kambrogi in 2008

Last year, I didn't shoot for 50, and came in at 39 in a slow-reading year. This year, I'm going for 50!

#1 All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West (January). My first reading from the Virago collection, this book was thoroughly entertaining and at the same time thought-provoking. It tells the story of a matriarch's surprising choices at the age of 89, after her husband passes away. It says a great deal about a woman's place in society when it was written (1931), but just as much about women today, acknowledging that our life choices are not only influenced by others' expectations and general happenstance, but by personal courage, as well. I like these characters -- neither simplistic nor always lovable, but real.

kambrogi, I recommend Sackville West's other books (for example The Edwardians), of which you can find many titles if you take a look at my catalogue, looking under "Vita Sackville-West". I have always liked the way she wrote, and in my opinion her writing was always kind of underestimated.

Thanks, aluvalibri, I will keep an eye out.

There is a Masterpiece Theater production of All Passion Spent with Dame Wendy Hiller that I enjoyed watching recently. Netflix has it.

Cool! Checking NetFlix ... got it! Thanks.

#2 The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (January). I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A thoughtful, multilayered plot that ties up neatly at the end, acted out by memorable characters. My review is here.

#3 My Father’s Rifle: A Childhood in Kurdistan by Hineer Saleem. A very short memoir that makes clear the pain and frustration of life for a boy growing up a citizen of a nation that exists only in its people’s dreams: Kurdistan. See citizenkelly’s excellent review

Wow, at this rate, you will read a lot more than 50! Good luck with the challenge.

Thanks for the encouragement, sussabmax. I suspect that setting the goal does speed up the pace a bit.

#4 Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. I wanted to read this for my library book club. They are doing Great Expectations, but since I have read it three times, I chose this related book instead. It tells of a teacher who uses Dickens' Great Expectations to teach life and literature to a group of children on an isolated, war-torn island in the South Pacific. I could relate; as a young teacher, I chose Great Expectations as a text for my middle school students (a mixed bunch of many nationalities in Cameroon) . What a wonderful experience we shared.

ETA to add review here

#5 The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Wow. This book is stunning, a brilliant piece of work. I found myself unable to put it down, and I regretted that it was finished when I turned the last page. It will take something very, very good to top this as my #1 book of 2008.

My review is here.

I am just trying to reference my reviews on their book pages for the first time. Does anyone know if this link will continue to lead to my review when others have posted newer ones on the same book?

>11 kambrogi:

No, it won't. See that paper-clip type looking thing at the bottom of your review? That's the permanent link. Click on that, and you get /work/409/reviews/25480200

If you link to that, you are linking to the permanent page for your review.

Thanks, christiguc -- I'll need to change all these links, but better now than along about June!

Good to hear your thoughts on The Blind Assassin. I keep moving that one down Mount TBR, but will start moving it up now that I know how much you liked it.

I've had The Blind Assassin in my TBR pile for a couple of years and had forgotten about it! I was just thinking before I got on that I should line up my next 2 or 3 reads, thanks for the comments on it, I'll plan on reading it in Feb!

kambrogi: I'm enjoying your reading list. And yet. (From which novel have I stolen the latter two-word sentence?)

Oh Amanda, that's driving me nuts. I think I read that book recently ...

Aha! Keep thinking lindsacl...

Me too. aaaaggghhh....

Ooh, I know, I know! (puts finger over lips) Read it a couple of years back, and that feature of it stuck out to me--largely because it drove me crazy. :)

The Road?
This reminds me of the "first line" game in the What are you reading Now group ...

Amandameale, "And yet." comes from The History of Love. His speech was so distinctive, so perfect with those little bits. I'll never forget that voice.

I listened to The History of Love, which made the voice even more distinctive. I can still hear the narrator.

To catch up on my reading over the past 6 weeks or so:

#6 Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer (January). This is a real page-turner, but a respectable work of journalism. My review.

#7 Noah’s Ark by Barbara Trapido (January) A light and pleasant read. My review.

#8 At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman (February). Like the earlier Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, these light essays are delightful for their content but maybe more for the opportunity they offer to know Fadiman better. Ever since I read her brilliant The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, I have been a devoted fan. My review.

#9 Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (February). This was a reread, but it has been about 20 years since the first time, so I felt I was discovering it fresh, and enjoyed it very much. My review.

#10 The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly (February). This is the second time I have read this book in the past five months, and I loved it even more the second time through -- which is saying a lot. What a spectacular story this is. However, a warning: it has made me even more vulnerable to Amnesty International donation requests. My review from last September.

Nice to have you back, kambrogi, and to catch up with your reading! Well done!

#11 The River Why by David James Duncan (February). When I was a young college student, books of this sort were often stuck in the back pockets of our jeans, read and reread, shared and passed on to friends. Paperbacks where smaller in those days, so they fit our pockets, and the books we carried were the ones that inspired us, the ones that seemed to summon universal truths in a language that we understood: Stranger in a Strange Land, Slaughterhouse-Five, Siddhartha, or perhaps something by Carlos Castenada, Ken Kesey or Rachel Carson. These were neither scholarly nor religious texts, but nonetheless they were books that might guide us. I enjoyed The River Why , but I would have really loved it in those days. Nowadays, Duncan's The Brothers K speaks more eloquently to me, but the lessons are much the same.

My review.

#12 My Place by Sally Morgan (February). My Review

I'm currently reading At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays and throroughly enjoying it.

>28 amandameale:: amandameale, I just bought a copy of that book!!

I'll look forward to your final comments when you finish, amandameale and lindsacl.

