. I hope I come across other books narrated by her.

Note: please excuse any names I've misspelled--I only ever heard them.

Why I Read This Now: always need an audiobook.

Recommended for: Well, there is a lesbian aspect to it, so anyone who is interested in lesbian characters will want to read this. Anyone interested in the Orange prize or 1001 list, anyone who likes the Victorian setting, anyone who likes a book to get lost in . . . lots of readers will like this.

I "borrowed" Fingersmith from a friend I was visiting when the books I brought with me all seemed too serious. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but like you I got totally caught up in it and the plot twists. You're probably right that it was too long, though. I also enjoyed Waters' The Little Stranger.

Rebecca - I look forward to The Little Stranger.

Fingersmith - or pretty much any of the other books Waters has written - has been on my list since reading The Little Stranger. Thanks for the reminder!

And the bingo looks fun.

"Note: please excuse any names I've misspelled--I only ever heard them. "

That is a big problem with audio books.

I've heard a lot of great things about Fingersmith - so, it was nice to get - not exactly criticism - but some sense of discomfort with the length.

but some sense of discomfort with the length.

Well even though Fingersmith is only 12 years old, it is written as a Victorian novel, and you know how those Victorians used to like lots of words ;-) And then there is the thing that I just prefer shorter books--200 p is my ideal. So I found it overlong. Others may disagree.

19. The Annotated Sense and Sensibility, edited by David M. Shaparard, 2011, & Sense and Sensibility: An Annotated Edition, edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks, 2013


Cover comments: both of these are lovely

Comments: When I first read Sense and Sensibility back in 2009, I was already well-acquainted with the story, having seen the Emma Thompson film several times. I was also distracted by other things at the time, and so don't think I did the book justice. On this reread, I paid much closer attention, in part by reading the annotated versions, and also by following a tutored read here at LT.

Now that I've closely examined Sense and Sensibility, I see that it pales in comparison to Pride and Prejudice (and Mansfield Park). This was Jane Austen's first novel, and it shows. I found the text bloated and conversations overly drawn out and over described. None of the main characters was particularly interesting. That said, a weak Austen is still better than most other books out there. Some of the writing was lovely. There were some great minor characters--Fanny Dashwood and Lucy Steele, of course, but the odious John Dashwood and big-hearted Mrs Jennings also caught my fancy. And of course there is Austen's wicked wit and social commentary.

Now, for the two annotated editions:

The Annotated Sense and Sensibility, edited by David M. Shaparard, is a 742 page trade paperback. The novel is on the left-hand page, and the annotations are on the right. In Shapard's annotated version of Pride and Prejudice, I found some of the definitions tiresome in their repetition, and he must have rethought this because this aspect was not a problem with this S&S edition. I enjoyed these notes very much, as they often pointed out a nuance that I didn't pick up in my own reading. At the end of the book are several helpful maps, a chronology of the events of the novel, and an extensive bibliography.

Sense and Sensibility: An Annotated Edition, edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks, is an oversized coffee table book that will not fit in your bag to take along on the train. It is a lush edition with moire endpapers and lots of coloured illustrations. It has far fewer annotations than the same editors edition of P&P, and also fewer than the Shapard annotated S&S. Of the annotations, many are simple definitions, but occasionally there is commentary on the novel. This is where the gold is found. Some of these notes refer to academic criticism of the novel. Most insightful and interesting.

Which of the two to buy? If you want to better understand the novel, I'd go with the Shapard edition, and if you're looking for a gift for the Jane Austen lover in your life, I recommend the Patricia Meyers Spacks. Or if you're like me, get them both. However, if you've never read the novel before, start with a non-annotated version, as this level of detail would be extremely distracting and destroy the flow of reading the novel.

Very interested to read your reviews of the Annotated Jane Austen.

Enjoyed your thoughts on annotated versions of Sense and Sensibility. It really is kind of a blah book when you think about it. It lacks both likeable characters (i.e., Elizabeth Bennet) and particularly fascinating unlikeable characters (i.e., Fanny Price, Mary Crawford).

20. Life of Pi, Yann Martel, 2001


Cover comments: I really like the sea and the flying fish at the bottom of the picture. The rest of it is okay, but I find it sort of choppy looking.

Comments I'm sure every bookish person has an idea of what this novel is about: Indian teenager named Pi is shipwrecked while immigrating to Canada with his family. He finds himself sharing a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger as they float eastward across the Pacific. In the end, people don't believe his story, but everyone agrees that the story with the tiger is a better story than the story without, and this is a metaphor for a belief in God.

Life of Pi won the Booker Prize in 2002 and is included in the 1001 Books list, so of course many people have enjoyed it. Some readers don't like that after a realistic beginning, the story gets more and more improbable, particularly when it gets to the blind Frenchman and then the algae island. I thoroughly enjoyed these scenes, along with the rest of the book. To me, the story is a sort of fairy tale or fable, although one that is told in a realistic style. I also enjoyed Pi's optimistic character, and the narrative voice.

Other readers have complained that this book is pro-religion at the expense of reason, and I completely disagree with that--the book is full of reason, particularly scientific facts about zoology and survival at sea. I understand this book to say that both spirituality AND reason are important. As for the pro-religion, I actually find that aspect of it sort of wishy-washy. Despite protests from his elders, Pi insists that he is Hindu, Catholic, and Muslim all at the same time. I was worried that Life of Pi might be preachy, but I didn't find it so at all.

Recommended for: I enjoyed this very much, and I think many others would too.

Why I Read This Now: I bought this for my TBR pile back in 2008 because I thought it would be a good read for any future tropical vacations I might take (I find it tricky to find the right book for those sorts of holidays). My recent trip to Maui was the perfect opportunity to pull Life of Pi from Planet TBR, and it was a good call. While I read about Pi bobbing up and down with sea turtles in the Pacific, I too was bobbing around the Pacific with sea turtles! A great vacation read--sunny and bright, but not vacuous.

Rating: 4.5 stars.


This is my daughter's attempt at a selfie with a sea turtle. That's her snorkel mask at the top and the turtle is at the bottom. She took this with her iPhone!

Neat picture at the bottom!

I saw the movie & liked it well enough (it was beautiful) but wasn't as impressed as I thought I should have been. Maybe reading the book would have more of an impact.

I saw the movie & liked it well enough (it was beautiful) but wasn't as impressed as I thought I should have been. Maybe reading the book would have more of an impact.

I went in with mixed feelings, and read it at the right time, which I think helped. But going into a book with high expectations can be a dangerous thing, especially if the book is reputed to be "profound," as this one is. I didn't find it profound--I just found it entertaining. And that's all I was asking for.

I saw the film and liked it. Now I want to watch it again.

Liked your review as I did not know of the controversies, particularly the one around religion, after all, as you say, Pi was so balanced. I had resisted reading this book for about 10 years, due to so much of the hype around it. Then one day in a weakened state I picked it up and was totally engrossed. I loved it, especially the ending. Then I saw the film and while I thought it was beautifully filmed and acted, I didn't like the way in which it deviated from the book.

>26 avidmom: This is a way of saying read the book. I'm not sure how it would work after seeing the film, but give it a go. Nickelini's right, it's not profound, just a wonderful story. There aren't enough actual stories around anymore.

I saw the film and while I thought it was beautifully filmed and acted, I didn't like the way in which it deviated from the book. and I'm not sure how it would work after seeing the film,

I saw the film last year and actually didn't remember it very well, but as I went through the book I kept remembering things. Going to watch it again soon.

I liked your review too. I remember reading the book a couple of years ago, and I didn't know about any controversy. I thought it was a good story.

Excellent review of Life of Pi, I am almost tempted

I also enjoyed Life of Pi, even through at the end I kind of wondered if I had been suckered into a spiritual message that I wouldn't have gone for if it had not been wrapped in such an entertaining story.

21. Frangipani, Celestine Hitiura Vaite, 2004


Cover comments: Painting by Shelagh Armstrong. I adore this cover--the colours are gorgeous and the style really says "Polynesia". I also love the title, as frangipani (aka plumeria) are my favourite tropical flowers



Comments: Frangipani follows the life of a Tahitian woman, Materena, from her days as a young mother through to the years when her three children leave home, although the focus is on the tumultuous time when her daughter Leilani is a teenager. The novel often looks at Materena's fairly traditional Tahitian approach to life versus Leilani's modern and progressive outlook. Frangipani also highlights the strong bonds of the vast network of aunties, cousins, and grandmothers that Leilani and Materena can rely on for support.

There is little plot to this novel--it's told in vignettes that hop forward in chronological order. The third person narrator has a robust voice full of traditional Tahitian folk wisdom and island patois (both Tahitian and French), and this gave Frangipani a unique charm. I enjoyed spending time with these characters and getting a glimpse of Tahitian culture.

Frangipani was nominated for the Orange Prize.

Rating: 4.5 stars. I liked this better than other LTers, although I do find more positive comments out there in the greater Internet. I will definitely track down her other books.

Why I Read This Now: I bought this a few years ago and tucked it away for any potential tropical vacations in my future. When a trip to Maui suddenly came up, this was the first thing I packed. It was the perfect book to read on a Hawaiian vacation.

Recommended for: There aren't a lot of Tahitian authors around, so if you're interested in reading globally, here's your chance.

Great review of Pi. and.......your daughter ROCKS!!!

.....your daughter ROCKS!!!

Thanks! I'll let her know you said so. You have no idea how much she rocks! This is the time of year that every student in her school has to make a speech on a topic of their choice--she's giving hers today on quantum physics and time travel. I was amazed at how interesting, intelligent, and conversational her speech was. My other daughter, in grade 8, also wrote an excellent speech exploring why dystopian literature is popular with YA readers and movie watchers. She asked me to edit it and I only had one suggestion. Today was a proud mom day.

>35 Nickelini: Today was a proud mom day.

Those proud days are so wonderful, aren't they. :)

and well earned no doubt!

What great speech topics!

