Jennifer's (japaul22) 2015 Reading Log

Hi everyone! My name is Jennifer and I’m back for my 4th year in Club Read, my 7th year on LT. I am a classical musician living in Northern Virginia, outside of D.C. I have two little boys who are 5 and 2 that keep me busy, but I still make time for reading. They know that Mom’s favorite thing to do is read. On the rare occasions that I sit down around them, Isaac (my almost 2 year old) always brings me my book or kindle! Because I started reading chapter books to my older son, William, last year, I am going to keep a list of the books we read together for my own record keeping. I’ll probably also keep a list of Isaac’s favorites that I’ll update when William and I finish a book.

I have a couple of goals for 2015. The main one is to remember to be more present in my current book. What I mean by that is that often I’m so focused on “the next book” that I rush a bit to get to that next, exciting book. I know I won’t stop thinking about what’s up next (that’s half the fun to me), but I need to remind myself to slow down and enjoy! My other main goal for the year is to read some of the books I’ve started purchasing. Last year I estimated that I had 54 books on my shelves that were unread. My LT tags tell me that now I have 124 books on my shelf and 34 on my kindle (I didn't count all of the free classics I've downloaded - just books I paid more than a dollar for). Yikes! I’m not used to reading off my own shelf since I used to read mainly library books or buy the occasional book to read immediately, so this is a new concept for me to have so many books on hand. I’m setting a goal of reading 36 books off of my shelf. That’s 3 a month and roughly half of what I typically read in a year.

I love to read classics, new fiction (often by women), books from the “1001 books you must read before you die” list (these tend to stretch me out of my comfort zone), and the occasional mystery. I definitely gravitate toward women authors, though not necessarily on purpose. I love this group for the variety of reading, the quality of reviews, and of course, the discussion and am looking forward to another great year of reading!

Here are my 2014 favorites.
Best fiction:
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley
Mapp and Lucia series
Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor

Best new releases:
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt

Best Classics:
Alberta and Jacob by Cora Sandel
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun
Evelina by Frances Burney

Books off the shelf
Slightly amending my goal as stated in post 1. I am pretty close to happy with the amount of books I have on my shelf right now, so I've decided that instead of a specific number goal, I'd like to read roughly 10% more books off of the shelf than I acquire. We'll see how that works! I'll amend the goal number for the ticker as needed when I acquire books this year.




Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Sula by Toni Morrison
Gunnar's Daughter by Sigrid Undset
Can You Forgive Her by Anthony Trollope
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson (kindle)
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition by Jane Austen
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (kindle)
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (kindle)
The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin
The Saga of Gosta Berling by Selma Lagerlof
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope
Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn
Independent People by Halldor Laxness
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
The Queen's Man by Sharon Kay Penman
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Acquisitions (I'm not limiting these, just curious to see what I'm buying/receiving)
Oxford World Classics set of the 6 Palliser novels from eBay:
1. Can you forgive her?
2. Phineas Finn
3. The Eustace Diamonds
4. Phineas Redux
5. The Prime Minister
6. The Duke's Children
7. Foodist (kindle $.99 sale)
8. The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams, ER book
9-14 are birthday gifts
9. The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas
10. The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas
11. Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford
12. Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
13. What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt
14. George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I
15. The Giver by Lois Lowry (kindle, 2.99)
In Asheville
16. Independent People
17. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
18. Surfacing
19. The Charterhouse of Parma
20. The Optmist's Daughter
21. Therese Raquin
Library Sale 22-29
22. A Gate At the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
23. In the Forest by Edna O'Brien
24. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
25. Eventide by Kent Haruf
26. The Round House by Louise Erdrich
27. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
28. The Sea by John Banville
29. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
4 new Barbara Pym books
30. A Glass of Blessings
31. Less Than Angels
32. Crompton Hodnet
33. Some Tame Gazelle

William's Books:
1/18 Socks by Beverly Cleary
Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
3/1 Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary
3/13 Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne

Isaac's Books:
1/18 Hot Dog, Cold Dog, ABC Metropolitan Museum of Art, Babies by Gyo Fujikawa, Farm Friends, Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb
3/17 No-No Bird, Little Blue Truck, Doggies, Goodnight Moon

Planned reads:
Start the Palliser series by Anthony Trollope
Annals of the Former World by John McPhee

Group Reads:
The Children’s Book – January
Sula – January 1001 books GR
Portrait of a Lady – February
Orlando – April
The Black Count – 3rd quarter (July-Sep)
I know why the Caged Bird Sings – 4th quarter (Oct-Dec) - maybe

Ideas for "next up" books (no pressure, this list is just for possibilities):
Books:
The Great Influenza
Beyond Black
Out Stealing Horses
What I loved
The Double
Plainsong
Last Friends
Alberta Alone

Kindle:
Trouble for Lucia

Authors whose books I want to read more of (this is a lifetime goal - year included designates the year of the last book read):
Toni Morrison (2015)
Virginia Woolf (2015)
Edith Wharton (2014)
Hilary Mantel (2012)
Anthony Trollope (2015)
William Faulkner (2008)
Margaret Atwood (2012)
Sigrid Undset (2015)
Thomas Mann (2014)
Barbara Pym (2015)
Iris Murdoch (2013)
Barbara Kingsolver (2012)

Books Read:

January: 3388 pages read, average book length 424 pages; 1 audiobook, 5h32m
1. The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport
2. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
3. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
4. Sula by Toni Morrison
5. Gunnar's Daughter by Sigrid Undset
6. Bossypants by Tina Fey, audiobook read by Tina Fey, 5h32m
7. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
8. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
9. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

February: 2268 pages read, average book length 454 pages; 2 audiobooks, 12h40m
10. Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition by Jane Austen
11. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, audiobook read by David Case, 5h32m
12. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
13. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
14. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, audiobook read by Alfred Molina, 7h8m
15. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
16. Old Filth by Jane Gardam

March: 2352 pages read, average book length 392 pages; 2 audiobooks, 18h30m
17. Basin and Range by John McPhee
18. Longbourn by Jo Baker, audio book read by Emma Fielding, 13h31m
19. Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
20. The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas
21. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
22. A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro, 5h59m
23. Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
24. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

April: 1579 pages read, average book length 316 pages; 2 audiobooks, 13h53m
25. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson, audiobook read by Alan Sklar, 8h38m
26. The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin
27. The Saga of Gosta Berling by Selma Lagerlof
28. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, 5h15m read by Alex Jennings
29. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
30. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
31. Chess Story by Stefan Zweig

May: 2930 pages read, average book length 419 pages; 1 audiobook, 16h49m
32. The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin
33. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
34. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
35. Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope
36. The Case for God by Karen Armstrong
37. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
38. Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn
39. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson

June: 2741 pages read, average book length 305 pages
40. Independent People by Halldor Laxness
41. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
42. No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym
43. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
44. The Queen's Man by Sharon Kay Penman
45. Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
46. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
47. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
48. Encounters at the Heart of the World by Elizabeth Fenn

Feels good to have this set up before the madness of house guests for Christmas starts up later today. The good news is that we aren't traveling this year!

Looking forward to another great year in Club Read!

Oh, I love the Palliser series, and have Phineas Finn on my TBR Challenge list. It's been a long time since I read the whole series, and I'm looking forward to it again.

I also read The Children's Book last year and found it completely compelling. I think it is one of my favourites of last year. And oddly enough, I started Orlando this morning before I put it down and firmly pushed myself back to my current read, The Master and Margarita. So it seems we have similar tastes, and a similar predilection to always read in anticipation of the next book.

Looking forward to following your reading again in 2015!

The Black Count keeps popping up and grabbing my attention. It's already on my wish list. You'll probably get to it before I do, so I look forward to your comments.

Another lover of the Palliser series here. Enjoy!

>8 Poquette: I loved The Black Count -- so fascinating, so readable, and so well documented.

Hi, Jennifer. I'm looking forward to seeing your reviews.

Glad to see positive comments about some of my planned reads! I've added a list of my favorite books read in 2014 to post >1 japaul22: to give everyone an idea of what I like to read.

Looking forward to starting a new year of reading!

starred:)

Looking forward to your thread for this year! I love Anthony Trollope, so excited to see that you are starting the Palliser series.

Looking forward to seeing your reading again!

I realized after reading some other people's stats that I didn't calculate the decade of publication for the books I've read, something I've done in years past. So here is the breakdown for 2014.

1720s 1
1760s 1
1770s 1
1810s 1
1840s 1
1850s 1
1870s 1
1880s 2
1890s 3
1900s 1
1910s 2
1920s 6
1930s 5
1940s 3
1950s 3
1960s 2
1970s 2
1980s 6
1990s 4
2000s 16
2010s 12
2014 10

I didn't realize I'd read quite so many brand new books. I was also a little surprised to see the 1920s and 1930s making such a strong showing.

That's interesting. The first two books that I'm reading were published in the 1930s. Maybe it was an especially rich time for books that have stood the test of time. Or it's just a coincidence.

Well, a couple of the 1930s were from the Mapp and Lucia series I've been reading. But also The Waves by Virginia Woolf, Alberta and Jacob by Cora Sandel, and a P.G. Wodehouse.

#1 The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport
Helen Rappaport's account of the lives of the Romanov sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia, is a tightly woven book that stays true to its purpose of discovering the sisters' personalities and life experience.

Rappaport begins the book with a lot of detail about their mother's life. This is appropriate as Alexandra's ill health and fears shaped their lives. The girls had very little outside contact, even with their relatives and other high society Russian's, because their mother was always suffering from illness. Also, their little brother, Alexey, was a hemophiliac, and this caused the family to retreat even farther from contact with friends and family since they didn't want anyone to know.

This reality leads to a problem with this book. The girls' lives just aren't all that interesting. They seem to have led very narrow lives, only having real life experience during the beginning of the war when they were allowed to do some nursing. Most of the first half of the book focuses on the two older girls, Olga and Tatiana, presumably because there is the most information on them and because at least their lives were mildly interesting. Also, Rappaport sticks to her thesis to a fault, ignoring or barely mentioning politics and social change of the time that could have been recounted in terms of its effect on the family. She sticks so closely to trying to explore the Princesses personalities and daily lives, that she really ignores all of the dramatic outside events that were tangentially shaping them.

Rappaport does not dwell on the murder of the Romanov family (she's written a separate book on that) so don't expect any sensationalist accounts. Overall, it's really just a book about the family life of the Romanovs as their world collapses around them. Interesting, but not fascinating, at least it wasn't to me.

I couldn't help comparing this book to a book I read last year that focused on the private family life of a royal family, Janice Hadlow's A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III. I felt that Hadlow did a much better job of making the family come to life, though they suffered from a lot of the same seclusion from society that the Romanovs did (for different reasons, of course).

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I love reading about Russia and this was another piece of the puzzle for me, but I would view it as supplementary reading if you've already read some nonfiction and fiction of the time. It's a good addition, but not going to be very satisfying unless you've already read something with more political detail.

One sentence review:
A look at the daily lives of the four Romanov sisters that unfortunately excludes most Russian political history of the time.

Original Publication Date: 2014
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 512 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle, library book
Why I read this: found it browsing my library ebook selection, put it on hold, and it was finally my turn

The Romanov Sisters sounds like one for the enthusiasts rather than the general reader; enjoyed your excellent review.

Thanks for the review on The Romanov Sisters, I'd seen the title around and was sort of half-heartedly tempted. Since I have no special interest in the Romanovs I think I'll skip that one.

>20 baswood: Thanks, Barry.

>21 mabith: I got tempted because it was new, but I probably should have read one of the works by Robert K. Massie that I haven't read yet. I really loved his book on Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman and was intending to read some of his other books on Russia but haven't gotten around to it. This book wasn't bad, though, just not as good as it could have been.

Oh yeah, your review doesn't give the impression that it's bad, just that it won't do much for the random reader with no particular interest. Versus something like A Royal Experiment. Some authors can make even a very tedious, depressing, or dull subject fascinating (reminding of Toms River, which I thought I was in no mood to read until I sat down and blew through 130 pages in one sitting).

Too bad about The Romanov Sisters. I was thinking about reading one of the Massie books also, but that was mostly because of the glowing reviews of Catherine the Great that I saw around Club Read.

#2 Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
This book of short stories was given to me by a friend for Christmas. My disclaimer is that I rarely read short stories. They typically just don't suit my reading personality as I find them too short, i.e. I want to know the whole story/what happens next and I can't get into them fast enough and then they are over. I really prefer loooooooong books.

But, I have to say I really liked this collection of short stories. I never read two consecutively (I think that reading short stories one after the other is a mistake I've made in the past) and I found myself looking forward to the next one I'd be reading. I particularly liked "A Temporary Matter", "Interpreter of Maladies", and "This Blessed House".

These stories straddle American and India culture and explore different social classes as well. I liked the mix of themes and characters that were still culturally connected in some way. Many of them combined humor and sadness in an appealing way.

So I'm glad I tried these and look forward to trying the other book I received from the same friend, The Unaccustomed Earth.

Mini-review: Short story collection that straddles American and Indian culture with both humor and melancholy.

Original Publication Date: 1999
Author’s nationality: America/Indian heritage
Original language: English
Length: 198 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: gift, off the shelf
Why I read this: given to me as Christmas gift so I wanted to make it a priority

Glad you liked Interpreter of Maladies despite the fact that it was stories - I thought it was quite good as well. I also had a friend who recommended it (she loaned me her copy) and she liked Unaccustomed Earth. I meant to read that collection after she told me about it, but it's fallen off the radar a bit.

>26 DieFledermaus: I'll probably read Unaccustomed Earth later this year. My friend liked it best of the two.

I like your mini reviews.

I've been meaning to read Interpreter of Maladies for a while now. This is a good nudge.

#3 The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Mini-review: What is more brutal: fairy tales or real life? From the Victorian era through WWI, this epic family novel brings the era to life through history, the arts, and memorable characters.

I don't think I've ever been as desperate for a book to magically never end as I was during the last 200 pages of The Children's Book. I would have been thrilled if this 879 page novel was double the size if I could spend more time with the multitude of characters in this book.

Byatt has created a world of fairy tales, with all of their brutality and wonder, that mirror real life and vice versa. The central family is headed by Olive Wellwood, a writer of children's books, and mother to seven children. The first part of the book focuses on the adults and their friends and relations during the end of the Victorian era. They are progressive for the time, but still "Victorian" on the outside, though we find later that there have been many secrets. As the children grow up and verge on adulthood, the Edwardian era begins. The adults become a bit marginalized here, as is often true to life, and the younger generation's struggles come to the fore. Byatt does an amazing job of using history of the period to integrate seamlessly with her characters' motivations, problems, and interactions with each other and their parents' generation. Women's suffrage is central for a while and then, of course, the book ends with the horror of WWI as so many lives did. As the historical time period changes, so does the language and tone of the book. I found this skill impressive.

The arts are central to the book. Obviously, writing is central, but also pottery and puppetry and theater and poetry. How does Byatt know so much? It's really amazing how much I learn when I read one of her books. None of it seems gratuitous, though. I feel that it all adds to the tapestry of the story.

Byatt is a dense writer. Her language is ornate and poetic and I easily got lost in her world. The fairy tales that she creates or recreates relate to each character and each character's reactions to the fairy tales also illuminate his/her personality. And there are many, many characters to keep track of. They are all individuals and all well-developed, though, and I wouldn't have wanted any of them to not be there.

This book takes an investment of time with its length and density, but it is well worth it. I loved it.

