blackdogbooks in '09

Hello there from blackdogbooks, aka 'BDB', aka 'Mac'.

My reading goal this year is to finish at least one of the 100 best lists I have been nibbling at for awhile. Prop2gether, knowing of my obssession with lists and books, turned me onto the 1001 books list which is closer to 1300 books. Sadly, I must finish what I start before I begin again. Along the way, there will be King and Steinbeck and Hemingway.

I plan to be much more organized this year, keeping a running list at the top of my thread here for ease. And I am also going to be better about making note of books suggested by you 75'ers this year. Y'all post too much and I am constantly having to search back to figure out who made a recommendation.

Good reading!!!

Total pages read count: 6685
January page total: 2795
February page total: 1804 (rough reading month)
March page total: 2086

2009 list:

1. Joker One by Donovan Campbell
2. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
3. The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
4. Animal Farm by George Orwell
5. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
6. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
7. The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
8. Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara
9. The Ambassadors by Henry James
9. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
10. Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
11. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
12. American Rust by Philipp Meyer
13. Internal Affairs by Connie Dial
14. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
15. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
16. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
17. Peasant Wars of the Twentieth Century by Eric R. Wolf
18. You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

What a cool ticker thing.

Hey - your ticker is almost the same as mine!
Great minds think alike... :D

Thanks....all technical thanks should go to The Tortoise! I only wish they'd had a black dog as a choice.

At least they have a dog. No cats as a marker at all, or cat type things!

>4 blackdogbooks: BDB: It is really a Black Dog who has trichomycosis nodularis or it is an Albino!

- TT

I look forward to reading your list in 2009, you always have something I want to read and never thought of, and now I have to go make my own ticker because I want one and never thought of it :P

You were the first person to greet me in my thread last year so I had to pop by and wish you luck! I always have fun reading your comments and look forward to doing so in the new year. And is that your dog in the first post?

Good luck on your quest! I look forward to hearing (or rather, reading) your thoughts.

Hey, BDB, glad you are back! I went through your library and stole tons of ideas for reading material from it, lol.

Great to see you again! I look forward to seeing what you read next year--I need to add to my TBR! ;-)

Excellent! I was hoping you'd check in soon!

Blackdogbooks

Glad you are a part of the 2009 challenge. It just would not be the same without you!

Neat ticker...I'm going to figure out how to do this.

Happy New Year!

Linda

Good to see you all......all part of my varsity squad there (meaning I have you all starred). I am trying to finish up a few reads for 2008 but will probably start here with more meaningful posts soon. I think I will start with a bit of a recap of my reading this year.

And, yes, that is my dog, holding a toy, in front of the books. Hope to get some better shots of her in front of the books to use here on LT. Cheers to all.

Okay, here is a bit of a recap of my reading in 2008, with my favorites and unfavorites.

Total read: 77
Titles from my 100 best lists: 25
Non-Fiction: 16
ER books: 8

Best Classics
(My definition of classics may not meet with yours - but it's my thread!)
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Red Lights by Simenon (A real surprise!)

Seems to be a thread there, scifi/horror/mystery?!?!?!

Best Contemporary Fiction
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Blaze by Stephen King (Of course!!)
A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks (A favorite guilty pleasure)
Cottonwood Saints by Gene Guerin (A local author and a local story - wonderful!)

Best Non-Fiction
Marley and Me by John Grogan
Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
Owen Wister Out West: His Journals and Letters by Owen Wister (This was one of my favorite reads of the year. By the author who wrote The Virginian and started a whole new genre of fiction. And they broke the mold. His writing and ability to capture the West may be unsurpassed.)

Worst Fiction
Under the Volcano by Malcom Lowry (One of those reads you finish and think, "Are you kidding me? That's it?!?!?")
A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
The Stranger by Albert Camus (Yeeecccchhh!)

Couldn't Get Past 50 Pages
V by Thomas Pynchon
The Negotiator by Frederick Forsythe (I think this one actually started out with "It was a dark and stormy night." Got rid of all my other Forsythe, including The Day of the Jackal.)
Anna Hastings by Allen Drury

Favorite 75'ers
This is a list of the 75'ers who were most influential in my reading habits last year. In the following year, I am going to be more like TadAD and keep better track of who recommended books to me.
alcottacre (inspriational reading habbits)
alaskabookworm (great titles and a great library)
PiyushChourAsia (a classics buddy)
rachbxl (unbelievable titles - where does she get this stuff?)
TrishNYC (a model for reviews)
akeela (unbelievable titles - do she and rachbxl coordinate this stuff?)
drneutron (a scifi/horror enabler)
TadAD (the statistician and another scifi enablers)
ronincats (not ronin cats......roni n cats)
Whisper1 (one of our friendliest 75'ers)
MusicMom1 (Go Giants!!!!)
porch_reader (again, great titles)
Prop2Gether (darn that stupid 1001 list!!!!)
There were plenty of others, too. deebee, beeg (Stayin' alive, stayin' alive, ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' aliiiivvvvee), dhiba, Spiraled Star.........I can't get 'em all down. That's why I am keepin' better track next year.

Look forward to a fun year of reading with all of you old hands here and a crew of new faces, especially all you newcomers from the 50 challenge.

First up out of the chute.......Joker One by Donovan Campbell, an ER book.

BDB

Looks like you had a great reading year in 2008! I like your "Classics"--I read Frankenstein in 2007 and Jekyll and Hyde in 2008--now two favorite books of mine. and I'm the one who doesn't like "horror!" I guess I can handle Blaze this year--you recommended it to me and now it's in my 999 challenge. I'm reading Dandelion Wine and Dune also this year.

I have successfully avoided Margaret Atwood all these years, but if you think The Handmaid's Tale is that good I will have to break down and try it. Could it by any stretch be considered fantasy?

I own The Virginian and have wanted to read it--maybe I'll call it a classic and read it this year. I'm going to see if I can get Owen Wister Out West--it doesn't seem to be in print but i will chec the library. I think that one would be interesting.

I'm also looking for a way to keep track of who recommends books. The problem is that it needs to be kept in one place and be easily accessible! If you get a good idea, please share it with me!

>17 MusicMom41:: MusicMom - the way I tracked down a recommendation I couldn't remember last week was via the book's 'work' page on LT. Over on the left there's a 'conversations' link. Browse through and find the 75ers threads et voila. works as long as the book has been touchstoned!

Thanks, Flossie. That's a good thing to know because I often want to track down a comment about a book!

Hi BDB...I liked the picture of your black dog so much that I starred your thread. You also inspired me to pose my white dog Lucky and post his picture on my Profile Page. He liked sitting in my chair in my little reading nook. I hope he doesn't want to take over for me!

I may have to track down a copy of The Virginian by Wister now, BDB. It has been on Continent TBR for a while now, but having read your opinion, I am going to have to do something about getting my hands on the book!

>15 blackdogbooks:: Westerns...I've read only a couple in my life (Shane and Riders of the Purple Sage), but I keep feeling I would enjoy them if I got going. Maybe Owen Wister's books are where I should start. *sigh* One day in and already another entry on the recommendations list.

> 15 Mac, due to your review over on the 2008 thread I have The Virginian on my 2009 reading list - I am just telling you so I remember it was you who recommended it!

- TT

Ah, found your thread! Good luck with your reading goal for the year, Mac!

Well, we share a lot of favorites, and I do have two King novels on my lists for this year, plus I got a copy of The Virginian--just in case I need another read. LOL! See you during the year.

Ahhhh, what comfort to see so many of my 75'er friends weighing in here, especially since I can see that I have made your TBR piles and wish lists grow a little more. All of you who have signed on for The Virginian are in for a treat, I think. MusicMom1, though you may have a difficult time tracking down a copy of Owen Wister's journal/letters, it will be worth it, I am certain!!!

TadAD, read more westerns, just read good ones!!!! The ones you mention are good ones.

Donna828, greetings and glad I inspired with the dog picture.

Hoping to finish up my first of the year this weekend and get a review up. You guys are slowing me down with all of the posts.

Hi blackdogbooks
I'm simply checking in to say hello....I'm not wanting to slow you down with the reading of posts...but heck, I have to live up to the "one of the friendliest of the 75ers"

The Virginian has been a favorite read of mine since i was 11 yo. I was fortunate enough to obtain a used copy of Owen Wister Out West & have yet to read it. It, of course is in my TBR pile. I think i'll move it up in the stack! 8^)

>15 blackdogbooks: Happy New Year, BDB!

I'm laughing! (But then, your posts often make me laugh, thank you). I'll do my best not to disappoint you and to come up with similarly "unbelievable titles" this year too. Akeela and I do have eerily similar tastes, it's true (if I'm not sure about something I just wait for her to read it, never fails). As to where I get them, you know about my round-the-world-trip in the Reading Globally group; that's really opened my eyes to what's out there, and once you start looking, it's all there. (If you saw my list from 2006, say, I don't think you'd be so impressed). It helps that I work for an international institution; lots of books get left in staff rooms, I work with different people every day, people from all over the world, and I always ask them what they've been reading; my work takes me to a lot of places that I probably wouldn't visit otherwise, and wherever I go I make a point of seeking out a bookshop and buying something local.

Anyway, wherever it comes from, here's to another year of great reading and talking about reading!

Well I'm glad I got started reading your thread now! LOL

Looking forward to watching your year :)

>26 blackdogbooks: Just thought I would check in and let you know my progress. Seeing The Virginian mentioned again it reminds me not to get stressed about the books I haven't read yet. Taking a leaf out of your book I have adopted the following approach for 2009. I have about 460 books on my TBR list. I have selected 160 of those as a list to choose from. I have organised them into 15 categories. I have chosen one book from each category for a mini TBR pile to choose from. Then I choose 3 books for an immediate TBR pile. I have read the first two and am now reading the third.

OCD! Well, it works for me! :)

- TT

Dear TT who is also OCD..

ah, a Doctor Seuss book in the making...

I sit here at my desk making sure all publications accounts balance to the penny.

The world relies on us OCD people to get them organized....

>32 Whisper1: Dear Whispering Linda, would it surprise you to learn that I am an Accountant!

- TT

not in the least.
Would it surprise you to know I have one degree in social work and another in accounting.

TT and Linda

I think I have a degree in OCD! I have my 999 challenge books lined up on 2 shelves arranged by category and am now clearing a space to move them to when they are finished. Since I read rather slowly and have only finished one book--which I haven't had time to "review" and post yet!--I am practicing deep breathing to keep from stressing about how far behind I am.

I'm also about about a million posts behind on all the threads! (Breathe deeply, MusicMom!) :-)

Book #1, Joker One by Donovan Campbell
ER Book
Non-Fiction
313 pages

Library shelves are filled with writer's attempts to capture the essence of the American soldier at war. Some of the greats of literature have tried, historians have tried, and more than one soldier has tried to reduce their own experiences serving during war. Few efforts are as honest, fair, and emotionally raw as Joker One.

Campbell, having made it through Officer's Basic School and one deployment to Iraq as an intelligence officer, finds himself in charge of a platoon of soldiers in one of the most violent provinces in Iraq, Anbar. At first, Ramadi, where his platoon, Joker One, is assigned, is relatively quiet and peaceful; so peaceful that the platoon begins to worry they will not qualify for a UMSC medal for having been deployed in an armed conflict, because it requires that the unit both be engaged and then engage the enemy. The soldiers needn't have worried, though, because the insurgency in Iraq soon reaches Ramadi. Indeed, Joker One's own restraint and good judgement leads many of the local insurgents to believe that the fighting men are weak and afraid to fight. At the end of their deployement, Campbell's unit, and the larger batallion, have sustained casualties unsrupassed in USMC history. In the face of this violence, Campbell has acquitted himself of any doubts regarding his leadership or his courage.

Campbell recounts his experiences with a humble directnes and an openness unexpected for a Marine. He is unafraid to comment on the absurdity of war in general or, specficially, of the war in Iraq. His comments, however, never cheapen his and his fellow soldiers service, dedication, and honor. Joker One does not glorify or romanticize war but it does glorify the men and women who serve, those who accept a country's darkest, most terrible but often most necessary responsibility.

More than just a comment on war or the war in Iraq, Campbell's book should be seen as a primer on leadership, a discussion of how to inspire confidence amongst those whom you are responsible for managing. Campbell honors his men and their sense of duty in the face of violence and hopelessly flawed missions, never questioning the need for their service. He completely accepts responsibility for any mistake made by those whom he leads or by those whom he follows. He is honest, allowing the reader to share his personal moments of doubt and weakness, which makes his service and faith even more honorable.

The closest comparison for this book woud be We Were Soldiers Once....and Young, but Campbell surpasses that account by making the story much more personal and less an blow by blow account of battles.

Five bones!!!!!


What a great way to start the reading year, as this will likely be on my list of best at the conclusion of the year. I also finished another war treatise A Farewell to Arms but don't have the review done yet. I am on to The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

I read Joker One and We Were Soldiers Once... and Young back to back and I kept comparing and contrasting the two of them and agree with you. Have you read Moore and Galloway's sequal We Are Soldiers Still?

interesting first book, BDB, and great review! looking forward to what u think of ur next books. The Invisible Man is one of my all-time best reads.

I knew Joker One was a book I was going to have to read when I saw it on the ER list. Thanks for the great review. This is one I will be looking for right away.

> 36 Mac, A great review and a great start to the year!

- TT

Hey there--I'm already nearly 200 pages into Duma Key and loving it. See? Already one King in the list this year!

BDB: I *loved* The Invisible Man when I read it a few years ago - I'm interested to see how you like it!

I am so behind on posts right now. Some of you favorites of mine literaly have hundreds of posts which I haven't gotten to yet. I don't know how I am going to get through them all. Thanks for keeping up with me guys and gals!!!

