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1emwelsh
Is October too late to start this log? I think not...
Here goes nothing:
1. This Side of Married by Rachel Pastan. Met her once at a writer's conference...she seemed like a very snarky lady, so naturally I picked up her book. It's a modern version of Pride and Prejudice, and it will speak to those who ask themselves this question: "How could I possibly, actually be related to my sister?" However, it wasn't my favorite.
2. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald. Now this book is long, so beware. But if you're willing to invest the time, I doubt you'll be sorry. Best way to tell you what it's about: the Cold War, race to the moon, air force base life, child abuse, disintegration of marriage.
3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. They say young adults love this book, but I loved it too. Reminds me a little of magic realism. About mothers that come in all shapes and sizes.
4. Sex Wars: A Novel of Gilded Age New York by Marge Piercy. Historical fiction about the earliest days of the women's movement. She uses real figures in a fictional setting...neat.
5. Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esme Raji Codell. Love her. Read this book in two days, but only because I started it late one night. This is real-life teaching, and she's got guts I wish I had and a love for the kids she teaches that inspires me. Plus she's just plain funny.
Here goes nothing:
1. This Side of Married by Rachel Pastan. Met her once at a writer's conference...she seemed like a very snarky lady, so naturally I picked up her book. It's a modern version of Pride and Prejudice, and it will speak to those who ask themselves this question: "How could I possibly, actually be related to my sister?" However, it wasn't my favorite.
2. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald. Now this book is long, so beware. But if you're willing to invest the time, I doubt you'll be sorry. Best way to tell you what it's about: the Cold War, race to the moon, air force base life, child abuse, disintegration of marriage.
3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. They say young adults love this book, but I loved it too. Reminds me a little of magic realism. About mothers that come in all shapes and sizes.
4. Sex Wars: A Novel of Gilded Age New York by Marge Piercy. Historical fiction about the earliest days of the women's movement. She uses real figures in a fictional setting...neat.
5. Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esme Raji Codell. Love her. Read this book in two days, but only because I started it late one night. This is real-life teaching, and she's got guts I wish I had and a love for the kids she teaches that inspires me. Plus she's just plain funny.
3rebeccanyc
Welcome -- now I'm not the newest in the group!
5alcottacre
Welcome to the group! I look forward to seeing what you are reading and your input. Be aware - we are a curious group - so be prepared for questions, comments, etc. We have a pretty good time at it!
Book 5 sound like one I would enjoy, so on to Continent TBR it goes!
Book 5 sound like one I would enjoy, so on to Continent TBR it goes!
6emwelsh
6. No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women by Estelle Freedman. If you're looking for one book that covers a lot of ground concerning what you don't know about feminism, this is a good place to start.
7. The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds. So disturbingly good. She does her best to spook you with fundamentalist Christianity.
8. Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X by Deborah Davis. He's one of my favorite artists, and this book is a surprisingly good read on what might have been one of his luckiest mistakes.
9. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Finally, I too read this novel.
10. Slow Motion: A True Story by Dani Shapiro. Hope for those who'd like to go back.
11. Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers. Young adult novel...one of my twelfth graders loaned me this book, his favorite. Myers has a gift for reaching young men who hate reading.
12. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich. Unbelievably intricate. Read this for my multicultural literature course.
13. Jackie Ethel Joan: Women of Camelot by J. Randy Taraborrelli. I'm obsessed with the Kennedys.
14. The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Portrait in Her Own Words by Bill Adler. This one's neat--it's just little quotes from Jackie, and it comes with an A&E biography.
15. The Namesake: A novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. Read this one for my advanced studies in American literature course...its focus was hypenated Americans.
7. The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds. So disturbingly good. She does her best to spook you with fundamentalist Christianity.
8. Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X by Deborah Davis. He's one of my favorite artists, and this book is a surprisingly good read on what might have been one of his luckiest mistakes.
9. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Finally, I too read this novel.
10. Slow Motion: A True Story by Dani Shapiro. Hope for those who'd like to go back.
11. Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers. Young adult novel...one of my twelfth graders loaned me this book, his favorite. Myers has a gift for reaching young men who hate reading.
12. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich. Unbelievably intricate. Read this for my multicultural literature course.
13. Jackie Ethel Joan: Women of Camelot by J. Randy Taraborrelli. I'm obsessed with the Kennedys.
14. The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Portrait in Her Own Words by Bill Adler. This one's neat--it's just little quotes from Jackie, and it comes with an A&E biography.