Original Publication Date: 2009
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 879 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: off the shelf
Why I read this: It's been on my shelf a while and there's a group read going on in the category challenge

>29 japaul22:. I have The Children's Book on my shelf. I borrowed it from my daughter ages ago. I will have to read it this year based upon your review.

I loved The Children's Book so much when I read it. It grabbed me with that detailed description of the garden party and had me with the first scene set in the V&A. I would have liked it to me longer, too.

Enjoyed your review of The Children's Book which I had never associated with Victorian and Edwardian England and so I might now be tempted.

Great review of The Children's Book, Jennifer; I loved it as well. It would have won the Booker Prize in most years, but 2009 was the year that Wolf Hall was published.

Nice review (yet another book i have been meaning to read...)

Another review pushing me to read The Children's Book! Time to actually write it on my list instead of just keeping it in my head.

>30 NanaCC: Colleen, I'd love to hear what you think of it!

>31 RidgewayGirl: Yep, the initial scenes really grab you, and the whole book carries it through. I thought it was fantastic how she was able to develop both the childhood personalities and the young adult personalities of the characters.

>32 baswood: Barry, the time period really grounds the book and brings it to life.

>33 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. I loved Wolf Hall, so I can't complain that it won the 2009 Booker. What a great year for books!

>34 dchaikin: & >35 mabith: Thanks Dan and Meredith! Like I said, it's a big time investment, but I thought it was very worth it.

>29 japaul22: That was a beautiful book, from the cover right on. "I don't think I've ever been as desperate for a book to magically never end" really sums it up. Byatt is a true master of those decades.

>29 japaul22: I'd agree, it's quite some book. There are lots of people and strands to keep track of, but there's not a duff note anywhere. I thought it worked at multiple levels, the presented image of the family and the reality are quite different, especially as all the secrets come out.

>29 japaul22: Your review convinces me I, like Barry, must reconsider The Children's Book. I didn't think I was interested, but perhaps I was too hasty.

>29 japaul22: - Wonderful review of a wonderful book! I read The Children's Book back when it was nominated for the Booker in 2009, and absolutely loved it. That was my first year following the Booker Prize, and man, have I ever been disappointed in the Longlists since then! I have Byatt's Possession on my TBR shelves, and had completely forgotten about her until your review. I'll have to make sure to read it this year. So glad you loved The Children's Book!

>37 SassyLassy: yes, and I loved the cover too!

>38 Helenliz: definitely about working at different levels. And I thought the secrets were interesting too, in themselves and as parallels to some of the fairy tale ideas.

>39 Poquette: I hope you think about it. It's a different book than you tend to gravitate to, but has some of the same characteristics - especially the dreamy, fairy tale quality.

>40 Cait86: I read Possession 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. I think I loved it more than The Children's Book, but they were both fantastic so it doesn't really matter which is better. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

Love what you said about being "more present in my current book". I have that problem, too. And I blame the groups on LT (!), because I'd never worried about lists or goals until I came aboard here. Hmmmmm.

>42 auntmarge64: Yes, being present in my current book has definitely become a challenge. Like you, I never had the problem before LT, but I was also usually at a loss for what to read next before LT. I think I'll take the LT problem over that! I also never used to read multiple books at a time, but when I started devoting a larger chunk of time each day to reading, I quickly realized that I really needed the variety. I've found that my absolute limit is 3 books at a time, though, and two really works better for me.

>43 japaul22: Me too! But I'm usually reading 4 or 5 at the same time. So impatient to start something that catches my eye.

I would have been thrilled if this 879 page novel was double the size if I could spend more time with the multitude of characters in this book.

Great review! So tempting....added it to the list. For some reason, I though this was published in the last couple of years - like 2012 or 2013.

#4 Sula by Toni Morrison
Mini-review: A girlhood friendship is tested by the realities and pressures of adult life.

This is another excellent novel by Toni Morrison. It is set in Ohio and centers around two girls, Nel Wright and Sula Peace, who grow up best friends, go their separate ways as teenagers, and are reunited when Sula returns to town. Nel has stayed in the Bottom, married and had children. Sula went off to college. When she returns, she wreaks havoc on the community, including Nel.

This novel is really a novel of the friendship of two girls and how/if that friendship can survive womanhood. Like all of Morrison's novels, the language is beautiful and the themes and metaphors are deep and meaningful. This sounds like a cliche, but Morrison's writing is the definition of "powerful" writing to me. This early novel is a little less complex and multi-layered than some of her other works, but it was still excellent.

Original Publication Date: 1973
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 175 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: off the shelf
Why I read this: group read in 1001 books group

I love Lahiri's short stories, rated both of her collections 5 stars. I liked her novels less ... borderline disliked The Lowland.

>46 japaul22: a novel of the friendship of two girls and how/if that friendship can survive womanhood
I didn't know the premise of Sula, am interested.

>47 detailmuse: I read enough negative reviews of The Lowland to not be rushing to try it. Hope you try Sula - I really enjoyed it.

#5 Gunnar's Daughter by Sigrid Undset

Mini-review: Set in medieval Norway, Vigdis's life is shaped by the sadness and lust for revenge that result from a rape.

Gunnar's Daughter is Sigrid Undset's first published foray into the world of medieval Norway. Undset also wrote Kristin Lavransdatter, a trilogy set in medieval Norway that is one of my favorite books. Gunnar's Daughter follows the lives of Vigdis and Ljot. Vigdis is a young, beautiful, and wealthy Norwegian woman who becomes interested in Ljot, a handsome and adventurous Icelandic man who visits her home. Ljot ends up raping Vigdis and leaving her. She has a child which brings shame on her and her father. The book details her hard but successful life and her desire to bring revenge upon Ljot.

The book is set in 11th century Norway and Iceland and Undset's knowledge of the period is thorough. She paints a realistic picture of life then - using the mix of pagan and Christian customs that were changing at the time and also sharing realistic details of daily life. Through all of the history, though, Vigdis stands out as a person that can be recognized today, with many of the same motivations and emotions as a woman of today would have after a rape. That's one of the things I love about Undset's writing: you can't forget you are in Medieval Scandinavia or ignore how the customs and life of the time affect outcomes, but you can recognize the characters since they have similar emotions and reactions to humans of today.

Original Publication Date: 1909
Author’s nationality: Norwegian
Original language: Norwegian
Length: 161 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: off the shelf
Why I read this: just cause

>49 japaul22: I too love Kristin Lavransdatter so I'll look for this.

Glad you liked Gunnar's Daughter - I thought it was very good also. I agree that Kristin Lavransdatter is a wonderful read, but I thought one thing about Gunnar's Daughter that I really liked (and that differentiated it a bit) was that it had the feel of one of the Icelandic epics, but a modernized one (felt that way about Independent People also). I read a couple of them, and they just seemed to go on forever, but Undset's book was nicely streamlined with not too many tangents.

>50 rebeccanyc: I think you'd like it, Rebecca. It's a tightly focused book and it really works.

>51 DieFledermaus: I've never read any of the Icelandic epics, though I've considered reading Njal's Saga. That's one of the more widely read ones, right? The edition I read had an excellent introduction that made some good comparisons to the sagas and also had notes that were pretty good.

>52 japaul22: I loved The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley even more than Kristin Lavransdatter. I thought it was amazing how she captured the feeling of Norse sagas (even though I haven't read any, I could tell that that was what she was trying to do).

I loved Kristin Lavransdatter and would like to read more of Undset's work. Sounds like Gunnar's Daughter would be a good choice.

#6 Bossypants by Tina Fey
audiobook read by Tina Fey, 5h32m

Simple review. If you like Tina Fey, you'll like this book. I do and so I did. Funny and she has good delivery for an audiobook.

Original Publication Date: 2011
Author’s nationality: AMerican
Original language: English
Length: 5h32m
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: available off the holds list at the library

I still haven't read Kristin Lavransdatter, although I have it. I need to find a good chunk of time to fit it in, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it. The Greenlanders has been on my wishlist since Rebecca reviewed it. Thank you for the reminder.

I enjoyed the audio version of Bossypants. Tina Fey's delivery is so good, but I also found it interesting because of her success as a woman competing against the men in that industry.

I loved both The Greenlanders and Kristin Lavransdatter, but would personally give the edge to Kristin Lavransdatter. Its characters were a bit more engaging and memorable to me. They are both fantastic though.

I loved Sula when i read it two years ago. I found it complex and perplexing in a difficult way. Unfortunately that was the last Morrison i read. I was going to read Tar Baby but got distracted by nonfiction stuff.

Gunnar's Daughter sounds excellent.

Just chiming in here to say that I loved The Greenlanders and what I have read so far of Kristin Lavransdatter; I must get back to it and finish it.

#7 Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
After a three and a half year hiatus, I’ve returned to Trollope and I am so glad I did. I read the Barsetshire series shortly after joining LT. I don’t think I had even heard of Trollope before becoming active here, but I fell in love with his writing immediately. Can You Forgive Her? is the first book in Trollope’s Palliser series. I had a little trepidation about reading the Palliser novels because I have heard that they get a bit bogged down in British politics of the day. This may be a problem for me in subsequent novels in the series, but this one had very little politics, and it was all very easy to comprehend as it mainly had to do with the ambitions of the characters rather than actual political theories or maneuverings.

At the heart of the novel is the character Alice Vavasor. She is an otherwise steady and wise young woman having problems deciding on a husband. As the novel opens she is engaged to the smart, handsome, steady, and slightly boring John Grey. In her past, she had a short engagement to her wild and interesting cousin, George Vavasor. His behavior resulted in her breaking off the engagement. George’s sister, Kate, still hopes to reunite her brother and Alice and they go on a trip to Europe together with John Grey’s blessing. Long story short, Alice decides to break off her engagement with John Grey to the horror of all of her relations. The novel explores her subsequent decisions and moral dilemmas and her actions are the reason for the title, Can You Forgive Her?. To resolve the novel, the reader waits to see if her friends can forgive her, John Grey can forgive her, the reader can forgive her, and most importantly, can Alice forgive herself?

All of this moralizing and the mood changes of Alice could have gotten old, except that of course Trollope has several other story lines going on. In fact, there are two other love triangles. My favorite character, Lady Glencora, is struggling to reconcile herself to a marriage with rising political star, Plantagenet Palliser. She is still in love with a handsome but penniless man named Burgo Fitzgerald, but her family convinced her to bring her enormous wealth to a more “deserving” husband, Palliser. She and Alice become friends and their lives intertwine. Added to this is the more humorous and light love triangle between Kate and Alice’s older Aunt Greenow. She is recently widowed and wealthy. She has two suitors vying for her hand in marriage.

I love Trollope’s writing. He writes fantastic female characters that are more than just caricatures or love interests. I also absolutely love his authorial commentary. I love knowing what he thinks about the characters he has created and the subtle foreshadowing he does. I’m really excited about continuing the series!

Original Publication Date: 1865
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 848 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle and off the shelf
Why I read this: it’s one of my planned reads of the year

>60 japaul22: Great review! I've so far felt little inclination to read anything by Anthony Trollope, but seeing both you and rebeccanyc review him enthusiastically within a matter of days has changed my mind! I just have to figure out where to start...

Great review of Can you forgive her. Phew 848 pages! it is certainly a commitment to reading him, but one I hope to get to later in the year and I might try the Palliser series.

>61 Rebeki: I started with the Barsetshire series, which is a series of six books. The first one, The Warden, is very short, but to really get a feel for Trollope, I'd recommend reading it and Barchester Towers in close succession. I've never read The Way We Live Now, but if you don't want to commit to a six book series, it is one of Trollope's more well-known stand alone novels. If you enjoy that era of novel, I feel confident that you'll like Trollope as well.

>62 baswood: Yes, Trollope's novels generally are pretty long, but they aren't necessarily an intense or overly challengin reading experience. The story flows along well and there aren't long diversions or descriptions. He just usually has a lot of plot and character development to work in.

>60 japaul22: Nice work! If you are planning on moving forward to Phineas Finn, be aware that it does contain a lot more politics (but don't worry, there's a lot of story too!). For that reason we did Phineas Finn as a "tutored" rather than a group read, so there was a forum for people to ask questions about the politics if they needed to. Please feel free to access that thread if you think it might help.

>64 lyzard: Thanks! Someone in another group mentioned your tutored thread and I've already searched it out and starred it for when I get to Phineas Finn in a few months. I also heard there is a Eustace Diamonds group read going on in February. I obviously won't be ready to join in on that, but I'll look it up when I get to the book.

Wow, you're off to a great start! I've enjoyed reading your comments, and you've convinced me to read The Children's Book, which somehow had never appealed enough before. I really want to read books I can lose myself in at the moment. Sula is going on my wishlist too...

I love the idea of your little boy bringing you a book or your Kindle; I'll need to start training Edie soon, I think!

>63 japaul22: Thanks, Jennifer, that's really helpful. I do like Victorian literature, so I'm also confident I'll enjoy Trollope. I can see myself starting off with The Way We Live Now, just to make sure, but I really appreciate the tip about reading the first two Barsetshire books together.

>66 rachbxl: Glad to hear you're considering The Children's Book. It takes a bit of effort to get into but once you're in it, it's hard to leave!

>67 Rebeki: Hope you decide to give Trollope a try!

#8 Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
Mini-review: A woman with amnesia tries to figure out what is true and what is false in her life.

This was fun. It's one of those books that's a thriller and page turner where you read as fast as you can to find out what happens. It may not be high art or completely have made sense, but I enjoyed the ride!

This is the story of Christine, who wakes up each morning not remembering anything from the past 20 or so years of her life and has only spotty memories before then. She can remember the events of each day during the day, but as soon as she goes into a deep sleep it is as if her memories reset. She is journaling her days at the request of a new doctor and each day he calls to remind her where it is hidden so she can read it and write in it. She hides it each day because she doesn't feel comfortable telling her husband, the man she wakes up in bed with each morning but doesn't remember and can't seem to trust, about her progress.

There are lots of twists and turns and of course the unreliable narrator element with a woman telling the story who can only remember one day at a time. I imagine the science of memory behind this book must be pretty shoddy, but it was still fun.

Recommended if you enjoy the occasional thriller and page-turner.

Original Publication Date: 2011
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 368 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: "off the kindle"
Why I read this: felt like something I could tear through

#9 The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
This book was a bit of a surprise. The premise is the four women who have never met each other before rent a castle for a month in Italy. The book blurb says they will be reintroduced to "their true natures and reacquaint them with joy". Sounds lovely. And it was, but there was also a welcome dark thread in this book. It isn't all sweet and lovey-dovey. The four women are all unlikeable in different ways and really just want to be left alone and not make friends. They behave selfishly about their accommodations and don't treat each other very well. But in the end, they are all changed for the better by their vacation and each other. It was a much more thoughtful book than I expected.

Original Publication Date: 1922
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 247 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: off the shelf
Why I read this: chosen for me by LT member jfetting

Glad to hear the positive notes on The Enchanted April. I tried to get it into my book club for the books-to-movies month, but they went with Gone Girl (much to my dismay). The 1991 movie of Enchanted April is quite good, if I'm remembering correctly, it's been over a decade since I watched it though.

I do like a page-turner. I'll look out for a copy of Before I Go to Sleep.

Another enthusiastic review of Trollope...

>70 japaul22: " but there was also a welcome dark thread in this book"
: ) almost a requirement in fiction.

