lit_chick's 2014 Reading (3)

Hi again, everyone! It's June, and that means it's almost summer time. *drum roll, fade in music* In the good ol' summer time, in the good ol' summer time … Did I mention I live for July?






August

42. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières
41. History of the Rain, Nial Williams

July

40. The Undertaking, Audrey Magee
39. The Burgess Boys, Elizabeth Strout
38. The Other Side of the Bridge, Mary Lawson
37. Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens
36. Calling Out for You, Karin Fossum
35. An Unnecessary Woman, Rabih Alameddine
34. The Meadow, James Galvin
33. The Stubborn Season, Lauren B. Davis

June

32. The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
31. Hypothermia, Arnuldar Indridason
30. A Dry White Season, André Brink
29. The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri
28. The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith

May

27. The Portrait of a Lady, Henry James
26. Eventide, Kent Haruf
25. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
24. Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell
23. Plainsong, Kent Haruf
22. The Colour, Rose Tremain
21. Listen to the Squawking Chicken, Elaine Lui

April

20. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
19. Winter of the World, Ken Follett
18. The White Lioness, Henning Mankell

March

17. Fall of Giants, Ken Follett
16. Arctic Chill, Arnuldar Indridason
15. When the Devil Holds the Candle, Karin Fossum
14. Tamarind Mem, Anita Rau Badami
13. As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
12. How the Light Gets In, Louise Penny

February

11. The Beautiful Mystery, Louise Penny
10. Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy
9. The Beauty of Humanity Movement, Camilla Gibb
8. The Pilot's Wife, Anita Shreve
7. The Purity of Vengeance, Jussi Adler-Olsen
6. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton

January

5. Rhett Butler's People, Donald McCaig
4. Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively
3. Light on Snow, Anita Shreve
2. Middlemarch, George Eliot
1. The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

28.
The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith



Rating: 4/5

When uber-wealthy supermodel, Lula Landry, plunges to her death from the balcony of her lux apartment, private investigator Strike Cormoran is approached by the model’s lawyer-brother John Bristow to investigate. Officially, the police have concluded that Landry’s death was suicide, but Bristow is not convinced. Interestingly, a neighbour of Landry’s, Tandy Bestigui, who witnessed Landry’s body falling, tells the police that she heard Landry arguing with a man moments before she fell. But the building has proven to be perfectly soundproofed, and Bestigui’s story is dismissed as the audio-hallucination of a coke-hazed socialite. But there’s more … and Strike Cormoran, in discovering just how much more, will navigate a maze of wonderfully eccentric characters: rockstars, supermodels, fashion designers, homeless addicts, high stakes lawyers, gold-digging socialites, and more. Ah, but the perpetrator is so worth waiting for!

Why I Read This Now: I was curious about The Cuckoo’s Calling when I learned that J.K. Rowling is actually Robert Galbraith.

Recommended: Yes, highly! I now understand why Harry Potter became such a phenomenon! What a writer, and what a storyteller! If you’re at all inclined towards well-written suspense and idiosyncratic characters , you must meet Cormoran Strike.

Are you ready for visitors?

Plainsong! Oh I am so glad you loved it as much as you did -- it is one of my favorites. I felt like I knew the characters, which sounds silly, but I think you'll know what I mean. I loved Eventide also, but I haven't read Benediction yet.

Great reads here, Nancy -- I am adding The Cuckoo's Calling and the Rose Tremain to my wish lists.

Hope you're having a great week.

#3 Hi Anne, definitely ready for visitors! I feel just the same about Haruf's characters in Plaingsong and Eventide; I often think of Raymond and Harold McPheron.

Think you'll enjoy The Cuckoo's Calling and The Colour. I want to read more Tremain this year, too.

Happy new thread! And yep. Another book bullet finds its mark.

Happy new thread Nancy and a great photo at the top of your thread.

Happy new thread, Nancy! Great review of The Cuckoo's Calling. Still don't think I want to read that one... the premise doesn't grab me. How is your June weather so far? We are having a rather lovely week on the island although I must admit the fog bank that rolled in yesterday morning while I was heading into work was a bit of a surprised and something I wasn't dressed for. I keep forgetting how quickly the temps can drop when a fog bank rolls in!

#5 Hi, Jenn, happy to help with a book bullet : ).

#6 Thanks, John. Good to see you!

#7 Hi, Lori, I'm with you that the premise of a book has to grab me before I'm taking a bullet for it : ). Weather here has been lovely; I've been riding my bike to work. That said, it's still spring weather and one sometimes needs a change of clothes during the day: yesterday, for one, started out clear-blue-hot-gorgeous, and we ended up with such a thunderstorm that our streetlights came on at 3:00 PM it was so dark!

Happy new thread, Nancy! And what a gorgeous photo to open it. Happy summer to you!!

#9 Thanks, Katie. Juniper Bay is my favourite local beach : ). Happy summer to you, too!

Happy New Thread, Nancy!

Happy New Thread, Nancy. I love the photo! Nice review, too. We're finally getting decent weather, and everyone appreciates it so much after our long, cold winter.

Great review of The Cuckoo's Calling, Nancy and a wonderful picture on your new thread. I've finished The Lowland a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. In the end I gave it 4 stars. I suppose that the ending gave me more insight into why the characters behaved as they did, most especially Gauri. Still, I wish Jhumpa Lahiri would give us more insight into why the character act the way they do. I read 3 out 6 of the short listed Orange Prize books, and my favourite of the 3 was The Undertaking by Audrey Magee. I won't tell you the winner,I'll let you look it up, but it's one that I'll be skipping, unless I see it in the library and can get it for free. It's one of those "experimental novels" with no punctuation expect for periods, or so I read. Not so much my kind of book to read.

And I'm " test driving" The Invention of Wings for you ;) . Actually I had purchased on sale and it appealed to me right now. Only a few pages in, but so far, so good.

#11 Thanks, Amber : ).

#12 Thanks, Beth. It's the same here with the weather. I always chuckle with my friends that Canadians are coming out of the woodwork in droves as soon as the lovely weather appears : ).

#13 Thanks, Deb. I hope you'll read The Cuckoo's Calling; thought of you and Carsten while I was reading it because I know both of you read and enjoy mystery. Would love to know what you think of it.

I'll finish The Lowland tonight or tomorrow, probably a 4* read here too. I see the Women's Prize winner is A Girl is a Half Formed Thing ... wasn't even planning to read that one, LOL. The new punctuation a la mode, i.e. no punctuation, drives me crazy!

Hope you like The Invention of Wings. Patiently waiting ...

Just coming here after thumbing your excellent review of The Cuckoo's Calling Nancy. I don't know about you but I am really looking forward to the second book. I think it's out next week so not much longer to wait. I have no idea where I am on the library wait list but I'll be looking forward to it:-)

Stopping by to see what you are reading - I'm a big fan of Henry the Prolix James, but I am very sympathetic to those who find him dull. (My spousal unit goes into instant catatonia). I don't have a clue why I don't although I haven't read two of his books, The Princess Cassamassima and The Golden Bowl.

I really do recommend his short stories.

#15 Thanks, Bonnie : ). I had no idea that The Silkworm was due out so quickly! Obviously, The Cuckoo's Calling has been around longer than I thought. I'm also looking forward to more Cormoran Strike.

#16 Lucy, I wish I could say I was a bigger fan of Henry the Prolix James. Alas, it was not to be! Got such a chuckle out of My spousal unit goes into instant catatonia, LOL!

There you were, Nancy. Happy new thread :)

Sounds like a really eccentric band of suspects in that one. Just the other day I looked at The Casual Vacancy at the library. I think I'm going to read that one eventually. Interesting that she have made the jump from Harry Potter to other genres. But she's a fantastic storyteller.

#18 Thanks, Carsten : ). There is certainly no denying that Rowling is a fabulous storyteller. I've not read The Casual Vacancy or any of the Harry Potter books, but I understand her enormous success after reading The Cuckoo's Calling. Eccentric characters, indeed!

I was wondering this morning when the Orange/Bailey Prize winner would be announced. I guess I'll try that *½-formed* one at some point when it's readily and cheaply available. I wish I could be more enthusiastic. Mostly though, I just have to wonder about the judges. I haven't been impressed with a winner for several years now.
Won't read the Rowling. Am a long-term fan of the prolix Mr. James, and I can't really tell you why.

#20 Hi Peggy, I'd forgotten about the Orange Prize Winner until Deb reminded me. Not planning to read the *1/2-formed (thanks for the chuckle!) one, but that could change. Don't understand, for the most part, how these prizes are decided; but I expect more than literary value plays a role in such decisions.

Delighted to meet another fan of the prolix Mr James. I so wish my experience could have been the same.

29.
The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri



Rating: 4/5

2013, Random House Audio, Read by Sunil Mahotra

“They were a family of solitaries. They had collided and dispersed.” (262)

In 1960s Calcutta, ten years after the Partition, brothers Subhash and Udayan Mitra are coming of age. Subhash is older by fifteen months, but he has no sense of himself without his brother. Udayan is the daring one, scornful of convention, and dedicated to politics. He is drawn to the Naxalite radicals, a guerilla movement against inequality and poverty. While he remains in India and studies physics, Subhash emigrates to the United States to pursue a doctorate in chemical engineering. Quiet, conventional, and traditional, he is happy in his studies and secures employment post-graduation at the University of Rhode Island. Back in Calcutta, Udayan has married Gauri, a brilliant academic, and the two live with his parents. Udayan’s continued association with the Naxalites implicates Gauri in the violence of the movement. Revolutionary violence, she will learn, feels justified, even humane; but it is a disillusioned humanity which cannot be sustained. Not surprisingly, Udayan meets a tragic end. And Subhash, always honourable and conventional, returns to Calucutta for his parents and for Gauri. Together, he and Gauri will move to Rhode Island, where they raise Bela – but they are a “family of solitaries.” And, almost inevitably, they will disperse in a manner as disturbing as that in which they collided.

The Lowland is my first Lahiri novel. Not surprisingly, her award-winning prose is lovely – so elegant. Without sentimentalizing, she writes compellingly of home and homeland, culture, identity, tradition, and family. Narrator Sunil Mohotra’s beautiful dialect is perfect! Highly recommended.

>19 lit_chick: I had no idea there were people who hadn't read Harry Potter. I'm a little stunned. But I will recover. ;)

#23 LOL, Jenn! Oh, that made me laugh! Have an uneventful recovery : ).

>24 lit_chick: You know they've sold over 400 million copies of those books world wide. Which is a lot, and probably leads one to imagine that every literate person with access to a copy has read at least one... but of course that can't be true. LOL

#25 Well, I know that Rowling is the world's only billionaire author. Apparently Harry Potter was popular, LOL? Seriously, I've long meant to explore the HP books, but wizards and such are not my thing, so I've not made the time. Maybe one day.

I thought the same. I had a friend give me the first book a couple years before I had kids and I was a little dubious, but I have loved reading them with my kids. They are definitely smarter books than I expected them to be in the early days. My kids are spaced far enough apart that I am reading them over one on one with each kid. It's interesting what each kid notices. I make them read the books before I let them watch the movies, so it's quite a production every time. LOL

ETA: Not to be bossy or anything, but shouldn't you be in bed?

Hi Nancy! Happy New thread! It looks like I better track down The Cuckoo's Calling. Several of my LT pals have recently enjoyed it. It looks like we felt the same way about the Lowland. So, you have not read her short fiction? I think that is where she really soars.
Hope the week went well.

It's one thing never to have read a Harry Potter book - another thing to admit it here on LT. It takes courage and guts :)

Jhumpa Lahiri - what a sprightly name. I think of jumping and laughter. But it looks like she's taken a serious look at immigration. She writes compellingly of home and homeland, culture, identity, tradition, and family. One of the pleasures of reading is the ability to experience different cultural outlooks on life.

Hi Nancy - as a lover of audiobooks do you know about downpour.com? I've recently discovered it - I have a membership at audible, so I don't want another one - but downpour have weekly good offers you can buy without membership. Recently picked up The Lost World and today The Woman in White and Surprised by Joy for 5-6 dollars each. I don't think they have as many books as audible, but they are better with deals and reduced prices. Works the same way as audible with an app on the iPhone.

Hi Nancy - Nice comments on The Lowland. if you loved it, you will love her other books, all of which are better, in my opinion. She always has an interesting perspective on the lives of immigrants.

I only read the first Harry Potter book. My kids were older when they first came out, so they read them on their own. My son loved them, my daughter isn't into wizards and maybe read only part of one? I thought it was great that they got kids reading, and I could see why kids loved them, but I wasn't impressed. You could probably skip them.

What a wonderful string of reviews, Nancy! OK. I am also in the camp of those who weren't pulled in by the premise of The Cuckoo's Calling, but then seeing Bonnie's review of definitely made me think twice and now your endorsement is really making me wonder if I should at least just give it a try....

#27 Hi Jenn, love how you've enjoyed reading Harry Potter with your children : ).

#28 Hi Mark! Just went to have a boo in your library. Loved your review of The Lowland. I've not read any of Lahiri's short fiction.

#29 Thanks for the chuckle, Carsten: It's one thing never to have read a Harry Potter book - another thing to admit it here on LT. It takes courage and guts :).

I think you would enjoy The Lowland, and it's great as an audiobook; I didn't have to buy this one as I found it in our Library Without Walls. Agree that one of the pleasures of reading is experiencing different cultures. Jhumpa Lahiri is a great name, isn't it!

