What You Are Reading the Week of 10 January 2009

I finally finished the Guernsey Literary and am glad I read it, but didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I don't like predictable stories and I thought the way the book ended was just too easy. Maybe I just want everyone to struggle through life and begrudge them happy endings? surely not! (shuffles feet and twitches in anxiety).

I'm reading Why Mermaids Sing by Candice Proctor this morning and am planning to sink my teeth into The Grand Inquisitor's Manual later this evening.

I just started a winter haunting, and so far so good. I wanted a good fun read today :)

Still reading The Mosaic of Shadows by Tom Harper
A medieval thriller/mystery set in Constantinople during the Byzantine empire. Its not bad, but long, and very slowly paced, and a bit YA. Just not grabbing me.

I may have to put it aside to start A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for a book group read due next week.

Am just starting The Pankhursts by Martin Pugh. It's interesting so far.

I started reading Things I've Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi. It's a sad but beautiful read. I'm only about 60 pages into it, and may read it rather slowly to be able to savor it a bit. One book I need to get going on, though, is 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I'm only about halfway through, and it's due back at the library on Friday...

I'm about a chapter into After Elizabeth.

I just finished Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (pretty good, not great) and am about to start The Coffee Traders by David Liss for the LT group read.

Yesterday I finished The Body on the Beach which I really enjoyed. It was very typicially English! Now I'm reading Cane River which couldn't be more different! Totally different continent, time, setting and subject!

I have two books going this week, one fiction and one non. The fiction book is Noel Coward's Pomp and Circumstance - I think it is his only novel. I'm about 100 pages in, and it is wonderful and bitchy and funny. I just love him.

Nonfiction is Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. I'm not that far into it, just at the scary part where he is going on about the climate 50 years from now.

I just wasn't in the mood for the book I had planned on reading next so I picked up Mort by Terry Pratchett instead. It's my first Pratchett and I'm loving every minute of it.

I am still reading The Coffee Trader and am always reading The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories. I have two other books from the library that I may read as well this week but haven't decided yet.

Just started The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Reading Confessions of a Thug, which is about the life of a bandit/thug in colonial India. Also reading La muerte y su traje (Death and its suit) by Santiago Dabove, an Argentine writer of morbid, fantastic stories somewhat in the mold of Poe or Kafka. (And a contemporary of Borges.)

Just over half way through The Sunne in Splendour which I lost over christmas and have now found and picked up again.

13: CarlosMcRey
Reading Confessions of a Thug, which is about the life of a bandit/thug in colonial India.

Cool, I have The Deceivers by John Masters, and it is also about the Thugee. It is one of my favorite books. I see you have it too. Have you read it, and if so how does it compare to Confessions of a Thug so far ?

Do you like the book, and how is it written. It says it was published in 1839, and I often find books that old to be really slow to read.

Currently a few chapters into The Angel and the Jabberwocky Murders by Mignon F. Ballard. It's for a book club I'm a member of and for February we are focusing on authors featured at the South Carolina Book Festival. Not my usual fare, but I have no complaints at the moment.

15: FicusFan

I haven't read The Deceivers yet, but I'll probably start it soon, since I'm on sort of a Thuggee kick right now.

The style is a little slow, and I find I can only read so much at a time before my attention starts to wonder. Which is a problem I tend to have with older literature. The story is told as an interview of an imprisoned thug by an Englishman. The interactions between the two are a bit contrived, but it gets interesting when it's just the thug describing his life.

So far, I've read about the thug's first expedition where he showed off his bravery and prowess to his band. There have been some pretty interesting descriptions of the various places they've travelled, and it's too bad the book didn't come with a map. If the main character wasn't a cold-blodded murderer, it would seem like a failry straight-forward adventure story.

Speaking of thugs, I've been reading Stuart: A Life Backwards. It's the biography of an English street person which includes a whole lot of glue sniffing, alcohol, drugs, violence to others and himself. Despite all, he is sometimes a very likable fellow. A very uncomfortable book to read but well written and a close look at a reality that I'd rather ignore. To ignore it, however, leaves one with a skewed image of the world and humanity.

yikes, snash.. that one would likely tip me over the edge.. sounds.. difficult.

I have got to get me a copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn sometime soon.
I have ATGB envy

I am reading Hardly Knew Her by Laura Lippman. I haven't read any of Lippman's other works but I must say I really enjoy the surprising twists of these short stories.

I am listening to Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and reading Therese Raquin by Emile Zola and throroughly enjoying both!

Finished The Magus by John Fowles. I have to say #17, Carlos, I believe I agree with you previous sentiments about this novel. Just goes a bit too overboard in what is otherwise well-written and intriguing -- but enough was enough.

Started my November Early Reviewer book The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa. Pretty good -- reminds me of Love in the Time of Cholera sans magical realism. Not sure how it is an "early" review book though, having been published in 2006 (?).

I'm Finishing Charlemagne by Derek Wilson tomorrow. After that, it's Great Forgers and Famous Fakes by Charles Hamilton and possibly A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James S. Shapiro if time permits.

My (belated) Christmas celebration was a spree at Barnes & Noble, where I picked up a bargain edition of Chosen by a Horse on a whim. I couldn't put it down, and have just posted my review of this remarkable memoir at LT, Amazon, B&N, and my Pandababy blog.

Susan Richards already wrote and published a sequel of sorts, which I'll be searching for later today. I may be late to the party - Chosen by a Horse was first published in 2006 - but now that I've arrived I'm making up for lost time with great enthusiasm. Very few things can make me weep, and even fewer make me glad I did, but Richards makes the impossible look simple.

Chosen by a Horse - a great way to begin the New Year.

>14 lunacat:,
I just bought Sunne in Splendour yesterday. Hoping to get to it soon!

Reading a different book about Richard III in the meantime. I'm currently reading Sandra Worth's The Rose of York: Love and War (touchstone rebelling). I'm also still slowly making my way through War and Peace.