>70 japaul22:. I have this on audio, and I think I've listened to it, but LT says no. If I have, it is long enough ago that I don't remember. I know I've seen the movie, which I did enjoy. Maybe I'll listen to The Enchanted April after I finish my current listen. Your review makes me want to do that. :)

>71 mabith: and >74 NanaCC: Thanks for the tip on the movie of Enchanted April. I could see how that would work very well.

>72 RidgewayGirl: Kay, I think you'll like Before I go to Sleep as long as, like I said in the review, you go into it with the expectation of a thriller/page turner and don't question all the medical science or a few plot holes!

All this talk about Trollope is making me want to get to him sooner rather than later. I am embarrassed to say I only know him through Masterpiece Theater! But the books must make for delicious reading!

Enjoyed your comments regarding The Enchanted April. This is another book I know through the movie, which I found "enchanting." All the characters — flawed as you indicated — were transformed. Some day I'll get to the book.

#10 Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition by Jane Austen, annotated by Patricia Meyer Spacks

I don't need to review Pride and Prejudice. Suffice to say it's my favorite book and I've reread it many, many times - too many to count. I believe I could easily quote long passages.

I read this now because there is a year long group read of Austen's novels in the Category Challenge, and this is February's book. I have all of these annotated editions published by Harvard Press (except for Mansfield Park which I will buy immediately upon its release in the fall!), and they are beautiful books. They are large and heavy, absolutely not portable, but they are beautiful and informative. The notes in both this and Sense and Sensibility, the only other one I've read so far, have been interesting - explaining both social customs of the time and some literary analysis. Patricia Meyer Spacks did the annotation for both P&P and S&S. I preferred her notes on S&S, probably because I need no help loving P&P (in fact I was sometimes annoyed by the intrusion on my reading - "I already knew that!") but her notes for S&S opened my eyes to some themes and issues I hadn't considered.

This is a beautiful edition for any Austen fan to own.

Original Publication Date: 1813
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 431 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: off the shelf
Why I read this: group read

That's useful to know about the Annotated editions.

>60 japaul22: Skipping your review of Can You Forgive Her? because I've yet to write my review. Hope to write it tomorrow and then will read yours.

>70 japaul22: I enjoyed The Enchanted April much more than I expected to!

Wow, what an intense and intensely classic beginning of the year. Wonderful reading in January.

#11 The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
audiobook read by David Case, 5h32m

I knew I had read this before, but for some reason I didn't cross it off my "1001 books to read before you die" list, so I decided to do a refresher by listening to an audiobook. It was fun. I remembered the outcome pretty quickly into the story, but it was still enjoyable. Sherlock Holmes stories/novels are never my favorite mysteries because they always seem to be a little more convoluted and far-fetched than I'd like them to be.

Original Publication Date: 1901
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 5h32m
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: 1001 books, available audiobook

#12 The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
This is the second book in J.K. Rowling's mystery series featuring private investigator Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. In this book, Strike is approached by a woman whose husband, a moderately successful novelist, has disappeared. Strike finds him gruesomely murdered just as the protagonist in his recently completed novel was killed. The suspects in this mystery are largely part of the literary/publishing world.

I thought this was, like the first in the series, pretty fun to read. I like the main characters, Strike and Robin, and it generally follows the comforting template of a detective mystery. I'm not looking for mysteries that really shake things up, since I usually look at them as a break from more challenging reading. So these fit the bill. I personally am preferring C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series and the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, but I think I'll probably keep reading these as they come out.

Original Publication Date: 2014
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 464 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle "off the shelf"
Why I read this: for fun, something that I could read without a ton of thought

#13 The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Meh. I didn't really like this book. I've read two of Sarah Waters's other books, Fingersmith and The Little Stranger. Both had aspects that I held me back from being able to say I unreservedly loved them, but they had in common an element of suspense, convincing sense of time and place, and were both page-turners. The Paying Guests I found to be sort of boring.

This book is historical fiction, set in the time period right after WWI, one of my current favorites. Waters does capture the sense of drifting malaise that many people were feeling during that time, but she turns too quickly to the lives of her two main characters, Frances Wray and Lilian Barber. Frances and her mother have decided to take in boarder, "paying guests", to make ends meet and Leonard and Lilian Barber, a young married couple, are their tenants. Frances and Lilian end up more than bonding (fans of Waters know that many of her books involve lesbian relationships). The first half of the book is about their growing relationship and I was honestly pretty bored by it. Then there's a crisis and the rest of the book sort of picks up the pace, but there weren't the usual twists and turns that I expect from this author. I was not surprised by anything that happened.

I've read a lot of positive reviews of this book, so if you're a Sarah Waters fan, I'd still give it a try. Personally, though, I was pretty disappointed.

Original Publication Date: 2014
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 576 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle library book
Why I read this: my turn at the library

I'm torn on whether or not to read more by Sarah Waters or where to go next. I read her book The Night Watch and found it unsatisfying (the characters just weren't that developed and you never learned enough about them), though the chronology going backwards was sort of interesting.

>83 japaul22:, 84

The LT Appreciation system is not so very spectacular, but my experience is that good books average out on 4+ stars, while disappointing books average out on 3.5 stars.

Fingersmith (4.07) and Tipping the velvet (4.01) are popular novels by Sarah Waters, while most of her other novels are often described as disappointing: The little stranger (3.6); The night watch (3.7); Affinity (3.74) and The Paying Guests (3.65).

I enjoyed both Fingersmith and The Little Stranger (although I see why it wasn't as popular on LT). I haven't read anything else by Sarah Waters.

I read The Little Stranger last year and gave it 4 stars. I finished Fingersmith today. Based on that, if I never read another of Waters books it will be too soon. I don't mind not hanging out with the cool kids in the marking stakes. >;-)

The Silkworm sounds like it would be a fun read - sometimes I need one to kickstart my reading. I did enjoy the two Waters' books that I read, so will probably eventually want to read The Paying Guests but I won't rush to read it. I was thinking Affinity next (Gothic fun) and then the historicals that seem pretty popular.

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I have had a rough week. My two year old got a stomach virus and then I caught it too. It's been really bad. I got two IVs of fluids yesterday, and I'm feeling a little better, though my stomach is definitely still messed up. So I've done no reading or keeping up with everyone's threads. Hoping to start feeling better soon and catch up with everyone slowly!

Oh no. I hope you and your family feel better soon!

#14 Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, audiobook read by Alfred Molina, 7h8m

Over the last few days while I was sick, I listened to Treasure Island. Since I fell asleep several times listening to it, I had to look up some of the details. :-) This was fun, though, and I didn't realize that so many common cultural references to pirates are really from this book. I'll remember this to recommend to my sons when they are a little older.

I also really liked the audio version.

Original Publication Date: 1883
Author’s nationality: Scottish
Original language: English
Length: 7h8m
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: available at library and on the 1001 books list

A two year old with a stomach virus. I have fond memories of that, although I was lucky enough not to come down with it myself. Take care of yourself.

Your comments about Treasure Island remind me that it is a book I would enjoy rereading. I read it somewhere in my childhood and expect it would be fun to relive the adventure.

Yes, echoing everybody to take care of yourself!

I'm sorry to hear about your and your son's cases of AGE (acute gastroenteritis), Jennifer. I and my partners at work have been inundated with dozens of kids who were hospitalized with profuse vomiting and diarrhea, many of whom tested positive for rotavirus. Many kids are vaccinated against it in infancy, and the vaccine had provided excellent protection until this year, so we're wondering if the currently prevalent strain is resistant to the vaccine.

More info: http://www.cdc.gov/rotavirus/

That's interesting, Darryl. My son is in a large military daycare. He was vaccinated for rotovirus, but it's good to know that not every strain is caught every year. We've had a rough year as far as getting sick, but that happened when my older son was in the one year old rooms at daycare too. At that age, it's so hard to keep a room of 8 one year olds from putting everything in their mouths and sharing germs. The difference is that I never got sick when my older son was little and my husband always did. Now we seem to have reversed roles.

Well, he's completely better and I'm on the mend, so thanks to everyone for the get-well thoughts!

On the reading front, I've been listening to Longbourn by Jo Baker, a Pride and Prejudice spin off that focuses on the servants at Longbourn. I'm also reading A Portrait of a Lady by Henry James very slowly.

At least one parent has been healthy most of the time? Stomach viruses are the worst, and sick toddlers, yuck! Even when it's a cold it's rough since you can't explain things so they can understand and they don't give you so much warning before they expel something... Hope you get back to 100% swiftly!

#15 Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Well this was kind of a disappointment. I read this book back in 2008, before I started writing reviews on LT, and I rated it five stars but couldn't remember anything about it. I've wanted to reread it for a while to see just why I liked it so much. Unfortunately, I didn't really like it much at all this time around.

Portrait of a Lady follows the love life of Isabel Archer, a relatively poor American whose rich Aunt takes her under her wing and to England and Europe. Isabel is a lovely person - beautiful, intelligent, and set on making something of herself. She is determined not to "just marry" despite multiple worthy suitors. Then her Uncle dies and leaves her an enormous inheritance at the insistence of his son - Isabel's cousin - Ralph. Ralph doesn't mind splitting his inheritance because he is dying of consumption and most likely only has a few years to live. He wants to see what Isabel will do with the freedom of wealth. Unfortunately, Isabel's big idea is to marry a jerk. It was so disappointing and confusing to see her take this step and the whole book soured for me after that. James ends up doing a lot of explaining in long-winded paragraphs about the motivations of Isabel, her husband, and her friend Mme. Merle who we know to have played a part in match-making Isabel to her husband. The ending of the book was pretty disappointing too I couldn't believe that Isabel just went back to her husband instead of getting back to her independent ideas and leaving him.

So I really didn't like the characters in this book, but it wasn't necessarily because they were unlikable, but because I just didn't really buy in to how James wrote them. They all seemed too extreme to be real. I think this book really suffered in comparison to the Trollope book I just read, Can you Forgive Her?. That book also has a young female protagonist making poor decisions about love, but it seemed a much more realistic portrayal of human nature. And even though it was almost twice as long, I found it not at all boring.

I think that this is a book worth reading if you're interested in the era because it is a classic and it is interesting to compare it to others of the time. James has a different way of writing his characters that is hard to explain unless you just read it. He has a harshness and fatalism that didn't appeal to me, but there is still something about the overall crafting of the book that does work. Just not for me.

Original Publication Date: 1881
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 517 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: Easton press edition on ebay
Why I read this: meaning to reread it for a while/ group read in the Category challenge

Interesting. I read Portrait of a Lady a few years ago and gave it a rare five stars. I wonder if that would be affected by reading Trollope just beforehand.

>99 RidgewayGirl: Kay, it was really interesting to read it again. I still can appreciated it as a well-worked and crafted book, but I just couldn't connect to the characters and I've found that lately that is very important in my enjoyment of a book. I don't have to like the characters in a novel to enjoy it, but I have to believe them and this just seemed too unbelievable. I think James's novels are regarded as delving into the psyche of the characters and I could see what he was doing, but didn't like it.

I'm sure I read Portrait of a Lady back in my college years, although not for a course, but do I remember any of it? No no no! I do recall that it put me off James (that was when i thought I had to finish books I started). I don't know whether he would be worth another try or not, but with my too many books, too little time point of view, I know I'm not going to.

Enjoyed your review of Portrait of a lady Henry James is an author I haven't got to grips with yet. I didn't enjoy What Maisie knew, but need to read more.

Rebecca and Barry - I do intend to read more James at some point, but I will definitely need a break! It's funny, the book is kind of growing on me as I put some distance between us.

#16 Old Filth by Jane Gardam
I suspected after reading many LT reviews of this book that it would be just my sort of thing, and I'm happy to report that it was.

Eddie Feathers, aka Old Filth (which stands for Failed in London Try Hong Kong), is an old man whose wife, Betty, dies a sudden death. This spurs him to find some of his old connections and revisit major events in his life. Some of these are revealed through his memories, and some are more of an authorial flashback. Filth is sometime confused, sometimes clear-headed; sometimes funny, sometimes a real ass. His childhood, and quite possibly his entire life, is defined by his experience as a "Raj orphan". These were the children of the English living abroad in the East who were sent back to foster parents in England because the death rate for children in the East was so high. Filth has a rough childhood an teenage years, but ends up having a well-respected career as a lawyer and judge in Hong Kong.

I'm not sure where to go with this review. It's one of those books where there is plenty of plot to report on, but it wasn't really the important part of the book for me. I really just loved the characters and the ideas the Gardam subtlety presents on aging, friendship, and the ties that truly bind people together.

I'm very much looking forward to the other two books in this series.

Original Publication Date: 2004
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 290 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased
Why I read this: caught my eye on the shelf

>104 japaul22: Just catching up on your thread- I hope you and your son are fully recovered now! Your review of Old Filth is interesting (I will read anything Raj-related) but I haven't heard of Gardam before.

>105 reva8: Thanks - we are all better around here and my older son and husband never got it. Thank goodness! Gardam gets a lot of love around LT for this series. I really enjoyed her writing.

I just did my February round up and found that I read over a thousand pages less than in January! It was a busy month and January I went a bit overboard in how much I read.

In February, I had 2268 pages read, average book length 454 pages; 2 audiobooks, 12h40m.

I also checked in on my goal of reading 10% more books off of my shelf than I acquire. My birthday is in February and of course I got quite a few books. Right now I've acquired 14 books this year and read 10 off of my shelf. So I still feel like my goal is attainable even though I'm a bit behind.

#17 Basin and Range by John McPhee
I've had McPhee's Annals of the Former World on my shelf for what seems like forever. It is certainly one of my longest-reigning books on the shelf. I've had a lay person's interest in geology since I started doing a lot of hiking (this has since gone by the wayside after having kids, but when they get a little older we'll start again). Everyone says this is the book to read. I've been a bit daunted by the size, so I decided to think of it as reading one section at a time since that is how it was originally published anyway. Basin and Range is the first section in this book, focused on the Basin and Range mainly in Nevada.

McPhee uses I-80 as a starting point for his discovery of geology. He travels with geologists, picking their brains for information. The result is part travelogue, part geology lesson, and part the ramblings of an interesting person. The geology is tough. There are lots of words and concepts that I still don't understand, but McPhee makes you realize that even geologists have a hard time comprehending the vastness of this topic. He's so friendly that I was able to just go along for the ride.

I can safely say that I did learn quite a bit about plate tectonics, pole reversals, index fossils, etc. Plus, it was just a lot of fun to read. McPhee does put out a bit of a 70s vibe, but I got used to it. I also worried for the first 25 pages or so that he was going to talk around the issue so much that I wouldn't figure out anything concrete. But, again, I was able to give in to his style of writing and I think it actually worked very well for the topic. One thing I wished was that there were more pictures. I like that about Richard Fortey's books.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested in arm-chair geology. I'm looking forward to reading the other four sections.

Original Publication Date: 1981
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 143 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased
Why I read this: it's a project for me this year

I've been a big fan of McPhee's for decades. Recently, by which I mean in the past several years, he's had several pieces in the New Yorker (where he published a lot over the years) about his process of writing and research. I found them fascinating.

Great surprise to find your review of Basin and Range, I should really get on with that some time.

If you enjoyed it, you might like to try Langsame Heimkehr by Peter Handke (I do not know if there's a translation).

>109 rebeccanyc: Interesting! I might look those articles up. His process of writing and research seems to come through in his writing, but I'd be interested to read more about it.

>110 edwinbcn: I'd be interested to hear your take on it. I gather from some reviews that this first selection, Basin and Range, is a bit simplistic in terms of the geology discussed. To me, though, as a complete novice, it actually seemed complicated, so it must very much depend on background.