#30 Woot! Thanks for the tip on Downpour.com, Carsten! It's now in my favourites! Good prices!

#31 Thanks, Beth. I read some other reviews of The Lowland and many agreed that Lahiri's other novels were stronger than this one. I must explore. Is there one in particular you'd recommend?

I think Harry Potter got many, many children reading, and that is always fabulous! For myself, I tend towards your sentiment: You could probably skip them.

#32 Hi Val, thanks! I think you'd enjoy The Cuckoo's Calling actually. Would love to know what you think about it.

Add me to the list ( is there a list? ) of people who have not read Harry Potter. I did read the first few chapters of the first book and let my eldest son take it from there. I did attend Harry Potter movies with my kids until they did not want to be seen with me at a movie :) Call me a muggle, I can take it! :) And my kids wearied of the series after a while.

Great review of The Lowland. Though I gave it 4 stars I think you enjoyed it more then I did. I've only read one of her books of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. I felt that she was better at short stories because she can just end the story and not get lost on the way.

Thumb already applied !

I haven't read The Lowland yet either, and your lovely review makes me pretty sure that I will at some point. I haven't read anything else of hers either, and since I own The Namesake, I hope I'll read it first.
You may mark me down as one who hasn't read the last Harry Potter yet. I agree about the good of getting non-reading kids to read. My only quarrel is with the many kids - and I speak from having taught a bunch of them - who will reread HP but not try anything else.

Great review of The Lowland. I've never read a Rowling either (shame faced).

#34 Oh, yay! Another courageous woman who admits to not having read Harry Potter! Thanks, Deb; you're my gal!

I've heard of The Interpreter of Maladies but did not remember that it was Lahiri. Others have also said her best work is her short fiction. Honestly, though, I'm not much for short stories. Rarely read them.

#35 Hi Peggy, you've just given me the idea to read The Namesake, too. I think I'll read more of Lahiri's work, but, as I just commented to Deb, I'm not much of a short story reader. Think you'll enjoy The Lowland when you get to it.

Agree it's frustrating when kids decide they'll read and reread one series which they are convinced is the only thing in the world worth reading.

#36 Thanks, Mary : ). Ah, and another courageous woman! If HP's not your style, try The Cuckoo's Calling.

That thing where kids get obsessed with one series and won't read anything else. Drives me nuts. When my eldest was about 10, we had to hide the Percy Jackson books for awhile. After he read them 3 times and wouldn't read any of the other books he had, they disappeared... Yeah. I'm that kind of mom. LOL

#38 Oh, Jenn, you made me laugh out loud! I'm that kind of mom. You go, girl!

Hi Nancy - I loved The Namesake and have taught it. The students did pretty well with it. I also love her stories, but if stories aren't your cup of tea, go for the novel.

#40 Thanks, Beth. The Namesake it is!

Hi Nancy, I did read Harry Potter. Like Beth, I was underwhelmed with the first one and gladly passed on the rest of them. You and some other LTers have gotten me interested in Rowling's latest book, though. I didn't expect a sequel this soon. She can really crank those books out! I have liked all the Lahiri books. The Lowland, though enjoyable, comes last on my list. You have some good ones to look forward to! The short stories would be fun to read on that beautiful beach. That way you could take frequent breaks for swimming or trips to the bar (sand bar, of course!) or whatever one does at a beach. It's been way too long ago for me to remember!

Hi Nancy. Just thumbed your review of The Lowland and I'm glad you enjoyed it. You're right about Lahiri's writing but I will have to agree with others in that The Lowland was my least favorite of her books and that was after disliking The Namesake. I loved both of her short fiction collections. And by that I mean 5 star loved. I hated what she did with Gauri, first creating this totally unlikeable character, a really selfish character and then trying to get the reader to sympathize with her. Nope, can't have it both ways.

I only read the first Harry Potter after a parent appeared in my office and demanded that the book be removed from the shelves of our school library. I thought maybe I'd better read this to see what she's talking about. I did. The book remained and we went on to included the rest of the series, multiple copies of each book. But I had no desire to read the rest of the books. My children were adults by the time the books were published so I had no one to read them to.

#42 Hi Donna, appreciate your endorsement for passing on Harry Potter : ). Think you would enjoy The Cuckoo's Calling. I looked up the sequel's release date after Bonnie mentioned it, and it will be available Jun 19. I'm not in a rush to get to it, but I will read it.

I've added The Namesake to my list. You make a very compelling case for taking Lahiri's short stories to the beach. May have to do that!

#43 Thanks, Bonnie. Disappointed to hear you didn't like The Namesake. You make another strong case for her Lahiri's short fiction. Enjoyed your comments on The Lowland too; I enjoyed this one but disliked Gauri throughout. I realize Lahiri was trying to create empathy for her in the last chapters, but it didn't work for me; and you're right: can't have it both ways.

Oh, brother, to the parent in the office demanding HP be removed from the shelves! Good for you in that the one she was complaining about remained, and the rest of the series was added! No children here either, and I teach senior grades; so honestly I've just never been compelled to read the series.

We are in total agreement about short stories. I taught them, of course, but they are not my preference for my own reading.
My friends and I were talking yesterday about assigning books with "mature" themes to high school kids. I had the parents of my AP students sign an O.K. at the beginning of the year, and only one parent ever refused. As you might guess, this was the mother of the kid with the foulest mouth and nastiest mind whom I ever taught. I didn't assign rough stuff, but down here in the Bible Belt, The Great Gatsby can be questionable.

#45 Hi Peggy, I teach short stories, too, of course. But I rarely, if ever, read them for pleasure. Why does it always seem to be the case that the parent who refuses to sign the release has raised the foulest-mouth ever? I'm pleased with some of the themes I've been able to include in English 11 and 12: among others, I've given a choice of The Handmaid's Tale, The Kite Runner, Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?, All Quiet on the Western Front, Coventry, The Lovely Bones ...

Well I haven't read anything by Ms. Rowling and I would have agreed with the comments before last year on the short story form. I read more than a dozen anthologies last year and must say I changed my mind completely. Mick Jackson, Nathan Englander, Kevin Wilson and Dan Chaon were amongst those writing stellar collections recently.

Have a lovely Sunday, Nancy.

#47 Hi Paul! Fabulous that you made an effort with short stories which has paid off in spades! Well done!

I'll throw in my two cents about Lahiri's short stories. I haven't read either of her novels, but I loved Interpreter of Maladies. And I often shy away from reading short stories, too. This was a book club pick and it was a winner for all of us.

Ohhh great choices for your grade 11 and 12 students , Nancy! Can You Hear the Nightbird Call - I pride myself that I may have influenced you with that one! :) When I went to school, I really don't think my parents paid any attention to what books the teachers chose for us to read. With 5 kids you can't be micro managing your kids. So long as we brought good grades home, that was all my parents cared about. I remember reading Go Ask Alice on my own in grade 7 and I think my parents thought it would be a good warning for me.

I'm not sure if there are even releases in our district. I recall my younger son having a lesbian pair coming to his mandatory " lifestyles or life skills class" that is part of the BC curriculum and no one sent any sort of release that my son would be having a class about gay living styles. I did not mind at all, but I was surprised a bit that no parent was asked. Then again in grade 12 a bomb threat was phoned into the school and the RCMP , firetrucks attended the school, yet no notice was sent home to parents. Nor were the kids evacuated, but told to stay in their classrooms. I did raise a bit of Cain with the principal and the School board. I thought they ought to have evacuated the kids and also communicated with the parents. I told the principal that he was not acting like responsible parent etc.

And by the way, I'm very much enjoying The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kid. I'm within the last 75 pages and I think you would enjoy it.

#49 Hi, Katie, glad to have your two cents! That does it: I am going to have to read Interpreter of Maladies.

#50 Hi Deb, I think the 11/12 novel choices are great, too, and I've had some wonderful feedback from students : ). You certainly did influence me with Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?!

Can't remember any parent releases for curriculum choices when I was in school other than for Sex Education. That was some education, LOL! Of course, it was also many years ago. That's unbelievable about a bomb threat at your son's school, and no notice to parents. What?

Glad you're enjoying The Invention of Wings : ).

LOL! Yes it was some sex education that we got back in the day. I recall a black and white scientific type thing held in the gym with a small black and white tv up on a stand, with only girls attending. Most of us were rather past needing that " education'. That was fun! It was about as exciting as watching plastic soldiers being moved around by hand to show us a battle sequence on that same tv for grade 7 Social Studies.

Harry Potter - we have all of the movies but I have not read any of the books. My favorite is the Chamber of Secrets.... I love the super cheesy personality Kenneth Branagh plays in that one as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. That, and Dobby. "Master has gifted Dobby a sock. Master has given Dobby clothes" Great stuff! ;-)

>43 brenzi: >45 LizzieD: I am not a fan of censorship, and most of the time I am somewhat amused at the books parents want banned from school libraries. However, when it comes to books with "mature" content I have mixed feelings. I don't think that my son being taught The Great Gatsby in school would trouble me too much, but I had a lot of sympathy for parents who objected to Beloved being taught to their 14-15 year old children in a Denver school district. It was quite the drama there for a while. Maybe for me it's a matter of just how much is left to the imagination, or not? I'm not sure. Still trying to work that out.

>53 lkernagh: We have really enjoyed the movies too. I adore Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart. I also really like Alan Rickman as Snape. He really does the quintessential bad guy beautifully. However, I think that when the Harry/Ginny love story sort of gets going in the last few films the chemistry just isn't quite there...

I have mixed feelings about Lahiri. I loved Interpreter of Maladies and quite liked The Namesake. I did not like Unaccustomed Earth. Then I stopped reading her for awhile.

#52 Deb, thanks for the chuckles : ).

#53 Lori, I've not watched any of the HP movies. But Kenneth Brannagh is fabulous!

#54 Hi Jenn, another Kenneth Brannagh fan. I love Alan Rickman in everything I've seen him in … and heard him in, for that matter. His narration of Hardy's The Return of the Native was fantabulous!

Appreciate your Lahiri comments. Interpreter of Maladies is very popular. And I'm going to read The Namesake. Sounds like I don't need to rush to get to Unaccustomed Earth.

I am currently listening to Return of the Native and you are right. It is a fabulous narration. I am really enjoying it. It's slow going though. I only seem to listen in the car and I'm just not in the car enough.

#56 Glad you are enjoying, Jenn. Two best audiobooks ever: Rickman's The Return of the Native and Irons' Brideshead Revisited.

re post 46 - Nancy, I have to ask, do all English 11 and 12 teachers have such freedom in picking out novels as you? Those all seem like such great books! ( Maybe because I have read all of them except for the Lovely Bones.) Is it easier to assign a number of books due to the e- reading? Back in the day it seems to me that - well, I can't remember if the school had books for our English Courses or whether we had to purchase them. But I don't remember having such a cool choice of books. But my English teacher for Grade 11 - 12 was a really nice guy, but very challenging too. We had to read a lot of poetry - T.S. Elliot and short stories which we took apart bit by bit. I learned to over - read in those classes :) But really I learned a lot.

I really loved The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. I'm trying to decided whether it gets 4.5 stars or 5 stars. It's a bit slow initially , but I think it will a book that will stick with me. I think you would enjoy it.

I confess to mixed feelings about Jhumpa Lahiri . I've only read her short story collection Interpreter of Maladies and The Lowland. My impression from those two books is that she is fixated on two themes - immigrants from India and unhappy marriages. But that's just me.

ooooh! 4/5's abound on this thread. Long may the trend continue, both have been on my radar, but I would probably forego the Rowling crime one.

#58 Hi Deb, yes, so long as a particular novel has been approved for grade 11/12 curriculum, any teacher may use it. A provincial body called ERAC (can't remember right now what it stands for) approves teaching materials. We can request novels to be approved if something is not already available to us. I remember being delighted to find Coventry already on the list!

Wow, you really loved The Invention of Wings. Will have to give more thought to whether or not I want to read that one. I enjoyed Lahiri and will probably read The Namesake at some point, and maybe Interpreter of Maladies.

#59 Hi Megan, I am having a fabulous reading year and thank you for your wishes: Long may the trend continue : ).

Hi, Nancy!

Noted on Peggy's thread that you were starting on Our Mutual Friend. There's a group read thread around from about two years ago which might be of use to you. It's full of spoilers because Peggy and I were arguing the novel all the way through, but I think we were careful to mark the chapters in question. I'll be interested to hear what you make of it. :)

#61 Hi Liz, I've had that old GR thread starred since it was active! VERY useful! Many thanks to you and Peggy : ). Thus far, I've only read the posts for the opening several chapters, but I will continue to use it as I progress through the novel.

Hi Nancy- I'll have to add my 2 cents: I loved Unaccustomed Earth. I think it's at least as good as The Interpreter of Maladies. I have still not read the Namesake but I did see the film, which was very good.

I really want to read/listen to The Invention of Wings.

#63 Thanks, Mark, for your suggestion of Unaccustomed Earth. I didn't know that The Namesake was a film, but I will definitely look for it. I've got that audiobook ready to go. And you've given me another idea in perhaps listening to The Invention of Wings. So glad you stopped by, with all of your good ideas!