Halfway through American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and really enjoying it so far. Should have read it early last year, but never got around to it, so glad I am getting through it now.

Still reading Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs by Jeremy Mercer - the memoirs of his unexpectedly prolonged stay at the Shakespeare and Co. bookshop in Paris. I read it a couple of years ago and since then have found out much more about the store (though sadly a year-long battle with agoraphobia has stopped me getting there yet), so I thought I'd read it again. There was also a fabulous documentary, 'Portrait of the Bookstore as an Old Man' or something like that, which put faces to names and included Jeremy Mercer for about thirty seconds...

Sibylle, I too discovered Terry Pratchett not too long ago, and think he's fabulous! If you're interested, there is a site that gives you the reading order of his books. Not that you have to read them in that order, but it's nice to know something about how they're organized. Most of them are grouped according to who the primary characters in them are.

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-gui...

I just started Meg Cabot's Forever Princess last night and am loving it immensely! I've been following the series from day one and can't believe it's finally ending. They're just light, awesome and really fun books -- I'm going to miss picking up the latest installments.

I'll probably have this one finished by the end of the night, and I'm picking up Interpreter of Maladies next -- it's been on my TBR list for a very long time. I want to finish it before I get Unaccustomed Earth in paperback this spring!

I'm relishing Tunnel Vision, a very, very funny novel based in Karachi, Pakistan, by Shandana Minhas. I am amazed that this gem of a book was not picked up by any publisher in the west, and even rejected within Pakistan! Also reading, and could not put down Unbroken Spirit, a shocking, and somewhat funny, account of growing up and fighting against cultural ties, by Ferzanna Riley.

Just finished LIttle Chapel on the River great read, I recommend it. Now try to figure out what to read next. I have received 22 books for Christmas and just finished my 3rd one. I am thinking of a memoir by Anne Lindberg as my next read.

Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore. I'm really liking this so far.
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
Temple of the Golden Pavillion by Yukio Mishima.

writemeg - Interpreter of Maladies is stunning. I still haven't read my copy of Unaccustomed Earth, but will get to it this year for sure.

I'm reading Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout. I almost gave up on it early on, but it's getting more interesting - secrets to be revealed.

I'm about halfway through The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr, and I'm sorry I didn't read it sooner. It's amazing.

reading the poisonwood bible because i read a few of her other books and loved them, not loving this one though that much.. boo.

dancingstarfish - just finished The Poisonwood Bible after years of being recommended to me. Love Kingsolver! What is it that you're not enjoying?Currently reading an historical fiction novel, The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.

Finished The Fourth Estate by Jeffrey Archer - a book in the same vein as Kane and Abel with 2 parallel stories coming together towards the end, and have started Naked in Death by J.D. Robb, book 1 in the Eve Dallas series...

Yesterday I read a winter haunting and loved it. I began The Face of Deception last night. It too looks pretty good. I kinda like Johansen.

Ah, ha, I finally made it before the number of posts made triple digits!

I just finished The Winter's Tale and am halfway through Lincoln's Men.

I started Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward yesterday.

I'm half-way through Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success - I'm loving that! I'm also partway though Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I've got a batch of dough in the refrigerator, and I'm ready to bake my first 5-minute loaf today. Yum.....

I just finished The Girls by Lori Lansens and am now starting Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje.

I just finished Parnassus on Wheels and The Haunted Bookshop and am now reading:

Small World by David Lodge
The Greco-Persian Wars by Peter Green
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six by Jonathan Keats (for early reviewers)
Boswell in Holland by James Boswell

Finished Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, which was wonderful......great characters, great plot, great writing, and lots to think about. Be careful what you wish for! I am about to start our January book club read, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Looking forward to it.

That is our book club's book for January...It was very enjoyable.

I'm about a third of the way through The Maltese Falcon, halfway through My Life in Art, and I'm about to start Proust and the Squid. I splurged at Barnes and Noble so I have a whole stack of TBRs now!

#19 mckait

Yes, you absolutely have to get yourself a copy of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Every self-respecting reader should own a copy!!!!!!!!!!!!! IMO :)

I completely agree, lunacat!

I just started reading the sequel to A Friday Night Knitting Club, KNIT TWO, by Kate Jacobs. The story starts five years down the road from the first book, and the ladies are still getting together and sharing their lives. There is a simple afghan pattern (simple is what I need) and a deliscious muffin recipe at the back of the book.

I'm also reading The Coffee Trader for the LT group read and listening to Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier in my car.

My last two books were The Heretic's Daughter and The Book Thief, so after this, I'm going to take a break from historical fiction.

Finished Abide with Me, Started Jefferson: A Great American's Life and Ideas

#50 - Which LT group is reading The Coffee Trader?

>36 greenchair: greenchair, have you read her other books? Her other books are so different, I think I was just disappointed because I loved her other books and this one is so completely different! I read Prodigal Summer, Animal Dreams and The Bean Trees and I really liked them! Try those, I think you'll see what I mean, its like a completely different author.

I was just talking to a friend about this today, its funny because when people say they love Kingsolver we almost feel like we have to ask.. which one?

I'm still reading Requiem, still not much time to read (who can blame me, what with NFL playoffs and college bowl games clogging up my weekends) but I'm about midway through it now.

hemlokgang - it's The Highly Rated Book Group. Here's the link to the Early Winter Read, which is The Coffee Trader.

http://www.librarything.com/groups/thecoffeetraderearly

I have finally finished The Mosaic of Shadows and get to leave 1095 Constantinople. It wasn't a bad book, it just didn't grab me and was too long and too slow.

I am now going to 1912 Brooklyn with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn . I can't say the prospect enthuses me much. The slightest hitch and I am gone. It just sounds so boring, and I am not a real big fan of the near past.

Still reading, and thoroughly enjoying, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle about her family's year-long commitment/experiment to eat only locally grown food (with a few exceptions, such as coffee and spices). I grew up with backyard gardens and canned home-grown food, so I'm trying to get inspired to begin such practices in my own household.