#18 Longbourn by Jo Baker, audio book read by Emma Fielding, 13h31m

I thought this retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the servants point of view was a lot of fun. It was a great way to relive one of my favorite books without someone other than Austen intruding on my sense of the characters. There is definitely a different spin on the characters from P&P than I think Austen intended, but because the book stays focused mainly on the servants, it didn't bother me. And I think it is probable that servants would get a different view of their "masters" than would be presented in P&P.

I liked how the book pointed out all the work that would have gone on behind the scenes and how understaffed the Bennets were for the face they tried to present to the world. The contrast with the servant life at the Netherfield and then at Pemberly was interesting.

One of the most eye-opening ideas was the idea of freedom. At the beginning, you feel how confined the servants are. They rarely leave their estates, working long days with no to little opportunity to meet others in their class. At an estate as small as Longbourn, there are few to no choices for love or friends. When the Bingleys come to Netherfield, it opens up society not only for the ladies of Longbourn, but also for the servants. But as confined and isolated as the servants are, by the end of the book you see that in some ways they do have more choices than their employers, who are utterly bound by tradition and customs. Sara, the main character, is able to strike out on her own to find love of her choosing. It's arguable that although some of the ladies in P&P do end up in happy marriages, it is less of their choosing than most people consider.

I also thought it was interesting that she brought up how important it was for the servants to impress Mr. Collins when he came to visit. They would hope to be kept on when he came into the property of Longbourn, and hoped to impress upon him how well things were run already so he wouldn't replace them all with servants of his own choosing.

Mr. Bennett does not come off very well in this book, and Wickham is even more evil than Austen portrayed. Mrs. Bennett is cut a little slack and I kind of liked this reversal of her and Mr. Bennett, even if I don't know that I really believe it. It sort of tempered my view of both of them.

I really liked this P&P spin off. I haven't read many, because I just love the original too much but this worked for me because of the different angle. I'd recommend it to fans of Pride and Prejudice.

Original Publication Date: 2013
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 13h31m
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: recently reread P&P and thought this would pair well

I just finished Longbourn myself and loved it.

>112 japaul22:&>113 RidgewayGirl: Between the two of you, this has made its way to my list. I was trying to resist. :)

>114 NanaCC: Me too! The only other P&P spinoff I've read is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Amusing enough, but Longbourn sounds like it has more meat to it.

#19 Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
This is a book that was recommended to me by a friend. It sounded like something I would like for a lighter read. The story is the affair between Edgar Allen Poe and Frances Osgood and how the unhinged and sick Mrs. Poe takes her revenge on Frances. I thought it might be fun as I like historical fiction and I like literary figures. And I also got the impression it was a romance and might be fun in that sense. I was hoping for another Loving Frank.

Well, the book was really not done very well. The romance between Poe and Frances was boring and didn't have the passion the author was obviously going for. Poe's child bride, dying of consumption, was more pathetic than scary as she becomes more and more jealous of Frances.

Also, in an effort to make this qualify as historical fiction, the author throws in guest appearances of every "name" from this era. Even Sylvester Graham, the inventor of the graham cracker makes an appearance. It really ends up feeling like those people everyone knows who "name-drop" any mildly famous or successful person that they may have run into once. Another thing that annoyed me was that Cullen used the word "reticule" every other page. A reticule is the word used for a purse back then and Cullen seems to have latched onto it as a way to show off her knowledge of the era. Seriously, it seemed like every other page some woman was reaching for her reticule. But it stood out because she didn't use any other terms like that. But she knew that one, so in the book it went.

Maybe I'm being a little harsh. The book was fine - easy to read and mildly interesting - but I think there are much better books that would fit the same general reading desire.

Original Publication Date: 2014
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 319 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback/gift
Why I read this: recommended to me and received it as a gift recently

#20 The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas
I'm having a hard time putting my finger on just why I loved this novel so much, but it really worked for me. Vesaas is Norwegian, and I'm finding that I really enjoy the straightforward, spare, and unsentimental story telling that I generally find when reading these Scandinavian novels. They are emotional, but not sentimental and I like that.

This is the story of Hege and Mattis, adult siblings who have lived together since their parents died when they were young. Mattis has a learning disability. He is functional, but often confused, seeing meaning in things like the flights of birds and misreading the words and actions of other people. He isn't capable of sustaining work, so Hege supports them by knitting sweaters. Hege is patient with Mattis and seems to take the time to understand his mind, but she is obviously unhappy and lonely. In the third part of the book, Mattis ferries a man, Jorgen, across the lake in his leaky boat. The man is a lumberjack looking for work who ends up living with Hege and Mattis, throwing their simple, lonely life into upheaval for Mattis and happiness for Hege.

This book was written in 1957, and I found Mattis's voice (the story is told from his point of view) to be remarkably believable and written with great insight and sympathy. Mattis's disability makes his words sometimes insightful, sometimes funny, and sometimes highly annoying. Vesaas accomplishes this with straightforward, simple language that is terse but somehow still highly descriptive.

I have another of Vesaas's books on my shelf, The Ice Palace, and I'm looking forward to it.

Original Publication Date: 1957
Author’s nationality: Norwegian
Original language: Norwegian
Length: 224 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback/gift
Why I read this: received it as a gift recently and on the 1001 books list

#21 Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Well, it took me 3 months, but I finally committed to finishing this book. I had a rough start with it, partially because I started it right during the craziness of the December holiday season, but also because this book is kind of hard. At least it was for me. In the end, though, I was captivated by the sweeping story of Russia and the relationship of Yuri and Lara. This review will be more of a review of my reading experience than of the actual book. I'm not sure I would ever feel qualified to actually review a book of this magnitude.

Most people probably think first of the movie from the 1960s. I think having seen that gave me unrealistic expectations when starting this book. The movie I remember being largely an ill-fated love story and I thought that story would be front and center in the book and give me a thread to hold onto through what I suspected would be a confusing backdrop of the politics in Russia after WWI. Really, though, the book is much more about Russia itself and the political upheaval that happened during and after WWI between the White and Red Armies. Yuri Zhivago, a doctor who really desires to be a peaceful poet, is caught up in all of the turmoil as everyone in Russia is. He is married to Tonya, but ends up falling in love with Lara, who is also married to Antipov/Strelnikov. Explaining all of the vast array of characters and their many interactions would take pages and pages. The first half of the book is really very confusing as you meet all of these characters (who of course have about 6 Russian names each). It is also confusing because many of them have huge shifts in personality, at least on the outside, as the book progresses. This seems to have been a necessity to attempt to survive the political upheaval of the time, but it sure confuses the story.

Another thing that made this book difficult for me was the dialogue. It seemed to be in two types. Either the conversation was completely non-sensical, in that each character seemed to be having a separate conversation and never really answering the other; or the conversation was really a long speech on politics or philosophy. In the case of the first, I came to realize that this was probably intentional, to reflect the inanity of the time. And the second type of dialogue is what led me to figure out the first, so I guess it was necessary!

When I got to the second half of the book, something clicked and I began to "get it". The characters started to make sense; the main characters came more clearly into focus and the dozens of side characters sort of disappear. Yuri and Lara become more central and that also helped ground the book for me.

In the end, I'm really glad I read this. It was challenging, but satisfying that I do think I figured out most of what was going on. I learned a lot more about Russia, which I'm pretty fascinated with. It occurred to me as I was reading this how crazy it is that it seems the two World Wars, even with all the death and trauma that Russia experienced, seem to take a back seat to the internal strife, death, cruelty, and trauma that Russia inflicted on its own people through all of the chaos that ensued following each World War.

I've read quite a bit of Russian fiction now and I feel that each book helps put in a small piece of the puzzle.

I read the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. The Vintage International edition had excellent notes as well.

Original Publication Date: 1957 in Italy
Author’s nationality: Russian
Original language: Russian
Length: 674 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback/purchased
Why I read this: been on my shelf a long time

On one of my other threads, a LT member linked to this article about the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of Doctor Zhivago. It did not have good things to say, and I wonder if my dislike of the dialogue was heightened by the translation I read. If I ever reread this book, I'll try a different translation to compare and decide for myself.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/nov/06/doctor-zhivago-boris-pasternak-tran...

That was a really interesting article. It immediately sent me off to the shelf where my copy of Doctor Zhivago should be, only to discover it had wandered off. I know it is not the PV translation, so I wanted to see whose it was. LT now tells me it is the Hayward Harari one. The clunky examples cited in the article were odd indeed, though I did like the imagery of spitting on the rugs and china better than just stop worrying about them, but on the brick steam mill I would have to agree with HH.

It would be interesting to see how you feel about the other translation. I believe my edition has wandered off somewhere cosy for a reread on a stormy winter's day, my favourite time to read it and then been moved elsewhere in a frantic tidy up. I had been contemplating getting the new P-V translation based on their other work, but maybe for now I'll stick with my current edition once I find it again. With any luck that will be by next winter.

It might be worth watching the movie again. I used to remember it as you describe it as "an ill fated love story", but watching it again, the political themes really do come more to the fore, especially with the character of Komarovsky.

I enjoyed reading about your reading experience with Doctor Zhivago Will you be tempted to re-read it in the future?

>120 SassyLassy: I'll be interested to hear your thoughts if you reread Doctor Zhivago in the future, especially if you compare translations. I would like to watch the movie again. It would be interesting to see how reading the book affects what I see in the movie. I only saw it once and it was over 5 years ago.

>121 baswood: Barry, I like to reread books and Doctor Zhivago is one that definitely deserves a reread. I won't even contemplate it though, for a good 5 years or more. Hopefully if I put some time between readings, I'll have built up a little more knowledge of Russia and it will make more sense to me.

>119 japaul22:

I don't know about the writer about the article. The faults they have with the translation seems to me like THEY are taking it too literally, not the translators.

Russian is liberal with knee-jerk invocations and imprecations. Volokhonsky-Pevear solemnly translate word for word; Hayward-Harari naturalise. "As God is my witness, I'd spit on you all" ("I'd chuck the lot of you, honest to God I would"). In Russian, "mne naplivat' na . . ." literally means "I spit on", but conveys, more weakly, "I don't give a toss", "too bad about . . ." Not so for Volokhonsky-Pevear: "Ah, spit on the rugs and china, let it all go to hell" ("Do stop worrying about rugs . . .").

Is "I spit on you all" really that different from "I'd chuck the lot of you"? If one were to take the "naturalized" version literally you'd start imagining a person throwing people out the window. Obviously that's not the case.

Then, the spit comment. Yeah, spit on them, see if I care. To me that shows me exactly how the speaker feels.

When a night storm banging at the hospital doors falls still, a character thinks: "They saw no one will open and they waved their hand and left." This suggests an actual wave of farewell, which is entirely misleading.

Uhm... not really. Maybe you, article-writer, see a person waving with a wide grin to a building, but I see more of a flick of the wrist in a curt, almost cussing sort of way as they walk off a bit disgruntled.

So I don't know. I'm going to disagree with the article writer on this one.

>123 lilisin: I found your comments interesting, lilisin. There is definitely a lot to think about with translations. I admire that you can read in so many languages. I feel like translation is holding me back with Russian literature.

#22 A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
audio book read by Roe Kendall, 5h59m

A Pale View of Hills is Ishiguro's first novel and already you can see the subtle, enigmatic writer that always surprises.

***spoiler alert*** I really can't review this novel without giving away elements that some would consider spoilers. Just skip this review if that bothers you! I'll have a section at the end with some true spoilers about the ending that I hide.

This novel is narrated by Etsuko, a Japanese woman who is living alone in Britain. Her younger daughter, Niki, comes to visit her and this seems to spur all sorts of memories for her. Through these memories, portions of Etsuko's life are slowly and incompletely revealed. We learn that Etsuko lived in Japan during WWII and obviously experienced a lot of trauma, though there are no details revealed. She was married to a man name Jiro and had his child, Keiko, while she was in Japan. At some point she left him to move to Britain with a man, taking Keiko with her and later having Niki with the British man. We also learn that Keiko committed suicide. Etsuko's British husband has died and we never find out what happened to Jiro. All of these details are revealed subtlety and out of order, so it takes a while to piece together the story. It is all interspersed with Etsuko's memories of her interactions with a woman named Sachiko and her daughter Mariko. Etsuko at that point was married to Jiro and pregnant. She is judgmental of Sachiko's parenting and her decision to leave Japan to go to America with Frank, a man who does not seem very dependable.

There is definitely an "unreliable narrator" element to this book. Etsuko is damaged, not only from the war, but also by her daughter's suicide and probably her marriages as well. It is hard to tell how much truth we can take from her memories. And then there is a twist at the end (no surprise there to readers of Ishiguro's other novels) that makes the reader wonder how much of Sachiko's actions were really Sachiko's and how many of those actions were really Etsuko's actions projected on to Sachiko. It's all rather mysterious and haunting

What I found interesting about this book is that as I was going along reading/listening I kind of kept wondering "where in the world is this going"? It is such a simple story and doesn't really seem to have a point - just the memories of an older woman that don't really tie together. But then in the last few minutes of the book, Ishiguro throws in the idea that the memories of Sachiko and Mariko might actually be of Etsuko herself and her daughter Keiko and all of a sudden I want to read the book again with my eye on it differently.

I'd love to hear some opinions on what we were meant to come away believing from anyone who has read this. I listened to it as an audiobook which is still a pretty new format for me and I'm wondering if I missed something that I would have found if I'd read it.

Original Publication Date: 1982
Author’s nationality: British/Japanese
Original language: English
Length: 5h59m
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: audiobook from the library
Why I read this: available at the library and on the 1001 books list

>124 japaul22:,

I've wondered about Russian literature as well. It's often seen as the "untranslatable" language and it always come up when people discuss translation. I wish I had the time (and interest) to learn Russian and see if it really is as untranslatable as they say.

I wonder this because Japanese has often gotten a certain reputation as being too nuanced to translate. For example, how one word can describe an entire untranslatable expression in English. Well, yes, of course, those words certainly exist. And there are tons of them. But is that to say we don't have untranslatable expressions? And are they really that untranslatable. A little creativity and thinking out of the box should get you around the majority of these difficult steps.

I wonder if it's not just a lack of faith in translators at times. Yes, there have been a few clunky translations that I've come across upon but the good ones are really good, I find. And having looked at the original sources of some of the more difficult works, I feel translators are actually quite impressive.

In any case, I think I started to wander off with my thoughts (I am very tired today) so I'll leave there.

>126 lilisin:

It is not untranslatable - but it has different culture and connotations behind it - and that makes it hard for a translator - should they keep the feeling and the style of the work (and be almost alien to any English reader) or should they find the correct expressions but without anglicizing it. And still - there are good translations out there - even if the different translation schools have their own ideas on which ones they are.

I suspect it is very similar with the case of Japanese or any other non-Western language. Coming from the Slavic languages, I had seen first hand both the translations into them and from them being butchered - but I had also seen a lot of good translations. And then it depends on the author&translator combination or maybe even the author style alone - I never took to Dickens until I read him in English; Hardy I loved even in Bulgarian.

>127 AnnieMod:

I never took to Dickens until I read him in English; Hardy I loved even in Bulgarian.

It's funny you mention this 'cause I've experienced the same. That or I feel the translations is "prettier" than the original. I know that I like to read certain genres as well in particular languages (although this isn't a translation issue, but a cultural one). Like I really enjoy war stories in American English as I feel they really get the grit and hardship of war while war stories in French tend to be fairly romanticized (at least what I've read).