Ack, now I've got to go looking for Frangipani. That sounds interesting (and of personal interest...).

22. How Music Works, David Byrne, 2012, audiobook


Cover comments: uninspired.

Comments: David Byrne is the founder of one of my favourite 70s/80s bands, Talking Heads. This book is a collection of essays that cover music from different angles - historical, scientific, practical, and always, philosophical. There is an in-depth chapter on how the music industry works which is a must-read for anyone interested in a music career. He doesn't go into Talking Heads as one might expect, so I disagree with the readers who have tagged this "autobiography." In How Music Works, Byrne displays his great intelligence, passion, and knowledge.

Recommended for: music lovers (and not just Talking Heads fans).

Rating: 3.5 stars, but people who are passionate about music will rate it higher.

Why I Read This Now: audiobook.

I have thought about getting How Music Works. I wonder how many people buy the audio book thinking there might be some music on it. I am assuming there is no music.

I am also a fan of Talking Heads and most of the stuff David Byrne has been involved in.

Bas - I think it would have been great if they could have added examples of what he was talking about, but as like with most audiobooks, it was just a straight reading of the book. I have seen it done otherwise--Bossypants by Tina Fey included audio clips of her doing Sarah Palin on SNL, and often spoke specifically to the audiobook listener. Ideally all audiobooks about music should do this, but I guess they simply don't have the budget for it.

23. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson, 2013


Cover comments: I like this cover but am not excited about it.

Comments: Here is a synopsis: "The novel has an unusual structure, repeatedly looping back in time to describe alternative possible lives for its central character, Ursula Todd, who is born on 11 February 1910 to an upper middle class British family. In the first version, she is strangled by her umbilical cord and stillborn. Later iterations of her life take her into World War Two, where she works in London for the War Office and repeatedly witnesses the results of the Blitz including a direct hit on a bomb shelter in Argyll Road in November 1940. Todd eventually comes to realize, through a particularly strong sense of deja vu, that she has lived before, and decides to try to prevent the war by killing Adolf Hitler in late 1930." Hore, Rachel (9 March 2013). "Life After Life, By Kate Atkinson (review)". The Independent (UK).

My Comments: Kate Atkinson is a reliably enjoyable writer. There were so many aspects of this that I loved--her use of language, the details, her humour, the concept. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Rating: Life After Life was almost a 5 star read for me, but even without the full five stars, I'd say this is the best book I've read this year so far. The only thing that held back my full love for the novel was that I got bogged down in the third-quarter--the parts set in WWII, both in Germany and in London. These parts are the heart and meaning of the novel (Atkinson has said that she set off to write a novel about the Blitz), and by the end I saw why they were crucial. Unfortunately, I think I'm just over-saturated with WWII stories.

Recommended for: Everyone-- at least give it a try. Except the reader who can't follow stories that jump around in time.

Why I Read This Now: book club.

Sounds like a good book club choice and an excellent enthusiastic review

>42 Nickelini: I also loved Life After Life. It was one of my top books last year and I gave it five stars. When I finished, I almost wanted to start it all over again.

#44 - I can definitely see rereading this one!

Sounds like a good book club choice

We meet tonight, so I'm looking forward to what everyone has to say.

#43 - Bas --you were right--this was indeed an excellent book club read. We had the longest and most in depth book conversation we've had in years (possibly since we read Atonement back around 2008). If anyone is looking for a good book club selection, I recommend this one.

Life after Life sounds very good, even for those who don't have a book club. Thanks for your review.

Hi Joyce! Just caught up with your thread. Particularly enjoyed your comments about The Life of Pi. I may have to break down and read it — and see the movie!

Hi, Suzanne and welcome back! Yes, do read Life of Pi--it's a quick and easy read.

>42 Nickelini: Although I've not been saturated with WWII books, Life After Life brought the Blitz to life for me more than anything else I've read. In fact, I was just telling a friend that since I read this book, when they test the alarms at the local schools, I have a moment where my body says, "Blitz!" I had no idea she'd started off intending to write a book about the Blitz.

Nancy - if you're interested in the Blitz, I highly recommend Coventry, by Helen Humphreys. I'm almost finished it and will review it here soon.

I'm reading Life After Life now and it's good. I thought the constantly new iterations of Ursula's life would be boring, but it's quite the opposite.

24. Harvest, Jim Crace, 2013, audiobook


No cover comments as my audiobook cover isn't available on LT. It was similar to this one.

Comments: At the beginning of Harvest, the people of The Village are going about their lives as they have done since forever, but in the space of one week, their lives are abruptly changed and their way of life is destroyed forever.

This brief novel, which was shortlisted for the Booker prize, was a real pleasure to listen to. I loved the menacing tone, the details about rural life in pre-industrial England, and the beautiful writing. The unreliable narrator, Walter Thirsk, tells the story from his interesting viewpoint of being both an outsider and an insider. And I especially liked the ambiguous time and place that Harvest is set in--probably the 16th century, but the setting often feels much earlier.

Rating: one of the better books I've read this year--4.5 stars. I plan to reread this one day when I find a used paperback.

Recommended for: This book is different from anything I've read before, and I'm not sure who to recommend it to, although I could probably say a wide audience (based on the many positive reviews here at LT).

Why I Read This Now an available audiobook from my wishlist.

>42 Nickelini: I've had Life After Life for a while and although Atkinson is one of my favourite authors, for some reason I just couldn't get into it. Until a couple of nights ago when I found myself still reading at 3:30am. It is completely different to what I imagined it to be.

>52 Nickelini: Coventry is an outstanding book. The description of the blitz as it affected the city was extraordinary.

Finally catching up here. I'm a fan of Life of Pi -- taught it in a contemporary lit class, and the students loved it. Harvest sounds interesting -- I've never read any Crace.

#56 - Jane - I hadn't read Crace before either, but I will definitely hunt down some of his books now.

It turns out I have one in my library -- Gift of Stones -- I've pulled it out to read next.

#58 - Oh, I hear that one has thematic similarities to Harvest. I hope you enjoy it.

25. Coventry, Helen Humphreys, 2008


Cover comments - I like this--especially the swallows. This is a cover that actually fits the story (a surprisingly uncommon thing).

Comments:; The greatest part of this novel is set over the night of November 14, 1940, as German bombers destroy the city of Coventry, England. The story follows three people: Harriet is a WWI widow and finds herself filling in for a neighbour's fire brigade duty. She meets a young fellow fire fighter named Jeremy who reminds her of her dead husband. Jeremy's mother, Maeve, is desperately trying to find him.

My favourite thing about Coventry is how the author wove the details of this apocalyptic bombing attack into the story line. This is an understated little book that beautifully covers themes of love, loss, and friendship.

Rating: Many of my LT friends who have fabulous taste in books have read and raved about this novel. And I can't find fault with it. However, I did not love it--I think it simply comes down to my lack of interest in WWII.

Why I Read This Now: Okay, now that I've said I don't like WWII novels, I'm going to contradict myself here--I recently read Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, which I loved except I thought the WWII section was too long. But I did find the bits about the London Blitz interesting, and I remembered that I've been meaning to read another book that cover the Blitz--so Coventry came out of Mnt TBR.

Recommended for: : readers who like sparse, thoughtful books, and anyone interested in life during wartime.

I'm not a particular fan of books about war, any war, but Coventry just bowled me over. I loved it. Humphreys is expert at telling an intricate story without being wordy. It's been a couple of years, maybe more, since I read it and I still think of it often, the sign of a good book in my opinion.

I'm just coming to the end of Life After Life and agree with you, the war section is too long.

Vivienne - I agree with everything you say about Coventry, but somehow it just didn't grab me the way it grabbed so many others. I do think it will stick with me though--and I agree that that is a sign of a good book. In the past I've rerated books that I'd given a "meh" rating to when ages later I still thought about them.

>60 Nickelini: Coventry goes onto the never ending wishlist. I do like books related to WWII, and I think it might be because my parents met in London during the war. It might just be because I like history. :)

>62 Nickelini: Maybe it grabbed my attention because like Coventry, my home town of Belfast with its major ship-building and aircraft industry, was a prime bombing target and had similar experience. Although, few books mention war in Belfast.

I too often re-rate books - usually downwards, especially when I find I can't remember a thing about the book a year after reading it and consider the original rating much too generous.

>63 NanaCC: Colleen, I know you would like Coventry. Place it near the top of your wishlist!

. . . downwards, especially when I find I can't remember a thing about the book a year after reading it and consider the original rating much too generous.

Yep, done that too. Sometimes I get swept up with a book and then reflect on it later and think "hmm, that really wasn't so good," or "that was sort of manipulative."

MWF Seeking BFF: My yearlong search for a new best friend, by Rachel Bertsche, (2011)


Cover comments: not an exciting cover, but this book could have ended up with something really saccharine or sick-inducing, so I guess it's pretty good.

Comments: 20-something career woman moves to Chicago to get married. Although she loves her husband and her job, she misses her girlfriends. She sets off to find a new BFF by going on one girl-date a week and blogging about it. She jumps back and forth between her experiences, conversations with her husband, and tidbits of research she uncovered on the topic of friendship.

I Pearl-ruled this one at page 54, then skipped to the end to see if she found a friend. The premise has the potential to be a fun read, but MWF Seeking BFF lacks charm and humour. I found the author to be whiny and judgmental, and the rules she set up for herself, her expectations, and her anxieties all seemed very middle-school. But what really tanked this book for me is that she just wasn't an interesting person.

Rating one star

Recommended for: obviously I don't recommend it, but if you are a vacuous and shallow 20-something year old you might relate to this narrator better than I did.

Why I Read This Now: Saw it at the library and thought it might be fun. I'm in the stage of life where a lot of my good friends have fallen away -- moved, died, or our lives just took totally different paths. Everyone I meet is in the same place as I am--busy with work and family. So I thought it might be an entertaining look at a problem that I think about. I was wrong.

Hope there are not too many "vacuous and shallow 20-something year olds out there Joyce.