I think you really would enjoy The Invention of Wings. It's the story of slave girl on a plantation in Charleston and her young " master" , a girl who is just 12 or 13 . The young girl ( Sarah) who the young slave girl serves feels sympathetic to the plight of her " servent " Hetty, and the girl was assigned by the girls parents. Sarah Grimke, the well off young master turns out to be both an abolitionist and a early feminist. It's based on a true story (with lots of fiction used to create a story ) but it's well told and interesting. It's told from two alternating narraters, the slave girl , Hetty or Handful and Sarah Grimke. The book spans from childhood well into adulthood. It's an interesting read.

#65 Thanks, Deb, appreciate your endorsement of The Invention of Wings. Carsten mentioned an audiobook of this one on his thread. It does sound like it would make for great audio.

30.
A Dry White Season, André Brink



Rating: 4/5

"Even if one sees injustice with his own eyes? Did you expect me to turn my head the other way? (144)

Set in 1970s South Africa, Apartheid in its prime, A Dry White Season is told from the point of view Ben Du Toit, a white high school teacher. Ben is outraged by the death of his friend, Gordon Ngubene, the black custodian at his school, who has died at the hands of the police under highly suspect circumstances. Gordon had been attempting to uncover the truth behind the death of his son, Jonathan, arrested following a riot in Soweto in which demonstrators had been fighting Apartheid. But the pursuit of truth in the current political landscape is dangerous, and eventually Gordon is taken into custody by the Special Branch, South Africa’s secret police. On his death, Ben’s sense of injustice is ignited, and he sets about a dogged investigation, which will cost him the love and regard of family, friends, and colleagues. Not surprisingly, it does not take long for his investigation to be labelled rebellion:

“Today I realize that this is the worst of all: that I can no longer single out my enemy and given him a name. I can’t challenge him to a duel. What is set up against me is not a man, not even a group of people, but a thing, a something, a vague amorphous something, an invisible ubiquitous power that inspects my mail and taps my telephone and indoctrinates my colleagues and incites the pupils against me and cuts up the tires of my car and paints signs on my door and fires shots into my home and sends me bombs in the mail, a power that follows me wherever I go, day and night, day and night, frustrating me, intimidating me, playing with me according to rules devised and whimsically changed by itself.” (237)

A Dry White Season is structured as a framing narrative. In the novel’s Foreward, Ben Du Toit is dead, and his friend is in process of organizing Ben’s work in order to tell his story. The remainder of the novel is narrated by Ben, speaking as though his friend has pieced his journals and writings together. Brink’s characters are wonderfully well-written, my favourite of whom is Stanley, the larger-than-life black driver from Soweto, who will befriend Ben.

Why I Read This Now: Brink caught my attention with his more recent novel, Philida, longlisted for the Booker Prize; and which I thoroughly enjoyed. A Dry White Season also proved to be an excellent read.

Recommended: Highly! For readers who enjoy historical fiction and are interested in South Africa, particularly its Apartheid era.

Wow. Great review.

#68 Thanks, Jenn : ).

>67 lit_chick: yikes, that one sounds gritty. A film featuring Sth Africa was on at our own personal cinema the other night- by way of DVD :), Searching for Sugar Man. It was fab!

#70 A Dry White Season is a gritty read, Megan. Must look for the DVD Searching for Sugar Man; am interested in more South Africa.

ETA: Woot! That was easy!! My library has the DVD, and I've got a copy on reserve! Thanks, Megan : ).

Nancy, if you are interested in reading more about South Africa, I highly recommend My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan which is a memoir/personal history. Very, very good.

#72 Thanks, Katie, onto the WL it went! *scurries to library site and back again* Crap, library doesn't have it! I'll have to get more creative ...

Great review, Nancy. Thumb. This is the one I've wanted to read by Andre Brink. He's well known in Denmark and have been here several times also talking about apartheid. Btw there is an adaptation with the same name A Dry White Season - with Donald Sutherland. I saw it several years ago.

#74 Thanks, Carsten. How interesting that Brink has been to Denmark several times to speak on Apartheid; would love to have seen him! Yes, my library has that movie, and I've just requested it : ).

Interesting info from Carsten, Nancy. I did not read Philida last year, but maybe I'll have to take a second look! Thumbed your review about 12 hours ago or so. Right now I'm in the midst of Staggerford, as recommended by Carsten. I'm not finding Staggerford as interesting as the book I read previously in the series , The New Woman but I'm still keen on Staggerford. A nice cozy interesting read to soothe the soul.

Now there's a book that's been sitting on my shelf way, way too long Nancy. And you make it sound so good that I'm just going to have to bump it up the pile. Thumbs up!

#76 Thanks, Deb : ). I was also interested to hear about Brink travelling to Denmark. I very much enjoyed Philida; highly recommend it. I will read more of this South African author. Glad you are enjoying Staggerford; isn't it lovely to enjoy a nice cozy interesting read to soothe the soul?

#77 Thanks, Bonnie : ). Oh, I hope you do bump A Dry White Season; would love to know what you think.

>67 lit_chick: A thumb for your review of A Dry White Season Nancy. I have Rumours of Rain by the same author lurking on my shelves waiting for me to read it.

#79 Thanks, Heather : ). I will definitely read more Brink. Must look up Rumours of Rain.

Nancy, I thought Philida was very well written, and I enjoyed learned more about South Africa. I think I'll give A Dry White Season a go on your recommendation. It's hard for me to believe how recently Apartheid was a way of life in South Africa.

Two best audiobooks ever: Rickman's The Return of the Native and Irons' Brideshead Revisited. Yes! Yes! I agree 100%.

Quick words on Harry Potter (love them) and short stories (not my favorite, but I truly loved The Interpreter of Maladies. I didn't like The Namesake as well, but thought it was a worthwhile read). There!

Hope you're having a great week, Nancy!

#81 Hi Donna, yes, Philida was well written, and so is A Dry White Season. I think you'll enjoy it, and I'll be following allowing for your thoughts. It's also hard for me to believe how recently Apartheid was a way of life in South Africa. I remember being just as stunned when I read The Cellist of Sarajevo to learn that that military Siege was also only twenty years ago.

#82 Hi Anne, hard not to love Rickman and Irons narrating, isn't it? They are perfection!

Appreciate your thoughts on Harry Potter and your vote for Interpreter of Maladies. I found an audio of The Namesake at our Library Without Walls, and may listen to that one.

Hope your week is great, too, Anne : ).

Happy Summer Solistice, everyone!

And Happy Summer Solstice to you too!!! It's cooler (!) in NC today, but a friend posted a pic on fb with the thermometer showing 106° at 6:00 Thursday afternoon when we were doing our normal walk and wilting.
I don't know that I'm going to South Africa in books any time soon, but the Brinks are at least on my mental list now with thanks.
(I required my 11th graders to read 4 independent novels a year. The AP Institute I attended really pushed ethnic novels, so I had the one work I had read by people like Leslie Marmon Silko and Louise Erdrich and Amy Tan and Toni Morrison and Rudolfo Anaya and James Baldwin on the list, and many of those include "mature" themes.)

#85 Thanks Peggy. Oh my, I cannot fathom 106° at this time of year. Truthfully, I find my Okanagan Valley, which often reaches 35° and can reach 40° (95-104 F) even getting too hot for me in July/August. But, like everywhere, our climate has changed dramatically. When I moved here 25 yrs ago, and up until probably 7-8 summers ago, our temperates were just as hot, but very dry. That kind of heat I LOVE! But we've become quite humid, sadly, and that, along with the high temps, I find difficult to bear.

I'm not familiar with all of the authors you list as choices for your 11th graders, but it certainly sounds like you also had a wide range of curriculum choices available to you; and I think that is so important.

I think I read a little of the Lahiri in The New Yorker - I could see this was going to be a very rocky marriage......

#87 Yes, Lucy, it was very rocky; they really were a family of solitaries.

31.
Hypothermia, Arnaldur Indridason



Rating: 4.5/5

“He opened the door on to the decking. It was only two steps down and a couple more yards to the edge of the lake. There had been a freeze over the past few days and a thin film of ice covered the water nearest the shore. In some places it had frozen to the rocks, like a paper-thin sheet of glass beneath which the water swirled.” (Ch 2)

A middle-aged historian, Maria, commits suicide at the summer cottage she owns with her husband. Erlendur learns from her husband and friend that she had been distraught, beside herself with grief, over the death of her mother. Further investigation reveals that Maria had experienced "grief-related hallucinations" not only recently, but also following the death of her father when she was but a child. Her visions were not fearful, but other-worldly, and they had led to Maria’s visiting a medium to explore the phenomenon. An old family friend further discloses that Maria was deeply interested in the afterlife, and in spiritualism. Erlendur “had found no evidence of foul play until recently when he had heard a name that had come up before. The name sparked off odd ideas about connections …” (Ch 24)

As Erlendur and his team work to unravel the events surrounding Maria’s death, two cold cases cross his desk which speak to eerie coincidence: both missing persons, an unrelated young woman and young man, not a trace ever found of either. And Eva Linde is doing well, and spending more time with her father. She’s also pushing both him and her mother to meet, to explore the possibility of having at least a civil relationship for the sake of their daughter.

Indridason is a favourite Scandi-crime writer. His plot lines are always layered and solid, as are his characters. I thoroughly enjoy the glimpses we get into Erlendur’s character in his personal, private life – a little more disclosed in each novel. If Scandi-crime is your pleasure, this one is highly recommended.

Glad that you enjoyed Hypothermia , Nancy. I really enjoyed it too. But it's been so long since I read it , I barely remember it. I can't get myself to read the last one in the series because I think I'm going to miss Erlendur to much. But your are definitely right - is Scandi crime is you pleasure, this is an excellent author!

Book Bullet!!!! I have to read the couple of Indridasons I have first though. Thanks for the good review!

#90 Hi Deb, I know, I'm almost at the end of this series, too, and will miss Erlendur a LOT! Indriason is excellent; can't remember whether you or Carsten, or both, recommended him, but I appreciate!

#91 Hi Peggy, is it too perverse to take pleasure in shooting one's friends? Hope you will enjoy Indridason as much as I do.

I picked up a copy of The Lowland at the library today. It was just sitting there, looking at me...

#93 Jenn, I hope you will enjoy it! I love it when I find books just sitting there, looking at me … : ).

Nancy - Feel the urge to return to Iceland and catch up on Erlendur and his life. It's going to be a summer reading I think. 4,5....Glad to know the series keep it's high level in the ScandiCrime genre. Thumbs.

Hi Nancy- Just checking in. I also loved Searching for Sugar Man. It's a terrific doc. And I really NEED to get back to Inspector Erlendur. I do love that series.

Hi Nancy. Hypothermia sounds really good. Scandi-crime isn't really calling to me much at the moment but when it does I will remember this series.

#95 Thanks, Carsten. Indridason writes a great series! You will enjoy your return to Iceland to catch up with Erlendur and his life. : )

#96 Hey Marky-Mark, appreciate your endorsement of Searching for Sugar Man. And guess what: I just now got an email from the library telling me it's in! You really DO need to get back to Erlendur.

#97 Hi Heather, I only got into Scandi-crime after inhaling the Millennium Trilogy a couple of years ago. Indridason is an excellent author to keep in mind.

Another Scandi-crime book that I had no intention until....right now Nancy. Thumb!

#99 Thanks, Bonnie : ). Indridason's Reykjavik series is excellent!

>71 lit_chick: yikes I hope I didn't mislead you, Nancy. Searching for the Sugarman features Sth Africa, but isn't really about it. It features a musician whose music went relatively undetected in the USA but whose music went NATO (as they say) in Sth Africa. He was a household name there in the 1960s and 70s, but no one knew anything about him and this was completely unbeknown to him. The record company seems to have made some money from royalties, but the artist kept on truckin' on as a labourer. It is a really interesting film to see just because, but maybe not so South African-centric!

If I was a series gal, I would go scandi.....but I am not. ;)

#101 Hi Megan, I picked up Searching for Sugar Man today; and read the back cover of the movie which basically says what you just said. What a great memory you have! I'm still looking forward to watching it.

I didn't know you weren't a series gal. Learn new things about my LT friends all the time! Well, if you ever become one, you can start with Scandi-crime : ).

Hi Nancy - I've been meaning to start Indridason -- you make his books sound so good. I think I have a couple of them hanging around. Maybe packing one for vacation...

Randomly stopping in - I have read the HP books - first with a niece who didn't like to read who came to stay with us for a month as a 'mother's helper' when our own daughter was about 4. The first movie was going to come out I think, so we read the first book aloud, Lauren would read one page to our four or five, and by the time we hit book three she was a reader for life. What can I say? I think it has had that electric effect on so many children! Her parents say that she came home transformed, and all we could say was, "We didn't do anything but read Harry Potter!!!" For us it was a joy to watch her get more and more into it. Our own daughter ended up lying around in various laps listening and swears she remembers everything. Certainly she was a big fan in her time.

Indridason was too gloomy for me.

#103 Hi Beth, I really enjoy Indridason. Packed one or two on vacay to Mexico in March. I love planning my holiday reading : ).

#104 Lucy, love the story of your niece become a reader for life after reading HP with you. And how fabulous that your daughter remembers listening, even if she was lying around in various laps. Anything that gets young people reading and, what's more, instills in them a love of reading … well, it's hard to argue with that, isn't it?

Ah, too bad you didn't enjoy Indridason more.

