Cindy's Cats Cradle Books and Antiques Yard Sale

So I guess its about time to start a new page for the last quarter. I'll be doing some cutting and pasting so its under contruction. Back soon!

note about my ratings:

1 DNF, usually ends up in goodwill pile

2 managed to finish but not happy
about it usually ends up in my trade pile

3 a ok read, often one that starts great but
doesn't hit the landing. in trade pile

4 A darn good book a few glitches but otherwise one to keep, and goes up on my shelves

5 A book that I fell in head first, lost in its world and didn't come up for air for a few days; and w I did, I thought about the story and/or characters for days later, and maybe reread, or read another by the same author and obviously one that goes on my shelves

acronyms

AC Asian Challenge

RBC Rebeccas book challenge

RT Reading through Time group themes

RG Reading Globally group themes

RLBG Real life group

January-March

fiction

the five thousand and one nights 5*

The Island of missing trees 4*AC Turkey

a sadness in the mind 4*AC Turkey

spinning silver 3 RLBG

the silence of shehezerade 5 * AC Turkey

the swallowed man 4*

queen of hearts 4* Author of the month Wilkie Collins

Damnificados 5*

The midnight library 2* RLBG

My uncle napolean 1*AC Iran

a thousand ships 5*

Nonfiction

Autumn rounds 4*

White Ships 3*

Chasing spring4* theme country side

wrong end of the telescope 5* AC

Traveling with Pomegranates 3* AC

Day of Honey 4* AC arab states

Memories of Eden 3* Rebeccas challenge and AC arab states

April

fiction

Blood of Flowers 4* AC Iran

Hitchikers guide to the galaxy 5* time/beginning theme

city of brass3* RLBG

caspian rain3* AC Iran

by the sea5* ac arab states

children of jocasta 4*

my fathers notebook 5*AC
Iran

nonfiction

pandoras jar 3*

I write you from Tehran 4*AC Iran

memories: Moscow to the black sea 5* global theme outcast and Castaway

tolstoy rasputin and me 4* global theme Outcast Castaway

MAY

fiction

sea of tranquility 4* RTT technology

when women were dragons5*

glass hotel 5*

A day lasts more than a hundred years AC stans 4*

wanted to give this a 5, but there is a sci fi portion that really is only minimally about the book. Would have loved if the author made this into a short story at least, with more info on the different view,and more info on the exiled characters. I might just have to imagine my own! Otherwise I really loved this book

Jamilia AC Stans 4*

Non fiction

sovietistan AC 5* the stans

a hard place to leave 4*

JUNE

Fiction

red earth and pouring rain AC India 3*

the dictionary of lost words 5*

the far field AC India 4*

a woman is no man RLRG 3*

Nonfiction

Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary: Her Private Letters from Inside the Studios of the 1920s For RT June Theme California4*

The border : a journey around Russia through North Korea, China, Mongolia,… 3

the wanderlust 3*

packing my library 4*

July and August

fiction

the monkey king AC China 3*

the mother in law RLBG 5*

the dragon kingdom AC China 3*

Afterlife 5*

she who became the sun AC China 3*

convenient store womanAC Japan 4*

territory of light3*

klara and the sunAC Japan 3*

companion piece 4.5

before the coffee gets cold AC Japan 3*

setting free the kites 4*

the wizard of loneliness 4*

the great passage 5*

non fiction

the history of reading 4.5*

Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio GhibliAC japan DNF

September

Fiction

we never talked about my brother RTT Sept theme Harvest Moon 4*

the private live of trees 2

autumn RTT Harvest Moon 5*

the impossible lives of greta wells 3*

the marriage portrait*

non fiction

Crying in H Mart AC Korea 4*

My Brillant Life 5* AC Korea

October

the hired man DNF

the blue sky A C Mongolia 3*

our missing hearts 5*

book of illusions 4.5 *

Nine Fairy Tales: and One More Thrown in for Good Measure 3.5 *

Shepherds Crown 4*

bronze drum AC southeast asia 2.5

war with newts DNF

shrines of gaity DNF

non fiction

paul mccartney a life RTT october theme music DNF

terry pratchett a life with footnotes 4.5*

river of lost footsteps AC southesast asia 4

November the plan

fiction

the river of lost footstepsAC southeast asia 4*

the seven moons of maali almeida AC southeast asia 3*

stone blind 4*

winter DNF

issa valley 3.5*

galatea 5

non fiction

Flanders Field 100 years writing on war, loss and remembrance 5* (RT theme Endings)