Enjoyed your reviews of Harvest, Jim Crace and Coventry

>67 baswood: I've added MWF Seeking BFF to my wish list.

Oh, nice review of MWF Seeking BFF. I love snarky remarks.

You know, when I looked at the cover image and title, I thought it was a good idea too. I guess unlike kidzdoc, I'm just too old :)

I must say the title alone would have turned me off!

26. The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health,* by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M Campbell, 2006

*for some reason LT is ignoring my touchstone, but it appears touchstones in my comments below work.



What Is the China Study?: The actual China Study actually makes up only a small part of this book, although the implications of the study permeate everything else in it. This is how Campbell explains the China Study: In the 1970s the Premier Chou of China initiated a vast survey to collect information on cancer in the country. Involving 650,000 people, it is considered the most ambitious biomedical research project ever undertaken. This study showed that types of cancers were localized. Back in the US, Campbell works with a leading Chinese scientist, and fast forward . . . their team gathers 8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet, and disease.

The Rest of the Book: Fast forward some more and Campbell concludes that the diseases of affluence (colon, lung, breast, stomach cancers, etc., diabetes, coronary heart disease) are caused by the Western diet, specifically, linked to animal protein. From the study, the Chinese with the lowest rates of these diseases ate a plant-based diet. Based on his many years of research on diet, Campbell advises a vegan diet of whole foods (one can eat an unhealthy vegan diet too—white flour, sugar, processed foods). This reminds me of Michael Pollan’s advice: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” (although Pollan is not vegan)

Why I Read This Now : Last autumn, my husband and I met with a friend and her husband for dinner. He had recently dropped 40 lbs over a few months, and could not stop talking about the China Study and how much better he felt. He was raised on a farm in Alberta and played semi-pro ball for years—as close to a “good ol’ boy” as you’re going to find in Canada. We found his finding religion (veganism) rather amusing. He harassed my husband to read the book, and Mr Skeptical was surprised at how credible it actually was, so I had to read it too.

I actually didn’t find that much new in it though—over the past 30 years I’ve read a lot about nutrition. For a time I followed the Pritikin program, which is very similar (except Pritikin names the culprit to be fat instead of animal protein). That wasn’t an easy program to follow, but wow did I feel fabulous! I’ve always wanted to return to it. There is also an extensive section on science, the food industry, consumerism, and government that is important, but again, not new as I’ve read about these problems elsewhere (most recently in Marion Nestle What to Eat). After several hours of hearing him preach about the China Study, I turned to his wife and asked her what she thought, and she rolled her eyes and said, “I’ve always had healthy eating habits.” Exactly.

Credibility: Campbell is a biochemist specializing in nutrition. He has written over 300 research papers on the subject. His list of credentials and experience is too long to list here, but I have to say that I can’t remember reading a book by an author with so bona fide a track record in his or her field. I did some searching on the internet, and came across a few claims that this study has been “debunked,” but none of the links had an iota of the credibility that he has. Also, his findings are not in the interests of the gajillion dollar a year food industry, so I can see that he attracts naysayers who find him threatening. Put it this way: What’s the downside of following his dietary recommendations?

Recommended for: If you too have read a lot about nutrition, this isn’t going to surprise you all that much. If reading about nutrition is a new thing for you, or you’re concerned about diseases of affluence, this may be exactly what you need. Campbell writes in a conversational way that makes all the science understandable, so you don’t need a biology degree to read this book.

>71 Nickelini: Nice review, Joyce. I always think I have a fairly healthy diet. I try to eat mostly fish and poultry, and only have red meat once or twice a month. But to give up all of that would be very difficult. I love food.

Colleen - I love food too, and don't have any plans to give up butter or mayonnaise, which we use in moderation. I've gone through strict vegetarian modes at several phases of my life and I quit because I'm bored or it's too much work, or both. I have to say that it's getting easier and easier to eat well on an animal-free diet than it ever has been before. But take your hands off my butter and mayonnaise. And eggs--I like those too. Even the author isn't vegan 100% of the time.

>71 Nickelini: Great review. The library has this on the shelf so I'm going to run round and pick it up right away. I've been vegetarian for 30 years but I'm in a bit of a rut and get far too many carbohydrates (it's so easy to just make a sandwich). Maybe I can find some advice in Campbell's book. I also noticed The China Study Cookbook by LeAnne Campbell that I'll look for too.

I've got that cookbook in my Amazon queue--I hear it relies on common ingredients, which I like. Too many vegan recipes have very odd ingredients that do not sound appetizing. Not sure you're going to find menu ideas in the China Study book itself--it's more the science and the problem. For food he just says "eat whole foods, eat plants." But take a look at it anyway.

I know someone who has become somewhat obsessed with the idea that sugar and carbohydrates more generally are at the root of what causes the diseases of affluence, not fats. I also heard this interview on my local public radio station with the author of The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet. The author, Nina Teicholz, is an investigative journalist who has apparently been vilified by the low-fat establishment. I have to say my goal is to eliminate as many processed foods as possible from my diet.

I have to say my goal is to eliminate as many processed foods as possible from my diet.

Can't go wrong there!

>75 Nickelini: Someone got there before me so I'll have to wait until the book is returned. I suppose what I'm looking for is (more) confirmation that carbohydrates cause problems.

>76 rebeccanyc: I have heard this theory before, presented in different ways, and it sounds perfectly logical. Many health/weight problems skyrocketed in the 80s when "low-fat" became the mantra.

I only drink water or black coffee, never touch processed food, fried food, or sugar, count every calorie. Gosh, I'm boring!

Many health/weight problems skyrocketed in the 80s when "low-fat" became the mantra.

He addresses that. I believe his explanation is that low fat versions of foods are scientifically altered to the point of not being real food--which is why he stresses WHOLE FOOD (as does Michael Pollan, who I have a bit of a crush on).

The argument I've heard against low-fat foods is that the companies add sugar/carbohydrates to provide the flavor that fat would otherwise provide and it's the sugar/carbs that cause all the health and obesity problems. Of course, they probably add a lot of other stuff too.

>80 rebeccanyc: My granddaughter is allergic to tree nuts, so when they visit I always check labels when buying treats for them. Several years ago, my hubby wanted to buy Chip Ahoy cookies for the kids. But he wanted to buy the lower fat or "Light" version so that the leftovers fit into his diet. The low fat version had almonds added to compensate for the fat. I know that isn't a bad fat, but it still means checking labels on everything.

Just wanted to go back a ways and say thanks for introducing me to the Belknap/Harvard press annotated Jane Austen editions. I haven't bought Sense and Sensibility (yet), but I've bought both Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion and they are absolutely beautiful! I haven't done more than browse yet, but I'm happy to own them and bet I'll buy all of the editions.

#82 - they're so nice, aren't they! Northanger Abbey came out last month--I need to order it.

>82 japaul22: I second that. So far I've only got Pride and Prejudice but I've been looking at the others.

I have Northanger Abbey in my wish list. I can't imagine not buying them all within the next year!

I can't imagine not buying them all within the next year!

I know! What kind of library doesn't have a set of these?

>86 Nickelini: my husband bought me the Northanger Abbey edition that just came out for our anniversary! Now I just need Emma and Sense and Sensibility to complete the set. The Northanger Abbey book looks beautiful. Now I need to make the time to actually read them.

>86 Nickelini: What kind of library doesn't have a set of these?

Yes, it is the kind of series that must be complete. One book looks insignificant on the shelf. I will be asking for them as gifts. That will be welcome news to my husband and a change from hearing his "More books?" as they come through the letterbox.

27. Voyage of the Narwhal, Andrea Barrett, 1998, audiobook


Cover comments: LT doesn't have my cover, so I just picked this one because it's pleasing and also fits the book.

Comments: The voyage of the title is a fictitious Arctic trek in search of the Franklin expedition, set in the mid-1800s. Erasmus is a 40 year old naturalist, who tries to aid the ship's commander (and his future brother-in-law), Zeke. Things go wrong, and then get worse, and instead of using his brains, Zeke's megalomania takes over and he steers them down a dangerous path, fuelled by his delusions of grandeur. Eventually, some of the crew return home to their families, but that doesn't solve the problems that began on the ship.

The Voyage of the Narwhal has gathered many rave reviews here at LT, so I was disappointed I didn't like this one. If I could only write a one-word review, I would say "boring." I never felt compelled to listen to this audiobook, and in fact I often looked at my iPhone and asked "how much longer?" There is nothing technically wrong with the story or writing--I just found it very flat and uninteresting. How one makes Arctic exploration uninteresting, I don't know. The Voyage of the Narwhal was nominated for the Orange prize, so I was expecting something more literary.

Recommended for: Most people seem to like this one. If you like straightforward historical fiction, or are fascinated by Arctic voyages, give it a try.

Why I Read This Now: audiobook from my wish list.

Just had a look at those Belknap Jane Austen editions and they are indeed lovely. My grandmother gave me a lovely set of Jane Austen for my tenth birthday, but needless to say it was not annotated. I used the Penguin editions in university for their footnotes and introductions, but next time I reread a Jane Austen, I just may splurge on these. I wonder if they will get to Sandition? That HUP site is dangerous!

Disappointing about the Voyage of the Narwhal.

I haven't been to that website for a while -- I see they have an annotated Wuthering Heights coming out in September. Woo hoo, I'm pretty chuffed about that.

>89 Nickelini: I've always felt I should like Andrea Barrett more than I do. I never feel that engaged by her stories, which is probably what you meant by "flat and uninteresting"! I had been thinking about trying this book, because of my interest in arctic exploration, but you've reminded me that I probably shouldn't.

Rebecca - there are lots of books on polar exploration--I suggest trying another one.

I've read lots of books on polar exploration (including a real slog of a book about the Franklin expedition), Joyce; that's why I've been toying with this one. But I've taken your warning to heart!

28. Seven Sisters, Margaret Drabble, 2002


Cover comments: This is not how I imagine the main character to look. This feels like a Virginia Woolf novel cover. I like it, but it doesn't really fit the book.