#53, dancingstarfish: I read The Poisonwood Bible last year and *LOVED* it! It's the only Kingsolver book I've read until now, and given that AVM is nonfiction, I'm not sure it's fair to compare them. Also, I was heading to Africa only a few weeks after I read The Poisonwood Bible, so that led to greater enchantment/engagement with the story. If you stick with it, I hope you are able to enjoy it.

Oh, I'm also listening to Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon while walking at lunch.

#57

My Grandparents had a huge garden and grew all their own veggies. My Grandmother used to can them and we would get stuff all the time; From just veggies to pickles and relishes she made. Not to mention how good it tasted when we visited in the summer and would eat out of the garden. Very, very delicious.

No, no...you will love A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN....I just read it this past summer...I can't believe I waited this long in my life to read it.

Please read it.

Like lunacat and shootingstar I'm reading Sunne in Splendor. In addition, I'm making my way through The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia and How to Be A Villain.

I finished Dewey this morning. Bret Witter is doing a signing at a bookstore near here on the 20th, so I will probably skim it again early next week.

Today I've been reading Texts and Contexts in preparation for grad school starting back up tomorrow (boo) and I've thrown One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich into my school bag to read during down time at work and during my hour break between work and class tomorrow night.

Reading The Coffee Trader for the LT reading group. Also Amazing Women of the Civil War Webb Garrison, so I don't read too far ahead on the Coffee Trader.
On the Amazing Women of the Civil War being that every chapter is different you cannot lose track of a story line.

A wonderful book.

I am reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It's been very informative to say the least!

Finished Lincoln's Men: My review:

In 1861, Nicholas Hay, John Nicolay and William Stoddard took positions working with one of the most beloved and influential men this country has ever known. Their tenure with him was during one of the most tumultuous and sad times in our nation’s history. At that time it was just what they wanted to do – work with Abraham Lincoln.
They were with him during happy times and sad. They saw him grieve for lost friends and a son. They aided him through that Civil War. They had little time for themselves but managed to find some anyway – as only those in their twenties can.
They wanted to be a part of the war effort, but found that being at their desks working for Lincoln was the best way they could serve.
None were with Lincoln when he was shot and only Hay was in Washington. Stoddard was in Arkansas and Nicolay on a cruise to Cuba. But they all grieved mightily at the loss of their hero.
So much takes place in this book that you forget that only four years actually pass from when Lincoln took office until his assassination. The war itself is just a backdrop; something that is happening in the background. It comes to the fore once in a while but this book is about these three men.
They all go on to make names for themselves, each writing a book about Lincoln; Hays and Nicolay writing a ten volume biography together.

I finished my early reviewer book The Bad Girl by Llosa - pretty good, but not great or maybe it just wasn't my thing.

I am reading For Whom the Bell Tolls now, just started - I haven't read a Hemmingway in over 10 years so we'll see.

#60 and others -- Sunne in Splendor -- captivating!

#44 & 45 I too am reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for my book club. I am enjoying so far.

>66 jhowell:,
It definitely is. It makes me not want to read the others. I think I'll make it an at home-only book so I can work on The Magician's Book at work during lunch.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my early reviewer book Etta by Gerald Kolpan - an easy, enjoyable read!

I'm now starting Far From the Madding Crowd.

I've finished Ivan's War and I'm about to begin Inventing Money.

I am reading A Fortunate Age for B&N First Look--luckily I like it more than everyone here seems to & The Bluegrass Conspiracy for Go Review That Book!

Luna... you are so right. I read it so many times as a young girl.. I can remember how it felt to read it. I have actually been looking for a used copy, a small hardback, instead of something shiny, new and paperback.

no luck so far.

Luna... you are so right. I read it so many times as a young girl.. I can remember how it felt to read it. I have actually been looking for a used copy, a small hardback, instead of something shiny, new and paperback.

no luck so far.

Over the weekend I finished Twelve Gothic Tales edited by Richard Dalby and started Victorian Ghost Stories.

I am reading The Coffee Trader for the LT Group and have nervously started The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Nervously because it came highly recommended by a friend...

This is definitely a weekend project and not an evening meal. I'd like to comment on the leeks. You don't just coarsely chop them and put them in the pot. You must wash them first. What I do is chop the darker green off just like you do a green onion, then slice the leek all the way through!

I am still reading Anna Karenina and I am enjoying it quite a bit. As an added bonus, I think my arms are getting stronger from carting that monster of a novel around.

I am also listening to Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

I picked up The Witches last night. would've finished it too but it was late.

I also started a BIG book called The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker. I has selections from 80 years of the New Yorker from 1925-2004. It also came with 2 CDs with every cartoon they ever printed until 2004. If they put them all in one book, it would be a bit more cumbersome than the one I have is, which is 3 inches thick. Over the next few weeks, I will be going through this. I'll keep you updated!

I'm in the middle of an ARC of Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud - it's good so far, although it takes a little while to get going.

I'm also listening to Jane Austen's Emma for the first time ever.

I'm starting A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

I started The Sex Lives of Cannibals yesterday, and I'm about 1/2 of the way through it. It's a quick read! I'm trying to read a bunch of books so that I don't take too many back to school with me (I fly, so my luggage can't be too heavy, and there's so many good books in my school's library...but there's so many good books here that I want to finish!)

Started and finished One More Bite by Jennifer Rardin Sunday. Started Personal Demon by Kelly Armstrong last night. Waited for that one in paperback. Hit the library yesterday and came home with 10 paperbacks should keep me busy for a few weeks.

Finished The Black Tower by Louis Bayard. Fun, light, mystery read. Good feel for 18th century France.

Looking forward to starting Kenneth Clark's Civilization today.

I just finished The Book of the Unknown this morning. It's an Early Reviewer book of folktale-ish short stories.