>108 japaul22: glad you toughed McPhee out through all the jargon. The next book is better, iirc, because McPhee just gets the topic better...but it's been a while since i read these.

Very interesting about Dr. Zhivago and also the translation discussion.

And i like your review of A Pale View of Hills.

>118 japaul22: etc. Late to this discussion, but I read the Pevear-Volkhonsky translation of Doctor Zhivago a few years ago, and I loved the book and didn't have any issues with the translation, but of course I don't know Russian. I also really appreciated Pevear's notes as there was a lot that would have passed right by me without them. I'm actually fascinated by translation and over the years have read a lot about it, and it seems to me that up to a point there's no right or wrong, only issues of taste and fashion.

I'm enjoying all the translation discussion. I read quite a few translated books (especially classics), but as I think about it, it's mainly with the Russian ones that I notice that they are translated. By that I mean that I often find myself wondering what a certain phrase was before it was translated. It just seems noticeable to me that it isn't the original. I don't remember feeling that way reading French, various Scandinavian languages, German, etc. in translation.

So it's just something I'll continue to ponder . . .

>129 dchaikin: Dan, I read several places that Basin and Range is not the best of the books contain in Annals of the Former World. Since I did find it interesting, I'm looking forward to the rest of the book.

You've read a lot of interesting books lately.

I love James - even his late stuff - although I know that is a little weird. I loved Portrait of a Lady - I think I could kind of see Isabel's choice initially - she wasn't going for the obvious wealth or title, and was interested in the arty, brooding guy.

I really need to read Doctor Zhivago especially since I'm very interested in Russian literature and history. I'll have to check who translated my copy.

You do make A Pale View of the Hills sound intriguing!

>131 japaul22: Jennifer, your observation of being aware that you are reading a translation from Russian, but not experiencing that with other languages, is interesting. Issues of translation are fascinating and I would love to hear how an actual Russian translator would respond to that.

I don't know how I got so far behind on your thread but I'm caught up now.

I read Portrait of a Lady back in 2009, and like you I gave it 5 stars but don't remember much about it. I'll reread it one day, but I think first I'll read some of the many other Henry James books that live in my TBR pile. I haven't read Can You Forgive Her? but will add it to my wish list.

I read Longbourn recently too. I basically agree with everything you say about it, except in the end I didn't like it. Not enough P&P for me.

Off to check which translation of Dr Zhivago I own. That's one of those books that every year I plan to read, but somehow haven't yet.

oops double post--it showed up twice

#23 Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
I saw a lot of positive reviews for this on LT and I was intrigued by the premise of a woman botanist in the 1800s who I thought would be leading an adventurous, trail-blazing life. Unfortunately, I had the wrong idea and ended up not really liking this.

Alma Whittaker is the daughter of Henry Whittaker, who leaves England as a poor boy to sail around the world collecting botany samples for a leading botanist in London. His story is fascinating and he ends up one of the richest men in America, where he moves after he's done traveling the world. Alma is raised with every need more than met and taught to think for herself with an extensive knowledge of botany and languages. I liked this book whenever it was focused on botany, but the book also explores Alma herself, her insecurities and poor relationships, and this part was virtually intolerable to me. She has an adopted sister, a friend, and two men that come in and out of her life in the first part of the book and I was so bored by these interactions. I was hopeful that when Alma reaches age 50 and departs for Tahiti that she would come in to her own and the book would get back to her role as a botanist, but it didn't really happen. Instead it remained an emotionally overwrought telling of her attempt to figure out herself, her relationships, and the world.

Many people around here liked this, so I don't want to make anyone not read it because of my reaction, but it wasn't for me. If you're looking for a book about women scientists of the Victorian era, I'd recommend Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier over this. I found it a much better book.

Original Publication Date: 2013
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 512 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: owned on kindle
Why I read this: off the TBR pile and I thought of it after reading Basin and Range

>133 DieFledermaus: I guess I can understand Isabel picking Osmond, but it was such an obvious mistake to the reader. Frustrating! I'd love to hear your thoughts on Doctor Zhivago and A Pale View of Hills if you ever read them.

>134 Linda92007: to be fair to the russian language, I don't remember ever feeling that way with Tolstoy or Dostoevsky (I've read two books by each). Maybe this is more of an issue I have with the style that the later Russian writers wrote in rather than the translations themselves. But I don't know how I'd ever know for sure without learning Russian!

>135 Nickelini: I will read more Henry James also, but I need a little time first! I think the lack of P&P in Longbourn is actually what worked for me. If a retelling or continuation of P&P tries to be too much like Austen there is no way for it to measure up. Dr. Zhivago was a project, but I think it was worth it in the end. I'd like to hear your take on it if you ever get to it.

I think the lack of P&P in Longbourn is actually what worked for me.

And probably what made it a stronger book. I think it was definitely well written, but I personally found it boring. I think it's not P&P I like so much as Darcy & Elizabeth.

There were definitely boring parts. I was especially bored when she told James's back story. I thought she could have done that in two pages instead of multiple chapters.

#140 - I said the same thing in my review!

Catching up after two plus weeks of vacation. I had planned on reading Doctor Zhivago two years ago, and have yet to read it. I should make the time. I am one of the folks who liked The Signature of All Things, but I don't think I went into it with the same expectation that you did. I was aware that there were mixed reviews, even in my own family.

#24 Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
I finished a reread of Austen's Mansfield Park last night. Mansfield Park has always been my least favorite Austen novel. (just to be clear, I still love it, it's just the bottom of her six books for me) When asked why it is my least favorite, I generally say that I don't like Fanny because she's too meek. On this reading, however, she didn't strike me as being quite as annoying as I remembered. Fanny is in a tough position, after all, being brought up in her Aunt and Uncle's home with her cousins but always being treated as a second class citizen and treated even worse than that by Aunt Norris.

So Fanny is not the reason that Mansfield Park is still at the bottom of my Austen ranking. Instead, the relationship between Fanny and Edmund is what really bothered me this time. It's just too quick a turn around on Edmund's end for me to get excited about them together. I'm also a little troubled by Maria's dramatic fall. Austen really doesn't cut her any slack - having her make the worst decision she could have, remain stubborn, and then be exiled with Aunt Norris who is probably the worst-behaved character Austen ever created.

There are several things I really like about this book though and particularly noticed this time. I love the contrasts that Austen sets up between Fanny's middle class family life in Portsmouth vs. life at Mansfield Park. I also found the contrast between behavior of those who value London city life over country life an interesting idea. I also kind of like Mary Crawford, even though I don't think I'm supposed to. I don't find her morals all that terrible, but I guess that's a modern point of view.

I'm rereading Austen's books this year with the Category Challenge group and intend to reflect and possibly reorder my current Austen rankings at the end of the year, but for now Mansfield Park remains at the bottom of an excellent list of books.

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Emma
3. Persuasion
4. Sense and Sensibility
5. Northanger Abbey
6. Mansfield Park

Original Publication Date: 1814
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 480 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: owned on kindle
Why I read this: group read

>143 japaul22:: you're inspiring me to get back to Austen. I haven't read any since I was in my teens, so I'm interested in reading some more.

>144 AlisonY: I always love to hear of people reading Austen! I'd be interested to hear what you think.

#25 The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
audiobook read by Alan Sklar, 8h38m

This was mediocre nonfiction about a cholera outbreak in 1850s London and the two men who figured out that the source of the infection was the water in the neighborhood. This led to changes in sanitation. I found that part all pretty interesting. I did not, however, really enjoy the author's conclusions about connections to modern day city life. I thought they were a bit of a stretch and just not as interesting.

The reader of this audiobook was ok, but his voice sounded a little contrived to me. Just trying too hard to sound academic.

Anyway, it kept me mildly entertained on my commute, but I wouldn't rush out to find it.

Original Publication Date:2007
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 8h38m
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: checked it out from the library on a whim

Heh, yeah, those were the things that I didn't like about Mansfield Park also (relatively, compared to other Austens) - Fanny was rather passive and there wasn't a lot of time to develop the relationship between her and Edmund, they did seem almost brother and sister-y.

>147 DieFledermaus: In Austen's defense, regarding Edmund's shift to Fanny, she does say

I purposely abstain from dates on this occasion, that every one may be at liberty to fix their own, aware that the cure of unconquerable passions, and the transfer of unchanging attachments, must vary much as to time in different people. I only entreat everybody to believe that exactly at the time when it was quite natural that it should be so, and not a week earlier, Edmund did cease to care about Miss Crawford, and became as anxious to marry Fanny as Fanny herself could desire.

This strikes me as tongue in cheek Austen, knowing herself that this shift isn't totally satisfying so quickly and trying to amend for it without lengthening the book.

It still bothers me, though!

Just wanted to remind everyone that the PBS broadcast of Wolf Hall starts tomorrow night. I almost forgot that it was starting, so I wanted to remind anyone who might be interested.

>149 japaul22:. Thank you!

#26 The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin

This was a rather mediocre biography of John Quincy Adams, focusing on his childhood through about age 50. I guess the focus of this biography was to explore the experiences of John Quincy Adams's youth and young adulthood to see how it influenced his adulthood. In itself, this is an interesting idea. JQA traveled extensively with his father when he was a child, spending extensive time in France, England, Holland, and Russia, learning the languages and customs and having a first row seat to the politics of the time. His book learning suffered a bit, but he seems to have been a serious child who had good self-discipline when it came to keeping up with his studies as best he could. He later got in to Harvard and rounded out the aspects of his education that he missed. This section sticks with the thesis, but then the author continues on into JQA's relationship with his wife and his subsequent political appointments. I wasn't really sure if she was trying to show how his education and life experience during his youth influenced his life during this later time, or if this was still supposed to be part of the "learning period".

That leads to the main problem with this book. Though a lot of the information was interesting, I wasn't sure what the point was. The author doesn't draw conclusions clearly, but was obviously going for something more than a pure biography or retelling of facts. She also stopped the book at an arbitrary point (or at least didn't explain why it wasn't arbitrary), choosing to end after JQA'a appointment as ambassador to Russia ended. This was just one of several overseas appointments he had and was well before he became President. It just didn't make sense.

This is a time period that I generally enjoy reading about, but this biography missed the mark. I've never read another biography of John Quincy Adams, but there must be better ones out there.

Original Publication Date: 2015
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 544 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: hardcover/ER win
Why I read this: Early Reviewers book that had been on the shelf

Disappointed about The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams. I'd assumed it only focused on his childhood/very young adulthood, and from that viewpoint it sounded interesting.

That's what I was hoping for, too. The title is very misleading. The author definitely needed help focusing the book.

Thanks for taking the "meh" book bullet for the rest of us!

#27 The Saga of Gosta Berling by Selma Lagerlof

The Saga of Gosta Berling is a novel by Swedish author and Nobel prize winner, Selma Lagerlof. Combining two of my current obsessions, Scandinavian literature and women authors, I've been really looking forward to this one. This ended up not being an easy read for me, though I ended up finding it rewarding.

Gosta Berling starts out his adult life as a minister, but is quickly run out of town and defrocked for his excessive drinking and bad behavior. He falls in with a misfit group of cavaliers in the town of Ekeby. The rest of the book chronicles his various love affairs (which always end badly for the woman) and tell the stories of his fellow cavaliers. There is a strong element of folklore/mysticism running through the book and the stories are told in an episodic fashion. The episodic nature of the book kept me at arm's length, as I was never sure whether this was a character I would continue to run in to, or one I'd get to know for a few pages and never see again. It also made it a bit hard for me to get in to the flow of the book.

There is a lot of death in this book and a lot of infatuation (I can't call it love). What saved the book for me was that in the end there were a lot of loose ends tied up that I'd despaired of ever revisiting. Also, several of the women sort of come in to their own instead of killing themselves over Gosta Berling. Though I found the characterizations a bit weak or at least different than I'm used to, I will say that the writing is beautiful and I think the translation by Paul Norlen must be very good.

All in all, I'm glad I read this and I suspect it is a book that will improve for me as I think about it more and more.

Original Publication Date: 1891
Author’s nationality: Swedish
Original language: Swedish
Length: 399 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback/purchased
Why I read this: 1001 books list random pick

The Saga of Gosta Berling grew on me too.

Sounds a bit like a Swedish Elmer Gantry. Your review really makes me want to read Lagerlof.

>151 japaul22: too bad about the JQA biography (or variation of a biography)

I'm not usually much of a movie watcher, but when I saw The Sound of Music was back in theaters for the 50th anniversary, I knew I had to go. I went today with my mom and sister and had a great time. I think I watched this hundreds of times growing up on a VHS taped off of a tv showing. It was really fun to see it on the big screen and I still love it as much as ever!

The Sound of Music may have been the first movie I ever saw in a theatre* when I was about 6 and I was entranced. I went home and listened to the record 9 million times and danced around the living room with a scarf to all the songs and looked out the window hoping the Von Trapp family sensed my talent and just needed me to join their family.

I've taken a more balanced view of the whole Sound of Music thing as I've matured, and while I've entertained at the idea of seeing it at the theatre, I've wondered. Is it so much better than just rewatching it for the millionth time as you channel surf? Because I am thinking of going. (I also need to add, that as an adult, I now always cry to the Julie Andrews-Christopher Plummer "Something Good" moment.)

*I know my very first movie was at a drive in, around 1966, and it was Snow White. I had the Golden Book edition of Snow White, knew the story, and played it every single day with a towel on my head (yeah, whatever that means. "Mom, I have blonde hair, just like Snow White, right?" Mum: "Well, if you look at the picture, her hair is black." Confusion. Towel on head). Anyway, went to see Snow White at the drive in and hid in the back seat for a bunch of the movie because it was so scary. Last scary movie I saw, I think.)

Okay, Jennifer is now saying "too much sharing, Joyce. Thank you!"

>159 Nickelini: I now have this lovely picture in my head of a little girl whose first act in any game of make-believe was to put a towel on her head.

>159 Nickelini: Well, it isn't a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen in my opinion, but what I liked about seeing it in the theater was that it made it an Event. I don't remember the last time I took the time to sit and watch the entire movie. With 5 and 2 year old boys at home, it was pretty awesome to get away for a 3 hour movie!

>161 japaul22: I hear you! I have a 7 year old boy and 5 year old girl, and those rare moments out without a mini entourage are bliss (of course I love spending time with them, but you know what I mean!).

>159 Nickelini: ...went to see Snow White at the drive in and hid in the back seat for a bunch of the movie because it was so scary.

Never saw it myself, but now I understand why my 8-year-old niece was found hiding in a closet after seeing it.

I remember being terrified by 101 Dalmations. I think every kid has some Disney movie that terrified them!

#28 The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
5h15m read by Alex Jennings

This just wasn't really my genre. Science fiction about humankind being blinded and harassed by giant plants called triffids and the aftermath of trying to recreate society - not really my thing. There was also a definite 50s vibe (probably cause it was written in the 50s!) in the romantic relationship that annoyed my modern day sensibilities. I've seen a lot of positive reviews for this book on LT, so if you like the genre you may enjoy this more than I did.

Original Publication Date: 1951
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 5h15m
Rating: 2 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: 1001 books list and available at the library

>160 RidgewayGirl: :-)

>161 japaul22: With 5 and 2 year old boys at home, it was pretty awesome to get away for a 3 hour movie! Definitely. I remember the very odd time my husband and I got to go out to see a movie and what a treat it was. And then before we knew it, the eldest was able to babysit her sister, and the world opened up. But enjoy them when they're young--it goes by quickly.

