SqueakyChu's book list

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

*** PLEASE *** JUMP INTO THIS THREAD AT ANY POINT TO COMMENT ON MY READS!

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

This is my January, 2007, accomplishment!

1. The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova - started out as a very exciting travelogue of Europe and history of Dracula, but I grew weary of reading this 700+ page book about halfway through. I did finally finish it, but it took a while. Rating--3

2. The City of Falling Angels – John Berendt
- I probably didn't get out of this book what others have. I found the people about whom the author chose to write very annoying. I disliked the emphasis on wealth and would have preferred the author write more about the everyday population of the very exciting city of Venice. Rating--3

3. Wherever You Go There You Are - Jon Kabat-Zinn - So far, I haven't been reading much I like. This book was recommended by a friend. I even saw the author at last year's National Book Festival. However, I thought this book was going to be about how to live in the present. It turned out to be about how to meditate. I read it, but did not get all that much out of it. Rating--2

4. The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides - Finally! A book I thought was extremely good. Well-written. A fascinating story of a troubled family - especially their five teenage girls with whom neighborhood boys are entranced. Rating--5

How I'm doing...
4/50 or 8%

Books I started in January, but will not finish:

a. Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult - The characters were annoying and some of the story seemed not to be credible. Rating--2

I love talking about books I've read! I'll be waiting to hear from you...

I totally agree with your comments on The Historian and The Virgin Suicides. Actually I thought you were too kind about Elizabeth Kostova' effort.

SqueakyChu:: Have you read other books by Jodi Picoult, or was this your first? I've avoided her instinctively, without any solid reason. My mother just told me she's reading My Sister's Keeper and that she can't put it down. I rarely disagree with my mother on quality...so I wondered if I'm missing something. Any further thoughts on this author?

--> 4

I'm getting very disappointed with Jodi Picoult. It'll be a while before I try another one of her books. I have The Pact here at home so I guess I try that one eventually.

I started with My Sister's Keeper and thought that book was very good. I especially liked the ending -- which everyone else hated because it made a significant statement. Of course, you have to read the book to find out about the statement because otherwise I'd be giving away a spoiler.

Then I read Vanishing Acts. It was okay. There were things I did not like about it. I couldn't understand what was really going on by the time I finished the story. There were too many things left unexplained so the story left me completely dissatisfied.

With Keeping Faith, I decided it was time to get away from this author.

Picoult does have some strengths I like. She is unafraid to tackle controversial subjects and handles them straight on. She can very clearly get into the heads of her individual characters so that readers can see what is going on from many different perspectives. There are just other things that I've found annoying in a way that makes my opinion of her writing drop back to why I don't want to read those authors that top the best-seller lists time and again (except for Stephen King. I am a big fan of his although his writing can be very inconsistent).

If you do decide to read Jodi Picoult's books, laytonwoman3rd, start with My Sister's Keeper. It would be fun for you to discuss this book with your mom. You *will* have a strong opinion about it --either loving it or hating it. It's that kind of book.

--> 5
I agree with you. The first Picoult book I read was Plain Truth, and then My Sister's Keeper (touchstone not loading). I enjoyed both for the strengths you described. Then I read Vanishing Acts which left me flat. I wonder if it's the book itself, or is it that she employs some of the same devices in each of her books such that her style become repetitive and predictable?

-->

I wonder if it's the book itself, or is it that she employs some of the same devices in each of her books such that her style become repetitive and predictable?

You might have something there. I usually don't like reading chapters that alternate between various narrators. Perhaps that technique of story-telling is simply starting to irritate me. I hate to read the same kind of books back to back. Even books by authors I like. An interesting thought that you proposed...

Thank you for this input SqueakyChu and lindsad. I suspected Picoult might be one of those formulaic authors, and I too avoid the bestseller list most of the time. (Once in a while the great masses are right, though--I try not to be TOO snobbish! I found, after steering clear of her for years, that I actually enjoy Jan Karon's Mitford series. Go figure.) Since my Mom is taken with My Sister's Keeper, I'll probably read it. As you say, I always enjoy discussing books with her.

For anyone else who wants to read My Sister's Keeper, Dusties on BookCrossing is inviting others to join her bookring.

First week in February. I'm adding these:

5. Haunted – Chuck Palahniuk - I love reading books by this author, but this novel was a bit too much for me. It was stories inside of a story--very gross and very funny. The problem I had with it was that it was going in too many different directions with too many people. I had a hard time keeping everything in this book straight. I want to go back to reading Palahniuk's simpler novels. Rating--3

6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson - Ha! What a trip (pun intended)! I'd never heard of this author before (who is unfortunately no longer alive due to his death by suicide), but his book is very funny. I listened to it on audio. It's a look back at some of the more bizarre aspects of the drug-crazy times of the sixties. In this book, the protagonist is a man hired to write a story of a motorcycle race, then later a convention of police officers learning about street drugs. He travels with his "attorney" and never comes close to writing anything. An enjoyable read. Check out the drawings by Ralph Steadman, too! Rating--4.

6/50 or 12%

Hi Squeaky!!!

So what did you think about the short story "Guts" in Haunted?

Am I the only one it didn't bother? I know people who said they couldn't eat after, stopped reading, yada yada, but I just shook my head and laughed when I read it.

Hi punkypower!!!

I am sooooo used to reading Palahniuk that it didn't bother me either. I just keep wondering how he can come up with such bizarre ideas. Creative man! He really is. I think he gets a kick out of seeing how he can gross people out. But with him, I think it's really all only in fun. I have Fight Club somewhere in my house and I'm on a bookring for Survivor so there will be more of Palahniuk for me in the near future.

My daughter introduced me to books by Palahniuk last year. His books were very popular on her college campus then.

7. La Perdida by Jessica Abel - I really did enjoy reading this graphic novel (which fooled me because it was hardbound). I picked it up at my library because it had a Spanish title. It's the story of a young woman who goes by herself to live in Mexico City to seek her roots. The book itself is written in both Spanish and English. There are subtitles for the Spanish as well as a very helpful glossary in the back of the book.

I love how the protagonist tried to avoid all of the American expatriates and immerse herself among the Mexican natives. I so identified with her. Her experience in Mexico was rather unfortunate.

I highly recommend this novel. It makes for fun and speedy reading.

Rating -- 5

Another book I didn't finish:

b. Digging to America by Anne Tyler - I couldn't get into this novel. I started listening to it on CD. Although the narrator was very good, the story did not engage me in any way. The characters in the beginning were confusing and they wouldn't stop talking. I got annoyed and stopped reading this book. Too bad as it came highly recommended by a good friend of mine.

7/50 or 14%

About Haunted - I have a few Palahniuk on my shelf, so reading what you thought of it isn't good. I bought them all up without having read any of his works first - which was somewhat silly but at least they were cheap.

I've only read one so far Invisible Monsters, and hated it absolutely .. so each time I want to try picking up one of his books I hesitate and choose something else.

-->14 bookgrl:

Uh Oh! If you hated Invisible Monsters, I'm not sure you're going to like the rest of Palahniuk's books. His books tend to be similar in a way. My favorite was Diary. Do you have that one? It's not as offensive as others. It's kind of a mystery about a woman who finds out (or who thinks she finds out) that she's trapped on an island. It's kind of spooky.

Just don't take his writing literally. He's having some fun with his readers. Be sure *not* to read Haunted if you hated Invisible Monsters. That one's a gross-out for sure!

Palahniuk's books are very popular. If you find you don't like them, perhaps you can trade those you have for books you like via an online bookswap such as BookMooch or Bookins.

Whoa! It's the end of February and I only finished one more book. Hey, I took a l
long time to read this book...

