spacepotatoes 50 Books for 2009

Hi all! I've been participating in the 50 book challenge for four years running and have yet to actually make it 50. I'm hoping this will be my year! I made it to 40 in 2007 and 37 last year but it's been hard to keep up with reading for school and my own personal reading. I'll be done school in April, though, and I've got a summer full of good books planned! I'm also fairly new to LibraryThing so I'm looking forward to catching up on all of your reading and seeing what people are interested in around these parts!

Here's what I've got done so far this year:
1. Wonderfull by William Neil Scott
2. Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones - full disclosure: I started this in 2008

I'm currently working through Deafening by Frances Itani and The Conscious Bride by Sheryl Nissinen.

Good luck with your reading challenge spacepotatoes!
--BJ

Thanks, billiejean!

"it's been hard to keep up with reading for school and my own personal reading"
I'm also studying but because I'm studying literature I get to include all my books that they give us at the university as well. You could include some of your textbooks you know, I mean, it's your thread, you can do whatever you want. Just pick the most interesting ones! Are you in high school or college? What are you studying?

Oh and welcome to the challenge! Love your nickname :)

Thanks, girlunderglass! I like yours too :)

Ah, to have studied literature...I got a science degree but every trip to the campus used book store resulted in buying up some of the novels in the section for English courses!

It's hard with textbooks because I don't like to count a book unless I've read the whole thing, which I rarely do with a text. But I've mostly been reading journals and papers for the last few years anyway. I'm in teacher's college now and have a couple of books I could include. Actually, #2 in my first post is one I read for teaching!

Thanks for the comment!

37 books read last year = snap !

Actually I've read Atonement before, but don't really remember very much about it... ? I want to reread it to count towards my 1,001 books you must read before you die tally :)

I've made it through a busy portion of the school year so I finally have time to make some progress on my challenge!

3. Deafening by Frances Itani
I was hoping to enjoy this and be moved by it more than I was in the end. It was well written and the first portion of the novel was very engaging, the characters were likeable and I found Grania's experience growing up deaf very interesting. Once the story shifted to WWI and Jim's (Grania's husband) experiences in France as a stretcher bearer, I lost my connection. I'm not sure how to describe it, the only thing I can think of is that Itani's way of writing the WWI experience didn't feel very authentic. Sometimes it felt like things cobbled together from various history books. I think I also had a hard time caring about Jim because the story doesn't really say too much about how his relationship with Grania developed before they got married and his voice never felt totally distinct from hers. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and there were several touching moments in it, but it dragged after the first third and never completely picked up again.

On deck next:
- still finishing The Conscious Bride
- dipping into my fiance's copy of Rick Mercer Report: The Book since he's just about done with it (from the library)
- picked up Gratitude by Joseph Kertes from the library today and will be diving into it soon (can't the touchstone for this one to point to the right book, sorry!)

4. Rick Mercer Report: The Book by Rick Mercer
Rick Mercer is our Canadian equivalent to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in the US. There aren’t many political satirists to choose from here but Mercer is one of our best. This book is a collection of his best signature rants (from his tv show) and blog posts from the first four seasons of his show. At first, I kept comparing it to Stewart/Colbert and found it unsatisfying because, let’s face it, compared to the US our politics are pretty lame and dull. But Mercer is truly funny and is so spot-on with his commentary that I ended up thoroughly enjoying the book and trying to sneak bits of it in wherever I could get a few minutes to spare. Overall: a quick, pretty light, and entertaining read.

On deck:
- almost finished The Conscious Bride
- about to dive into Gratitude by Joseph Kertes. This one is a good 600 pages in hardcover so it’ll be a couple of weeks
- making my way through Special Education in Canada to get caught up for my midterm in a few weeks

Thanks for your comment! Saw some of your "want to read" books in your library - you've got some good things to pick from. Alias Grace, Curious Incident, and Black Swan Green were all very good - at least I thought so.

I actually teach Curious Incident, so it'll be showing up on my list for '09 soon. Hey, it has some real cross-curricular potential, too - English, science, math...

Good luck with your challenge!

>8 spacepotatoes: Rick Mercer...Rick Mercer...nope. Never heard of him. Anything available online?

>9 ljbwell: Oh, ljbwell, our book-paths keep crossing: Curious Incident is on my list for this month's reads, I've just received it via Bookmooch!

◘I read 75 books in 8weeks it was a enjoyment to me I now you can read 50 books in more ▬ ☻♣◘

>9 ljbwell: Thanks! I'm actually in teacher's college right now for high school math and science so I'm really intrigued by the idea of being able to use Curious Incident for those subjects. I am planning on reading it soon, but there is a small stack of others I want to get through first...I'm looking forward to it, though, lots of positive comments about it in this group!

>10 girlunderglass: You can check him out at www.rickmercer.com. From there, you can read his blog and watch video clips from the show. I'm not sure how funny he is if you're not familiar with the Canadian political landscape, but I think he can still be pretty entertaining.

Fun fact: the show was originally called Monday Report because it was meant to satirize a news show on the same network called Sunday Report, and it aired on Monday nights. A couple of seasons in, the network moved it to Tuesday nights and they had to rename it to something a little more change-proof.

>8 spacepotatoes: I read Rick Mercer Report:The Book when it came out in hard cover. Laughed out loud many many times. People on the GO train must have thought I was crazy. Even my kids love watching the show.

5. The Conscious Bride, by Sheryl Nissinen

I'm getting married in June of this year and friend of mine read this book before she got married, so I thought I'd check it out myself. Nissinen writes about the various emotional issues involved for women as they get engaged, get married, and go through the first year of marriage. She discusses the wedding as a rite of passage, a transition from one stage of life into another, and that in our culture, this is not honoured in the way that it should be. I found it really interesting when Nissinen talked about the need for brides to acknowledge and grieve the losses and separations that will occur leading up to the marriage (from parents, girlfriends, and in a sense, the fiancé) in order to prepare for the new role as wife. She makes a good point when she argues that our culture tends to sweep anything that feels unpleasant or uncomfortable under the rug and the focus becomes creating this “perfect” wedding day, so brides end up going through all of these emotions during their engagements that they don’t know what to do with because culture tells them that they should be nothing but happy during this time.

Nissinen borrows a lot from mythology and sometimes she’s a little too out there for my tastes. She can also be really repetitive at times. Overall, though, I found it an interesting and useful read. Even if you’re not going through all of the things that she talks about, I’d still recommend checking it out if you’re getting married. It’s some food for thought and you never know, you might hit on something you didn’t realize was an issue for you.

My only concern with this book is that Nissinen seems to want to generalize too broadly – according to her, pretty much any negative feeling about your impending wedding/marriage can be attributed to not properly grieving your losses, acknowledging feelings, etc. I think that while this may be true for a lot of women, there are also those that are in legitimately toxic relationships and I’d hate for those women, who have genuine concerns and probably should not get married, to read this book and think “oh, I just have some separation issues, that’s all” and end up miserable down the road. Nissinen doesn’t even touch on that possibility so I think readers need to approach this with caution and be able to think about their own situations carefully.

On deck:
- just started Gratitude (see above posts)
- should be catching up on my readings in Special Education in Canada (Edmunds and Edmunds, 2008) but haven't quite gotten there yet

I knew this would be a long one, but it's finally done...

6. Gratitude by Joseph Kertes

Here's the plot description from Amazon.ca:
March 1944: War's darkest period descends upon Hungary's Jews. By the time it ends in January '45, over half a million Jews will have been murdered. Gratitude tells the story of that period, through a group of people whom terrible circumstance has thrown together, and of lives and loves saved and lost. At the centre of it all is Paul Beck, a young lawyer whose chance meeting with a visiting Swede, Raoul Wallenberg, may alter the inevitability of the Jews' fate. Gratitude explores brilliantly and with deep humanity the complexities of the human psyche in its darkest hour, and offers a rich and unforgettable portrait of a European Empire's last days.

I had high hopes for Gratitude but was disappointed. There were some good aspects to it but for the most part, I found it frustrating.

The good things:
- occasional passages of really good writing
- very well researched; I looked up a few Budapest landmarks that I wasn't familiar with and found that not only did they all exist but that Raoul Wallenberg also existed. It led to some interesting history lessons on the side. Both my family and my fiance's family are Hungarian but we grew up in Canada so we didn't really have the opportunity to learn all of the history there, and there is SO much to learn.
- Kertes does a good job portraying the way in which the basic humanity of Jews was stripped away during the Holocaust

The frustrating things:
- Kertes seems to have borrowed plotting and character development tips from Danielle Steel in a lot of places, which really bothered me. Just didn't feel appropriate for this story.
- The dialogue often didn't make any sense and wasn't always even appropriate to the events taking place
- while Kertes is good at portraying the horrendous things that happened to Jews, he's not so good at going into the psychological ramifications of that. Things happen to some characters and they just go on as if it wasn't anything nearly as monumental as it was. The only one who does end up having a breakdown from it all happens to be the most self-absorbed, whiny, needy character in the whole book. By the time she started showing emotion related to the plight of others, I couldn't care less.

The frustrating aspects far outweighed the good bits for me and I couldn't wait to be done this so that I could move on.

Next up: Exit Lines by Joan Barfoot, which sounds far more entertaining.

ETA: the touchstone for Exit Lines should now be pointing to the right book.

Hi Spacepotatoes!

I looked on the 75 Book Challenge group and they recently started a thread for Anna Karenina. They are starting on March 15th, and will be reading one section (~100 pages) each month. I'm not going to start that soon, but since the schedule is nice and slow I might try to catch up later. Hope that helps.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I was a June bride too. I hope everything is going smoothly for you!

I come with the same news as waterLILY808! I am going to try to put in the address of the thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/58966
Hope that works!
--BJ

Thanks waterLILY and billiejean, I'll get my copy of Anna Karenina out of whatever pile I've stashed it in ASAP. Can't wait to get started!

And yay, billiejean, your link worked! :)

It's amazing! I'm glad. I need to go find my copy on my bookshelf.
--BJ

how's Anna Karenina going? Any thoughts so far?

Unfortunately none yet, GuG, but thanks for asking! I was hoping to get an early start on it this week since the group read doesn't officially begin until the 15th but then I went to the library on Saturday...our local libray has a "Quickpicks" display right at the entrance that is very hard to resist and I ended up leaving with one of them. They're called Quickpicks because we can only have them for 7 days, which means I definitely have to read it this week. So, no Anna Karenina for me until I finish off Exit Lines (almost there) and get through Buyology. I really need to learn to stay away from that display!

I finished #7 this morning, Exit Lines by Joan Barfoot. I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet. I'll need to let it sink in a little before posting a review.

In the meantime, I'm planning to start Buyology by Martin Lindstrom, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is waiting to be picked up this weekend at the library. Oh, and the Anna Karenina group read kicks off on Sunday too :)

I get a week off next week so I'm really looking forward to making some good progress on the TBR pile!

Hey spacepotatoes;
You got that right about the weather and a good book. And yes, I have read Message in a Bottle and loved, loved, loved it!~!~! It is also my favorite of Nicholas Sparks and I too cry each time I read it and each time I see the movie also. Loved Paul Newman in that movie. I really miss the fact that he is no longer out there in the world with us.
Watcha reading right now? I have the 2nd Harry Potter book and The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks going on right now. The latter because I do exactly what bonniebooks thinks I do. Doncha hate it when people are just so right and have you all figured out?
Thanx for stopping by my thread and happy reading. Blessings on your day.
N/B

just thought I'd pop in and say I really enjoy your reviews, spacepotatoes

Thanks NB and bencritchley! Sorry it's taken me a couple of days to respond, I've been writing exams yesterday and this morning. Needless to say, reading for pleasure was put on the backburner this week but I am counting my text book as one of my 50 since I did read the whole thing in the last few days ;) Here goes:

7. Exit Lines, by Joan Barfoot
This novel tells the story of four seniors who take up residence in a new retirement community and become friends. They all have some connection to each other from the past, the details of which are revealed through the course of the book. One of the seniors in a particular has a special request to make of her friends and the first half of the book builds up to her request while the second half goes through each person's struggle with whether or not to grant it. I know that sounds really vague but I'm trying not to spoil it...although if you look at the LT tags for the book, they will spoil it for you as they did for me - be warned!

I really enjoyed Barfoot's writing. The language was playful and the humour was dark and a little dry, which I tend to like. There were some interesting themes explored; I especially liked how Barfoot shows how the old perceive themselves once they end up unable to live on their own vs. how they are perceived by the rest of society, including their own children. I was really into the book at the beginning but it started to drag around the middle and never completely picked up. The end was a little anticlimactic.

Overall: a well-written and interesting story, but nothing earth shattering. Also my first Barfoot, since March has been deemed the Month of Firsts around here :) I would like to read more her writing since she is a fairly well-known Canadian author.

8. Special Education in Canada, First Edition (Edmunds & Edmunds 2008)
We are required to take a course in spec. ed. at teacher's college and this was our text. It was actually an interesting read because it's not set up like a typical textbook. The first four chapters are fairly standard, giving the background info, but then the last five, which get into learning disabilities, behavioural disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism, and multiple disabilities (yes, it was a lot of reading!) are built around case studies of actual students with the disabilities addressed in each chapter. I found it much easier to remember all of the information because there was a tangible connection to a real person whose experiences I could think about and relate the facts to. So, believe it or not, I actually enjoyed reading this and am curious about how some of the kids profiled in it are doing now (they are real cases).

On deck:
- Buyology, by Martin Lindstrom
- Anna Karenina, the group read starts Sunday!
- picking up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time from the library this weekend, we'll see when I get to it.

Maybe you've already seen this site, but if not, it might be of interest, especially as you embark on Curious Incident.

9. Buyology: Truth and Lies about Why We Buy, Martin Lindstrom

So far this year, nothing I've read has stood out as being particularly great or worthy of recommending and this book continues that trend. The entire time I was reading this, I found myself wishing that it had been written by Malcolm Gladwell instead. It was so full of Lindstrom's self-promotion and narcisistic asides that it got distracting. Others have commented on that in their reviews but I fell into the trap of thinking "it can't be that bad!" It was.

Many of the ideas Lindstrom presents are interesting (e.g. "smashable" brands, mirror neurons, the role of product placement - the analysis of product placement on American Idol was particularly interesting), but he just lists example after example without really getting into the details of why or how things work the way they do.

Lindstrom does the same with the neuromarketing studies the book is supposed to be about; he goes on and on about how groundbreaking the results are but glosses over the methodology and doesn't really give us much more than the bare minimum for the results. I came away not really knowing why many of his studies were as revolutionary as he claims. Also, having a science background, I questioned some of his methods and results from what little explanation was provided.

Overall: a book with lots of potential that turned out to be tedious and unsatisfying.

On deck:
- started The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time this morning
- 25 pages into Anna Karenina
- received Cancer is a Bitch yesterday from the ER Member Giveaway (my first ER/Member Giveaway book ever!), so that will be coming up soon as well

School has picked up again and I've fallen behind again. A few more weeks to go until holidays and I can't wait!

10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon

Finally, a book that I could really get into! I enjoyed this one a lot. Haddon created a character in Christopher that was very memorable. He obviously did his homework about children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger's. From what I've learned in my spec. ed. course (see post #25), Haddon's description of the way Christopher's mind works and how he interacts with people is fairly accurate. I found myself at times wanting to hug Christopher and protect him from some of the ignorant people he enounters, and other times wanting to throttle him in frustration. One of my favourite scenes was Christopher in the bathtub at his mother's apartment, when his mother just wants to hold his hand for a minute but he won't let her. That broke my heart a little bit. My only complaint about this book is that the ending felt somewhat rushed, but I did like that Haddon didn't tie everything up with a happy bow. He gives us a hopeful glimpse of the future but leaves it open to our own interpretations.