32.
The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion



Rating: 4/5

The brilliant but socially inept geneticist, Professor Don Tillman, has exactly two friends, Professor Gene Barrow and his wife, Claudia. Don has absolutely no clue about the nuances of language or social interaction; it is likely he has Asperger’s. When he decides he wants to marry, he devises a thirty-two page questionnaire to be completed by prospective “candidates.” Enter The Wife Project:

“A questionnaire! Such an obvious solution. A purpose-built, scientifically valid instrument incorporating current best practice to filter out the time wasters, the disorganised, the ice-cream discriminators, the visual-harassment complainers, the crystal gazers, the horoscope readers, the fashion obsessives, the religious fanatics, the vegans, the sports watchers, the creationists, the smokers, the scientifically illiterate, the homeopaths, leaving, ideally, the perfect partner, or, realistically, a manageable shortlist of candidates.” (Ch 2)

And then enter Rosie, a barmaid, who is on a mission to find her biological father, and whose personality blows the lid clean off of Don’s questionnaire as well as the rest of his life. Hilarity ensues as The Rosie Project is born.

Admittedly, this one was not even on my radar when a friend passed it on recently and recommended a light, funny, endearing, delightful summer read. She was right!

A light, funny, endearing, delightful summer read. I sure need that after some gloomy reads. Joyce and Steinbeck are not the most merry fellas in the world and I need a brake from the more serious literate modern fiction. Thumb.

I just checked the library and they have it in a Danish translation.

#107 Oh, Carsten, I'm tickled that you've found a Danish translation! I can so relate to needing a break from classic fiction. Yes, it's pretty safe to say that Joyce and Steinbeck are not the most merry fellas, LOL! I hope you will pick this one up, and smile and laugh with it as I did : ).

Oh finally you read The Rosie Project! I really loved it when I read it some time last year. Like you , I had looked at in the library and wondered - is this for me? Finally in search of a fun, intelligent read, I read The Rosie Project. I really enjoyed it too! I struggled a bit with The Constellations of Vital Phenomena, maybe because it was so fragmented - I'm not sure why. 4 stars for that. Now I've stared what I'm regarding as just plain good read Far Side of the Sky. It's written by a Vancouver author, Daniel Kalla. It's the story of a small group of Austrian's leaving Austria and living in Shanghai during WW11. I had not realized that so many Jewish people fled to Shanghai during WW11. My mom recommended it to me. Not a weighty tome, but an interesting read.

#109 Hi Deb : ). Yes, The Rosie Project is well worth the read! We gave Constellation the same rating; I may have enjoyed it a bit more than you did. Far Side of the Sky sounds like one to keep in mind; I also did not realize that so many Jewish people fled to Shanghai during WW11

>106 lit_chick: When he decides he wants to marry, he devises a thirty-two page questionnaire to be completed by prospective “candidates.”
haha! I know someone like this. He had on his list the following must-have attributes for ant prospective gf:
- must be able to take a 'dump' in the woods
- must be able to walk as fast as me
- must have 'great boobs' (hilariously, I mis-typed that as books just now!!!)
etc
etc
I advised him that he was a fool and a cad for having such criteria and that he would only limit his exposure to awesome women in insisting his future gf must have these things. Ah well, it's good to have goals I suppose!

And The Rosie Project drops onto the pile.

>111 LovingLit: Aren't "great boobs" subjective? The other two you mention should be easier to determine, although personally, I bet he probably meant will take a dump in the woods as opposed to being able to. Many of us are able to, we just prefer not to...

>106 lit_chick: - Your review of The Rosie Project makes me even happier that I snagged a gently used copy for future reading! Constellation is also sitting on my TBR pile, thanks to another recent acquisition. At least you are not hitting me with new book bullets, Nancy! ;-)

Have you arranged a 4-day weekend or will you be experiencing the interesting but still happily shortened work week due to the holiday falling on a Tuesday this year? Either way, I hope your weekend is an enjoyable one.

#111 LOL, Megan! Your friend's criteria are as ridiculous as those of the inimitable Professor Don Tillman. Only Tillman's were much more anal! Love your books typo; that's more like it!

#112 Hi Jenn, such a fun read! I hope you will enjoy. And thanks for the chuckle: Many of us are able to, we just prefer not to …, LOL!

#113 Yay, Lori, spared two bullets! The two reads are entirely different, but both well worth the time. Try to hit The Rosie Project over the summer … my life theory is that the most fun things happen in summer! We need more Julys, in particular.

I have July and August off. This is why we need more Julys, LOL!

LOL! Enjoy the time off!

Wonderful! Thank you for The Rosie Project, Nancy. I've just joined my mother's book club and was wondering what to "put in." A copy of *RP* is on its way to me as the perfect first book!
Megan, that's hilarious! For a minute there I thought that you were quoting from the book itself.
"More Julys"???? Well, maybe not - unless we could insert them in October here in southeastern NC.

#115 Thanks, Lori : ).

#116 Oh, Peggy, I'm delighted you've got The Rosie Project on the way for your mother's book club! Yes, I can see why you'd be not so much in need of more Julys, but perhaps Octobers?

a light, funny, endearing, delightful summer read Just what I need about now Nancy and luckily I picked up a cheap Kindle copy several weeks ago so I may read this sooner rather than later:-) Oh, and Thumb!

#118 Woot! Enjoy, Bonnie : ). Can't wait to hear what you think of it. Mark just read it and really enjoyed it, too.

To all of my fellow Canadians, Happy Canada Day:

Happy Canada Day! I celebrated by taking our wild child puppy who bites me to the vet and getting antidepressants to see if we can bring down her level of anxiety ( in conjunction with a number of behavioral things that we've been at since we got her. ). My husband had to work today and after the vet I splurged and got myself a Starbucks Refreshers, an Orange Refresher . Oh yeah , Canada Day! :) Our " special needs " dog. I'd diagnose her with anxiety issues that lead to aggression along with maybe ADHD. It's a really good thing that she is our third dog and we have raised to boys and we are very patient, or she'd be out the door! Yesterday I got quite a nip and growl when I put her leash on. Seriously Poppy!The vet was very supportive, and as we have had a puppy behaviour specialist in, as well take her to obedience classes as well as she goes with a dog walker she might have caught on to the fact that she should stop biting and nipping at me and Dave . I have probably had 100 nips and small bites, conservatively speaking. I'm not sure if the antidepressant will work, but we are going to give it a try.

#121 Hi Deb, sorry to hear Poppy is having such a hard time with behaviour. Yikes to you and Dave being nipped at all the time; she's fortunate to have the two of you. Glad the vet was supportive. One of my sisters fosters a little Miniature Pinscher that is on antidepressants for anxiety. She says Katie has come a long way in three or four weeks.

33.
The Stubborn Season, Lauren B. Davis



Rating: 4/5

"She pictured her mother's depression like a shadowy fog that slipped around the doorways and through the plaster cracks and along the pipes. She couldn't escape it, and it made everything too close, too blurry. Where did one person end and the other begin? (16)

This is the question that haunts Irene MacNeil, a young girl growing up in Toronto during the Great Depression. She lives with her mother, Margaret, who teeters precariously on the brink of depression, and with her father, a pharmacist who has found solace in alcohol. The turmoil in their home reflects the crumbling of the economic and social structures around them. Irene heartbreakingly describes Christmas as the only “ceasefire” in her household: a brief reprieve in which Margaret miraculously summons the energy to bake and decorate; and Douglas, albeit white-knuckled, manages to control his toxic intake for a couple of days. As Irene becomes a young woman, she is consumed by her mother’s increasingly erratic behaviour. In a world gone mad with poverty, unemployment, and bigotry, she will unexpectedly find comfort in a young man from a Jewish farming community in Saskatchewan, who is fighting his own battle for dignity and a place to belong.

A Stubborn Season, although not the first of her works I’ve read, was Davis’ debut novel. Cast with vivid characters, each page is alive with sense of place and history: the claustrophobic darkness of a Victorian row home, a steamy summer afternoon in a Toronto city park, the fearful stench of a jail cell, the loneliness of a “box car cowboy” riding the rails. Impressive, and highly recommended!

I've never heard of Lauren Davis Nancy but I'm intrigued by a book set in Toronto during the Depression so I may look for this one. Thumb!

#124 Thanks, Bonnie. I think you would enjoy Davis, and I remember that you have family in Toronto.

Thumb Nancy! I am so pleased that you enjoyed The Stubborn Season. I really enjoyed that one of Lauren B. Davis too! Great to hear that your sister's dog is doing well with her antidepressant - it gives me hope for Poppy. Great review of The Stubborn Season

The Rosie Project sounds delightful - I've heard one or two were disappointed somehow, can't remember how, maybe they expected too much from it? I love the premise also!

#126 Thanks, Deb. Lauren B. Davis was a rec from you, and an excellent one : ). Very much enjoyed both Our Daily Bread and The Stubborn Season.

#127 Oh, Lucy, The Rosie Project is delightful! Great premise, and perfectly charming! Someone (Mark, I think) told me it was in the works to become a movie; if so, I must see it!

There is a sequel to The Rosie Project in the works, Nancy!!! I've already put into my wishlist on amazon ca! :) It's called The Rosie Effect #1 and I think it's due out in September of this year. If there is to be a movie of the The Rosie Project, I will need to see that too! I have a new Karin Fossum book on my kindle, The Murder of Harriet Krohn . I'm only few pages in , but it's creepy good so far! :)

#129 Hi Deb, will be looking forward to The Rosie Effect #1!. Enjoy the new Fossum; sounds appropriately creepy : ).

The Stubborn Season sounds interesting but bleak. I like bleak but I have to be in the mood for it so I think it will have to go onto the 'possible reading list'... I have to think about that a bit.

Happy Weekend, Nancy!

Interesting with so many Canadian novels that are dealing with the sense of place and integration/immigration. Thumb!

Btw I have now ordered The Rosie Project from the library. Waiting, waiting....

#131 Hi Lori, I didn't find The Stubborn Season bleak, but it certainly is real. Happy weekend to you, too : ).

#132 Thanks, Carsten, yes a lot of Canadian literature encompasses sense of place and integration/immigration. Well said. Oh, I hope you get The Rosie Project soon! Can't wait to hear how you like it : ).

Hi Nancy - The Stubborn Season sounds good. I'll keep The Rosie Effect in mind for my next vacation. Happy Canada Day a little late.

#134 Thanks, Beth. Hope your July 4 was wonderful! The Stubborn Season is very good. The Rosie Project precedes The Rosie Effect #1 which is to be released Sep 30.

34.
The Meadow, James Galvin



Rating: 4.5/5

On the Colorado-Wyoming border high in the Neversummer Mountains is a piece of land called The Meadow. Author James Galvin, who was raised in northern Colorado and has an intimate sense of the place, writes a one-hundred year history of the eponymous meadow. Narrating in short vignettes, he describes "seasons, the weather, the wildlife, and the few people who do not possess but are themselves possessed by this terrain" (Publisher). Ray, Frank, Clara, and Lyle, my favourite character, are among those “possessed” – not only with the land in the arid mountains, but with wills of steel and relentless resourcefulness, grace, and neighbourliness.

The Meadow is spellbinding: a beautiful and timeless tribute to the American West and its people. That Galvin is a poet will not surprise, given the gorgeous prose. Highly, highly recommended.

"He takes a deep drag and looks down past the springhouse nested in the orange willow branches. Up over the opposing hill he sees the snow on the mountains west of Laramie. Another breath of wind comes up and starts the aspens chattering like nervous girls, and they catch the last low-angling rays of sun and flare. The dark tops of evergreens are red, almost bloody, and for a good thirty seconds he knows the world is something altogether other than what it appears to be." (121)

Hi Nancy - I'm catching up on here at last. I'm so happy that you liked A Dry White Season! I loved it and also enjoyed Brink's autobiography. I have The Other Side of Silence here somewhere but I will need to be in the mood for bleak before I pick it up. It's set in Namibia when it was a German colony.

I've read one Inspector Erlendur books - The Draining Lake- and at the time wanted to find all the others, but they've joined the mountain of unfinished series books!

The Meadow sounds very good too.

#137 Hi Cushla, delighted to "see" you! I did love A Dry White Season, and I loved Philida too when I read it last year. Indridason's Erlendur series is great Scandi-crime, but I do understand how unfinished series can pile up. The Meadow I highly recommend!

I'm not familiar with James Galvin, but a poet and a story so grounded in nature and the wildlife is usually a good combination. Good review. Thumb.

#139 Thanks, Carsten : ). James Galvin is one of the many gifts I have been introduced to here on LT. Picked up this particular bullet from Donna. The Meadow is a beautiful story, one I think you would enjoy.

Hmmmm Joanne hit me with this particular BB and I have it sitting on my shelf Nancy but your review makes me think I should pull it down sooner rather than later.

This may have sealed the deal for me: The Meadow is spellbinding: a beautiful and timeless tribute to the American West and its people. That Galvin is a poet will not surprise, given the gorgeous prose

Thumb of course:-)

#141 Hi Bonnie, isn't LT the best for fabulous recommendations? I've read so many fabulous authors and novels that would otherwise and escaped my attention. The Meadow is one of these. I'm quite certain it's one you will really enjoy. You must meet Lyle … that's a character who will be walking around with me for along time. Thanks for the thumb : ).

Hi Nancy, Thank you for the hot tip about The Meadow. It sounds like my kind of read so it's going on the list. I'm half way through The Signature of All Things and enjoying it.