8. Geisha by Liza Crihfield Dalby. I was fascinated by this book. The author was the only non-Japanese to ever become a geisha. The author herself is an anthropologist who did her dissertation on geisha. What a love of the Japanese culture she has! It comes across so well in her very detailed, but easy-to-read exploration of the geisha culture. As she is a Westerner herself, she is able to explain to her readers those things about Japanese culture that may not be so well known abroad. Rating--5.

This is an excellent book which was a great read after having been introduced to the geisha world in the wonderful novel Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden in the not-to-distant past.

My progress so far ... 8 out of 50 or 16%. By my calculation, I'm right on target! Yay!

Looks like I will have another book to add to my reading list. I too was introduced to the world of geisha in Memoirs of a Geisha. I found it fascinating, and I will have to read Geisha to learn more about the culture.

--> 17

You won't be disappointed. There were quite a few misconceptions I took away from the culture of geisha after reading Golden's book. It's not that he intentionally misled me or other readers in his writing, but it's that the world of geisha has been continually evolving and what happened in the story is not what might happen if that particular story took place today.

You'll see what I mean after you read the book. Enjoy!

Missed February by one day, but finished another one last night...

9. Cell by Stephen King.

I am a great fan of this author even though his writing is inconsistent -- sometimes "Yikes!" and sometimes "yawn". I found Cell to be sort of mediocre, although I was listening to it on tape, and it did keep my attention. This book is back to the "blood and gore" Stephen King writing of old. I liked the premise of the book and will now never see someone walking and talking on a cell phone without thinking of this story. (The same thing happened with It whereby my husband was always looking for clowns to emerge from various hiding places!) I had a hard time understanding exactly what happened to people who experienced the "Pulse". The whole idea of the story left too many holes, but I let the story be its own thing without examining it too much. The ending disappointed me. It left too much unsaid. I kept turning the pages...looking for more!

Rating--3

Anyone else read this book? What did you think of it?
Do you like reading books by this author?

9 out of 50 = 18% under my belt

Now back to my books...

While waiting for spring to arrive, I've read some more books...

10. A Pale View of Hills – Kazuo Ishiguro

I liked this book very much. It's the story of a Japanese woman who lives in England after the war. As she lives her life, she sees it reflected in the life of another woman. I like the fluid writing of this author, although the story itself had me a bit confused, and I had to look up a synopsis of it to fully understand what the author was trying to say. The book itself has me eager to read more Ishiguro books. I did read When We Were Orphans in the past and liked it despite it not being the kind of book I usually like.

Rating -- 5

11. Silk – Alessandro Baricco

Hey! This was a very short book. I finished it in a day. I probably liked it a bit less than others who have read it. It has a fable-like quality. It's about a man who makes his trade at bringing silkworms from Japan to France. It has an unusal erotic and surprise ending. I think that's why this book has such rave reviews. The story was so-so. The ending was terrific.

Rating -- 4

Right on target at 22% (11 out of 50) ... so back to my books!

You're right, Stephen King can be all over the place. I've read most of his stuff (had to put down The Tommyknockers and Gerald's Game out of boredom), and most of what I've read, I've enjoyed. While he has books that are exemplary (the whole Dark Tower series, The Stand), some of his work is just plain fun to read. I found Cell to be amongst the latter group - it's quick, and there's action and suspense and nothing else too deep. Plus, it's truly frightening to imagine something like that happening via cell phones, which have made themselves indispensable in only a few short years.

About your husband and It... I couldn't eat fortune cookies for years after reading that. I can eat them again, now, but I'm almost tempted to read that scene again so I don't eat them for a while. Good diet tactics - scare yourself away from certain foods!

And I've read everything by Chuck Palahniuk, and Invisible Monsters is my least favorite. I think I'd agree that Diary was my favorite, although I really enjoyed Lullaby and Haunted.

--> 21

paghababian, I enjoyed reading your comments about books by Stephen King and Chuck Palahniuk--two authors I really like and who love to shock their readers.

That's the thing about King's writing. What he writes is about common things in daily life (clowns, cell phones, cars, etc.) and puts an evil spin on them. Later, walking down the street, those common objects take on grotesque qualities as one reminisces about King's books. Eeeeek! :-)

My very favorite King novel was Hearts in Atlantis because I'm an old softy for reminscing about the 60's. I also liked The Green Mile because I fell in love with the mouse--Mr. Jingles. I pick odd characters out of books to like! At the time I read that book, I had pet hamsters and was especially fond of any rodent. :-)

I always look forward to new books by King and Palahniuk and hope that they will be books I'll like.

P.S. Here's a quote I like from Diary:
“...carpenters are always writing inside walls. It’s the same idea every man gets, to write his name and date before he seals the wall with Sheetrock. Sometimes they leave the day’s newspaper. It’s tradition to leave a bottle of beer or wine. Roofers will write on the decking before they cover it with tar paper and shingles. Framers will write on the sheathing before they cover it with clapboard or stucco. Their name and the date. Some little part of themselves for someone in the future to discover. Maybe a thought. We were here. We built this. A reminder.
Call it custom or superstition or feng shui.
It’s a kind of sweet homespun immortality.”

I think Chuck Palahniuk is an author I will be trying to look into at some point. I have heard the name thrown around by people who also read the works of Carlton Mellick III (who I am desperately looking for books by currently and have managed to locate 3 of thanks to some kind soul who is sending them to me for postage paid. What a godsend.)

I have no idea if they are similar or not other than they both seem to share shock value. I look forward to experiencing them though.

What would be the best Chuck Palahniuk book to start with?

Re: Stephen King and "It". I saw the movie for that book when I was very little, 3 or 4. For years after, whenever I came near a shower with a closed curtain, I had to stand as far back from it as possible, to reach forward and yank the curtain back quickly, just in case something was behind it! And street/shower drains were too scary to go near! I agree with what you said about how he takes everyday things and makes them scary-that's what made his stories different for me. I saw Nightmare on Elm Street around the same time and it had no effect on me, but clowns? Those are real! As are rabid dogs (Cujo) and some of the other things he writes about.

--> 23

Hmmmm? I don't know anything about Carlton Mellick III. Tell me about him and his writing, please.

I have to say...if you want to be grossed out by good literature...have you ever read Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh? If that doesn't do it, nothing will. Beware of this book, though, because it's all in Scottish dialect, and you'll need an online glossary until you get used to the vocabulary.

Back to Palahniuk. I'd say start with Diary because it was my favorite. Lullaby is also very good. After you've read few of his books, you'll see that his books tend to be similar. They have sort a rhythm that is distinctive to his novels.

Here's an interesting website which suggests which novels to start with for each author named. It's Debbie's Idea. Of course, I'm the one who suggested Diary! :-)

Here's a bookring for Lullaby which looks as if it's open for others to join. You might just check it out.

Whichever book you choose, be sure to come back and tell me which one it was and if you like Palahniuk's style of writing.

--> 24

My husband didn't even see the movie. It's amazing how he became scared by It, the book -- which was only a collection of words.

For me, the movie Psycho did the same thing when I was a teenager. After seeing it, I'd never take a shower without all the lights in the house on, the bathroom door open, and my parents standing at the foot of the stairs. Otherwise, taking a shower was just too frightening! Oooooooooh! :-)

-->22 SqueakyChu: I had forgotten all about the stuff in the walls. I remember liking that image a lot. I enjoyed the "weather" forecasts throughout the book -- "The weather today is increasing concern followed by fullblown dread." I guess this is another one I'll have to reread... but 250 pages of Palahniuk goes quickly.

Since you like Palahniuk, have you read House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski? I got the same kind of heavy dread from both authors.

---> 27

Since you like Palahniuk, have you read House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski? I got the same kind of heavy dread from both authors.