I'm sorry this review is not as coherent as it could be but I am claiming illness as my excuse - I've been trying to resist a Mutant Cold that's been going around, but it seems my body can't fight it anymore.

On deck:
- trying to finish Part I of Anna Karenina by the 15th of the month for the Group Read...not succeeding.
- started Cancer is a Bitch (ER Member Giveaway book from February), but it's also slow going so far.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Curious Incident :)
Your commentary was spot-on!

I'm glad you enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I read it last year and it was among my favourite books out of the 50. I found Christophers voice so convincing that I almost forgot I was reading fiction. I have another book of Haddon’s called A Spot of Bother among my evergrowing piles. It'll be interesting to see how he handles a more "conventional” novel format (if there is such a thing).

>28 spacepotatoes:

Ditto on your comments about Curious Incident. Funny what you say about wanting to throttle him. A student of mine commented on just that this year, saying that Christopher made him really angry at times. I hadn't really seen it that way - I think I was so wrapped up in the parents' heartbreak and the odd, one-sided tenderness of those finger-tenting moments that I just accepted it as "that's just how he is". Anyway, interesting to see it from that angle twice this year.

Sounds weird, but, speaking of the rushed ending, I had a hard time with Sandy - couldn't a golden retriever fall under the brown or yellow things category? Ack, I'm just being picky. :-)

>29 girlunderglass: Thanks, gug!

>30 Smiler69: A Spot of Bother is on my tbr as well, I'm looking forward to it.

>31 ljbwell: Yes, I thought there might be a problem with the dog too! There was something else mentioned in the book where I had a similar reaction, but I can't remember now what it is.

About being frustrated with Christopher, I think it came more from seeing how hard his parents were trying for him and his being totally oblivious to it. Even with the understanding that that's just how he is, there were moments when I wished he'd "get it". *SPOILER WARNING* For example, when he gets to London and turns his mother's life upside down. The first thing he thinks of once he's there is how he needs to get back to Swindon for his A Level exam, then freaks out when his mother doesn't know what to do about it. *END SPOILER* I guess what I mean is that I could see it from both sides - I appreciated that Christopher was the way he was but I also felt for his parents (up to a point).

Thanks for the comments!

I finished Cancer is a Bitch yesterday, and I liked it a lot. I'm hoping to post a review of it sometime tomorrow...this was an LTER Member Giveaway book so I want to make sure I do it proper justice.

I also finished Part I of Anna Karenina for the 75 Book Challenge Group Read, so here are my thoughts about that (mostly copied from the Group Read thread on the other challenge board)...

Anna Karenina, Part I
I'm finding my translation to be distracting (It's a Wordsworth Classics edition). It seems like the authors have taken the Russian out of Tolstoy and created a British novel. Some of the names, for instance, have been anglicized, like Steve, Constantine, Nicholas, and Mary instead of Stiva, Konstanin, Nicholai, and Marya. That's not such a big deal, really, but they do it to the dialogue too. The conversations are full of "splendid, old chap!" and other English expressions that I'm pretty sure the Russians weren't saying in Tolstoy's day. I feel like I'm not getting the story the way it was intended and that bugs me.

On a positive note, I'm starting to get into the story and characters more than I had been initially. I'm particularly intrigued about Anna and Vronsky, and where that is going to go. The whole Kitty/Levin/Vronsky triangle reminds me a bit of Jane Austen's novels - the girl who needs to be married off, the man with good character but little means who is right for her but the girl isn't interested, and the man who's well off but is all about ego and is naturally the one that the girl totally wants. Maybe a Sense and Sensibility and Emma mashup? I'm really curious to see how the Vronsky/Anna situation plays out...not sure that Vronsky can be trusted!

"It seems like the authors have taken the Russian out of Tolstoy and created a British novel"

That's just criminal! How could they?? Anna Karenina is one of the first "grown-up" novels I read when I was just 12 years old and I was impossibly caught up in the romance of it all. Might explain why I've had such disastrous relationships my whole adult life. lol. I did have a hard time figuring out who was who, what with the given names, patronyms and last names being used interchangeably, as they do in most Russian novels. But I can almost guarantee that if the characters had been called Steve and Mary instead of their original Russian names, the book wouldn't have seemed quite as romantic to me and may have been forgotten like so many others, rather than becoming one of my all-time favourites. I must read it again for a 3rd time since it's been too long, though I'll be careful to choose the right translation... you're very brave to have stuck to it, what with the bad assimilation job your edition was put through!

I just started Anna Karenina tonight. I have the Maude translation which I think might be the same as when I read it before. I just love this book. :) I hope that your translation becomes easier to tolerate.
--BJ

Only 1.5 weeks late, here's my review of Cancer is a Bitch :)

11. Cancer is a Bitch (Or, I'd Rather be Having a Midlife Crisis), Gail Konop Baker

My first LT Early Reviewers Member Giveaway book! I initially requested this book because my mom was recovering from a biopsy when the list went up and I was looking for something that would help me understand what she was going through and maybe help me get a sense of what I could do to help her. By the time the book arrived, we knew mom was fine and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to read after all.

After the first few chapters, I was convinced that I’d made a mistake and was dreading having to read several hundred pages of self pity and angry ranting. But then, something clicked and I found myself unable to put the book down. I finished it in one weekend and immediately looked Konop Baker up online to see how she’s doing now.

The majority of the book deals with the aftermath of the surgery she has to remove cancerous lumps in of her breast. In between checkups and second opinions, Konop Baker reflects on various aspects of her life: her family, her marriage, her neighbours, and how they would all exist without her. Always honest and often funny, I couldn’t help but feel for her and be moved by her experience. She does a great job conveying how complicated relationships can be, not to mention life itself.

Overall: a funny, thoughtful, moving read. Not exactly light, but not too heavy either.

I've finished my next Member Giveaway book, The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy. I'll get that review up asap.

Good review spacespuds. That's a toughie. But it made me want to read the book. My mother has had to have 3 or 4 biopsies done (all were clean and she is 91--go Ma!~!) and I have one brother now cancer free at the 3 1/2 year mark and I have lost one sister to cancer so I think I could relate well to this one.
Thanx.

I'm sorry about your sister, though that's fantastic news about your mom and brother. It's incredible how many people are affected by cancer in some way. There's an eye-opening chapter in the book where Konop Baker talks about her neighbourhood and outlines who's suffering or suffered from what type of cancer. -It blew my mind just how many people there were. It made me wonder how many of my neighbours are dealing with it and I don't know even know it.

Thank you and wow---that is an eye opener. Just think, you could stand in your living room and know that perhaps 3 or 4 of your neighbors are in treatment or some other stage. Wow.
Thanx again for the insight.

Ok, finally, all caught up:

12. The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy, Gina Collia-Suzuki

This was my second LTER Member Giveaway book and one that I was really looking forward to. It tells the story of a young couple who move into an apartment above an older couple who turn out not to be the frail, kindly little seniors that they appear to be at first. Ben and Pat Guppy, the old couple, terrorize their new neighbours in an attempt to extort money from them. Unlike the previous residents, however, this couple is not so easy to manipulate. Chaos ensues.

The story is told from the perspective of Alex, the young wife who is eventually responsible for the "wonderful demise" of Ben Guppy (not a spoiler - this is revealed in the very first paragraph of the book). The entire book is Alex's version of the events leading up to the fateful day. It actually reads more like Alex is telling a friend what happened rather than a typical novel narrative. I enjoyed the story and the writing style. I've always been a fan of dry British humour, with a bit of gallows humour mixed in, so this was right up my alley. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments.

I only have a couple of minor criticisms. One is that we get a lot of details about the Guppys, their lifestyle, their other neighbours, and their crazy antics but we don't know anything at all about the younger couple. All we learn about them is that their names are Alex and Roy. I could understand their frustration with the Guppies but I think I might have cared a bit more about their situation if I actually knew more about them. While I enjoyed reading about their crazy dealings with the Guppys, the lack of any real information about their own lives detracted a bit from that. I found myself wondering why they didn't just move away, which is only explained in passing towards the end.

The other issue that I had, and this completely subjective, was the way the novel was organized on the page. The chapters were long and there were no breaks within the chapters themselves, so there would be pages and pages of text with little dialogue. One paragraph would be describing a particular incident and in the next paragraph, we've moved on to two weeks later but there is no visual break. I found that a little difficult to follow, personally, but again, a totally subjective thing.

Overall: some minor issues but generally an interesting and entertaining read.

One of my favourite passages:
"In much the same way that misconceptions regarding the inherent goodness of old people facilitate an elderly man's ability to behave criminally and get away with it, misguided beliefs regarding the fairer sex's incapacity for violence afford her a greater level of reverence and respect than her male counterpart. There remains an underlying and deeply rooted romanticised belief, despite claims to the contrary and to the existence of equality between the sexes, that the physically inferior female, especially the domesticated variety, has a predisposition towards kindness, and a natural capacity for goodness. She is free of most of the flaws associated with men, and is wholly unaware of the true evil that exists in the world, having been protected from it by her father and then her husband throughout the entirety of her life, so she is highly unlikely to take any active part in adding to it. Perhaps men foster this belief not to enslave the fairer sex, but simply because the alternative, the acceptance that a woman is just as capable of violence as a man, would shake the very foundations of civilized society and remove any perceived hope for the salvation of mankind, in much the same way as it would if we were to accept that the elderly do not necessarily gain any great wisdom with age and are fundamentally just young people who have lived longer."

Interesting, no?

That is pretty interesting!
--BJ

very interesting...we studied just that idea that men have/had about women last semester during my Victorian Poetry class. We studied it as a thing of the past, a thing that characterized Victorian society, a thing that we "moderns" rejected. This idea of the "angel in the house", of the pure, kind, loyal and incapable of evil woman was just an attempt of Victorian males to keep women subjugated and to deter their "ridiculous efforts" to be equal to men, right? But the truth is, of course, that this misconception continues to survive in our times as well as in the past. I find the passage you quoted to be very accurate. I think this idealization of the woman and the correlating of the concept of "woman" with concepts like "motherhood", "kindness" and "innocence" happens more in the countryside and in small communities rather than in large cities but it's nevertheless still prevalent in our era.

Hi, spacepotatoes. Thanks for dropping by my thread. Some great reviews you've got here.

Thanks for the kind words, Robert!

Eliza, I agree it is very prevalent these days. When a crime is committed, it seems that people tend to be more shocked when the perpetrator turns out to be female and there's a different tone to the way such cases are treated in the media. I will admit that I am sometimes shocked to find out a woman was involved, too, so some of that has been ingrained in my own brain.

There's been a lot in the media lately in my area about girls being the aggressors in cases of school bullying, lots of articles asking "what's happening to our girls" and the like. I don't think there is anything truly new or shocking about that, but the fact that there is so much surprise in our culture about the fact that girls can act out just like the boys is very telling.

Well, I was hoping to be able to review Part 2 of Anna Karenina today but I still have 20 pages left to go and won't get to them until late.

I'm actually going away for 2 weeks, so no LT :( But I will be taking several books with me so hopefully I'll have new reviews to add when I get back! On deck are:
1) The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga
2) Tribute, Nora Roberts (not my usual thing but a well-meaning friend got it for me as a gift so I'm giving it a shot)
3) and a book of wedding trivia that I can't remember the name of, but that looks fun.

Talk to you all again in a couple of weeks!

I hope that you have a wonderful time on your trip! :)
--BJ

Good luck on your trip, The White Tiger has been hovering around my TBR list so I'll be anxiously awaiting your return to read your thoughts on it!

The White Tiger is also on my TBR list, so depending on your review, I'll either move it higher up the pile or leave it to work its way up naturally.

spacespuds;
Ahhhhhhhh, vacation. Heavenly!~! I hope you enjoy yours very much and come home well revived and raring to go.
We will all catch up when you return.
Travel safely and remember you LT friends will be thinking of you and missing you.
belva

Hi all, I'm back! Thanks for the kind messages while I was away. I haven't had time to catch up on all of the posts I've missed or write any new reviews but I did want to stop in and say hello, and mention that The White Tiger is fantastic! It's the only one of the three books that I brought with me that I was able to finish and I loved it. I'm planning to get a review up soon.

Welcome Back!! Did you have a great time?
--BJ

ditto what --BJ said spacespuds. I hope you came home quite refreshed. And one book read on holiday is not bad. Sometimes when we take off I only get the maps and travel logs read.
Have a good day there.
belva

Thanks BJ and NB! It wasn't that relaxing, almost missed the flight home - we just made it with 5 minutes to spare! But I've had a relaxing week at home since getting back. All done school now so I can look forward to a summer of reading :)

Speaking of, here's my latest review:

13. The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga

As I was reading this, it occured to me that if you relocated The Remains of the Day to India and then had the story reinterpreted by John Irving, the result would probably be very similar to The White Tiger. One afternoon, Balram Halwai hears on the radio that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is coming to India to talk to entrepreneurs. Balram sees himself as the ultimate entrepreneur and thinks his is the only story Jiabao really needs to hear. The novel is Balram's letter to Premier Jiabao, written over the course of one week, describing how he came to be such a success: his childhood in the poor village of Laxmangarh, his father's death, the beginning of his career as a chauffer to one of India's wealthy landlords, and his eventual determination to break out of a life of indentured servitude.

There is a lot of humour and wit in Balram's story, but there is also sadness and anger. Balram struggles with doing what is best for his family vs. what he wants for himself. He is greatly affected by his father's death and is determined to create a better life for himself but, as it becomes more attainable, Balram also struggles to maintain his own values in the face of what he sees as the corruption of the rich. In addition to all of these conflicts going on within Balram, we see an India that is struggling to find its own way while edging closer to civil war.

Through Balram's letters, we experience an India that is vivid in its sights, sounds, and smells. There is beauty but there is also chaos, there is the Light and the Darkness. Adiga's writing and imagery are fantastic throughout the book.

I can't say enough great things about The White Tiger. I loved it from start to finish and didn't want to put it down. It seems so simple as you read it but it gets under your skin, it gets in your head, and just takes over. I highly recommend this.

Overall: a funny, sad, and very memorable read. Highly recommended.

A couple of my favourite quotes (and I had a lot to choose from!):

"A rich man's body is like a premium cotton pillow, white and soft and blank. Ours are different. My father's spine was a knotted rope, the kind that women use in villages to pull water from wells; the clavicle curved around his neck in high relief, like a dog's collar; cuts and nicks and scars, like little whip marks in his flesh, ran down his chest and waist, reaching down below his hip bones into his buttocks. The story of a poor man's life is written on his body, in sharp pen."

"The book of your revolution sits in the pit of your belly, young Indian. Crap it out, and read."

Since I started posting my thoughts on Anna Karenina here (in addition to the Group Read thread over in the 75 Books group), I thought I'd continue with that. So, here are my thoughts on Part II. I've tried to keep this spoiler free and fairly general so if you want more specifics, see my post in the 75 Books group.

Anna Karenina, Part II
Initially, I was having a lot of difficulty with the translation. I don't know if the translation got better or if I just got used to the language but the English didn't bother me so much after Part I. There were a few "splendid, old chap"s and other expressions scattered here and there but they were easy to overlook. There were even some passages that I thought were quite well done.

The plot is getting much more interesting, there were a few unexpected twists that pulled me right into the story. The characters are getting more fleshed out and as I learn more about them, I've started to change my opinion of some of them. I'm intrigued by how things will continue to develop in Part III.