#143 Hi Mary, you're so welcome : ). I hope you enjoy The Meadow as much as I did. Good to hear you're liking The Signature of All Things. It's on my list … waiting patiently.

Ouch! The Meadow also lands on the TBR pile. :)

#145 Make me smile, Jenn : ). I think you'll enjoy The Meadow.

Belated happy Canada day, Nancy!

>121 vancouverdeb: Sorry to hear you puppy is proving to be such a handful Deborah but it sounds like you and your husband are doing really good work with her. Was she a rescue dog?

A slow-burning book bullet - I'm now considering The Rosie Project after all the enthusiastic comments and your review.

#147 Thanks, Heather : ). Oh, I do hope you'll decide to pick up The Rosie Project; it really is delightful!

35.
An Unnecessary Woman, Rabih Alameddine



Rating: 4/5

"I long ago abandoned myself to a blind lust for the written word. Literature is my sandbox. In it I play, build my forts and castles, spend glorious time. It is the world outside the box that gives me trouble." (6)

Aaliya Saleh is a blue-haired, reclusive, septuagenarian living alone in her Beirut apartment. Fatherless, godless, childless, and divorced, Aalyia is to her family and to society an unnecessary woman. Covetous of her spacious apartment, her mother and half-brothers oscillate between threatening her with eviction, terrorizing her, and ignoring her. But Aaliya stays put, even as the Lebanese Civil War rages around her, threatening all that she loves about her city. She abandons herself to literature, and every year, on the first of January, begins a new translation of a book into Arabic. Over a period of fifty years, Aaliya has translated thirty-seven books: "I'll be sitting at my desk and suddenly I don't wish my life to be any different. I am where I need to be. My heart distends with delight. I feel sacred." (109)

An Unnecessary Woman is beautifully written, Aaliya herself unforgettable. I particularly enjoyed her visions of Beirut, past and present – a subject which Alameddine has inspired me to explore further. And I love the idea of allowing the principles found in great literature to be the guiding influence in one’s life. But I think for all of her sass and bravado, Aaliya was a sad, even angry, woman – and I empathize with her very human yearning for what might have been.

"No loss is felt more keenly than the loss of what might have been. No nostalgia hurts as much as nostalgia for things that never existed." (155)

What a great, beautiful review, Nancy. A personal story.....I have a special relationship with Beirut, Lebanon. Met a girl from Beirut in my youth on a holiday on Cyprus - and she was my pen-pal for over ten years during the worst fighting in the civil war. I finally did go to meet her in Lebanon after the war - 10 years later - in many ways it was a sad journey for a number of reasons. Hard to imagine what she had gone through, but her letters were full of the war of course, and her hopes for the future without bombs and explosions. Read a lot about the civil war in Lebanon back then, so it suddenly all came back to me reading your review.

I think the first quote says it all. To survive such a thing most people escape into something. For this character it was the "blind lust of the written word" - which all we book-lovers abandon ourselves to from time to time. The last quote is so true!

#150 Thanks, Carsten. I am so glad you shared about your personal connection to Beirut. What a beautiful, endearing friendship you and your pen-pal shared. I cannot imagine growing up in a country so torn by war; what heartbreak. I agree that in order to survive such a thing, one would need to have an eacape. Glad you liked the quotes; there were many, many such beautiful lines in the novel.

Nancy - Lovely review of An Unnecessary Woman. I've heard good things about it from many LTers. I must get to it soon.

#152 Thanks, Beth : ). I think An Unnecessary Woman is one you would enjoy.

Lovely review Nancy, as always and very thumb worthy. I found the sections that dealt with the Lebanese Civil War to be very powerful and it reminded me of the NF book Every Man in this Village is a Liar by Megan Stack which I read a couple of years ago. I remember distinctly when the war was raging and the news coverage kept showing the Beirut Holiday Inn being shelled non-stop.

#154 Thanks, Bonnie. An Unnecessary Woman was another bullet I took from you : ). I also found Aaliya's writings/memories of the Lebanese Civil War very powerful. Haven't read Every Man in This Village is a Liar, but I have an iPad copy. Must get to it.

Book Bullets! Every.Single.Time! This is a dangerous place. :)

#156 LOL, Jenn! Happy to oblige : ).

Great review of An Unnecessary Woman, Nancy! It's already on my wish list, but I'll probably read his earlier novel The Hakawati first, since I already own it.

#158 Thanks, Darryl. I've not read The Hakawati, but you prompt me to add it to my list. Alameddine is a fabulous writer, and I'm certain you will enjoy.

I've resisted An Unnecessary Woman until now but.... you may have turned the tide.

#160 Thanks, Lucy. I think An Unnecessary Woman is one you would enjoy.

36.
Calling Out for You, Karin Fossum



Rating: 4/5

“A narrow headland stretched out to the left. He walked out to the point. Found the remains of a fire, prodded it with his foot. The water here was black, possibly deep. He could have hidden her. Many did, throwing the body in the water, burying it. But nothing had been done to hide this murder. / Nothing had been done to mislead them. The killer was disorganized, characterized by confusion and lack of control.” (Ch 11)

Norwegian Gunder Jomann lives in Elvestad, is fifty, a successful sales representative, quiet, humble, responsible – and lonely. Long curious about India and about the very beautiful Indian women he has seen in photos, he plans a trip to Mumbai with the hopeful idea that he might find a wife there. He does; he and Poona Bai are married in Mumbai; and he returns to Norway to prepare his home for his new bride. Once her immigration paperwork is processed, Poona Bai will join her husband in Norway. Unfortunately, on the day she arrives to her new country, Gunder is waylaid by a family emergency involving his sister. His new life is not to be. Poona Bai’s savagely beaten, deceased body is found in close proximity to his home.

Inspector Konrad Sejer and his colleague Jacob Skarre are called in to investigate. In Elvestad, as in any small town, there is no shortage of gossip and rumour, but what on earth could possibly have motivated such a crime? And the victim’s body, found near impenetrable woods and a body of deep water, would have been so easy to conceal. The circumstances indicate a distracted, chaotic killer. The police arrest a suspect and get a confession – but readers be left wondering whether they have, in fact, got the right man. And Fossum plants a seed of intrigue that does not help dissolve the nagging questions.

Recommended: Yes! Thoroughly enjoying this Scandi-crime series by Fossum. She combines a solid crime story with a solid police procedural. In each novel, we learn a little more about Sejer’s private life, details I happily anticipate.

37.
Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens



Rating: 4/5

2007, Naxos Audiobooks, Read by David Timson

In the opening chapters of Our Mutual Friend, a body is fished from the Thames and wrongly identified as that of John Harmon, a young man recently returned to London to claim his inheritance. According to the terms of his father’s will, John is required to marry Bella Wilfer, a beautiful mercenary girl whom he has never met, in order to inherit his enormous fortune. Fearing (no doubt correctly) that Miss Wilfer would marry him solely for his money, John takes advantage of the misidentification and assumes the alias, John Rokesmith. Can he get the lovely Bella fall in love with him without the lure of his great wealth? In the meantime, Harmon’s inheritance passes to the working-class Boffins, a decision which has wide-ranging consequences for various corners of London society.
The parallel love story of another young couple has much in common with that of John and Bella: handsome society lawyer Eugene Wrayburn falls in love with Lizzie Hexam, the daughter of a corpse robber. Eugene, previously world-weary, comes alive when he meets Lizze for the first time. Of course, such a marriage is impossible. Isn’t it?

Our Mutual Friend, Dickens’ last complete novel, is replete with his usual social criticism: mainly the power of money to impact people’s lives for good or ill, mostly the latter. Expect a Dickens-size cast of eclectic characters, including various villains, the pair of young couples aforementioned, and a pint-size doll’s dressmaker who will completely win your heart.

Recommended: Highly! Particularly, of course, for lovers of the classics. This audio narration performance by David Timson is extraordinary!

But.... but.... it's Dickens, and you know my experience with Dickens is kind of hit and miss. My favorite Dickens continues to be Great Expectations and nothing else so far has compared to my love for that one. *sighs*

#164 I hear you, Lori. I don't love Dickens like I love Trollope, but I make an effort : ). I read/listened to Bleak House last year or the year before and just loved it. This was was very good, but not as good as the former, IMO.

AH well, Lori and Nancy. You know that I love Dickens much more than Trollope. That said, I was less enthusiastic about *OMF* when I reread it a couple of years ago than I had been the other 2 times. Still, there's a lot to love. Bleak House is my favorite!
Nancy, you're about to push me into An Unnecessary Woman, but even you haven't quite sold me on the Colorado one........... I'm happy to dodge a bullet when I can, even if I come back and retrieve it some other time.

How in the world do you write excellent reviews by the twos, Nancy? You are amazing. I want to read Our Mutual Friend at some point but I have Phineas Finn to look forward to now.

Thumbs for both:-)

#166 Hi Peggy, you are in my mind every time I think about, read, or listen to Dickens. For me, you are LT's Dickens ' ambassador. There was definitely lots to enjoy about Our Mutual Friend, but I did not love it as well as Bleak House, which I adored.

Happy to help with a book bullet any time I can, LOL. I think you will enjoy Alameddine. And I so hear you about dodging a bullet wherever possible; I just won't live long enough to get it all read!

# 167 Hi Bonnie, thank you! I actually wrote the reviews on different days; sometimes they flow, and sometimes I struggle. Happily, the first was true on this occasion. I know you will enjoy Our Mutual Friend when you get to it. In the meantime, hope you find Phineas Finn to be fabulous. You know I love all things Trollope : ).

Fly-by hi!
Too many good books here *not looking*
:)

#169 Fly-bi hi back, Megan! I'll tempt you another time … : ).

Two good reviews, Nancy. Thumbs. I haven't read Karin Fossum yet, although I was very close at picking up one of her latest down at the library the other day. A sad plot it seems in this one. Indeed a mystery.

You capture the essence of Dickens - a lot of eclectic characters. I was doing a rereading of Great Expectations two-three months ago but was distracted - I have to get back to it. I like his coming-of-age stories a lot. David Copperfield is another one - but still a lot of Dickens to be read. It is indeed a unique universe of characters that he creates, like no one else.

Hi Nancy, love your recent reviews my dear, I must get to the Dickens and Trollope I have waiting on the shelves. Hope you have a lovely day my dear.

*wave

#171 Hi Carsten, thank you : ). You will enjoy Fossum when you get to her, and you're right that the plot of Calling Out for You was particularly sad.

Our Mutual Friend was an enjoyable read, but I did not love it the way I loved Bleak House. I want to reread David Copperfield at some point, too, but one Dickens per year is about my quota! Great Expectations I've not read at all; another good one for the list.

#172 Thanks, John, lovely to see you : ). I confess to loving Trollope more than Dickens, but I make an effort.

#173 *waves to Jenn*

Congratulations on one two three hot reviews Nancy! Bleak House is my favourite Dickens too but OMF is also good.

#175 Thanks, Heather : ). Good to know Bleak House is also your favourite Dickens.

38.
The Other Side of the Bridge, Mary Lawson



Rating: 4.5/5

"He stood alone in the silence of the night, remembering. In his mind's eye he saw the two of them – always saw them the same, standing together, faces turned upwards. Clouds pale against the blue-black of the night. Stars cold and bright. The moon hanging there, pale and brilliant, clouds drifting across it like smoke. The sky and the silent land beneath it stretching on, and on, and on, so that he and his father were shrunk to almost nothing by the vastness of it." (233)

Two brothers, Arthur and Jake Dunn, growing up on their family’s farm in the fictional community of Struan in northern Ontario in the 1930s, are polar opposites. Arthur is dependable, dutiful, and set to inherit the farm; Jake, the younger of the two, is handsome, insolent, and dangerous to know. When the beautiful Laura March moves to Struan, the fragile balance of the brothers’ rivalry is moved to teetering on the edge of catastrophe. Two decades later, young Ian Christopherson, son of Struan’s only doctor, is moved by his infatuation with Arthur’s wife to seek employment on the Dunn farm. The novel is fraught with deceit, rivalry, and obsession, played out over nearly half a century. The small northern community survives the Great Depression better than many, but not so World War II, which rocks it to its very core.

The Other Side of the Bridge moves gently back and forth in time, each chapter opening with headlines from local newspaper, the Timiskaming Speaker, including month and year, which allow readers to place themselves easily within the story and within history. Lawson’s prose is just beautiful, creating, as the Toronto Star has noted, some of the “most quotable images in Canadian literature.” Highly, highly recommended.

Gah, another great review. Just how many do you plan on hanging in the Hot Review section at one time anyway, Nancy? Haha. Well at least I've already read this one and loved it just as much as you did. She's fast becoming a favorite author for me and she has a new one out---Road Ends. Off to thumb.

#178 LOL, Bonnie, and thank you : ). Lawson is fabulous! This is the first I've read of hers; I've added Crow Lake to my list and will now add Road Ends. Thanks for the tip on her latest. Btw, how do you always know when new books are coming out? Is there a particular site you follow? (I manage to catch a few such announcements, but I think it's luck more than anything on my part).

Eta: should have added that I adore July when I'm off … because my patio and great books, along with the beach if it gets too hot, is really all I have to do! Well, I need to do groceries and cook the odd time, too, LOL!

Ummm. Sounds like retirement before the volunteer bug hits!
I think there's a GR of Martin Chuzzlewit coming up in August. It's early Dickens, but there are some memorable characters and some memorable writing, and, alas, one of his most saccharine women in Ruth Pinch and a regrettable trek into frontier America. I expect I'll try to do it, and I'm PROUD that you associate me with CD! (Heather too is a great and knowledgeable CD reader!)