Not sure what's next. I have Ellen Foster with me because it was the Houston Public Library's Books on the Bayou selection for last year. It's very short, 146 pages.

Just finished The Witches and while I was out and about I went to the library and returned a couple of books and picked up Engaged to Die and I pulled The Passing of the Armies out of my bookshelves. All will eventually go on my 999 a couple of them as first books in their category.

koalamom,

I LOVE the book of New Yorker cartoons. I dip into it from time to time, I think I'd lose something if I tried for more than ten or so pages at a time. I haven't even thought about looking at the CDs. You've got me thinking--it's time for a look at the cartoons from the 1920s and 30s. Just change the clothes and they could've been printed yesterday....

My cousin and his ten year old sit with the book for a bit whenever they visit!

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane on audio.

Stardust took my breath away. Has Gaiman written poetry ? If not, he should. I was fascinated by his writing style, it's so beautiful and fits the story so well. I was totally awed by Coraline so I had high expectations, and Stardust matched them completely, and more.
I've lived in superlatives today, first learning that Kate won 2 Golden Globes, now this exquisite fairytale for adults I couldn't put down. Will definitely watch the movie. Very happy I discovered this author, he's so generous in his stories - Tristran is one of the best male characters I've ever met. As was Coraline in the female category.

I just picked up T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton today at the library. I have read The Coffee Trader some time ago, but I don't exactly remember what it is all about. Guess I'll have to reread it to keep up with what everyone will be discussing.

Started reading Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson last night, and 130 pages in so far. It's a great book, hopefully will finish it today. :D

I have finished Laura Lippman's Hardly Knew Her ... Loved the stories and will definitely pick up another Laura Lippman book. Next up is The Discovery of Dawn by Walter Veltroni.

I finished THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR - DEAN KOONTZ. I was very disappointed with this book. I use to read some of his books but haven't for several years and won't read any more. I read this one because of the dog part but it was just to strange for me.
'Currently I am reading THE ALMOST MOON - ALICE SEBOLD. It sure starts off heavey but is pulling me in. I loved her book THE LOVELY BONES so hope I won't be dissapointed.

I finished THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR - DEAN KOONTZ. I was very disappointed with this book. I use to read some of his books but haven't for several years and won't read any more. I read this one because of the dog part but it was just to strange for me.
'Currently I am reading THE ALMOST MOON - ALICE SEBOLD. It sure starts off heavey but is pulling me in. I loved her book THE LOVELY BONES so hope I won't be dissapointed.

I just wrapped up Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson and I did not want it to end. Perfect reading for a winter's day! It's great when a book lives up to it's hype and this one may have surpassed it!
I'll be starting another highly praised book, Beautiful Children by Charles Bock. I have not seen this novel mentioned on these threads. Any one out there read it?

#95 msf59 - I totally agree about OSH.

#53 dancingstarfish - I have to agree with you about Poisonwood Bible - my sister-in-law highly recommended Kingsolver because she read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and thought it was great. After he read Poisonwood Bible she said the two books didn't compare.

I just finished Little Chapel on the River which I highly recommend. Looking at my stack of Christmas books an think I will try Art Thief

#95 & #96 glad to hear the good word on out stealing horses. I'm #2 on the wait list at the library. This is another LT inspired book. I had not even heard of it until people here started talking about it.

Edited to add what I am reading now Bonk at home and Monstrous Regiment of Women on the train. Yes, I don't want to be stared at on the train.

>1 cameling: cameling, not at all true! You quite rightly want more than the easiest path for the author when investing the price of a tablecloth-restaurant dinner in an entertainment. *WORK* for your money, lazybones!, I want to shake the editor and make them listen. Listen, if it's a fast-food meal deal book ($7.99) then whatever! I know you're getting paid bubkes so do your possible and call it good. For $25? Sing and dance and get six of the seven veils off minimum!

Well I am still reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I like the writing, its very smooth. Some of the descriptions are incredibly evocative of good memories. I like the character, but I have to ask what is the purpose ? There doesn't seem to be a reason for this story. Yes her life and life at the time (1912) are interesting, but I want something more. I don't mind fly-on-the-wall stories where you follow a character around and see their life, but damn it better be a pretty exciting life.

Oh well. I will keep going.

I finished reading Why Mermaids Sing and it's definitely enjoyable. richard, this was worth the cafe lunch I spent on the book because it definitely held my interest right till the end, and had sufficient twists to keep me guessing and entertained.

Decided to keep the Grand Inquisitor's Manual for another day and am reading Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver instead.

I'm enjoying I'll Fly Away: Further Testimonies From the Women of York Prison edited and introduced by Wally Lamb.

This is a collection of short writings of some of the women who joined a writing circle there in the prison. So far it's quite captivating. I really loved the "intro" by Wally Lamb.....he wrote about ten pages to set the stage for this book....it gives you a feel for where these women have come from, where they are, and some of their hopes and dreams for the future. Just over 250 pages, it could easily be read in one sitting. Recommend!

I have the poisonwood bible on my bookshelf at home but just never seem to get round to picking it up.
Currently reading heat and dust about a woman who goes back to India in search of her grandfather's first wife's life experiences in the 1920s when she leaves her British husband for a local nawab. So far it is very interesting and compelling, a tale about colonial and postcolonial India, and the role of women in each society.

Yesterday, I got through another decade of New Yorker cartoons. My husband put the 2 CDs on his computer to have something to look at those times when he doesn't feel like doing anything in particular. I am now up to 1945.

I think the hardest part with reading this tome is that is weighs more than my cat and we're trying to help him lose weight, much to his dismay.

I am also halfway through Engaged to Die. The library gives me two weeks to read a book and I usually get it back to them in 3 or 4. Good thing it's less than a mile from my house. I could walk over there if it weren't all up hill and freezing - literally (at least right now - in the summer it's uphil and hot and humid!)

I did end up starting Ellen Foster and I'm really into it.