#13: The Leopard by Gieuseppe di Lampedusa (March) An exceptional book! My Review

#15 Dream of a Thousand Lives: A Sojourn in Thailand by Karen Connelly (March). Originally published in Canada as Touch the Dragon: A Thai Journal, a far more appropriate title, to my mind. Although I am no fan of travel memoirs, I picked this up after reading Connelly’s brilliant first novel, The Lizard Cage. I was not disappointed! It resonated with my own visits to Thailand, and yet there is so much more here than any tourist can ever know. Marvelous, insightful, inspiring. My Review

A Note: I have posted my reviews for the last two books, as well. See above for links.

#16 Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. Mixed reviews on this one, perhaps partly because it is rather short and so somewhat abbreviated for a story of this potential depth. My review.

I am trying the ticker idea:

Finished #17 Time and Again by Jack Finney I enjoy time-travels stories, so I dug into this one expecting some good fun. Alas, it was not as exciting as I had hoped, although it might appeal to some -- especially history buffs who are long-time residents of New York! My review

Thanks for the review of the Karen Connelly book - which has now moved up a notch on my TBR pile.

#28 & 29: that's what I've just started too!
#31: I am in love with The Leopard, which I'm reading at work. What a fantastically well written book.

Thanks for the comments, karenwardill and tiffin. I will be interested in reading your reviews of Dream of a Thousand Lives and The Leopard! I am just getting ready to post some more reviews, myself.

I have edited messages 33 and 34 above to include my comments/links to reviews of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress and Time and Again.

I have just finished #18: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I was not much of a fan of McCarthy's after reading All the Pretty Horses, but this book really impressed me. It is such a dark tale that I found I couldn't read it before bedtime without having nightmares, however I found it excellent, beautiful, haunting, and thought-provoking. I would love to discuss it, and its meanings, with others. My review

That is a book that I really must read, Kathi. I have read The Pesthouse by Jim Crace and really intended to get to the American comparable. Thanks for the review.

Hmm, perhaps I should read that one, too, karenwardill. Although too much of this sort of thing in a row can be rather depressing. Obama (his two books are my current reads) is something of an antidote. In any case, I would really like to hear your comparison of the two.

#19 Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama (mostly March). This well-written memoir is a good read if you want to get to know this man better. It is astonishingly honest and forthcoming -- not always showing its author in a positive light -- but it is interesting to see where he has come from and how he got here. My review

kambrogi, I read Dreams from my Father in January, having picked it up on impulse in a library booksale last October. For me it "worked" because it was written years before his run for the presidency. On that basis I felt it gave me more insight to the "real Barack" than if he'd written it specifically to accompany his campaign. BTW, I've not yet read his latest, The Audacity of Hope.

Yes, I remember seeing that on your 50 Book Challenge thread, lindsacl, and I agree that it is very non-political. I've started The Audacity of Hope, and find it gives insight into his ideas about government and how it should work. It is intelligent and thoughtful, and has helped me to see things with a new perspective, however it is not exactly pleasure reading for me -- as fiction is! That's why I am going at it bit by bit.

#20 Gone for Good by Mark Childress (April). I read this because I wanted a break from more serious fare, but did not enjoy it as much as I have other Childress books. Too heavy on the magical and not enough of the realism. I suspect it would appeal to someone who likes more humor in their fiction than I do, and someone who can enjoy the antics of a rather immature adult male protagonist -- a fan of Sideways comes to mind. My review.


20 / 50 words. 40% done!

Kathy - thanks for the great reviews. I never read Sideways but watched the movie and am one of few who did not enjoy it (at all).

Ditto, karenwardill -- never read it, but hated the movie. We are in the minority! Thanks for the kind comments, as well.

That makes three of us. Found nothing redeeming about it at all.

Hey, my compadres ... why am I not surprised that, once again, we see eye to eye? :-)

#21 Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (April). This was certainly an interesting read, and a surprising winner of the Booker Prize. I think it is a work of talent, but at the same time it is not entirely pleasant to go through, and I am not sure it is entirely in the Booker tradition, either. It overlapped 'way too much with the last book I read -- "Southern American adolescent (in trouble), with crazy mother and lost father, heads for Mexico" -- but it is a far superior work to Gone for Good. Do read My Review. I would like to know what others think.

Now, for something more serious ...

Very interesting review, Kambrogi. I have been meaning to read this book for a long time, but always move it down the pile - I think it is because of the swearing content. Always hate reading oaths and defintely have to be in the right mood for social satire.

It is interesting to note the wide ranging star ratings of the book - shows how controversial it is.

Yes, I think it is a book one would either love or hate. I respected it, but didn't entirely enjoy it.

#22 Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. I picked this book up late Friday afternoon, and finished it this morning -- what a fun read! Published in 1970, it was a breath of fresh air after reading so many more recent novels. Today one often feels manipulated by literature, cheap tricks being employed to keep one turning the pages even if the book is not so appealing. This book reminds me of Dickens -- well told, beautifully structured, with a fascinating story and wonderful characters. And a touch of mystery and meaning to stay with you at the end. What reader could ask for more? Check out my review.

I am a quarter of the way through Fifth Business and am also really enjoying it so far. Totally agree with the comment 'breath of fresh air'..... also good to read books that stand the test of time instead of wading through prize winner after prize winner that falls short of the mark for me!!!

I sometimes feel these very contemporary novels are designed to shock and entertain with very uncomfortable themes taken to the nth degree - I don't want to read anymore about incest or marital abuse or sexual deviancy for a while. Its getting too much. Sort of like the movies - more in your face, shock value to entertain, more sensational, - but lacking a more substantive literary something. Emotional bear-baiting!?!

Sorry - Kambrogi - not meaning to whine, but rather to agree.

I will reserve reading your review for when I am finished!

Totally agreeing with you, karenwardill, and kambrogi about Fifth Business and about some contemporary novels!