15. The Namesake: A novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. Read this one for my advanced studies in American literature course...its focus was hypenated Americans.
7emwelsh
16. This Common Secret: My Journey As an Abortion Doctor by Susan Wicklund. Read it if you want to open your mind.
17. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. These stories are beautiful--for anyone who has ever tried to please their mother or wanted everything for their daughters.
18. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Was inspired to read this novel when the movie came out. Read the novel, but never saw the movie. I feel like everyone should read Marquez, some of the things were written so beautifully, but as a whole, this book wasn't as much as I'd hoped it would be.
19. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. Read this on the plane rides to and from New York City. Felt like I should since I never did in high school...regret reading it a little.
20. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig. Only because I wanted to know more did I pick up this tome...and then he scrambled things around on me. I thought I remembered them differently, so I went back and read...
21. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell again. It was just as good as it always was.
22. The Other Woman by Victoria Zackheim. Says "twenty-one wives, lovers, and others talk openly about sex, deceptions, love, and betrayal." Oh, the other woman is so misunderstood.
23. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Dominican-Americans and their amazing (although fictitious) tales, and boy is this author hilarious.
24. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham. A quick read about a woman's quick, stupid decision and what happens afterward. Maugham is good at what he does, and there are film adaptation of many of his novels.
25. The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia. Just because I needed a list of fabulous things that didn't already belong in my closet.
17. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. These stories are beautiful--for anyone who has ever tried to please their mother or wanted everything for their daughters.
18. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Was inspired to read this novel when the movie came out. Read the novel, but never saw the movie. I feel like everyone should read Marquez, some of the things were written so beautifully, but as a whole, this book wasn't as much as I'd hoped it would be.
19. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. Read this on the plane rides to and from New York City. Felt like I should since I never did in high school...regret reading it a little.
20. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig. Only because I wanted to know more did I pick up this tome...and then he scrambled things around on me. I thought I remembered them differently, so I went back and read...
21. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell again. It was just as good as it always was.
22. The Other Woman by Victoria Zackheim. Says "twenty-one wives, lovers, and others talk openly about sex, deceptions, love, and betrayal." Oh, the other woman is so misunderstood.
23. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Dominican-Americans and their amazing (although fictitious) tales, and boy is this author hilarious.
24. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham. A quick read about a woman's quick, stupid decision and what happens afterward. Maugham is good at what he does, and there are film adaptation of many of his novels.
25. The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia. Just because I needed a list of fabulous things that didn't already belong in my closet.
9Whisper1
A hearty welcome to you. As alcottacre said, we are a curious bunch. Be prepared to add many books to your list and to have us thank you for your recommendations.
For example, I've already added your book #8 to my tbr (to be read) pile. I appreciate the art of Sargent and one of my most favorite wings in the Metropolitan Art Museum is the American wing where some of his works are displayed.
And, as drneutron said, it is never too late. Oh, and like you, I've read many books re. the Kennedy's. From what I've read, Ethel was really a nasty little thing.
For example, I've already added your book #8 to my tbr (to be read) pile. I appreciate the art of Sargent and one of my most favorite wings in the Metropolitan Art Museum is the American wing where some of his works are displayed.
And, as drneutron said, it is never too late. Oh, and like you, I've read many books re. the Kennedy's. From what I've read, Ethel was really a nasty little thing.
10emwelsh
26. The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard. First book of a four-book series, one British family through the two world wars. Good in that British author kind of way, but definitely not a page-turner.
27. Marking Time by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Again, the second volume.
28. Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Third.
29. Casting Off by Elizabeth Jane Howard. The end. All in all, topics I remember being addressed significantly: WWI and WWII, country life, London life, abortion, adultery, sisters-and-brothers-in-law, the danger of family conformity, cancer, motherhood late in life, servants quarters vs. familial quarters, etc.
30. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. A cautionary tale for the independent woman? Very sad I thought...I'd hoped to find a happier ending, but then again, it wouldn't have spoke to me like it did.
31. My Antonia by Willa Cather. This was both my mother and my father's favorite novel. Finally, I settled down to read it and loved it. It's about the choices of womanhood told from the male perspective. Young girls setting out to do better than their mothers did--to each their own though. Each choice had it's high points, although Antonia's wouldn't be mine.
32. The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler. Says "the hidden history of women who surrendered children for adoption in the decades before Roe v. Wade." Books don't make me cry...this one did.
33. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Another I read for my courses, but a very good tale about the search for ancestors with hints of magic realism.
34. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. Just as juicy to read as the movie was to watch...but don't read it looking for facts.
35. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. The rest of Jane Eyre's tale--read it if you ever wondered about the mad wife in the attic.
36. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. My dad recommended this to me, a tale on what misery means. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor, and his book is a very quick read--but it's best read slow.
37. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. Also recommended by my dad. A very slow read with very small type, but he's got some interesting ideas on the mind-body connection. Sounds fruity, I know, but a lot of times all you need to do is convince yourself of something and then it is.
38. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. Another book by this man so short it could be a novella...but good nonetheless. The wife unlovingly manipulates the husband, but he gets the ultimate revenge by making her love him in the end. Interesting how he does it too.
39. So Far From God by Ana Castillo. One of my favorites of the year--about the border people between America and Mexico, the struggle between those men and women.
40. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. So, so interesting what these Asian women go through to make and keep female friendships.
41. The Journals of Sylvia Plath. Hard to decipher, but aren't all journals? Next, I'm going to make sense of some of her poetry.
42. Don't Move by Margaret Mazzantini. This book was so creepy.
43. The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell. I'm obsessed with Monroe too, but this book wasn't what I expected. Churchwell addresses everything, and I mean everything, that's ever been written about Monroe and basically calls it out on the mat. A little research-y for me, but nice to have some misconceptions debunked, even if she offers no other explanations. Of course, the very last chapter is what she thinks happened--that was my favorite part.
44. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. My very first Woolf book, very stream-of-conscious oriented, so beware if that's not for you. I read each chunk twice for all the parts I wound up missing first go-round.
45. Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. I wish she would write some more novels. This one and her other, The Way the Crow Flies, are so involved, and I like that kind of read. Plus, she's good at roping you in the very first page. There's no waiting around, except for the good suspenseful kind.
46. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. My roommate bought me this book. I refused to read it on my own volition because "everyone else was." I can see why they were--it plays well to the girlhood dream that a prince charming will pursue you until your completely ready to be caught.
47. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. What's supposed to be her Gothic novel. Not my favorite of hers, but not sorry I read it either.
48. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Second time around with this book. So very interesting, layered.
49. Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner. My first Faulkner too. Not sure I will read him again. I think either he's for you or not.
50. On Beauty by Zadie Smith. Read during my books-set-in-Boston shtick. Most parts are slow.
27. Marking Time by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Again, the second volume.
28. Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Third.
29. Casting Off by Elizabeth Jane Howard. The end. All in all, topics I remember being addressed significantly: WWI and WWII, country life, London life, abortion, adultery, sisters-and-brothers-in-law, the danger of family conformity, cancer, motherhood late in life, servants quarters vs. familial quarters, etc.
30. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. A cautionary tale for the independent woman? Very sad I thought...I'd hoped to find a happier ending, but then again, it wouldn't have spoke to me like it did.
31. My Antonia by Willa Cather. This was both my mother and my father's favorite novel. Finally, I settled down to read it and loved it. It's about the choices of womanhood told from the male perspective. Young girls setting out to do better than their mothers did--to each their own though. Each choice had it's high points, although Antonia's wouldn't be mine.
32. The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler. Says "the hidden history of women who surrendered children for adoption in the decades before Roe v. Wade." Books don't make me cry...this one did.
33. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Another I read for my courses, but a very good tale about the search for ancestors with hints of magic realism.
34. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. Just as juicy to read as the movie was to watch...but don't read it looking for facts.
35. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. The rest of Jane Eyre's tale--read it if you ever wondered about the mad wife in the attic.
36. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. My dad recommended this to me, a tale on what misery means. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor, and his book is a very quick read--but it's best read slow.
37. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. Also recommended by my dad. A very slow read with very small type, but he's got some interesting ideas on the mind-body connection. Sounds fruity, I know, but a lot of times all you need to do is convince yourself of something and then it is.
38. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. Another book by this man so short it could be a novella...but good nonetheless. The wife unlovingly manipulates the husband, but he gets the ultimate revenge by making her love him in the end. Interesting how he does it too.
39. So Far From God by Ana Castillo. One of my favorites of the year--about the border people between America and Mexico, the struggle between those men and women.
40. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. So, so interesting what these Asian women go through to make and keep female friendships.