This week I am reading Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond (very good), What We All Long For (excellent) by Dionne Brand, and We Need to Talk about Kevin (excellent, much better than I thought this subject could be) by Lionel Shriver.
Reviews will be posted later in the week.

http://freshinkbooks.blogspot.com/

This week I think I'm on a YA kick..
Just finished Everything I needed to Know about being a Girl I learned from Judy Blume in which YA and chic lit authors write essays on how Judy Blume books shaped their perspectives on growing up.

I read a good review for How to Ditch Your Fairy and it's due back next at the library, so it's my next book to read.

And going in the car on audio I have the not YA The Devil in the White City

>101 cameling: cameling, please read some awful books that don't appeal to me so I don't have to take up yet more server space at Amazon for my wish list. I would consider it a personal favor. Please.

>102 porchsitter55: porchy, I think you and mckait did this to me, and are laughing yourselves silly over the fact that it's the first email I opened in my inbox.

*schnerk*

Pardon as I clear my sinuses of the toxic spit of the Felis cattus.

ETA: Just began the happy task of reading The Cost of Counterterrorism as our new president approaches his inauguration...imagining that things could actually CHANGE!

I am almost finished with Crank by Ellen Hopkins.

I just started chapter 8 in A Fortunate Age.

>76 nancyewhite:, Nancyewhite.. i loved elegance of the hedgehog! The beginning is a little hard to get into, but once you keep going you'll adore it I hope!

richard ... i think i've read my quota of awful books for a while now and am due some truly delightful, thought provoking and exciting books for a change.

>76 nancyewhite:, Nancyewhite ... keep with the Elegance of the Hedgehog ... you will not regret reading this. I loved this book.

I read The Weight of Water and I know it's received many rave reviews, but I really could not get into it and found it ..er... weighty.

Pigs in Heaven though, is wonderful and I'm enjoying it immensely

Just joined. This looks like fun. I am currently reading Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell. This is the third Sarah Vowell book I've read. Vowell tells great stories about her life as a history nerd & overall bookish geek. Which I happen to think is awesome. Love her.

*grumble* Even the books cameling dislikes sound good to me. Off to add The Weight of Water to the list. The Elegance of the Hedgehog I have given up and ordered. *sigh* A Gentle Madness indeed! Gentle on what, I ask you...certainly not the pocketbook! Alcottacre, cameling, porchy, koalamom, jdtloue, and my dear friend mckait, not to mention the archfiend P_T_Mack, msf59, rocketjk, FicusFan, and dchaikin, keep reading these wonderful interesting books and talking about them, so I have several lifetimes' worth of books I can't afford to buy but must have.

>112 theresak1975:: theresak1975, I love the title of the book you're reading. Yes please, I'll have a cannoli, preferably one with chopped pistachios. :-)

Richard......your link in #108 only came up as the sign in page for Yahoo mail.....??? I know that couldn't have been what you intended.....surely the link you meant to send was much more anti-cat than that!!! lol

But now I'm curious (as a cat), so please re-send. :o)

>115 porchsitter55: porchy, link is fixed in #108.

richard - thanks for the cat book tip - i'll put it in my puss 'n books thread!

*choo* You're welcomb *schnerkle*

I checked out The Elegance of the Hedgehog since you're all so taken with it. According to the LT "Will You Like It?" meter I will absolutely hate the book (with a high certainty) so I guess I'll have to pass. I'm not into philosophical reads anyway although it is a fun sounding title!

I'm still reading Lover Unbound which I believe I posted about a day or two ago.

I loved The Sex Lives of Cannibals but saw some other people mocking it. I thought it was great. if you enjoy it, look up Ciao Asmara - totally different location but similar feel and writing...

I stayed up very late last night to finish Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies -- totally worth it! And now I've started Brenda Janowitz's Scot On The Rocks. I've had a very ecclectic reading week!

edited to fix touchstones

Awww! Richard....what a cute book! I want one!! Purrrrrfectly delightful!

Okay, I need to finish Sunne in Splendor because I can barely put it down to work (actually am sneak-reading it under my desk right now), let alone to do housework or even work on the other books I am reading.

#121, writemeg, I normally don't read chick lit, but I just might give Scot On the Rocks a whirl - how do you like it?

#123 Devourer ~ It is good, isn't it.

#112 theresak1975 - I loved Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation but The Wordy Shipmates, not so much. I still plan on reading her other two books and hope they don't disappoint. She is a hoot!

Read Fidali's Way by George Mastras. Great debut novel. Timely, thrilling, and beautifully written. If you liked Kite Runner, you should give it a read. Highly recommend it.

I was absolutely flabbergasted by The Elegance of the Hedgehog which I raced home to finish after hitting my trolley stop at a very important part of the book. I loved it.

I can tell it's going to put me in a fiction funk where nothing measures the love I'm feeling for the last book I read. Therefore, I'm probably going to read The Little Guide To Your Well Read Life by Steve Leveen before picking up anything for the Japan or Orange Prize group reads or going any further in The Coffee Trader.

Currently reading Designated Hebrew: the Ron Blomberg Story by Ron Blombeg. Blomberg was one of the very first Jewish Yankees and, by a stroke of luck, the first batter ever to come up as a Designated Hitter in a major league game. It's a slim volume and an "as told to" with professional writing help, so pretty fun to read so far. Blomberg was a bit of a character, which adds to the fun. I well remember Blomberg's career. As a baseball junkie, a Jew and a Yankees fan, this book is right up my alley. Also, my buddy Dan in NJ saw Blomberg at a book signing and sent me this book, complete with Blomberg autograph, so that's cool, too.

My wife and I are also reading Mother Knows Best: the Natural Way to Train Your Dog by Carol Lea Benjamin in our continued efforts to do a good job training Yossarian, our yellow lab mix, recently rescued from the Mendocino County Animal Shelter. The operating thesis of the book is that the best way to understand how to train a dog is to watch how mother dogs train their pups early on. Clearly written and seems to make sense and, happily, to work.