Ditto

kambrogi, I too am enjoying Fifth Business, feels so straightforward. Does it remind you a bit of Duncan's The Brothers K? Just stylistically it keeps reminding me of that book.

I too will wait to read the review until I finish; I'm whipping right through it.

Hmm, interesting comment, teelgee! I did not notice a similarity. Let me give it some thought.

#23 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. This is a bit of a shocker, because this dystopian world, born out of Atwood's 1986 mind, is uncomfortably close to life today, not only in the US, but in fundamentalist Muslim countries abroad. We are not so different as we would like to believe. (The photo below will take you to the book and my review.)

23 / 50 words. 46% done!

#24 Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Is there any more pleasant place to spend a day or two than in the world of Jane Austen? Especially when the little volume that fits so well in your hand is covered in leather, with letters on its spine in gold? My review

Posting my review for The Handmaid's Tale now, #23 above.

Oooh, I'm a bit jealous about the "feel" of your Jane Austen book. But I love reading JA even if it's an old beat-up paperback!

Btw, thank you for mentioning this group to me several weeks ago. I've enjoyed reading the different threads, and have gotten many excellent book suggestions.

Have you not started your own thread here yet, Donna828? I know you keep your own records, but posting your reading would be fun for us! (If you have one, I shall go in search of it.)

I was able to buy little "antique" (50-90 year-old) copies of classics in used book stores in South Africa for a song ($6-10). They are really charming, fit the hand perfectly, and have the aura (and aroma!) of the past.

I have posted a few times here, kambroqi. My thread is "feeling challenged." Drop by for a visit anytime. :-)

I totally agree about holding an old, leathery and aromatic copy of a good book, Kambrogi.

And surprisingly, they can be more inexpensive than a modern paperback!

I will look out for Donna828's thread here in the future!!

Kambrogi, you've touched a tender spot in me: that love of an old leather bound book. My Essays of Elia by Lamb is a treasured favourite, not the least because of its feel, heft and scent. I would just adore my Jane Austens to be in similar bindings. Lucky you!

Hey, it is great to hear your agreement, Donna828, Karenwardill and tiffin. My mother hated the smell of old books, but to me it is perfume! I will confess that I believe the little volume in question is probably not real leather, and published in 1961 (which seems to me to be yesterday), but the "feel" is the same as a true antique.

How many times have my daughter and I shared a moment over an old book, riffling the pages and one of us saying to the other "Smell this!". Perfume indeed.

*smiling and nodding*

#25 Kate Vaiden by Reynolds Price (April). With its Southern voice and spunky female protagonist, this novel was bound to please me. I enjoyed the reading, but must say I felt some reservations about the protagonist, who lacked some essential quality -- a sense of duty? conscience? morality? I couldn't hep but wonder if Reynolds Price imagined a woman he would like to meet, rather than one who was likely to exist. (Yes, I see my own gender bias, but it seems called for here, perhaps.)

My review


25 / 50 words. 50% done!

kambrogi, I have finally gotten a chance to get over here and read through your thread. Great reads, I concur on many of them (particularly the Atwoods and The History of Love which I read and listened to!)

K, come over to the gathering place thread to introduce yourself!

Ooops! I have fallen behind in my record-keeping! Three books to catch up on:

#26 Digging to America by Anne Tyler. I read this a while ago and forgot to document it. I liked it so much that I passed it right off to a friend. I love the way it examines immigrant life in America, and compares it to the difficulties of multigenerational Americans attempting to parse their identities in our multicultural stew. My Review

#27 Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. It is hard to understand how this was not a huge award-winner when it was published in 1993. It is a beautifully written tale, well-researched and brought to astonishing life, as it weaves together the suffering of WWI with a moving romance and its optimistic outcome a generation later. Marvelous. My review.

#28 Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. Another war story! I must say that a well-written tale of war is almost guaranteed to offer the depth and significance that I look for in my reading. Along with a certain amount of senseless tragedy. Maybe because I am a pacifist, and war fiction so often supports my point of view -- even if inadvertently -- I am rather partial to it? Hmmm. Anyway, I thought this one was a good book, a mother-daughter tale of WWII with a couple of twists. My review.


28 /50 books. 56% done!

#29 Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America by Mike Yankoski. I'd hoped to use this book as a source of information on homelessness for my own writing. I did learn a few things in that regard, but mostly I had my eyes opened to the sincerity of a young Christian man whom I at first judged rather harshly. I read outside my comfort level and in the end I was glad I did. My review.

#30 Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez. Garcia's magical realism is more disturbing than charming here, but the tale is a moving one as it challenges love and faith in unpredictable ways. I enjoyed it. My review.


30 / 50 books. 60% done!

Good going, kambrogi, more than halfway there and it's not even June! Some wonderful reads and reviews here.

Thanks, Teelgee. I seem to be stuck in a certain sort of reading loop -- community service or religious commitment or something else I can't quite figure out. I am reading Three Cups of Tea now, about a man from a missionary family who builds schools in Pakistan, and have Peace Pilgrim on my bedstand, about a woman who gives up all worldly possessions and walks the US, spreading peace. And all of it is nonfiction ... what's happening to me? :-)

Ebb and flow, ebb and flow. I've heard all good things about Three Cups, I plan to read it soon.

#31 Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I am riding high after reading this incredible book. It's always gratifying to see support for something you've always believed, so Greg Mortenson’s story of working to remedy the needs of Pakistan’s people through building schools – and the positive effects of that initiative – is especially exciting for me. I have always believed that Pakistan’s #1 problem was illiteracy, which puts the people at the mercy of the equally-poorly educated mullahs and the rumor-mill that often serves these people as news, as well as the madrassas that educate them with an eye toward terrorism. Mortenson shows it’s true, but he is also doing something to fix it.