I am also behind on reviews/thoughts and I owe for both A Farewell to Arms and Invisible Man. Thanks for the comments from all of you about the latter being a favorite of all time. I enjoyed Ellison's prose a great deal and the philosophical musings prompted much thought. So, I will have to catch up and post my thoughts on it.

scaifea, I feel a bit of trepidation at commenting on such a great book when I know a Classics Professor is going to be reading what I write. But perhaps you can share some insights about the book after I post my thoughts.

Sgtbigg, I haven't yet read We are Soldiers Still?. Did you read it? Did you enjoy it?

I haven't read it, I was looking for an opinion on it, it's on the TBR pile so I'll get to it sooner or later. It looks interesting though.

Hey BDB. Happy New Year. Just wanted to say hi. Loved your review of Joker One. I usually avoid books that as you so succintly put it "attempt to capture the essence of the American soldier at war" as many times I feel that they do not do a good job and either blindly glorify war and its soldiers or maligns them unfairly. I skipped over this book when it was offered on ER and when I had the opportunity to get it from another source. Guess I was wrong.

By the way I am honored that you think so highly of my reviews. Thank you.

Book #2
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
373 pages
Classic
100best list

Hemingway is complicated. A love story is never just a love story; there is always a much deeper, and usually darker, thread running through his stories. A Farewell to Arms follows that pattern, setting the story of Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkly in the chaos of the First World War. Henry, an volunteer, American medic with the Italian Army, meets and begins an affair with Barkly, an English nurse. The two steal moments together between bombings and battles and retreats and wounds, but eventually lose track of each other when Henry is sent to the front and Barkly's hospital is forced to relocate. Henry makes his way back to Barkly and the two check out of the war altogether, hiding away in hopes of forgetting the world around them.

This is a dark love story, one ultimately without hope. On one level, Hemingway is commenting on the foolish and hopeless exercise of war, constantly exhibiting characters who are obssessed with the futitlity of the war and whose malaise is often read as cowardice or lack of honor. Even in the face of a world dissembling around himHemingway's hero, fights on, distinguishing himself for bravery and overcoming those around him with a masculine bravado and penchant for action. Hemingway's delicately balances a distaste for war in general with the vaules of duty and commitment.

At its deepest level, however, Hemingway's story is based on a bleak of humanist perpspective, void of any thought of an afterlife or values based outside of human existence. The love between Henry and Barkly is largely a senuous one and doesn't seem to run to the spiritual level. (Spoiler alert-though this is a clasic, there may be some like me who haven't yet read the book)And Hemingway seems to comment on the futility of such a spiritual love given the book closes with the death of both Barkly and the child the two have conceived. Hemingway seems to be saying that all you can hope for is to find some pleasure in this life as you live it but that fate will be the final arbiter of the days of your existence.

Since Hemingway is so focused on finding the pleasure in life, as always, his description of the world around him is superb. He can describe food and taste better than any other writer I've read. And his landscapes are so easy to picture and feel and smell.

So, Hemingway is a favorite and I highly recommend this one, if for no other reason than to enjoy his prose. But, a caution that Hemingway can be a bit dark.

Four Bones!!!!

Book #3, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
606 pages
Classic
100best

A wonderful story about identity. From where does your identity flow. Does it flow primarily from the color of your skin? From your heritage? From the values you're taught by your family? From your education? From your job? From the causes you support or believe in? All of these are considered as possibilities by the unamed central character of Ralph Ellison's classic novel. As the hero makes his way through life he is always conflicted about who he is and always at a disadvantage because his race seems to answer the question in ways that are distasteful, dishonest, or unfair. Though seen as one of the most important works dealing with race in American literature, I found the book a much more broad comment on the human struggle for identity.

The prologue to the book is so tightly put together, engaging, and thought provoking, it would be hard not to read the rest of the book if you started it. The epilogue is a wonderful book end to the prologue and similarly tightly written and thought provoking. In the meat of the book, Ellison introduces his hero to a diverse and interesting array of characters, all whom have advice and wisdom to deliver about how the hero should live and what he should believe. I found a few of the passages a little tiring and a little redundant but never enough that the underlying story lost its way.

A good read and worth the time!!!!

Four bones!!!!

I still owe a review on Animal Farm which I finished up quickly today. I am on To the Lighthouse with Virginia Woolf.

BDB, thanks as ever for some great reviews - particularly on the Hemingway, who I have always avoided on a pure knee-jerk reaction. This sounds like quite a thought-provoking read.

You're doing some great reading again this year, Mac, as well as continuing the insightful reviews. Thanks!

FlossieT, Why the "knee jerk reaction"? What is it aHemingway that has made you avoid him and maybe I can help point you to a good one to start, if this one is not the right one.

Thanks to both of you for your kind words on my thoughts.

>51 blackdogbooks: Strange as it may seem, Mac, I also, have an antipathy towards Hemingway. Not sure why!

I have a biography of Hemingway in my library and I am sure I have read something by him in the past that may have put me off him - can't remember what exactly!

I enjoyed the film The Old Man and the Sea with Spencer Tracey.

Go on then,Mac, make me love Hemingway! :)

- TT

bdb, great reviews for the last 2 books, both of which i also enjoyed very much. if u haven't read it yet, may i recommend For Whom the Bell Tolls. a hemingway fan here, as u can tell...

#51 and #52, My favorite adage about writers is this, "A writer is often better read than met." I try not to let biographies or stories about writers color my opinions of their writing though I am not always successful. Sometimes, their lives are so carefully intertwined in their stories and perspectives. Nonetheless, Mr T., Hemingway is worth your time, even if it is just to enjoy his eloquent description of the world around his characters. Often his characters and stories are not easy to like or connect with. One of my favorites, which might make another good one to try for you, is A Moveable Feast which is not really fiction but is a wonderful account of Paris and the writers who gathered there.

#53, deebee, tell me more about your thoughts on Invisible Man, as you said it was a favorite, please. For Whom the Bell Tolls will likely be on one of the lists this year, and it will be a first for me. While Hemingway is a favorite, I have by no means read them all yet.

Mac

Thanks for the reviews on A Farewell To Arms and The Invisible Man, I also have The Old Man and The Sea sitting on my shelf for some time, maybe March would be a good time to start on the Ernest Hemingway books.

>51 blackdogbooks:: I've just always put him in the pigeonhole marked "TESTOSTERONE-SOAKED", which isn't my favourite place to hang out, literarily speaking. Have I too hastily misfiled him?

I did an A-level essay on The Old Man and The Sea and compared it with Life of Pi and reading it like that, analysing a lot of it, I really enjoyed it.

I'm not sure I would have done so much had I not been looking at it in such depth; I think I could have been quite bored by it as a simple story.

But at least its short, so even if you don't like it, it doesn't waste much time or energy!!

I really enjoyed The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Flossie, you are not completely wrong about one of Hemingway's central themes; he is obssessed with masculine bravado and the idea of male action as a guide post for how his heros are judged. For example, Frederick Henry, in A Farewell to Arms volunteers for the Italian army as a medic in order to get into World War I. And, though he is surrounded by people who hate the war and don't want to fight, he looks down on them in many ways, choosing to act and, indeed, to distinguish himself, even in the face of his own feelings which seem to run parallel anti-war sentiment.

BUT, I have never found him so tied to the masculine bravado that he alienates women readers. In fact, my wife turned me on to him and she is an even bigger Hemingway lover. With his truly masculine heros, he still writes beautifully and tells a good story, albiet, usually a fairly dark story.

You should give him a try. Actually, A Farewell to Arms wouldn't be a bad place to start. A Moveable Feast would also be a good start as it is not really fiction and has much less of the testosterone.

I second the recommendation of A Moveable Feast. I read it last year for the first time, and I thought Hemingway's description of the people (especially Gertrude Stein) and Paris in the 20s very worth the read.

>60 alcottacre:: Paris in the 20s sounds good - might be a good introduction then.

He's one of those writers I've always felt a bit guilty for avoiding - like D.H. Lawrence - clearly important, but the bits I've read have always made me feel a bit ill. (On the latter: we did Cold Comfort Farm at school and our teacher also assigned us the first couple of chapters of The Rainbow so we'd understand what Gibbons was getting at. Lady Chatterley has a lot to answer for.)

ETA missing word.

#43: LOL! The fact that I'm a classics prof simply means that I can read Latin and Greek passably well enough to teach it to others. I'm certainly no expert on literature in general! Besides, you write beautifully about the books you've read, much more so than I do about mine!

> 54, bdb, i read the book at least a decade ago and no longer remember the details. what remains is that the book impressed me very much -- not so much the events that took place, but the thought processes of the protagonist, of a man who remains invisible no matter what he accomplishes. and of course the unforgettable line "who knows, but that, on the lower frequencies, i speak for you?". such symbolism, such meaning.

speaking of invisibility, if u wish to read more along this theme, may i recommend something i read last year -- this time set in South Africa during apartheid. it's a little known but very good book, widely controversial when it first appeared in SA and subsequently banned. for this and others of his work, the author Christopher Hope was expelled from the country. the book is A Separate Development, referring to the policy of "separate development" during that period where the non-whites were to pursue their own process and level of "development" in areas designated for them, separate from the whites. quite a different approach to the subject of invisibility, through satire, but not less powerful.

Wonderful review of Invisible Man--another book of which I was unaware and have added to the wishlist. Thank you!

Book #4, Animal Farm by George Orwell
118 pages
Classic
100 best list

Manor Farm erupts in revolution and the animals take over, with the pigs, the intelectual elite, in charge. Renamed Animal Farm, the pigs initiate a democratic process, electing leaders, establishing rules, and reeducating the other animals. The new animal utopia, however, begins to unravel, as the pigs are carried away with their own power.

Orwell's Animal Farm is obviously an allegory about the cycles of human history, revolution, and the corrupting influence of power.

I was not particularly moved by this book, though it's well written. Perhaps the build up to read it, as this was my first time, created too much anticipation. I am much more of a fan of 1984. I found that novel to have many more layers and not so obvious.

Three bones!!!

Book #5, To the Lighthouse by Virgina Woolf
236 pages
Classic
100 best list

Two days in the life of the Ramsey family, ten years apart, focused on a trip to a lighthouse. Young James Ramsey, thanks to his mother's optomistic encouragement, is set on the adventure, while his father, ever the realist, announces bad weather for the following day, dashing the boys hopes and planting a seed of discord between the two that will last a lifetime. Some ten years later, the family returns to the beach house, this time without Mrs. Ramsey, now deceased. Mr. Ramsey, desperate to find the connection he had with his wife, orders James and his sister, Cam, accompany him on a trip to the lighthouse. All of the doings, on both days, are observed by Lily Briscoe, a family fried who is trying to capture the beach house on canvass and, in so doing, capture the spirit of Mrs. Ramsey.

Virginia Woolf's novel seems a reduction of modern popular literature, with such a vivid focus on limited action or story and a lack of typical plot devices. Instead, the account focuses almost entirely on the inner life and thoughts of the various Ramsey family and friends. The account is told in often impenetrable stream of conciousness meanderings. Rather than a complete distration, the prose tends to lend an air of realism to the thought process of the characters. As we eavesdrop on the Ramseys and their friends, we find their thoughts filled with contradictions, self-doubt, and ego fueled conclusions, giving the reader an unusual window on their fragile relationships.

I was not fond of this book the first time I tried to read it but gave it another chance and I am glad I did so, as it grew on me. Ultimately, I was drawn to Woolf's characters, as they became so much more rich and complete with her focus on their diverse inner lives. A caution, though, the prose is dense and takes some concentration to plow through.

Four bones!!!!

scaifea, anyone who can read Latin or Greek shows a good degree more brain power than I can muster, but thanks for the kind comment on my reviews.

And the same to you, Lisa Curcio, as both of y'all are new members here and new to my thread. Welcome!!

deebee, thanks for putting down your thoughts on Invisible Man and for the recommendation......your recommendations always have a great deal of weight for me. I have a note of it and will look out for it. Thanks.

I am on to ......An American Tragedy by Theodore Dresier, which weighs in at about 800+ pages......this is why I am keeping track of pages this year, though not in the scientific way suggested by our resident numbers guy, TadAD.

FlossieT, do give A Moveable Feast a try then. I don't think it will render you ill.

I read An American Tragedy 34 years ago. I enjoyed it but remember a great weight lifting off me when I finally put it down. It was emotionally exhausting.

I read Sister Carrie a year or two ago and enjoyed it so much more than I expected. So, I am looking forward to it.

#66 To the Lighthouse

I'm glad you like the book. I'm a huge fan of VW although I agree some of her fiction can be difficult to read. She was always experimenting with the novel and trying to make it do things that had never been done. She seemed to be fascinated with time and manipulating it to be under her "control." I also agree, almost always she is better appreciated on rereads--maybe because instead of trying to figure out what's happening you can just relax and enjoy the ride!

You probably know that An American Tragedy is based on a true crime event, I think involving the Kodak family. There was also a fairly decent movie made of it in the 1950's. Even though it's 800 pp I think you'll find it a fast read. It's very engrossing. I liked it a lot better than Sister Carrie.

#68: Completely agree about An American Tragedy. It is emotionally exhausting.

Thanks for the reviews of Animal Farm and To the Lighthouse, Mac. Great job as usual and I am adding both to the Continent.

I read To the Lighthouse last year and images from it still stick with me. **SPOILER?** There was some description of the light shifting through the long-empty house that was particularly beautiful. Probably a book that warrants a re-read at some point.

Mac

You are right about the allegory part of Animal Farm, but it is more specifically directed towards the Russian revolution and Stalin in particular, whom as can be infered from the book, George Orwell is a huge fan of :P

But, it is equally applicable to other regions at other points of time and to me this is what makes the book timeless, apart from the extremely well written part which you have already discussed in your review.

arubabookwoman, welcome to my thread!!! And I didn't know that An American Tragedy was based on real events. Once I finish the book and get my thoughts down, I will have to do a little googling to read up on it.