I've been looking at SparkNotes as finish each part, to help me get my thoughts in order and to make sure I'm not missing anything. For Part II, the SparkNotes analysis says that Tolstoy is setting up a contrast between Anna, who gives into her feelings, and Kitty, who denies them. I'm not so sure I buy that, at least not yet. I think they have both done plenty of concealing and denying of emotion. It is becoming obvious, though, that this will be one of the major themes of the novel. Another one is following your heart vs. doing what you are obligated to for appearance's sake.

I'll be a little behind getting to Part III as I have some other library books to finish before they are due but I am looking forward to getting back into it!

Hi spacespuds.
I haven't started the 3rd part of "Anna" yet myself. Just caught myself in the middle of too many committed books at the wrong time. But we shall get there.
One has to finish the library book. I can't stand taking one back that I just didn't get to. Terrible!~!

hey just passing by here and catching up as I haven't been reading many threads lately. Just want to say: remember we were talking about my gap in Canadian lit on my thread and you recommended that I read Timothy Findley's The Piano Man's Daughter ? Well I couldn't find that one on Bookmooch but since other people recommended that I read something - anything - by him, I mooched another one called The Wars. Haven't read it yet but hope I'll end up enjoying it!

Anyway, good luck with Anna Karenina - you are brave to attempt this! :)

Thanks, gug! The group read helps, I can handle 100 pages a month and it gives me extra time to process what I've read. It's actually a surprisingly easy read, though. It seems like we all expected it to be tougher than it turned out to be.

NB, I hate that too! Earlier this year, I got The Book of Negroes (sorry, touchstone seems to go to the wrong book) after waiting months for my name to come up. I had no time to read it when I got it so I had to take it back untouched. I put it on hold again, had to wait another few months and ended up getting it at another bad time. Thankfully, a friend has a copy that she is willing to loan me when I'm ready for it so no more going back-and-forth with it at the library.

Hi Spacepotatoes! Thanx for the heads up about Eugenides, I didn't know he wrote any short stories but I will try to find the book at my library. I definately want to read The Virgin Suicides but the last time I went to the library I had six books in my hand before I got that far, aggh.
By the way, I find all your reviews very interesting. I think I will be adding The White Tiger to my TBR list. I loved your opening, "if you relocated The Remains of the Day to India and then had the story reinterpreted by John Irving, the result would probably be very similar to The White Tiger." I just finished reading The Remains of the Day and the idea of that story reimagined in India by an entreprenuer is too tempting to say no to.
--Wela

At the risk of coming off like a total book snob...

14. Tribute, Nora Roberts

This review is a bit tough because this is not a book that I picked out for myself, nor would I have ever picked out for myself. I got it as a gift from a friend who meant well but really should have known better. On the one hand, I knew exactly what I was going to get out of this book and on the other, I really wanted to like it for my friend's sake. After reading it, I can't say my expectations were totally off base.

There really isn't much to it: generic characters, predictable plot, neat little ending. Roberts is essentially Danielle Steel with a better grip on grammar and punctuation, and a better range of storylines. It was entertaining enough but for a book that is marketed as a "thriller", it wasn't particularly suspenseful - probably because Roberts dragged out what little action there was over 400 pages. A tighter plot would have made it better.

One thing I will give Roberts credit for is her obviously extensive background research. The main character is into flipping houses and the love interest writes graphic novels. The details Roberts provides of both fields are incredibly thorough and convincing. Without that, the characters would have been totally flat.

Overall: pretty average. If you're looking for quick, light entertainment, this will do.

------
Currently reading:
- Nocturnes, Kazuo Ishiguro
- This is my Country, What's Yours?, Noah Richler

spacespuds,
you "total book snob";
occasionally, when there is a great deal going on in one's life these can actually be fairly theraputic because one need not think when one is reading this type of book. I, for one, was glad to see you lower your standards for once. Ha!
belva

Your posts always make me smile :)

I do like a light read every now and then, they can be very good for the soul. I just don't tend to lean in the Nora Roberts direction...but I will confess that despite my constant panning of her, Danielle Steel is still a guilty pleasure.

If you liked The Curious Case of the Dog … you might enjoy Rules. It is a book intended for juveniles but it is a fun and quick read giving insight into autism.

Speaking of Danielle Steel, she once wrote a book based on a young Russian girl at the time of the assassinations of the tzar and his family. I think it was called Zoya (yeah, touchstones worked, so yeah). Anyway I really liked that book. It had a lot of history to it. I don't know if I would like it today, but I read it when it first came out and I loved it.

Yup, I remember enjoying Zoya! I kind of grew up with the DS books, my mom was a huge fan of them when I was younger so they were always around. Star was my first love but my ultimate favourite is Jewels. Her older books really used to be quite good.

I still can't resist picking up one of her books at garage sales or wherever I can find them for dirt cheap...I actually picked one up a month ago at a charity fundraiser for the Special Olympics, Second Chance, for just $1. After I read them, I always wonder what I was thinking, but oh well. Still a guilty a pleasure!

>62 DrRex: Thanks for the suggestion! I did a search on LT and I assume you meant Rules by Cynthia Lord? It looks interesting, I will have to check this one out sometime.

I've come up against my first abandoned book of the year: This is my Country, What's Yours? is heading back to the library unfinished. It was not quite what I'd had in mind when I picked it up and while it had some interesting parts, it was generally pretty boring. I will probably check it out again in the future, when I am ready for it. Right now, just not what I was looking for.

In the meantime, I finished book #15:

15. Nocturnes, Kazuo Ishiguro
This is Ishiguro's latest, a collection of five short stories all built around the theme of music. According to dictionary.com, a nocturne can be a "painting of a night scene" or an "instrumental composition of a pensive, dreamy mood." Despite the book's subtitle being Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, only two of the five stories have their main events occurring at night. It is the second definition which better suits this collection. Each story is well written, as you'd expect from Ishiguro, and each one forces you to think about it afterwards; they are deceptively simple. Ishiguro's writing is very subtle and understated, there is a lot more between the lines.

My favourite story was the third one, "Malvern Hills", in which a young, struggling musician has an interesting encounter with a couple of Swedish folk singers in England's Malvern Hills. That one was quite moving. Two of the stories, "Crooner" and "Nocturne" are loosely connected through one of the characters, which was a pleasant surprise. "Nocturne" was the most entertaining of the collection, for me, and left me wanting more because it ended without revealing the narrator's fate.

Overall: an interesting concept for a short story collection and well-written. A good read.

---------------
Currently reading:
- Part III of Anna Karenina for the group read
- planning to start Zahrah the Windseeker soon, I've been in the mood for some fantasy lately

I've heard only good things about Nocturnes - it's being reviewed everywhere! But I won't put it on my wishlist because I've been told I should start with The Remains of the Day if I haven't read any by him - which I haven't. Thanks for the review though, glad you enjoyed your read!

The Remains of the Day is definitely a good place to start, at least based on the fact that it's where I started :) It was one of those books that I call "silent killers", where they don't feel like anything special at first but by the end, they've gotten in your head and won't get out.

Have you read Atonement? For me, Ishiguro's writing in Remains was sort of similar to what McEwan did in Atonement, where it's the stuff that's not quite on the page, almost there but not quite, that gets you. I don't know if I'm making sense, but that's what it felt like.

After seeing pop up everywhere, I got curious. I'm not so sure about the results though. For the most part, I don't think it's true for me...and I've never heard of this book.

You're The Guns of August!

by Barbara Tuchman

Though you're interested in war, what you really want to know is what
causes war. You're out to expose imperialism, militarism, and nationalism for what they
really are. Nevertheless, you're always living in the past and have a hard time dealing
with what's going on today. You're also far more focused on Europe than anywhere else in
the world. A fitting motto for you might be "Guns do kill, but so can
diplomats."


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

You've got to admit that it's kind of deep though. It's sort of telling you how cerebral you are. I think I like it for you.

Well, when you put it that way... :)

I do agree with the suggested motto but that's about it. It's just so stuffy and serious, which I like to think I'm not...most of the time, lol.

Hi there! I'm going through and trying to catch up a bit, so sorry how far back I'm referring... I really liked your review of The White Tiger. It looks like an interesting book and is now on my TBR list!

Thanks, it was really interesting! Hope you enjoy it too, when you get to it :)

I don't normally post book covers with my reviews but for this one, I couldn't resist. I picked up the book almost solely because the cover was so gorgeous:



16. Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nnedi Okorafor

I was in the mood for something different and this YA fantasy was right up my alley. It’s been a while since I’ve read any YA (not counting Harry Potter) so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was very pleasantly surprised.

The world of the Ooni Kingdom is interesting, so similar and yet so different from our own (for example, everything is plant based - even computers grow from CPU seeds!). The Forbidden Greeny Jungle is beautifully described; I could picture the lush, green surroundings each time I opened the book.

I think the book contains a lot of relevant themes for younger readers: learning to face yours fears, trusting your own instincts, and exploring the world beyond your own backyard rather than being willfully ignorant. There is a strong, smart female lead, which is also great. The messages are a bit heavy handed at times but that may not be so obvious to younger readers. The style is very conversational, Zahrah as the narrator is intelligent and funny.

Overall: a quick, enjoyable read that will sweep you away and put a smile on your face.

-----------
Currently reading:
- Mozart and the Whale, by Jerry Newport and Mary Newport
- Will be picking up the first Graham Greene of the summer from the library this weekend: Ministry of Fear, thanks to Banoo's great review of it in his challenge thread.

Is there anything more exciting than a book sale? My fiance and I went to the mall today and discovered that the book store there will be closing next week so a bunch of books were 50% off. I got some REALLY good deals so I'm a very happy book worm today :) Here's the haul:

Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
Lady Chatterley's Lover, D.H. Lawrence
Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky
The War of the Roses, Warren Adler
At the Scent of Water, Linda Nichols
Sleds, Sleighs and Snow, edited by Anne Tempelman-Kluit
The Glass Lake, Maeve Binchy
Scarlet Feather, Maeve Binchy
Quentins, Maeve Binchy

And the fiance picked up a collection of Oscar Wilde's short stories. He's awesome that way :)

Great haul!~!
And again, congratulations.
belva
P.S. You will have to borrow "his haul". It's most likely the best of the bunch.

Thanks Belva, I plan to! I told him about your comment, he was very proud of himself, lol. He is also book lover but is not quite as passionate about it as I am. I'm working on him, though!

Here's my latest review...those of you that read and enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog and the Nighttime may be interested in this one.

17. Mozart and the Whale, by Jerry and Mary Newport with Johnny Dodd

"Ours definitely isn't a black-and-white love story. It's one that constantly explodes with all the colours in the spectrum. It's brilliant, complex, and filled with the promise that real love truly does conquer all."

The above quote is Mary Newport’s description of her relationship with husband Jerry, and it applies equally well to the book. Their story, told with (sometimes brutal) honesty, covers the full spectrum of emotions: funny, sad, frustrating, trying, rewarding. Both were born with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism that makes social interaction a real challenge. Both grew up feeling terribly alone and different from their peers, and both dealt with this in often self-destructive ways. The book chronicles each of their childhoods, early adult lives, and their lives together from both of their perspectives.

Their story is a fascinating one and I found myself completely immersed in it as I was reading; I didn’t want to put the book down, especially when I was in the middle of one of Mary’s parts. Both sides of the story are well written, with the help of Johnny Dodd. Some parts made me laugh out loud while others just broke my heart.

I just went through teacher’s college, where everyone is now required to take an intro course for special education, at least in Canada. We learn about autistic spectrum disorders and their various signs, and we learn strategies for working with kids at different points on the spectrum. Reading about Jerry and Mary’s childhood experiences in the 50s and 60s really highlighted how much our mentality about these disorders and people who are affected by them have shifted. I couldn’t help but wonder how different their stories would turn out if they had grown up within the last 10 years or so.

Overall: a bit repetitive at times, but still a fascinating and eye-opening story.

----------------
Currently reading: The Ministry of Fear, Graham Greene

I almost started The Ministry of Fear the other day - but then decided since I have so much studying to do for exams that I couldn't give it my full attention yet. Can't wait to see what you think of it.

As I was catching up with your thread I saw you had reviewed White Tiger a while back. I read it last year and have to say it was one of my favourite books in 2008. You did a great job with your review. While reading it the novel all came back to me very vividly. If only they were all that entertaining...

>78 girlunderglass: I'm about halfway through The Ministry of Fear and I'm enjoying it, though I will admit that there are times when I have no idea what's going on. Still, it is very well written.

>79 Smiler69: Thanks, smiler! White Tiger is my favourite so far this year too. It's been a pretty disappointing year so far, as far as books go, I'd love it if the rest of my 50 were as good!

"It's been a pretty disappointing year so far, as books go"

Mmm Hmm; not enough Steinbeck Spacespuds.

belva

>Hey Space- Sorry you are having a tough reading year! Fortunately, I'm having the opposite year, gem after gem and I sure hope that doesn't change. Also I have White Tiger buried in my tbr, I need to move it up a few slots!

Thanks, Mark! I hoping the second half of 2009 will be an improvement too. White Tiger is definitely worth it, I'd say move it up many slots :)

Hi, Spacepotatoes! I'm avoiding posting on my own threads by catching up on other people's. Really enjoyed my time on yours. Great reviews! I'll have to check in more often!

Thanks Bonnie! Hopefully next time you stop by, there will be more reviews to check out!

Reading and reviewing have taken a back seat to high-intensity wedding planning over the last couple of weeks. The end is near - wedding day is TOMORROW!!! We don't leave for our honeymoon until next Wednesday so I'm hoping to get caught up in between. I've finished The Ministry of Fear and Part IV of Anna Karenina, so those reviews need to get posted. I'm currently working on Words the Dog Knows, we'll see if I manage to finish it before the honeymoon...not betting the farm on it, though!

So strange that we've been planning this day for nine months and suddenly, it's here! See you all again soon, when I'll be Mrs. Spacepotatoes :)

LOL! Let me be the first to congratulate you, MRS. Spacepotatoes! Happy Honeymoon! Hope you get a chance to read some good books! :-)

Congrats, Mrs. Potatoes! How exciting -- hope to hear more about the big day. Where did you honeymoon?

Congratulations Mrs. Spacepotatoes!

Thank you, everyone! We just got back from the honeymoon on Monday night and the jetlag has taken it's toll. We went on a Hawaiian cruise, which was absolutely amazing. The six hour time difference now that's we're back...not so amazing :)

I ended up finishing Words the Dog Knows on the flight to Honolulu and am almost done The Friday Knitting Club, so I'm getting pretty behind with the reviews. And I have lots of catching up to do with everyone's threads! It's great to be back though, I'm looking forward to seeing what I've missed around here.

Belated congrats, and welcome back! I know what you mean about big life events detracting (in a good way!) from reading time. Good luck settling back in.

Thanks, ljbwell! Ok, here we go...

18. Ministry of Fear, by Graham Greene

If I had to describe this novel in one word, it would be atmospheric. Greene sets up WWII London beautifully. There is an air of menace throughout the whole book and the descriptions of night bombings are very vivid, particularly the one in the subway tunnel. I will admit that there were times I had no idea what was going on but Greene's writing is just incredible, you can just get lost in the language even when the story is a little over your head.

Some interesting questions are raised in the novel: what is the difference between love and pity? If you kill out of love, does it still make you a murderer? Is murder really an evil thing? When is it not?

As much as you will want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens, this book is one that needs to be savoured. Read it when you have some time to think about it as you go.

19. Words the Dog Knows, by J.R. Carpenter

I found this well-written and entertaining as I was reading it but a week after I finished it, I had forgotten that I'd ever read it in the first place. Maybe it was just bad timing (what with getting married and going on honeymoon over the course of reading this) but I never really got into the story, or, for that matter, ever really figured out what exactly the story was supposed to be. At first it seemed like a coming-of-age tale, then it seemed to be a fish-out-of-water tale, then it just kind of kept going until it was done. I don't normally mind stories that sort of meander along, as long as I know that's what to expect.