Comments: The first, and longest section, of Seven Sisters is a computer diary written by an almost-60 year old woman who has been discarded by her family--her husband has divorced her for a more youthful woman, her grown daughters all have their own lives, and her own mother is fading away in a care home. Candida leaves small town Suffolk and moves to a liminal area of London. This section has some interesting bits about loneliness, frugality, and friendship. Candida runs into some money, everything looks brighter, and she's off with a group of friends to take an educational vacation retracing the steps of the Aeneid. The second section of the book covers the vacation, and interestingly the narrative now switches to the third person. There are a third and fourth section too, but this is where the novel goes off in an odd direction and I can't even begin to explain what the author is doing.

Yes, in the end the Seven Sisters leaves me with a few big questions. However, there is something about Margaret Drabble's writing that I just adore--the has a subtle cleverness that I think rewards the reader who is paying attention. Throughout reading this, I really did like it very much, even when it got sort of strange. This is the third Drabble I've read, and none of them have been the favourite of critics. I've liked them all and just look forward to reading more by her.

Rating: A very comfortable 4 stars.

Recommended for: not sure who the Drabble reader is, but if you like details and subtleties, you should try her.

Why I Read This Now: I have many books by this author in my tbr pile, so it was time.

I like Drabble and an intriguing review of Seven Sisters, Margaret Drabble. I can't imagine what happens in the third and fourth part.

I love Drabble -- and have been reading her since the 1970s. Somehow I missed this one -- must get a copy. Thanks for the review.

29. A Northern Line Minute: The Northern Line (Penguin Underground Lines) , William Leith, 2013


Cover comments: This sat on my counter yesterday and my daughter and husband separately both picked it up and said, "What an ugly cover!". I actually think the blurred picture of the roundel (that's the official name of that red and blue circle, btw) effectively expresses the author's existential angst.

Comments: Q: What IS a "Northern Line Minute"? A: When you're standing on the platform and the screen says that the next train will arrive in one minute, it invariably takes longer. The author uses this phrase throughout the book to refer to something that you expect to take a minute but in reality takes longer. Or something that takes longer than it should. This is a phrase that I think I might find useful.

William Leith, or the narrator of this book named William Leith, is a trembling mass of anxiety. When it comes to transportation, he's afraid of all forms of it, but in particular he's afraid of the London Underground. As you can imagine, this makes life cumbersome for someone who lives in London. In the opening we see the narrator tackling his fear and taking the Tube. As the doors of the carriage close, he smells smoke and launches himself into a stream of consciousness anxious monologue just to get himself through this journey. On the way from Belsize Park to Camden Town (that's two stops if you're not familiar with the Northern Line), he goes off on all sorts of tangents in an effort to distract himself. But he keeps coming back to the burning smell. Is it all in his head?

This 73 page book, which is pretty much one long paragraph, was fairly humorous and for the most part, interesting. Although it won't make my Top Five List for the year, I know that it will stay with me, and that the next time I'm in London and inevitably on the Northern Line, I will remember this book in detail.

Recommended for: it's very short and not much of a reading commitment. If you think it sounds like it might have potential, give it a try.

Why I Read It Now: I have a small stack of this series, and they don't read themselves, you know.

>98 Nickelini: In my experience it is normally not Underground-line specific- just "Underground minutes"? The Northern line wasn't even the first to get the announcement boards telling you how many minutes to the next train, if I remember correctly it was Piccadilly Line (the royal blue one that goes out to Heathrow) first and it happened back when I was living in London over 20 years ago.
Most of my friends use "microsoft minutes" instead- who hasn't had the experience of downloads/ install times being fantastically nothing like the ones stated.

Somehow "microsoft minute" doesn't have the pinache of "northern line minute," or "Piccadilly minute," does it! (Actually, I rather like "Picadilly Minute". Hmmmm)

I suspect that you liked A Northern Line Minute more than I did, Joyce. When Leith whined about his anxiety at riding the tube I couldn't help but wonder why he couldn't just take a bus if the Underground stressed him out so much?

Darryl, I did think that too! We found the buses in London to be very efficient. What's the big deal?

Right, Joyce. TfL buses aren't as fast as taking Underground trains, but they are clean, convenient and ubiquitous.

30. Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue, 2000


Cover comments: I like it, don't love it.

Comments: Mary Saunders is a poor girl living in London in the mid-1700s who aspires to a finer life. In her quest for this, she makes a fatefully bad decision and ends up at the age of 14 pregnant and alone. She soon falls into a life of prostitution, but manages to escape . . . for a while. Donoghue created this story based on scant details of a real Mary Saunders who was executed in Monmouth in 1764.

I read Part I (to p 156) of this book in early January, but had to put it aside due to other commitments. This weekend I finally made myself pick it up again to finish the last 271 pages. At first I considered just abandoning it, but then I decided to try to finish it and see why I didn't really care about the book or the story. But in this process, I started liking it more and more, and by the last 100 pages I was enjoying it very much indeed. Maybe I just needed to be in the right time and place, and have the time to get involved with it.

However . . . Slammerkin seems like the type of book that I would really love, and I don't. As RebeccaNYC pointed out elsewhere on LT, there is something about it that feels manipulative. Also, for most of the book, I didn't care one way or another for any of the characters. And the story includes one of my literary pet peeves -- I don't know how many books I've read where a virgin has sex for the first time and gets pregnant. Of course it could happen, but the odds of getting pregnant on any single sexual act are somewhere between 3% and 11% (I looked it up, cause this is really bugging me). But if you were to go by the books I've read over the past couple of years, it's 100%. Just stop.

Recommended for: Slammerklin is a novel that I think would appeal to most fans of historical fiction (unless by historical fiction you only want to read about ladies and gentlemen living a genteel life).

Why I Read This Now: I don't remember anymore--I think it was just one that I kept meaning to read.

>104 Nickelini: I read Slammerkin earlier this year and while I enjoyed it while I was reading it, I'm still not sure of my overall view of it. In my review I said . . .It's also one of those books where the plot really steals the show. I was racing through the reading to find out what happens. In a book like that, I often find that I've enjoyed the reading experience, but later find that I didn't read closely enough to really find out if there was much deeper than the "can't turn your eyes away from a train wreck" plot.

I felt much the same about the only other book I've read by her, Room.

Yeah, I'm not sure either. There were definitely bits that I thought "this is some pretty good writing!" and never any that said "ugh, terrible writing!". But how deep? I don't know.

31. Astrid and Veronika, Linda Olsson, 2007


Cover comments: uninspired (even when not blurred)

Comments: Veronika, a 30 year old woman, returns to Sweden after a tragedy in New Zealand. She plans to write her second book, and holes herself away in a cottage on the edge of a village. Next door lives Astrid, an elderly recluse. They slowly develop a friendship and tell each other all the horrible things that have happened in their lives.

Rating: I have no idea what I think of this book. When I read the glowing reviews here at LT, I can see what people loved about it, but I didn't love it. And when I see the poor reviews, I can agree with those too. I think part of my confusion is that I don't understand Astrid's actions in a particular situation, and if they are what I understand them to be, well, . . . how horrifying. She killed her much loved baby? Really? Why?But I think I missed something. I also had a problem with the over description of detail --it got tiresome. But on the other hand, there was some dreamy, evocative writing too.

Recommended for: Well, since I have no clue what I think of this book, I'm not really one to say, but if you like quiet books, you might like this one.

Why I Read This NOw: audio book

I enjoyed your review of Slammerkin and the statistics on first-try pregnancies. I've read several several medieval romances of chivalry lately, and it seems the pregnancy rate for depucelations was 100% back then too. Not only that, but if the father was a king or knight-errant, the pregnancy will always result in a boy, and he'll invariably grow up to be a mighty warrior.

Steven -- That is amazing indeed! (Looking at the family tree of the English monarchy I'd say it almost never happened that way, but why let a little reality get in the way of a good story).

>66 Nickelini:, "but if you are a vacuous and shallow 20-something year old you might relate to this narrator better than I did." oh snap. That's awesome.

But also too bad, since it seems like it could have been an interesting book. I find this problem a lot in DC, where many people I know have moved away because of the expense or because they could do their jobs other cities they liked better and the people I still know are all in the Foreign Service and are constantly leaving the city for long stretches at a time. Making friends as an adult in a transient city can be quite a challenge.

>82 japaul22: through >88 VivienneR:, How did I miss this? I love annotated books (such a nerd!) and will have to pick up a few of these for my favorites. Sadly, I don't see my personal fave, Mansfield Park. Wah-wah.

>95 Nickelini: Hi Joyce, what other books have you read by Margaret Drabble? I recently read her latest work, The Pure Gold Baby, with my reading group, not having read anything else by her before. Your review of Seven Sisters has struck a chord, because we were all a little dissatisfied with the plot, but enjoyed the writing. I'm definitely going to try at least one more book by her.

ETA: >98 Nickelini: That sounds like a book I should be interested in, but I fear it may just give me new things to worry about!

#110 - Fanny - I think finding friends when you're an adult is difficult in general, never mind adding the difficulty you describe! As for the annotated editions of Mansfield Park, I think they are just doing them last. The David Shapard edition is due for publication in September 2015. The Harvard University Press says they're releasing their version in Fall 2015, and Diedra Lynch is the editor (I've read quite a bit of her Austen scholarship, so I think this will be really good).

#111 - Rebeki - The other Drabbles that I've read are The Red Queen and The Witch of Exmoor. Neither of these get very good comments from professional critics, but I liked them, especially the later. Apparently her earlier work is the stuff the critics like. I don't care about them ;-)

>113 Nickelini: - I seem to remember reading other positive comments about The Red Queen on LT, so maybe I should give that a go. It's interesting what you say about the critics, because The Pure Gold Baby seems to have garnered a lot of praise among professional reviewers, which our reading group generally felt was unwarranted, while members that had read other works by Drabble preferred her early books. Anyway, I think you're right not to take too much notice of the critics!