MusicMom41, I was put off the first time I tried to read it and only got through about 25 pages but this time, the reading experience was just right and I'm glad I gave it another go. Woolf's experimentation, in this case, certainly improved characterization, in my opinion. Her characters were so real because they were so much more complete with all of their contradictory feelings and personal rambling thoughts exposed to the reader. What a great book for someone to study who is trying to learn how to compose a character and flesh the character out.

alaskabookorm, good to hear from you. How's the frozen north? We had 50 degrees and sun yesterday. The passage you mention was a real beauty, using the beach house and how it runs down over time to bridge the gap in the families lives. The sun shifting through the house substituting for the years passing.

Piyush, You are certainly correct in pointing to Orwell's focus on the Russian revolution. As I read it, I was thrown back to one of last year's reads that focused on the same events and had, essentially, the same message, Darkness at Noon. I think, overall, I liked the latter better. Orwell's allegory was so obvious......maybe because it is a classic and everyone knows what it's about, even before they read it.

I just wanted to stop by and thank you for your comments on my thread, and then I saw your review of To the Lighthouse, so I shall thank you for that, too. It's another of those sitting on my wishlist, so I think I'll move it up a little higher in the queue. I've just started Mrs. Dalloway, so hopefully that will prepare me by introducing Woolf's style.

Hi I just want tell that I am reading a great non-fiction book that relates to your recommendation of Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler.(read last yearIt is The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia by Orlando Figes. The details described of many lives lost and the explanations of how many people reacted to the terrors of the 1920-1940's provide a good background for Koestler's book.

>73 alaskabookworm: Happy New Year BDB! As to the weather here.... its a bit schizophrenic. You mentioned 50 degrees and sunny, and gee, that sounds eerily like the weather we had Saturday. Of course, that was following two weeks well below 0, then two 100mph windstorms in two days that melted all our snow (2 ft on the ground). Now its in the mid 30s to low 40s during the day and rain pooling on our taupe-colored exposed grass that doesn't have anywhere to drain because, despite warm air temps, the ground is still frozer rock solid. No end in sight, I'm afraid. Silly, silly weather.

And after reading An American Tragedy, watch A Place in the Sun. Somehow my Netflix choices this weekend were two great George Stevens's films--A Place in the Sun and Suddenly, Last Summer. Which meant I had to watch Shane! Sigh! Such fabulous adaptations of truly great books.

For the Hemingway avoidees above (and I have to admit that for his books, I tend to be one), try his short stories, which I've always loved--The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber is a good one. My lit prof led us on a merry discussion as to why there is no comma in the title--how would it change the story-or would it???

I'm back to my ER book (newly arrived), Antsy Does Time (which I just realized is a sequel), Northanger Abbey and Dragon's Teeth--oh, and figuring out 10, ONLY 10, for the science fiction list Tad set up on that thread. Happy reading!

I second the recommendation of Hemingway short stories, especially the early ones, before Hemingway's style started becoming almost a parody of itself. "Hills Like White Elephants" is another good one.

#79 & 80: Thanks for the recommendations, ladies. I will look for Hemingway's short stories.

BDB & Anyone else who cares to comment--

I've seen a lot of talk about Hemingway on several threads but no one has mentioned the only novel of his that I own: The Sun Also Rises. (Well, I also own The Old Man and the Sea, but I've read that). I have a volume of the Complete Short Stories, too. I'd like to do Hemingway as a classic this year because I haven't read any of his major works. Short Stories is a very large volume--but I could peck away at it one story at a time; Sun Also Rises seems like it wouldn't be a very arduous read but someone told me it was very depressing. If it has redeeming features I don't mind sad--but it needs to be a good story. Can you help me solve my dilemma?

>79 Prop2gether: Thanks for the movie hints. Watched Sixth Inn of Happiness with the husband this week. He almost always sleeps through dramas, but not this time. Success! I'll have to try again with Spitfire Grill -- one really shouldn't sleep through that movie.

MusciMom41, The Sun Also Rises is one of my favorite Hemingways and the first that I read. Hemingway produces dark stories, there is just no way around that. It has to do primarily with his basic humanist perspective and characters that are often singularly driven by selfish pleasure seeking. On the other hand, many of his characters, especially the masculine characters, are noble and fierce and uncompromising. And, his descriptions of the world around his characters, taste, smell, feel, etc., is just about unsurpassed. I would highly recommend The Sun Also Rises. Ever since reading it, I have wanted to go to Spain. Don't let the dark nature of his stories scare you away from his work, it is really worth the effort.

>84 blackdogbooks: Thx Mac. I needed that encouragement too.

Mac, didn't expect this from you! You should really behave!!! I hope someone informs Mrs Mac about your demonstration of love!

Yeah, I am not sure how this got matched with me?!?!!??

#88: I don't know, Mac. The description is rather scary: stick to bottled water? Is someone trying to poison you?

Sadly, though I am trying to keep to reading at least 100 pages a day, I am failing. Work has really intruded and I find me reading time getting crowded out. This also means less time to keep up with all the posts. So, I have also begun only checking my favorite starred.....though I have added a few stars based on people who have dropped in here on my thread.

Going to try and push through a big chunk of American Tragedy tonight, as I am about half way through. Wish me luck....

good luck is sent your way!

#90 bdb

I know what you mean! Reading time has been scarce for me too so I have really curtailed the amount of time I'm spending on the threads. I'm hoping as the days get longer it will be easier to get reading time in.

Good luck on American Tragedy!

#90: I've got my fingers crossed for you, Mac - making it darn hard to type, too.

Don't despair too much your lack of reading time! If we have not a world outside of our books into which we pour out that which we take from our books, then books, as much as we love them, are caskets rather than founts. (Flowery enough for you? I'm nauseating even myself.)

>90 blackdogbooks:: If it's a choice between reading and checking posts, I don't think there's much of a choice. Hopefully work will ease up for you at some point though, in this economy, who knows.

Hope you are feeling better--and enjoying (?!) An American Tragedy. Back to my reading....(oops! work!)

Thanks to all for the well wishes.......hope I didn't sound too whiny!?!?!?

The book got really good last night, a twist of sorts, I guess......at least something I didn't expect. Pushed the overall reading experience up at least 1/2 a bone. Still, I have about another 200 or so pages.

Thanks for your hello. Good luck on the Dreiser...enjoy the King, when you get to him (suffice to say, quality of literature aside, he's a little more fun to read : )

The following posting and review will contain some spoilers. I am compelled to say that because I don't want to ruin the reading experience for anyone and I was surprised by the turn of events in the book. But, this is a book that was written in 1925 and is considered a classic, so the wrning may be needless. I just couldn't write about this one without talking about some of the details of the story.

Read on at your peril!!

Book #6, An American Tragedy by Theordore Dreiser
874 pages
Classic
100 best list

Clyde Griffiths - trapped between worlds. Though flush with raw ability, his ambition is much greater than the station in life to which he was born. Clyde's sad life begins on the streets, helping his fundamentalist family attmept to spread their version of the gospel, busking hymns and homilies. He grows to hate what his family stands for as he watches the wealthy and the succesful walk by, condescending and aloof. Clyde, able to suppress his deisre for a life of money and fame and fortune no more, abandons his family and takes a job as a bellhop at a hotel that caters to the rich. His outside-in view of the upper class only reinforces his belief that, if he could match his talents to a class standing equal to his dreams, he would staisfy his every desire. Running with the fast crowd, exposing himself to every pleasure and vice, Clyde is eventually caught up in a terrible accident and, rather than face the consequences, he runs, exhibiting a weakness of will and moral fiber that will define the rest of his tragic life.

After a short exile into workaday life, Clyde lands on his feet again, connecting with an estranged uncle who is part of the social strata that he has always dreamed of accessing. Samuel Griffiths, the owner of a large shirt collar manufaturing plant, takes pity on Clyde and offers to give him a chance to work his way up in the company. Uncle Griffiths, though, is loathe to simply give Clyde the keys to the kingdom, worried that the boy's lack of education and meek social standing will reflect badly on his own family. So, Clyde is put to work in the company, his name offering him a taste of the treatment those born to wealth enjoy but he is never truly accepted by his uncle into the social class that matches their shared name. Clyde is again only able to view the world of money, favor, and ease from afar, invited to participate only as an amusement to some of the other young, rich family heirs.

Lonely and frustrated, Clyde turns to one of the pretty, female plant workers, Roberta Alden, for comfort and companionship. Trapped between the world he feels his name should place him in and the world his birth ties him to, Clyde refuses to engage in a normal and open relationship with Roberta, courting her in secret and eventually seducing her. When Roberta announces to him that she is pregnant and expects Clyde to marry her, he is faced with losing his tenuous foothold in the world of his family name. Clyde, frightened and desperate, kills Roberta, hoping to unbind himself from the shame and humiliation his connection to Roberta is sure to bring if exposed. Even in murder, though, Clyde is weak and unfocused, leaving a trail of evidence that easily identifies him as the killer.

Clyde is tried and convicted of the murder, judged by a group of simple, workaday people, primarily of the same social strata from which he so desperately tried to escape. His trial is a hearing not only on the crime but also on Clyde's empty ambition to achieve money and success and pleasure at any cost. His conviction is a comment on the unmoored desires of a society, eager for the life of entitlement without responsibility.

Dreiser's narrative is slow, detailed, and methodical. Though, every time the reader begins to grow impatient with the pastoral pace, Dreiser throws Clyde's life into chaos. Dreiser's plodding voice allows him to provide a complete and thorough review of Clyde's background and thought process in a way that is not typical of novels. By the time Clyde finally kills Roberta, his meandering thoughts and feelings have been examined to the point that the reader is almost as confused as Clyde himself about his murderous act. In the end, Dreiser's tempo and completeness are a positive, though they make the novel a bit long and difficult.

Another positive for Dreiser is his attention to detail and his ultra -realistic portrayal of both Clyde's crime and the investigation and prosecution that follows. Dreiser maintains an uncharacteristically good eye for the minutiae and subtlety of the crime investigation, interrogation, and the presentation of a case to a jury. Written in 1925, Dreiser's novel, though not your typical crime novel, is far ahead of its time. Modern crime writters would do well to read the last section of Dreiser's novel before they put pen to paper.

Some critics have claimed that Dreiser's novel was an attempt to convict the growing American consumer values and pleasure seeking without substance, focusing on Clyde's obssessive desires which are ultimately his undoing. While this explanation fits the novel, an alternate explanation is to see Clyde, his weak will and bankrupt moral sense, as the focus of Dreiser's disdain. The only difference in these explanations is who bears the ultimate responsibility for Clyde's make-up, society as whole or Clyde and his parents. I tend towards the later in viewing the book because it opens and closes with a scene describing Clyde's family in the midst of their religious mission. As you read about Clyde's parents and their Pharisaic piety, it seems equally empty as compared to the upper crust society toward which Clyde gravitates. Neither life or social strata ultimately has any value for Clyde and both contribute to his destruction.

Highly recommended!!!!

Four 1/2 bones!!!!

The following passage, one of my favorites from An American Tragedy exhibits the difficult but wonderful language that runs throughout the book. While it is dense, it spurs a lot of thought.

"There are moments when in connection with the sensitively imaginative or morbidly anachronistic-the mentality assailed and the same not of any great strength and the problem confronting it of sufficient force and complexity-the reason not actually toppling from its throne, still totters or is warped or shaken-the mind befuddled to the extent that for the time being, at least, unreason or disorder and mistaken or erroneous counsel would appear to hold against all else. In such instanaces the will and the courage confronted by some great difficulty which it can neither master no endure, appears in some to recede in precipitate flight, leaving only panic and temporary unreason in its wake."

BTW, the story is based closely on the 1908 Gillete murder - someone mentioned they thought it was based on actual events........someone got that right.

Another triva bit. This book appeared the same year as The Great Gatsby. Two very different takes on similar substance.

Next up.....The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler.

I am off to create my February reading TBR stack, again composed only of classics and titles on the 100 best list.

PiyushChourAsia....this is one I think you will really like.

Thanks for the recommendation Mac, will try both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie. Also checked on one of your Top 100 lists, I could count 19 titles I have already read and some 20 more which I definitely want to read. BTW, as always, great review!

Which one did you look at? I have the Modern Library 100 best, the reader response to the Modern Library list, a list compiled by the Radcliffe Publishing Course, and one compiled by an author (Daniel S. Burt) and published in a Barnes and Noble publication?

Hey Blackdogbooks--I'm glad to hear you liked An American Tragedy. Great review.

I was the someone who mentioned it was based on a true crime--except I had it in my mind that the wealthy family was the Kodak family--I guess because the setting was NY state (or maybe I've forgotten that too).

There's a 1950's movie that's pretty good--I think I recall that Shelley Winters is Roberta and Elizabeth Taylor is the rich girl (forget the name).

Mac, I looked at the one mentioned in your group, Top 100 Novels of All Time.

That's another list that was compiled from several other lists. The idea there was to make a list based on "votes" for each title which appeared on some other 100 best list. So, the more times a title appeared on various lists, the more votes and the higher it was placed on that list. I am not really reading from that one, though it has many of the same titles.

BDB, great review --- it made me want to revisit Dreiser. i attempted to read Sister Carrie a few times in my late teens but couldn't manage past several chapters -- sad to say it was the very first novel i abandoned in my reading life. perhaps many years and many books later, i'm now ready to read him. thanks for providing the motivation!

I'm going to hop in here on the Hemingway discussion, and make mention of my favourite and highly recommended Hemingway novel, the fictional memoir, Under Kilimanjaro, based on his last Kenyan safari in the early 50s. This book is the full manuscript of his last great work, of which a large portion was published posthumously as True at First Light, edited by Hemingway's son, Patrick.

Check out this link, for a full discussion...
http://www.discovery.und.edu/fall_2005/14.html

> 108 thanks for sharing the link, peter. i adore H. will certainly check this out when i have some time...

There is a lot of Hemingway posthumously published work and it is work reading. My favorite, so far, is Islands in the Stream. After reading that one, I constantly have onion sandwiches and beer on the brain, as that constituted breakfast for one of the characters.

deebs, Dreiser is not ligth reading but I found him worth the effort. Though, I think I might recommend An American Tragedy first. Sister Carrie was a great novel but the former was even more captivating, for me anyway.