Mortenson says it best:

I don’t do what I’m doing to fight terror. I do it because I care about kids. Fighting terror is maybe seventh or eight on my list of priorities. But working over there, I’ve learned a few things. I’ve learned that terror doesn’t happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren’t being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death.

If we try to resolve terrorism with military might and nothing else, then we will be no safer than we were before 9/11. If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a war that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs.

And from one of his Pakistani friends, Brigadir General Bashir Baz:

Osama, bah! Osama is not a product of Pakistan or Afghanistan. He is a creation of America. Thanks to America, Osama is in every home. As a military man, I know you can never fight and win against someone who can shoot at you once and then run off and hide while you have to remain eternally on your guard. You have to attack the source of your enemy’s strength. In America’s case, that’s not Osama or Saddam or anyone else. The enemy is ignorance. The only way to defeat it is to build relationships with these people, to draw them into the modern world with education and business. Otherwise the fight will go on forever.”

My review.

I have this book waiting for me and now it will be moved way up the pile. Thanks, Kambrogi. I really like the anti-war message.

Glad I've inspired you to read it, kiwidoc -- I know I will be pushing this book on everyone I see for a while!

We have it loaned out but as soon as it comes home I'll read it. Have heard nothing but great things about it.

Thanks kambrogi, I am inspired to read this now too. (looking nervously at my TBR pile - if it falls over, I may be killed as I sleep)

kambrogi - I completely agree - Three Cups of Tea is such an inspiring book. The thing that struck me most about the book is that the differences between our culture ("our" here being U.S. culture, since I'm in the midwest) and the culture of the different groups of Pakistanis and Afghanis is not always in our favor. The juxtaposition between the way the Americans treated Mortenson when he came to present his case, and the way Pakistani leaders treated him is particularly revealing.

Yes, I very much agree, jfetting. I used to live in Pakistan, and I have to say that this is the first thing I've read (or seen in the media) that shows Pakistanis as I knew them -- intelligent, gracious, hospitable, generous and kind. The wisdom the elders shared patiently with a young man trying to do good was so true to what I experienced, as was the protective instinct that made them willing to lay down their lives for him. The fierce insulated tribalism of the Northwest Frontier (where he was imprisoned) was true, as well, so I felt the book was balanced and accurate.

Latest reads:

#32 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. It took me forever to engage with this book. It read too much like a strained attempt at a pop-culture Hispanic teen voice, and also echoed so much current literature/film about adolescent boys whose Big Life Quest is to get laid. Yawn.

HOWEVER, now that I have finished it, I don’t feel the same way. It will never speak to me as well as The Catcher in the Rye, which is more timeless, more universal, and also annoyingly adolescent if you read it at the wrong time in your life. However, if you are young and bright, Oscar Wao could very well rock your boat. I have three twenty-something sons who will probably eat it up. My review.

#33 With Option to Die by Richard Lockridge. A light, quick mystery that took me back to the 60's, and has some great pet descriptions.

#34 GirlBomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir by Janice Erlbaum. This is another book I read for research into homelessness that really does not suit the purpose, as Erlbuam never really slept on the street. However, it is an interesting, well-written memoir of youthful self-destruction. My review.


34 / 50 books. 68% done!

Looks like I may read more than 50 books this year ...

Great progress, kambrogi! I like your take on Oscar Wao, and applaud your persistence in getting through it!

Oh, I thought you finished it, too, lindsacl, although I knew you didn't like it. I am really glad I finished it -- it actually inspired me, intellectually and as a writer. Diaz is really a sharp, literarily astute guy -- it just wasn't immediately apparent to someone like me, who doesn't speak the language!

I followed amandameale's lead and assessed my progress on reading choices. I had hoped to significantly reduce my TBR pile by not buying new books (unless for a book clubs or research, when the library didn't have them) and by letting books go without finishing them when I really did not like them. I have been disappointed in my progress. Even though I bought no new books except as allowed, I received and read a lot of new books anyway (gifts and library books), and haven't chosen from the TBR pile that much!

Read this year:
New books: 11
Borrowed books: 9
TBR: 11
Reread from my collection: 2

And I only put down two books I didn't like -- I persevered on all the others (about 5). But I don't regret most of those.
I also miscounted my books read, so I have only read 33, not 34 (in case anyone is doing the math!)

Another negative review for Oscar Wao. Thank goodness that's one book I won't feel compelled to buy.

These last two books were outstanding! The images below will take you to my full reviews.



#34: The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. This book about infidelity and its consequences really knocked my socks off. It is a powerful journey through the mind of a frivolous young woman who grows a conscience. Highly recommended.



#35: The Red Rose Girls: An Uncommon Story of Art and Love by Alice A. Carter. I was very impressed by this beautiful and informative nonfiction book about three women artists in turn-of-the-century Philadelphia. The route these women took in pursuing their art together, living and working together at a time when most women were expected to marry and bear children, is fascinating and inspiring.


35 / 50 books. 70% done!

I also miscounted my books read, so I have only read 33, not 34 (in case anyone is doing the math!)
Ahem, I was gonna say... you know how those Thread Police can be! ;o)

*Snort* The thread police have followed me here? Ohmygod, better hide the naughty books.

Funny story:
My mother once owned a used bookstore in a small Oklahoma town. One day a regular customer, a highly-regarded gentleman in the community, was browsing, then asked her -- in confidential tones -- if she had any "adult" books. She told him, with a guileless smile, that all the books in the store were for adults, except the children's section at the back. He looked a bit perturbed. Then she said, "Mac, do you mean dirty books?" Shocked, then ashamed, he nodded. She said, "Well, those are right here, under the counter!" She pulled them out for his inspection.