I do have House of Leaves. I had it on my wishlist for a long time and a kind BookCrosser (Thanks, beachglass) RABCked it to me. I haven't gotten to it yet becaause it is a *huge* book, but it looks incredibly interesting.

I did take Danielewski's newest book (the one that was written in circles) out of the library, but never got a chance to tackle it. That one got really good reviews but also seemed incedibly bizarre. One day I'll need to get back to it.

I guess this is another one I'll have to reread... but 250 pages of Palahniuk goes quickly.

The only one of Palahniuk's books that tended to bog me down was Haunted. I think that the author tried to cram too many of his ideas into one book. I simply have flown through his other books. One cannot put them down.

I gave up on a book. :-(

It was Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle. I was listening to this book on audio and realized I didn't enjoy it at all. I got about 2/3 of the way through it and decided I didn't care what happened to any of the characters.

I thought the book was going to be about deafness as one of the main characters was deaf, but it turned out to be about identity theft. The "bad guy" was a truly an arrogant and obnoxious man with a girlfriend whom I didn't like. She in turn had a whiney kid. Why did I have to read that? I decided I didn't. Perhaps it was the narrator who made everyone sound so bad. Funny, though ... the book is narrated by the author!

I'm going back to Boyle's short stories which I think are immensely better.

This week has flown. Sorry for the delay in replying.

I haven't read Trainspotting but I do own the movie and I loved it. The scottish dialect doesn't bother me but then, I lived in Scotland for a couple of years so I am used to it.

Carlton Mellick III was an author I stumbled across by accident and have yet to read anything of since I don't use credit cards and he is impossible to find here in Quebec. The one I want to read most is called Baby Jesus Butt Plug. It's supposed to be a tale about mankind being slaves to the corporation, people aren't born, they are photocopied. It sounds very weird. He has many books available and to be honest, they all interest me. If it helps, I have often seen his writing described as Chuck Palahniuk but funnier.

As for Palahniuk, I opted to start with Diary and should be reading that next. I am about half way through Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures but once I finish that, Diary is next.

Debbies Idea seems like a great website. Very useful! Thank you heaps for sharing that and I will let you know what I think of Diary :)

--> 30

I'm going to go look for Baby Jesus Butt Plug. Large corporations' abuse of the common man is a pet peeve of mine.

I wonder how the author ever came up with this unique(?!) title! :-D

Response to my own post --> 29 :-)

I decided to plow on through Talk Talk. I couldn't find another audio book I wanted to listen to and I need my book fix on my commute to work!

Three more...

12. Blankets by Craig Thompson
I've really become a fan of graphic novels over the past two years. This coming-of-age story was certainly worthy of my time. What struck me most about this book was how the illustrations very exactly evoked the emotions/moods of the story. For example, the love and quiet scenes were serenity itself with vast, white, soft snowfields. Dreams and fantasies had almost psychedelic type drawings. There was guilt, there was sadness, and there was hope. See for yourself how each was drawn...
Rating -- 4

13. Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle
OMG, was this a waste of time! I am *so* sorry I decided to finish this book. The ending was such a let-down. It probably would have been better for me to have considered this book done after 2/3 of the way through. I can't figure out how this author can write such stunning short stories and yet let me down with his novels. Did any of you read The Tortilla Curtain by Boyle? Wasn't the end of that novel preposterous?
Rating -- 2

14. Peppers by Amal Naj
This was a fascinating little book. It's all about those peppers that add pungency to your food. I learned many little-known facts about this food -- such as (1) why pepper plants have individual pods of different amount of heat, (2) why one man spent 50 years fighting to protect the exclusive right to use the word "Tabasco", and (3) who are those people who love to eat habanero peppers? This book was of special interest to me because I always grow a variety of hot pepper plants in my summer garden. I'm now sending this book on to MrsLee, a fellow Thingamabrarian and new BookCrosser! The book is in the mail...
Rating -- 4

Comments, anyone?

My progress to date? Perfect at 28%.

Now back to my four other current reads...

I just finished Blankets recently, and I loved it too. I don't normally read graphic novels, but this one was wonderful.

--> 34

Just curious, zcannon. What started you into reading graphic novels? I can't seem to get any of my friends interested in them.

I found Blankets through an Amazon recommendation, actually. I ordered Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (which I found through a review of another book), and for some reason, Amazon.com recommended me Blankets after that. I took a look, and it looked fascinating, so I ordered it. I've read a couple of graphic novels here and there before then, but not many. Do you have any you'd recommend?

I'm still getting to know them and haven't read all that many.

My favorite so far was a book called The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar. The author is a graphic novelist who is well known in France. When this book opens, we learn that this gray cat, living in 1930's Algeria, wants to be come bar mitzvah and study kaballah. The rabbi says that cats cannot do this, so this particular cat decides to consult with the rabbi's rabbi.

For some reason, most of the graphic novels I've read so far have to do with themes closely related to Judaism. I've read two of Will Eisner's books (A Contract with God, The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion). I also read Quitter by Harvey Pekar (and enjoyed the movie "American Splendor" as well). Related to Israel, albeit looking at things from another side was Palestine by Joe Sacco.

Another recent read I completed was La Perdida by Jessica Abel about a young woman who went to live in Mexico City to seek her roots. I loved that this book was written in both Spanish and English. It was like viewing a movie with subtitles. There were the Spanish words for me to read, but below was the English translation for some of the idioms I just didn't "get".

I think that graphic novels will continue to grow as a source of entertainment for everyone. A story can be told in so many ways. Kids always knew that comics contained fascinating stories. Now adults are being challenged to discover this as well.

The book by Marjane Satrapi called Embroideries is en route to me now. If you'd like me to send it to you when I'm done, please send me a PM (private message) through BookCrossing if you're a member (or you may join for free if you're not).

Well, it's been a while but I finally got around to reading Diary and found it absolutely brilliant. I think I found a new favourite author! you can see my full review of what I thought at http://theliteraryword.blogspot.com/2007/04/diary-novel-by-chuck-palahniuk.html I just got Geisha by Liza Dalby and can't wait to get started on that one now. It's good to see someone rave about it.
The Historian has been sitting on my shelf since I bought it and to be honest, after all the reviews I have seen of it so far I am really not in any great rush to read it.

Was it you who had the interpreter of maladies bookring going on? I was next on it but I caved and got my own copy as I suspect I love that book and I tend to read books over and over,

--> 38

I loved Diary, too. I liked other Palahniuk books, but Diary remains my favorite.

I like this quote from that book:
“...carpenters are always writing inside walls. It’s the same idea every man gets, to write his name and date before he seals the wall with Sheetrock. Sometimes they leave the day’s newspaper. It’s tradition to leave a bottle of beer or wine. Roofers will write on the decking before they cover it with tar paper and shingles. Framers will write on the sheathing before they cover it with clapboard or stucco. Their name and the date. Some little part of themselves for someone in the future to discover. Maybe a thought. We were here. We built this. A reminder.
Call it custom or superstition or feng shui.
It’s a kind of sweet homespun immortality.”

I read your review. It really hits what is special about this book.

Geisha had mixed reviews. Some people found it "dry" in spots. I did not because after having read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden I was ready to read a book that talked more extensively about the geisha culture. I really thought this book was excellent.

You can keep The Historian on your bookshelf or read just the first third! After that, the story started to drag. Of course, you will want to know what happens at the end, but it takes a rather long while to get there.

Yes, it was me who was doing the Interpreter of Maladies bookray. You made a pretty good choice to buy that book. Those stories are so good and well worth reading over and over.