Oh those lists! Huh! ;-) plus a couple of *tee hees* for good measure!

A pox upon you!Q@#$@%%$&!

Just wanted to send a big THANK YOU for recommending The Road last year. I just listened to the audiobook (read incredibly by Tom Stechschulte), and I don't know that I've ever been so moved by a book. Wonderful.

blackdogbooks..
Message 100: What an incredible review!

tloeffler....you are certainly welcome, though I know plenty of other folks would have recommended that one to you. Okay, if you were so moved by The Road, I would suggest trying the first of the Border Triology, All the Pretty Horses. I found that book and that series just as moving and enjoyable.

Whisper1....thank you!

No Country For Old Men was also very good.

Thanks for the recommendations! I'm putting both on my list. My son is telling me the the movie of No Country For Old Men was one of his favorites. Maybe I can talk him into a "group read"...

Terri

I concur with your son, the movie definitely is very good and the movie has prompted me to enlist the book in my TBR list, normally it happens the other way round.

Agreed, the movie was a very accurate rendering of the book. Though, I would suggest reading the book first for you, as the book is more clear in its purpose. Many of the critiques of the movie noted an ambiguous story and unfulfilling ending. The book, though largely the same material, is a bit easier to process. The reader is able to see McCarthy's intent a little more clearly than the movie goer.

Book #7, The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
601 pages
100 best
Classic

Samuel Butler's novel is focused on the role our ancestors, especially the immediate ones, have in the shaping of our lives. Is it possible to ruin your children's lives? Does your heredity, either as a result of DNA or social exposure, dictate the path of your life and the substance of your character? Certainly, Butler's hero, Ernest Pontifex, stands as evidence of the affirmative on both counts.

Ernest's family history takes up the first portion of the book, detailing the mostly unhappy and bitter lives of his grandfather and father. Ernest is subjected to the family treatment, which is equal parts pious derision of almost everything, little family intimacy, and healthy beatings. Given very little chance to form any singular personality, Ernest is a kind of a blank slate for any colorful character or thought or idea, blowing this way and that throughout his early life, mostly succeeding only in failure. An aunt, the one family member to show any affection for Ernest, leaves him the better part of her estate on passing. Though never having earned it, Ernest ends up a man of means, free to pursue his every whim.

In addition to Butler's examination of heredity in the shaping of human personality, Butler also meant this novel to be a pointed criticism of Victorian values and life. Though without any redeeming or truly interesting characters, the novel feels somewhat flat, too bound up in religious and philosophical minutiae. Certainly, Jane Austen, to whom Butler owes a great deal in the style of his prose, was a much more effective satarist with regards to the Victorians. Austen's characters are more complete, even in their baseness or vacuousness, and all the more intersting and instructive for it. Ernest is such a soft reed in everything, that his story grows weary. Charles Dickens' stories are complex and detailed and his characters richly drawn so as to breath life into his social comment and, at the same time, make the story more readable.

On the whole, this is one of the books which I think the Modern Library editorial board mistakenly included in the 100 best English language novels list. Many of Dickens' or Autsen's works could have replaced it.

Not a ringing recommendation. Still three bones as there are some well written and thought provoking passages.

Three bones!!!



Next up.........Appointment in Samara by John O'Hara

I am looking forward to your review of the O'Hara book since it has been on the Continent for a while now. I think I will pass on the Butler book though despite your once again well-written review.

I found you BDB! And thanks for your review of Joker One, I dont read a lot of nonfiction, so I search for interesting ones when I do, and this sounds like it would fit the bill. :)

Hey Mac,

Thanks for the review on The Way of All Flesh, will push it a bit back in my TBR list. I am still waiting for your next Jane Austen book review though!

Book #8, Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara
173 pages
Classic
100 best

The farther away I got from reading Aopointment in Samarra, the more book seemed to creep into my thoughts. Julian English appears to be living the life of Riley, running a succesful business, claiming membership in the most exclusive club, happily married to a beautiful and devoted wife. But scratch just under the surface and Julian's life looks much more raw. Unbeknownst to anyone, he is deeply in debt and his business is in danger of going under. He suspects his wife, probably wrongly so, of being disloyal. Things begin to completely unravel when, at a high society, club Christmas party, Julian tosses his scotch in the face of one of the town's leading businessmen, a man to whom Julian owes a great deal of money. Julian begins to lose more and more control and retreats into his own unstable musings, unable to honestly evaluate his life and those around him.

The early stages of this story feel like a Victorian period novel reset in a 1920's, noir mystery. O'Hara examines much of the same social behavior as does Austen or Dickens, only O'Hara's characters are American to the core. As Julian's behavior and mental state deteriorate, it becomes clear that O'Hara has constructed a tragic figure in his main character, one who is completely invested in all of the trimmings of his social status but devoid of the self esteem or guile to maintain the life.

O'Hara's novel has an edge to it, one that evokes Dashiel Hammet or John D. MacDonald. The story and and style also call to mind Georges Simenon, who also liked to study characters whose minds and lives seemed to be decompensating.

Recommended.

Four bones!!!!

lppn38, glad you found me and glad I could help.

Piyush, March hopes to bring Pride and Prejudice. I still have about 3-4 on the February list to finish up.

Next up........The Ambassadors by Henry James. So far, a difficult slog but I am trying to stick to it.

Mac

Which is this 100 Best Classics list you are following? Please post the entire list at some place.

I wouldn't mind seeing that list either. :-)

#124: Thanks for that great review of the O'Hara book, bdb. I am definitely going to have to move it up the Continent. It has obviously been residing there far too long.

>124 blackdogbooks:: That sounds interesting. I'll have to give it a try.

Piyush and MusicMom1

I have previously emailed the lists to other inquiring minds and would be happy to do so if you PM your emails. Sadly, I am not as computer efficient and wouldn't know the first thing about posting the lists.

>130 blackdogbooks: are they somewhere online? You could just post a link...(?)

No or maybe.....i am not sure.....i have collected them over the course of a few years. One I know is not online. In any event, I am happy to email!

Well, The Ambassadors did not survive the 50 page rule. I was intrigued by the story, as outline in a well written and enjoyable introduction, which I don't typically read prior to reading the book. James' prose is far too dense and meandering for my taste. I am going to keep the book and try one of my other James titles sometime. If I continue to have problems, out they go.

On to A Passage to India by E.M. Forster. I was immediately grabbed by this one and am well past the 50 page mark already. Piyush, have you read this one?

blackdogbooks, I apologize in advance if I've previously recommended book Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins. I note you are going to read A Passage to India. I read that one awhile ago and found that one book re. India lead to another, to another and another.

that's the first recommendation, at least that you've made to me, for that title. It looks like a good one. Thanks.

ok, then...another Friday morning message to you.
I saw your post on Cariola's thread re. Billy the Kid.
Please do recommend books re. this lively character. I'm interested. Thanks!

>134 Whisper1:: Are you a fan of Larry Collins or India books, Linda? I've read two Collins: O Jerusalem!, which I enjoyed, and Maze, which was so-so. Perhaps I like his non-fiction but not his fiction.

Okay Whisper1 (and girlunderglass, if you decide to look),

The best description of the Kid and the Lincoln County War I have read is actually a book about Pat Garrett, Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman by Leon Claire Metz. It is so good because it sets Billy's involvement in the war in the true context of the history, politics, ethnic relations, etc. of the time. And it follows the rest of Garrett's life as a lawman in New Mexico.

Try Metz' The Shooters for a quick rendition of Billy's exploits along with a bevy of other outlaws and lawmen. Very interesting and a good flavor for the Old West.

Also, don't miss Garrett's own attempt to cash in on the Billy legends, The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid by Pat Garrett. A great title, but never forget that it was written by Garrett, for Garrett's purposes.

Another good one, Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life by Robert M. Utley. Utley is a noted and respected western historian.

I saw a new one out that I can't really speak to by Michael Wallis, something about The Last Ride or some such title.

By the way, I am in the minority on whether Billy was actually killed by Garrett. I do not believe Garrett actually shot Billy. Not a popular opinion amongst the scholars in this area though.

Along similar lines, although a different part of the country, I read Butch Cassidy: A Biography a few years ago. It was quite good, definitely tried to sort out the history from the mythology.

>138 blackdogbooks: Thanks!

>133 blackdogbooks: I would have predicted that you wouldn't get far with The Ambassadors, but I didn't want to color your impressions. As an English major in college, I can truthfully say that was the only assigned book that I simply could not read. My husband (now) was in the same class, and he fell asleep over that book repeatedly; the last time he did it he was in the bathtub. The Ambassadors drowned, but he survived. Neither of us has ever been tempted to go back and see if we would feel differently about the book now.

Message 137

I try to read as many books as possible regarding the history of India and Britain. It is fascinating.

I haven't read any of Larry Collins books, but now will do so at your recommendation.

Message 138

Thanks very much. I'll add these books to my tbr pile.

I appreciate that you took the time to list all these books that look sooooo good!

Thought I would drop in over here and found your discussion of A Passage to India, the talk about Larry Collins and books about India. I loved A Passage to India. It is a gripping story of life in India under British rule. I actually have liked every book that I have read written by E.M. Forster, but this one is particularly good.

I have mentioned somewhere else how much I enjoyed Freedom at Midnight, and also recommend Is Paris Burning by the same author. Is Paris Burning is about the liberation of Paris at the end of WWII.

Finally, for fans of stories about India, try Paul Scott's Raj Quartet starting with The Jewel in the Crown. More excellent fiction about India leading up to partition.

And why aren't the author touchstones working again?!?

Lisa

Thanks very much for mentioning Raj Quartet. I've not heard of this one before and thus I'm very interested in reading it.

Right, I'll shove The Ambassadors to the back of the bookshelf. Thanks. I have quite a few classics like that one that I buy, feel virtuous about owning, and never maange to read... is Portrait of a Lady better? I have that too!

I have A Passage to India unread too...

LisaC and Whisper, Freedom at Midnight and Is Paris Burning sound like I'd like them - thanks.

>142 Whisper1:: I'm confused. In #134, were you recommending the Collins book Freedom at Midnight or were you passing along a recommendation from Lisa?

The Raj Quartet is on my list of all time favorites. I've read it 3 times, and intend to read it again before I die. He also wrote Staying On the bitterweet story of an elderly British couple who can't afford to return to England at the end of the Raj, and the changes in their life.

The BBC did a mini-series adaptation of The Raj Quartet that was also excellent.

I try to make everyone read The Raj Quartet.

P.S. It really is a quartet of books that you should read in order. The Jewel in the Crown is the first book of the series.

sorry for the confusion...It has been a very long and stressfilled week at work.
I'm recommending Freedom at Midnight!

>146 cushlareads: cmt: I read Portrait of a Lady late last year. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have not read any of James' other works. I have The Golden Bowl which I believe is pretty dense. I won't be reading The Ambassadors! Portrait was made into a TV series, in the 1970's I think, with Richard Chamberlain. It was excellent.

- TT

Mac

No, I haven't yet read A Passage to India, though it has been a part of my TBR pile for some time now. Surprisingly, I haven't yet read any book on India except The Argumentative Indian and more surprisingly, I have read only two books so far by an Indian author, The Argumentative Indian being the first one and Yuganta being the second.

Thanks for all the support on my decision to abandon The Ambassadors. Based on TT's recommendation, perhaps the next James I try will be Portrait of a Lady but not for awhile.

Love the discussion on A Passage to India. Thanks.

Piyush, thanks for resonding. I will let you know what I think soon and then see if you decide to read it.

>152 blackdogbooks:: Mac, I loathe James, and my sister-in-law loves him: she keeps telling me I've just read "the wrong ones". Her recommendation for a first is The Wings of the Dove. Not that I've yet taken her up on it, after failing miserably with The Golden Bowl and Washington Square.

And this from a Brit!!! Now I really feel better. So, I will try either Portrait of a Lady or The Wings of the Dove wqhen next I attempt James. That will be it though, I have decided. I had a very negative reaction to his prose style.

re Henry James

When I was young--before I was married--I read several Henry James books and I remember that a couple of them I really loved and several that I either tolerated or disliked intensely. It was like reading two different authors. Among those I'm sure I read were Golden Bowl, Daisy Miller, and Washington Square. I didn't keep a journal then so I don't remember now which ones I liked or what others I read. I own but have not read yet The Ambassadors--I think I will put that one off for a while--or forever? I'm reaching the age where I realize there are more wonderful (for me) books out there than I can read in what's left of my lifetime and I don't want to waste precious time on stuff I won't either love or learn from. And I still struggle with giving up on a book I've started--but I'm getting better!

I reread Turn of the Screw last year and loved it both times I read it. I don't remember reading Wings of the Dove and I know I have not read Portrait of a Lady--that is one I own and plan to read this year in my Classics category. I've read good reviews on that one so I think I will like it. I'm toying with idea of reading Vanity Fair at the same time, because it might make a good comparison--that's also a Classic on my "to read" list and I own a copy of that, too.

>151 PiyushC: Piyush, for a book on India, I thoroughly recommend Shantaram. See the review on my 2008 thread. msg 128 or in reviews.

-TT

Book #9, A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
322 pages
100 best
Classic

The tone is set for Forster's novel of social and racial disconnection in the opening paragraphs with a beautiful description of the fictional Indian town of Chandrapore. In the lowlands, near the river, the bazaars teeming with trash and filth obscure the view of anything else. All of its construction, whether temple or shanty, is in a state of near total decocmposition, with any thought of decoration or repair two hundred years gone. On top of a hill, protected by palm and neem trees, not only from the eyes of the lower town citizens, but also from any distasteful view of the lower town, lies the British civil station and settlement. Carefully ordered and lush with greenery, the enclave even features a sky which is painted with vivid and beautiful colors not found below. In the distance, rising up from the unyieldingly flay desert, the Marabar caves menace the whole town, both British and Indian alike.