>113 Nickelini: >114 Rebeki: while members that had read other works by Drabble preferred her early books

I've only read her early books, because I was on a Drabble kick in the 80s. I know she's kept on writing and I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't kept up with her work. This is a good reminder to try some of her more recent novels. (And I don't care about the professional critics either -- they've led me astray too many times.)

32. Country Girls, Edna O’Brien, 1960


Cover comments: I have no opinion on this cover one way or another.

Comments Set in 1950s Ireland, The Country Girls is a short novel that feels like a memoir. Teenage Caithleen and her supposed best friend Baba are about 14, and attend school together in a rural community. The story follows them through a convent boarding school where the nuns are one part stupid and the other part inhumane, and then ends up with Cait and Baba sharing a room in a Dublin boarding house where they finally get to let down their hair a little.
Edna O’Brien is a deceptively subtle writer, fooling readers with her seemingly simple sentence structure. Cait is a naive narrator whose innocent observations illuminate the restrained society of mid-century Ireland.

Rating: I would have raved about his novel but for one thing that irritated me throughout—the character of Baba. From the beginning, she is clearly the second Country Girl, and is described bas the best friend. But she is rarely a friend, and is consistently a nasty bully. She’s a selfish, unlikable character from age 14 through 18, and hardly friend material for my enemy’s dog. But I guess there wasn’t’ much to choose from in Ciat’s small community, so Baba gets the position from being in the vicinity. She’s an interesting character, but in most novels she’d be the antagonist. Here I just wanted Cait to stand up to her and verbally smack her down.

Why I Read This Now: I was looking for something in my tbr stack from the 1001 books list.

Recommended for O’Brien is the reigning queen of Irish lit, the Catholic Church banned this book . . . what else do you need?

>116 Nickelini: Now on my wishlist.....

I really have to get to O'Brien . . . I've had this book on my TBR for a year or more . . . Thanks for your review, and thanks for reminding me.

33. Mennonites Don't Dance, Darcie Friesen Hossack, 2010


"The Suicide" by Madalina Iordache-Levay -- I love this cover! I'm sure it will be one of my favourite covers of the books I read this year.

Comments: The title Mennonites Don't Dance comes from the name of one of the short stories in this collection. Not all the stories are about Mennonites, but most are, and all the stories revolved around conflict between rural and town life or modernity, and conflicts between children and their parents.

I laughed when I first heard the title for this book, because my mom, who grew up in the 30s and 40s, wasn't allowed to dance. Or swim, roller skate, or ice skate. Because they all lead to sex, of course. My dad, raised in the same general culture, wasn't allowed to dance either, but all those other things were okay. Which brings me to one of my favourite Mennonite jokes:
Why don't Mennonites have sex standing up?
Because it might lead to dancing.

Hossack is a gifted writer and this collection was recognized with a nomination for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize: Caribbean and Canada, First Book. Both professional and reader reviews are positive. While I recognize the quality writing, something about this didn't really click with me. I found all the stories very isolated and the difficulty to place them within recognizable time frames and culture made me constantly question what I was reading. For example, in the title story, the main character talks about their new washing machine, which is a wringer model. So I think "okay, we're in the 1930s or 40s here." But then a while later the character uses a microwave oven, and then later talks about the C-Train in Calgary, which was built in the early 1980s. It was all a little off for me. Secondly, I'm always searching for a book that conveys Mennonite culture, and in that regard, it didn't work for me either (it's a silly quest anyway--finding the one perfect Mennonite book makes as much sense as finding the one perfect Jewish book). I would say that the first story, "Luna," is the weakest and the last story, "Poor Nella Pea" is the strongest.

Recommended for: readers who like slightly dark stories set in lonely rural settings.

I see what you mean about the cover. But having not read the book, it looks to me more "Jane Eyre-ish" than Mennonite!

#120 - Somehow it does fit the book, however, yes, I agree-- it better fits Jane Eyre, or Wuthering Heights.

Yeah, Wuthering Heights. Definitely.

Excellent review of the book with the great cover.

Edna O'Brien beckons.

34. A Short History of England: the complete story of our nation in a single volume, Simon Jenkins, 2012


Cover comments: I love this cover. It's very simple, but the typeface is lovely and the woodcut tree is also lovely, and just so English.

Comments It appears this book was originally published with the subtitle "the Glorious Story of a Rowdy Nation," which is rather fun and I wonder why they changed it. I originally learned of this book while browsing the featured books table at Waterstones in Leadenhall Market, but due to space restrictions, I waited until I got home to Canada to order it. So I almost bought it in England. Anyway . . . this book raises a couple of questions:

How do you fit the history of England into 295 pages (plus 3 lists and an index)? Jenkins does it by sticking to the subject of the title, England, and not the other countries that make up the British Isles. This means the book starts at the "Saxon Dawn" around 410 AD. And then the author focuses on what happened to make England an actual country or nation state, so lots of politics, not so much about culture.

I studied British history at university, and have been reading about it my whole life. Did I really need to read a book about this? No, I didn't need to. But I found it very interesting, and I learned lots. By making this a short history, he summarizes and links things in a way I hadn't thought about before. I read this with a pencil in hand, and underlined anything I found new or interesting, and I underlined important characters. That way I can use it as a reference book in the future when I'm reading fiction and am wondering about the background of some event or character. There are some areas of English history that I have down quite well (I'm looking at you, Henry VIII) but others that always confuse me (the War of the Roses, the Hanoverians).

Here's an interesting thing I noted while reading this: it is common for monarchs to marry non-British spouses. This book didn't outline it exactly, so I did some research on my own. There have been 41 monarchs since the Battle of Hastings. Of those, 28 married someone from Europe. Of those 28, three had more than one foreign spouse. The monarchy has a reputation of being such a very English institution (everyone seems to ignore the Normans and Hanoverians), but they really aren't. Just a meaningless piece of trivia I like to find to clutter my brain.

Recommended for anyone interested in English history who just wants the highlights. This book is very readable, and rarely dry. It has the blessing of the National Trust.

Why I Read This Now: I'm trying to have one fiction and one non-fiction book going at all times, and this was physically at the top of my non-fiction tbr stack. Plus I've always loved English history.

Sounds very interesting. I love English (well, British) history and have a few on the tbr heap that I mean to get to soon. I wouldn't mind adding this one to the list. Nice review!

Your stats. about the monarchs marriages is not surprising. Most of them would have been arranged and would have been to shore up the power base. Also in Plantagenet and early Tudor times it was quite incestuous, because although marriages were European they were still distant or in some cases not so distant relations. All one big happy family?

I am wondering if I would like Simon Jenkins' book, as it might be useful to have all the history in one place.

Excellent review

>124 Nickelini: That one does sound interesting, and a handy reference tool.

A Short History of England sounds intriguing. Even more so the subtitle: The Glorious Story of a Rowdy Nation! Like you, I took courses in British history in college — way back when. Sounds like a short summary would be just the thing to restore old memories. Wish listed.

Anyone who enjoys British history would do well to check out The British History Podcast. I've been listening to that on my commutes and am learning scads during what would otherwise be wasted time not reading.

Suzanne, Colleen, Bas, & Vivienne - A Short History of England is pretty short, so I encourage you to find a copy.

Fanny - and where would one find such a thing? Sounds interesting.

35. Chocky, John Wyndham, audiobook, 1968


Cover comments: my audio book came without an image, so I just grabbed this audio cover.

Comments: Eleven year old Matthew's father is somewhat alarmed at a sudden change in his son--it appears that Matthew might have an imaginary friend. But somehow, that doesn't feel right to him, mainly because "Chocky" causes Matthew to discuss things that he couldn't think of on his own.

This is a fun short book, so I'm not going to give anything away. This is classified as science fiction, which is a genre I rarely read, but if were all like this I'd read it often. Part of what I loved what that it didn't feel spacey because of its cozy mid-century middle class English setting.

I had seen Chocky on the 1001 books list but for some reason I didn't notice that the author was the same as that of The Midwich Cuckoos, a book that I loved a few years ago. That one also had a cozy English atmosphere, although it ultimately was a pretty scary story. Chocky is more strange, or perhaps creepy, than scary. Lucky me--I have several more John Wyndhams to explore. I'm surprised I didn't read his books when I was a teenager--they would have been just my thing. well, I get to enjoy them now.

Recommended for: readers who like stories that are slightly strange. Some people will be bothered by the 1960s views on women, but I wouldn't let that ruin an otherwise good book.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Nothing intelligent or useful to post, just want to say I enjoyed catching up with your thread and learned a few things.

British History Podcast: http://thebritishhistorypodcast.com/

easy downloading through Apple store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-british-history-podcast/id440985304?mt=2

I also love the History of English Podcast: http://historyofenglishpodcast.com/

easy downloading through apple store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/history-english-podcast/id538608536?mt=2

I have learned so much from both of these podcasts. I'm hoping to discover other good ones about history. The guys who do both of these have voices that are easy to listen to, they take a humorous approach to things but are incredibly serious about the substance, and they present theories and differing schools of thought about different topics, which I enjoy.

I have heard Brits refer disparagingly to the royal family as "those Germans."

#134 - Well, really, they're right. I always roll my eyes when some TV person says "the Queen of England traces her family tree back to William the Conqueror in 1066". Hmmm, I guess sort of technically if you stand on your head, close one eye and spin you can make that line up. But it's a stretch.

I've enjoyed catching up with your latest burst of reviews. The Country Girls and Chocky are two books I'll probably be reading because they're on the 1001 list, and I'm glad to know you liked them.

I lost track of your thread for a long while and just did some major catching up! The diet discussion was very interesting.

So glad Helen Humphreys was mentioned as I'd quite forgotten about her, but have enjoyed her books before. Her little book The Frozen Thames was really neat and her book Wild Dogs was the first ARC I read as a bookstore employee. I've always had a big WWII interest so I'm very happy to know about Coventry.

>133 fannyprice: I listen to the British History podcast too (although not very consistently) and can second your recommendation. Thanks for mentioning the History of English. I'll check that one out.