By the way, if you like short stories, check out my profile on BookCrossing and consider signing up for the bookrays for Drinking Coffee Elsewhere and/or Sightseeing. Both books are great. Both are debut books by their respective authors. In the former, ZZ Packer tells stories of African-Americans; while in the latter Rattawut Lapcharoensap tells stories of people of Thailand. I loved both of those books. My hope in sharing these books with others was to give these excellent authors a wider audience.
I think it's rather cool that Granta chose both of these authors among its best Young American authors (under age 35) for 2007.

http://www.psfk.com/2007/03/grantas_best_yo.html

I just read a book by Nicole Krauss and see she's on that list as well.

Hi,

Yes, Memoirs of a Geisha is the same reason I got curious about the Geisha lifestyle too. It's one of my favourite books ever. I can't wait to see how Geisha is.

Ooooh I like that quote from Diary too. It really was/is a brilliant book. I am stunned I never came across that author before.

I really want to read Interpreter of Maladies soon. It will be a little while though as I have a review list at the moment. Oh well. Short stories are something I only just got into but I am finding I love them. I hope to read many more of them.

The bookrays are an awesome thought but with the way Mount TBR is currently, I would feel bad if I held it up in someway. Such a shame as they do indeed seem wonderful books..

SqueakyChu-

If you didn't like Haunted as much, you're in luck. His new book Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster casey (which is due out in May) reminded me more of Survivor and Choke when i read it for my 75 book challenge. It has a much simpler style and while it contains a lot of characters there is a little cheaters index. Oh and sadly, this book is lacking in the gore.

All I can say about Haunted is DIBS!

- the mistress

--> 40

I was introduced to Chuck Palahniuk by my daughter, a college student. His books were all the rage on her campus.

--> 41

Rant is going to have to wait. I have Fight Club to read here at home and Survivor coming on a bookring.

I actually appreciate Palahniuk's books more when I don't read them close together.

I don't mind a lack of gore! :-)

I have two more books to add...

15. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss -- It took me a while to get into this book. After I did, I was able to enjoy it. My big problem is that I was unable to keep the characters straight. I couldn't figure out who was who and how each was related to the other. About midway through, I wrote down the characters when suddenly it dawned on me how they fit together. If truth be told, the confused beginning put a damper on this book for me. The second half was wonderful, though. Rating--4

16. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi* -- I loved this little book. I'd been introduced to this author through her first graphic novel Persepolis. I'm now waiting for Persepolis 2 to arrive by mail, but I got Embroideries first. This book is a bit naughty but fun. It tells the secrets that a group of Iranian women reveal about men in their own lives and in the lives of their acquaintances. I think the expressive faces of the women are delightfully drawn. I'd really like to meet all of these ladies in person! Rating--5

How am I doing? Well, I've hit the 32% mark. Still on target!

*This book is available to BookCrossers via my Bookray

The History of Love - I had the same problem. Thought that Alma was a character in his book. Had to re-read.
Talk,Talk - a close call. I nearly bought it a few days ago but I won't bother now.

--> 47

amandameale, don't bother with Boyle's Talk, Talk but certainly give this guy a go with his short stories. He can write some incredibly interesting ones.

I'm now reading T. C. Boyle Stories which is 691 pages long and is a compilation of several of his books of short stories. I am just loving it!

SqueakyChu, I saw a review of Satrapi's graphic novel in NYRB and though it looked amazing. Hope you enjoy it!

--> 49

Which one, Bluenosegirl?

I have Embroideries traveling now as a bookray. See Message 46 above. I already read it, and enjoyed it very much. Interestingly enough, one of the women on this bookray is a woman who lives in Tehran. I'll be eager to see what she thinks of this book.

I just got Persepolis 2 in the mail this week. Hope I get a chance to read it before too long.

I've never read a graphic novel before and the ones usually on the shelves at the library don't appeal to me. Lots of super hero, dark villain kind of stuff. I did request a couple by Neil Gaiman from the library (because of talk on LT) but but when I got them I ended up not reading them. I found the art work unappealing. You've caught my interest with the graphic novels by Satrapi. My library has both Embroideries and Persepolis so I'll request them and see. I like the idea of reading pictures along with the words.

--> 51

sandragon, Although I really like Neil Gaiman as a writer (and love him as a person!), I don't care for his Sandman series graphic novels (for which he probably has received the most acclaim).

If you read anything by Marjane Satrapi, start with Persepolis. That's the first book she wrote, and it introduces you to her childhood in Iran.

My library has some very interesting graphic novels. A few I would recommend are:
A Contract with God - Will Eisner
Blankets - Craig Thompson
La Perdida - Jessica Abel
The Rabbi's Cat - Joann Sfar
Palestine - Joe Sacco

See if your library has any of them. Do come back and tell me what you thought of them.

If you get a chance, see the movie "American Splendor" about Harvey Pekar. It will help you understand the psychology behind graphic novels. It's a wonderful movie.

SqueakyChu, I've got Persepolis and Embroideries on hold for me and I'll let you know what I think. And thanks for the other recommendations. I've got them on my list of books to try.

--> 53

sandragon, if you find you like them and try some others, I'll be open to your suggestions as well! :-)

SqueakyChu and sandragon - A great graphic novel is Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower. It's a fantastic interpretation of the Trojan War. He's done a ton of research, and it shows. There are actually 2 volumes out right now, and the third comes out this summer.

--> 55

Thanks for the suggestion, paghababian. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Thanks also, paghababian.

One of these suggestions is sure to break me into graphic novels (she types hopefully.)

I need to add another one...

17. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- Rating: 5

A great read! I know this book was written for young adults, but the story was so engaging that, not only did I zip right through the book, but I started another young adult book, I am the Messenger by the same author right away.

Do you think that me being close to 60 years of age and reading The Book Thief counts me in as a "young adult"? I hope so!

What was so good about it? I think it was mostly the characters. They were people I'd like to meet in real life. Hans Hubermann was such a kind man. We need more people like him in the world. Liesl and Rudy were so mischievous. Rosa Hubermann was so full of love (but had a hard time showing it). I'd like to meet the narrator (Death) , but only if he promises not to take my soul!

I loved reading the German words and phrases in the story. It made me feel as if the story were really taking place in Germany...although I listened to it here in the U.S. by a CD narrator who had a British accent (and used a German accent for some people). What a treat!

I heartily agree with those who've awarded prizes to this book. It has an important story to tell about World War II and the Holocaust and does so in an engaging and non-threatening way.

P.S. This was a book I'd never heard of until people raved about it here and at BookCrossing. Thank you all for recommending it.

SqueakyChu,

Just wanted to let you know, I got Persepolis and Embroideries from the library and enjoyed both. These perfectly complimented Reading Lolita in Tehran that I read late last year. It's enlightening to see the human side to people of the Middle East and of the Muslim religion. Before, all I knew about either was the intrigue and violence sensationalized in the papers.

I think it was quite brave of Marjane Satrapi to do her memoirs as graphic novels. The written word is more anonymous and distancing, compared to graphic novels, to me at least. To draw your life seems so much more personal.

So, thank you for recommending these :o) I've already requested Persepolis 2 from the library, and thought I would give Palestine by Joe Sacco a try as well.

Sandragon, you're in for a treat with Palestine. It is done very well. Although I'm very much a Zionist, and the book is definitely anti-Jewish, there is a line in that book which truly describes how I feel. It is spoken by an Israeli depicted in that graphic novel. See if you can find it.

I have not yet read Persepolis 2, although I have it here at home.

What will be interesting about Embroideries is that I'll eventually be sending this book to Tehran to be read by a young woman actually living in Iran now. She is an active member of BookCrossing. If you'd like to follow what others think of this book, here is the thread.

It's enlightening to see the human side to people of the Middle East and of the Muslim religion. Before, all I knew about either was the intrigue and violence sensationalized in the papers.