Bound together by the politics of the day, the Bitish and the Indian peoples ache to break free from one another. Indeed, the various Inidian sects , Hindu, Moslem, and Christian, are united in one thing only, their hatred, fear, and envy of the ruling British class. This antipathy is particularly difficult or those who bridge the gap between the two socities, slippling back and forth for jobs in service to one another. Dr Aziz and Fielding are two such souls, set somewhat adrift between allegiance to their own and individual feelings of wonder and warmth for some of the people whom they serve. Aziz and Fielding attempt to build a friendship and reach out across the void that separates them. Given the deeply entrenched barriers between them, however, the efforts of Aziz and Fielding do not proceed without consequence. It is in the consequences of their friendship, of their individual efforts at reconciliation and understanding, that the message of Forster's novel rests. Is it possible to bridge such gaps? Is it possible to change group thought through individual action? And how is the individual who takes such action affected?

Forster's novel is not kind to either the ruling British class nor the Indian people, though he shines more affection on the latter. He seems genuinenly fascinated with India, its people, its culture, and its landscape. This is one of the reasons why the novel is so captivating. Aside from any deeper message, the book is a beautiful tribute to the diverse Indian world and the people who populate it. On another level, though, Forster's story is a subtle and detailed comment on disconnection, those that flow from all kinds of differences, differences in race, status, and religion. Though Forster's story is carefully constructed, his overarching message is rather blunt: human disconnectedness is largely a function of indvidual ego.

Highly recommended. Read this book for any of the previous reasons; read it for Forster's skillful writing; read it for his portrayal of India; read it for his deeper message. For all of these reasons, the book is well placed among the best literature available and well worth your time.

>157 blackdogbooks: Mac, thanks for a lovely revisit to an old favorite of mine! Great to see you enjoyed it so thoroughly!

Next up............Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

blackdogbooks
I'll watch for your review of Winesdburg, OH. This one is on my TBR list.

Oops......hope you can wait a little longer, Whisper1. I decided to start Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow first. Then I will get to the Anderson title. Okay?

Oh, me too--waiting on Winesburg, Ohio. It's a small town story but I really enjoyed the read.

Tortoise

That was a very detailed and interesting review, I have had Shantaram sitting in my TBR stack for a long time now, I guess its time to move it to the 2009 reading pile. Following are some interesting facts about Mumbai and its diversity:

Mumbai boasts of the largest slum in Asia, Dharavi, a fact covered in most of the books and movies about India in general and Mumbai in particular including The Slumdog Millionaire.

But...

India's financial capital Mumbai is the worlds' seventh largest city in terms of billionaire population, says Forbes, the American business magazine famous for its annual list of richest people on the globe.

Mumbai is ranked seventh ahead of San Francisco, Dallas and Tokyo, according to a list of top 10 cities for billionaires available on the website of Forbes.

In terms of average wealth of resident billionaires, Mumbai comes on top of all the 10 cities with an average net worth of 7.6 billion dollars.

Mac

Thanks for the review, book duly added to the TBR pile for this year, I guess this year I am going to read a few books about my country including A Passage to India and Shantaram.

I, too, have Winesburg, Ohio on my list for this year--probably then end of this month or the first of March. I'll be interested to read your opinion of it. I'm thinking of reading it in conjunction with Dandelion Wine--not sure why, but those books "feel" like they might complement each other. We'll see. (I sometimes do make unusual connections between disparate books. e.g. the book of Urdu poetry I read with a fantasy novel I'm reading.)

#148, arubabookwoman, I agree with you completely about The Raj Quartet -- books and BBC series.

For other perspectives on the British in India, I also recommend The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell, and for a look at contemporary Mumbai I much prefer the flawed but amazingl Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra to Shantaram (recommended in message 156, but I found it tedious and self-serving).

I have just decided to add everything to the Continent: A Passage to India, which I have read but it has been years, The Raj Quartet, The Siege of Krishnapur, and Sacred Games. Yikes!

Stasia, Mac's thread is like yours, inspiring, filled with great recommendations and reviews, AND very dangerous to the TBR pile because mine grows each time I check the posts.

#167: So, the moral to this story is I should not check Mac's thread, and nobody should check mine, right?

> Yup, that kind of sums it up :)

Crititical mass may be achieved if you do not heed the warnings!

Unfortunately, I think you are stuck with me Mac. Critical mass is inevitable in my case, I fear.

Mac, I read Passage to India a few years ago in college. I absolutely loved it and it went beyond the compulsory read for class. Really, really liked it.

Great review by the way.

Thanks for the review and discussion of A Passage to India. I see I shall have to push it higher up the TBR list! I have both an unabridged audiobook version and a printed copy from the library.

I'm glad I stopped in here for all the discussion of The Raj Quartet and A Passage to India. Two books I've been meaning to read, that sort of dropped off my radar. I have seen dramatisations of both that were excellent. Boosting them both up the mountain.

Book #10, Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
341 pages
Classic
100 best

Saul Bellow's novel, Henderson the Rain King, a story of self doubt, reads a bit like an early ancestor of Twin Peaks. Largely due to voice of the main character in the tale, Henderson, the reader is swept back and forth in time and to and fro with each thought or memory in Henderson's mind. The result, though, is a complex and nakedly complete view of Henderson, his fragile ego, and his toothless yearnings to become more than he is. Henderson's mind is typically filled with dark, brooding, and deprecating thoughts. He has never developed an inner strength equal to his physical strength and social position. Consequently, he seems to meander through life, unable to grasp anything or anyone with any true zest.

The early portions of the story are recounted looking back as Henderson has already embarked on a last minute trip to Africa, the guest of friend on honeymoon. Henderson tells of his childhood, his father, his first marriage, his affair with the woman who would become his second wife, and the malaise which led him to abandon his life in search of a persistent but unidentifiable desire for....something.

Henderson quickly abandons his cohorts upon reaching Africa and strikes out on his own to see the unseen Africa. Led by Romilayu, an incomprehensibly faithful servant, and armed with a pith helmet which secrets his passport and four thousand dollars, Henderson wanders the African desert. The two first encounter the peaceful, and somewhat languid, Arnewi. The Arnewi's sacred cattle are dying of thirst because a plague of frogs has descended on the villages drinking cistern. Henderson sees an opportunity to redeem himself and sets about solving the villages problem. When his ill thought plan ends in tragedy, Henderson skulks out of the village with more self doubt over the failure.

Henderson next encounters the Wariri, a more physical and ruthless tribe. Here, in an act of physical prowess, Henderson enscritps himself to be a village leader. Out of place and out of sorts, he befriends the village king, Dhafu, who tries to help him become more than he is. Dhafu tries to teach Henderson to change his thinking, attempting to educate him that his feelings of insecurity are a product of a weak heart and mind. Henderson's education is ultimately destined to require more of him than he is willing to give, for Dhafu's dedication to a pure way of life is costly.

Bellow's story is somewhat patchy, again owing largely to his attempt to put the reader completely in Henderson's mind, an unpleasant and often disturbing place. So, while Bellow managed to accomplish the task he set out for himself, it made the reading of the story less enjoyable for me. The story itself, though, was worth the effort. Having read some other Bellow writing, he is not the friendliest of writers but he can be compelling.

Three bones!!!

Next up..........Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

#175: Another great review, Mac. I might give that one a try. I have never read anything by Saul Bellow.

He can be a tough nut to crack. There were some points in the book where I was ready to put it down and others where I was locked in. That's why the midling rating. Ultimately it was the story and the bright passages of writing that kept me going.

You've exactly summed up my own reaction to Saul Bellow. I haven't read Henderson the Rain King, but your description reminded me of the Kipling short story The Man Who Would be King.

Winesburg has been on my TBR shelf for a long time. I'll be watching for your review!

Thanks, marise. And welcome to the group. I just starred your thread to check up on myself. So far, Winseburg, Ohio is wonderful.

Finally making it around to get caught up with you! Your review of A Passage to India is lovely -- I'm certainly going to have to find it and give it a read soon, as I loved Howard's End.

Book #11, Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Classic
100 best
318 pages

Almost gothic in nature, Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, is a pitch perfect rendition of middle Amercian life in the early twentieth century. Anderson's story examines a host of characters in one small Ohio town. Though sharing a common locale, these characters nonetheless offer a diversity of perspective, experience, and thought that belies the sterotype of such an existence. By the time the book chimes it's last note, there is little doubt that the composition of such a town, with its highs and lows, is much more interesting, much more exciting, and certainly more complex than is clear from a surface view.

Each chapter features a different person from the small town and their unique story. Each of the stories comments on Anderson's common theme for the book, what he calls the grotesque. Not grotesque in the sense of the bizarre or the horrorific, but in the sense of the incongruous; grotesque in the sense that human experience and human behavior are replete with the incongruity of thought versus reality. Anderson, known as a realist in the mold of Theodore Dreiser, explains his theme in the first few pages of the book:

"Man made the truths himself and each truth was a composite of a great many vague thoughts. All about in the world were the truths and they were all beautiful. ... The moment one of the people took one of the truths to himself, called it his truth, and tried to live his life by it, he became a grotesque and the truth he embraced became a falsehood."

As the book introduces each new character, his or her truth is identified and a reduction of their life is played so as to describe the tension between their truth and the reality of their life. Part of what makes such an experiment compelling is Anderson's ability to arrange such real characters, simple and recognizable in their plainness but interesting and whole in their subtle complexity. We pass by hundreds and hundreds of engaging and diverse people everyday, passing them up as normal and dull, never realizing the truth of their rich, if flawed, lives. Such are the citizens of Winesburg, Ohio, each passing their days in a tumult just under the calm surface of a passing eye. Anderson, a master of character composition, allows each of these people to be complete and whole, even if they are only meant to hold the reader's attentions for a few pages or paragraphs.

A dark disharmony flows through the entire book, arranged from the seemlingly simple and innocuous details of everyday yet played just slightly out of tune. Violence and terror seem ready to burst through each person's story to create chaos and sadness. For some, the foreboding plays out as inevitability, while others escape through the oddest and most unexpected resolutions. With spare and poetic prose, reminischent of Ernest Hemingway or Cormac McCarthy, Anderson has captured life in way that is unromantic but still lovely and real.

Makes my list of best for the year.

Five bones!!!!!

I'm not sure who it was, perhaps MusicMom1, who said they would be reading Winesburg, Ohio with Dandelion Wine becaause they seemed to share some things. Whoever you were, you got it right and the two will definitely compliment each other.

Next up..........American Rust an ER book and recommendation from TrishNYC!!!

Going to the profile page now to put up this months TBR stack, most of which are recommendations from my wife.

Lovely review! And hope you figured out the homepage configuration thing :)

After such high ratings for Winesburg, Ohio, its impossible to not add it to the TBR list, but I think I will have to wait till I read Dandelion Wine before reading this one.

#182: Another great review, Mac! I would add Winesburg, Ohio to the Continent, but sadly, it is already there and has been for some time. I must move it up!

Very glad you liked Winesburg, Ohio. You might want to try Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters at some point. It's poetry--but with the twist that you are reading (and you need to read from start to finish) the headstones in graveyards in Spoon River. They tell the story of the people and the town--both the public and the private stories.

I recently ordered a very reasonably priced copy of Winesburg, Ohio from Dover Publications I eagerly await the arrival. Thanks for your great review

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486282694.html

I have that one by Andersen waiting for me too - but for a five bone rating, it will have to be moved up.

I have worried that it is too old-fashioned America for me - kinda a Daniel Boone story or something. (Completely without foundation of course.)

#189-LOL! Winesburg, Ohio is definitely not a "Daniel Boone story," but it is "or something." Definitely Americana, but kind of sitting on the porch swing in mid-America story told by a writer who specialized in such stories.

#182 bdb

re Winesburg, Ohio

What a great review! I have this scheduled for my 999 classics category and I think I will be wanting to read it sooner rather than later now.

I see you also note that it's on one of the 100 best lists--which I'm using now. I have just picked my first book to read off the lists--in April I plan to read Brideshead Revisited which I've never read and it is listed on every one of the lists--a good place to start, don't you think! :-D

ETA
I was the one who said I thought the two books would go well together--because I felt they were about the same area of the country and would complement each other.

#187 Prop2gether

OOOH! I read Spoon River Anthology many years ago and loved it. I haven't thought about it for a long time but I'm almost certain it made it to California when we moved. I will have dig it out -- and maybe reread it with Winesburg, Ohio and Dandelion Wine in April. Doesn't that sound like a nice line-up for Spring?

#191--MusicMom
I just read Brideshead Revisited a few weeks ago. Let me know what you think of it. Particularly the religious aspects. I am interested in what other people think of them.

Anyone interested in Brideshead Revisited or the author Evelyn Waugh should spend some time on the following website. It's one of my favourites!

Evelyn Waugh Newsletter and Studies
http://www.lhup.edu/jwilson3/newsletter.htm

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments about my review of Winesburg, Ohio. I eagerlyl encourage y'all to read it!!!

MM1, You should really enjoy both it and Dandelion Wine, which made my favorite reads of last year and bumped Bradbury to my list of favorite authors for good. Let me know how you like Brideshead Revisited. I have only read A Handful of Dust by Mr. Waugh, but was pleasantly surprised. I do believe that a four bagger is just right to start with, and there aren't too many of them on those lists.

Hello to kiwidoc and petermc. Nice of you to drop in on the dawg pound!

I just realized I hadn't stopped in to see my fellow Constant Reader's thread! I have you starred, though, so I'll be able to stay caught up!

Any recommendations so far? How was Blaze? I noticed you read that last year, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. It's on my TBR list for this year.

RebeccaAnn, Blaze was a favorite read from last year. I enjoyed it even more than Duma Key It is a King take on Of Mice and Men and Steinbeck's a favorite, too. I cant' recommend it higly enough.