It is a cute, fairly light read and I'd still recommend giving it a shot if you come across it. But maybe don't expect too much.

20. The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs

For a light and easy summer read, this book is a pretty good choice. It's entertaining and the story is interesting, if predictable at times. The writing isn't perfect; the style is sometimes inconsistent and there really isn't much description of the actual club meetings or all of its members. The club is almost more of a background thing until the last third of the novel. Still, if you're reading this on the beach, it'll work just fine.

-------

And I'm all caught up! I'm currently reading Grace River by Rebecca Hendry (doesn't seem to be a touchstone for this) and then onto Part 5 of Anna Karenina. It's good to be back in the routine :)

Hi spacepotatoes - Congrats to you, how wonderful!! I was on Maui from 6/20 to 7/6. Isn't Hawaii just beautiful? I still feel like I'm fighting jetlag - and it's only a 4 hour difference for me!

Thanks, coppers! Even 4 hours will get you, I think going forward in time is somehow always more difficult than going the other way. We were on the NCL Pride of America and were actually on Maui on 7/5 and 7/6, docked in Kahului. We spent 7/5 on Haleakala and then in Lahaina. On 7/6 we booked the Road to Hana tour. Everything was beautiful, I can't wait to go back one day! Hope you enjoyed your time on Maui as well, it was our second favourite island, only beaten out by Kauai :)

21. Grace River, by Rebecca Hendry

There is no LT page for this book yet so here's the Amazon.ca description:
Grace River is a smelter town in the interior of B.C. where most people who live there are born and bred, and everyone is either employed by AXIS or knows someone who is. Not much ever changes in Grace River. The days begin at Nick's Diner for morning coffee and end at the Steelworkers bar. When a young environmentalist arrives in town to investigate toxin levels in the river, the locals are forced to start looking honestly at their lives, their pasts and their uncertain futures. A powerful and courageous story told from the perspective of four friends, Grace River explores the reasons why people continue to stay in harmful situations and asks us to think about the damage we all do, not only to the environment, but also to the ones we love the most.

The story is narrated by four characters: Jessie, a waitress at Nick's and woman who's just grown tired of her life but doesn't know what to do about; Daniel, Jessie's abusive brute of a husband; Jackson, an old friend and coworker of Daniel's, and sort of the moral compass of the group; and Kali, an outsider who never quite fits into the Grace River community. The chapters alternate between these four characters but each of their voices is so distinct that there is never any doubt about which perspective you're getting.

I found the book really engaging and hard to put down at times. The story is presented almost as if you were a fly on the wall as things are happening. There's not a lot of exposition and back story, the author just lets things play out and the gaps are filled in as you read, through the characters' actions and how they relate to each other.

I loved having all four perspectives, especially those of Jessie and Daniel. Neither of them is happy with their marriage and they both want the same things, ultimately, but neither of them has a clue how to get there. Being able to see both sides of their relationship makes it that much more heartbreaking because you can see where each one is coming from, what they should do to make it right, and how much they both completely miss the mark.

I believe this is Hendry's first novel, so I look forward to seeing more from her. This was a pretty solid first effort.

---------------
Currently reading:
- Part 5 of Anna Karenina
- Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky

I just finished Part 5 of Anna Karenina this morning and realized that I never commented on Parts 3 and 4 in this thread. So, in case anyone's still following, here are my thoughts on Parts 3-5.

Anna Karenina, Parts 3, 4, and 5
I was really getting into the story in Part 2 and felt like the book was picking up momentum. Then I hit Part 3 and it came to a grinding halt. The main focus was on Levin and his farming, and issues with Russian agriculture in general. Some aspects were interesting but for the most part, I just wanted to get on with the story.

Parts 4 and 5 picked it up again and there were good developments, though I feel like it's slowed down again. I wonder if it's just that reading something like this during the summer months is not the best time, but it really is beginning to feel tedious.

Part 5 spent a lot of time on religion and discussing the spiritual lives (or lack thereof) of the major characters, which was actually interesting. The story takes place around the time that evangelical Christianity was becoming popular in Russia and one of the characters, the Countess Ivanovna, is a little carried away by it.

Tolstoy does a really good job of conveying what society was like at the time, especially the hypocritical nature of high society in Petersburg. They are guilty of all manner of sins behind closed doors but never hesitate to condemn others for the same things in public. It's hard to read without wanting to give many of them a good smack!

So, five parts down and three more to go. Almost there!

They are guilty of all manner of sins behind closed doors but never hesitate to condemn others for the same things in public.

LOL! The story of life everywhere and in every time!

Sad but true, bonnie!

I decided I needed something light between Anna Karenina and Suite Francaise, so I went with something from the "Beach Reads" display at the library.

22. Citizen Girl, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krauss

This one was written by the same authors who gave us The Nanny Diaries, which I actually enjoyed very much. So, when I saw this book on display at the library last weekend, I picked it up thinking I’d end up with something similar to Nanny Diaries: a funny and clever take on corporate life and office politics, with a warm-fuzzy heart. Unfortunately, what this book has absolutely none of is heart. None of the characters are likeable, most of what they do makes no sense, and there is no coherent plot to tie any of the disparate elements of the novel together.

The book is marketed as a satire of Corporate America and it supposedly pokes fun at office life with a heroine that we can all relate to. Not so much. The novel actually tries to cover several topics at once, never really settling on any one focus: the moral/ethical implications of working for a non-profit vs. a for-profit company, defining modern feminism, sexual freedom and the morality of porn (no, I’m not joking), and the list goes on. And the heroine? Also makes no sense. She’s obviously smart but makes very stupid decisions.

I debated giving up on it about a third of the way in but this book was the kind of bad that you can’t put down; you have to keep going just to see how bad it’s going to get. Yes, there were a few clever parts and I did laugh here and there but mostly, I rolled my eyes and thought “WTF?”

Overall: Not worth it. Try The Nanny Diaries instead.

------------
Currently reading:
Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky

Hi Mrs. spacespuds.

(Hi Bonnie.) **waves**

I felt I needed something to lighten my load a little also and went with Susan Wiggs Summer at Willow Lake. It is doing it's job. Definitely light and easy.
Hope you girls are doing well.
later dayz,
belva

I could be doing better...I've got a cold that doesn't seem to want to go away. I guess the upshot of that is more time to read!

Willow Lake sounds intriguing, I will have to see if my library's got it. Thanks for the recommendation! I actually picked up another book from that Beach Reads display, Shannon Hale's The Actor and the Housewife, for light reading after Suite Francaise. I've seen it get good comments around here so I'm hoping it'll be better than this last one!

Hi Ms Spacepotatoes,

Been reading a lot lately and everybook I have read for a few years now are listed on LibraryThing. But how can you find out how many books read in any one year on here?

I would like to see how many books I have read in a year.

Just finished reading "Cream Puff Murder" by Joanne Fluke.

Hi amcd40, Thanks for stopping by! I left a comment on your profile to answer your question, I hope it was helpful! How did you like Cream Puff Murder?

I also almost gave up on Citizen Girl. I thought it was pretty dumb. On the upside you will like The Actor and the Housewife . It was fun, categorized just right, definitely a beach read.

I finished Suite Francaise last week but it's taken a while to process all of my thoughts about it. It's a long one, so I'll just summarize my review here and then link to the full version for those who are interested.

23. Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky

This novel has a really fascinating history and the longer I tried to figure out how to review it, the harder it got because my thoughts about the work itself are so closely tied to its history. How do you review a work that isn’t actually finished? Suite Francaise is only two parts of a sweeping novel that Nemirovsky had planned to be a five part, 1000 page epic. She was writing about WWII as it was happening, and died at Auschwitz before completing the remaining three parts. The appendix contains Nemirovsky’s notes detailing her plans for Suite Francaise so readers get an idea of how the two parts were to fit into the overall story, but as it is, it is a work in progress.

All in all, I think my expectations may have been too high going into this because I came away feeling kind of disappointed. And here is where it gets tough to review properly, because these stories were not meant to stand on their own so I feel like I’m not being fair. After reading the appendix and Nemirovsky’s notes, I can see where she was going with the Suite and I think it would have brilliant if she’d been able to complete it. In the context of the overall story that she wanted to tell, “Storm” and “Dolce” are a perfect set-up and very smartly done, so I’m basing my rating (4 stars) on that. I read that Nemirovsky’s plan for this Suite and the way that she’d structured it was inspired by Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony...what a tragedy it is that she wasn’t able to finish it.

Full review on LT here: http://www.librarything.com/work/755085/reviews/35034919

----------------
Currently reading:
Still working on The Actor and the Housewife...another one for which I may have had unrealistically high expecations.

Hi! I really loved Suite Francaise and thought the back story made it all the more compelling. I couldn't help but think what a truly great book it could have been if it had been completed. Too high expectations have ruined a few books for me as well.

Coppers - I think without the back story to Suite Francaise, it would be a very different book. I mean, it would feel very different to read it if we knew that that's all there was. I would have loved to have read the finished product! I'm planning to read Fire in the Blood sometime, I'm curious to see how it compares.

Finished The Actor and the Housewife last week...I'm sorry to report that I didn't like it all that much. I probably had too high expectations for it, but there were definitely a few things about it that got my hackles up as I was reading and made it a disappointment (review is below). I haven't given up on Shannon Hale yet, though, her writing is good and I will give her a second chance with Austenland sometime in the future.

24. The Actor and the Housewife, Shannon Hale

What happens when a Mormon housewife from Utah (who doesn’t drink, swear, or watch anything R-rated) meets her number one movie star crush (who does all of these things, and then some)? According to Shannon Hale, they become besties!

I wanted to love this book and I read so many good things about it around LT that I was sure I would. Ultimately, maybe that’s why I ended up so disappointed by it. Well, not only that. Also the fact that even after you manage convince yourself that such a friendship would actually form and last as long as it does in this book (though Hale never really explains just WHY these two are so attached to each other. She just keeps insisting that they are.), the main character is incredibly annoying and the story gets repetitive after a while.

As mentioned, Becky is a Mormon housewife and mother of four who doesn’t drink, doesn’t swear, doesn’t watch anything R-rated, and Hale never lets us forget it; she hits us over the head with these facts constantly, to the point where it starts to feel a little preachy. In addition, Hale seems to equate Stay at Home Mom with Overweight and Frumpy, which I found myself taking offense to even though I’m not even close to being a SAHM. It’s the principle of the thing.

The repetition was also really irritating. Becky was constantly ruminating on how she either A) SHOULD feel a particular way, but doesn’t or B) SHOULDN’T feel a particular way, but does, mostly when it comes to Felix, the actor. She SHOULD feel weird about the whole thing, but it just feels natural. She SHOULDN’T miss him so much when they’re apart, but she can’t help it. Lather, rinse, repeat ad nauseum.

I do have to give Hale some credit, she is not a bad writer at all. And that’s what gets me about this book: for the most part, it’s well written, it just annoys the heck out of me. There’s a good chunk of the novel towards the end where something very sad happens and that one part of the book, on its own, is worth a 4 star rating. Hale writes that one part beautifully and it’s the most sincere, heartfelt, believable, non-obnoxious part of the book. That one part really moved me and actually made me feel for Becky. If the whole book had been that real (not sad, just much more honest), it would have been great. But with all the other stuff in the mix, it was a let down.

--------------
Currently reading:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which I started on Saturday and fell in love with almost instantly. This is going to be one of those books that I will be sad to finish.

(Edited to fix touchstones...not sure why nothing was working before)

Space- I hope you enjoy "Edgar" through to the end. I loved the 1st 200 pages, along with you and then it derailed, unfortunately. Let me know!

Fire in the Blood was interesting but not as good.

>108 msf59: Interesting...I was actually around pg. 180 when I saw your comment last night and thought "uh oh!" I'm now past the 200 mark and I did notice that the tone has changed but so far, it's not bothering me. I guess we'll see what happens, but I'm hoping for the best!

>109 Copperskye: Well, that's good to know! I am working on this whole "tempering of the expectations" thing, but it's much easier said than done!

Just finished Edgar Sawtelle this morning and WOW. I can't recommend it enough, fantastic book! I wanted to get all my thoughts out while it was still fresh so I've already written the review but my apologies if it rambles a little bit - my thoughts may be TOO fresh :)

25. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski

I think this will be one my most memorable reads of this year. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a deeply moving and powerful novel. It’s beautifully written, with a haunting quality to it. The novel starts out on the Sawtelle farm in Wisconsin, describing the idyllic life of fourteen year-old Edgar, his parents, and their unique breed of dogs. Midway through, things take a dark turn and we follow Edgar’s journey away from the farm, his struggle to make sense of what has happened and his role in it all, and then the consequences of his eventual return. The characters are complex, there are layers and layers of elements to the story. This one will stay with me for a long time as I process everything.

The language of the novel is fluid, just gorgeous prose. My favourite parts were those told from the perspective of Almondine, the family’s dog. Dogs are a major focus of the story and these Sawtelle dogs are infused with so much personality and are described so beautifully that even though I am not normally a dog person, the book made me wish I had one of them curled up beside me while I read.

I read before beginning the novel that it’s a modern retelling of Hamlet, at least in part. Knowing that in advance made the connections fairly obvious and made some of the events a little easier to process because I went into it expecting tragedy. However, you don’t need to know anything about Hamlet to appreciate the book. If I hadn’t known in advance, those connections would probably never even have occurred to me.

I highly recommend this, but be prepared, especially if you are dog lover: this book will get inside you and it won’t leave you unmoved. And when you’ve closed it for the last time, it will haunt you.

-------------------

And with that, I've reached the halfway mark of the 50 book challenge! At the pace I'm going, I don't think I'll make it to 50 but it ain't over till it's over, right?

Next up - should be part 6 of Anna Karenina but I think I need a break before I can dive back into something intense, so I'll be reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman to sort of cleanse my palate!

Well, Coraline didn't take very long! It was a good, quick read and I think I'm ready to go back to Anna now although I will confess that for a while, everytime I closed Coraline, my thoughts kept wandering back to Edgar Sawtelle.

26. Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

This wasn't quite what I'd expected but I enjoyed it. It was a quick, somewhat predictable read. It didn't creep me out too much though I can see where it would be creepy, especially to the intended age group. I guess I was expecting something a little longer and meatier so I was left a bit underwhelmed but I could see myself reading this to my kids eventually. For its intended audience, this is a great little thriller. I'm really curious about the movie now since they must have added more the story to make it a feature-length film.

I realize that I've stopped including quotes from my books in the last few reviews, though that's not for a lack of anything good. Here's one I liked from Coraline:

Coraline was woken by the midmorning sun, full on her face.
For a moment she felt utterly dislocated. She did not know where she was; she was not entirely sure who she was. It is astonishing just how much of what we are can be tied to the beds we wake up in in the morning, and it is astonishing how fragile that can be.

--------------
Currently reading: back to good ol' Anna Karenina for part 6!

I'm so glad you liked Edgar Sawtelle! My favourite chapters were the Almondine chapters too. I read the last of those chapters on the bus one morning, realising my mistake as I scrabbled for a tissue to stop the tears. And I'm not remotely a dog person either!

Hey spacespuds;
How bizarre is this? I just finished posting a response to you on my thread and was just moving on to my next starred thread and here you are. You have been reading some good works while I've been gone. I picked up 3 recx from you; Suite Francaise, Fire in the Blood and of course, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Thanx a lot!~!~! Coraline sounded good too, but I am afraid if I start Gaiman, I won't be able to stop. ha
You take care girl and I'll catch you later,
xoxo
belva
P.S. thumbs up for your review of Suite Francaise. Well done!~!