Nice review of A Short History of England, Joyce. I think I've finished buying books in London on this leg of my trip, but I'll look for it later this month or after I return to the US in two weeks.

>133 fannyprice: Thanks for posting those podcasts, Kris!

36. Before I Go to Sleep, SJ Watson, 2011


Cover comments: I don't mind this. Not my style, but it's okay for a best seller type book I guess.

Comments: This was a fun read. A woman awakes in a strange bed, lying next to a man she doesn't recognize. He has some grey hair and is wearing a wedding ring. "Ack," she thinks, "I shagged some old married guy." She sneaks into the bathroom to see in the mirror that she isn't in her 20s, as she assumed, but closer to 50. She also sees pictures of her and the man, who is now identified as her husband Ben, and notices that she too is wearing a wedding ring. It turns out that she has amnesia, caused by head trauma many years ago. She is unable to remember her past, and anything she learns during the day is erased overnight when she sleeps. Ben gently explains everything to her and then goes off to work. During her day she discovers snippets of her life, culminating in a journal where she has written "Don't trust Ben." I was hooked.

Generally I'm very suspicious of the amnesia storylines--they're really a cliche minefield. With Before I Go to Sleep though I suspended disbelief and just went along for the ride. Not a perfect book, but I enjoyed it very much.

Recommended for: Many people loved this book, a few despised it. I think this is a good summer read.

Why I Read This Now: the movie, starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth, is due to come out this year and I wanted to read the book first.

>140 Nickelini:, I just finished this one too and found it very enjoyable.

>140 Nickelini: I am intrigued. That cover wouldn't have enticed me, but your review did.

37. Before I Wake, Robert J Wiersema, 2006


Cover comments: It's okay, I guess but doesn't tell you what the book is about. I think it's misleading, actually.

Comments: Simon and Karen's three year old daughter is struck by a hit and run driver and is deemed brain dead. But when they take her off life support, she starts breathing on her own. They take her home, where it is slowly discovered that the little girl appears to have powers to miraculously heal others, including people with terminal illness. A shadowy character, Father Peter, appears to threaten their lives. There is a strong supernatural element to the novel. The story is told in short first-person narratives by a wide number of characters. This technique keeps the story moving, but I'm not 100% sold on this approach.

The blurb on the back cover, and the first quarter of the story, make Before I Wake seem like the story of a tragic life event. But then the book takes an unexpected turn. And another. And another. It definitely kept me guessing--and most of my guesses turned out to be wrong.

Why I Read This Now: it's been in my TBR for a while, and I recently read Before I Go to Sleep. As I always confused these two books, I thought I'd read them both so I could get them straight. Both titles make perfect sense in the context of their stories.

Rating: This was a good read. 4 stars.

Recommended for: As with Before I Go to Sleep, the reader must be willing to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy this book. If you can do that, then I recommend it. The book is set in Victoria, BC, and has a strong sense of place, so read Before I Wake if you're a fan of that city.

>143 Nickelini: And on the TBR it goes...

Catching up on your reviews. I finished reading The Seven Sisters a couple of days ago (must write a review) on your recommendation and because this was a Drabble I hadn't heard of. I love Drabble and enjoyed The Seven Sisters, but it wasn't one of my favorites. Of her later books, I've loved The Witch of Exmoor and The Sea Lady. I read most of her early books in the 70s and 80s and loved them, but I honestly don't remember much about them except for The Garrick Year.

#145 - I have all those old ones to look forward to, and The Sea Lady too.

38. Deceived With Kindness: A Bloomsbury Childhood, Angelica Garnett, 1984, updated 1995


Cover comments: the more I look at this, the uglier I find it.

Comments: Angelica Garnett was the daughter of painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, but she grew up assuming her mother's husband, Clive Bell was her father. Although I knew this fact, I did not know the circumstances. Garnett explains:

"But Vanessa knew exactly what she wanted. She persuaded Duncan to give her a child, prepared to take the responsibility on herself provided he remained close to her. For her he was a genius, his offspring destined to be exceptional."

Except Angelica's life actually didn't turn out to be that exceptional--odd, yes, but not exceptional. This memoir seems to me to be her way of chasing down and dealing with the demons that came from growing up in Bloomsbury, surrounded by unusual but very intelligent adults and very few children. Vanessa Bell loved her own children, but didn't provide much guidance, as according to Garnett, her goal in life was to be unconventional. Written at the age of 66, this memoir expresses Garnett's feelings of being raised with a lack of real parenting.

Deceived With Kindness is an uneven book--some sections were dull, but some absolutely sparkled. I could see the influence of her Aunt Virginia's literary flair. She writes some beautiful passages about Christmases at the Bell family estate, boring winters in London, and annual spring trips in France. I was looking forward to hearing her explain how at the age of 19 she married 48 year old David (Bunny) Garnett, who had once been Duncan Grant's lover, but I found this part completely unsatisfying.

I love this picture of Angelica and her aunt, Virginia Woolf, 1932


Recommended for: Readers who are interested in Bloomsbury, figures in modernism, or bohemian English life from the 1920s through the 1950s. This memoir won the 1985 JR Ackerley Prize for Autobiography, so I'd also recommend it to people who enjoy reading memoirs.

Why I Read This Now: I'm not sure what made me pick this out of the TBR pile.

Enjoyed your review of Deceived by Kindness. One for the Bloomsbury aficionados

Interesting review. Vanessa sounds a bit like Mina Loy, whose biography I recently read, in her obsession with being unconventional.

Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years, Philip Jenkins, 2010



Comments: From the back cover:

"In this fascinating account of the surprisingly violent fifth-century church, Jenkins describes how political maneuvers by a handful of powerful characters shaped Christian doctrine. Were it not for these battles, today's church could be teaching something very different about the nature of Jesus, and the papacy as we know it would never have come into existence. Jesus Wars reveals the profound implications of what amounts to an accident of history: that one faction of Roman emperors and militia-wielding bishops defeated another."

This to me sounds very interesting. However, I've started this book twice, and I just find it all bogged down by minutiae, terms, and names that I just don't care about. It seems his argument centres on the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which decided if Jesus Christ was man, divine, or both. Sounds like it could have gone either way and the decision wasn't made for logical or biblical reasons. That's enough for me, life is too short to get mired down with this amount of detail. Off to the charity bin with this one.

Recommended for Divinity students.

Believe it or not, based on your comments I think I would like to read Jesus Wars! This is actually where I got into reading about so-called "pagan influences." Not that the Council of Chalcedon had anything to do with it, but when it began to dawn on me that, as you say, "the decision wasn't made for logical or biblical reasons" as to whether "Jesus Christ was man, divine, or both," that's when I started to get sidetracked in my readings about early Christianity. It became clear that Christianity as practiced within the Church had acquired fairly early a lot of trappings that were not apparent from even a cursory reading of the Gospels. Much of what is considered traditional today was lifted straight out of pagan worship. Just today I finished my twenty-third book on the subject! What's a few more added to the pile?

#151 - If you ever read it, I look forward to your comments. I was surprised that I didn't like it, but I've given it two tries. If I had found any pagan in it, I think it would have been okay, but all I saw was political and religious minutiae which added up to nothing for me.

39. The Flying Troutmans, Miriam Toews, 2008, audiobook


Cover comments: the cover of my audiobook isn't an option on LT, so I picked this one because it fits.

Comments: When her mentally ill sister Minn has yet another breakdown, 28 yr old Hattie returns home to Winnipeg from her life in Paris to take care of Minn's children. Things weren't working out so well in Paris anyway. And things weren't work out so well for her 11 yr old chatterbox niece Thebes or her 15 yr old rebellious nephew Logan either. Pretty much clueless on how to solve this crisis, Hattie packs the kids into a van and sets off on a road trip across the western US in search of the kids' father, who Minn had chased away. Most of the novel takes place in the van as they meander southward through the states.

Toews has a fabulous gift for witty dialogue, and her portrayal of a family dealing with mental illness is sharp. The characters, especially Thebes and Logan, are colourful and fully developed. The novel has definite faults, but most of them are just nit-picky details. I listened to this in audiobook, and after a while the "she said" "he said" and "I said" started to grate on my nerves; however, on the page the eye would just float past them.

I adored A Complicated Kindness, which I read when it was first published, but when the Flying Troutmans--her next novel--was released, the story line didn't interest me so I didn't pursue this book. But when I saw the audiobook I thought I'd give it a try. It was definitely interesting and fun to listen to, although I can confirm that this story really isn't my thing. I look forward to other books by Toews (which is a good thing, since I have several in my TBR pile).

Recommended for: readers who like books with quirky, larger-than-life characters.

Why I Read This Now: audiobook that was available.

I always feel that during the audiobook recordings, or the prep for it, the reader should just strike out a fair few of the he said-she saids. If the reader gives the characters pretty unique voices there's just no need for it.

>153 Nickelini: I didn't notice the "he saids" and "she saids" when I read the print version, so you are right that it just floated past. However, I'm listening to Muriel Spark's Loitering with intent and have noticed the same thing. The reader has made it into a sort of style feature which helps.

Nice review of Deceived with kindness, sounds like it's one to watch for.

40. Women Without Men: A Novel of Modern Iran, Shahrnush Parsipur, translated by Faridoun Farrokh, 1989


Cover comments: I suppose this is a movie tie-in cover, and I don't like it. There was so much evocative imagery in this book--I think they could have done much better.

Comments: The powers that be in Iran were not happy with Shahrnush Parsipur when she published this novella so they banned this book and threw her in prison. Using a heavy dose of magical realism, Parsipur depicts the lives of five abused women who find themselves alternatives to the traditional gender roles for Iranian women. Eventually they all meet in a walled garden from where they reinvent themselves.