You should definitely get a copy of Winesburg, Ohio and read it. There is a darkness, a sense of violence trying to stretch through the fabric of the normal world, that will definitely appeal to you. It is not horror or anything like that at all. But there is a definite gothic feel to it.

Sigh. I'm so backed up that I haven't read Blaze or Duma Key. Or Lisey's Story, for that matter.

Also adding Winesburg, Ohio to the TBR list. Need to stop lurking in so many threads.

>197 blackdogbooks:

And I'm sold! Blaze is being bumped up to the top of my TBR for 2009 list and Winesburg, Ohio is currently being ordered from the library (what would I do without my interlibrary loan system?).

Thanks so much!

apologies for several deleted messages, they don't appear to be posting properly - grrr.

#194 petermc - I loved Brideshead Revisited (and enjoy Evelyn Waugh generally), although, it being the middle of the night, I'd struggle to say why, though I did re-read it last year - but will definitely respond to thoughts. Should add that, while I had a reasonably religious (non-Catholic) upbringing, I'm not a religious person myself, so while it was interesting to me in that respect, from my perspective, it just emphasised the negative aspects of Catholicism rather than the positive ones I think he wished to promote.

#194 BDB That's interesting - I'm not quite half way through Duma Key (which I am enjoying, despite interrupting it for several other books), but didn't notice the Of Mice and Men similarity - may be able to see where it'll develop though - intriguing - Of Mice and Men reduced me to a gibbering wreck last year!

>202 flissp:

Actually, I think it's Blaze that's King's take on Of Mice and Men, not Duma Key. Thinking back to last year, when I read Duma Key, I can't think of anything dealing with Of Mice and Men unless I've just completely forgotten everything about that book...

...which will make me search out Blaze (gah!) - Of Mice and Men was one of my favourites last year (in the completely depressing sense!)

>204 flissp:

I, too, loved Of Mice and Men. I was required to read it for an English class and I ended up reading all of it the first day, then rereading it because it was so good. I think it was the first "classic" that I ever really enjoyed.

Plus, I'm kind of a sucker for depressing/sad/horrific/terrifying books. It's probably the reason I'm so attracted to books by Stephen King and prefer Shakespeare's tragedies to his comedies any day.

# 202 flissp - Religion and Brideshead Revisted - It's quite a subject at any time of the day, let alone midnight! Yes, Charles Ryder does reject religion through much of the book, and we watch as religion tears people apart in mind and in relationship. Yet at the end of the book, Ryder is found to be "looking unusually cheerful" despite having lost everything: Sebastian, his wife and children, Julia, and Brideshead. Why? Because he's found a higher reality, his true self, and all those that have gone before have been mere facilitators, 'intermediaries' leading him to this realization. So, in the end it really is a very powerful and in fact positive look at religion. Well, that's what I think ;)

I read Brideshead Revisited last year and found it to be one of my favorite books of the year. I picked up A Handful of Dust this week at Half Price Books and look forward to more Waugh.

I guess Waugh wrote this as a paean to Catholicism and the redemptive power of grace and conversion - every character eventually comes around to some realization of a greater power or an emptiness within them that only recognition of God calling to them filled.
On the other hand, I don't think you can escape the ravages and profound suffering religion brings in the lives of the characters. While it may point to a compensatory ending, I felt at best, a tragic ambiguity in looking at the anguish and destroying of relationships and individuals. It didn't seem so positive to me.

>194 petermc: Peter, thanks for the link to Evelyn Waugh, I have saved it to favourites - it looks very interesting. I want to read more of Waugh. I tried Brideshead but couldn't get into it. I was not in a state of mind to read it at the time. I think I will appreciate it more now. While I am not a Catholic I can understand and appreciate why other people are. I actually attended a Catholic Mass recently. My wife wanted to listen to a friend playing Bach on the Church organ. I enjoyed some aspects of the service, but from an intellectual point of view I could not enter wholeheartedly into it. I was astonished to see the Church packed to the rafters - one of three services apparently - interesting. I somehow found it heartening that there are still people in the 21st Century who are of a devotional cast of mind. Anyway, I think I am ready for Waugh now!

- TT

#206
I thought that Ryder did not necessarily find Catholocism/religion in the end. He was happy despite tragedy because he was relieved not to have to deal with the wife and life he didn't like too much. I guess that is why I was so confused on the religious aspects. Though I do accept that when it was written it could easily be interpreted that religion won out in the end, and I understand that is what Waugh wanted us to think. I get that is what was being alluded to, I just didn't agree with the author that that was why Ryder was finally happy. I guess it is strange not to agree with the author's opinion of his own character.

I am interested to find out what Waugh removed from Brideshead Revisited and how it changed the book. I am of the opinion now that it has been a while since I read the book that the author was afraid. He hinted at things instead of just saying that is the way it was. For instance the homosexual theme in the beginning. I only know that the relationship between Sebastian and Ryder was supposed to show that they had more than just a platonic friendship is because I read somewhere it was homosexual. They just seemed to have a close friendship.

I'm learning so much from LT and these posts. I haven't read any of Somerset Maugham or Evelyn Waugh...

More books added to the tbr pile!

#209 jmaloney17 - What did the author intend? Who is to say? But to quote Waugh from the dust jacket of the original hard-bound edition published in 1944...

Brideshead Revisited is "an attempt to trace the workings of the divine purpose in a pagan world, in the lives of an English Catholic family, half paganized themselves, in the world of 1923-1939. The story will be uncongenial alike to those who look back on that pagan world with unalloyed affection and to those who see it as transitory, insignificant and, already, hopefully passed. Whom then can I hope to please? Perhaps . . . those who look to the future with black forebodings and need more solid comfort than rosy memories. To (them) I have given . . . a hope, not, indeed, that anything but disaster lies ahead, but that the human spirit, redeemed, can survive all disasters."

- Source: Evelyn Waugh Newsletter and Studies Newsletter, Autumn 2008

Book #12, American Rust by Philipp Meyer
343 pages
ER Book
Recommendation from TrishNYC

Not unlike a Springsteen song, Philipp Meyer's story is a raw and unvarnished view of the decline of the Northeasterner industrial belt and the sad lives of the people trapped there. Each new page finds someone looking out over what were once prosperous and vital communities, commenting on delapidated buildings and boarded up businesses and the movement of everything back towards nature. Even the characters themselves reflect the decompensation and desperation of their surroundings, either in their physical or emotional make up. All of this, the characters and the communities, are described in simple, pared down prose. At times, Meyer's own writing seems to break down itself, as he resorts to short bursts of emotionally charged, pared down phrases. All in all, the novel is a battering and realistic story. Indeed, Meyer has written a novel in American Rust that could easily be included with some of America's greatest realist literature, right along with the works of Mark Twain or Jack London.

Yet, in the midst of this stipped bare and raw tale, Meyer sprinkles in small items of patent fantasy. Not the kind of fantasy that involves elves and magic, but unrealistic, romantic fantasy. For instance, the bad people in the story are completely bad, completely devoid of any redeeming qualities. In this case, most of the bad people are either homeless men or disaffecdted youth. But anytime one of the stories 'heros' comes across one of these evil doers, there is purposeless violence. Another example can be found in the lives of the 'heros' of the story. Certainly humans are all a bundle of contradiction and incongruity. But Meyer has penned a trailer bound woman who is caught up in a deadend marriage with an alcoholic and is mother to an anger riddled and aimless son yet still capable of managing a gourmet meal in the broken down kitchen. Her son, who is incapable of controling his temper or his urge towards violence, selflessly sacrifices himself in an act of honor that would be a stretch for the most romantic of characters. His best friend, a 100 pound weakling who has never been much of anything but a target of ridicule, possesses a genius IQ.

These elements of romantic fantasy laid over Meyer's dark realism mix to bring a point home; a point that didn't dawn on me until I recently heard Springsteen's "Reason to Believe" on the radio. Springsteen encapsulated what I found to be Meyer's central theme in the chorus of the tune, "Still at the end of every day, people find a reason to believe." The people populating Meyer's story seem to be capable of finding hope in themselves and in others which transcends the decay of their community and their own lives. Despite their social standing and deepest flaws, they are capabe of acts of honor and faith much greater than themselves.

A good read, especially given that it represents a debut for this writer. The book grew on me and became more clear after I put it down. Based on Meyer's writing and life experience, detailed in the book's jacket materials, we should expect more from him.

Four bones!!!!

For RebeccaAnn and flissp, I re-read my posting on Blaze and Duma Key and owe my apologies. I left out a period at a very important point and also referred vaguely to the fomer as "It" rather than by it's name. RA is right that it is Blaze which tracks Of Mice and Men.

To all of the Brideshead Revisited posters, thanks for the discussion. Interesting stuff. You are painting me into a corner where I will have to read that one this year on my classics quest. Oh, darn!

Thanks to TrishNYC for her recommendation of American Rust. I enjoyed it and recommend it, as you can see from the review above.

Next up...........Internal Affairs by Connie Dial (no touchstone), a police proceedural, mystery.

Your thread is fascinating, Mac. I'll be starring it and coming back. A lot of your reads were already on my TBR list, and I'm adding Winesburg, Ohio

Book #13, Internal Affairs by Connie Dial (touchstone not working)
277 pages
ER Book
Mystery/Police Procedural

Almost since its inception, the Los Angeles Police Department has been plagued by rumors and allegations and legitimate case of police corruption. Given the size of the force and the problems inherent in policing such a large, diverse, and corrupted population, scandal is sure to be close at hand. Internal Affairs has it all. The first page drops a murder on a Deputy Chief of Police's doorstep. Mike Turner, of the LAPD Interanal Affairs Division, is assigned to investigate and is quickly caught up in a corruption scandal which focuses on the sexual escapades of the murder victim and several LAPD high ranking officials.

Connie Dial, the author, had a front row seat in the LAPD for 27 years, retiring as the only female area commanding officer on the force, a feat all on its own. Her career, which covered narcotics, undercover work, and internal affairs, obviously served as material for the novel and helped give the novel a sense of accuracy and credibility which is often missing from crime novels written by outsiders. For example, the plot of the book features a real mystery, not one unsolvable for a close reader with a little cop intuition, but a mystery both for the reader and for the detectives of the story. Also, the mystery is solved with real, monotonous police work, stuff like 24 hour surveillance, review of phone bills, and interviewing countless witnesses. Even with this typical, pedestrian type police work, the detectives still need a little of that cop intuition to fill the gaps.

Another way Dial's experience helps her novel is in her description of the subtleties of honor and duty and responsibility as it relates to law enforcement. A good portion of the novel is taken up with the political ins and outs of policing in a large, urban force and these machinations are as complex and subtle as the human psyche. Each member of the department who touches the investigation is motivated in a different way and working toward a different goal, some interested in the pursuit of justice and some interested in their own advancement in the department. The hero of the book, Turner, is caught in between these opposing forces, desperate to see those responsible held accountable while still hoping to move up in the department. As he manuevers the minefields of everyone elses personal agendas, he is torn over whether to blindly support his boss, the Chief, or stand up for what he knows in his heart is right.

Another thing about Dial's characters. These are real people. Very frequently, the characters in this genre tend towards the romantic, with each woman a perfect ten and each cop a chiseled genius. Dial, however, populates her story with real people, like Turner, an overweight guy who has turned the corner on his career and often wishes to get home at a decent hour for dinner with his girlfriend. Or, like his partner, Montgomery, a bookish, thin black man who is more devoted to his family than to the job. These characters read like everyday people, the same kind of everyday people who actually enforce the law in you own town.

So, why didn't I rate this book higher. The answer is that Dial's experience sometimes got in the way and sometimes didn't take her far enough. In the area of experience getting in the way, having retired as the only female area commander on the LAPD, Dial is obviously interested in the lack of female representation in law enforcement and, certainly, in the management of law enforcement. So, a good portion of her novel here takes up the various obstacles for a core group of women at the upper echelons of the LAPD. And a good deal of these women either seem unlikable or incompetent. Dial may well be describing a problem common to most law enforcement agencies in the hiring and promoting of female officers. Some are hired or promoeted simply because of their gender, while the other more competent female officers are seen as a threat by male officers and are either described as unpleasant or become unpleasant after having to battle their way up the ladder. Nontheless, Dial's diversion into this area often bogged the story down, offering more soap box than plot or character development. I am still a little surprised that Dial chose a male hero, as some of these types of issue might have seemed more natural if they were faced by the central character of the story.

Where Dial's experience didn't take her far enough was in the the area of character development. While most of Dial's central characters are pretty complete, many of the others seem a little too much out of central casting. There are too many evil, self obssessed management types, too many overtough, lesbian cops, and too many true-blue, authority hating cops on the line. And there is far too much alcohol consumption from every one of these cops, good or bad. Alcoholism is a problem in law enforcement, but, to believe Dial, everyone on the job stays about two fingers in the bottle.

That said, this is a a solidly written and solidly constructed first outing and is better than many of the police procedurals available on the shelves of your local bookstores. Dial's main characters just need more pages and her story needs more of her keen, accurate description of real police work.

3 1/2 bones!!!

Thanks to allthesedarnbooks for dropping by!!! Enjoyed your thread also!

Next up...........Hot Zone by Richard Preston. This is not a book I'd typically read on my own but my nephew said I'd enjoy it and loaned it to me.

message 214

This thread is one of my favorites. Alas, my tbr pile grows each time I check in..(daily.)

Thanks blackdogbooks for such a great thread!

Be prepared. The Hot Zone is VERY scary.

Mac

Internal Affairs sounds very different from anything I am used to, but given your rating, wont add to my TBR pile unless I randomly come across a copy of this book.

Thanks for the wonderful review. I am actually re-reading American Tragedy for the second time, in the new Library of America edition. It is an extraordinary book, filled with sinew and narrative force. It has actually made me want to splurge for the Univ. of Ill. "complete Dreiser," which is a hideous investment. But I would have to rate American Tragedy as one of my favorite novels, if not my most favorite, alongside Sometimes a Great Notion, another unbelievably glorious american novel.