Space- Glad you enjoyed "Edgar Sawtelle". I wish it could have worked for me that way. Loved the 1st 200 pages or so and then it veered off course and by the end, I was bored and disappointed. I feel he is a talented writer, just in need of some editing and more focus.
Have not read Coraline or anything by Gaiman, as of yet, but I did see the film and thought it was very good.

Hi spacepotatoes, When I saw that you were reading Edgar I was curious to read if you liked it or not. I'm afraid I'm more in Mark's camp in my feelings for it. I had really high hopes for it when I started and enjoyed probably half of it but then found the second half to be a jumble. It is one of those books that people either love or don't. I'm glad you liked it. Coincidence here - I put Coraline on hold at the library this morning and am looking forward to it. I did see the movie and am wondering how it compares.

Wow, thanks for all the comments everyone! I love having visitors :)

>113 susanj67: Hi Susan! I watched Oprah's interview with David Wroblewski after I finished Edgar Sawtelle and they talked about the Almondine parts. It was really interesting, Oprah commented that those parts felt almost inspired, or somehow sacred compared to the rest of the book and Wroblewski said that those parts were the least touched by him or his editors after they were written. I thought that was pretty neat, they certainly felt inspired! I saw on your thread that you're reading The White Tiger now, that was another one of my favourites this year, hope you enjoy it!

>114 rainpebble: Glad I could be of service, Belva :) And thanks for thumbs-up! I hear you about Gaiman, Coraline was good but so short that it wasn't totally satisfying and now I really want to try something a little meatier.

>115 msf59: & 116 From what I've read of the LT and Amazon reviews of Edgar Sawtelle, it seems to have this polarizing effect on people. There were parts that I wasn't sure what to make of as I was going along but in the end, it worked for me. And watching the Oprah interview with the author right after reading it helped too, he answered a lot of questions that were in my mind about it. The only disappointment is that they're already working on turning it into a movie ("they" = Oprah's production company, of course, along with Tom Hanks' company). Why not just leave well enough alone?

27. Lullabies for Little Criminals, Heather O’Neill

In Lullabies, we follow twelve-year-old Baby as she comes of age in the red light district of Montreal surrounded by drug addicts, pimps, and other neglected children. Her father is a junky who can’t seem to kick his habit and doesn’t see the effect it has on his daughter. Her mother died when she was a baby and left a void that Baby constantly tries to fill in completely inappropriate ways.

Baby’s story is heartbreaking and it’s unsettling to read about a twelve-year-old being taken advantage of by pimps and trying to score heroin in a night club. There were times as I was reading that I’d have to remind myself that all of these adult things are being recounted by a child. The story was very well-written and it had moments that were genuinely funny. I enjoyed reading it (as much you can “enjoy” a book about sad things) but ultimately, it didn’t move me as much as I’d thought it would. Despite the subject matter being so heavy and all of these things happening to Baby that would have a big emotional impact on her, they are told in such a matter-of-fact, sort of detached way that it was hard to really connect with it.

I also got a sense that the author was holding something back. As Baby gets deeper and deeper into bad situations, you keep expecting the consequences to get worse and something really terrible to happen because in reality, they certainly would for a girl doing the things she does. But O’Neill seems to avoid going too deep. She sets it up, then pulls back. This was my issue with the ending as well. *Minor spoiler alert* The book seemed to be building up towards a dramatic climax, you think things can’t possibly get worse for Baby, and then suddenly, she’s free and all is well (relatively speaking). The means of her escape is way too convenient and the whole thing felt like a cop-out. *End spoiler* Maybe O’Neill didn’t want to drag readers through all that muck and leave them without hope at the end but I think that could have been managed in a way that would have stayed true to the rest of the story.

A quote:
I don't know why I was upset about not being an adult. It was right around the corner. Becoming a child again is what is impossible. That's what you have legitimate reason to be upset over. Childhood is the most valuable thing that's taken away from you in life, if you think about it.
------------

Currently reading: False Economy by Alan Beattie. I saw Beattie being interviewed about this book on either the Daily Show or Colbert recently and it sounded really interesting.

space- nice review on "lullabies". Sounds disturbing but also very interesting!

Great review spuds, but I will pass on this one. It sounds disturbing as hell!~!
hugs,
belva

Just read your review of Coraline. I quite enjoyed it, despite its not being - as you point out, too - as dark as I had expected. Then I lent it to my niece, who found it a bit weird & dark.

Thx for your review of Edgar Sawtelle. I've heard a lot about it, and, as a result, it goes on my list and then back off it again. Eh, I get the feeling I'll pick it up used somewhere down the road...

Mark - it was both of those things! I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this book, it has many good qualities, I just found it a little flat. Though I guess had it not been flat, it probably would have been way more disturbing!

Belva - it's not THAT bad, there's no graphic descriptions of anything, it's mostly the idea of the fact that this is a 12 year old girl. I think, though, that once you have children of your own, especially daughters as I believe you do, it probably would get to you on an even deeper level. I don't blame you for wanting to avoid it!

ljbwell - I know what you mean, I have several books on my TBR list that I tend to rotate on and off. If do come across Edgar Sawtelle at some point, definitely do check it out. You may find it worthwhile.

I'm still working on False Economy and so far, it's not as good as I'd hoped. There's some interesting bits but Beattie's writing style just isn't working for me. My eyes start to glaze over every few paragraphs and I find myself having to reread several portions. I'm considering abandoning it but I'm not quite ready to let it go yet, we'll see. I think this is why I've always been more of a fiction reader.

I decided to keep going with False Economy but to make it a little more satisfying, I picked up a novel to read in between chapters. I ended up finishing the novel first:

28. The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico, Sarah McCoy

I am a sucker for two things: a nicely designed cover and a good old fashioned coming-of-age story. This book had the first and promised to be the second, though it didn’t quite deliver on that front.

Verdita is an eleven year-old with an identity crisis, growing up in a Puerto Rican mountain village. An only child, she has a close relationship with her parents, particularly her father. One night, she catches them in an intimate moment and doesn’t understand what she’s seen. Verdita is shaken by it and begins to distance herself as much as she can from her parents. The story describes her struggle to find her own identity as she inches closer to becoming a “senorita”, against a backdrop of a Puerto Rico also struggling with the Americanization of its identity.

The premise is a good one and this had so much potential, but it left me somewhat disappointed. Verdita is actually not that likeable. She’s self-centred, as most adolescents are, but even more so, and her parents don’t seem to care. They never speak to her about her walking in on them and somehow remain completely oblivious to how her behaviour completely changed afterward. I found it hard to believe that her parents would just let it all go unchecked the way they do, and that really detracted from the rest of the story for me.

What redeemed the book for me was the way the author writes about Puerto Rico. It was almost another character, very vivid and beautifully described. The people, the culture, the food, the scenery, it was very much like an armchair vacation.

Overall: not bad, but not great either.

---------------
Currently Reading:
- a few more chapters left of False Economy
- starting Still Alice tomorrow

Finally finished off False Economy yesterday, review is below. Even better, I tore through Still Alice in 2.5 days and wish I wasn't finished! What a fantastic book (and how heartbreaking) it was. I'll try to get a review of that one up tomorrow.

29. False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World, Alan Beattie

If this book were used to teach a course in economic history and each chapter could be explored in depth over the course of a semester, it would be fantastic. Unfortunately, it’s marketed toward a general audience so if you’re not an economics or a history buff, this book may leave you feeling a bit confused or overwhelmed with information. And no matter who you are, parts of it may bore you to tears.

Beattie tells us up front that through his exploration of the world’s economic history, he will show how it was the choices made by various leaders that led each country to its current economic fate, as opposed to just plain destiny. He says this repeatedly despite contradicting his own thesis several times in the histories he recounts, and does refer to some countries’ bad luck.

Each chapter focuses on a particular theme (e.g. natural resources, path dependence) and a particular question (e.g. why didn’t Washington d.c. get the vote?), which make for a interesting set-up. And the beginning of each chapter actually is interesting; Beattie is good at creating a hook. The problem is that once he answers the title question a few pages in, the rest of the chapter goes into painstaking historical detail on the theme (and sometimes goes off on a marginally related tangent).

Some of the information is interesting and I did learn quite a bit, but the writing was so dry and there was just so much information that my eyes glazed over after a while. The best chapters were the ones on natural resources, religion, and corruption. They were actually engaging from start to finish.

Overall: there is a lot of good stuff presented here and it was worth the slog to learn what I did learn from it. But I would recommend it with caution: this book appears to be marketed to a general reader and I think that’s somewhat misleading.

---------------
Currently reading:
One of my favourite authors! I've got the brand new Alice Munro collection, Too Much Happiness, from the library so I'll be starting that one tonight.

Space- Yes, that last book does look a bit dry. I'm impressed that you stuck with it and finished it. We are going to start another group read in November. It looks like the choice will be People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. If you're interested, leave a note on my challenge. BTW, I'm over half-way done with The Hummingbird's Daughter and I am loving it. Have a great weekend!
Mark

I am a sucker for two things: a nicely designed cover and a good old fashioned coming-of-age story.

That is sooo true of me too. And when they come together in a great book, that's so satisfying! We'll have to compare which books in our libraries met these 3 criteria.

Bonnie, your comment had me thinking about which of my books do meet all 3 and I realized that most of my favourites actually have pretty plain, simple covers! I've always loved Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's me Margaret and that has never had any special cover design over the years, as far as I know. I only thought of two that might have the magic combination: The Secret Life of Bees and Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Below is my review of Still Alice...I absolutely loved it and wouldn't hesistate to recommend it. If you're looking for a way to understand what someone dealing with Alzheimer's is going through, looking for a way to help, or just looking for a good book, read it!

30. Still Alice, Lisa Genova

Before the story begins, Still Alice opens with this:

Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her head, not far from her ears, that were being strangled to death, too quietly for her to hear them. Some would argue that things were going so insidiously wrong that the neurons themselves initiated events that would lead to their own destruction. Whether it was molecular murder or cellular suicide, they were unable to warn her of what was happening before they died.

Doesn’t that just give you chills? That’s all it took to know that I was going to love this book. The story of Alice Howland actually gets off to a somewhat predictable start, since everyone knows what the book is about at this point. It took some time to warm up to the characters and when Alice is initially diagnosed, much of the dialogue feels a bit forced, as if the author was trying to make sure to get all of the information about Alzheimer’s in there. But as the disease progresses and its effects become more and more apparent in Alice’s life, the story grabbed me and didn’t let me go until I’d turned the last page.

The story is told from Alice’s point of view, giving us a first-hand look at what it feels like to have Alzheimer’s disease and to realize that your life, your memories, everything that ever held any meaning for you is slipping away. It was incredibly powerful and heartbreaking. Each member of Alice’s family copes in a different way and that was also moving. I wanted to give her husband’s head a shake many, many times. I think my favourite aspect of the novel was the evolution of Alice’s relationship with her daughter Lydia as her disease progressed.

Overall: This is a fantastic, moving, and informative book that I’d highly recommend.

-----------
Currently reading:
Too Much Happiness, Alice Munro

This has been on my wish list. I already have such a distractible, forgetful brain; I hope that isn't a predictor of the big A.

I wouldn't worry too much, I think everyone is like that to an extent. Some days I don't know what I'd do without my lists! But this book can definitely make you paranoid - I'm still too young to be symptomatic but I've been seeking out as much info as I can about my family history of dementia, just in case.

Space,

I totally agree with you about Still Alice. I also loved that it was from Alice's pov. It is our book club selection for this month and the meeting is next week. I cannot wait. Such a personal look at the disease is eye opening. Such a sad, frustrating, awful condition.

I too, highly recommend this book.

I feel like I'm on a roll lately, finished Too Much Happiness this morning and loved it. It's kind of funny how my previous choices are starting to intertwine - the Hanseatic League was mentioned in one of the stories in this collection, which I never would have heard of if not for False Economy. That same story takes place during the time of Anna Karenina and is about a Russian woman so I was primed for that too. Very statisfying reading happening around these parts lately!

My review of Too Much Happiness is below, and also on the book's page - it's already in my LT collection as a must-have.

31. Too Much Happiness, Alice Munro

In the story “Face”, from this most recent collection of Munro’s, she writes

In your life there are a few places, or maybe only the one place, where something happened, and then there are all the other places.

Almost every story in the collection is an exploration of the place, or few places, in the main character’s lives where something happened, something that shaped who they became and how their lives ultimately turned out. The stories here have a darker and more sinister tone than in any of Munro’s previous collections that I’ve read; the things that happened in these character’s lives include the murder of their children, a weird seduction of a young girl by a creepy old man, a freak accident, a home invasion, and a case of childhood cruelty gone horribly wrong.

Munro has become a master of the twist at the end of a story. Like many of the stories in Runaway (an earlier collection), these also tend to have something at the end that either turns the story completely on its head or that snaps the whole thing into sharp focus. Munro does this really well, often it only takes one simple line, and she guarantees that I will be buying this book at some point to reread all the stories.

There are ten stories in the collection, most of which have appeared in magazines in the last couple of years. I don’t think I have a favourite, I liked almost every story in the collection, though “Dimension” was really memorable and both “Free Radicals” and “Child’s Play” kept me up at night, turning them over and over in my head.

The collection ran out of steam a little bit at the end, the last three stories weren’t quite as good as the first seven. “Child’s Play” was great until we find out what actually happened to girl that everyone hated and that turned out to be a disappointment. After so much build-up, Munro just glossed over the actual event, which seemed like a letdown. “Wood” didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the collection, it felt like it never really went anywhere and some things didn’t make sense to me. The last story, “Too Much Happiness” was different in that it was twice as long as the others and was based on the life of an actual person, Russian mathematician Sophia Kovalevsky. It was interesting but felt really disjointed and could have used some proofreading.

Overall: despite the criticisms, it’s still an excellent collection and really, Alice Munro on a bad day is still leagues ahead of her competition. Definitely recommended.

A quote:
Every year, when you’re a child, you become a different person. Generally it’s in the fall, when you re-enter school, take your place in a higher grade, leave behind the muddle and lethargy of the summer vacation. That’s when you register the change most sharply. Afterwards you are not sure of the month or year but the changes go on, just the same. For a long while the past drops away from you easily and it would seem automatically, properly. Its scenes don’t vanish so much as become irrelevant. And then there a switchback, what’s been all over and done with spouting up fresh, wanting attention, even wanting you to do something about it, though it’s plain there is not on this earth a thing to be done. – From “Child’s Play”

-------------
Currently reading:
Anna Karenina - finally finishing it!

Lovely, lovely review! I love Munro too. The thing that strikes me most about her writing is how she manages to put into words the simple truths of a person's life, that we've all felt but never thought to express for some reason - and that not many other writers focus on (maybe they think they are too mundane?). Both quotes you included are great examples of that ability.

she manages to put into words the simple truths of a person's life, that we've all felt but never thought to express for some reason

Ooh! I like that! Now, I'm going to have to go look for one of my A. Monro's books and reread part of it.

Thank you, Eliza! And it's so true, Alice Munro understands human nature very, very well. There are a lot of times when I read her stories and come to a line that makes me stop and say "Huh. Exactly!"

I remember reading that The View From Castle Rock (which, by the way, is fantastic) was going to be her last collection and was heartbroken, so I'm really glad that she changed her mind about retiring!

Well, I'm happy to report that at long last, Anna Karenina is finished! The bad news is that I really have no idea how to properly review it so that will come later as I get my thoughts together.

I'm now working on the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol...what can I say, Dan Brown's something like a guilty pleasure. Actually, I'm pleasantly surprised so far, this one is pretty good. It seems like he improves a bit with each book. I am finding it slower paced, though, I'm on pg. 133 out of 509 and so far, not much has happened yet beyond the set-up type stuff. It's a fun read too because my husband and his mother are reading it at the same time so we've been enjoying discussing it as we go.