Jennifer, enjoy the time with your little guys, it does speed by (and, by all means, get time without them when you can!). Mine are now old enough to fend for themselves now and again. It's wonderful, but, oh!, my son's socks are an abomination, especially when he's done a lot of physical activity in them. Look forward to the stench!

#29 Orlando by Virginia Woolf
This book was so much fun. The whole time I was reading it, I felt like I could picture Virginia Woolf with an amused smile on her face, half making fun of herself and half making fun of her wider circle of friends.

Orlando is the biography of Orlando who starts out as a young man living in the Elizabethan era of the 1500s and ends the book as a 36 year old woman in 1928. Along the way he/she has many life experiences, travels, and forays into writing. It's hard to say what this book is actually "about", but it's fun to read, amusing, and clever in the best senses of all of those words. Woolf makes no apologies or explanations for Orlando's sex change or longevity. I was expecting all of this to be confusing and shrouded in mystery, but Woolf just clearly lays out the events and expects the reader to go along. I loved it.

I'd recommend reading some of Woolf's other works first or you might not get the lighter, more playful tone that she uses in this novel.

Original Publication Date: 1928
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 219 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: folio society edition, birthday gift
Why I read this: group read in the category challenge, and I've been reading all her books

>168 japaul22: loved your review. Hurray for another brilliant Woolf novel! Look forward to getting to this one soon. What a genius that woman was.

Orlando is another book I know through the movie (featuring Tilda Swinton), which enthralled me. I simply must get to the book. Enjoyed your review!

I found Orlando a lot of fun too, and I also enjoyed the Tilda Swinton movie.

>169 AlisonY: Yes, I've only recently discovered Virginia Woolf and I love reading her novels. I've found them beautifully written and challenging, which I like.

>170 Poquette:, >171 Nickelini: a movie version of Orlando? I'm intrigued!

#30 Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
This book tells the story of Ruby Lennox, from her conception to her old age. Interspersed with her story is the story of her mother - Bunty, her Grandmother - Nell, and her Great-grandmother - Alice. Both World Wars are background to the various generation's lives.

I started out loving this book - the writing is good and the format was inventive. Atkinson generally uses objects to bridge the flashbacks into other generations and then tells the flashback in a lengthy "footnote". So the reader reads about a button that a child finds and there is a footnote cue. That footnote then tells in a roundabout way why the button is where it is, also revealing another character's story. It is a clever technique and I thought it was very effective.

The problem I had with this book was that there is a lot of unhappiness in it. There are a lot of children dying, men dying in wars, and people dying in accidents. Also, most of the characters seem trapped in boring, unfulfilling lives. I think that several years ago, this all wouldn't have bothered me - it would just have been fiction and the good writing and neat format would have more than made up for the unhappiness. But I've had a rough year, losing several family members, and I just can't stomach fiction that is this dreary right now. Well, I guess in this instance it was more that I just thought the balance wasn't right in this book. It didn't feel like it was intended to be a sad book, but it kind of depressed me.

So I don't know. If you liked Atkinson's other books, I'd love it if you read this too because I'd like to hear some other opinions on it. I can't tell how much my personal frame of mind influenced my opinions on this book.

Original Publication Date: 1995
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 333 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback, library sale
Why I read this: off the shelf

>173 japaul22: this is one I hope to get to later in the year, Jennifer. I think you definitely have to be in a happy place to read sad books, so I'm not surprised if this book turned you off if you've had a difficult year.

#31 Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
This is a short novella about two chess masters who meet on a boat and play each other. One is the world champion of chess and has come from an obscure upbringing. It was discovered in his teenage years that though he had seemingly no other talents or intellectual capacity, he was a master at chess. The other player learned chess in a cell where he was being held and interrogated by the Nazis. He is unknown to the chess world.

The comparison between these two men and their road to chess is interesting and thoughtfully written. I read this book in an hour and want to read more. There were many layers to the story and writing that keep it very interesting and make you keep pondering the story after finishing. I'm intrigued by Stefan Zweig.

Original Publication Date: 1941
Author’s nationality: Austrian
Original language: German
Length: 84 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback, purchased
Why I read this: 1001 books list and off the shelf

>175 japaul22: I'm very intrigued by Chess now, thanks for this review. Zweig is partly the inspiration behind Wes Anderson's film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which is how I heard of him. Have you seen the film?

I loved Zweig's The Post Office Girl. Good to know his other books might also be excellent. I really need to read more by him.

Chess Story sounds very interesting. Wikipedia tells me it was the last book he published.

I loved Chess Story.

I have had Stefan Zweig on my TBR for ages. I think it's called "The Royal Game" in my translation. Assuming it is the same story. Anyway, nice informative review!

>176 reva8: I haven't seen The Grand Budapest HOtel. I'm not much of a movie person these days, but I am interested since it was based on one of Zweig's works.

>177 RidgewayGirl: & >179 kidzdoc: I'm sure that your Zweig reviews in years past prompted me to him on my TBR list! Kay, I'll look for THe Post Office Girl - I remember your review.

>178 dchaikin: YEs, the introduction said that Zweig and his wife committed suicide shortly after he completed this book.

>180 Poquette: Suzanne, I imagine Zweig's work would be right up your alley. And yes, The Royal Game is an alternate translation of the title of CHess Story.

#32 The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin

One of my main interests in politics these days is watching the doings of the Supreme Court. There is something about the combination of intellect, logic, bias, and personality that go into Court decisions that I find fascinating. I'd been meaning to read this for a long time so I picked it up at a library sale at some point in the last couple of years. I was a little worried it would feel very out of date since it was published in 2007, but I didn't feel that way at all.

Toobin explores the major cases and judges on the Supreme Court from the Rehnquist Court through the appointment of Alito by President Bush. This was a fascinating retelling for me because it covers the politics of the time when I was most interested in politics, right when I was starting to vote (I turned 18 in 1996). He focuses on the swing judges or judges who shifted position (O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter), but every judge gets a short bio when an important case for them comes up. Toobin revisits cases about abortion, executive power, separation of church and state, gay rights, and affirmative action, among others. He also goes through the choice of nominee and their confirmation process.

Toobin's writing is very readable. His journalistic style is engaging and informative. I could sense a bias towards the left, but it wasn't overwhelming and since I agree with it, it didn't bother me. ;-)

This was fun (and maddening since the shift the Court has taken is not one I enjoy). It was also interesting to read it when there are several high profile cases taking place this session that I've been watching.

Original Publication Date: 2007
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 369 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: hardcover, library sale
Why I read this: chosen for me off the shelf by aliciamay

#33 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
I picked this off the shelf because I needed something mindless and absorbing to read in between some other long, dense books I've been reading. In that sense, it fit the bill. Unfortunately, I didn't think it was very good in any other sense.

Gillian Flynn is, of course, the author of the much-read and talked about novel Gone Girl. Though I didn't think Gone Girl was a great book, I enjoyed the shifting points of view and plot twists. Sharp Objects, Flynn's debut thriller, doesn't measure up to her later work. In Sharp Objects, Camille, a reporter living in Chicago, returns to her tiny hometown in Missouri to report on a second child murder that is still flying under the radar nationally. We quickly realize that Camille is very damaged - cutting herself and drinking excessively - and that this damage extends from her relationship with her mother.

To me, this book didn't work because the killer was extremely obvious from early on in the book, but I don't think was meant to be. Also, I don't really like reading about people who so excessively abuse their bodies. It fit the story, so it might not bother everyone, but I didn't like it.

Even though it's a short, fast read, I'd skip this one.

Original Publication Date: 2006
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 252 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback, probably target
Why I read this: off the shelf, needed something mindless

#34 The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
This is the second book in Jane Gardam's trilogy about the life of Eddie Feathers and his wife, Betty. The first book is told from Feathers's, a.k.a Old Filth, point of view and this book retells a lot of the same events from Betty's point of view. Filth and Betty have one of those old-fashioned marriages where they barely knew each other before their marriage and seem to live parallel lives throughout their marriage rather than ever becoming truly close. At least, they are not open with each other in our modern notion of the concept. So this shifting of perspective from the last book to this one really works because it is obvious that they would have experienced all of these major events in wildly different ways.

Taken together, I am really impressed with these books and think they are different enough to be interesting but still comfortable to read. They are not, however, grabbing me quite as much as I had hoped. I am still going to read the third in the trilogy, which looks at the story from Veneering's (Filth's enemy and Betty's lover) point of view.

Original Publication Date: 2009
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 233 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback, amazon
Why I read this: part of a trilogy and I want to read them all this year

>184 japaul22: I hadn't heard of this author before or this trilogy. Sounds like something I might enjoy. Will see what you think of the 3rd book first when you get to it.

>184 japaul22: I enjoyed your review of Jane Gardam and I'm really intrigued by the trilogy, too.

Anyone familiar with Asheville, NC? My husband and I are going for a long weekend to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (without the kids). I'd take any recommendations for restaurants, shopping, favorite hikes, and, of course, great book stores!

Hi Jennifer,
I'm a long-time lurker on your threads (and boy, does that sound creepy!) but had to de-lurk to sing the praises of Asheville. My husband and I went last summer and had a fantastic time. I did a bit of a travelogue and photo diary about it on my thread last year (http://www.librarything.com/topic/178647#4823434) if you're interested.

Short version -

Restaurants: Biscuit Head for breakfast, Curate, The Blackbird, Southern Kitchen & Bar
Books: Malaprop's, Battery Park Book Exchange, and another little used bookstore I can't remember the name of but it's in downtown Asheville

We were there for a specific event (Booktopia) so that took up most of the time we had, but it's an awesome city and the surrounding area is gorgeous, and I can't imagine anyone not having a great time!

>188 katiekrug: Thank you for the info! Your travelogue has some great tips for restaurants and my husband and I are definitely "foodies", or at least we were before we had kids! We're looking forward to having some leisurely meals. I love biscuits and gravy, so we might have to check out Biscuit Head. I'm getting very excited!

And I often check in on your thread too since you are always listed in my "members with most books in common" list. So, not creepy to me that you lurk on mine!

Oh, good. I feel better now :)

I'll second Malaprops, but the restaurant I like is called Tupelo Honey Cafe. It's right downtown and serves interesting versions of classic Southern food. I had a slice of tomato pie for lunch there that I still remember.

Is biscuits with gravy a Carolina thing? It popped up frequently in Bastard out of Carolina, but I thought the main character's mother kept making it because she couldn't afford to make a proper dinner. Clearly this is a delicacy I have missed out on!

>191 RidgewayGirl: That's the second recommendation I've gotten for Tupelo Honey Cafe. Sounds like we won't be able to go wrong with all the restaurants there!

>192 AlisonY: Biscuits and gravy is a Southern thing generally. Homemade biscuits with a peppery sausage gravy is so, so good! I grew up in the upper Midwest and didn't discover them until college.

>192 AlisonY: It's a general early US pioneer food, brought by European settlers. Still most common in the south in general and in the whole of Appalachia, I'd say.

It sounds like a grim combination but I'll take your word for it that it tastes great!!

#35 Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope
This is the second book in Trollope's Palliser series and it follow Phineas Finn's entrance into adulthood and simultaneously into politics. There is quite a bit of 1860s British politics, but though I was afraid that would become a bit of a slog, it was all fairly clearly explained and added to the story.

I really loved the character of Phineas Finn. Generally, I think that Trollope writes female characters best, but with Phineas we get an overall good person who has some character flaws, but is genuine and grows throughout the novel. He is lucky and things generally work out for the best for him, but his luck seems to stem from people liking him and being willing to help which makes me not begrudge this lucky streak.

The novel also explores the plight of women in the upper classes, with their lack of power and control over their lives. There are four women to contrast here: Lady Laura, who chooses a rich but boring and controlling husband; Violet Effingham, who knows who she loves but holds out on marrying him because she doesn't trust him and is worried about losing her independence; Madame Goesler, a wealthy single woman who is slightly mysterious and seems to have found that her power lies in remaining single; and sweet Mary, Phineas's childhood sweetheart from Ireland. All of these women are either in love with Phineas or he is in love with them at some point in the novel.

Overall, this was another excellent novel as I've come to expect from Trollope. Though I loved Phineas, this won't be my favorite Trollope novel, though. It didn't have as many asides from Trollope and I missed those. My star rating will rate this novel in comparison to the other Trollope novels I've read and would be higher if I was comparing it to all the books I read.

Original Publication Date: 1868
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 640 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: oxford world classics set, ebay
Why I read this: palliser series is a project for this year

I enjoyed Phineas Finn too.

The trip to Asheville was great! We ate at Tupelo Honey, several other excellent restaurants, and had lots of great craft beers. We went to the Biltmore and did a waterfall hike. Most importantly to all of you, I did some book shopping. I loved Malaprops, a well-thought out bookstore where I bought Independent People and My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. My favorite, though, was The Captain's Bookshelf, a used bookstore with tons of beautiful used editions, like folio society, Easton Press, etc. I had a lot of fun there and bought Surfacing by Margaret Atwood, The Charterhouse of Parma, The Optmist's Daughter by Eudora Welty, and Therese Raquin by Zola. All except for Surfacing were in nice editions.

All in all a great trip!

Glad to hear the trip went well. Mmmm....craft beers. Independent People is a wonderful book, and I really want to read My Brilliant Friend but apparently all the other library users do as well. Might have to buy it.

Going back a bit, I loved Behind the Scenes at the Museum but, while I thought it was funny, it could also be depressing. Agree that there were a lot of people who were trapped leading unhappy, constrained lives. I think the prose, the dark humor, and the weird structure worked for me, but I could see it being a bad choice if you have other stuff going on. Last year, I had dissertation + bad life stuff, so I didn't want to read anything that was long, with a difficult prose style, or about Nazis/Communists, which apparently is all my books (well, a lot of them were in storage).

I'm a big fan of Stefan Zweig, and I could recommend pretty much anything that I've read. I recently read a fat collection of his stories, and there were like two that were meh, everything else was very good. His autobiography is an absorbing read as well (although somewhat depressing because of the end - Nazis).

Great reviews, Jennifer. i have finally picked up my next Trollope, Doctor Thorne. Your review of Phineas Finn pushed me to pick it up. I liked Sharp Objects better than you did, but it was very dark and obvious.

>200 NanaCC: Doctor Thorne was one of my favorites in the Barsetshire series - enjoy!

I'm glad you liked Asheville! You'll have to visit again once I'm living in SC again - it's just a short drive away for me. And I just finished My Brilliant Friend and I'm definitely going to have to read the next book as soon as I can.

>202 RidgewayGirl: That would be fun! I'm really looking forward to My Brilliant Friend. I've been hearing a lot of good things recently.

I missed your Asheville trip, but sounds like you did well. If you go back, I'd recommend Downtown Books and News, a dull named but terrific used book store, owned by the owners of Malaprop. And consider an Asheville Tourists baseball game.

I haven't been to The Captain's Bookstore...I must try it next visit!

>204 dchaikin: Dan, I did go to Downtown Books and it was great, but I was a little shopped out when we went. I loved that the Captain's Bookshelf had so many beautiful and interesting editions just mixed in on the shelves. Definitely check it out!

>199 DieFledermaus: Glad to hear good things about Independent People - I'm planning to read it next month. I suspected that my mood had more to do with my dislike to certain aspects of Behind the Scenes at the Museum than the writing itself. I did like the form - she seems to be very good at using inventive form in her fiction.