I am still slowly plugging away at Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. I need to take notes to keep names straight. I submitted a graduate school application yesterday after working really hard on essays, resumes, etc., so now I will hopefully have more time to read.

I'm reading Curious, if True by Elizabeth Gaskell, which is going kind of slowly, and listening to A Song Flung Up to Heaven by Maya Angelou.

I am reading Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen. I wish I could just stay home and read since it is suppose to get down to -16 (actual temp) tomorrow night. Brrrrrrrrrrr!

But off to work I go...

I finished Walter Veltroni's The Discovery of Dawn last night.... What an exquisite, well crafted, beautifully written story. This will definitely get listed as one of my favorite books for 2009, even this early into the year.

Next up I thought I would play it safe and read The Bordeaux Betrayal: A Wine Country Mystery by Ellen Crosby for a change of pace.

#128... yay nancy I'm glad you loved it!!! :) The end broke my heart, but I loved it anyway.

I'm reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. In fact, I have 3 of her books on my 888 list for this year. Going to read the Pulitzer Prize-winning March next.

Yesterday I finished A Mortal Curiosity, second Lizzie Martin mystery by Ann Granger. I look forward to more in this series!

Just finished The Medici by Michael White. Now I'm reading Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen.

I am not really enjoying A Fortunate Age, I will read another chapter to see if it improves.

I started The 19th Wife yesterday. So far, this one is really good.

Started Passing of the Armies and picked up Abhorsen and The Parables of Jesus.

This will give at least one title in each of my nine categories of the 999 Challenge.

I find I am light on fantasy here at mt house and I have read so much of it over the years - will have to be haunting the library, i guess. Maybe I should start checking my "I Want to Read That" thread?

I had my usual good night's sleep disturbed last night by my melancholy dreams. I made the mistake of finishing the wonderfully dark To Siberia by Per Petterson. I am struggling to come up with the words for my review that convey the emotion of the book. If only I could write like Petterson.

I'm glad to have the perfect antidote for my doldrums. I made an amazing "discovery" on my MRS pile. I have been reading Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin in stolen moments and have been transported to his magical world. It's a big book of 673 pages, and I plan to be lost in it for the rest of the week.

I love Winter's Tale too.

Have I mentioned my great love of Geraldine Brooks (endlessly) on this discussion board? Or have I been saving that for the 888 and 999 challenge?

I gave up on How to Ditch Your Fairy. It was a good concept, but not holding my attention. Perhaps after reading Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, I wanted to go re-read some Judy Blume. I picked up Forever since it was her most controversial (since it's the S-E-X book)

ShannonMDE, I re-read Forever last year for the first time since I was in 8th grade. I read it in a single sitting, and loved it just as much. Minus the shock-value it had at the time, it is still such a poignant portrayal of first love. Especially in hindsight.

>128 nancyewhite:, 134...now I am practically panting by the mailbox waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy of The Elegance of the Hedgehog...darn that cameling for praising it so highly and making me want to put it on my wish list!!!

I finished Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud and tore through Tales of Beedle the Bard last night, and picked up The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, which promptly made me hungry right before bed.

I just finished Property by Valerie Martin and am about to start The Outlander by Gil Adamson.

Forgot to post this here - I finished The Fortnight in September recently (have nothing to say, which ironically says a lot about how I feel) and I've started Beauty by Robin McKinley this morning, and will probably finish it tomorrow as it's engrossing and doesn't have that many pages.

Currently just began The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. So far enjoying it.

A little over halfway through The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and I absolutely love the story and all the dog stuff. It's a book club read and I know we will have a lot to discuss.

@>135 thatbooksmell: You should have read March before People of the Book even though March won the award, I thought People of the Book was even better. I loved both though :-) I'll be interested to know which you liked best. I still haven't read her book about the plague - anyone have any comments about that one?

>149 bronwenanne:, 135
I've read Year of Wonders and quite liked it. Have yet to read any of her other books though, although March is sitting on one of my shelves and People of the Book is on its way to me from a Canadian BookMoocher.

I finished Melusine by Sarah Monette, which I wasn't sure about at the beginning but I ended up enjoying. Instead of reading the next in the series, The Virtu, just yet I decided to reread Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. It's been a while since I read it and I wanted to refresh myself of the details before reading the rest of the series.

I think I'm going to leapfrog the two series so I don't OD on either. But I may have to throw something else in the mix or I'll find myself ODing on Fantasy.

#135, 149, 150 - I've enjoyed both People of the Book and Year of Wonders but I liked the latter better. I loved all the little stories in People of the Book, about the imagined history surrounding the Haggadah, but I didn't care for the main character and her story so much.

I haven't read March yet and wasn't sure I wanted to read about the father of the characters from Little Women, but I did enjoy Brooks other books and I keep seeing enthusiastic comments about it on LT. So I may have to try it sooner rather than later.

135,149,150,152 - I thought Year of Wonders was by far her best book, better even then March for her deep descriptive writing and the vivid visuals she painted in my mind.

richard .... Given that I've got a notebook where I keep scribbling book titles after reading recommendations by fellow LTers, your verbose self included, I think 'tis only fair that I've been able to persuade you to add on 1 little book to your wishlist. nyah!

I'll second the praise for Year of Wonders. When my book club chose March to read, I re-read Little Women. I did not think I would like March as well as I did. I thought she did a great job with both -- handling a very grim story (Year of Wonders) with skill and sensitivity, and adding a new dimension to a literary treasure (March).

Edited to correct spelling.

>153 cameling: cameling, one little book HA! Almost every title you read, more like. Only P_T_Mack has a better track record.

One little title my Aunt Fanny.

I'm reading Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin.
Interesting, but a rather curious style. I guess I'll get used to it as I read on.

And my '50 play challenge':
The Master Builder (in Norwegian: 'Byggmester Solness')
Byggmester = Master builder.
I wonder why his name (Solness) isn't in the English title.