I shouldn't be letting myself get behind on reviews but I can't seem to get going with them. In any case, I finished the Dan Brown and ended up disappointed. Too long, too much information, not enough real action. By the end, I just didn't care what happened to anyone anymore. I've now gone back to non-fiction with Last Chance to Eat by Gina Mallet, which is pretty good, but I will probably supplement it with another light novel, Schooled by Anisha Lakhani.

Reviews to come as soon as my brain gets unblocked!

Loved to read your review on Still Alice! I bought the book but haven't read it yet. My grandfather died of Alzheimer's so I'm really looking forward to reading it! I started reading Dan Brown's new book but then got side-tracked with a Bill Bryson book. Looks like I should go to Still Alice instead after I finish this one! :) Thanks space!

Thanks for stopping by, jessuncw! I'd definitely recommend Still Alice over The Lost Symbol. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking novel, possibly even more so when you come to it having an Alzheimer's-related experience of your own. I hope you end up enjoying it too, when you get to it!

I just found your thread and looking back I see you mentioned Rick Mercer. We live south of Bufffalo and found Rick Mercer and This Hour Has 22 minutes while flipping through channels one day and got hooked. We've learned a little about Canadian politics also, especially Steven Harper. I'll have to look for his book.

Hi brenzi! I think the new season of the Rick Mercer Report and 22 Minutes started this week, though I admit I completely forgot about it until now. If you don't manage to find his book, a lot of it is just his blog posts and rants from the show which are still archived on the show's website (www.rickmercer.com). It's nice to know that the shows are getting some attention south of the border! Our politics aren't quite as interesting as the U.S. but there is plenty of buffoonery up here too :)

Ok, I think I'm finally ready to get going with the reviews again, starting with Anna Karenina:

32. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

I was a little daunted going into Anna Karenina, I thought of as the ultimate Classic of Classics and I’d never read Tolstoy before. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that it defied most of my expectations.

I thought the whole novel was just about Anna Karenina, but it was much more. Yes, it told the tragic story of Anna’s loveless marriage and her doomed affair with Count Vronsky, but it also told the story of Konstantin Levin and his search for love, for faith, and for satisfaction in his work. In between, Tolstoy manages to work in commentary on family dynamics, societal expectations, the state of Russian agriculture, and the evolving political situation in Russia at the time he was writing.

The novel is long and it is loaded, but it is surprisingly accessible. Tolstoy understands human nature and he writes about it well, the characters here are all complex and have real conflicts that are still very relevant more than a hundred years after they were put to paper. It was a much easier read than I had expected and more engaging. It did get dry at times when Tolstoy went into long dissertations about farming or politics, and sometimes he took thirty pages to describe something that could have been covered in a few paragraphs. But just when I was ready to throw in the towel, the story took off again.

I think some of my enjoyment of the book suffered from the way that I read it, one part a month, and something like this is not very well suited to the summer months. I am planning to give it another go at some point in the winter, when I can curl up in a blanket and read it cover to cover.

Overall: lengthy and involved, but worth the effort.

(Review is also here: http://www.librarything.com/work/2340/reviews/35035077)
-----------------
Reviews still to write:
The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown
Schooled, Anisha Lakhani

Currently reading:
Just finishing Last Chance to Eat and picking up the new Margaret Atwood from the library on Saturday.

Space- Nice review on Anna Karenina! It's a book I have never attempted. Maybe someday!

Ditto Mark.

Again thanks for the review space! Anna Karenina is a book that's been on my presonal TBR list forever I was always just a little apprehensive about tackling it. Looking forward to it now!

Thank you all! I don't think I would have tackled it myself if not for the group read but it was worth it. Just remember, when your eyes glaze over and you're tempted to throw it at the wall, keep going. It gets better :)

Hmm... Haven't read Anna Karenina. Can't say I want to either. The size of the book does scare me a little but that is not really the point. The only thing by Leo Tolstoy I've ever read are some of his short stories and I found them to be very boring. The only reason I managed to finish the book was because it was a collection of short stories and not that long. Now a long book and that too by Tolstoy? I think I'd rather not take the chance. I may end up wanting to hurt myself!

>146 Porua: Hi Porua! Even though I am planning reread Anna Karenina at some point, I'm not sure that I'll ever read more Tolstoy either. He can be very engaging when telling a story, but when gets boring, he is BORING!

Trying to dig myself out of the review hole, here's the next one:

33. The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown

Oh Dan Brown. What happened? You had such momentum from The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, neither of which were fantastically written but that had interesting stories and fast-paced plots. You had a good premise, expanding on the Masons that you’d touched on in Angels & Demons. You even had lots of time - The Lost Symbol didn’t exactly get rushed to the printers. So what happened? Did you have a fight with your editor? Was your “delete” key not working? Something must have happened because I can’t think how else The Lost Symbol became so bloated and boring.

The focus in this instalment of Robert Langdon’s adventures is on the Freemasons and there is a lot of information about their rituals, their symbols, and their legends. Most of it is interesting and relevant to the plot. But Brown also insists on adding extra information throughout the novel that serves no purpose other than to show how good Brown is at research. Instead of a tight storyline, where the information comes in as needed to develop characters or drive the plot forward, we get little bits of action broken up by long passages of information, much of which gets really repetitive after a while. By the last hundred pages or so, I couldn’t care less what happened to Langdon or anyone else. I just wanted to be done with it and move on.

A common complaint in other reviews is that the novel reads more like a screenplay. I didn’t really feel that way, although it did seem like Langdon’s character was written as Tom Hanks much more than in the previous two books. Everyone else just felt like the same person, they all blended together with no distinct personalities. Another reason why I didn’t care what happened at the end.

Overall: a disappointment, even for Dan Brown.

--------------
Reviews still to come:
Schooled, Anisha Lakhani
Last Chance to Eat, Gina Mallet

Currently reading:
Finishing up The Enthusiast by Charlie Haas and trying to decide between the new Margaret Atwood novel or Through Black Spruce next.

Message edited by its author, Sep 30, 2009, 9:53pm.

Space,
In answer to your question "what happened?" I would be willing to bet that Dan Brown knows exactly what happened and that's the reason it took so long for him to produce this book. He knew it wasn't very good and no amount of editing could help it. Thanks for a great review.

Space- Nice job on the review! I must be one of the only ones who is completely indifferent to this release. I enjoyed Da Vinci Code but have had no desire to read any of his other work. Now you can move on to some quality!

brenzi - I remember reading about some issues Brown had with publishing the book a while back, though I'm not clear on the details anymore. It was supposed to come out a couple of years ago as The Solomon Key but then it was pulled not long before release, and there were rumours of plagairism accusations and major rewrites being needed. No one ever confirmed or denied that. My guess is that it's just carelessness on his and his publishers' parts - they know it'll be a best seller regardless of the actual quality so they print it as is and make a killing. This kind of thing always makes me feel like I'm in the wrong line of work!

Mark - thanks! The books I've picked up since finishing The Lost Symbol have been much, much better! And I think I am officially done with Dan Brown now too.

I must admit I enjoyed Da Vinci code too ( a three-star enjoyment, nothing earth-shattering) but wasn't prepared to go that extra step and try another one of his books. So I'm pretty much done with him too. That makes two of us :)

Another day, another review...I know there are a lot of teachers here on LT, this one's for you!

34. Schooled, Anisha Lakhani

Meet Anna Taggert: fresh out of Columbia University and ready for her first teaching job at one of New York City’s finest private schools. She dreams being the most popular and most inspiring teacher the kids have ever had. Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned. She barely makes enough to live on and every time she actually makes her students work, the parents revolt. She’s miserable, until she discovers that she can tutor on the side and chaos ensues.

It is obvious that Schooled was written by a teacher; the best parts are the ones that take place in Anna’s classroom. The interactions are genuine and often, genuinely funny. Anna is the perfect heroine, she’s smart, likeable, and easy to relate to. This novel was a pleasure to read, very entertaining, and I didn’t want it to end.

There are a few minor inconsistencies, but the trick is not to think too hard as you read. Just enjoy the ride!

--------------
Reviews still to come:
Last Chance to Eat, Gina Mallet
The Enthusiast, Charlie Haas

Currently reading:
Decided on Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden.

one teacher snagged! :-)

Ahhh yes, I've often thought I should write a book based on my years of experience and it sounds like someone has and is probably raking in millions. Great review.

I hope you ladies enjoy it too!

I was actually kind of surprised by some of the mixed reviews I've seen of it on LT and other sites. It made me wonder if the people who didn't find it believable have stepped foot in a middle/high school classroom lately (if ever) or have had to deal with irate parents. Obviously, things in the book are exaggerated for effect but I felt like there was definitely some hint of truth underneath it. And Anna's experiences as a newbie teacher trying to win over her students and exert some authority, and her sort of naive idealism going into it at the beginning, were very similar to my practice teaching experiences last year. That's probably why I loved it so much.

I was really hoping to have been caught up on my reviews by now but no such luck. Only one more done:

35. Last Chance to Eat:The Fate of Taste in a Fast Food World, Gina Mallet

The Julie/Julia Project recently rekindled my passion for cooking and since food was on my mind, I picked up this book. Part memoir, part history of food, and part manifesto against the industrialization of food, Mallet argues that in the interest of having mass produced food with no fat or bacteria in it, we’ve sacrificed flavour. “We” mostly being North Americans, whom Mallet seems content to write off as ignorant germophobes.

Mallet takes on five food items that she argues have gone by the wayside over the last few decades: eggs, cheese/dairy, beef, good quality fruits and vegetables, and fish. She shares anecdotes from her family’s past and her own childhood and discusses the current state of these foods. Since Mallet is a food writer, I was expecting better. The book often felt disjointed and inconsistent - Mallet would allude to a particular experience or some bit of food trivia that was tangentially related to the topic at hand and rather than develop these threads, she left them hanging. At times, she seemed to contradict herself.

I think what bothered me the most was Mallet’s tone. Throughout the entire book, she is somewhat pretentious and haughty and cannot mask her disdain for North American food culture. She makes valid points but I would be more inclined to hear her out if the points came from a well-researched, balanced perspective rather than anecdotes and an air of superiority.

There were some positive aspects to this book; it was informative and motivated me to learn more about certain foods that I consume, particularly eggs. I think we do need to be more mindful of what we eat, how our food is being produced, and where it comes from. This, however, is not the book with which to begin that process. I’d recommend Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle instead – informative without constantly talking down to her readers.

Overall: more irritating than informative.

-----------------
Reviews still to come:
The Enthusiast, Charlie Haas
Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden

Currently reading:
The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood

Looking forward to your review of the Atwood - I loved Oryx and Crake.

Does Animal, Vegetable, Miracle cover many of the same subjects?

jintster - It's funny, I haven't read Orxy and Crake and didn't even realize that the books were related until I picked up The Year of the Flood and glanced at Atwood's notes at the back, where she mentions the connection. It sounds like they are not meant to be a series, there just happens to be overlap, so hopefully I won't be missing anything. It's good so far!

Bonnie - yes, the Kingsolver book covers the same ground, except for fish. Barbara Kingsolver decides to move her family back to a farm they own in the Appalachians and try to go an entire year only on food that they can grow themselves or, where that's not possible, obtain it locally. The book is her family's experience with this and along the way, she talks about various foods and their production, the hazards involved, and the benefits of local and organic food. I felt that her approach was much more balanced and the writing flowed much better than in the Mallet book. It was informative without talking down to the reader, and her family's adventures were a lot of fun to read about. I'd definitely recommend it.

Good to know. I should have expected that. I hadn't been interested in it before because I knew I would never raise my own food, but I do buy local and/or organic foods.

36. The Enthusiast, Charlie Haas

I think this novel is something like a coming-of-age story for adults. We meet Henry Bay as he is about to graduate from high school. He grows up in the shadow of his genius brother and when his father has to take a job at a salad bar when his company is unceremoniously shut down, Henry feels like he has something to prove. He starts college intending to become a lawyer so that he can help his family get back what they lost, but it doesn’t take long for him to realize that a career in law is not for him. Feeling like he’s let everyone down, he drops out and moves across the country to work for a magazine dedicated to kite buggying.

For the next ten years, as Henry drifts from town to town, magazine to magazine, hobby to hobby, the novel meanders along with him but it never feels like it’s dragging. There is some sadness in Henry’s story but there is also a lot of humour. Henry’s character reminded me a lot of John Irving’s main characters in that he seemed to be a bit player in his own life. He goes along to get along, leaving the major choices and risks for others. The novel builds up to a turning point where Henry is forced to choose: continue along like this or grow up and start taking control. When that time finally comes, you can’t help but root for the guy.

Overall: a very well-written and enjoyable read. Quirky, but not in an off-putting way.

-----------------
Reviews still to come:
Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden

Currently reading:
The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood

Sounds good! I'm thinking of buying this for my son.

I'm curious to see your review of Through Black Spruce. Boyden is an author I've never read but have always heard good things about. I wonder if you're gonna bump him off my current wishlist or put him higher on it!

Bonnie - hope your son enjoys it if you do pick it up for him!

Eliza - Joseph Boyden is fantastic! Through Black Spruce is the second book in what he intends to be a trilogy, the first book is Three Day Road. You could get away without reading Three Day Road first but I'd recommend it anyway. I actually preferred it to Through Black Spruce, but only because it had more action. They are both beautifully written. I'll try to get that review up soon!

I've put Three Day Road on my TBR list because I have an affinity for Canadian authors (Wayne Johnston, Robertson Davies, Margaret Atwood) and this book sounds good. My library doesn't have it (oddly they do have Through Black Spruce) but I can get it on PBS.

brenzi - Three Day Road is fantastic! There is something different about Canadian writers, isn't there? Boyden is definitely one of the best new ones we've got.

My review of Through Black Spruce is below, and I just want to preface it by saying that if you ever have the opportunity to hear Joseph Boyden speak or give a reading in person, don't miss out! Three Day Road won our local version of Canada Reads last year and my husband and I went to see him give a reading from Through Black Spruce (actually almost exactly a year ago!), he was amazing. He's just as great a person as he is a writer, which makes his books that much better. Ok, onto the review!

37. Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden

Being a visual person, I’m not normally a fan of audio books. I like to see the words on the page. But as I was reading Through Black Spruce, I really wished that I could listen to it instead. Boyden’s writing flows so beautifully it’s almost like poetry. He writes as if he means for it to be read aloud. It’s just simple, gorgeous prose that makes you slow down and think about the words and images being created.

Through Black Spruce is the second book, following Three Day Road (while not necessary to have read it first, I’d highly recommend it), in what will be a trilogy. While Three Day Road took place during WWI, this novel is set mostly in the present day. As with Three Day Road, I think Through Black Spruce does a good job of emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things: our human relationship with nature, our relationships with each other, how our actions can have consequences far beyond anything that we might foresee.

The story is told using alternating narrators: Will Bird (Xavier’s son from Three Day Road) and his niece, Annie. I felt for all of the characters and was drawn into their stories, but it didn’t keep me up at night and it often felt like something was missing. I think this was because I was expecting something as intense as Three Day Road was, but much of the suspense and tension there came from the fact that there was a war going on, so it was probably not realistic to expect the same here.

In any case, Boyden is an incredible story teller and I’m really looking forward to finding out where Boyden takes us next with this series.

A couple of quotes that I liked:
"The humming of a living body, pike or sturgeon, ruffed grouse or moose or human, when it passes to death, the beat of that heart continues, in a lesser way maybe, but it joins the heartbeat of the day and the night. Of our world. When I was younger I believed that the northern lights, the electricity I felt on my skin under my parka, the faint crackle of it in my ears, was Gitchi Manitou collecting the vibrations of lives spent, refuelling the world with these animals’ power."

