Tad's Reads for 2010 - Part 3

= I can't believe anyone liked this

to = Disliked, ranging from "probably didn't finish unless compelled" to "there might have been some skimming"

to = Neutral, ranging from "I'll probably forget about it in a year" to "it passed an afternoon"

to = Recommended, ranging from "perhaps just to certain readers, or mildly to a general audience" to...well..."I recommend it"

to = Ranging from "Strongly recommended" to "This is going to be one of my best reads this year"

= Sentimental favorites—I really don't care about any other criteria

Part 1 of the thread is here
Part 2 of the thread is here

Summary of Parts 1 and 2

Ratings may vary from what I posted in past threads as I'm revising my rating approach.


Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright


Children of the New World by Assia Djebar
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey


The Tongue's Blood Does Not Run Dry by Assia Djebar
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
Spring Tides by Jacques Poulin
A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates
Still Life by Louise Penny
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny


First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
The Ivankiad by Vladimir Voinovich
The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday by Neil MacFarquhar
Bonk by Mary Roach
Miss Buncle's Book by Dorothy Emily Stevenson
Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston
My Dead Body by Charlie Huston
The Big Red Train Ride by Eric Newby
Mrs. Tim Christie by Dorothy Emily Stevenson
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Lord Sunday by Garth Nix


Grifter's Game by Lawrence Block
Somebody Owes Me Money by Donald E. Westlake
The Year of the Frog by Martin M. Šimečka
Iorich by Steven Brust
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Legacies by F. Paul Wilson
The Iliad by Homer
Fire from the Andes ed. Susan E. Benner


Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
Report From Practically Nowhere by John Sack
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat by Victor Appleton
MetaGame by Sam Landstrom
Torn from the Nest by Clorinda Matto de Turner


Triplanetary by E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Anger of God by Paul Doherty


Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton
Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer


The Cougar Club by Susan McBride

#44 : The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian

Historical Fiction, ~400 pages, Aubrey/Maturin #8



I find all of these books enjoyable for their colorful and vivid portrayal of seafaring in the British Navy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. O'Brian's language just sucks me in and the time passes.

That said, this is not the most colorful episode of the series. Those looking for action will find it light in that department. Those looking for a complete story line will be left somewhat wanting at the end—it's not a cliffhanger, but neither is there a sense that any of the various sub-plots spanning the volumes are resolved.

In summary, as an individual volume, this is a mild recommendation though, as part of the larger series, the recommendation is stronger.

Ha! Found your new thread! Starred you

I love Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series.

#45 : The Pocket Book of Short Stories edited by Morris Edmund Speare

Short Stories, ~428 pages



A nice little Whitman Sampler of short stories by a cross section of American and European authors: Sherwood Anderson, Honoré de Balzac, Stephen Vincent Benét, Ivan Bunin, Willa Cather, Anton Chekhov, Anatole France, Bret Harte, Ernest Hemingway, O. Henry, W. W. Jacobs, Ring Lardner, Thomas Mann, Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, Guy de Maupassant, Dorothy Parker, Edgar Allen Poe, Saki, Robert Louis Stevenson, Leo Tolstoy, and Mark Twain.

There's nothing in here that isn't found easily in other books but it's a nice omnibus that fits in your pocket. It had a good publishing run and is fairly easy to acquire second hand.

Found you again.

I like the multi-colored stars.

Idle at a computer + PhotoShop = Goofing off

I really like the 5-star rating for you, Tad. Sentimental favorites, gotta love it.

love the summary :)

Like the coloured stars, your rationale for all of them and the description "a nice little Whitman Sampler" for a book of short stories.

#9 Me too - that would fit most of my five star ratings, definitely...

The Pocket Book of Short Stories sounds like a great selection of authors...

#46 : War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated from the Russian by Aylmer Maude

~1376 pages



Reviewed so many times, you don't need me to say anything additional.

Definitely recommended...one of my favorite reads so far this year.

with that rating, I'd guess it's one of your favs. I've never finished it. I should give it another go sometime.

#13: Reading War and Peace last year is what inspired me to read Anna Karenina this year. I agree, a highly recommended read!

#47 : Changes by Jim Butcher,

Fantasy, Dresden Files #12, 438 pages



This is one of the most action-packed of the episodes in this series, tying together a number of the background story lines into a single, good adventure story. One of the things I like most about the Dresden books is that Butcher doesn't allow himself to get stuck in one never-ending plot line that, eventually, becomes boring. We had the introductory conflicts with Morgan; we had the Denarius stories that spanned five books; now he's bringing the Red Court story line to a rather gripping crescendo.