Oh, another admirer of Sometimes a Great Notion. I love that book, and it's so rarely mentioned...

It really is an extraordinary book - the kind that you actually remember not only the book itself but the absolute pleasure and joy you had while reading it. I recall reading that the book was slammed by reviewers when it appeared, absolutely torn down as "trash" and so on, and that must have sent Kesey reeling. He never wrote another worthwhile book again, in my opinion. He really must have lost hope, to write something so magnificent and have it dismissed in one second. I did have an interesting experience after finishing it. I was in a used bookstore and spotted, for 3 bucks, a perfect, fine, hardcover copy with fine dustjacket. Of course that now sits on my shelf. Another real favorite, right up there with SGN: From Here to Eternity, by James Jones, one of those books you read while thinking "I can't believe anyone had the strength to write this..." (e.g. Gravity's Rainbow).

Book #14, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
300 pages
Non-Fiction

As I got onto a plane this past Monday morning, I was about fifty pages or so into Richard Preston’s Hot Zone and was just starting to realize I’d made a grave mistake in choosing my reading material for the business trip. Each passing paragraph detailing the early symptoms of Marburg or Ebola virus, made the sneezing and coughing around me seem more ominous and threatening. As I eyed the passenger next to me, more vector now than human, I reached into my backpack to see if I still had that tube of antibacterial hand cleaner. I rationally understood that anything dispensed in the aisles of the local Walgreens would never help me against a real killer like Ebola; it’s a little like wading into a gun fight armed with one of those rubber band shooters from my youth. But I couldn’t help it, I was a little disturbed by Preston’s nonchalant and clinical rendition of the cold-like beginnings of these killer viruses and the devastating damage they caused to the human body when they were in full bloom.

Preston begins by painstakingly detailing the earliest cases of Marburg and Ebola outbreaks, able to reconstruct the very day to day movements and thoughts of some of the victims and their doctors. At first, I was a little confused as to why Preston spent so much time following these early cases until I realized they would later provide the samples used by military and civilian scientists to identify more contemporary outbreaks. Preston’s ability to track these early victim’s movements in such detail and amplify their very thoughts is clearly a function of his abilities as a researcher and interviewer. In an introductory note, Preston explains that he conducted numerous interviews of the players in this drama, probing at what they were thinking during the events. To be successful in such a venture, though, requires abundant preparation, extreme attention to detail, and a way with people; just asking someone, “What were you thinking?” rarely results in useful and understandable material.

These early stories lead to Preston’s real focus, an outbreak of an apparent new strain of Ebola in monkeys at a holding facility in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. (When I got to this portion of the book, my plane was somewhere over East Texas, bound for Washington, DC, and I was now longing for either a parachute or my old military issue gas mask.) The outbreak is detailed from an early misdiagnosis through the quarantine of the facility for the purpose of euthanizing the monkeys. While shining a cold light on the underlying bureaucratic obstacles and political maneuvering in managing such an incident, Preston still manages to breathe a lot of mystery and tension into the narrative. This ability, paired with the frightening subject material, prompted critics and readers to declare that the book read like a “thriller.” I won’t disagree, at least not completely. My only criticism is that the book batters you a little with the gruesome details, almost as if for the shock value. On the other hand, these killer viruses are gruesome.

On the return trip, my traveling partner was at least two days into a serious cold or flu and a passenger sitting near insisted on holding the collar of his t-shirt over his nose and mouth, desperately trying to fend off every sneeze. I can’t blame him. I won’t soon forget the book and, while I haven’t invested in a surgical mask for my next plane trip, I have put a new bottle of anti-bacterial hand wash in my bag.

All in all this was a good read, well written and worthy of the attention it has garnered for writing non-fiction in such a vital way.

Four bones!!!!

I read The Hot Zone a couple of years ago (I really do need to re-read it though), and it truly scared me - here I was with a couple of rugrats picking up every kind of germ imaginable, and I was trying to figure out if they would survive childhood!

Glad you enjoyed the book.

#217, Whisper, "aw shucks"

#218, abw, you weren't kidding. As you can see from my thoughts above, I just about developed an obssessive compulsive tic while reading the book.

#219, PC, yeah it wasn't a bad book, but I think if you wanted to read something like that I could probably recommend others.

#220-222, I am a fan of Dreiser, having now read both American Tragedy and Sister Carrie and enjoyed them both a great deal. I picked up a copy of Sometimes a Great Notion this year when I found one because it is on one of the lists I am working through and because I so enjoyed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Thanks for dropping in to both kupus and laytonwoman3rd!

Adding yet another book to my TBR pile, which is slowly working it's way towards being a small island, then a large island, then a peninsula, then a country, continent, planet, etc etc :P

Book #15, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
301 pages
Non-Fiction

Anne Fadiman takes a very rare look into a fairly unknown culture, the Hmong. Tracing the people's unusual and exuberant independence back several centuries, examining attempts by the Chinese and the French to assimilate them, Fadiman is able to examine the Hmong's current plight in a modern, American society. Refugees, uprooted from everything that makes any sense to them, Hmong people face difficulties with the most simple things that American's daily take for granted - the use of a refrigerator or a phone, for instance. But the largest obstacle they face is in the clash of their cultural and religious beliefs with modern Amercian life.

Focusing on the Lees, a typical Hmong family, who migrated to Merced, CA, the book follows their long battle with Western medicine and doctors in treating their daughter, Lia, who is struck with epilepsy as an infant. Originally diagnosed with pneumonia, Lia begins a long spiral downward as her condition worsens and the doctors who treat her grow more and more intolerant of her parents care. Lia is even removed from her home and placed with foster parents based on a doctor's report that her parents have failed to adequately medicate her, even though the only family members who can read, write, or understand English are minors and the doctors only infrequently use the hospital janitor to interpret their instructions. To be fair, the doctors who treated Lia were well-meaning, caring, and earnest people. But their inability to connect with Lia's parents exposes a more disturbing and wider barrier between our Western focused systems and the ever growing immagrant population.

Fadiman is seldom judgemental of any of the players in the story, even when it would be easy to slip into such an attitude. The book is really an excellent examination of the clash of cultures in general and the Hmong people specifically. My primary criticism is that the book seemed too focused on garnering sympathy for the Lee's. They are an extraordinary family who suffered through a great many trials and mostly succeeded. However, I tend to agree with Fadiman's doctor firend whose opinion she exhibits in the closing chapters. He makes clear that, while respecting and using the Lee's cultural and religious perspectives might have helped serve the goal of treating Lia, the doctor's here were right to proceed with whatever means necessary to treat the girl in a way that saved her life. It would be silly to withhold or subjugate medical treatment in favor of Hmong holistic treatment simply to exhibit respect for the Lee's beliefs. Indeed, the doctors here failed in their duties to understand the Lee's and, in so doing, better understand their patient's condition. But, they could have overcome the gaps in understanding with an interpreter and a little more creative thinking about how to verify Lia's medicine was administered.

A good read, especially the portions of the book which highlighted the history of the Hmong people.

Four bones!!!!

Next up..............Three Cups of Tea and eagerly awaited after a glowing review from my wife and several other 75'ers!!!

RebeccaAnn, sorry to add to the pile, island, peninsula, country, continent, planet, etc.............well, not really!! Cute pooch on your profile page!! Let me know about your LeGuin read. I have heard several other raves about LeGuin here in the 75'ers and would be interested in your thoughts, as I haven't read any yet.

Hey Mac, you seem to be on a non-fiction spree! I am still not too much into non-fiction, an occasional book or two is all I read, maybe a few years down the line...great reviews though, and while I don't see myself reading Hot Zone, I was definitely tempted by The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.

A very good review of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down blackdogbooks. I would add it to the TBR pile but it's already there. I'll have to bump it up.

>228 blackdogbooks:, Sadly, the cute pooch isn't my dog, it's just a cute picture I found on the internet. I don't have a scanner, so I have no way of uploading pictures of my actual dog, but she's cute too! And black!

As for my LeGuin read, I assume you're talking about The Dispossessed. I quite liked it, though it was a little difficult to read and very much political. It definitely warrants a reread though. I know I didn't get all out of it that I could have, it's just too dense with too much scope (not that that's a necessarily a bad thing).

Edited because, being the technological genius that I am, I finally figured out how to email a picture of my dog from my phone to my computer. My profile pic is actually my dog now!

I second the recommendation of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It is very good and well worth the read.

Piyush, you could do a lot worse for a non-fiction read. The book alters between the history of the Hmong people and the plight of the family. It is a bit of a criticism of the United States for our lack of multicultrual views.

Thanks for the kind words lorie.

RebeccaAnn, I read you review and decided it might not be the right LeGuin to start with. girlunderglass just read one which sounded like a better starting point perhaps. Although, I don't know who I am kidding, with all of the other books I have to read.

Thanks for the second miss acre!

I noticed her review. Just a heads up, The Left Hand of Darkness is the last book in the Hainish Cycle. The Dispossessed is the first. I'm fairly certain they don't need to be read in order (I only noticed it because I happened to wiki The Dispossessed to try and figure out a little bit of what was going on in the plot), but it's something you might want to look into. I have no idea how much the later novels reference or depend upon each other.

Good to know!!! I am one of those OC folks who like to read things in order!

I understand completely! I was just about to take on Asimov's Foundation series when it was pointed out to me it's actually part of a much larger series consisting of 25 books or so. Gulp. I have since pushed that farther down on the TBR list because that's a bit too big to take on right now.

Darn the prolific ones!!!!! They're hard to catch up with.

Oh dear. I just looked up the order of the Hainish cycle here on LT and the order is completely different from that on Wiki (The Dispossessed appears two or three books after The Left Hand of Darkness, but neither are first). I might have to google the suggested reading order.

Gah! If only authors would just write the series in the order meant to be read rather than jumping around in their own universes!

#227 re The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Thanks for the great review. I've had that book on my TBR list for quite a while--I finally bought it last year. I will definitely get to it as soon as things slow down in my life--probably the end of April.

I live in an area where many Hmongs have been resetteled. (We live near Fresno which is about 30 miles south of Merced.) Not too long after we moved here the first Hmong to be ordained as a United Methodist minister was assigned to the pastor of our church--which he served for 4 years. I became very interested in their culture and the problems they have been having adjusting to ours. The Hmongs were resettled here because they were being annihilated in Laos because they had helped our forces during the war. It has been a difficult transition for many of them. It is especially difficult as the younger generation begins to adapt to the American culture and mores and the older generation feel that they are being abandoned. I'm anxious to read this book now!

Great review of The Hot Zone - I may postpone reading this until I'm feeling a bit braver though!

RA, I've had good look with fantasticfiction.com.....try that for the Leguin order

MM!, You'll will definitely enjoy the book, it will mean even more to you given your closeness to the situation

I checked out fantasticfiction.com and according to that site, the book to begin with is Planet of Exile. According to LT, begin with Rocannon's World and Wikipedia claims The Dispossessed is the best book.

I think I'm going to pop over to the Science Fiction Fans group and ask them. Someone ought to know...

well I like Rocannon's World for what it's worth

>234 RebeccaAnn:: I read all the Hainish books completely out of order and had absolutely no problem with it.

>236 RebeccaAnn:: Try reading just the original trilogy and don't worry about all the "let's tie the entire history of every book I ever wrote together" aspect that came much, much later. The original trilogy is very much able to stand all by itself. (And, imo, quite superior to the later books.)

>244 TadAD:, I'm kind of gathering from other threads that the Hainish cycle does not need to be read in any particular order going by the fact that there seems to be no set order for the books. I think Wikipedia ordered them in such a way that they are chronological, with The Dispossessed being the earliest book, but I think they can be read in any order you so please.

Thanks for the advice on the Foundation trilogy. I like series generally, but not ones that are 25 books long :P

Here's the link to LeGuin's homepage in which she gives you a very rough recommended reading order.

http://www.ursulakleguin.com/FAQ.html#BookOrder

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is an amazing book for the reasons blackdogbooks gives. It made me a fan of Anne Fadiman, which I am to this day, and inspired me to buy several other books about the Hmong which, I regret to say, remain on the metaphorical TBR pile to this day, many years later.

Thanks for the link, Rebecca! I've been meaning to search for her site for quite a while--you made it so easy! :-)

Adding The Hot Zone to my pile. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was already there, but may be moving up...

I'd like to state my own list of the greatest novels.
1. From Here to Eternity. Finest novel I have ever read. Totally immersive experience.
2. Winds of War and War and Remembrance. Wouk. Totally immersive.
3. An American Tragedy. Dreiser. Startling, immersive, unforgettable.
4. Sister Carrie. Again, what can one say.
5. Gravity's Rainbow. I actually re-read this on a two week beach vacation.

Well, thanks to all for the interesting discussion on LeGuin novels. I had neglected to ask both TadAd and Ronincats yet about their opinion and was glad to see TadAD weigh in, as they are my SciFi/Fantasy experts. I'lll have to check with Ronincats.

Glad to see some of you adding/moving up my last two reads, they were both worth the time.

kupus, thanks for dropping in with your list of greats. I noticed from your profile page that you are brand new to LT. Some good choices in your list, though I have yet to read #2 and 5. You should throw up a thread and join us here.

Oh, and beeg, thanks for your recommendation too..........."Stayin' alive, stayin' alive, ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' aliiiiiiiiiive."

*bops Mac on the head*

Well, Mac, the problem is, I read them as they originally came out, therefore in publication order by default. I think I read the Hainish novels first, then Left Hand of Darkness when it came out and wowed everyone, and then The Dispossessed. Perhaps my favorite one of her SF works, however, is Always Coming Home, which is one of her two that are set on earth and not at all connected to the others. Her parents were famous anthropologists, and Always Coming Home is a beautiful anthropological study of a post-apocalyptic culture. And, of course, I am a huge fan of Ged and the Earthsea books.

#253..beeg..I laughed right out loud when I read your message.

it's a little something I like to call "a big MacAttack"

God, you are ever so creative. It is good to laugh. It is balm for the weary soul.
Thanks again.