"I want to sit up, put my feet on the floor, close the distance between us, and crawl into his bed. My hand moves to him at the thought of it. I imagine my mouth on his smooth torso. His jutting ribs. His scars. I picture being under a blanket with him, our limbs wrapped around each other, not wanting to let go. He wouldn’t let go. It wouldn’t be hard to lift my leg up and off my own bed. First leg would go, the other following easy. Body follows. Bodies follow."

----------------

This books marks a milestone in my challenge - it's #37, which is the total number of books I read last year. Even if I don't make it to 50 this year, I'll be happy knowing that I've at least surpassed last year's number. So, yay :)

Currently reading: almost done The Year of the Flood, and I kid you not, I had to forbid myself from reading it before bed since it kept giving me nightmares.

I have Three Day Road waiting for me at the library and now I really hope I have time to read it before it needs to go back! I am glad to hear such good things about it!!

Space- Excellent review! I was not familiar with this author but I am now!

Insert Through Black Spruce right behind Three Day Road on TBR list. Excellent review.

Thanks everyone! I hope you all enjoy reading Boyden's novels as much as I did :)

38. The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood

The only Margaret Atwood novel I’d read prior to this one was The Handmaid’s Tale, which I loved. But having never read Oryx and Crake, the companion to Year of the Flood, I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’ve finished it, I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. It left me feeling flat – didn’t love it, but didn’t dislike it either.

The world in which the story takes place is the same one as in Oryx and Crake. It’s the future, and Atwood paints a deeply unsettling picture of what we become. In the Exfernal World, we seem to have lost our basic humanity towards each other; there are no limits to what people will do to each other and there seems to be no sense of guilt for anything that’s done. I wasn’t conscious of being disturbed by it as I read, but it did get under my skin – I eventually had to stop reading it before bed because it was giving me nightmares.

I really liked the main characters, Toby and Ren, and their backstories were interesting. Atwood alternates the narrative between them and it worked well. I think the book could have done without the Adam One speeches in between, though.

The general tone of the book was pretty dark and depressing and there isn’t much sense of hope at the end – probably why it left me feeling so flat. It was well written but not really a page turner. I don’t think I’ll be picking up Oryx and Crake any time soon.

------------
Pending Reviews:
Swim to Me, Betsy Carter

Currently Reading:
Right of Thirst, Frank Huyler

Hmm... so.. not a ringing endorsement. Atwood seems to have strayed far from her earlier books that were just so good. I tried Oryx and Crake and just couldn't get into it.

Space- Sorry the latest Atwood didn't work out for you. I have never read her! Should I?

Yeah, I like Atwood, but I'm not so fond of dystopian novels. It seems like there's enough truly bad stuff going on in the world right now to depress you--no need to imagine more.

Mark - the only other Atwood I've read so far is The Handmaid's Tale and I really liked that one. It's also set in the future but it's not like this at all. I'd recommend that. I can't speak for her other books, but I have heard very good things about Alias Grace and a few others, so I am still planning to read her again at some point. I'll just be staying away from the dystopian stuff!

Bonnie - very, very true!

I love Margaret Atwood but even though I've tried several times, I can't seem to get into Oryx and Crake. Because of that I will probably just skip her newest.

The Handmaid's Tale is my absolute favorite of hers and Mark, yup, it's a good one to read. Also a dystopic story but very, very different, imho.

Alias Grace is good, I also loved Cat's Eye.

I'll be posting my review of Swim to Me sometime this afternoon. Since it is another coming-of-age story (I'm not sure why I seem to keep going for those lately), I thought I'd share this quiz that I found today:

The Judy Blume Quiz: http://mentalfloss.com/quiz/quiz.php?q=804

Unfortunately, I'm not as devoted a Blume fan as I thought...only 4/11 correct. Ouch! If any of you Blume fans out there take the quiz, let me know how you did!

39. Swim to Me, Betsy Carter

On a family vacation to Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida, fourteen year-old Delores Walker is captivated by the mermaids who perform at the park. Two years later, when her father walks out on the family and her mother can’t support them anymore, Delores gets on a bus to Weeki Wachee to become a mermaid herself. On her own in Florida, Delores works to make something of herself and struggles to come to terms with what has happened to her family.

The best way to describe this novel is quirky but honest. It reminded me a bit of the tv show Glee - you have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief, some situations are just not realistic, but the emotions that the characters feel and their relationships are very genuine. I loved Delores, she was mature for her age, but in a believable way.

The story gets extra depth from Carter’s providing readers with insight into everyone’s experience, rather than just telling the story solely from Delores’ point of view. We get to find out why her father left, from his perspective, and see what happens to Delores’ mother when she’s left on her own. When the characters eventually meet again, knowing what’s going on inside each of their heads gives it that extra layer of meaning and poignancy.

This was a really engaging and enjoyable read, and it was a pleasant surprise to learn that Weeki Wachee really exists!

------------
Pending Reviews:
Right of Thirst, Frank Huyler

Currently Reading:
Will be starting on Tomato Rhapsody tonight.

Space,

LOVE Glee!! It's my new favorite show overtaking Dancing With the Stars which I have lost interest in, for whatever reason.

LOL! Uh, probably no surprise to you, Bonnie, but I love Glee too--especially the corny breakout song and dance numbers. It reminds me of old musicals and Bollywood (sic?) numbers. So You Think You Can Dance is my favorite show about dancing though. Swim to Me sounds like a fun read, SpacePotatoes! I wish listed it, thanks!

Well BonnieB you're right i'm not at all surprised. I've never seen So You Think You Can Dance. I'll have to try it.

Glee is easily my favourite new show this season! I'm not a huge fan of musicals in general but I love Glee, maybe because they do (mostly) current songs? Either way, the football team doing Single Ladies was the best thing on tv in a long time, I don't know how many times I've watched that now and it doesn't get old!

I also have never seen So You Think You Can Dance but I have several friends who love it...I should give that a try sometime too.

40. Right of Thirst, Frank Huyler

Where would you be willing to go to find meaning and redemption in your life? What would you be willing to do? Would it be worth it, in the end? These are the questions that Charles Anderson, 58 year-old cardiologist, faces as he struggles with the death of his wife (and his hand in it). His search for something more, something “decent”, leads him to the mountains of a country very similar to Pakistan, where he helps set up a refugee camp to provide relief for earthquake victims. But as the months pass, the refugees are nowhere in sight, and fighting along the nearby border escalates, Charles has to figure out what he’s really there for.

This story was a slow build, it wasn’t until about halfway in that the pace picked up and I couldn’t put it down. It was one of the few books that I could start over again right after finishing it. Huyler’s writing style is somewhat similar to Ernest Hemingway – sparse but beautiful and vivid, occasionally hard and blunt. There are two chapters in particular that I felt like I lived those moments with Charles, they were so well written. One is where he performs an amputation on a teenage girl at the refugee camp and the other is his flight home. The passage where Charles confronts his own motivations and what he really went to the camp for is also very powerful and moving.

Along the way, Huyler also raises questions about our own values as a culture, how those values conflict with others and play a role in foreign aid, war, and so on. The novels feels bleak at times and it can be unsettling, I think because it makes you question your own feelings about these issues as you read. There is also a haunting quality to it and I suspect that it will linger in my memory for a long time to come. Higly recommended!

Here's a passage from one of the parts that moved me the most:
No doubt I was being too hard on myself. I was no worse than most, and better than many. I knew that well enough. Why, after all, should any of it make sense? It was a wash of images, it was all just stumbling and wandering, perhaps with some decency and tenderness along the way. Maybe, somewhere, in the beatitudes, were those who found something as lovely as a bell at the end, but I was not one of those people, nor did I know anyone who was. It was all biology anyhow, all X and Y – my flashy early conversations with Rai, that rivalry and preening, or the tingle of a woman, and what came with her, near my arm. It was just the human story again, flowing through me as it did through everyone else, and I’d mistaken it as my own.

------------
Currently Reading:
Alternating between Tomato Rhapsody and People of the Book for the group read.

Great review Space. You've got me interested.

Along the way, Huyler also raises questions about our own values as a culture, how those values conflict with others and play a role in foreign aid, war, and so on.

This is one of the primary reasons I read! Thanks for the review.

Right of Thirst sounds like it would be a good selection for book clubs. Yes??? Great review. I'll have to seek that one out.

>185 bonniebooks: Bonnie, me too! I love books that take my worldview and rattle it. This one certainly has the power to do that if you let it.

>186 L-Anne: Louanne, it would work for a book club, as long as you're all very comfortable with each other because I think discussion would very easily get into people's personal sense of ethics/morality, justification for war, politics, and all that good stuff that is guaranteed to stir the pot. Interestingly, I read the Harper Perennial paperback with the "P.S." section at the end and this is the only one I've come across so far that doesn't include questions for reading groups. They're probably not necessary, though, I think discussions would naturally flow from the issues that Huyler brings up. Let me know if you ever do use it for a book club, I'd love to hear that works out!

I'm getting lazy with the reviews again, though I'm only one behind this time. I finished Tomato Rhapsody, it wasn't that great. I'm currently alternating between People of the Book for the group read, which has been great, and The Thirteenth Tale for a new book club that some friends and I put together. The Thirteenth Tale is also very good so far, though it's not turning out anything like I expected!

On deck, I've got Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and Four Seasons in Rome, which my husband is currently enjoying. His verdict on it so far is "we're never having twins!"

At this rate, I may actually make it to 50 this year!

You are on quite a roll, Space. Excellent.

Hey Space- Funny, The Thirteenth Tale was our 2nd choice for a group read, of course we went with "People". I'll have to read the Setterfield book one of these days. BTW, thanks for contributing such good insights to the G.R.

Thanks, Mark! Looking forward to seeing your thoughts there too! It was a great choice, and kind of funny that I actually voted for The Thirteenth Tale when the GR was being organized but was outnumbered. It all worked out for the best :)

Well, good news and bad news to report...

The good news is that I finally landed my first teaching job! It's not exactly my dream situation but it's a start, and it's full-time which is extremely hard to come by these days so I can't complain.

The bad news is that now that I am back in the ranks of the employed, my reading time has taken a nosedive. I may not get to 50 after all. Ah well, this year will still be the closest I've gotten!

Oh, I finished The Thirteenth Tale today and it was so very, very good! The perfect read for this time of year. Now it's onto finishing up People of the Book. I will try to get caught up with my reviews this weekend...

Congratulations on your new full-time job, spacepotatoes! That's great! (And thanks for explaining how you got your name.) You are lucky! But teachers, especially new teachers, do work a lot of overtime. So I can understand the good/bad part. What makes it not such a dream situation, may I ask?

Congratulations spacepotatoes!! That's really great news - it'll just take some getting used to!

CONGRATULATIONS on your new position! That's fantastic!!! Elementary? High School?

After doing volunteer work in the library of the school that my kids attend, I have finally decided to take the Library and Information Technician college program. My dream job would be an elementary school library posting. Kids and books. My two fave things in the world! There have been a lot of changes in our region as far as school board hiring for teachers/librarians.

Best of luck to you. Even if it isn't your ideal situation, it's that all important foot-in-the-door! Way to go! I think TEACHERS do one of the most important jobs in the world, and I have enormous respect for all educators. Congratulations again!

Congratulations Space. Great news. I also wonder why its not your dream situation.

Thank you, ladies! This is a good foot-in-the-door job: I'm teaching at a private learning centre for adults, helping them upgrade their education, prepare them for the GED, and get some practical job training.

My dream job would be teaching high school science in one of the two public boards here but that isn't going to happen this year. Things are really tight in my area for new teachers right now, there is a surplus even in the high-demand subjects like math and science. Jobs outside of the boards are tough to come by too since there are so many of us looking, so I'm really happy that this one worked out and I've got something to tide me over until the supply lists open up.

Coppers - good luck to you too in your Library and Information Technician program. I still remember my class trips to the library in elementary school, they had a HUGE influence on my life and left me with many happy memories. Children's librarians really are unsung heroes!

Hey spacespuds;
How goes the battle? Congratulations on the new job. I hope it turns out that you love it the whole while you are doing it until the "perfect" one comes along.
Are you loving the People of the Book read? I have just loved it. Seems that as I read it, I would occasionally miss a point and someone would bring it up in a discussion. I loved all the comments and discussion that the book brought out of everybody. And I just wanted to know more and more about everyone and everything in the book. It could have gone on for another 300 pages for me. What a great book the participants voted in. I don't know that we could have had a better one right now.
As for The Thirteenth Tale, I am still waiting to read that one and I have heard really good things about it as well, so I am looking forward to that read.
Again, congrats on the new job. I am so very happy for you and your family.
luv ya,
belva

Hi. Thanks for dropping by my thread. Congrats also on your job. I taught at the Applied Technical College for night classes for about three years where there were many hard luck cases, young adults and adults, I found it was a very rewarding experience. I just earned my Education Masters, so hang in there! I did read The Thirteenth Tale last year and I really enjoyed it.

Hey space! Congrats on the job! I totally understand the whole good/bad part. I start my new career on Wednesday so I'm sure my reading time will nosedive as well. But I'm still really really excited to start working! But way to go on getting your foot in the door! Good luck!

Thanks Jess! What field are you in? Congratulations to you too :)

Thank you! I am in the medical field...I just finished my first official day as a physician assistant. It is too surreal and I am so excited to finally be working and starting my career! How is work going for you? I am so tired after the first day...I need to get used to actually doing something all day again. I hope my eyes can stay open for a chapter or two of my book tonight.

I know what you mean! I used to read before bed every night but now I come home completely beat barely remember what I did manage to read. I have a feeling weekends are going to become marathon reading days!

And speaking of reading, a quick update...

Pending Reviews:
Tomato Rhapsody, Adam Schell
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr

Currently Reading:
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell

I'll get to those reviews one of these days, I swear! I finished Outliers last weekend and it was good but I didn't love it as much as I loved Blink. That was book #45 and I'm currently about halfway through #46: Last Night in Twisted River, the new John Irving novel.

Congratulatios on landing the job spacepotatoes! One of the reasons I'm reading so much this year is because it' my last year at University and I know that after the summer I'll have to start looking for a job and won't have as much free time as I do now, so I try to make the most of it while I have it! Hope you can still make time to write those great reviews of yours ;)

Hi Space- Hope you had a great holiday! I'm also hoping you are enjoying the new Irving book. I've heard very good things! It's on my Christmas list!

Thanks Mark and Eliza! I've got half-written reviews rolling around in my brain but no energy/time to sit down and get them typed up. I'm finally starting to get adjusted to the more intense schedule now, though, so one of these weekends...I really hope!

Mark - I have mixed feelings about the Irving book so far but I am trying to keep an open mind until I finish it. The first third was mostly very good, the middle third (where I am currently stuck) is not so much. I have read some Amazon reviews that have said that the final third redeems the faults of the middle, so I am really hoping that is the case because right now, it feels like a slog and I've never said that about a John Irving book before!

Well, the John Irving novel took 2 weeks to get through, which is a record. Even with a job or being in school full time, I've never struggled to get through an Irving book before. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great...I don't even know how to describe what bothered me about it. I guess it just felt too recycled, too many of the usual Irving quirks. I wasn't left disappointed by it but I was unsatisfied.

I'm currently cheating a little to try to reach 50, book #47 is the skinniest one on my stack: Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. I'm alternating it with a $2 bargain I snapped up a while back at Chapters to help get in the Christmas spirit, Sleds, Sleighs, and Snow: A Canadian Christmas Carol.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is still one of my favorite books, but haven't been as thrilled with his books lately. Don't think I'll even borrow this one.