41. The Journals of Sylvia Plath. Hard to decipher, but aren't all journals? Next, I'm going to make sense of some of her poetry.
42. Don't Move by Margaret Mazzantini. This book was so creepy.
43. The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell. I'm obsessed with Monroe too, but this book wasn't what I expected. Churchwell addresses everything, and I mean everything, that's ever been written about Monroe and basically calls it out on the mat. A little research-y for me, but nice to have some misconceptions debunked, even if she offers no other explanations. Of course, the very last chapter is what she thinks happened--that was my favorite part.
44. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. My very first Woolf book, very stream-of-conscious oriented, so beware if that's not for you. I read each chunk twice for all the parts I wound up missing first go-round.
45. Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. I wish she would write some more novels. This one and her other, The Way the Crow Flies, are so involved, and I like that kind of read. Plus, she's good at roping you in the very first page. There's no waiting around, except for the good suspenseful kind.
46. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. My roommate bought me this book. I refused to read it on my own volition because "everyone else was." I can see why they were--it plays well to the girlhood dream that a prince charming will pursue you until your completely ready to be caught.
47. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. What's supposed to be her Gothic novel. Not my favorite of hers, but not sorry I read it either.
48. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Second time around with this book. So very interesting, layered.
49. Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner. My first Faulkner too. Not sure I will read him again. I think either he's for you or not.
50. On Beauty by Zadie Smith. Read during my books-set-in-Boston shtick. Most parts are slow.
12emwelsh
alcottacre, I think you will enjoy #5. In the book she gets hired into an inner-city Chicago school teaching 5th graders. My favorite parts are every time she outwits the principal and reading about her room decorations--she says, "I feel sorry for any kid who's not in my room." :)
Also, she writes this after attending a graduation ceremony, straining to see over the beehive hairdos in the audience:
"Do they dress up like this everywhere when children graduate eighth grade? Look at the floral arrangements some parents have brought. Look at the cops outside--just in case. This is a big deal. Someone crossing the stage is celebrating his or her only graduation. Should we hold our applause or let it thunder forth?"
Whisper1, if you're interested in #8, then maybe you should check out this one as well: I am Madame X by Gioia Diliberto. I haven't read it yet, but I do own it, and it appears to be a more fictionalized, stretch-of-the-imagination type accounting of what may have happened between Sargent and Virginie Gautreau.
To all: thank you for the interest and comments. Please ask all the questions you like as I quickly listed my 2008 reads today--there's so much more to say, but not enough time to say it! I've got 25 more books to read this year :)
Also, she writes this after attending a graduation ceremony, straining to see over the beehive hairdos in the audience:
"Do they dress up like this everywhere when children graduate eighth grade? Look at the floral arrangements some parents have brought. Look at the cops outside--just in case. This is a big deal. Someone crossing the stage is celebrating his or her only graduation. Should we hold our applause or let it thunder forth?"
Whisper1, if you're interested in #8, then maybe you should check out this one as well: I am Madame X by Gioia Diliberto. I haven't read it yet, but I do own it, and it appears to be a more fictionalized, stretch-of-the-imagination type accounting of what may have happened between Sargent and Virginie Gautreau.
To all: thank you for the interest and comments. Please ask all the questions you like as I quickly listed my 2008 reads today--there's so much more to say, but not enough time to say it! I've got 25 more books to read this year :)
13Whisper1
Hi emwelsh..
I'm curious re. your name...Are you, like me, of welsh heritage?
I'm briefly checking your list, I see that you and I have similar reading habits. Many that you noted are those that I too have read.
If you are obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, you might want to check into Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates. I read this a few months ago.
As a side note, Jayne Mansfield was a contemporary of Marilyn's. Jayne is buried in a small cemetary in my childhood home town of Pen Argyl, PA
I'm curious re. your name...Are you, like me, of welsh heritage?
I'm briefly checking your list, I see that you and I have similar reading habits. Many that you noted are those that I too have read.
If you are obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, you might want to check into Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates. I read this a few months ago.
As a side note, Jayne Mansfield was a contemporary of Marilyn's. Jayne is buried in a small cemetary in my childhood home town of Pen Argyl, PA
14blackdogbooks
A very spooooky welcome!!!!
On film adaptations of Maugham, there is one of Up at the Villa with Sean Penn and Kristin Scott Thomas. Not bad!!
Great list.
On film adaptations of Maugham, there is one of Up at the Villa with Sean Penn and Kristin Scott Thomas. Not bad!!
Great list.