DECEMBER

the plan?

the yearsDNF

snuff 3.5

maskerade4

all the devils are here 3*

A Sultan in Palmero 3

nonfiction

Back to the front For RTT quarterly theme WWI

how to stand up to a dictator

burning questions Essays 4*

will save all these for january

I was surprised at the similarity between the cover of The River of Lost Footsteps and a book I own, The Glass Palace:

Happy new thread, plus a note that I, too, loved Book of Illusions.

That was such a powerful book. Have you read anything else by him. I thought I had read his NY books but looking at the synopsis they dont sound familiar

>6 labfs39: hee really. think glass palace came first IIRC

>8 cindydavid4: The only other work I've read by Auster was The Invention of Solitude, which contains two essays, both of which I found quite astonishing. In my review from back in 2012, I quoted this line:

"Memory, then, not so much as the past contained within us, but as proof of our life in the present. If a man is to be truly present among his surroundings, he must be thinking not of himself, but of what he sees. He must forget himself in order to be there. And from that forgetfulness arises the power of memory. It is a way of living one's life so that nothing is ever lost."

oh I do like that. thanks, Ill check it out!

finished shepherds crown Its not his best, but considering the situation I didn't care. this is such a wonderful ending to disc world and to the Tiffany Aching series, it more than makes up for any thing lacking. It was going to be more somber than his usual work. Well worth reading. have kleenex handy

Happy new thread.

thx. I hope that doesn't make me another year older....

Given up on shrines to gaiety I loved all of Atkinsons work, the the last few books were not my favs. First hundred pages were wonderful, but despite the jazz, london, the 20s and all that goes with it just fell flat for me. Way too many characters way too many stories and she just doesnt make any of the interesting

Also thinking of bailing on the seven moons of maali almedia Love the writing, and wanted to know more about the topic, but there is just way too much gore and descriptions of it - of course it would be,it takes place in sri lanka civil war. I just cant stomach it all. But I may just take a break from it, and come back to it. It really has lots of black humor that I enjoy

Uhoh. I love Atkinson too, and just bought Shrines to Gaiety, so I hope I like it better than you. Of course, it may be a few years until I get to it.

I hope you do too. Maybe you can convince me to try it again!

I was really looking forward to Madelene Millers new book galatea is based on the myth of Pygmallion. I loved the writing of this book, but its a short story only 67 pages. so Im not sure how to rate it. Only thing wrong with it was it was too short. That being said,really everything that needed to be said was done in those pages. Not a thing out of place not anything added that didn't need to be. so I guess a five? hope there will be a novel soon!

just finished stone blind and I am conflicted. Her writing is great, her characters pop off the pages...But this story was not about Medusa, rather its about gods and mortals being cruel because they can. then we get this long journey of the 'hero' that takes up way too much time. Then we get a talking headthat basically narrates the rest of the book. And she tried to wrap up all the loose ends that didn't feel rignt. I admire her concept of how Medusa came to be and how she came to be, and who isnt a monster. But there was too much other happening to focus on her . Still have to give her 4*, tho i might raise it the more I think about it.

Unfortunately issa valley is a DNF The writing is spectacular, but its all description, lots of showing and not telling. Im sure this was the style of the time, but I just stopped reading. Ill keep it around and maybe try again.

>19 cindydavid4: Too bad The Issa Valley didn’t work for you. I remember loving it as a snapshot in time of a place that doesn’t exist anymore. His nature descriptions are lovely. You can definitely tell he’s a poet. You’re right though in that it’s not a plot-driven novel.

Edited to fix typo.

dont get me wrong I love his writing and yes poet decribes him well. I do wish I liked it better.