After he made his purchases, he swore her to secrecy. He didn't want his wife to find out!

Great story!

Thanks, Amanda.
I've been too busy reading to post reviews lately. To update:



#36 In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Since I’m not generally a mystery reader, it takes a good one to catch my fancy. This first in a 6-book series definitely is one of those. I thoroughly enjoyed its two primary characters, especially the tough-but-tender ex-Army pilot who has become an Episcopal minister -- and is a woman! Click on book cover to see my review.



#37 Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Even if I didn't especially like time-travel books, this combination sci-fi/historical novel would have been a fantastic read. I couldn't put it down, and spent a couple of days buried in it. Then I walked around the house saying, "Wow, what a terrific book!" for a couple of hours after that. This will definitely be one of my favorites of the year. Click on book cover to see my review.



#38 The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. I read this after a wonderful experience with Maugham’s The Painted Veil. I found it fascinating, but not entirely satisfying. I have never enjoyed a story narrated by a disinterested secondary character, as this one is. Although used by many great authors (Styron, Fitzgerald, Roth), the narrative form guarantees a certain distance from the protagonist and his/her emotions that I find frustrating. Nonetheless, a very compelling story survives the cool treatment here. Click on book cover to see my review.


38 / 50 books. 76% done!

Ooo, Doomsday Book is tempting...not usually my favorite genre, but if you liked it.... maybe a good winter read.

Look at you fly through those books! 76% - wow.

Yes, Teelgee, I do seem to be reading a lot. So many good books lately.

I don't know for sure about Doomsday Book for you, but I think that because the future is not so futuristic and the past is so accurate to the period, you would not find it too sci-fi, but perhaps more in line with an historical novel. What makes it so good is the characters, of course, and that should make it worth your while. A warning: it is long and the middle can seem extended -- lots of tension-building -- but it has such a great payoff that all that was forgotten when I got to the end!

MaggieO says it is one of her favorite books.

So, did you read To Say Nothing of the Dog by Willis? I didn't like that, but I think I might like other books by Willis, so I was wondering if you could compare.

I think I am going to have to try out the Julia Spencer-Fleming series, too. I have heard lots of good things about her, and I need a new mystery series. You know, because I only have about 140 books on the TBR list....

Haha, sussabmax, I hear you. That ol' TBR pile ...

Someone just sent me To Say Nothing of the Dog, and I can see it is quite different from Doomsday Book, but haven't delved in yet. Will definitely report on it when I know, but looking at your favorite authors, I am going to guess that you would like DB.

I've been too busy to post, or even look in on my LT communities, but here is my reading:



#39 Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimanmanda Ngozi Adichie (July) This book about the Biafran War brought back powerful memories of my years across the border in Cameroon, several years later, where Igbo people had fled and still lived. An excellent, multi-viewpoint account of this complex conflict. Image linked to my review.



#40 The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (July/August). Definitely fascinating if women's history and culture appeal to you. The story had a weakness, I thought, but it was still a very good read. Image linked to my review.



#41 The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (August). I am a big fan of Larson's narrative nonfiction since reading Isaac's Storm, about the 1900 hurricane that wiped out Galveston, Texas. This one came highly recommended, and I really enjoyed it. Image linked to my review.



#42 Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell by Jane Golden (September). Since I live near Philadelphia, and am continually fascinated by murals (hunted down scads in San Francisco a couple of summers ago), I had to read this. It's really good, if you are interested in Philadelphia's outdoor murals, and why they have more than any other city in the world. Image linked to my review.



#43 Measuring Time; a novel by Helon Habila (September). This one was not all I had hoped, but it held my interest. Image linked to my review.

I am also spending a lot of time reading books for research: On Grief and Grieving, On Death and Dying, The Worst Loss: How Families Heal from the Death of a Child, tough material. I may choose a lighter novel to partner next with these.

ETA: Link to review and comment for Measuring Time. Click on picture.

Gotta give myself credit:


43 / 50 books. 86% done!

Nice work kambrogi! I'm glad to see that even if you're not here with us, at least you're reading ... !!

Once again, lindsacl and I are on the same wavelength. Sometimes I get there first, and sometimes she's the one. As she said, I'm very glad that in your busy schedule you're finding the time to read.

>101 laytonwoman3rd:: scary.

Hey kambrogi, I just realized that your first book of the year is the one I just finished: All Passion Spent. I loved it, too !

Thanks for the comments, lindsacl and laytonwoman3rd. Nice to know you are following each other around, and me. Could it be a geographic location thing?

I realized I forgot a book in my earlier listing, and have one other to review. Soon ...

Could it be a geographic location thing? Or maybe it's height. We all see eye to eye ... :-)

Hey, this is really weird. I can't post at the end of my thread any more, just here. And my last edit just didn't show up. Weird. The last post kinda killed off my thread, yesterday. Ouch!

I forgot I read this one in August:



#44 Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro My first Ishiguro, but not my last. There is something so quietly powerful in his style, something so universal in his deeply interior characters. Image linked to my review.

ETA: It seems to be fixed now, as the new post showed up at the end, instead of several posts back, where I put it. I guess that was predictable.

I hear the sound of me getting closer, and closer ... maybe I should set a new goal.


44 / 50 books. 88% done!

Glad you like Ishiguro kambrogi - he's become one of my favorite authors. Wait till you read Remains of the Day!!!!! Fabulous.

I always feel pretty confident I will like a writer if you do, teelgee!

#45 On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler. This was rather a disappointing read, although it might have value for someone who has lost a loved one. Image linked to my review.



#46 The Tenth Circle byJodi Picoult. Reasonably entertaining, well-crafted, but not nearly as complex and multi-layered as I had hoped. The most thoughtful part was the pages of graphic novel interspersed with text. This is my first, and probably my last, by Jodi Picoult, but I am sure many would thoroughly enjoy this family drama crossed with a murder mystery. Image linked to my review.