It is unfortunate that I found the narrative voice flat and dry, and couldn't warm up to it. Women Without Men would have been a fabulous book to study at university, and if I'd had that opportunity, I'm sure I would have loved this. This would also make for great discussion at a book club (if all the members could get copies). I will definitely look for the film (here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CGxQlcrlYw)

Recommended for:: obviously for readers interested in gender rights and Iranian culture, as well as fans of magical realism and banned books. Although Women Without Men won't make my favourite books list, I highly recommend it for its uniqueness (it's only 113 pages, so not much of a risk).

Why I Read This Now: it was time for something completely different.

The premise of Women Without Men sounds very interesting. I am sorry it did not rise above the ordinary.

It sounds interesting to me too. I'm not much of a fan of magical realism, but maybe since it's so short. The movie certainly looks beautiful though.

41. The London Train, Tessa Hadley

Review under construction. Please hold.

41. The London Train, Tessa Hadley, 2011


Cover comments: As with many of the audio books I get from OneClick, my cover isn't available on LT. That's okay, it was dull.

Comments: The London Train is a quiet, slow book about not very nice people and their relationships living in today's United Kingdom. The first part is about Paul, an Englishman living in Wales, who leaves his family (temporarily?) when his adult daughter from a previous marriage disappears and then turns up pregnant and living with some much older Polish guy in London. The story abruptly begins again with a library worker who has left her much better paying job and older husband. Eventually, the two stories tied together. I'm not sure, but I imagine this switching of stories would have been handled in a smoother fashion in paper.

The London Train was nominated for the Orange prize (or whatever it's called).

Rating: At first I found it a bit boring and didn't really care, but something in the story drew me in and I ended up really enjoying listening to this one. There was certainly some lovely writing, and I enjoyed the observations on life in Britain today. I will look for more by this author. I'm quite confident giving this 4 stars.

Recommended for: I'll tell you who shouldn't read this: people who are uncomfortable reading about adultery, those who need to cheer on or at least like the characters, and anyone who likes lots of action.

Why I Read This Now: Audiobook.

42. The Swallows of Kabul, Yasmina Khadra, 2002, translated from French


cover comments: suits the book well

Comments: This short novel is about a small group of people who are trying to carry on with life despite the oppression of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Why I Read This Now: It seemed like something I might be in the mood for.

Recommended for: readers who want to take a literary journey to Afghanistan.

I read a book by Tessa Hadley a few years ago (The Master Bedroom). I found the writing to be excellent, but I never engaged with any of the characters. I'll have to give her another chance some day.

43. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith, 1948


Cover comments: I think my copy is a North American first edition, however, it is in terrible shape (there is actually a hole punched through the hardback front cover). Design-wise, well, no one would make a cover like this now days, but it has a certain mid-century charm to it.

Comments: Seventeen year old Cassandra lives with her eccentric family in genteel poverty in a rented crumbling castle in Suffolk. Set in the 1930s, one day the heirs to the property arrive from the US, and there are two rich, handsome sons. One for her, and one for her sister. Or maybe not. Her abusive father is a famous writer, but he's a one-hit wonder and has had writer's block for a decade. I think the strength of this novel comes from the charming and distinct narrative voice, although I'm not sure the hybrid journal-novel structure works.

I have mixed feelings on this one. It has been in my TBR pile since at least 2001, and this summer I finally forced myself to read it. On the downside, I found it was often tedious and I found myself sighing and wondering how long it was going to drag on. But then there were parts that were rather brilliant and so much fun to read. Smith does an amazing job of capturing the atmosphere of the long dusk and dawn of an English summer, and I adored the scene where Cassandra and Neil swim around the moat, under the stars and through the swans. Pure magic. I also really enjoyed the zany stepmother, Topaz.

Recommended for: I Capture the Castle is highly acclaimed and makes many must read lists. Give it a try. I often hear that it's a wonderful book to discover when one is 13 years old, but I'm not sure my teenage self would have liked this or not.

Rating: some parts are 2 stars, some parts are 5. But even as I write this, the boring parts are fading away and I'm remembering the sparkling evocative bits.

Why I Read This Now: it was one of the older books on my TBR, and somehow I knew it would be a lovely summer read (with all the twilights and moat swimming and all).

And now I'm off to fire up Netflix and watch the film version . . .

I found the movie rather sweet and fun, but I think I saw it a good while after I read the book, and I haven't read the book in years so I've no idea how they match up.

Is that a scene from the movie? Fantastic spot.

Lola - I searched "I Capture the Castle" in Google images and that was the picture I liked best, but it's actually from someone's castle tour of Ireland that they borrowed the book title for. This castle is in Galway. In the movie they used a castle in Wales, I believe. But I like this picture a lot!

>160 Nickelini: >162 RidgewayGirl: I read a book by Tessa Hadley years ago, but I've so completely blocked it out I can't remember which one it was, except that I think based on the date it must have been Accidents in the Home. I gave it away, which means I really didn't like it! And I haven't enjoyed her stories in the New Yorker, either.

>163 Nickelini: I know I already said this somewhere on LT, but when I was in my 20s a friend gave me I Capture the Castle and told me it was one of her favorite books, but I never read it and now that I'm WAY past being 13 I don't think I will.

Rebecca - I Capture the Castle has many fans of all ages, but if you suspect it's not for you, I think you'll still probably have a meaningful life without having read it.

44. Murder City: Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields, Charles Bowden, 2010


Cover comments: not very inventive, but it suits the book.

Comments: US Journalist Bowden explores the Mexican border city of Juarez during the year it becomes the world's murder capital (2008). Many people dismiss the problems of Juarez as simply wars between the drug cartels, but Bowden attempts to show that this is only part of the picture. Of course drugs are a huge part of the problem, but when he considers that the leaders of the drug cartels aren't the people being murdered, he figures there is more going on--namely corruption at every level, including the elected government, the police, and the army. And on top of that, grinding poverty, which he sees as an effect of NAFTA.

All very interesting, except I really disliked Bowden's writing style. I think it's supposed to be artistic, but I just found it cold, choppy, and repetitive. I have to admit that I didn't quite finish this book, as I accidentally left it in my doctor's office, and decided it wasn't worth going back for. I already figured that it was over long, and the author hadn't said anything new in 100 pages, so I'm counting this one as complete.

In 2009, there were 2,656 murders in Ciudad Juarex, and in 2010 there were 3,100. Bowden shows this place to be the ultimate failed city. How is it possible that I could find this book so boring?


Chiudad Juarez, where according to the author, violent crime affects the lives of every single person.

Why I Read This Now: I buy a lot of non-fiction books about serious and disturbing subjects, but then they usually languish in my TBR forever. This year I resolved to pull some of them out and read them. I picked this one now because of the current child refugee crisis on the southern US border. Hearing about it, I wondered how bad their lives must be that these children and teens would choose to travel through such an extremely dangerous place in search of safety. It reminded me that I owned Murder City and that perhaps I should read it.

Recommendations & Rating: I was disappointed with this one. If anything about this book sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to read the other reviews here at LT, or even over at Amazon, because I think other people say it better. Most other readers like it better than I did too.

Thanks for the warning. I hope there are better books on this.

Well, ugh. I read a crime novel about the issue of the disappeared women in Juarez and was hoping this would be a good way to learn more. At least I had not yet purchased a copy.

170 & 171 -- RebeccaNYC wrote a much more positive review, which you can find on the book's page. I'd hate to steer someone away from a book they may like. Just for me, personally, it didn't have enough of a narrative.

Interesting -- as Joyce says in >172 Nickelini: I found this book stunning. But you do have to surrender to the author's writing style. As I said in my review, it's not that Bowden can't do straight journalism (I found this book because I heard him interviewed on public radio), but that he chose not to for this work.

#173 - Thanks, Rebecca. I think it's my mood lately--I just need some narrative. I abandoned a lot of books over the past few months because they've amorphous. Who knows, in a few months, amorphous writing might feel wonderful. But not now.

45. Every Day Was Summer: Childhood Memories of Edwardian Days in a Small Welsh Town, Oliver Wynne Hughes, 1989, revised 2006


Cover comments: I like the painting in the middle of this cover--not sure who the artist is, but it reminds me of the Edwardian beach art of Frank W Benson (if anyone recognizes this piece and knows the artist, please speak up).

Comments: This is a collection of vignettes and photos of the author's mother and her two sisters, and their childhood years growing up in Harlech, Wales. Rather than a chronological story, the author clusters the anecdotes by subject -- schooldays, the beach, golf, the English in Harlech, life in service, etc. He ends the book with short biographies of the boys from the village who served in WWI.

During the Edwardian period, Harlech was a popular vacation spot with some upper class English families, including Robert Graves and Denys Finch-Hatton (of Out of Africa and West with the Night fame). They were drawn to the village by the beach and Royal St David's Golf Club. I found the contrast between their lives and the lives of the poor townspeople to be most interesting.

I think this book is an important piece of documentation of an era.


The dunes leading to the beach at Harlech


The 13th century Harlech Castle (built by Edward I)

Recommended for: people interested in social history

Why I Read This Now: the Edwardian era is my favourite

>174 Nickelini: Oh, how I understand moods in book reading! I'm in a pretty narrative mood lately myself; not sure if I could tackle Murder City right now.

46. Being Wrong, Kathryn Schulz

Not ready to write about this one yet and I'm off for a few days, but I will eventually get back here.

47. A Cupboard Full of Coats, Yvette Edwards, 2011, audiobook


Cover comments: as is often the case with the audiobooks I get from OneClick, the covers I get are not available at LT. This one is sort of kind of a little bit like my cover (it's a tighter shot of the same woman's neck, and from a different angle. I like my cover better in terms of suiting the book)

Comments: It's 14 years since teenage Jinx's mother was brutally killed by her fiance in Hackney, London. Now the murderer's best friend, and Jinx's former inappropriate crush, shows up on her doorstep. They spend a weekend talking and drinking, while he cooks Caribbean comfort food, and reveal to each other their (unwarranted) feelings of culpability in the murder.