Having lived in the Middle East (in Israel) for a year, it truly saddens me to see all of the Middle East portrayed in such a bad light. What we hear is usually all the bad news and the horrors. The people and cultures of these countries are very interesting.

I like to read novels about the various countries in the Middle East. I often find that fiction is more realistic than the news. Such novels as The Kite Runner about Afghanistan, Snow about Turkey, and Dancing Arabs about Israeli Arabs are most enlightening besides being absolutely terrific reads. If you find yourself wanting to learn more about the Middle East, try those. You won't be sorry.

Just a little note here that I read Reading Lolita in Tehran this week (and loved it, even if I found it focussed on the darker aspects). I also followed it up with a newer release called Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran by Fatemeh Keshavarz. It is RLiT's exact opposite and focusses more on the positive life experience in Iran of the author as well as introducing the reader to Persian Literature. She also critiques RLiT (rather harshly, I might add) but the two books together show something of Iran at least.

I have Lipstick Jihad too but I haven't had the opportunity to read that.

My reviews of RLiT and Jasmine and Stars can be found in my librarything reviews or on my blog. I also did a comparison of the two books which can be found at http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=11457#127783

Thanks for the note about your reviews, charlenemartel!

I got overzealous and messed up. :-(

I was trying to read 6 books at once and never made any headway. As a solution to this problem, I decided to put them *all* on hold while I picked up yet another bookray book to finish. More about that particular book later.

Has anyone else sabotaged his or her own efforts to complete books -- the way I just did? Grim, isn't it? :-)

I have been tempted to read more than one book this weekend, pausing to pick another up, etc. I didn't though. Only because I know myself too well and I used to have a dreadful habit of finding so many books about the place that I had started and never completed.

I enforced a rule on myself at the end of last year that I would never pick up a book unless I had finished the one I was already reading. It's working so far.

I actually dropped by your board though to let you know that I read my first two graphic novels in the past week and I am so hooked on those. I am so glad I finally tried them.

The ones I read were Pyongyang, and Shenzhen, both of which are by Guy Delisle. I simply loved them.

Pyongyang is about a year the author spent in North Korea and Shenzhen was a year in China. Both were pretty funny but also a great peek into other cultures.

--> 64

I'm glad I got you hooked on graphic novels, charlenemartel. Some are done extremely well. I'll be looking for the two you mentioned.

Update! Do feel free to comment!

18. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

I don't care what anyone says about the contents of this book being "invented". I think this book was great! It was a very absorbing and dramatic look at drug and alcohol rehab. I imagine that recovery from such a severe addiction as the author had was just as difficult as his book describes. He likes to make himself out as the "bad guy" in the book. Okay, maybe he wasn't as bad as all that. (I did read the piece on Smoking Gun.) The drama did in no way diminish the great interest I had in reading this book. An FYI - I did read the book *after* having learned of the controversy surrounding it. I chose to read the book first and only later tried to find out what was not factual.

Rating -- 5 stars!

19. The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls

I read this along with others on The Reading Lounge. We all were wondering if all the facts were true in this story of this author's unusual childhood. She grew up in the desert (Arizona, I believe) with her three siblings. Much of the time she was simply ignored by her parents and given free rein to do pretty much what she wanted. By the time her parents took her and her siblings to West Virginia, her home life was pretty shabby, and she and her siblings were on the verge of starvation. This is an amazing story - if only because the outcome of this young woman's life was to try as hard as she could to become a success despite her impoverished and challenging childhood. This is a very easy to read book and one that captured my interst throughout.

Rating--4 stars.

20. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson

I did not like this book. Somehow, I tend to miss what is funny in British humor. I think the book was intended to be funny, but to me it was not funny at all. This is the story of a fervently religious mom and her daughter who slowly becomes aware that she (the daughter) has lesbian tendencies. Interspersed among the narrative were (what seemed to me to be completely) unrelated fables! I so wanted to not finish this book. I finished it because it was a quick, short read and a BookCrossing bookray. I wanted to rip those fables out of the book...although I later realized they were sort of paralleling the narrative in a fantasy world. I did like the last chapter, however. It was intelligently written and gave me an idea why the book was written in the first place. I understand that this debut novel was, in fact, autobiographical. The end of the book very thoughtfully explained how Jeanette came to terms with who she was and a bit about her relationship to her mother and her home. I did like that part and only then was glad I actually finished the book.

Rating -- only 2 stars...



20 / 50 (40.0%)

Hmmmm? I do seem to be falling behind!

#60,
SqueakyChu, I think you must mean when the Israeli woman is talking about wanting the two peoples to live together side by side, in peace. I think that was it; I was going to take another look for the exact line before returning it to the library but I forgot to. Am I right?

I can't say whether I'm for the Zionists or the Palestinians. Palestine was mainly from the Palestinian point of view and I'd like to read the other. I do feel for the Palestinians though. The one line that got to me was:

"In Beit Sahour an old woman told me she'd 'enjoyed' the missile attacks, she'd welcomed Saddam Hussein's promise to liberate Palestine. 'When you are drowning,' she said, 'you grab anything to stay afloat, even the tiniest piece of wood.'"

--> 67

Nice guess, sandragon, but it's this line...

“Ultimately, I don’t think peace is about whether there should be one state or two. Of course, that issue is important, but what is the point of two racist states or one racist state...or one racist state dominating another? The point is whether the two peoples can live side by side as equals.” (spoken by an Israeli Jew, Palestine by Joe Sacco)

That's how I feel. *sigh*

Yup. That was the line I was thinking of. Just couldn't think of the exact quote. I wish the same could be possible, that is, two peoples living side by side as equals.

I found, very striking, the differences between Tel Aviv and the refugee camps in Sacco's illustrations. And it makes me wonder, how is it okay for the Jews to have their dream of a homeland come true when this (poverty, torture, death, etc) is what happens to the displaced Palestinians?

I found, very striking, the differences between Tel Aviv and the refugee camps in Sacco's illustrations. And it makes me wonder, how is it okay for the Jews to have their dream of a homeland come true when this (poverty, torture, death, etc) is what happens to the displaced Palestinians?

To me, the point is that it's not. When I went to visit my family in Israel a few years ago, those inequities were pointed out to me (which my family felt were unfair) *precisely* by my Israeli relatives. That's the part we don't hear in the news usually.

Then again, there in Israel (like here in the US with our own policies and government), some people outspokenly disagree with me. In both countries, I'd like to see progress toward a common goal without such horrendous violence. The Reverend Martin Luther King was truly remarkable for capturing the souls people here in the US and trying to bring this practice into fruition.

What is so frustrating is that, though the majority of people feel as we do, there are those few that feel fanatically that their ideas are the only ones that count, and these few somehow have the power/money/ability to force their desires on others regardless of the effect on/wishes of others. Those few people make it dang hard anyways for ideas of peace/compromise to come to fruition. It makes me sometimes wish it would be all right to be as ruthless as them and round them all up and just 'dispose' of them.

Unfortunately, it is the moneyed, powerful, or terrorists that capture the attention of the media as well.

The world never seems to change, does it?

I loved the Glass Castle. It was fantastic and I will be revisiting that one again at some point.

I did buy A Million Little Pieces, sometime last year I believe, when it came out anyway, but I never found the time to read it. I may have to change that.

--> 73

charlenemartel, I'd like to hear what you think of A Million Little Pieces after you read it. Before the controversy, everyone raved about it. Now it gets mixed reviews.

I first started listening to it on audio. It was so powerful! Midway through the audio version, I realized (because I had a hard copy of the book also), that the %#@$ audio version was abridged!!! I quickly took the audio back to the library, and began the book via hard copy anew. The narrator on the audio was great, and I did miss his telling the story. On the other hand, I didn't want to miss any of Frey's story either.