Im more or less done with Flanders Fields 100 Years
This was a compilation of letters, essays , poems written by Canadian writers for the centenial of the war's end. A lot of great writing here, very moving/ Towards the end it felt like everyone was saying the same thingso I skimmed.however I may go back later and read them But the photos taken during the war spoke a thousand words. Highly recommended

I am immensely grateful for this incredible site, and for the friendly, helpful and intelligent posters here. I have found my book home. Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving, along with good health and time to read

The same to you, Cindy!

Now going back to Issa valley and getting into it now! Don't know what my problem was
.....

>3 cindydavid4: I feel validated seeing The Midnight Library as finished but not happy about it. I DNF'd it, though I will say that I've thought about it quite a bit recently. I've been wondering about continuing it because I've been thinking about it, but I don't know if it's worth it. I'd be interested in hearing why you weren't happy about it, seeing as you've read the whole thing!

It just didn't make sense. I love reading books about time travel or time shift (like the movie Sliding Doors and thought the concept of this book would make for an interesting read. This young woman commits suicide but finds herself in an inbetween state where she can decide to choose any life she wants. Great concept, but In order to do this all of the characters would have to be changed, the world around her would have to change and without any background to these lives how can she possibly know how to choose. I put it down several times but since it was for a book group I struggled on. Like others in the group I was not enamored by this book

I liked this review and I think says itbetter than I can

That being said, its immensely popular and if youve been thinking about it, you might find it more meaningful than I did. Or, life is short and go on to your next read:)

>27 cindydavid4: Thank you! That's a good review, the article is too. I might go back to it if I can't find other things, but I feel a bit better about putting it down now without any fomo.

Im in the same boat with Issa Valley. I had put Issa Valley aside already, but Lisa got me thinking to try it again, And actually I am enjoying it much much more. The writing is beautiful, reminds me of one of my fav books How green was my valley But I am over half way through and it just not doing anything for me. I know its a coming of age book, but its just so slow, I dont want to pick it up again. I need more than long descriptions of his surroundings, his family and neighbors.

I can see why he won a Nobel, and I enjoyed it enough that I don't want to call it DNF. Im probably rating it a 3.5, given what I have read. Who know maybe Ill finish it later.

Its been rainy all day, we have a faux fire on our telly, and Im comfortable in my chair reading the years Im comparing it with the last coming of age book I read Issa Valley they cover similar territory, but Ernaux has a way of making the most insignificant things interesting,. Also interesting because I know lttle about france in the decade after the war, so im learning some history along the way. My only dislike is the number of songs and movies kept in french, which means I need to go to google to translate the titles.She also mentions many names without explanation so again google. But its not stopping me reading!

finished Lolly Willows reread, didn't like it as much as before,, thought it went to slow with lots of repetition. But still gave it a 4

Now reading back to the front and really liking. Still with
burning questionsIm skipping lots of her essays on the environment, not that shes not right, but because they all sound alike. Still her reviews of books and essays on authors and writing is really good.

Going to start Haven this weekend

Thanks to all of you for following my post. its been fun listing my reads and discussing them here. Im not sure Ill be continuing a thread for 2023, since I find its easier to talk about what Im reading on the Reading thread, and Im not one that writes reviews well. But if I were to do so, what changes would I make to get more participation? I guess I should do quarterly threads but thats a lot of work to cut and paste. Anyway, your thoughts on this experiment!

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a new year filled with the books of your dreams

>32 cindydavid4: Find whatever method of participation works best for you, Cindy. I've had slow years on my thread too. I think one key is frequent postings. It keeps people checking in. Another is visiting other's threads, to create connections. It's interesting how the Reading thread has morphed this year from being a place to list current reads to a discussion forum.

Hi Cindy, I've enjoyed your thread, so don't suggest any changes at all. I find participation on my thread varies a lot, and usually that's my doing - when I get busy and am not so active on LT I find that my thread slips out of people's radar, which I'm OK with: it makes sense that those who are very active on CR want to spend most time on the threads were their inputs are rewarded with outputs.

I know I'll struggle to be very active in 2023 as other interests have reduced my available time on LT (and I increasingly want to spend less time on the computer in my free time when I spend all my working time on it).

>32 cindydavid4: I like the what are you reading now chats too.