#180 Hi Peggy, I love and appreciate your wisdom: Sounds like retirement before the volunteer bug hits! I confess I am not at all familiar with Martin Chuzzlewit, but I like the sound of Dickens making a regrettable trek into frontier America! And another Dickens ambassador in Heather! Yay!

No book bullet for The Other Side of the Bridge as that one is already on my TBR bookcases. Very happy to see the praise for this one! Crow Lake is fabulous.... I haven't read or acquired a copy of Road Ends yet. That one is on my short list for future purchases. ;-)

#182 Hi Lori, hope you will enjoy The Other Side of the Bridge as much as I did. Delighted to hear another endorsement for Crow Lake. I don't know how I managed to miss Lawson until now. Put in library request for Road Ends today; it's popular!

Excellent review, Nancy. The quote is a good example of Mary Lawson's beautiful prose. Haven't yet read anything by her - another Canadian to consider. I feel I'm being well updated on the Canadian literary scene on this thread. Keep 'em coming :)

#184 Thanks, Carsten. Lawson's prose is beautiful, isn't it? She's a Canadian author who is new to me; don't know how I missed her thus far. Looking forward to Crow Lake and Road Ends.

Excellent review of The Other Side of the Bridge, Nancy! This year I have read Crow Lake - a five star read for me , and I also read Road Ends - 4. stars. Now I just need to get to The Other Side of the Bridge, which is waiting in my TBR pile! Mary Lawson is an excellent author . I am not surprised at all that you enjoyed so much!

#186 Thanks, Deb : ). You're right that Lawson is excellent! I'll say again that I have no idea how I managed to miss her this long. Her portrayal of the North is mesmerizing; she has to have lived there in order to get it so right! Looking forward to her other novels.

Hi Nancy - It's been a while since I read the Lawson books, but I remember I liked Crow Lake more than The Other Side of the Bridge. I'm going to look for her new one.

Hmmm no secret about knowing when an author has a new book coming out, Nancy. I just look on their personal website. Yes, Mary Lawson has one. When I was reading The Other Side of the Bridge I checked to see if she had anything else I hadn't read or if Crow Lake was the only other book she'd written. I was delighted to find that she had a new one out. My library has it so I will get to it at some point but I'll probaby wait since she has no backlist for me to read through. I want to savor her books.

Hi Nancy! As usual, I always like your book selections. I am slowly making it through all the Dickens works and Our Mutual Friend is on the agenda. Bleak House was my last one and I adored it, despite it's ungainly length.
Terrific review of The Other Side of the Bridge. Sadly, I have still not read Crow Lake and I have a copy. What is my problem anyway?

#188 Hi Beth, seems I'm the sole LTer who has not read Lawson! Delighted to hear you enjoyed Crow Lake even more than The Other Side of the Bridge. I've requested Road Ends from the library.

#189 Thanks, Bonnie. I never to think to look on an author's website, don't know why. I appreciate the tip and will keep it in mind. I want to savour her books. Yes!

#190 Hi Mark, thank you : ). I admire your ambition, working your way through Dickens. I want to reread David Copperfield next, but it won't be this year. Eta: I also adored Bleak House.

You need to read Crow Lake, as I do. What is your problem anyway, LOL? Also looking forward to Road Ends which Bonnie told me about.

All right! All right!! UNCLE!!! Crow Lake is available at PBS and I have now requested it.
I'm basking in the Bleak House love. It is the BEST!!!

#192 LOL, Peggy, delighted you have got Crow Lake on the way! So pleased to hear you are basking in the Bleak House love! It's part of your job description as Dickens ambassador : ).

39.
The Burgess Boys, Elizabeth Strout



Rating: 4.5/5

“The Burgess boys rode up the turnpike as twilight arrived. It arrived gently, the sky remaining a soft blue as the trees along either side of the unfolding pavement darkened. Then the sinking sun sent up a spread of lavender and yellow, and the horizon line seemed cracked open to give a peek at the heavens far beyond. Thin clouds became pink and stayed that way, until finally darkness emerged, almost complete. The brothers had spoken little ..." (Ch 10)

Growing up in Shirley Falls, rural Maine, the Burgess children, eldest Jim and twins Bob and Susan, suffer a traumatic accident in childhood which results in the loss of a parent. Expectedly, the children all manage the trauma very differently, but its effects follow them into adulthood – and the incident, by tacit agreement, is never acknowledged. Jim becomes the classic over-achiever – class president, athlete, hot-shot criminal attorney. Bob, a public advocate, has a heart which knows no bounds; generous and compassionate to a fault, he is vulnerable, easily hurt, and easily dismissed. And Susan is – afloat, lost. She is the child and also the adult nobody really cares for; “and then she had that nutty son.”

When Zachary, Susan’s teenage son, commits a criminal act, the Burgess boys, both living in New York City these past many years, return to Shirley Falls, the home town only Susan never left, in an effort to support. But the siblings aren’t up to the task – they are solitaries, each floundering for a secure footing in life, despite any appearances to the contrary. As Jim, sharp and cruel, verbalizes, “Everything to do with this family depresses me profoundly." (Ch 10) What’s more, the return to Shirley Falls perpetrates the disclosure of a long-guarded secret about the family’s shared trauma which will change all of their lives.

Strout writes beautifully, as evidenced in the opening quotation, about relatable characters I will not soon forget. She skillfully integrates her central theme here – that search for a place to belong and be safe – into not only the story of The Burgess Boys, but into the immigrant experience and racial friction evidenced in rural Maine. Highly recommended!

Fine review (which I've tried to thumb, but I cant tell if it took), Nancy! You may sell me on this one too. For some reason I've been resisting.

Fabulous review of The Burgess Boys, Nancy. You may have sent me a book bullet with that one! Thumbed!

#195 Thanks, Peggy : ). I do hope you will pick up The Burgess Boys; it's taken me a while to get to it but I'm very glad I did. Will also explore more of Strout's work.

#196 Thanks, Deb, hope the bullet lands squarely, LOL. I think this is one you'd enjoy!

Nancy - Great comments on The Burgess Boys. It was one of my favorite reads last year. You make me want to read it again!

#198 Hi Beth, thank you. I don't often award 5*, so I expect The Burgess Boys will be one of my best reads this year, too. It's certainly worth a reread if only there were more time ...

>194 lit_chick: Well, that one doesn't sound like a happy read, but a good one. Excellent review!

Hi Nancy! Good review of The Burgess Boys. You liked it a bit more than I did, but it is still a good read. Olive is, so far, my hands down favorite.

Nice review! I look forward to reading the book!

#200 Thanks, Amber : ). The Burgess Boys is an excellent read.

#201 Thanks, Mark, I have only read The Burgess Boys by Strout. But yesterday I added Olive Kitteridge to my list because I read so many positive comments. Glad to also have your endorsement.

#202 Thanks, Lucy, I think this is one you will enjoy. I hope so!

Man Booker Longlist announced today:



To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, Joshua Ferris
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler
The Blazing World, Siri Hustvedt
J, Howard Jacobson
The Wake, Paul Kingsnorth
The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell
The Lives of Others, Neel Mukherjee
Us, David Nicholls
The Dog, Joseph O'Neill
Orfeo, Richard Powers
How to be Both, Ali Smith
History of the Rain, Niall Williams

I'm always listening, when LitChick has a 4,5. Thumbs on its way. The quote is a good companion to the cover. And an immigrant theme again :)

Ah, booker prize again. Thanks for the list, Nancy.

I have already been looking at the first ones on the list. To Rise Again at a Decent Hour sounds like a one I could enjoy - but as always I look forward to reads and reviews here. (and I expect Deborah will sneak in with a recommendation or two.....)

#205-06 Thanks Carsten, appreciate your listening to lit_chick, LOL! I hadnt thought about the quote being a good fit for the cover, but you're right. I like an immigrant theme, too.

I confess I am not familiar with a single book on the Booker LL. That's going to have to change. Like you, I'll be looking for recommendations here on LT, unless something in particular catches my eye. And, yes, I'm sure Deb will sneak in a rec or two : ).

I think my thumb just pushed you into the #1 spot Nancy LOL. And a great review it is. I've read all of Strout's books and I liked The Burgess Boys the best although they're all good.

I picked up We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves as a Kindle deal so I think it will be my next read.

#208 LOL, thanks, Bonnie : ). I remember you reading The Burgess Boys and that you'd really liked it, but I did not know you'd read all of Strout's work.

Good for you for choosing your first Booker! I found two at my library and puts holds on them: Narrow Road to the Deep North and History of the Rain. No idea how long it will take to get them, and my choices were very random: checked a few of the books on LT and made a quick judgment based on tags as to what sounded interesting. We shall see.

Glad that you enjoyed the two ELizabeth Strout books. I thought they were wonderful!

>177 lit_chick: bah! You're killing me. *so not looking*
(same goes for >194 lit_chick:)

And now the Booker list!!!

*faints*

I've looked at the Booker List - just the titles and none seem familiar to me. I'll have to do a bit more digging into it.

Thanks for the Booker list, Nancy. I read The Blazing World because I have loved other Hustvedt books (The Summer Without Men and The Sorrows of an American), but while I admired The Blazing World, I didn't love it, a bit too polemical, I think. I loved Cloud Atlas and have been looking forward to The Bone Clocks. Otherwise, these are all new to me.

#210 Hi Mary, I've only read The Burgess Boys by Strout. But I will read more; excellent writer!

#211 Oh, Megan, your post made me laugh out loud! Thanks, I needed that, my friend : ).

#212 Hi Deb, I found the same thing when I looked at the Booker LL. Also need to do some more digging. Although I did find two at the library which I've requested: Narrow Road to the Deep North and History of the Rain.

#213 Beth, you're much better versed in this present Booker list than I am. I do recognize the title Cloud Atlas from LT, but haven't read it. I did read Nicholls' previous novel, One Day a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I've requested Us which my library has on order, as well as the two mentioned in the post above.

Wonderful review of The Burgess Boys, Nancy! I loved Olive Kitteridge when I read it a few years back. Thanks for putting Strout back on my radar screen. ;-)

#215 Thanks, Lori. Glad to put Strout back on your radar! I've heard so much good about Olive Kitteridge in the last few days that I'm looking forward to it.

Many thanks for the Booker list, Nancy. I haven't read any of them, and I guess I'm unlikely to until the prices drop a bit. I must say that The Bone Clocks is looking good. Oh! I see that Richard Powers is on the list! I LOVE Richard Powers!!!!

#217 You're welcome, Peggy. I haven't read any of the Booker LL either; and what I do read, I'll get from the library. Beth was also excited about The Bone Clocks so that's one I will watch for. Not familiar with Richard Powers, but he sounds like another one to read!

Just a bit of warning - I read The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell as part of a group read - the same author as The Bone Clocks. I found it to be tedious and well , ridiculous and still, I gave it 3 stars, but really it deserved 2.5 stars. I will never read another book by David Mitchell . But you may love it. He's story teller in ridiculous detail and the book wandered all over the place forever and really I wondered what was the point of the entire book? I recall stupid section that detailed some sort of a dystopian monks palace , as well as everlasting sea escapades. Don't say I didn't warn you. At least you are getting the book from the library and can toss it aside. I ploughed through The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet but really I loathed it.

Well, Deborah, tell us what you REALLY think! :)

Currently making my way through All the Light We Cannot See. Overall I am enjoying it and really helps one understand how people came to be in Hitler's army, but on the other hand it just seems a bit slow going . Might just me right now.

#219 Hi Deb, well, tell us what you REALLY think!, LOL! I am glad that you tell me what you really think, my friend. If you didn't, I would have to wonder who I was truly speaking with : ). I think I remember several people here on LT talking about The Thousand Autumns, perhaps it was at the time of the GR.

I've to All the Light We Cannot See in my iPad waiting patiently. So many books, so little time!

Nancy, I hope you keep reading and reviewing books I've already read and loved. It makes it so much easier on the WL. Well, that is until Bonnie chimes in that Mary Lawson has a new book!

>207 lit_chick:: Lots of surprises on the Booker List. I knew David Mitchell was coming out with a new book (loved Cloud Atlas and really Like Jacob de Zoet - sorry Deborah!) and have read - and liked - We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. I may just ignore the long list and wait for the shortlist as I really want to whittle away some more of my own books in the next few months.

Have a great weekend. I wish I had a beach nearby as it will be blazing hot here in Missouri!

#231 LOL, Donna, so you dodged some bullets but then Bonnie got you!

You are much more familiar with the Booker LL than I! I've heard several people say they are looking forward to The Bone Clocks. I got an email yesterday from my library that History of the Rain is ready for pickup. But I've also got several other books sitting on the dining room table, so I'll see whether or not I get to it. I may do like you and wait on the SL.

The Okanagan has gorgeous beaches. There are five on our two lakes, Okanagan and Kalamalka, only minutes from my home.

I am so excited! Having not had a pet for many years, I brought home a beautiful black male cat yesterday from our SPCA. He is gorgeous, charming, friendly, medium size at 11 pounds … and presently hiding in my furnace room, completely overwhelmed. Need some help with a name. I'm hoping that he'll eventually choose his own name, but If you feel like some fun and have a minute: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6FN3NGS (shelter name was Coal, but I don't find it terribly original, and I like two syllables in a pet name).