Did you get a chance to read through the discussion questions about The Glass Castle on The Reading Lounge? Any comments on the points we discussed?

I sneaked in a great find! Just this week at my used book store, I found this book which had been on my wish list for a long time...

21. You Can't Catch Death - Ianthe Brautigan

Maybe I'm a bit prejudiced, but I loved this book. Richard Brautigan was one of my favorite authors from back in the 60's and 70's. I still consider his books very precious. Brautigan, a counter-culture novelist and poet sadly ended his life by a self-inflicted gunshot.

In this book, his daughter Ianthe Brautigan relives her relationship with her dad and tries to make sense of his suicide through writing in lovely and gentle snippets, much the way her dad used to do. Not all of the demons of her dad's past are revealed, but Ianthe continues searching to understand her dad and the reason for his death. She takes great joy in her daughter Elizabeth, her dad's living legacy, and yet wonders about Richard's mom with whom her dad had cut off all contact for many, many years.

Rating - 5 stars - It's just beautiful.

Any other Brautigan fans out there in LT land?



21 / 50 (42.0%)

I read Blankets and couldn't agree with you more. It's so haunting, yet beautiful and the illustrations brought back so many of the fears and hopes I felt as a teen. I'm a librarian for kids and am trying to push our library to get that book. May be tough to get in the kids' department because of the sex scenes, but even if it makes it to the adult side we'll have ourselves a gem!

--> 76

Raindog, my library has all the graphic novels in the teen section. I was shocked when I first started reading them, wondering how that sort of literature (?) got into my library. I was focusing on the trash talk, violence, graphic sex, etc. After reading a few of these books, I began to see graphic novels from a different perspective. I was thinking that, just maybe, teens today are not as protected as I was growing up, and this sort of world is what they are exposed to every day.

This topic reminds me of when my children were younger. My teen son would not let me listen to his CDs because I wouldn't like the words. Something was wrong with that scenario! Shouldn't I, as the parent, have made the decision to what my child was listening? I believe so, although I was fairly liberal at censorship. What was censored in my home when the kids were younger was simply sought by them at another person's home at a different time. So much for censorship! I found that education and open conversation were the best defenses to our porn-filled, violence-filled world.

Now I enjoy graphic novels for what they are - a visual way of making a novel come alive. They often tell poignant stories and have amazing artwork.

Best of luck with getting Blankets into your library system. I'm glad my library had it available for me to read.

22. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

So far, everyone who read this book has loved. Even professional reviewers are calling it superior to The Kite Runner. I liked this book a lot, but IMHO it never equalled The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns is the story of two women in very traditional roles in Afghanistan. I have recently read so much recently about women's issues in Muslim countries that the subject was not new to me. To me, The Kite Runner was so real, it was almost as if the author had been writing a memoir. A Thousand Splendid Suns did not touch me as profoundly.

SPOILER --> What was most touching about A Thousand Splendid Suns was Jalil's letter to Mariam. I liked that part the most, although it was very sad.

Rating -- 4 1/2 stars

Is there anyone out there who feels the same way I do about this book?



22 / 50 (44.0%)

Ha! It's looks as if I'm right on target. June is almost over...and I've read 25 books!

How I'm doing...
25/50 or 50%

23. Rommel Drives On Deep Into Egypt – Richard Brautigan

Since I just read the book by this author's daughter, I wanted to give a quick re-read of a book of Brautigan's poetry from many years ago. What I found were some poems I liked, some I didn't, and a few I didn't even understand! This book stays in my permanent collection, though! :-)

Rating -- 3 stars

24. A Good Dog: the Story of Orson Who Changed My Life – Jon Katz

I didn't think I'd like this book. It was my first read of a book by this author. The beginning of the book was driving me crazy. It seemed as though the author was angry that his dog would not obey him and was acting out as much as his dog. He agrees to this in his narrative. Another thing that made me nuts was that he kept repeating himself. Later I read that the beginning of this book was a composite of several essays by this author. I do not know if that is true or not, but perhaps that is why the narrative seemed so repeptitive. Further into the book I became very interested in the story. Somewhere I had seen a spoiler which made the ending NOT a surprise to me. :-( The book had me sobbing in places. I'm a softy for animal stories, though. Read the book. It's very good!

Rating - 4 stars

25. Smoke and Mirrors – Neil Gaiman
I'd been waiting to read this book for a long time. I've enjoyed Gaiman's writing in the past. I must saym though, that not all of his selections in this collection appealed to me. The ones that had a very fable-like quality to them and the poetry left me cold. Those that were more straightforward stories, I found quite fun. Gaiman even tried his hand at erotica in one story! For Gaiman fans, I think this book is a nice supplement to his other creative accomplishments. Go for it!

Rating -- 4 stars

26. The Truth About Hillary - Edward Klein
I absolutely hated this book. It might say more for my liberal political stance than about the writing, though. I thought this book was contrived with its good writing to make the reader hate Hillary. Many parts of the book I found offensive (calling the former first lady "The Big Girl", etc.), lacking respect for privacy (revealing medical information such as peripheral lymphedema, etc.), or simply unsubstantiated (revealing what Hillary was thinking, etc.). It was a library CD so I didn't harm it, BUT I really felt like throwing it on the floor and stomping it into smithereens.

Rating -- 1 star

Comments?

26 / 50
(52.0%)

I actually enjoyed The Historian, althought I do know what you mean. It does get a little slow here and there. It certainly a lot to take in.

27. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

From the book:
"Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore."

This book is a classic about a black woman in the U.S. coming to terms with her identity and self-worth. Some readers had difficulty witht he local black vernacular. That did not prove to be a problem for me. I didn't care for the book all that much. I wasn't particularly interested in the story nor did I find any of the characters very engaging. I can see the merit of the book when considering the time (1937) in which it was written. It just was not my cup of tea.

Rating -- 2 stars

27 / 50
(54.0%)

Here's another one...

28. Dude, Where's My Country - Michael Moore

On the heels of recently seeing Moore's movie "Sicko" and feeling very down in the dumps contemplating the horrors of the U.S. health insurance industry (and which I personally know is true), I began to read this book. I was ripe for more Moore and devoured his every word. He's very left-leaning. In this book, his target was George W. Bush, the outrageously moneyed few, and corporate greed. Although I must say, he's a bit more liberal even than I, I strongly feel his heart (and mouth) are in the right place. The U.S. is my country, and I want it to be good to me and my fellow Americans - not just the political and corporate elite. Right on, Michael Moore!

Rating - 4 stars

28 / 50
(56.0%)

Let me tell you about two more...

29. Obasan – Joy Kogawa

Obasab is a very slow-moving book about an important topic. It's told from a child's point of view. The author herself was a child when she and her family (of Japanese ethncity) were displaced from their home in Vancouver during World War II. This well-known Canadian author fashions her experiences of this life-changing experience into a novel which reflects the pain of being forced to leave home and being separated from other family members.

Rating -- 3 stars

30. The Road – Cormac McCarthy

This Pulitzer Prize winning novel is a must read for everyone. It is a quick and easy read but simply haunting. The story is of a man and his son who travel through a burned-up country simply to survive. It captures the tenderness of a father-son relationship, the scariness of what lies around every turn, and the universal good guy/bad guy theme. Be sure NOT TO MISS this one!

Rating -- 5 stars -- and my personal BEST READ OF THE YEAR!

31. Astonishing Splashes of Colour - Clare Morrall

I'd never have read this book had it not been for a BookCrossing bookray. It was surprisingly good. It told the story of how "crazy" Kitty was after she suffered the loss of her pregnancy and the ability to have children. I loved the character of Kitty. The story was told from Kitty's point of view. She seems like such a real character. I could identify with her reasoning and her sarcastic humor (or should I say humour?). She has to cope with her husband, her dad, four brothers, and two sisters-in-law. She was mystified why no one would ever share stories of her mother with her, though. This is a piece of British fiction I'd like to see more copies of on this side of the Pond.