#148: hemlokgang - the problem is, if you're like me you'll wish you had stopped now.

*grumbles at richard*.... surely you exaggerate. I'm not as bad as FicusFan ... almost all the books she mentions I feel the need to read.

I am re-reading The Painted Kiss by Elizabeth Hickey, an interesting story about one of Gustav Klimt's muse/models. I had left it at my in-laws' in New York and they finally sent it to me.

So far, it's given me some interesting insights into Klimt and the world he lived in although the main focus of the book is really supposed to be Emilie, his muse/model and perhaps true soulmate.

I'm about a third of the way to the end, and this has been the perfect book for a person with cotton in her head, a small hammer pounding between her eyes and a peeling bell periodically ringing in her right ear.
The long and short of it is, it allows you to peek into the decadent artsy circle of old Vienna without taxing your mind.

I wonder if my headache is also the result of not getting much sleep last night because I wanted to finish Pigs in Heaven which oddly enough, I liked when I first started reading it, and then it sort of lost me towards the end. The tone of the book seemed to drag somewhat ... I wonder though if my cold's affecting my interpretation of her work and if I should put it on my To Be Re-read pile.

>157 dchaikin:: dchaikin- I could not agree more! First half terrific, second half... not so much!
It's great hearing all this Geraldine Brooks buzz. I to loved March and I have the other two waiting in the wings!

Still reading No Logo, not No Log as I nearly typed, and Get Shorty. Enjoying both, but going slowly as not enough time to read - too much cricket & tennis to watch.

I'm also adding books by the dozen to my TBR. Couldn't you all read boring books, or things I'm not interested in for a while? Thanks, that will let me catch up a bit.

# 120 bronwenanne, I also enjoyed The Sex Lives of Cannibals,and found it to accurately reflect the flavor of living in a 3rd world country.

There is a second book by the same author that follows him and his family living in Fiji I think. I have it, but have yet to read it. It is Getting Stoned with Savages. I think the stoned is a play on the money on one of the islands out there. They used giant stone donuts as money at one time.

# 158: cameling
*grumbles at richard*.... surely you exaggerate. I'm not as bad as FicusFan ... almost all the books she mentions I feel the need to read.

Hmmm. Now if only I could get you to buy them and send them to me as well.
:)

I'm having a hard time falling asleep tonight for some reson, so I just finished The Angel and the Jabberwocky Murders by Mignon F. Ballard. It wasn't awful, but I don't think I'm going to write home about it. I posted a review of it if anyone is interested.

Now about to start The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro. Its been on my TBR pile for a while and since I just graduated from grad school, I'm indulging in some lighter literary fare than what I usually read.

I started Passing of the Armies last night but only got through the intros and the first chapter. I was reading words but not getting anything, though I think chamberlain was praising people on both sides of the fighting in the last year of the war. Maybe it'll get better, but it is looking like a ook that I'll read a chapter at a time and something else in between them.

I finished Mishima's Sword: Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend by Christopher Ross yesterday, which is about the author's search for the samurai sword that Yukio Mishima used to commit hara-kiri in 1970, and includes an examination of Mishima's life and works, an outsider's view of different elements of current Japanese society, and the author's own experiences living in Japan and practicing martial arts. For me, it was an excellent introduction to Mishima, an author I had not read previously.

I also read Patriotism, a novella by Yukio Mishima, about a lieutenant who commits hara-kiri along with his young bride after a failed coup. It was quite disturbing, yet heroic and somehow beautfiul.

I'll start The Obscene Bird of Night by José Donoso Yáñez today, and War and Peace for the 75 Books Challenge theme read later this week. I'm also still reading Trusting Doctors: The Decline of Moral Authority in American Medicine by Jonathan B. Imber.

I have to ask if anyone has read this book I'm supposed to do a review for in my critical theory class. It's by Richard Ohmann and it's called Politics of Knowledge: The Commercialization of the University, the Professions, and Print Culture. I haven't exactly started it, mostly out of spite. I had hoped the books themselves would have been passed around so we could look and choose one we were interested in (or maybe that related to our thesis, this being a graduate level class), but she passed around a sheet with titles and no descriptions, and by the time it got to me it was slim pickins. I stared at the pile of books on the table a little longingly, and then picked the title that looked most interesting.

Other than that, I'm reading Critical Theory Today by Lois Tyson and War and Genocide by Doris Bergen, both also for class. I haven't had time to pick out anything for personal reading in a couple days. :(

I'm currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

> 162: kasummey

Congratulations on graduating!

>149 bronwenanne: - I highly recommend Year of Wonders. I bought it years ago because I live close to Eyam, which made it especially poignant. Brooks researched the novel well and kept the important details pretty close to how they actually happened. It's not as icky as I expected, but very evocative of the heaviness of death over the parishioners.

I haven't bothered with March yet because I wasn't sure it was my thing, but I've got People of the Book sitting in the living room on loan from the library, so maybe I'll read that next... If I like it I can swap it for March on my next visit!

I'm reading Fair and Tender Ladies for book club. Lee Smith's books just make me really sad.

richard I picked up The Elegance of the Hedgehog at like 6 a.m. in a very cold Minneapolis airport bookstore recently. Cannot wait to read it with all the praise on LT.

>161 FicusFan:: FicusFan, hmm... I'm still searching for the book genie and if I do, you may rest assured that I'll direct him to send you all the books you crave, then lift them from your hands as you finish the last line and drop them over at my house.

>164 kidzdoc:: kidzdoc, did you read Patriotism after you read Mishima's Sword or before?

I had broken open The Last Pope by David Osborn, but I've been forced to put that aside when I found When Gods Die in my mailbox today. I'm a huge fan of Sebastian St Cyr and his dashing intelligence in solving murder mysteries. So I'm going to read that when I get back from dinner tonight.

Library called - Plum Spooky came in and one of the first copies in the system, too!