#36 The Case for God by Karen Armstrong
audiobook read by Karen Armstrong, 16h49m

I've been listening to this audiobook for about a month and I found it very interesting overall. Armstrong traces religion from the Paleolithic Age all the way to modern day, to look at how different religions and cultures conceptualized God/gods/the divine/etc.

There are many themes that seem to run through this books that do a good job of tying together such an immense subject. She talks a lot about mythos vs. logos and how in more recent times we've confused mythical stories by applying our logical knowledge. She also talks about how religion only works when it is practiced; for an outsider to believe in religious tenets that he/she is not immersed in leads to misunderstanding. She also talks about faith vs. belief and how our modern notions of the words are different from past understanding. Central also is how idolatry (creating God in our image) warps and damages the understanding of what God could or could not be.

I enjoyed the parts about the more distant past more than her views on the current religions and their failures/successes (more failure than success!). I think because it is just too close, this section started to feel a bit less scholarly and more biased.

Overall, this gave me a lot of food for thought and I enjoyed all 17 hours.

Original Publication Date: 2010
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 16h49m
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: been thinking about the topic a lot and wanted to start exploring some different scholarly points of view

This is a really interesting review Jennifer, as I also have been wanting to read some different books on this exact topic.

In case it's of any interest, some other similar books I have tagged on my wish list are Not God's Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms, Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Found Happiness and Accidentally Found It, and Letters to an Atheist: Wrestling With Faith.

Glad to see your review of The Case for God. I put it, and Armstrong's other books, on my tbr list after reading her Islam: A Short History, but hadn't really looked into what the book covered. Now I know I definitely want to read it.

I also enjoyed Armstrong's autobiography The Spiral Staircase.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone! I'm taking notes!

#37 The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
The Sea, The Sea is a first person narrative in a sort of diary/autobiography form written by Charles Arrowby, a retired theater actor and director. Charles leaves London to move to a seaside town in a decrepit old house. There he meets his long lost high school sweetheart who he seems to have idolized all his life but lost touch with when she ran away from the prospect of marrying him in their teenage years. Now he happens upon her, probably 40 plus years later, also retired to this seaside town but with her husband.

Charles quickly becomes obsessed with the idea of rescuing Mary, who he insists on calling by her childhood nickname of Hartley (her surname) even though she obviously has never gone by it as an adult, from her abusive husband. Well, abusive from Charles's reading of the situation. It ends up highly questionable who is the more abusive to Mary between Charles and her husband, Ben.

Added in to this volatile situation are a string of house guests who descend upon Charles. There are several of his former lovers, a few theater friends, his cousin James, and Mary's adopted son, Titus, who Charles tries to get close to probably as a way to get closer to Mary.

This was one of those book where I really detested the first person narrator. Charles is a pretty despicable person and treats Mary and his friends abominably. However, Murdoch's writing really saves the book because as much as I disliked Charles I still was pretty fascinated by what he was doing and how he was reacting. I could see through his explanations of his behavior and his pseudo-psychology about his own actions, and I think this was intended by Murdoch. Also, her descriptions of the sea and the other characters through Charles's voice were examples of some truly beautiful writing.

Overall, I come away from this with a similar feeling to reading The Bell, the only other book by Murdoch I've read. I'm intrigued by her writing, but felt that both books had some flaws. Her writing is so surprising, though, and different than what I expect as I'm reading along that I still want to read more of her work. There is something about her books that I really like despite being annoyed at points by both books.

Original Publication Date: 1978
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 528 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle book
Why I read this: on the 1001 books list and an author I've meant to get back to

>212 japaul22: I've been up and down over whether to read this book for a couple of years. I've seen it recommended in the past but then have seen some mixed reviews. I still can't make up my mind.

>213 valkyrdeath: yes, my review won't help! Even after reading it I'm not sure if I'd actually recommend it. I do think that Murdoch is an author to check out at some point though.

I have The Sea, The Sea on my wish list, so I might get to it this year. I see from your review that it's fairly lengthy, which does put me off a bit when it's not getting a 'wow I really loved this' review, but... I remain curious.

>215 AlisonY: it's long, but it didn't take that long to read. It doesn't take a lot of analysis, and Murdoch's writing flows along nicely. I'd be really curious to see what someone else thinks of it!

#38 Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn
This was an excellent book to bridge the gap between Richard III's downfall and Henry VIII. Of course, to do this it focuses on the reign of Henry VII. The majority of the book is focused on the middle and end of Henry VII's reign; there is not much in depth exploration of how he actually gained the throne. This book focuses on how he keeps the throne and how he sets up Henry VIII.

To seal his authority on the throne, there were three things that stood out to me. One was that Henry VII ruthlessly hunted down any other people with royal blood and made sure they were not a threat, either by imprisoning or executing them. Second, he made a ton of money in the buying and selling of alum. Alum had been used for its medicinal properties for some time, but it had recently started being used as a dye-fixer in the textile industry and was in high demand. The money Henry made from buying and selling alum made him the richest King in Europe and money does always help in keeping power. Third, Henry made sure to keep everyone guessing and never feeling secure by using his closest circle to demand money, make arrests, and bring legal charges to people of all ranks, creating something close to a reign of terror.

Henry's reign was interesting to me, but what I found most interesting was the set up of Henry VIII's reign. Of course, Henry was never meant to be King; he had an older brother, Arthur, who was reared to rule. Arthur's sudden death put Henry in place as his father's heir. In this book we see a lot of the familiar faces from Henry VIII's reign get their start - men like Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Charles Brandon, etc. I found all of this fascinating since most of the reading I've done about Henry VIII starts at the end of his marriage to Catherine.

There is a lot more in this book (Henry VII is humanized by his love for his Queen, Elizabeth of York) but those are the main things I took away from this very readable but still scholarly account of Henry VII.

Original Publication Date: 2011
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 428 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: sounded interesting and on the shelf

>217 japaul22: your review of Winter King has me even more intrigued. I've had this on my wishlist for a while.

>217 japaul22: I read that recently as well. It was really very interesting. And somewhat at odds with the portayed image of being a unifying king after the strife of the Wars of the Roses. But history does tend to be written by the winners, so no wonder the first impression is that he was a good thing.
Nana - go on, it's well worth diving into.

Good review of Winter King and the dawn of Tudor England. The book makes Henry VII appear a very shadowy figure and is very readable.

>207 japaul22: your review makes A Case for God sound good. Unfortunately I was so annoyed by The Great Transformation that I don't I can read another Armstrong.

>212 japaul22: awesome review. I have wanted to read this Murdoch (or any really) I found your review encouraging.

>217 japaul22: Winter King sounds fun and not entirely surprising, although I don't know H VII's myth. Wonder what Shakespeare would make of this history.

#39 A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
This was excellent. Atkinson has written a companion book to Life After Life that follows the life of Teddy, Ursula's (the main character in Life After Life) brother. In Life After Life, Teddy is the perfect person, who Ursula loves unconditionally and everyone else seems to love too. In A God in Ruins, we get to delve in to Teddy's war experience as a bomber pilot in WWII. We also get to know him as more than the beloved and idealized brother and son that he is in the first book.

As in every other book I've read by Atkinson, time is fluid and death is prominent. Though sections of the book are organized with headings stating a time period, each section also flashes backwards and forwards so that sometimes I'd have to go back to check which time period was supposed to be home base. At first this annoyed me, but I ended up liking it. Chronology is not the point; linked experiences, themes, symbols, and shared moments are instead what orient this book. Death is pervasive and there is a lot of exploration about how life ends, what happens afterward, and how the inevitability of death should effect how we live life. Some of these topics, especially with one of the characters, made for some emotional reading for me.

Since most readers of this book will have read Life After Life as well, I will say that this book worked much better for me. Even though I really loved Life AFter Life, I was always bothered because I thought that her idea for the book, Ursula's many lives, sort of ended up clouding the writing and overshadowing the story and character development. This book didn't have that problem and I thought that the characters were really well developed without losing creative form and innovation. I really loved this book.

Original Publication Date: 2015
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 480 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle book
Why I read this: Atkinson is an author I follow these days

I liked Armstrong's A Short History of Myth - you do make The Case for God sound interesting.

I'm intrigued by her writing, but felt that both books had some flaws. Her writing is so surprising, though, and different than what I expect as I'm reading along that I still want to read more of her work. There is something about her books that I really like despite being annoyed at points by both books.

That was how I felt about A Fairly Honorable Defeat, and I do want to read more Murdoch. Charles sounds so horrible though....will have to think about that one.

Good review of A God in Ruins - I've heard nothing but good about that one, similar to Life After Life. I have the latter on the shelf and am hoping to get to in in the next few months.

Lovely review. I think I'll have to get to these 2 books sooner rather than later, as you all seem to love them.

I'm in the middle of A God in Ruins. I get the feeling that the jumps in time simply reflect how a very old person might perceive time. My father has mentioned to me that his childhood and early adulthood memories seem more vivid than they used to.

>223 DieFledermaus: Iris Murdoch wrote so many books that I feel like I need to read more than the two I've read to give her a fair chance. And I do find her intriguing.

>224 AlisonY: I think you'd really enjoy Life After Life and A God in Ruins and I wish I could have read them a little closer together as I think I forgot some things from Life After Life that would have added to my understanding of AGinR.

>225 RidgewayGirl: I was thinking that about the time jumps at first, but there are so many flash forwards that that explanation didn't work for me. Also, other characters besides Teddy have these forward and backward jumps in time, so it isn't just an old age memory thing.

I was thinking it might be fun to set up a discussion thread for this book that could have spoilers since there are so many of us reading it right now.

I loved A God in Ruins too. The characters were wonderful, and I enjoyed the time element. I'm glad that I re-read Life After Life first, because I would have been a little fuzzy on a few things from it.

Great review of A God in Ruins, Jennifer. I also loved Life After Life, so I'll buy and read this book soon.

Oh, the library sale. It is the main reason for my ever-increasing TBR shelf. This year I made a goal to read 10% more books than I acquire. I was doing ok, but I'm quickly falling behind. As of today, I need to read 32 books off of my shelves (I've acquired 29 books so far this year, so that's roughly 10% more) and have read 24. Hopefully there won't be another library sale to tempt me in the near future so I can catch up.

Today I bought:

A Gate At the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
In the Forest by Edna O'Brien
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
Eventide by Kent Haruf (even though I still haven't read Plainsong which I bought at the last library sale)
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
The Sea by John Banville
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

Now that is an excellent book sale haul. Well done!

Your book haul seems totally restrained for a library sale!

Great haul! I loved The Round House, disliked The Inheritance of Loss, and haven't read the others.

Resolutions must give way before opportunities such as this. Those are some great selections.

You and Vivienne did well today. I'm jealous.

Nice haul!

Those famed library booksales are bad for the reading resolutions! I too planned to read mostly books that I already own to reduce the collection - and failed miserably as usual. The books are now being stacked on the floor!

Nice set of purchases! Will you be able to resist diving into some of them straight away? ;)

I think I'd have been unable to resist one or two. The English Patient is one of my 5 star reads, I just loved it.

Thanks for justifying my purchases, everyone!! Even though I'm really excited about these, knowing me they will still end up sitting on the shelf for a while. I do think I'll actually read them all at some point, though, which has not always been the case at past library sales. Sometimes even as I'm putting a book in the bag I think, "I'm never going to actually find the time to read this"! I have shelf space, though, so who cares?

That's the thing, if you have shelf space and want to buy the book, do it. I have a fair few books sitting around I know I don't want to keep forever, but while there's space they can stay there.

#40 Independent People by Halldor Laxness
This is another extremely satisfying novel that I read because of my interest in Scandinavian literature. Laxness is an Icelandic Nobel Laureate and this book is a new favorite of mine that I will definitely be rereading.

Independent People is the story of Bjartur, an Icelandic man who has just earned his way to independence and purchased a small plot of land that is believed by the people of the region to be cursed. Bjartur, much to the horror of his new young wife, refuses to follow the local custom of throwing a rock into the grave of the spirit woman who rules the area to appease her. This seems to set off a lifetime chain of disasters for Bjartur, though overall the disasters could easily be a result of the harsh climate and way of life in rural Iceland. There is a believable thread of supernatural through the book though, that becomes part of the background of the story. Bjartur must contend against not only the harsh living conditions in Iceland and his extreme poverty, but also the evil spirits that conspire against him.

Independence seems to be an Icelandic value, but Bjartur takes it to an extreme. It’s hard to tell whether to admire Bjartur’s independent spirit or loathe him for it. Bjartur values his independence far above the living conditions of his growing family, that is basically starving for most of the book. He seems to love his sheep more than his wife or children; there is a long time in the novel when the sheep certainly are more visible than the children, but as the children grow, they become more central to the novel. There is Asta, the daughter of Bjartur by his first wife, whose father/daughter relationship with Bjartur becomes the central relationship of the novel. There is also Nonni, the sweet creative boy who ends up emigrating to America. And Gvendur, Bjartur’s youngest son, stays in Iceland presumably to continue in Bjartur’s legacy though he seems to lose his way at the end. I also loved the Grandmother, who had a special relationship with Nonni and seems to live forever as everyone begins to die around her.

Throughout the novel there is a tension between the supernatural and Christianity. This made the novel have a very old world feel to me, even back to when Christianity was making its first appearances and mixing with the long held beliefs about multiple gods, folklore, and the sagas. But then suddenly the novel is grounded in to the 20th century with the advent of WWI and the need for Icelandic sheep and wool in Europe. All of a sudden even the smallest sheep farmers are flush with cash. Even Bjartur builds a real house, though prices crash before he completes it. There is a shift in politics also from capitalism, which is seen to hold the small farmer down and benefit only the already rich, to a cooperative society. I was interested to see if Bjartur could get on board with the idea of cooperatives since his whole life had been a quest for independence. He resists for a while, but nominally gets on board with the idea when he sees some of the benefits. He never seems to fully commit, though, which I think fit his personality.

This book just oozes with the Icelandic setting. I feel that I know Iceland after reading this (probably a dangerous feeling since its really the only Icelandic book I’ve read). Bjartur is a great main character; he is not likable and at first seems simple, but his personality gains in complexity as the novel progresses and I have to think I will feel differently about him each time I read this novel. For a while the characters are overshadowed by the setting and history of the book, but in the end they become equal with and completely entwined with the setting in an amazing way. I found this book had great adventure, interesting characters, an informative historical setting, and amazing depiction of the Icelandic setting and way of life. What’s not to love?

As a side note, I’ve read Growth of the Soil and The Saga of Gosta Berling recently, both of which have a lot in common with this book in terms of tone at least, and I found Independent People to be the best of the bunch. It sacrifices none of the complexity but gains in readability and cohesion. I loved it.

Original Publication Date: 1934
Author’s nationality: Icelandic
Original language: Icelandic
Length: 482 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: 1001 books group read and interest in Scandinavian literature

Excellent review and I liked your thought I have to think I will feel differently about him each time I read this novel which I would think is very true. I read this book several years ago and thought Laxness really portrayed the essence of the country. However, I have to add that I also found it to be one of the most depressing books I have ever read, and I have a tendency to steep myself in such books. That said, I still intend to read two other of his books that I have on the TBR

I wrote a comment earlier in response to your review of Independent People, but I don't see it here. I must have had a brain meltdown and missed the 'post' button.

Anyway, really enjoyed this review, and sounds like just the type of atmospheric book I enjoy. So ping - on the wish list.

Enjoyed your excellent review of Independent people

#41 My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
This was a really good book that I unfortunately didn't like. It was an odd reading experience, because the whole time I was thinking "this is really well done" but I still didn't enjoy reading it.