46 / 50 books. 92% done!

46 out of 50 eh? So now you only have to read one book every 3.5 weeks. I guess you can sit back and take it easy!

Or take up knitting.

Or stamp collecting.

Or set a new goal.

What'll it be?

Or come play with us!

Ooh, that's tempting, girls. Play sounds like a foreign concept. However, you know I actually like to read, so I shall just keep on going. Wonder how many I can read in a year? We'll see. I moved my TBR's to new shelves yesterday, and realized how many books I want to read. Wish I could read one a day, and sorry I wasted time on Picoult. I still have the nice, fat pile of birthday books. As soon as I finish this Erdrich, The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse (yummy) ...

Oh, I have that one on my shelf, it's the one Erdrich I haven't read. Is it good then?

It is marvelous, teelgee. I am near the end now, and have found it so satisfying. Not an easy read, but a deep and meaningful one.

As usual, it's good to read your reviews.

Thanks, amandameale. I have read three books since last checking in. Here they are:



#47 The Last Report on the Miracles of Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich (September) This one knocked my socks off. It will be in my top ten for sure this year. Top five, probably. Or four ... you get the idea. Image linked to my review.



#48 Amongst Women by John McGahern (September) A gift from a dear friend, this one is sad and thoughtful, but beautifully written. A brilliant picture of family life, and how men and women often find themselves codependent in ways they don't even understand. Image linked to my review.



#49 When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka (September) Another gift from a dear friend. A small and subtle piece of outstanding writing about one of the darker moments in American history. Image linked to my review.


49 / 50 books. 98% done!

What's that????

I'm guessing she read her 50th book?

That looks like a splattered mushroom to me...;-)

Haha! Actually, I was trying out fireworks gifs for *somebody's* birthday party, but didn't like any, so went with chocolate cake. I will leave it, though, as my 50th book is on its way, and it's never too early to start a party!

My imagination went somewhere else...it involved a fan...

Ha ha ha ha!!!!! So much for my 'splattered mushroom'!

Those fireworks gifs only look good with a black background. I probably need lindsacl or teelgee to provide a good one for me when my 50th book is in the bag. *hint, hint*

ETA: Oh, laytonwoman3rd, I finally got it! That took a while ... either it was over my head, or just too low ...

Low. It was verrry low. Sorry!

Oh, no. Now that is all I can see when I look at it! Gross! :-)

Definitely hitting the fan. Mushrooms involved only that they grow in it.

Those last three books sound wonderful. Can you lend me fifty bucks?

Sure, amandameale, why not go for $100, since we're talking virtual cash here? Oops, I guess you can't buy real books with virtual money, huh?

I could virtually buy them and then virtually read them?

I used to do that in school.

Wow, you could read hundreds of books a year that way!

I have fallen a bit behind on reviewing. Here are the last two, and there will be one more in a day or so.



#50 The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein (October) This one was a gift, and certainly played to my interest in art. Image linked to my review.



#51 A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Foregiveness by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela (October) I had read an excerpt from this book a couple of years ago and thought it brilliant. The book didn't let me down. As a meditation on evil and the nature of forgiveness, based on experiences in South Africa, it is intelligent and powerful. Image linked to my review.

Okay, my techie friends, I am looking for a good fireworks gif now that I have passed the 50-book mark!

Not a tech friend, Kambrogi, but a big congratulations on passing the 50 mark. With all your other commitments, that is a big one.

Thanks for the great reviews. I read your take on The Painter from Shanghai with interest, but noted that you did not rate it out of 5.

Lovely, LW3rd! Thanks! I realize that 50 is rather paltry for most of you big readers, but it is probably a first for me, at least since my college days. Not sure, since last year was my first year to count, and I read less than usual.

Kiwidoc, I enjoyed The Painter from Shanghai, and think others would, too, but it does not have the complex literary depth that my 4 and 5 point choices usually do. It did not leave me much to chew on afterward.

Congratulations kambrogi! 50 is quite a milestone -- just think, that's a book a week in a full year ... I wonder where you'll end up by December 31?

Congrats kambrogi! Well done!

Bravaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, thank you! *bows*

And now for an encore:



#52 The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper (October). This seems to be the year for me to read African tales. This memoir about Liberia was recommended to me by two friends in different parts of the world on the same day! For me, it was especially interesting to read in such detail about a place where I lived – right down to my neighborhood, the school where I taught and the grocery store where I shopped. It is no literary masterpiece, but it definitely does the job it sets out to do. Image linked to my review.

I decided to set a new goal of 60, so I can keep using those cute little progress markers:


52 / 60 books. 87% done!

Way to go, kambrogi! Don't compare yourself to those who are reading 100 books or more a year--just think, a majority of people read less than 4 books in a year. To most people, you are an incredibly prolific reader! And, it looks like you are reading some great stuff, so just enjoy, ;-).

Brava, cara! Given your busy life, this is a real accomplishment.

Thank you, sussabmax, for the heartening words. I feel pretty good about the number I have read (more than the typical US average of 7), but of course the main reason to read it that it is so much fun!

Tiffin, thank you. I hope I never get too busy to read -- that is really my #1 favorite leisure activity, and everybody needs some leisure, no? Hope you are enjoying yours these days.

The US average is only 7 books? How sad.

I don't know where I heard that, LA12Hernandez, and now I am thinking that it may not be accurate. There are a couple of good articles here about American reading habits, and they are both somewhat more positive than that statistic, but neither actually refutes that average:

Over One-Third of Americans Read More Than Ten Books in Typical Year

One in Four Read No Books Last Year

Actually I believe that average. I use to be a teacher's helper for my son's class. Once she asked the kids to get their families to read together for one hour a week. She got so many complaints from parents she had to drop it as a class project. For those of us who wanted to do it got extra credit.