It’s difficult to keep up enough with regular threads to comment. I wish we had an easy way of skipping - like maybe only reading posts less than a month old. (Or even a week). I don’t think we would mind too much if everyone skipped our own older posts.

I find that if I open a thread that i’m way behind on, i still go to the oldest unread post, read ten or so and then close without commenting.

Ive been able to keep track of my threads, just coz I have the time, but if Im behind I pretty much do the same. I do enjoy the connections with other readers, and have gotten to know posters interests

Thanks for your thoughts. I think I might try to continue my thread, perhaps add book covers and post more often and see what happens. But I think I will still cut and past to the reading thread.

One thing I wish I was able to do more of are reviews. Im just not good at them. I can put together a few thoughts but then I look at others reviews that are so much better written, I just give up. A few times I have actually quoted from them if they really mirror my own opinion (always crediting the reviewer of course) but I kinda think this might be cheating? dunno

I think that adding book covers does help to catch people's eye as they scroll through. As for reviews, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Personally, I'd rather read someone's thoughts than a full synopsis of the book, etc.

My top reads for 2022 (to be continued

I read 88 books, mostly fiction. I want to thank Paul for the Asian Challenge, which made my reads so interesting this year, Several books in this list are directlly due to that year long read around the continent

FICTION

all 5*

the five thousand and one nights

the silence of shehezerade

Damnificados

a thousand ships

my fathers notebook

glass hotel

the dictionary of lost words

the mother in law

companion piece

the great passage

autumn

My Brillant Life

our missing hearts

galatea

House of Illusion Paul Auster

wizard of loneliness

Setting free the kites

zorrie

wrong end of the telescope

when women were dragons

NON FICTION 5*

sovietistan
terry pratchett a life with footnote
memories moscow to the black sea
a history of reading
burning questions

HONORABLE MENTION
4*

Islands of missing trees

the children of jocasta

she who became the sun

sea of tranquility

packing my library

DISAPPOINTMENTS

the midnight library
my uncle napoleon
monkey king
klara the sun
the marriage portrait

Can hardly wait to see what books are coming in 2023!

>37 cindydavid4: instead of writing a review, I’ve seen some people answer a set of three or four questions for each book. For instance,

Summary (3 or 4 sentences)
Comments
Why I chose this book
Other books I’ve read by this author (or on this topic)
Who might enjoy it
Etc

Having set questions might make it easier, but still lure visitors. And I agree that I find images eye-catching

>40 labfs39: you know,those would help thanks

Cindy - I’m always interested in what you’re reading.

>37 cindydavid4: Well, I’ll never write a review as the ones in LRB but I am still writing reviews. Half of the time it is because my memory can be very selective so these help me remember what I thought about the book (and jog my memory about the book itself). The other half is because I want to share with the people around here what I think about what I am reading. Are better written reviews? Sure. Does it bother me? Not really.

So post whatever you think relevant - maybe a summary and a note for one book, maybe your frustration with the stupid heroine for another or a personal connection to something in the book. I enjoy that variety around here - I am not looking for professional reviews around here - I am looking for the personal touch and reaction. Plus the more you write, the easier it will get to find what works for you. :)

Thanks for that Annie, appreciate the suggestions

Well it looks my last will be the field that Mark mentioned a few weeks back. similar to a fine and quiet place by Peter Beagle and Our Town but different enough to keep me reading. How to stand up to a dictator is also on tap

Books for the new year will be the ones I havent finished burning question,haven, and back to the front Need to decide what I want to read for the Africa challenge....

This might actually be changed because tomorrow is the bookstores New Years 25% off sale. Who knows what Ill find that will supercede all that!

>42 dianeham: you are sweet, thanks!

>44 cindydavid4: You've got some interesting books in the queue. The Ressa and O'Shea particularly caught my eye.

both of them are fascinating: the O'Shea for his direct writing style and no pulling punches on how he feels about the incompetent"leaders" who lead millions of young to their deaths in a meaningless conflict. Some of latter parts just feel like retread information, but Id still recommend it for a look at what man hath wrot.I havent gotten far with Reesa, too many destractions, but she is a journatlist through and through and her lessons that the US should attend to are apt indeed