Another thing that I've always liked about these books is that, while the larger story lines spanned volumes, but each book was complete unto itself...the local story line reached a natural pause point while Harry and the reader contemplated the consequences of what he had just done. Book #12 followed that formula for 437 of its 438 pages. The story was over, though we see the trouble brewing on the horizon. Then, on 438, Mr. Butcher decides to gift us with his first cliff-hanger—an out-of-the-blue event that leaves us wondering if Harry is even going to survive. Though...of course...we know he will if we are to read any more books in the series.

Boo! We'd have bought them anyway; we didn't need to be aggravated for a year.

Dropped from recommended to mildly recommended for this reason—I recommend you hold off on this one until the next book is out. You get the added bonus of buying it in paperback.

Mr. Butcher decides to gift us with his first cliff-hanger

oh! I so hate that!

I confess, I've never read War and Peace. Work is crazy right now and focusing on a large volume book would be challenging, but, I'll aim for summertime.

Congratulations on reading 47 books thus far!

>18 Whisper1:: Hi Linda.

I wouldn't try it when your hurried or harried. I started it last year while I was busy with other stuff and had problems. I got maybe 300 pages into it and realized that it wasn't working. I couldn't keep track of the characters (everyone's a Prince/Princess or Count/Countess and, with patronymics, the names sound very similar to my ear,s); the sense of a sweep of history was lost by breaking it up into small chunks.

I put it aside and restarted it from page 1 this year, reading a bit every day. The difference was amazing. So gradually that I can't point to the moment when it happened, the book had me hooked and it was all I wanted to read.

I'd try it when you have some time.

I'm feeling flustered and need a Reset button that clears my TBR stack, restarts all books, returns all library books...

I've got two books I was partway through when War and Peace hooked me so much I didn't want to read anything else. I've got a couple unstarted library books due back next Tuesday, and more due the week after. I've got an Early Reviewer book that actually looks like it might be very good and I like to do them promptly. I've been asked to fill in on a Belletrista review for someone who couldn't do it at the last minute. I'm...theoretically...doing a group read with someone here in town. One of the friends who is going to Ireland with us in May gave me five books by Irish authors and said, "Read a couple before we go and we can talk about them." One of my favorite authors has a new book coming out in two weeks.

Ack!!!!

Tad's Reset button:



Push as many times as necessary!

LOL -- oh if it were only possible :)

ETA Guess the old 'how do you eat an elephant' doesn't really help in this case. There was never a deadline in that story...

Tad, I want one of those reset buttons for my desk...not the computer one, the 'taking care of business' one. It has reached epic proportions. I've been looking at the Pevear translation of W&P for a couple of years now but haven't taken the plunge for the reread. Haunting memories of pages of analysis about the Napoleonic wars are like a forcefield around it, keeping me away. You inspire me to try.

#23: Tui, I used the Pevear translation of W&P last year and am also using the Pevear translation for Anna Karenina this one. I have found them to be very good. Just my two cents.

>23 tiffin:: Yes, there are pages of analysis about the wars, especially in the Epilogue. I enjoyed them but, if you don't, you could always skim those parts a bit just to understand his point and then drive on with the story.

My choice of translation was somewhat haphazard. I had asked tomcatMurr over on the Club Read boards for a recommendation since he reads the Russians a lot. His response was, "Actually, I don't think the translation really matters. Each translation has its good points and bad points. If I were you, I would buy an edition that is easy and comfortable to hold and is not going to fall apart, coz it is going to take you some time to read the whole thing!"

So, I wasn't picky beyond one thing. The Pevear puts all the French translations into footnotes, leaving the original in the main body. This is very awkward on the Kindle, which is where I wanted to read this for various reasons.

Beyond that, I saw a post from someone who had read nine of the translations that said, "The Maude edition is a reasonable compromise between the various translations," and went with it.

#48 : Couch by Benjamin Parzybok

Magical Realism-ish, 280 pages



Bottom Line: An interesting first novel, almost a slacker epic quest. There is some awkwardness covered up by an enjoyable writing style.

---

Parzybok's debut novel starts as an offbeat and humorous story about three young men, somewhat in the slacker line, who are having a bad day as their apartment is flooded and the local thrift centers refuse to take their old couch. The book remains offbeat to the end and humor continues to well up at regular intervals, but the overall story gradually morphs into a mythic tale as the roommates realize that there is somewhere that the couch needs to be taken. Their simple trip to Goodwill becomes a journey around the world, full of adventure and self discovery.

I really enjoyed the author's language and writing style. They made up for a few holes in the story line and a few awkward moments. I'm not sure if I'd call this book fantasy or magical realism, but it's definitely the type of thing one might expect from Small Beer Press. Recommended.