>223 lit_chick: Nancy, that must be exciting! (once he comes out of the furnace room :-) ) I voted for Bingley. I think it would be easier to call for "Bingley!" if you can't find him, than the other names, which is why I picked it.

I couldn't get on with The Thousand Autumns either. I think I read a couple of chapters and gave up. It was a shame, because the setting and time period were fascinating but it just didn't work for me.

#224 Thank you, Susan! Bingley is one of my sister's favourites, too. He did come out of the furnace room, and has since returned to it, and come out again! I'm now also thinking about Barney because he was found in a barn hanging with the horses. Doesn't look at all like a barn cat, but there he was.

Interesting that you couldn't get on with The Thousand Autumns either. Sounds like one that has been of the love it/hate it genre.

How wonderful that you have acquired a cat! I guess you've closed the survey monkey already? Both of the above names seem very good to me

Sorry, Lucy, I added another name. Here's the new link! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6FN3NGS (shelter name was Coal, but I don't find it terribly original, and I like two syllables in a pet name).

I always like an ironic name or retro name - so for your new lovely cat - Snowball? Whitey? Spot ? Truthfully I went to your survey monkey and did the survey. It is suggested for dogs that you have a two syllable name ( not sure why ). Maybe cats are different? My sister has a shelter cat named Harriet, which I quite like and a friend of mine has a shelter cat name Lucy. Names are tough to choose. How about George for HRH Prince George?You can call him Georgie, Gorgeous Georgie Porgie , if you are anything like me and add on to you pet's names. So exiting! A new kitty cat for Nancy. Okay, I picked Barney first, and maybe Bingley next. Call him Bing Cherry!

I read The Thousand Autumns as part of the Great Read and man I loathed it. I would have never gotten through it if I was not part of the great read( the pressure! ) Oh it was bad!

I think that you will enjoy All the Light We Cannot See . It moves a bit slowly - or perhaps I am impatient lately, but I am in the last ? 50 - 70 pages of over 500 and I'm really appreciating.

So excited to see you are reading The Undertaking. It's not " fancy writing' but I really loved the story and the different take on war. I hope you are enjoying!

#228 Woot! Thanks, Deb. All suggestions are appreciated : ). I love Harriet but won't do for a male! I also love Black Olive (Olive), but that won't do very well for a male either, and I don't like Oliver.

I've heard good things about All the Light We Cannot See, so I hope to enjoy it. I'm very much enjoying The Undertaking; as you say, the writing is certainly not complex, but it is a lovely story.

Bingley sounds sort of haughty and literary. Like Bingley Hall. I say go for Bingley, Lit Chick!

Have to tell you of a huge St. Bernard mix that I meet quite often out on my walks. The lady , who is about 82, I think she told me, well her son picked out the puppy and they thought it was he. So they named him Buster. Turned he was actually a she, so they changed the name to Busty. Cracks me up, not that I ever say a word and I don't think the lady gets it , or else she has very dry sense of humour and dead pan face.

PICTURES! I want PICTURES!!! Or at least PICTURE! Oh dear. And you'll take one with a flash and he'll disappear into the furnace room for another couple of days.
For some reason I can't get back to the SurveyMonkey page to see if it took my suggestion of "Shadow." Also on my thread, Roni suggested "Edgar" (for E.A. Poe). I also like Bingley, and really like Onyx too.
You're right that if you can stand to wait, he'll likely choose his own name. I am calling our Sparks "Archie" about half the time. Who knows?

Peggy is right. I call Poppy, Popster, Popsicle, Precious Poppy and Pretty Poppy as well as Cujo at times. A picture would be fab! Bingley and you can call him Bingley Hall for a formal occasion.

Well I suggested Shadow in the survey this afternoon but now I see it's not there so I don't think I'll add it again Nancy. And yes, where are the pictures?

#230 Deb, that is sweet story about Buster/Busty : ). I thought of Bingley as in Pride and Prejudice: charming young man. But I need to be patient (not one of my strong traits)!

#231 Hi Peggy, I will definitely post photos when I am able! Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions; I did see Shadow at Survey Monkey. I am impatient, but I think you are right that I need to just wait until he chooses his name. We have graduated from the furnace room to underneath the loveseat in the living room; I think that's progress. And in between, I've had lots of lap visits and purring : ). Love your anecdote about calling Sparks "Archie" : )!

#232 Thanks, Deb. Your Poppy is a lucky girl. That's a name I just love for a dog!

Bingley was my top choice when I took the survey, but I like Barney, too!

#235 Thanks, Katie : ).

The more I think about it, I think Bingley is my top choice. Haughty in a good way and literary too! Perfect ! Barney might be " too common" for a cat of yours. I was watching the local news and I see where one shelter in BC has an entire litter of kittens. It's always great to adopt. Next thing I'll be calling you a " crazy cat lady" and you can call me "Crazy Royal Watcher".

Hi Nancy. I rushed over once you'd posted on my thread to congratulate you on your new cat! :-) Our pussy cat spent a long time hiding under the bed in our spare room when we first got her. We used to hear her come out when we were safely tucked up in bed but she's gained in confidence a lot now. I voted for Carbon.

>222 lit_chick: I'll be eagerly awaiting your thoughts on History of the Rain as that was one of the books on the longlist that sounded interesting from the brief blurb I'd read.

#237 Hi Deb, oh good grief, a crazy cat lady! That could happen but hopefully not anytime soon. Bingley and Onyx were my top runners for cat names, but neither seemed to fit. I came up with Salem and Cairo and the latter seems to work. So I'm not positive yet but leaning toward Cairo.

#228 Thank you, Heather : ). Carbon is a lovely name, too. But none of my original ideas seemed to "fit" Mr. Black Cat. As I posted to Deb above, I think it is going to be Cairo. We've moved from the furnace room to under the loveseat, but last night he surprised me and toured the upstairs! Even slept up there with me for a time. He is a brave little man!

Haven't even picked up History of the Rain yet from the library, and my reading has been greatly distracted the last couple of days, LOL! But I do hope to get to it.

Oh, I like the name Cairo! Happy to see he is touring the premises and has already made upstairs.

#240 Thanks, Lori : ). Cairo has been decided!

Thank you, everyone, for helping me with my cat-naming survey. As I said to Deb above, none of my original ideas seemed to get a response, not even Bingley or Onyx, which were my top runners. I did a bit more reading and came up with Salem and Cairo. Salem didn't get a response, but Cairo did, so decision is made!

Cairo:
Surveying his kingdom from atop the fireplace after breakfast.

Cairo is a very handsome lad! I'm glad he is out of hiding!

#243 Thanks, Donna, me, too!

Help! Annoying new blue links: BOOK, SURVEY, etc.
What are these, and can I get rid of them? Have done some browsing through LT discussion groups and new features, but cannot find these. What are they even called? Anyone? Eta: Duh! It was adware which I usually don't get on my Mac that was creating the annoying links, but I've managed to remove it now.

>242 lit_chick: Cairo - lovely! Glad to hear he's getting brave enough to explore and survey his new kingdom :-)

>242 lit_chick: wow! That picture immediately made me think of a sphinx! Cairo is a great name. I suggested BBC (beautiful black cat) and Mono as names on your survey.

>244 lit_chick: I dont know anything about the annoying new links! (sorry)

Too late for the survey. LOL. I love Cairo. Great name for a gorgeous kitty. Looks like he will settle in well.

#245 Thanks, Heather. Yes, we're moving now between between very social and hiding … the latest was under the bed.

#246 Thanks, Megan, a sphinx is a lovely thought! BBC and Mono are great names, too.

I've only seen this weird links on pages today, so they must be new. Argh!

#247 Thanks, Jenn. He'll eventually settle in, I imagine. I've read it can take up to two weeks to completely settle. That makes sense to me.

Flagged, Nancy.

Oh dear Nancy, you are no crazy cat lady! Not at all! I am just teasing you and I am very bad! You can call me a crazy dog lady , I won't mind at all. Cairo is a fabulous name and he is so elegant and thoughtful looking and he really suits the name. What a beautiful cat - I love his green eyes. Perfect name and perfect cat!

Cairo is a great name and he is a beauty, Nancy. Not so beautiful is that spam. Geesh!

#251 You are not bad at all, Deb! Actually, I had a great, great aunt who was a crazy cat lady, and that's what your comment made me think of, LOL! Glad you like the name Cairo picked : ). Egyptians thought black cats were good luck … I will KYP on that1

#252 Thanks, Bonnie, and Cairo thanks you, too : ). I know, spam is one of my pet peeves!

>248 lit_chick: The previous residents of the house we live in have cat. He visited us regularly for about 2 weeks, and a couple of times they had to come get him. He still drops by occasionally, but doesn't spend the night anymore. :)

Oh, Cairo is lovely! Congrats!

YAY!!! I'm thrilled with Cairo as the name because it absolutely fits that handsome, elegant, self-possessed gentlecat!
Congratulations to you both!

#254 Nice that the previous owners' feline still visits occasionally, Jenn!

#255 Thank you, Amber : ).

#256 Thank you, Peggy! Yes, Cairo was the name that got a response, and I think it's a perfect fit, too. I remember your interesting comment about a name ended in the long "o" sound … and we've got that, too!

The great sphinx, Cairo :) I like it. Congratulation with the name, Nancy.

Nancy - Great name and what a pretty cat! Sphinxlike indeed.

Thanks for the photograph, he is beautiful. Will Cairo be an ky-ro or a Kay-ro? Cairo, NY for example, is pronounced as Kay-ro. But then, they pronounce Chili, NY as Chai-Lai!

#258-60 Thank you, Carsten, Beth, and Lucy. Cairo is a ky-ro. He is just lovely. I haven't had a pet in so many years, I'd forgotten the joy they can bring to a home.

Lucy, I've never heard such an odd pronunciation for chill!. Good grief!

Just thought I'd let you know that I finished All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr. I gave it 4. 5 stars. It started a bit slowly for my tastes and it goes back and forth between two narrators, the young blind girl, Marie Laure, and the young German orphan, Werner. The writing was lovely and I really enjoyed the fascinating way that Werner was drawn into fighting with the Nazi's. A great deal of insight to that, and true to what my grandpa said to me. My grandpa fought in WW11 for Canada, but he was quite sympathetic to what he called " starved young kids fighting for Germany." He told about one person " subs" coming up from the water , containing a skinny young German kid. So I do think both you and Carsten would enjoy it.

I'm needing a break from WW11 books, so I am reading Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away by Christie Watson. I've had it on my shelf for 1. 5 years , so it's nice to get to it. So far, very enjoyable.

I guess you and Cairo are pretty busy getting to know each other. Enjoy!

#262 Hi Deb, All the Light We Cannot See sounds excellent! I am looking forward to it. Not familiar with Tiny Sunbirds but will have a look. I know what you mean about needing a break from WWII.

Yes, Cairo and I are busy getting to know one another. Every day, he is up to something new, exploring his new digs. He's lovely!

40.
The Undertaking, Audrey Magee



Rating: 4/5

"Beside the wash bucket was a scrap of soap and a cloth, rough and dirty, already used. He decided against washing. A guard gesticulated at him, with his head, then with his gun. Faber began to undress, peeling off his blankets, his hats, his coats, the sodden material disintegrating as he tugged and dropped it to the floor in a filthy stinking heap, lice falling from the fabric." (229)

Desperate to escape the horror of the Eastern front, if only for a short time, young German soldier Peter Faber marries Katharina Spinell, a woman whom he has never met. Theirs is a marriage of convenience: “honeymoon” leave for him, and a soldier’s pension for her should he die in combat. But when, over the ten days’ leave he is granted, Peter and Katharina meet at her parents’ home in Berlin, both are surprised by the genuine attraction that develops between them. When Peter must return to the abomination of Stalingrad, he is sustained only his wife's memory. Back in Berlin, Mr Spinell, Katharina's delusional father, will pressure his daughter to work her way into the Nazi Party hierarchy – actions which will wed herself, her husband, and their unborn child to the regime. When Berlin falls, the simple dream of family will be almost impossible for Peter and Katharina to sustain.

The Undertaking is Magee’s debut novel, and an impressive one: well written in a spare but effective style. She deftly illustrates the grotesque dichotomy between the reality of war for young German soldiers on the front with the lavish lifestyles led by the Nazi officers at home – most of whose “good fortune” has been stolen from far more accomplished Jewish citizens. Highly recommended.

"Everything had only to be tolerated. But it was all intolerable." (250)

Nancy, I have finally caught up with you and just in time to say congratulations on your new addition! How lovely he is, and the name you chose suits him.

I have All the Light We Cannot See out from the library, although I haven't gotten to it yet, so I am glad to see that Deb liked it so much.

Also wanted to let you know how very much I loved the Juliet Stevenson audio of Middlemarch - I remember you recommending that one, so I thank you for a delightful listen. It was a perfect read for me.

#265 Hi Mamie! Thank you : ). I have All the Light We Cannot See in my iPad, waiting patiently. So delighted that you loved Juliet Stevenson's audio of Middlemarch. She is so fabulous!, and I am always so thrilled when I recommended a book that someone loves as much as I did : ).

So glad the you enjoyed The Undertaking, Nancy and great review and thumbed. I just loved it and went all out and gave it 5 stars. A very different look at WW11 . She deftly illustrates the grotesque dichotomy between the reality of war for young German soldiers on the front with the lavish lifestyles led by the Nazi officers at home – most of whose “good fortune” has been stolen from far more accomplished Jewish citizens . From what I've read , that statement is so true.