I also brought home Essential Rumi for the bingo game thing.

These will supersede my other books or maybe I'll just read them at the same time - a chapter here, a chapter there! That'll be a possibility of five books. I'd put off my own books but I already started two of them. The third can wait, I guess.

Finished Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson and started Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

ooh koalamom, let me know what you think of Plum Spooky. I've been seeing it at the store but seeing as I'm determined not to buy anything except books that absolutely jump off the shelves and into my basket, I'd like to know if I should walk closer to Plum Spooky and give it a chance to hot into my arms.

Well the between the numbers books are so short, you could probably read it at the store. I wait for them to go into paper. I just got Plum Lucky.

#171: Cameling, I read Patriotism after I finished Mishima's Sword last night. Mr Ross described the book and the February 26th Incident in his book, which I found online.

I just finished my early review book Etta which I loved so now I'm in a bit of a book funk. I'm about 40 pages into Stewart O'Nan's Songs for the Missing and I'm not sure I can deal with a story line involving a missing teen so that one may have to go back on the shelf for a while. I picked up Tinkers by Paul Harding from the library yesterday - has anyone read that one? Any encouragement for the O'Nan book? I generally love him...

Currently I am reading "The Chronicles of Black Company" and only thing I can say is - wow :) Never expected to see Hammers Slammers-like outfit placed in fantasy environment :)

>135 thatbooksmell:, 149, 150, 152, 168: I figured I'd chime in with a slightly different opinion. Although I really enjoyed both Year of Wonders and People of the Book, I thought People of the Book was better. Maybe it's because I thought the ending of Year of Wonders was just a bit too improbable, I don't know, but I thought People of the Book was pretty extraordinary. (And I haven't read March yet, so I'm not sure where that one fits in.)

current reading:

Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel Everett; ©, Daniel Everett, 2008, Pantheon Books, Random House Publishers, New York; 2008, Profile Books, London.

as well as:

Après la démocratie ("After Democracy")
Author :Emmanuel Todd

Publication : Editions Gallimard, 2008; Paris (paperback)
Publication date October, 2008
ISBN 978-2-07-078683

and:

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Author : Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Publication: Penguin Books, U.K. (2007),

Still slogging through Toward the End of Time it has taken longer to read than I thought it would. I'm going to have to catch up to hit my 65 for the year!

Finished To Kill a Mockingbird, and am now reading Embers by Marai Sandor.

Finished The Coffee Trader by David Liss earlier this week, highly recommended, and am now breezing through Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn, before starting on the more substantial Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian. All in all, a great start to the year.

Chris Adrian's The Children's Hospital is just a spectacular novel and have recommended it many times. If you're not a Chris Adrian fan already, you will be once you finish it.

I haven't received my December Early Reviewer yet. The last one I got came fast - different publishers, I guess. My FirstLook from HarperCollins came within a day. If it comes today, it'll have to go to the bottom of my currently reading pile as I have five books waiting there - four of them started!!!!!!!!!!

I finished reading Against Medical Advice by James Patterson today. It was an interesting and inspiring story.

I am still reading The 19th Wife and A Fortunate Age.

Blood and Roses by Helen Cantor, a history of "one family's struggle and triumph during England's tumultuous civil war" (the War of the Roses, hence the title), which is turning out to be compulsive reading. Also still listening to Shutter Island.

#180, I saw Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes in the bookstore, and it looked interesting. Let us know what you think of it!

Received my Early Reviewer copy Love Potion Murders in the Museum of Man right after I posted my earlier note and I checked my library's website and they have another "In Transit" for me Mounting Fears, which may or may not be at the library as I write this. I hope it waits till Tuesday so I can finish what I have started already!

Like momom, I started The Elegance of the Hedgehog today on the train (that broke down and stranded me on a cold, windy platform for two hours); so far I am entranced and prepared to forgive cameling for making it sound so deliciously tempting because, by cracky, she was RIGHT! Superb, sharp, satirical and chillingly admonitory all at once.

My RL book circle discussed Manservant and Maidservant last night. The verdict was death. Since the perpetratrix died forty years ago, we burned an effigy of her. I gave my copy to a grad student at Columbia I chatted up on the subway ride home. He seemed grateful, poor deluded sod.

And cameling, you sweetie you, the Complete Gogol was EXACTLY the right thing! *mwah* air kisses!

have not posted in this group for a while, but if anyone's interested i'm reading Jack by A. M. Homes and bloody lovin' it. i've also been, slowly, working my way through Madness explained by Richard P. Bentall which is facinating but tough for me since i'm out of practice with non-fiction.

now, what's this March you're all talking about? will i be buying it soon?

Starting my 4th book of '09 - The Ghost by Robert Harris.

>186 LouisBranning: Louis, Gob's Grief was one of my favorite books from last year, so I'm expecting wonderful things from The Children's Hospital.

Finished Plum Spooky. The Plum books always go fast once you get started!

And I didn't get a call from the library so Mounting Fears will have to wait till next week and by then I should be finished with my library books and can get back to my own.

A Sport and a Pastime, James Salter.

Also indulging my perpetual love of science fiction with Orson Scott Card's Speaker of the Dead.

Finished THE ALMOST MOON - ALICE SEBOLD. I love her writing style. This book was disturbing but gripping. I read it in 2 days. Will have to read LUCKY.
Next on my list to read is A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN -
JAMES JOYCE.

cherylscountry ~ thanks for the recommendation for The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. I read Lucky and thought it was great....but like you said about the Moon book....disturbing, but gripping. I will look for that book and add it to my teetering TBR pile.

Finnished the The Coffee Trader David Liss yesterday. Really enjoyed the book. Highly reccommend it.

Just made 1400 in my library thanks to suggestions from everywhere! I've read a lot in my life! And there's a lot that I have forgotten I have read, too.

I just finished this book The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. Enjoyable take on the subject, wasn't too bleak, and liked the way he described everyones emotions throughout.