Edited for many typos...I'm weary.

you could read my LJ, it's usually good for a giggle, only it's filled with profanity.

Book #16, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
338 pages
Non-fiction

Hatred and racism and ignorance are difficult issues to battle. Add to them poverty and poor health and you've got a near impossible fight on your hands. It was just such a battlefield that Greg Mortenson stumbled. Having failed to complete his dream climb of K2, Mortenson struggled down the mountain, losing the trail and his porter, twice. Lonely and hungry, Mortenson wandered into Korphe, a Balti village in the rugged foothills of the Karakoram range, and was taken in by Haji Ali, the village's leader. Ali hospitably fed and housed the awkward foreigner over the next few weeks. Aimlessly walking around the poor village, Mortenson came upon the children of the village, working mathmatics in the dirt with sticks, without the supervision of any teacher. Awed at the children's determination to learn, even in the worst of circumstances, Mortenson, having grown close to Ali and the rest of the villagers, promised to return and build a school for the village.

Let's face it, such a promise, made on the heels of a physically and emotionally draining few weeks, is not one that many of us would keep. It's noble and honorable in thought. But most of us would return to our well ordered and comfort driven lives and forget all about those children, save for the odd rose colored reminiscent moment. Just counting up the obstacles in completing such a task would be enough to stop the most sincere and motivated person in their well-intentioned tracks. Not so for Mortenson. He spent the next few months trying to raise the $12,000 he estimated such an endeavor to cost, sending letters cold to famous and wealthy people, while living in his car. Just as he was at his lowest, his efforts were recognized in a climbing publication, and a wealthy businessman, who'd climbed some of the same peaks, gave Mortenson the money. After liquidating the rest of his possessions, including the old car which had housed him so recently, he traveled back to Pakistan and purchased the materials to build Korphe their promised school. As the foreigner again arrived at the village, his friend Ali was their to meet him, as certain of Mortenson's return as he was certain of the sun rising. Bursting with benevolent pride, Mortenson announced that the materials for the school awaited transport to Korphe. Ali, so certain of Mortenson's character, calmly told him that the village had decided they needed to build a bridge over the river to the village first. Mortenson built both.

Mortenson's experiences in Korphe were the corner stones for the Central Asia Institute, a foundation initially funded by the same wealthy man who funded Korphe's school. The CAI has now built dozens of schools and other facilities in rural villages around Pakistan and Afgahnistan, all purposed for education or health. All of these efforts were really singlehandedly pushed to completion by Mortenson. He has help from a rag-tag, loyal group of people who he has met in the region over the course of his travels there. But Mortenson seems uniquely endowed with a cultural sensitivity and an ability to connect with people of all races, creeds, and religions which has afforded him success where all others would fail.

The CAI's mission is education. Educate a poor boy or girl from a rural village and you can overcome all manner of health and social problems facing the village. Educate a boy or girl and you may overcome hatred and ignorance. Mortenson has transcended the political rhetoric of nation building, believing that the only way to truly affect change in this region of the world, or any other, the only way to bring about peace and understanding amongst nations is through education.

In such a book as Three Cups of Tea, the story could easily overwhelm the writing or vice versa. But that's not the case here. David Oliver Relin, the co-author, and Mortenson were able to craft a readable, exciting story. The book is never saccharine but carries a real emotional punch. And, in the end, as you put the book down, you are shamed by what Mortenson has been able to do with his life, the change he has wrought, and the number of people in whose lives he has changed for the good.

Read this book. When you are done reading this book, recommend it to a friend or family member.

5 bones!!!!! Makes the 2009 favorite list.

ronincats, thanks for your take on the LeGuin discussion. All of this will be scrambled around and used when I embark on a LeGuin.

beeg, OUCH

Next up.......Peasant Wars of the Twentieth Century by Eric R. Wolf

wow a full five-stars!! I'll look it up, thanks for the review!

Very nice review of Three Cups of Tea. I'd add it to my TBR pile, but it's already there! I'll have to bump it up.

a wonderful review of Three Cups of Tea - I totally concur with your conclusion that Mortenson shames all of us with what he has been able to do and the lives he has changed for the better. I hope the many who put high stock in your recommendations will feel compelled to read this.

Wow! If you are rating it 5 stars, then this has to go on my TBR pile, non-fiction not withstanding!

Since you liked The Hot Zone you would probably also like Virus Hunter: Thirty Years of Battling Hot Viruses Around the World. Dr. Peters was up close and personal with all of the fun viruses. I read it a few years back and I remember enjoying it more the The Hot Zone.

#258 BDB

Three Cups of Tea was one of my top reads last year. Your review is great! I hope you posted on the main book page so others can see it. I think everyone should read this book!

ETA found the review--I gave it a "thumbs up!"

blackdogbooks, congratulations for the "hot review' of Three Cups of Tea which is coming up on the Home Page!

Whoo Hooo! Great job getting on the Hot Review list!

Please add my congratulations to the list of your 75 book challenge friends who say "Way to Go!!!!" Your review is awesome and VERY well written.

Congrats, Mac!!

Another great job, Mac! Congratulations.

Look at you go Mac. I step away for a few days and come back to find you a celebrity. Congrats friend. Great review as always.

Good review for Three Cups of Tea, blackdog. It has been sitting on the TBR pile for over half a year now, so you've just nudged it up.

Mac - I'm so glad that you loved Three Cups of Tea. It is one of my absolute favorites - so inspiring. And your review is amazing. I hope it convinces everyone to read this book.

Thanks to all of you folks who nudged my recent review up to the "Hot Reviews". That was a great honor. Seeing up there, I noticed a little proofreading issue I should have caught but you guys are all so forgiving. The book itself is what deserves the attention. I am so glad my wife recommended it to me........she had the same feelings about the book, Mortenson, and his cause. In addition to reading the book, we have contributed to his cause, a course I would urge all of you who have already read the book and enjoyed it.

thanks for dropping by SgtBigg. I haven't hearde from you in awhile but then I haven't been reading a lot of NF until this month. Thanks for the recommendations on titles similar to The Hot Zone. I can't promise I will try any of them because I really only read this one for my nephew who insisted. While I enjoyed it, the book is not one that I'd normally pick up and I don't feel the need to read more in the genre.

Having said that, I am reading an interesting history/anthropology book which you might find enjoyable. Peasant Wars of the Twentieth Century follows the revolutions in Mexico, Cuba, China, Russia, Vietnam, Cuba, and maybe one more country. An unusual and provocative side note: The book was published in 1969 and was written by one of the professors who was instrumental in the teach in movement. So far, I've read the Intro and the chapter on Mexico. Though i was worried the book might have a radical or leftist slant to it, given the author and time of publication, I have found none of that perspective. It is very well researched and thoughtful in its conclusions. Some of these thoughts will pop up when I write a review, but I thought I would recommend it to you and TadAD and drneutron, as you guys seem to like these types of history books. I'll write more when I finish.

Book #17, Peasant Wars of the Twentieth Century by Eric R. Wolf
317 pages
Non-Fiction
History

Peasant Wars of the Twentieth Century studies revolutions in Mexico, Russia, China, Vietnam, Algeria, and Cuba in an effort to formulate some opinion about the origins and effects of peasant uprising. Published in 1969 and written by a professor, Eric R. Wolf, who was admitedly part of the teach-in movement protesting the war in Vietnam, the book could be expected to have a radical feel to it. Any such expectations are firmly off the mark. Through extensive research and analysis, all of these rebellions are put into historical context, with an examination of population, socio-ecionomic strata, political perspective, religious movments, etc. With such exhaustive detail, the case studies end up functioning more as an historical abstract for each country.

Though the title of the book might suggest some Marxist or socialist conclusion in the making, the history of these events are not so easily pigeon-holed. Ultimately, Wolf sees the history of these countries largely in the context of major social dislocation, set in motion by wholesale societal change towards industrialization and capitalism. Each country is seen to move more and more towards a perspective of viewing people and land as individual commodities rather than as community wide resources. Such a persxpective resulted in the breaking of more traditional social ties in favor of individual economic interests.

This is an interesting and thought provoking book. Though, be warned, this is not an easy read by any means. Wolf's training as an anthropoligist and his bent for statistics often make for a dense read. But, even for the casual history buff, each chapter offers unique insight into the history of a nation.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in cultural studies or history.

3 1/2 bones!!!

Book #18, You Learn By Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

Life for Dummies this book ain't. Television programming and bookstore self-help aisles are filled to overflowing with Dr. Phil and Dr. Larura and Oprah and on and on and on. Entertainment, disguised as advice or direction, is a multi-million dollar industry. In such an immediate gratification, consumer driven world, Eleanor Roosevelt may seem dated and square. But she's just what the doctor ordered.

Purposed as a way to answer thousands of letters written to her with pleas for advice or wisdom, Roosevelt has composed a primer on living which would do us all good to read and keep close to our hearts. Her book is not filled with checklists or cutesy, life-affirming cliches but is bursting with soulful, and often, convicting perspectives on life and living. Though the subjects might seem to run to the mundane, like "The Uses of Time" or "Learning to Learn", Roosevelt scratches deeper, suggesting a way of life, a goal for character, rather than mere courses of action calculated to deal with a specific symptom of larger ills.

What Roosevelt proposes with each chapter is a different facet of the same life, a life of responsibility, conviction, honor, and perserverance. The chapters, building on one another, are constantly focused on how an individual must be prepared to engage in constant and honest self-examination, to take responsibility for their own lives and choices, and to view each choice in the context of how it affects other people and the country as a whole. A good deal of what Roosevelt proposes suggests a course of education for our country's children which is more home and family focused than traditional public education. She asserts that a good deal of a child's preparation for life should entail developing self confidence, establishing the ability to think and reason, and learning proper social interaction, rather than attempts at filling a child's head with endless facts and figures or vocations. Though her advice is sometimes aimed at parents, the values are the building blocks for the way of life she advocates and are, therefore, useful to anyone of any age.

Roosevelt's simple writing style allows her thoughts to pierce without obstacle. She uses the difficulties of her early years and later public life to demonstrate the process of life, and in so doing, avoids any possibility of pride or self agrandizement. What shines through is Roosevelt's earnest and humble character, a character that is easy to know yet difficult to emulate.

Read this book and then read it again. I took page after page of notes in my journal, reaching for the pencil as my heart was constantly quickened by Roosevelt's insight.

5 bones!!!!! Another one which will make my list of favorites for the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjD5d_

Obama inauguration concert - Josh - Groban and Heather - Headley perform at the same table

Eleanor Roosevelt was indeed quite a remarkable woman.

Thanks for your recommendation of You Learn by Living. I hope to read this book soon.

You Learn by Living sounds like a great read and I am definitely going to have to find that one. I have another of Roosevelt's books on Continent TBR (it's only been there for 4 years or so), This Is My Story - maybe I can track them down together.

I may also give Peasant Wars of the Twentieth Century a go, if I can find a copy of it.

Thanks once again for such insightful review, Mac!

>277 blackdogbooks: Mac, your reveiw reminds me of a book I read many years ago by Eleanor Roosevelt. I can't remember its title, but it could have been You learn by living. I was impressed with her for all the reasons you state.
I thoroughly endorse Mac's recommendation. She is like a breath of fresh air, with her common sense, no-nonsense approach to living.

~TT

Whoa that sounds like an excellent read. She sounds like my kind of woman. Will have to add that to the wish list. As always your review is excellent.

Whisper, Miss Acre, TT, and Trish....can't say enough about You Learn by Living. You'll all love it and probably find yourself wanting to re-read it again after finishing.

Work blocking all attempts at reading. Was a good reading month until this week. Sadly some of my books for this month's TBR stack will ahve to wait until next month.

I'll head to the library tomorrow to see if I can obtain a copy of You Learn by Living.

Thanks! And, blackdogbooks, I hope work is not as consuming next week.

>258 blackdogbooks:: it is incredible, isn't it? Glad you got to it. I've posted the copy I borrowed back to luna (hmm, luna, if you wander by here, did you get it?? I forgot to check...) and fully intend to buy my own (have settled for getting the YA version with the intention of foisting it on my son). Just so inspiring.

Yes, FlossieT, it (Three Cups of Tea) was inspiring indeed. We purchased a copy through Amazon because Amazon does a donation to the foundation for every copy purchased. And an inspired idea to create a YA version.

So, what do you guys think, should I start a second thread? How do you do the link? Help, Ronincats!

Five Bones!!! It looks like another one hits the pile with You Learn by Living. I certainly want to read it. It seems that such a studied approach to life is rare today in a culture submerged in reality TV, public tantrums, shaming one another, etc.

Ditto Three Cups of Tea!

#284 Flossie

Yup, did get it, sorry for not letting you know!!

I made a word document of Tad's helpful thread HTML for LT to have on my desktop for these moments, Mac.

type (left bracket here) a href="

and then paste the message number of this page. Close the address by typing ">BDB's new thread(left bracket here)/a(right bracket here)

Go open your new thread, create the link to this thread as above. Copy the message number of that thread, bring it back here, and insert, changing the label to "BDB thread #1" or whatever other label you want. Wherever I have written (left or right bracket here) insert the bracket in place of the phrase, parens and all.

I have a new thread!!!!! I will try to create a link here to it...thanks to TadAD and Ronincats!

Blackdogbooks' Chapter 2 thread

Just discovering threads thanks to _Zoe_ over on another thread. Read all of this one fast as I could. Loved The Virginian back so long ago, had a bout of reading such truly American things as Riders of the Purple Sage, went through the classics of England and Russia and Germany and France and here, America. Then I went on a mystery kick. You can see I LOVE to read and I'll read anything as long as I like it. I've tried Pynchon and V and Gravity's Rainbow and Umberto Eco...please, such posturing for the sake of???? Lately I'm really trying to enjoy books written now. Having a hard time of it. But I did adore The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow and do like some of Margaret Atwod, a hit or miss writer. I wonder if I can get organized enough to tackle a book challenge?