That is so, so sad, but then I don't think you can get the whole family to comply with one child's homework requirements, no matter how fundamentally important. I remember teachers setting homework for me, the parent, and I did resent it enormously at the time.

If you consider that kids watch hours of TV and video games every day. it is such a shame that books have taken a back seat at home. If the parents don't read, it is likely the kids won't either.

I appreciate what you both say -- parental homework is a terrible burden, especially on working parents, and yet an hour a week of oral reading should not be so tough to carry off. Kids are so "scheduled" these days, aren't they?

To veer off-topic, I think reading aloud is so wonderful! We continued to read aloud until my boys left home (oops, giving away my age!), and when they were in high school, they really enjoyed being the readers. This was especially popular for reading humorous books, or ones that need good oral reading to "fix" -- Huckleberry Finn, Dickens, Shakespeare. But then, we didn't always have television.

I read a marvelous essay by Roald Dahl when I was a young teacher, in which he advocated reading aloud in school, even to older students, so they could hear beautiful language; many cannot generate the sound in their heads, and this makes reading less pleasurable. So I did that, and my students loved it -- even the high school kids.

#53 Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner (October). I am slow getting around to reading this book, which won the Booker Prize in 1984. All I can say is, what took me so long? What a terrific little book this is! Image linked to my review.

kambrogi, what you say about reading out loud is so true. A couple of years ago at our annual Christmas potluck at work, a woman read the Polar Express out loud to us. I wish you could have seen 100 grown men and women hanging on every word and heard the collective sigh of pure pleasure at the story's end. People LOVE to be read to, no matter the age.

I loved Hotel du Lac too.

I didn't realize it until just now, but I really miss reading out loud, or being read to. My husband and I used to read to each other when we were in college, and taking some of the same literature courses. I read to my daughter well into her teens, and just last year when she was quite ill, I read to her again. It's an exceptional sharing experience. We often still read favorite stories aloud as a family around Christmas time.
And there are some things that just seem meant to be read aloud, as you mention in #154. In fact, I think Huckleberry Finn may have been the book we first read together in college, because my husband had trouble dealing with the dialect.

My husband will occasionally read passages of whatever he's reading aloud -- usually when it's something amusing like Wodehouse -- and rather than rolling my eyes in a "here he goes again" sort of way, I've started to slow down and just appreciate it . It's nice.

And kambrogi, I'm also glad you liked Hotel du Lac. It is indeed wonderful!

Hotel du Lac is in my TBR pile.

CONGRATS ON YOUR 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tiffin, your Polar Express story is delightful. I used to read that one aloud, too, but had to give it up because I tended to choke up on the last line ... hopelessly sentimental.

LaytonW3, My husband and I used to read Sherlock Holmes in bed at night, and I recently found out that my son and his true love do the same. Is this genetic?

I believe I heard of Hotel du Lac from one of you guys, lindsacl or tiffin perhaps. You never lead me astray!

Thanks, amandameale.

#54 Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout (October). Marvelous writing, brilliant character studies. I was jealous of Strout's skills and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Image linked to my review.

#55 The Gathering by Anne Enright (November). My latest book, the 2007 Booker Prize winner, is one I have looked forward to reading for a long time. It was another one of those birthday books from a dear friend (you know who you are). I have the highest regard for the book, although I have to admit I did not always feel like returning to it in the evening. The protagonist is an angry woman, and she seems incapable of sustaining loving thoughts for anyone: her beloved brother, her husband, her siblings, her mother ... etc. Maybe only her children receive her consistent love. That harsh tone sometimes made the book difficult to get through.

On the other hand, it was very true to its purpose, and I did not feel -- as so many did -- that there was too much emphasis on the penis. The penis was, after all, the point. :-) By weaving this obsession in throughout the story, the author made the character's problem clear before we knew what it was. That, from my point of view, is brilliant writing. Image linked to my review.

55 / 60 books. 92% done!

By weaving this obsession in throughout the story, the author made the character's problem clear before we knew what it was. Very well said, kambrogi. I've struggled to describe the importance of the "penis aspect" to those who haven't read the book, and even to some who have. You've found the words I couldn't !!

Thanks, lindsacl. It was a tough symbol for a woman writer to take on, as it often distracts a reader from the purpose that it serves -- which I don't think it would if it were written by/from the POV of a man. Kind of a shame, that.

#56 Hard Times by Charles Dickens (November). I vowed some time ago to read all of Dickens, but haven’t really done much about it recently. I got this one at the library book sale, my only purchase, for $.50 and it was worth that, and more! Image linked to my review.



#57 To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (November). Another classic, well worth the time it takes to work through Woolf’s dense and thoughtful style. Image linked to my review.



#58 Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples (November). I generally don’t enjoy Young Adult novels, but this YA book surprised me. It caught my interest and had me speeding through; then I ordered the sequel immediately from the library. It is no literary masterpiece, but it is a good read. Image linked to my review.

58 / 60 books. 97% done!

Hmmm ... I may have to set another goal soon.

I, too, want to read more of Dickens. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bleak House as a Group Read on LT several months ago. Perhaps I'll try for one Dickens per year. Hard Times looks like a good candidate.

Congrats on almost reaching your goal.

Just finally getting over here to see what you've been reading, kambrogi. I could comment but some of the books seem so long ago now:-)

Donna, I was so sorry I missed out on the Bleak House group read. That is one I want to get to. However, I should probably read the TBR's in my library first: Little Dorrit, The Old Curiosity Shop and The Pickwick Papers.