Yes, A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my all-time favourites too! Along with The Cider House Rules, it is my favourite John Irving book too. I've read a couple of his more recent books, The Fourth Hand and A Widow for One Year, and I didn't mind either of them. I actually really liked Widow. I've heard not so great things about Until I Find You, though, which I think was his last one before this new one. I've been avoiding it.

So, Andrea, how's work going? Do you have homework to correct or lesson plans to create? Your reading schedule seems to be on course. Are you finding your new job easier than you had anticipated or...?

Work is going well, thanks for asking :) It takes some getting used to, working with adults instead of teenagers, but I am enjoying it. Because it's more of a learning centre than a school, I don't really have to do much formal teaching - the students have their own individual programs with workbooks that they go through. I am just there to help them get through it and keep them on track. I do teach at least one group lesson a week, though, and I do mark all of their work. The nice thing is that I can do all of my marking while my students work so I rarely have to take anything home. I will miss that if/when I do get into the public shool board!

Keeping up with my 50 book challenge has worked out better than I expected, mostly because I've gotten adjusted to the new routine and am managing my time better...and I do sneak some reading in at work too, when there is nothing to mark and nothing to plan ;)

On the book front, I finished Scoop yesterday and it was ok. I think it may have been a case of "right book, wrong time." It reminded me a bit of Catch-22, which I loved, but I never really got into it as much I felt like I should have. Maybe I'll give it another go at some point. I'm now working on The Picture of Dorian Gray, in an attempt to knock another title off the 1001 Books list and squeeze in another classic (actually, maybe my only classic) before the year is up.

Glad it's going so well. I should look into adding adults to my practice. If they could come during school hours, I could expand my tutoring schedule. I do like the kids though! Do you get regular school vacation breaks? Enjoy your "classic."

Re: the regular school vacations, unfortunately not. It's a private company so we don't follow the public school or college calendars, we're only closed on statutory holidays. This won't matter much for me in the coming year, though, since I found out yesterday that I won't be at this job after Jan. 1. I've been bumped out by someone who is returning from maternity leave. Not such a great thing to find out right before Christmas but what can you do?

In any case, I've really enjoyed working with the adults and they've taught me a lot. I'm going to miss my little group very much. The adults I have are ones that have been injured on the job and are getting upgrading/retraining in order to be able to return to the work force, so they are available during school hours. That might be worth considering, although I don't know how worker's comp works in your area - our students' programs are covered by it at our centre.

In book news, I really might make it to 50 after all! I finished Dorian Gray this afternoon and decided to have a look through When We Were Beautiful, that Bon Jovi 25th anniversary book. "Have a look through" turned into reading half of it in one sitting (I won't lie, I love Bon Jovi) and having to force myself to put it down so I think I'll have no problem finishing that off quickly, and then #50 will be Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I had originally planned on The Book of Negroes but I definitely won't have time for that!

I'll have the 24th-27th off from work so I'm planning to get caught up on my reviews here and do some kind of year end wrap-up too. I hate being so far behind!

In case I don't get a chance to pop back in beforehand, merry Christmas to all of you here on LT! I hope you all enjoy the time with your loved ones and that it is a restful and joyful holiday for you. I'm looking forward to reading with you all again next year!

Merry Christmas to you too! I'm curious to see what you think of Dorian Gray!

Merry Christmas Andrea. I'm sorry to hear about the job. Let's hope something turns up in the new year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I'm sorry, Andrea! I hate giving up my students before I think they're ready to graduate, so feel for you. Hope you can enjoy your enforced "vacation" and then find something equally satisfying. Happy reading and take care!

Andrea- Have a great Christmas holiday! Look forward to seeing you on one or two of the Group Reads I have planned!

Thanks Eliza, Bonnie, Bonnie, and Mark!

Eliza - I'm still working out how I feel about Dorian Gray but for the most part, I think I was disappointed by it. I got it for my husband last Christmas and he just loved it so I had high expectations. As usual, probably too high.

Mark - I will be skipping the World Without End group read since I still haven't read Pillars of the Earth, but I will be joining you all for the Midnight's Children read. Looking forward to it!

Have a Merry Christmas Andrea!

Merry Christmas to you, spacepotatoes! This was my first year on LT and you were the first one to post a comment on my 50 Books Challenge thread. I really appreciated that. Hope you have a wonderful holiday.
:-)

Well, I hope you've all had a happy, relaxing holiday! I am very excited, the hubby gifted me a lifetime membership to LT so as soon as I put in my last day of work on Thursday, I can start updating my own library and cataloging everything properly. No more 200 book limit :)

I've started catching up with my reviews too, only one done so far but I'm hoping to knock off a couple more tonight. I'll post them as I get to them.

41. Tomato Rhapsody, Adam Schell

I read one review of this book which said the novel's literary influences are more memorable than the novel itself and I completely agree. As I read, I kept thinking of The Princess Bride, Shrek, Shakespeare, The Tale of Despereux, and so on. The story did not feel particularly original and ultimately, it wasn't that funny either. I love a good dirty joke and I love Shakespeare's bawdy style but there were just too many jokes about donkey genitals in here for my tastes.

-------------------
Pending Reviews:
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving
Scoop, Evelyn Waugh
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
When We Were Beautiful, Bon Jovi

Currently Reading:
#50 - The Book of Ralph, John McNally

I had started reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for #50 but gave it up at pg. 35, I couldn't take it beyond that.

Hey Space- I'm hoping you come down on the positive side with the latest Irving. I'm planning on picking it up soon. Bon Jovi??

Mark - for the most part, my opinion is positive, though I think he could have done much better. And yes, Bon Jovi. I admit it, I love them. Not as much as I used to, I like their older stuff better, but they've still got it :)

42. The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield

When the weather turns dark and cold, The Thirteenth Tale is the perfect novel to curl up on a couch with, in front of a warm fire and a hot cup of tea. It is also a great book about a book lover, for book lovers.

Best-selling author Vida Winter has spent her life spinning stories, but the one story she has never told is her own. Consumed by illness in her old age, she decides it’s finally time to tell the truth and she enlists part-time biographer Margaret Lea to record it all. What unfolds is an engaging, suspenseful, sometimes creepy, and surprisingly unpredictable tale. I was filled with questions as I read, and Setterfield does a masterful job of keeping readers guessing until the end. The story is tied up a little TOO neatly but all in all, The Thirteenth Tale is a very satisfying read.

I’ll note also that this was a book club read and all of the other members enjoyed the book as well.

-------------------
Pending Reviews:
People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving
Scoop, Evelyn Waugh
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
When We Were Beautiful, Bon Jovi
The Book of Ralph, John McNally

Currently Reading:
The December 2009 issue of Popular Mechanics, since I finished book 50 today! For the first time in 3 years, I actually made it to 50! I'll be setting up my 2010 challenge thread very soon.

Nice work! It's a pretty satisfying feeling to get to 50. I'm curious to see what you thought of Outliers, Blink is on my short list of NF to read after I'm done with Harry Potter, which is pretty awesome. I can see why there was such a fuss by people of all ages.

Thanks, DP! This is the first time in three years of trying that I've actually made it to 50, so it is very satisfying! Outliers was ok, it had its good parts, but Blink was much, much better. Hope you enjoy it!

43. People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks

“The Book” is the Sarajevo Haggadah, an existing historical text. Inspired by the real thing, Geraldine Brooks has created her own history of the haggadah and the people whose lives it touched. The main character, book conservator Hanna Heath, works to restore the haggadah for display in a post-war Sarajevo museum. Interspersed with her efforts to analyze the artefacts that she finds inside the haggadah, Brooks provides vignettes that give us a glimpse into the famous book’s past and suggests how those artefacts may have gotten inside.

The novel is gorgeously written; the historical stories and characters Brooks creates are captivating. The Wine Stains chapter and The White Hair chapter are particularly good, they were my favourites. What prevents this from being a great book, however, are the present-day sections with Hanna. I didn’t find her to be particularly likeable or relatable, and the relationship with her mother seemed very contrived. Also, the end took an unexpected and unnecessary Dan Brown-style twist which really brought the whole thing down.

Overall, the historical sections make this a worthwhile read despite its flaws. It gives you a deep sense of our shared human history and an appreciation for our ability to survive even in the most inhuman of circumstances.

-------------------
Pending Reviews:
Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving
Scoop, Evelyn Waugh
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
When We Were Beautiful, Bon Jovi
The Book of Ralph, John McNally

Congrats on reaching your 50 book goal! You should be proud of it. I will look forward to checking out titles on your next reading list!

Congrats on 50!

I 100% agree with you about People of the Book. It's like her agent was over her shoulder telling her she'd need those modern elements to sell the movie rights. Argh!

Happy reading in 2010.

Congratulations on reaching your goal! Happy New Year of reading!

Peace, love and good will all coming your way from me to you spacespuds.. I wish you & yours the best in 2010.
big new year hug,
belva

Congratulations Andrea! Have you set up your new thread yet?

Space- Happy New Year! Looking forward to another fun action-packed sequel in 2010!

Thank you all! It has been such a pleasure getting to know you all over the past year and sharing great books with you!

I was hoping to get all caught up with my reviews before posting a year-end review but since that is not going to happen, and I already have the summary done, I'll just post it now.

2009 started off a bit rough; I wasn't very satisfied with the books I was choosing and with school still on, the challenge was slow-going. Then, I decided to change how I was picking my books and once school finished in April, I had a lot more reading time on my hands so things improved. In the end, it was a very good year in books.

I didn't really have any particular goals in mind for last year so it was interesting to see what I ended up with - a lot more Canadian authors than usual, including the not-so-big-name ones, and a lot more non-fiction than usual as well. I feel like I learned a lot from all of these books and that is a very satisfying way to end the year.

For my summary, I sort of co-opted the format that brenzi used by including the countries where my books were set because I'm hoping to do the Reading Globally challenge for 2010, and I was curious to see where I'd already "been." I also tried to tally the awards but because I hadn't been keeping track all along, it got too complicated and I gave up. So, a proper awards list will have to wait until the 2010 wrap up :)

Without futher ado...

My Favourites
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski
Still Alice, Lisa Genova
Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden
Right of Thirst, Frank Huyler
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
Mozart and the Whale, by Jerry and Mary Newport with Johnny Dodd
Schooled, Anisha Lakhani
Too Much Happiness, Alice Munro

I'd Avoid
Citizen Girl, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krauss
The Actor and the Housewife, Shannon Hale (while everyone else seems to love it on LT, it just drove me crazy)
False Economy, Alan Beattie (unless you are actually looking for a textbook-like book on economics)

Award Winners
Man Booker Prize (The White Tiger)
Galaxy British Book Awards Shortlist (Deafening)
International IMPAC Dublin Shortlist (Deafening)
Drummer General’s Award for Fiction (Deafening)
(and this is where I gave up, sorry!)

Countries Visited
Bosnia, Canada, England, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, United States

I will be creating my 2010 challenge thread today, as soon as it's up I'll link it here. Thank you all for a great year of reading in '09!

Hi Andrea,

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was in my top ten in 2008. I loved it. I'm planning on reading Through Black Spruce this year since I loved Three Day Road. It's been great fun getting to know you this past year and I'll look for your new thread. Happy New Year!

Happy new year to you, brenzi! I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Three Day Road!

I'll still be updating this thread until I get all the 2009 reviews done but for those interested in following my 2010 reading, the new thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/80809

See you there!

I did write a review for Three Day Road Andrea and I gave it 4 1/2 stars :)

Congrats on reaching your goal, Andrea!

>238 bonniebooks: Thanks, Bonnie!

>237 brenzi: I'm sorry, I meant Through Black Spruce! I've been mixing the titles up in conversation with my husband too, I don't know why I keep doing that!

Continuing along with the last of 2009's reviews...

44. Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr

In Four Seasons in Rome, Doerr chronicles the year he spent in the famous city with his wife and infant twin sons when granted a fellowship at the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Going into it, I was expecting something along the lines of A Year in Provence but it was not nearly as good. While Doerr did describe some entertaining cultural differences (the reaction of the locals to the twin boys was the best part of the book) and I did add a few new sites to add to our list of places to visit someday, this was otherwise not particularly memorable or satisfying.

45. Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell

In Outliers, Gladwell contends that the people and situations we consider to be “outliers” may not be so unique after all once all of the factors that went into making them outliers are taken into consideration.

Gladwell makes many valid points: many hours must be put into a skill before it can be mastered and that people need certain opportunities to develop their talents. Where Gladwell lost me, however, was that he seemed to be arguing that given the same opportunities and the time to practice, anyone can become an outlier. I don’t think enough credit was given to individual work ethic and the abilitiy recognize or seize those opportunities. And what about innate personality or behavioural characteristics that predispose someone to be good at something? Gladwell doesn’t really acknowledge that either.

My favourite chapter was the one on the ethnic theory of plane crashes. It was very eye-opening, but also quite frightening and sad to think that so many lives could have been spared had people just communicated better! I think that if the whole book had been like that chapter, I’d have come away from it more satisfied and more sold on Gladwell’s premise. As it is, I’d recommend Blink over this one.

-------------------
Pending Reviews:
Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving
Scoop, Evelyn Waugh
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
When We Were Beautiful, Bon Jovi
The Book of Ralph, John McNally

Only 5 more to go!

Yeah, Blink is definitely better.

At long last, the John Irving review. I'm afraid that it might sound more negative than I intended it to. I really didn't dislike the book, I just expected better from Irving.

46. Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving

John Irving’s novels are in a class by themselves. There is no mistaking his stories for anyone else’s and this is one of the reasons I’ve always loved them. Yes, Irving tells essentially the same story in each novel but I think his talent lies in being able to sell you that story every time. It can be comforting to read one of his novels and recognize the recurring elements as you go. Last Night in Twisted River, then, is the ultimate comfort read for Irving fans; it has nearly every one of his favourite “Irvingisms” - I think Vienna and prostitutes are the only ones he left out.

This overabundance of recurring elements is, I believe, both the book’s greatest asset and its greatest weakness. The first third felt like vintage Irving, bringing back memories of Owen Meany and The World According to Garp. The final third was nearly as good and the chapter called “Lady Sky” was brilliant. It would almost work on its own as a short story and is, for me, the most memorable part of the novel.

The middle of the book is where things took a turn for the worse. The timeline became too confusing to keep straight and so many of those “Irvingisms” showed up that it became almost eye-rollingly predictable. If you’ve read all of the classic Irving novels, it’s difficult not to make those connections and see what’s coming next.

Here’s what bothered me most about this novel: in The World According to Garp, one of the things I really loved were the original stories that Garp wrote. In Twisted River, Irving develops a very similar character in Daniel but rather than original work, the plots of Daniel’s novels bear a remarkable resemblance to those of Irving’s early novels (and are released in almost the same order). Also, *mild spoiler alert* the novel Daniel is working on for the last part of the book turns out to be this exact novel, Last Night in Twisted River, with repeated sentences and everything. *end spoiler* This was somewhat disappointing knowing how much more original it could have been.

All in all, if you are already an Irving fan, this is mostly an enjoyable read – just don’t expect it to be up to the calibre of Garp or Owen Meany. And if you haven’t read an Irving novel yet, you really should, but don’t start with this one.

-------------------
Pending Reviews:
Scoop, Evelyn Waugh
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
When We Were Beautiful, Bon Jovi
The Book of Ralph, John McNally

Space- Good honest review of the Irving book! It seems to be getting mixed reaction, here on LT but I still plan on reading it! You should post the review to the book page, so I can give you a Thumbs Up!

Thanks, Mark! I wasn't planning to post this on the book's page since it was a library book and I'm not planning to buy it, but I'll take a virtual thums up :) And, hope you enjoy the book when you get it!