Although this wasn't the most fascinating or compelling of books, for the most part I enjoyed listening to A Cupboard Full of Coats and having the story disclosed, bit by bit. I particularly commend the reader, Adjoa Andoh, who smoothly transitioned between a pretty straightforward British narrator, a working class/East End London accent, and various Caribbean voices. Between her skill here, and the well-rounded characters, A Cupboard Full of Coats felt fresh and different.

Rating: 4 stars. Good job, Yvette Edwards, in getting your debut novel nominated for the Booker Prize.

Recommended for: If it sounds like it might have potential, give it a go.

Why I Read This Now: Audiobook (I need to listen to something while I water my garden!)

48. The Birds on the Trees, Nina Bawden, 1970


Cover comments: at first glance, I find this Virago Modern Classics cover very attractive, with its watery foresty colours and silhouettes. But then when I look closely, it kind of falls apart for me, and yes, there is that stereotypical mysterious figure walking away . . .

Comments: Apparently Toby is a troubled teen (I think somewhere in the book it says he's 19, but then why is he getting kicked out of school at that old age?). His parents, Maggie and Charlie, don't really know what to do with him, but they get all sorts of comments and suggestions from their friends and family. This short novel is told from a variety of different character's points of view, but we never hear from Toby himself.

This novel started out very strong, but then fizzled into I don't know what. There are some well written and interesting bits, but overall it seemed rather pointless. Everyone is worried about Toby, but I couldn't see him actually doing anything extreme. I know lots of people who were asked to leave school and who smoked pot but still went on to become tax paying law abiding citizens with jobs and mortgages and children. And unlike Toby, none of them ended up in the psych ward of a hospital being treated for suspected schizophrenia that had been brought on by experimentation with marijuana and LSD.

In 2008, the people at the Booker Prize came up with an award called the Lost Booker so that they could honour some books published in 1970 that had missed out due to a rule change at that time. The Birds on the Trees was one of those Lost Booker nominees. I can't understand why, as I think it's dated, and not in a good Jane Austen-Virginia Woolf sort of way.

Rating A solid 3 star book.

Recommended for: people studying middle class British life around the year 1970.

Why I Read This Now: I wanted to read something by Bawden and I like to try Booker nominated books.

Certainly a forgotten book as you are the first to review The birds on the Trees It's a terrible title too.

It's a terrible title too.

And I don't even know what it means.

49. England, England, Julian Barnes, 1998


Cover comments: Finally! A cover I can love. First, blue (just adore blue covers). And a map, because I'm a fool for maps. In the graphics arts sense, it's just a pleasing cover. But that's not all--it's actually meaningful! Highly symbolic of the first part of the novel, and also touches on the last part. Kudos to the designer, Bill Gregory.

Comments: There were parts of England, England that I adored--brilliant observations, fabulous writing, interesting events and characters; and then there were parts that were just too much--too many bits trying to make a whole, too preachy, too many ideas, too much zaniness, too much cleverness (much of which went over my head, I admit). England, England is a humorous novel that satirizes English nationalism, capitalism, tourism, intellectualism, and I'm sure if I think about it a bit more, a whole slew of other -isms.

It is divided into three sections. The first, "England", follows the recent past of Martha, who grew up in a somewhat idealized English village. The main part of the novel is "England, England" where we find Martha a 39 year old career woman starting her high-powered job working for crazy industrialist Sir Jack Pitman. Pitman is launching his plan to take over the Isle of Wight and make it a condensed version of all that attracts tourists to England. He is so successful that the real England goes into a state of decline. The short final section, "Anglia", finds Martha retiring to a future version of England, which has basically collapsed and has reinvented itself as an isolationist rural pre-industrial society.

I very much enjoyed the first and last sections, and parts of the main section were good too, but overall the "England, England" part was too loud and over-the-top for my tastes, and some of his tangents were nothing less than irritating. Barnes tackles a lot here, and some of it works quite well, while other ideas fall flat.

England, England was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Rating: 4 stars

Why I Read This Now: I was in a hurry packing for a holiday and it was physically at the top of my TBR pile.

Recommended for: This is not a novel for everyone. For starters, the reader must be interested in satirizing 1990s English society. And even more, the reader must be fairly erudite--Barnes references and alludes to a wide-range of things and ideas constantly, and if you're not extremely well-read, it won't mean anything. I have to admit that he definitely lost me in places and then I stopped caring. I guess if I was really up on late-90s Britain, I'd have liked it better. That said, all the stuff he alluded to that I did understand was fun to read.

I would eventually like to read England, England but I am currently on an entirely different trip. But I am making a note. Enjoyed your review!

I may not ever read England, England, but I really enjoyed reading your review of it!

I remember liking parts of England, England, and really disliking other parts. I think the premise had such good possibilities, but I remember saying after I read it that it left me feeling a little flat.

50. Written on the Body, Jeanette Winterson, 1992


cover comments: I didn't have an opinion of this cover at first, but the more I look at it the more I find it bland and aesthetically choppy. The typeface for the title is nice, but otherwise, it's sort of an ugly yawn.

Comments: An unnamed narrator with an ambiguous gender, but who reads female to me, tells of her sexual past and love life, and how it led to her one true love, the beautiful Louise.

Some parts of this novel were story, and some parts were poetic musings about her adoration for her lover.

Rating: this is one of those books that people seem to love or hate. I fell somewhere in the middle. Let's just say I'm glad it was under 200 pages.

Why I Read This Now: It's one of the older books in my 1001 books TBR pile.

Recommended for: not sure. Not recommended for those who want a strong plot and who are bothered by bisexuality.

46. Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margins of Error, Kathyrn Schultz, 2010


Cover comments: ho hum typical non-fiction cover, but then what options do they have?

Rating: At least 4.5 stars. This may be the best book I've read so far this year.

Comments: I finished this a few weeks ago, but wanted to go through and take some notes before I wrote my review and returned it to the library. There were so many times this book made me say "yes, that's what's going on!" or sometimes just "well isn't THAT interesting."

For better commentary, go to the book's review page and read the two by dchaikin and DetailMuse. They say it better than I can.

I thought I'd save myself some money and shelf space by getting this from the library, but I think I'm just going to go buy my own copy so I can mark it up.

Recommended for: anyone who is interested in learning more about themselves and other humans. It has a philosophical slant (though a readable philosophical slant, not a impenetrable philosophical slant) and is not a self-help book on how to not make errors. After all, to err is human--and important!

Why I Read This Now: It's been on my wishlist for years, but then Dchaikin reviewed it and I realized I really had to read it asap. Thanks Dan!

>187 Nickelini: Oh, they definitely had more interesting options for the cover. Here's the one on the copy I have:



Very eye-catching in its wrongness!

I still have yet to read the book, though. After all the buzz about it here, I really should get to it sometime soonish.

That's a great cover! Some designer had fun with the theme.

>188 bragan: I want that teapot! Does anyone else think that "wrong" teapot looks like an elephant with a somewhat unusual tail?

Another one for the wishlist! I love the teapot / elephant cover. A red book never gets left on the shelf - in my world.

51. Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, Linda Berdoll, 2004


Cover comments: Well this should give you an idea of what this book is about.

Comments: I had lots of fun reading this one.

The next thing I have to say is that if even the very idea of "Jane Austen" combined with "sex" makes you uncomfortable, stop reading right now, and go do something else to make you forget that you read the beginning of this sentence and the title of this book.

This novel is one person's idea about what happened to Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet after the last pages of Pride and Prejudice. The subtitle of this book is "Pride and Prejudice continues," which leads some people to refer to it as a sequel, which in my view is just nonsense. Others have called Mr Darcy Takes a Wife fanfiction, and although I can see that comparison, I don't see any evidence that it actually was. For one thing, it's much longer and also more structurally organized than any fanfic I've ever read. I looked at it as a soap opera version of what could have happened after P&P.

Okay, so this is no literary masterpiece. There isn't any nuance, symbolism, ah-ha moments . . . but there are some pretty entertaining bits and I had no guilt over skipping the boring parts. As I said, structurally it was okay, although on a sentence-by-sentence level it got kinda strange. At times it felt like the author wrote the story, and then went through with a 19th century thesaurus and replaced solid words with odd archaic ones. Many times I stopped and thought "that sentence actually doesn't make any sense." But I just moved on. Now, I think some of this language was tongue-in-cheek and was supposed to be fun, if not actually funny. Judging by the horrified reviews, the joke was lost on many readers. Well, many have attempted to imitate Jane Austen and as of yet no one has succeeded, so what can you expect?

As for the sex, yes, there are some steamy bits in the first half of the novel. Mr Darcy was hot and bothered through the entirety of Pride and Prejudice, so this author lets him finally get his release. A few times. As erotica goes, it's pretty tame stuff. Despite that, many reviewers seem to have a Victorian ideal of Jane Austen, and are concerned about all the spinning in her grave she's up to since the publication of Mr Darcy Takes a Wife. Personally, I don't think Austen needs any 21st century readers to defend her honour. Reading all these 1 star reviews, I've learned that there are "Jane Austen purists" in the world, and from what they write, they seem like a dour, stuffy bunch who would be no fun at a party. Really, I've read some reviews that sound like they were written by Caroline Bingley. .

I also find it curious that some readers were "disappointed" by Mr Darcy Takes a Wife. Disappointment suggests that there were expectations of something--Jane Austen reincarnated, perhaps? Since I went into this book fully confident that it was actual crap, I was quite delighted that it wasn't as bad as I'd expected.

Recommended for:: it's not serious, it's supposed to be fun. Good for P&P fans who want a beach read.

Why I Read This Now: Saw it at the library and thought it might be a fun summer read, or a book I'd love to hate. Turned out to be the first, not the later.

Rating: Despite the fun factor, it's still a soap opera written in a sort of fanfic style. 3 stars, all for entertainment value.

Since I went into this book fully confident that it was actual crap, I was quite delighted that it wasn't as bad as I'd expected.

Fantastic! If I see it at the library and am in the right mood, I'll try it sometime.

#193 - Yes, you have to be in the right mood!

moving along to . . . https://www.librarything.com/topic/179983