Rating--4 stars

32. Troll: A love Story - Johanna Sinisalo

This is another excellent read! I picked it up simply because the story sounded intriguing though I had never heard of the book or the author before. Turns out the author won the 2000 Finlandia Award for this novel. It's the story of a gay man who found a young troll and nursed it back to health. For someone who has no fear of delving into gay literature, this is a most gripping novel. It is at times heart-renderingly sweet, utterly gruesome, and uproariously funny. Chapters alternate between excerpts of "academia" and folktales and the story of Mikael and those to whom he is either attracted or those who are attracted to him. Blame the pheromones! Following this story is quite an adventure in fun. You could say it is a love pentagram. Highly recommended!

Rating -- 5 stars -- I'm making this my # 2 BEST READ OF THE YEAR!

31 / 50
(62.0%)

It's been a good month so far. Here are a few more...

33. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy

I liked and disliked this book. The story as told on Recorded Books was terrific. The dialect and action was a delight to hear. The best conversation was between Sheriff Bell and Llewellyn’s wife who wanted to protect her husband from Sheriff Bell and yet wanted him to be safe. Bell did a lot of rambling in his talks. The end of the book was a drag because he wouldn’t stop talking long after the action was over.

Rating -- 3 stars

34. Persepolis 2 – Marjane Satrapi

In this book, the young Marjane of Persepolis has grown up and is now a young woman living in Austria. Her parents have sent her abroad to become educated in the ways of the world apart from the closed in world of Islamic Iran. Marjane has difficulty finding comfort in the world apart from her culture but she tries hard to adapt to Western ways.

Satrapi tells her story about the Iranian culture with questions and humor. She’s never afraid to belabor a point with which she disagrees. I think this is a brave book and the author a forthright soul for sharing personal stories in order to have Westerners understand Satrapi's own culture a bit better.

Rating -- 4 stars

35. The Muse Asylum – David Czuchlowski

Wow! This book was astoundingly good. It had everything I love in a book...an intelligent story, food for thought, good plot twists, and characters I liked.

The story was about an elusive author by the name of Horace Jacob Little whose books were brilliant but contained absolutely no information about the author himself. At the beginning of the book, Jake Burnett was approached by Lara, his former girlfriend and previous fellow student at Princeton to deliver a letter to her ex-boyfriend Andrew who had been hospitalized after having developed paranoid schizophrenia. Andrew's descent into madness was characterized by the thought that Horace Jacob Little was plotting to kill him.

For a debut novel, I was very taken with how easily I was captivated by this story. Two things struck me. The first was that I was really drawn into how Andrew's mental illness developed. It seemed to be very realistic. The second was that the story was about the friendship between two people who used to have been boyfriend-girlfriend. It contained the wistfulness of Jake's not having been able to keep the girl to which he was attracted and how he learned to live with that fact. It just seems like something that has happened to all of us but is seldom written about because it's sort of anti-climactic. I just liked the way this author did that.

Rating -- 5 stars

36. The Blue Bedspread – Raj Kamal Jha

A man in Calcutta receives word that his sister is dead and he awaits her newborn daughter soon to be placed in foster care. He writes to his niece the story of his family’s life. A family secret is revealed to the baby in his writing.

This story was beautiful to read but left no remarkable impression. No one had a name in this non-linear story. I could keep neither the characters nor the action straight. I really need something a bit more linear and clear to be memorable.

Rating--2 stars

37. The Cement Garden – Ian McEwan

This was the second book by McEwan I've read. This one was as psychologically fun to read as the previous one (Enduring Love). Be prepared for creepiness in this story of four children living alone in their isolated house! Yikes!

It's a wonderful and bizarre novel! It reminds me of other books/movies I've seen in which children are left to fend for themselves (e.g. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, “Nobody Knows” directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu). The narrator does a great job in showing how children adapt to their own situations with a flexibility unknown in adults. They simply do what they have to do.

Rating -- 4 stars

37 / 50
(74.0%)
Comments, anyone?

Adding some more...

38. From the Teeth of Angels - Jonathan Carroll

I usually love books by Jonathan Carroll, but this is the one I liked least. It is the story of how death personified affects three different people. What I mostly didn't like was the confusion of the people. I had a hard time keeping the relationships of the characters straight at the beginning of the book. Then, at the end of the book, they were not even an integral part of the story. The idea was a good one, but I much preferred the way Australian Mark Zusak personified Death in his novel The Book Thief. Had I started reading Carroll with From the Teeth of Angels, instead of him being a favorite autho, I'd probably not have read any more of his books. My very favorite Carroll book a Land of Laughs - a book truly not to be missed.

Rating - 2 stars

39. Willard and his Bowling Trophies - Richard Brautigan

What's not to like about Richard Brautigan's writing if you're into his style? When I first started reading this story, beginning with the kinky sex in the first chapter, I raised an eyebrow. However, by the time I met the downstairs couple, Willard (a papier mache bird) and his bowling trophies, and the three Logan brothers, I was transfixed with the irony and humor of this story. It's a "perverse" mystery about locating the stolen bowling trophies. I loved it! By the way, there was actually a "real" Willard.

Rating--5 stars

40. Stupid White Men - Michael Moore

Our mouth for the far left, Michael Moore strikes at the Bush administration and the Democrats whom he feels are too moderate and names them "Democrat-Republicans". This is typical Moore stuff. I like to listen to it because it riles me against the injustices of American society in which the poor and middle class are always out-maneuvered by the very rich. Sometimes Moore goes overboard. Sometimes just listening to him gets tiring. I often cringe at his acerbic remarks, but mostly just listen for the truth of what he says.

Rating -- 4 stars

40 / 50
(80.0%)
I'd love to hear your comments. Any Brautigan fans out there?

squeakychu--back to your comment on A Thousand Splendid Suns I felt the same way you did--loved the book and was brought to tears reading Jalil's letter as well. Such a sad book. I had a very hard time getting a good book after reading that one. I hpe Hosseini writes more novels.

--> 88

Have you read The Kite Runner yet? If not, that should be your next book.

SqueakyChu, I have read The Kite Runner and loved it but I have to say {A Thousand Splendid Suns I loved just a tiny bit more. I hope to see more by Khaled Hosseini.

Oh, no! I've been remiss in adding my completed reads. Here are some.

41. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I loved this book. I usually am not a fan of historical fiction, but do love international fiction. I was thoroughly intrigued by this book because the way in which the author wrote it made it seem as if it were contemporary fiction with the action taking place right now. I very much identified with the travails of the protagonist. My husband recently read Peony in Love by the same author and was raving about that book. I'll certainly need to read that one myself.

Rating - 5 stars

42. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This was a delightful book. It was very well written. Again, I'm not a fan of time travel books nor of romance. However, the author did a fantastic job of grabbing my attention and making me want to know what happens to the two main characters. I am always amazed by how authors can get their chronology right when writing about distortions of time. Another book in which time was changed in a most amazing way was The Confessions of Max Tivoli. I'm going to look for that book for my husband who also loved The Time Traveler's Wife.

Rating - 4 stars

43. The Liar's Club by Mary Karr

I had a hard time staying interested in this book. Perhaps it was because I'd recently read the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls which was a similar memoir about a difficult childhood. I'd like to try to get hold of some books of Mary Karr's poetry. I saw her last year at the National Book Festival and enjoyed the poetry of hers she recited. I also got the impression that there was a hard edge to her. Now I see why. My other impression of her (in person) was that she was very proud of her son. That is a nice post script to her own difficult role of being a daughter within a dysfunctional family. Cheers to this author!