It's the story of childhood friends, Lila and Elena, told in first person by Elena. This part of the trilogy covers their childhood and adolescence growing up in a poor neighborhood in Naples, Italy. There are lots of colorful characters in the town and it's a good look at a complicated friendship being two growing and changing girls, but somehow I just never connected to the characters.

It may have been a case of bad timing, but I doubt I'll continue with the series. I'm disappointed because I was really looking forward to it and I still think I should have liked it.

Original Publication Date: 2012
Author’s nationality: Italian
Original language: Italian
Length: 331 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: literary buzz about the series and sounded like a book I would like

I'm sorry My Brilliant Friend didn't live up to expectations! I've definitely been there with recognizing the quality of the book but not enjoying it.

I'm sorry you didn't love the Ferrante. But if we all liked the same books, discussions would be short and publishers could get away with only printing a few books a year.

>240 japaul22: This is a great review of Laxness' Independent People, and I'm going move this further along the tottering TBR pile.

#42 No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym
I love these books by Barbara Pym. I've read 4 now, and find them to be the perfect comfort read for me. Describing the plot makes them sound trite and sentimental (30-something women trying to come to terms with being single and on their own and finding love rather unexpectedly) but there is always a thread of humor and witty observation that I love.

Original Publication Date: 1961
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 254 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: needed a comfort read and "sure thing"

>248 japaul22:. I've only read A Glass of Blessings, but can understand how you feel about Pym's books. I may read one while I'm at Cape Cod next week.

#43 The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
The Optimist's Daughter is told from the point of view of Laurel, a 40 something year old woman working in Chicago who grew up in the small town of Mount Salus, Mississippi. She has returned to the South to be there for her father, who is having eye surgery. He ends up dying and the book becomes not only about his death, but also the death of Laurel's mother about ten years prior, and Laurel's husband who died in the war. There is conflict between Laurel and Fay, her father's new wife, but there is also support from the family friends from Mount Salus where Laurel goes for her father's funeral.

I found a lot to think about and a lot to enjoy in this slim novel by Eudora Welty. I'd never read anything by Welty before, and I loved the way she writes and the language and cadence she uses. This was a book that I slowed down for and read aloud in my head instead of speeding along.

Original Publication Date: 1969
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 177 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased used hardcover
Why I read this: 1001 books list and off the shelf

Sounds like an interesting writer. I've never heard of her, and yet she's on the 1001 list. Enjoyed your review - I think this is a book I would enjoy.

I haven't read anything by Eudora Welty in years, and I think I only read her short stories, but this sounds intriguing.

>250 japaul22: One I should read. I only discovered Welty two years ago, but have really liked what I have read since then. Does she spend much time on the Chicago part of the book? Part of what I like so much is her depiction of the south.

>251 AlisonY: I had heard of Eudora Welty as a Southern writer, but didn't know any of her works specifically. I picked this one because it's on the 1001 books list.

>252 rebeccanyc: I think that Welty is mainly known for her short stories, and I don't think she wrote a ton of novels, but I could be wrong about that. This read more like a long short story than a short novel to me.

>253 SassyLassy: No, the novel is very "southern" in feel and mainly takes place in the small Mississippi town that the main character grew up in. Chicago is only mentioned as the place she moved away to - none of the novel is set there.

After not liking a Toni Morrison novel, a friend suggested I should try Eudora Welty.

>255 baswood: I can kind of see that. They have in common that they are women writers writing about life in the South, but their styles are pretty different. I've only read this one book by Welty and I've read 4 or 5 by Morrison. Welty, in this book at least, is more understated. There was less overt tension and drama and her book focused on the white middle class. I connected Welty more with Harper Lee or a Southern version of Alice Munro. You would probably like Welty, but I also hope you give Morrison another chance!

Loved reading your review of Independent People - I had similar thoughts when reading it. I need to read some more Laxness - also loved The Fish Can Sing although it was more small-scale and quirky compared to Independent People but was very, very puzzled by Under the Glacier. I was only about halfway through it and now can't find it.

Sorry to hear that My Brilliant Friend didn't work for you.

#44 The Queen's Man by Sharon Kay Penman
Well, I started reading this historical mystery series because I love Penman's historical fiction and I've read all of her books now. This mystery series is set in Eleanor of Aquitaine's time, when she is ruling England in her son, King Richard's stead, while he has been leading a Crusade. Bastard son of a Bishop, Justin de Quincy, finds his way into Eleanor's service and is requested to solve a mystery for her.

The mystery is weak, which I kind of expect in a historical mystery, but the historical detail was kind of weak as well. I find C.J. Sansom's series much more historically detailed and satisfying. I will probably read the next in this series of four books since I already own it, but I might not seek out the rest of the series.

Original Publication Date: 1996
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 290 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased used hardcover
Why I read this: craving some Penman and exhausted all of her historical fiction

>257 DieFledermaus: I'd be interested to try some other books by Laxness. I really enjoyed the different perspective. I can imagine how some of his other works could be puzzling. There were a lot of things about Independent People that I found puzzling as well!

I really think I need to try Sharon Kay Penman. I love historical fiction.

>260 NanaCC: Colleen, her books are long, but they read quickly. I'd recommend starting with The Sunne in Splendour - it's my favorite of her books.

>261 japaul22: are they all stand alone?

>260 NanaCC: I like Here be dragons best. Not all of her books are stand alones. Some of them follow the some of the same characters through different books. But I would not suggest that they formed a series either. If that makes sense (probably not). I don't think that they would need to be read in any specific order.
The only one I've disliked was Time and Chance. The Sunne in Splendour leave me, at about 2/3 distance, not wanting to read the rest, you already know it's not a happy ending...

>263 Helenliz: & >261 japaul22:. I will look for both of those books. Thank you.

I really need to get to The Sunne in Splendour. Probably one for me to get in print, the audio book is just sooo long (I know the regular book is long, but I read print faster than audiobook readers talk).

>263 Helenliz: I also really liked the Welsh series that starts with Here be dragons.

>265 mabith: I'd be interested to know find out if you like Penman. It would definitely go a lot faster in print.

#45 Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
Well, it took until my seventh book by Atwood to finally find one I didn't like. Surfacing is the story of a young woman who goes to her father's backwoods cabin with three friends to try to find her father, who is reported missing. The interactions between the two couples and the woman's struggles to keep a grip on reality make up the bulk of the book. Actually, the best part was probably the descriptions of life out in the woods without a lot of gear.

I found that in the last third of the book, the plot moved too quickly into territory I hadn't really been prepared for and found the main character's actions a little unbelievable.

I don't think Atwood could write a bad book, but this one didn't meet the standards I have for her.

Original Publication Date: 1972
Author’s nationality: Canadian
Original language: English
Length: 199 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: used paperback
Why I read this: off the shelf, 1001 books, hadn't read at Atwood in a while

Well, it took until my seventh book by Atwood to finally find one I didn't like.

I didn't care for that one either, but I've since read things about it that make me think I should perhaps reconsider . . . one day I may reread it and give it another chance. Or not.

>268 Nickelini: I can't see myself giving this one another chance. But a "bad" Atwood is still not bad, it just didn't stand up to her other work. I think I remember seeing it was only her second novel. It just didn't seem as well developed as the other books by her that I've read.

#46 Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
This was different than I expected. Ethan Frome is a short novel, almost more of a short story in its focus on the lead up to a single disastrous event. Ethan Frome is an silent, old man with an almost failing farm and an old injury when we meet him at the beginning of the book. Then we get to hear the story leading up to his injury. You see Ethan Frome as a young man and a glimpse of what his life could have been. The whole thing is pretty depressing, especially when you are thrust back to the present day and realize what all the characters are like now.

It's all very hard to describe without giving away the plot, so I'll just say that I liked it. It's not my favorite Wharton, but it's a powerful, focused book that works really well. I found it strikingly different from her other works that I've read with its rural setting and male focus but it definitely still fits in with her other work in terms of unhappy marriage!

Original Publication Date: 1911
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 128 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle free book
Why I read this: felt like reading Wharton and 1001 books

Enjoyed your Wharton review, Jennifer. A have a few of her books on my TBR pile at the moment. This one wasn't on it, but I think I'll add it to my wish list. Sounds good.

I haven't gotten to any books by Wharton yet. Do you have a recommendation for a first read by her?

Meredith, I would start with Age of Innocence. I have also read House of Mirth and Custom of the Country. I loved all three of these, but I think Age of Innocence is probably the most mature of the three.

Age of Innocence is wonderful, but I think Custom of the Country is my favorite. House of Mirth is also very good. I don't think you can go wrong.

Good to know! Thanks to you both!

Looks like you have had a great month of reading so far. Enjoyed catching up with the Laxness and Welty, Wharton, etc.

>270 japaul22: Great review of Wharton! >273 japaul22: I too, would recommend beginning with Age of Innocence, although I liked House of Mirth best.

#47 We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
This book ended up being so much more than I thought it would be.

What I knew: a book about a high school boy who commits mass murder at his school, told from the point of view of his mother.

What I expected: a gruesome page turner with a mother trying to get her troubled son help throughout his childhood and being shoved aside at every turn and lots of hand-wringing about "what we could have done differently".

What I got: a smartly written, introspective book about the challenges of mothering a child whom you don't like from day one, made especially challenging by your husband's inability to admit that your son is anything but normal.

I'm really glad I finally read this. It's one of those books that raises many questions and no answers - I think it would make a great book club book. The book is a series of letters that the mother of Kevin writes to her husband, but the letters are obviously a sort of catharsis or attempt at self-discovery from the beginning. They are written in the years after Kevin commits murder and start at the beginning of the path to parenthood, analyzing their family up to Thursday, the day of the massacre. I imagine most readers fall into one of two camps - either thinking that this mother created Kevin by her lack of affection for him from day one, or thinking that Kevin really was born a monster. I do think the answer lies somewhere in between. In fact, I was most angry at the father in this book. I thought that if he had been able to admit that Kevin was different, they might have been able to get him some help at an earlier age. But, then again, who knows if that would have worked anyway?

There were some major aspects of the book that were fairly unbelievable to me. The parents are so obviously attached to one of their two children and disliked almost to hatred the other child (both choosing oppositely). This doesn't ring quite true to me. On the other hand, the whole voice of the mother must be understood as reflecting back on a time after already knowing what her son would do and become. That certainly must have given the author some freedom to read a bit more into events than the narrator may have actually done at the time.

Anyway, I know I'm talking in circles, but this book has me thinking that way, and I like it. I wish I'd done this one as a group read here. I think it would have made for some very interesting discussion.

Original Publication Date: 2003
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 400 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback at library sale
Why I read this: off the shelf

Glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer. It's a few years since I read this book, but I remember being blown away by it. So many books are enjoyable but forgettable - this one has stuck in my mind.

I was excited to read wnttak at some point and even acquired the book, but...not sure I want to go there just now. Seems to have gotten you thinking.

Excellent review of We need to talk about Kevin. I have the film recorded to watch next week, but I don't think that I will get round to reading the book.

>281 baswood: As much as I love, love, love Tilda Swinton, the book is much better than the film.

>279 AlisonY: I imagine this book being hard to forget, even with my terrible memory for book details.

>280 dchaikin: Definitely not an easy topic. I'm not sure what the right mood is for this book. One thing I was happy about was that even though its a sensational topic, the book somehow steers clear of the tabloid aspect that it could so easily have fallen in to.

>281 baswood: and >282 Nickelini: I didn't know there was a movie. I'm not much of a movie watcher so I'm not sure I'll get to it, but I'd be curious to hear what you think, Barry. Part of the beauty of the book for me was the language and writing style that the author gave to the mother. I'm not sure how a movie could capture it.

#48 Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People by Elizabeth Fenn

I have to admit to being a bit disappointed in this 2015 Pulitzer prize winner for nonfiction. Fenn has written a history of the Mandan people, a Native American tribe mainly located in North Dakota, by the Missouri River.

A lot of the information was interesting. I had never heard of the Mandans so I was starting from zero. They were a settled people, living in towns and growing corn with bison hunting on the side. Fenn details their farming practices and daily life in pretty good detail, including their interactions with various tribes around them. She shows how this interior, settled tribe was at the center of a trading ring that stretched to both coasts. Most of the book, though, is centered on roughly 1780-1830, the time when they started having more regular interaction with European settler and traders and when their thriving towns radically declined due to diseases, warfare by other tribes (namely the Sioux) which not only killed them directly but also affected their willingness to hunt bison, and interruption of their way of life by European settlers through the introduction of rats that ate their corn stores and steamboats that decimated the already scant supply of wood.

All of this information was interesting to me, but I was hoping for more insight into their way of life before the interruption of Europeans. I suppose its still just not really available and may never be. That was disappointing though. However, my main complaint was not with the information provided but the writing style. Fenn has broken her book into tiny sections within each part, severely impacting the flow of the prose. Within each chapter, there are headings starting every few paragraphs, most of which I felt could have been summed up in a topic sentence rather than separating out so many ideas. I also didn't like that she inserted herself into the book, referencing her own experience researching the book several times. I have enjoyed other books that make the author's journey a part of the text (I'm thinking of Tony Horwitz), but she didn't commit to it enough for it to make sense. By throwing in a few references only to herself, she just confused the issue and interrupted the flow.

Overall, I think this is probably a good addition to the writings on the American Indians and I was glad to learn about a group of people I hadn't heard of, but the book had something lacking that made it rather unsatisfying to me.

Original Publication Date: 2015
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 480 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle from library
Why I read this: new book I was interested in

Have you read 1491? It's been out awhile, but I remember it as being very interesting and giving a good picture of American Indians pre-Columbus. The follow-on book was terrible, though.

Years ago I stumbled across George Catlin's journals blindly and got caught up in them. I can't imagine having that response today. He loved the Mandans and made them into something fascinating. Too bad about the quality and timeline, but I would gladly listen to this on audio for the information and to learn something about how reliable Catlin was.

>285 karspeak: I've not read 1491. Maybe I'll see if the library has it on audio. It sounds interesting and I remember seeing it around.

>286 dchaikin: Interesting that you've actually read George Catlin's journals! I had never heard of him. I think you might like this much more than I did with some background info already. I'd be curious to hear your reaction!

Here is my half way through the year roundup. I have read 40 books and listened to 8 audiobooks. That’s 15,258 pages - about 84 pages a day. Average book length 381 pages.

I’m a little behind on my books off shelf challenge. I want to read 10% more books off the shelf or kindle than books that I buy this year. I’ve bought 33 books so I’d like to read about 36 books of the shelf. Right now I’ve read 31, so I guess that isn’t too far behind.

Decades read from
2015 - 3
2010s - 11
2000s - 7
1990s - 3
1980s - 2
1960s - 2
1970s - 3
1940s - 1
1950s - 3
1930s - 1
1920s - 2
1910s - 1
1900s - 2
1890s - 1
1880s - 2
1860s - 2
1810s - 2

Favorite fiction
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
Independent People by Halldor Laxness
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Favorite nonfiction
The Nine: Inside the Secret Life of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin
Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn

Least favorites
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

You're much more balanced than I am in reading books published in different years.

Before LT, I read almost exclusively classics, only British and American at that!, so I've come a long way. LT has really helped me find quality current writers.

>287 japaul22: I know you have another thread, but wanted to say I loved Catlin's journals. They were a real eye opener for me. But I couldn't recommend them because I would be afraid you would find them dull, or offensive or simply lies, all of which they may actually be.