#267 Thanks, Deb. I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me previously that much of the wealth/lifestyle of the Nazi officers was "looted" from displaced or murdered Jewish people. I like that Magee made this clear.

Is this another fabulous Canadian writer that I'm not acquainted with, Nancy? And thank you for another terrific review (thumbed). Desperate to escape the horror of the Eastern front (shudder) It's amazing how young these soldiers were. And so many sacrificed in the unbearable Russian winter.

Happy to hear about happy days with Cairo! Another thumb from me for The Undertaking. I am waiting for the price to come down a bit, but it's one of the Orange Bailey list that I really want to read!

#269 Thanks, Bonnie, Magee is Irish, and is a new author to me. I think The Undertaking is one you would enjoy. It is amazing how young so many of the soldiers were; and Magee writes amply about the experience of the unbearable Russian winter.

#270 Hi, Peggy, thanks! Yes, Cairo is a joy. The Undertaking is one I hope you will enjoy as much as I did. So impressive for a debut novel!

Not an author I've heard of, Nancy. Lured me with a suspenseful war-plot. What a dilemma. Thumbs.

#272 Hi Carsten, Magee is a new author to me, too. The Undertaking was on the Women's Prize SL this year. It's definitely worth the read; I think you'd enjoy : ).

Hi Nancy. I am adding The Undertaking to my pile, but I'll probably wait a while to read it. I am about 2/3 through All the Light We Cannot See. I really like it. I am getting to the point where it's hard to put down as the tension is building through each tiny chapter. However, I know I will need to step away from WWII for a bit.
I have another cat story for you. I like cats, by the way, but I am allergic. I developed an allergy in my late teens. Cats seem to know this, and they always want to sit near me... Anyway, I was at a friends house today and her cat actually stayed away from me for most of my visit. We were sitting at the table chatting and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cat paw sort of waving at me. It waved, then waved again, then softly patted my leg. I put my hand down and she checked me out, nibbled my finger and then allowed me to pet her for just a second, and then went on her way. I thought it was adorable.

#274 Hi Jenn, I've not yet gotten to All the Light We Cannot See, but I will! The Undertaking is one I think you will enjoy, but I understand needing to step away from war for a bit.

Love the cat story. Yes, adorable!

Hi Nancy - The Undertaking sounds wonderful. I'm waiting for it to become available here.

I think what most surprised me in the The Undertaking was arranged marriage. I had no idea that such a thing happened. Interesting book! Oh here is the dog home from his walk with Dave. ( The husband) .

#276 Hi Beth, yes The Undertaking was very good; I hope you will enjoy as much as I did.

#277 Hi Deb, the arranged marriage was a surprise, as was the ten days' leave from the Eastern front. LOL to the dog being home with the husband : ).

Well, Poppy and Dave like my immediate and undivided attention as to what went on the afternoon walk . Who saw who - and exactly what transpired on the walk. As in Poppy saw Larry the schnauzer mix , Poppy was swimming in the Fraser River , Dave saw Deborah G - with her Irish Setter, they stopped to feed and pet the Rottweiler pup that is just around the corner. You know the drill. So he they interrupted my post. All zee German dogs, well except the Irish Setter, I guess.

I'm reading Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away and it's a great story of a family in Nigeria in current times -I think it won an award or two.

But yesterday at the library I ran across a book, Mornings in Jenin which I plan to get to next. It's about a girl born into Palestine who's family is driven out of Palestine in 19 48 by the newly formed state of Israel, and about the conflict that creation caused . It looks like a very interesting book and great point of view and very timely. That was a find! ( I hope - have not read it as yet ).

scanning for blue clues to good books.....scanning quickly so as not to get any (many?) BBs!!

Happy Friday!

#279 Make me smile, Deb! Yes, I can imagine that Poppy's walks with either you or Dave are rather an event : ).

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away sounds like a good one! Will be standing by for your take on Mornings in Jenin. I hope it's a great find!

#280 Happy Friday to you, Megan! Phew, no bullets that time!

Hi Nancy, just stopping by to catch up on your thread, hope you are well my dear.

#282 Hi John, always lovely to "see" you.

Hi Nancy -- what a beautiful kitty, and the name Cairo definitely fits. Lucky both of you!

Okay, I've been hit a few times: The Rosie Project; Road Ends (yes, I know you didn't review that one, but I still count Crow Lake as one of my favorite books, and I loved The Other Side of the Bridge. If Ms. Lawson writes another book, it automatically goes on the WL!); The Undertaking.

And speaking of favorites, I think The Meadow is in my top-5-all-time. So glad you enjoyed it, too.

Good to see you!

#284 Thanks, Anne. Am just loving Cairo! Good to "see" you, too!

I'm always happy to help with bullets, not that any of us needs any further suggestions, LOL! Still, I think you will thoroughly enjoy The Rosie Project, The Other Side of the Bridge, and The Undertaking. I did love The Meadow and expect it to be on my list of 2014 Bests.

41.
History of the Rain, Niall Williams



Rating: 4/5

"I love the feel of a book. I love the touch and smell and sound of its pages. I love the handling. A book is a sensual thing. You sit curled in a chair with it or like me you take it to bed and it's, well, enveloping. (62)

From the publisher:
"Bedbound in her attic room beneath the falling rain, in the margin between this world and the next, Plain Ruth Swain is in search of her father. To find him, enfolded in the mystery of ancestors, Ruthie must first trace the jutting jaw lines, narrow faces, and gleamy skin of the Swains from the restless Reverend Swain, her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham, to her father, Virgil – via pole-vaulting, leaping salmon, poetry and the three thousand, nine hundred and fifty eight books piled high beneath the two skylights in her room, beneath the rain.

My Review:
Ruthie is a narrator I found easy to love. Precocious, highly intelligent, exceptionally well-read, and delightfully humourous, I was enamoured with her journey backward through family lore in search of her father. "I am plain Ruth Swain, bedbound, here, attic room beneath the rain, in the margin, where the narrator should be, between this world and the next." (5) Her stories – of her golden twin brother, Aeney, and their closeness even as he slips from her; of generations of Swains in dogged pursuit of the Impossible Standard, borne by her great-grandfather, the Reverend; of the wild, rugged fourteen acres of the worse farming land in Ireland – pour forth from her small, hopeful voice.

History of the Rain is a celebration of books from around the world, of love, and of the restorative power of imagination – a story about the great joys and the many trials of an ordinary life. Set in the small town of Faha, Ireland, Williams’ brings the countryside and its inhabitants to life in exquisite prose. Highly worthy of its Man Booker nomination, and highly recommended.

"We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or keep alive those who only live now in the telling ... In Faha everyone has a long story." (3)

Great review of History of Rain. Thumbed! I'm going to have to keep my eye out for that book and check the library. I checked library things " oracle" - you know that bar on the main page that tells you whether your probably won't / will like a book , or your will love a book, will not like a book and apparently I will " love to read" The History of Rain .

I finished Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie Watson. It was just a wonderful read ! It's the coming of age tale of Blessing , a young teen , in the troubled Niger Delta. Mainly it's the story of moving from a city back to her mother's family in the village, where things are very primitive. But it's also the story of so much more - oil companies, Freedom fighters, her relationship with her brother who becomes radicalized - really a fascinating book to read . Very much recommended. I gave it a 4.5. The writing is not complex, but very readable.

#287 Thanks, Deb : ). Will be curious to see what you think of History of the Rain.

Tiny Sunbirds Far Away sounds like a lovely read. And 4.5*! Woot! The writing sounds much like that in The Undertaking, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

42.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Louis de Bernières



Rating: 3.5/5

2012, AudioGO Ltd, Read by Michael Maloney

“I am not a cynic, but I do know that history is the propaganda of the victors.” (Ch 6)

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is a vast, sprawling narrative, the main thread of which focuses on Pelagia and her father Dr Iannis, who live on the beautiful Greek island of Cephallonia. Against the backdrop of WWII and the Italian and German occupation of Cephallonia, Pelagia and Captain Corelli, an Italian officer who is a gifted musician, fall deeply in love. Various narrators include an omniscient voice, secret letters, the historical writings of Iannis, and the imagined megalomaniacal ravings of Mussolini. Many of the images of war are graphic; de Bernières himself described this as a novel about "what happens to the little people when megalomaniacs get busy."

In beautiful, poetic prose, de Bernières delivers memorable characters, including Palagia’s goat and her “cat.” Themes include the many forms of love, music, study and literacy, the devastation of war. This is a novel rich in historical description. Truthfully, I found the breadth and depth of it almost too ambitious for a single novel and occasionally found myself losing track in the sheer sprawl of it. (By the mid 1960s, I was beginning to wonder if de Bernières was planning on a history of the world, or whether the conclusion was in sight). And I found the ending, in terms of Palagia and Corelli, stretched believability to the point of convenience.

I read this now because it is in 1001 Books and because I was curious. While I loved the writing, this one is guardedly recommended for the reasons expressed above. Michael Maloney, on the other hand, is highly, highly recommended. Extraordinary narrator!

Bravo you for reading a 1001 books and two reviews in one day. Thumb of course. It sounds like a beautifully told story, but a bit too complex and sprawling for this reader . :) And to listen to it on audio! What a challenge that would be.

>286 lit_chick: I love the handling. A book is a sensual thing. You sit curled in a chair with it or like me you take it to bed and it's, well, enveloping.
That goes for me too!!

>289 lit_chick: I recenlt got myself a copy of 1001 Movies to See Before you Die, and have yet to snag myself the book version. I loved flicking through the book for ideas, and to tick off the ones I had seen.

I've always wondered about Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Nancy. Now I know. I won't be reading "a history of the world" anytime soon.

History of Rain, OTOH, sounds very good and thanks to a terrific review it is now atop the teetering tower. I'm a sucker for "Precocious, highly intelligent, exceptionally well-read, and delightfully humourous" narrators:-)

Thumbs for both!

#290 Thanks, Deb. Captain Corelli's Mandolin is written in exceptional prose, but it was far from a favourite with me.

#291 Me, three, Megan! 1001 Books is the best-smelling book I own; it is gorgeous! The movie edition also sounds superb.

#292 Hi Bonnie, I always feel a bit badly when I turn a reader away from a book she has wondered about; you may have liked Captain Corelli's Mandolin much better than I. That said, I know you are not in a pinch for fabulous books to read, LOL!

History of the Rain is one I think you will love. I hope so! Will be so curious as to what you think.

History of the Rain is moving very rapidly to the top of my wish list!

Hi Nancy, I read Captain Corelli's Mandolin a few years ago, I did enjoy it but found it hard going and have not read another book by this author since.

Hi Nancy! I like your current reads! Good review of Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I've had this one of my To-Read list for years now.

#294 Rhian, I think History of the Rain is one you will enjoy!

#295 Hi John, I've wanted to read Captain Corelli's Mandolin for quite some time, and now I have. I also will not be in a rush to read more of de Bernières.

#296 Thanks, Mark. I'd be curious to know what you think if you do read Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Hi Nancy - I'm off to find History of the Rain. It sounds wonderful. Nice reviews. I've been eying Captain Corelli's Mandolin for a while, and it looks like it will stay on the shelf for a bit.

I've never quite warmed up to Louise de Bernieres writing..... I tried something else, can't think what.

>286 lit_chick: Thumb for your review of The History of Rain! Another BB. Hope you're having a great day.

#298 Hi Beth, looking forward to your thoughts on History of the Rain. Would also love to know your take on Captain Corelli's Mandolin. As I said to Bonnie, I feel badly when I dissuade a reader from a book which just did not resonate with me.

#99 Good to know, Lucy. I thought his prose in Corelli's Mandolin was quite beautiful, but the book as a whole didn't really appeal. Not sure I'll try anything else by him.

#300 Thanks, Anne : ). Looking forward to your thoughts on History of the Rain.

Having a friend visiting so not much LT these days. Or reading.... Thumbed your reviews. Intrigued by a novel about the love of books. Glad your reviewing the booker prize books. Keep 'em coming, Nancy :)

Saw the movie adaptaion of Corelli's Mandolin a few years ago - what a melodrama, it was just so-so. Nicholas Cage was a little miscast in that movie I think. Or maybe he's just not one of my favorite actors.

#302 Hi Carsten, lovely that you have a friend visiting : ), even when we miss you on LT! I think History of the Rain is one you would enjoy. Will be interesting to see whether it makes the Booker SL.

I saw the movie adaptation of Corelli's Mandolin, too. IMO, you're right on all counts: melodrama, Cage was miscast, and I don't like him.

Nice review of History of the Rain, Nancy. I'll probably read it sometime next week.

#304 Thanks, Darryl, I was just posting about this one over on your thread. Must be that thing with great minds, LOL.

Adding a well-deserved thumb to your review of History of the Rain Nancy. That is definitely one of the books on this year's Booker longlist that appeals to me.

I read quite a few of Louis de Bernieres' books in the years before LT. I thought Birds Without Wings was the best but it was very harrowing which may be why I've not tried any of his other books for a while.

#306 Thanks, Heather : ). Yes, History of the Rain was one of the LL that appealed to me, too; and it was the first one available at the library.

Have not read anything by de Bernieres other than Corelli's Mandolin. Not certain if I will actually. His writing is beautiful, but the story just did not appeal.