Rating - 3 stars

44. The Ministry of Speical Cases by Nathan Englander

I thought this book was fabulous. I am very much interested in Jewish issues and issues of South America. I have a friend who is an Argentine Jew and have always wondered about "the disappeared'.
Some people were offended by the humor in this book, but I thought it was great. It offered comic relief to a very difficult time and situation. The author's writing was so taut! Not one useless word!! Very reminiscent of the way John Irving writes. I'm now going back to get hold of a copy of The Relief of Unbearable Urges , a book of short stories by Nathan Englander. I am looking forward to reading more fiction by this talented author.

Rating - 5 stars

How am I doing? I'm at 44 out of 50 which equals 88%. I've slowed down quite a lot due to being busy with other online obsessions! :-)

SqueakyChu, I just found your thread today and am thrilled to find out that you're an enthusiastic fan of Chuck Palahniuk! He is by far my favorite author. I'm somewhat of a fanatic - I even have a great Valentine's day story involving some fan mail to him, lol.

Anyway, to the books! I know you mentioned that you were waiting for Survivor as part of a bookray. Did it ever make its way to you? Its by my far my favorite Palahniuk and I couldn't recommend it highly enough, especially to someone who's already read and enjoyed his work. I actually think that Diary and Haunted are among his weaker novels, so I can't wait to see what you think of his earlier novels! Do keep me posted as you explore the wonderful world of Chuck.

Also, since you seem to be a fan of graphic novels, might I suggest you check out Alison Bechdel's Fun Home or The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. I've only read an excerpt from the first one, but her Dykes to Watch Out For is a brilliant, in-depth comic and The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation was just a stunning take on the subject.

Happy reading,
twomoredays

--> 92

I'm somewhat of a fanatic - I even have a great Valentine's day story involving some fan mail to him, lol.

I want to hear your story. Do tell!

Er, I have all my bookrays/rings on hold now as I have three books backed up in my house from others that I have to read first. No more Palahniuk in the very near future. :-(

I will check out the graphic novels you mentioned. These are often fun to read in between conventional novels. Thanks for the suggestions, twomoredays!

Well, It's probably not the most interesting story, but it makes me happy.

Every couple of years Palahniuk opens a window of about a month where everyone who sends him a letter will get a reply - usually a box of trinkets. (The notice is posted on his fan website www.chuckpalahniuk.net. )

Anyway, my first year in college, I wrote him a letter in November. Come Valentine's Day, I was quite depressed as it was always a tradition for my father to buy me and my sister a box of chocolates and a card for Valentine's day - one of the few father-daughter traditions we had. It was my first year away from home and while I wasn't really expecting anything, it was still a little disappointing when nothing came from my father. BUT the next day I got a call from a friend who worked the front desk in my residence hall saying I had a package and, laughing, she mentioned that the box said it was from Chuck Palahniuk. I rushed downstairs and opened the package finding a box filled with some candy, trinkets, a signed copy of Fight Club, and a personal response to my letter with Valentine's Day wishes from Chuck! My friend was shocked - she hadn't actually believed the package was from him and having Chuck as my "valentine" took away much of the sadness of realizing I was growing out of childhood traditions.

Also, a few years later he did the same thing and I wrote him another letter. A similar box arrived a few months later this time with two, exclusive to those who received these packages, recordings of Chuck reading some of his short stories from his reading tours.

Anyway, that's my silly little story.

--> 94

Anyway, that's my silly little story.

Not silly at all! In fact, I find it very touching.

I agree, that's a great story. Chuck is a very cool guy, and you can tell how much he cares about his fans. His readings are a blast!

Okay. It's the last week in December. Time to finish my challenge list and tell you that I accomplished my deed. Yay!

Here are the remainder of my books (with possibly a book or two to be added at the last moment).

45. Out – Natsuo Kirino

This was the first book I've read by this author and perhaps the first murder mystery book I've read by a Japanese author. It was kind of a fun read because the murderers were all female - to me an unusual twist. I did keep a list of the characters because I wanted to keep all of the Japanese-sounding names straight in my mind.

Rating - 4 stars

46. Marley & Me – John Grogan

This was a wonderful, heart-warming book. It reminded me a little of a book I recently read by Jon Katz called Orson: A Good Dog. However, Grogan's book did not have anything offensive to animal lovers and was extremely funny in parts. Katz's book was about a border collie while Grogan's book was about a Labrador retriever. Grogan's book was by far the better of the two, although I did appreciate what Katz had to say.

Rating - 5 stars

47. My Invented Country – Isabel Allende

Noted Chilean author Isabel Allende tells about her family and her relationship to her country of Chile in this small but charming book. She writes with warmth and humor about the land and customs of her former country, Chile. Allende now resides in the United States.

Rating - 4 stars

48. In the Country of Men – Hirsham Matar

In this book, a nine-year-old is trying to make sense of his father's actions. At times, the child sees his father on the street, and his father fails to acknowledge his son's presence. This at first is confusing to the reader until the setting of the book and the story reveals what this means. The child lives in Qadaffi-controlled Libya, and the child's father is anti-government. How this plays out is explained in this novel, probably the first I've ever read by a Libyan author and certainly the first novel I've ever read in which the setting is Libya. It's nice to add an African author to the list of world authors I've read.

Rating - 5 stars

49. As Nature Made Him - John Colapinto

I'm absolutely aghast and outraged by reading this book. I thought it would read like a National Enquirer sort of article, but that's not what it's like at all. It starts as a simple story in which an eight-month-old child is to about be ciircumcised. The story, however, takes a horrid turn for the worst. The child's penis is accidentally cauterized and falls off. The child's family is told to raise this male infant as a girl. The most horrible part of the story is that it's all true and was a most unfortunate decision made by a man who was once considered an expert in his field.

Rating - 5 stars

50. Angela and the Baby Jesus – Frank McCourt

This is a children's book, told from the point of view of an Irish family in which a child does not want baby Jesus (a stone statue) to be cold in the manger. The charcoal and pastel drawings which accompany this story are lovely.

Rating -4 stars

51. The Pharmacist’s Mate – Amy Fusselman

A kind of sweet book, but not that remarkable. It's a tribute to the author's father as well as a personal story of the desire to become pregnant.

Rating - 3 stars

52. What the Dead Know – Laura Lippman

Not being a fan of detective mysteries, I never got into this book very much. I really only picked it up because it was set in Baltimore and written by a Baltimore novelist. Besides the familiar place names (I grew up in Baltimore), I did not find much else to exclaim over in this novel.

Rating - 3 stars

Comments? Please feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Have a great holiday season and a good 2008!

I'll be doing another 50 book challenge for 2008. How about you? See you all on the fora!

Congratulations on making your goal!

I liked What the Dead Know, but then, I like mysteries. I have read one other Lippman book and enjoyed that as well To The Power of Three, but I don't know if I will read any more of hers--she seems a bit formulaic. Both books had a victim who wasn't telling all she knew, but clearly would at some point. The plot structure was very similar in both books. Still, I thought the characters were well-drawn and the topics she explores were interesting. Just not interesting enough to carry me through another book that is so emotionally manipulative. I really did like reading these books, but I don't know that I want to submit myself to that kind of manipulation again.

You had a great year of reading! Congrats! Looking forward to reading another 50 or so with you in 2008...

=) Jill

--> 98

I doubt seriously if I'll head for another Laura Lipmann book. However, if you find one that might be noteworthy, do let me know.

Happy Holidays, sussabmax!

--> 100

Thanks, Jill. I've got so many books lined up for 2008 that I don't know where to start!

Happy holidays to you, too!