Well, avaland, when you read 100 a year, a few months is a lot of books and thus long ago! Some of my reading has been influenced by yours, I believe. I do think you would appreciate A Human Being Died that Night, as it comments on Africa as well as women, imho.

You remind me that there are several Dickens novels I haven't read...and I keep meaning to rectify that. Maybe that will be one of my goals for 2009! (Along with re-reading some more Faulkner, and maybe giving a couple of his early novels a go---I've never read either Pylon or Mosquitoes.) I sense some resolutions forming.

That sounds like a good goal, laytonW3, and I should do that, too -- both the Faulkner and the Dickens. Keep me posted when you take one on, as I could read along with you on either and we could chat accordingly.

I'm with you two re reading some Dickens I haven't tackled yet. 2009 will be the year.

Great, tiffin! Let's keep each other posted as we do it.

You're on!

#59 Haveli by Suzanne Fisher Staples (December). I really enjoyed whipping through this sequel to Shabanu. An entirely different area of Pakistan is described, and the story brings out the joys and miseries of life for young Pakistani women in an honest way, without portraying all men as villains. Image linked to my review.



#60 Journey to the Stone Country by Alex Miller (December). I am so glad I waited until the end of the year to post my favorite books for 2008, as this will definitely be one of them. It is a very quiet novel, but it gripped me in a powerful way. Although it provides insights into Australian culture, the parallels to American life are very strong, and ultimately, the vision is a quite uplifting. It had some similarities to both My Antonia and Animal Dreams, as well as Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose, however I liked it better than any of those. This would be a terrific book for discussion, imho. Thanks, Amanda, for this gift! Image linked to my review.

My second goal has been met, but I figure on one or two more books before the end of the year. I will post my end-of-year assessment when I have finished out the year.


60 / 60 books. 100% done!

Funny ... all my little tickers have disappeared from this thread ... ?

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

I look forward to reading Journey to the Stone Country. Thanks for the review!

Well done! You have reached your goal!

Thanks, englishrose60. I am feeling pretty good about that. I do think I will finish one more, maybe two, before the year is out. I am reading The Tenderness of Wolves right now.

CONGRATULATIONS Kathi on reaching your goal.

Your reviews are wonderful, very engaging.

There is going to be a big jump in Alex Miller's sales after your latest!!

Thanks, kiwidoc, for the congrats and kind comment on my reviews. I hope people enjoy Alex Miller as much as I do -- you know how different tastes can be. (Thanks for the thumbs-up on my review -- I assume that was you).

No it wasn't Kathi - but I am going there right now!!

I've been trying to track it down ever since I read your review, kambrogi. Have to get it from England, I think.

Tiffin, I found it on Amazon.com (the US one), and it is now on my wishlist. Try there.

It seems that it is mostly for sale at huge prices -- I found only two used copies for cheap at amazon. Paola, those will sell right out from under you if they are from the "new and used" listings and are sitting in your wishlist. Wonder why it has not been published here -- probably because it is very Australian and would seem to have limited appeal to foreigners.

They are still there, Kathi, I just checked.

I have another book by Alex Miller: Conditions of Faith, which I bought after my trip to Australia, many years ago, upon suggestion of Rod Jones, who is a friend of Miller's.
I have not read it - not yet - but prompted by your enthusiastic comment, I will go look for it.

Paola, I shall check that one out. Thanks for the tip.



#61 The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney (December). This was a good one. That perfect combination of beautiful writing, finely drawn characters, and a gripping, even thrilling, plot. Highly recommended. Thanks, teelgee! Image linked to my review.

Glad you liked The Tenderness of Wolves. I agree it was gripping. And couldn't you just feel the cold?

Yes, lindsacl, the cold was frightful. I had to swath myself in sweaters and blankets to get through it!

So far this year, these are my top favorites, in order:

1. The Blind Assassin
2. The Last Report on the Miracles of Little No Horse
3. Journey to the Stone Country
4. The Painted Veil
5. Birdsong

Other standouts, in no particular order:

Hotel du Lac
The Lizard Cage (second reading, last year's fave)
The Doomsday Book
Fifth Business
A Human Being Died that Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness
The Leopard
The Road
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Madness and the Fair that Changed America
The Tenderness of Wolves
Olive Kitteridge

It's been a terrific reading year for me! Last year, I didn't even post a list of faves, as it seemed so few were outstanding. This year, I find I have difficulty not listing more books. I keep going back to the last post and adding more standouts ... and there are still more I'm torn on.

Two goals I set were to read more TBR's (sound familiar?) and not to buy any books unless I needed them for research or a group read (and couldn't get them at the library). I did better at the second goal, as gift books and library books made up a lot of my list:

TBR: 20

Borrowed: 17
Bought: 8
Gifts: 17
total non-TBR:42

I've got at least one more to go before the year is out, and it is a TBR, thank goodness.

About 25% of my reading was non-fiction, compared to 15% last year.

#62 The Complete Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote (December). I finished this just before going out to celebrate New Year’s Eve, so I just squeaked it in. I do not enjoy short stories as much as novels or other full-length works, so it was hard to get myself involved at first, however soon I was flying along. I had read several of these stories before, but enjoyed going through those again. Capote is one of my favorite authors because of his short novels, however it is his memoir pieces that I like the best here: A Christmas Memory, The Thanksgiving Visitor, One Christmas, and I was surprised to see that the later work was more interesting to me than the earlier work which made him famous. Image linked to my review.

I also edited the last posts to reflect this last book.

Looks like a great reading year, kambrogi. Do you have a 2009 thread set up yet?

Not yet, lindacl. Still traveling. Will probably set it up sometime in the next week, and maybe set some goals.

My new thread is here:

kambrogi in 2009