>"which is where I wanted to read this for various reasons" -- including the sheer bulk and weight of it???

So did you go with a Kindle? I do want the French left as it is, without anything on the screen to distract me (I speak/read French, so it's same thing to me) -- so should I get the Pevear? I do actually have a Russian version, but my language skills aren't up to that... And the old Constance Garnett translation, but that falls into the category of "hard to lug around".

Hi There Tad.

I understand about the need to reset....I vow not to check out library books, but then I read a thread where a great book is mentioned...I go to the library site, find they have the book, and whalla...I think I simply have to get it from the library.

This obsession does get out of control at times.

And tell me Linda, when you go to the library to get that one that you wanted, do you ever come away with more than one book? Hmmm? I thought so.

>27 Chatterbox:: Suzanne,

Yes, the main reason was weight and size. The other reason was that my Kindle syncs automatically with Kindle for iPhone, so I could pick up reading it on that while there were breaks in meetings at work, waiting to pick up kids, etc. without having to figure out where I was.

The Pevear translation is earning all kinds of kudos, so I think it's probably not a bad choice if you want the French intact. The Garnett translation is sometimes criticized as having too much of her in place of Tolstoy in it.

>28 Whisper1:: Linda,

I'm fighting that kind of thing hard. I put stuff onto my Wish List but refuse to look at the online library catalog as much as possible.

>30 TadAD: -- Done!

when I got the Kindle, I was worried about running out of shelf space. Now I'm worried about running out of room on the Kindle 2, which doesn't have expandable capacity like the Kindle 1 did...

>32 Chatterbox:: I archive everything I've read on mine to keep the memory free. If I ever move away from the Kindle, I'll re-download it all first and move it to my PC.

I'm trying to resist the purchase of a kindle...Yet, I know it would be great to use on trips, especially in the airport or plane.

Regarding Couch, if you give it 3/5 stars, then I'm adding it to the tbr pile. It sounds interesting.

In preparation for a trip, I'm reading a book of Yeats' poetry and trying a tot of different labels of Irish Whiskey in the evening (Redbreast 12-quite good, Midleton Very Rare-way overpriced, Green Spot-good).

A friend who will be traveling with us gave me four books by Irish authors and one retelling of the Ulster Cycle to try, and maybe talk about on the trip. Has anyone read any of them and have opinions?

A Goat's Song by Dermot Healy
The Long Falling by Keith Ridgeway
A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty by Sebastian Barry
The Raid by Randy Lee Eickhoff

Sorry, Tad, I have not read any of those.

Me either (shock! LOL), but I love the sound of The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty -- what a title!

>33 TadAD:, I am very technologically unskilled... I can archive, but I don't know how I'd move stuff around on the PC out of the Kindle format. Oh well... I don't archive much, as I'm a big re-reader. The only stuff that gets archived is what I'm pretty sure I won't want to re-read, or some free Kindle stuff like Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook, which I downloaded because it was free but, since I don't cook that much, won't be needing often!

I haven't read any of these; I'm about to read The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. No John McGahern? That they May Face the Rising Sun is great and very Irish. Though it made him tremendously unpopular with his neighbors...

#49 : August Folly by Angela Thirkell

British Humor, 297 pages



Lucy recommended this one to me about a month ago...

I can see Thirkell's books becoming a little addiction if they are all like this.

It wasn't a book full of profound insights or deep thoughts—it was simply a witty, amusing and, above all, comfortable story. We see British middle class and minor gentry fumbling along through romances, jealousies, behaving badly and making amends. By the end of the story, I knew, and was attached to, all of them.

I can't even vaguely say why, but it evoked high school days with the slightly potty families of friends and summer holidays from university, all with a pleasant chuckle of fond memories. While it puts me in mind of Austen's books in tone, it is much lighter in weight...a touch of something like E. F. Benson in them, perhaps.

If you think you would like a relaxing, send up portrait of rural England in the 1930s, I recommend this.

Great review -- very evocative :)

#39: Richard has been touting Thirkell's books too. I really must get my hands on some of them.

Tad, Couch sounds like an interesting read onto TBR pile! Will it never end? Not with the likes of you Suze, and Dr. N who all seem to read about a book a day, lol!

>39 TadAD: Hi Tad, I've been meaning to try Thirkell's Barsetshire books for ages. Is it necessary to start at the first book 'High Rising', or can I just dive right in with 'August Folly'?

BTW, I ended up ordering an M-Edge Kindle Jacket + light. Should be turning up tomorrow. Woo-hoo!

*touchstones are taking the night off it seems...*

>42 Ti99er:: Hi Ti99er! I was just sitting here thinking that there seemed to be only a few reliables reading the thread when your post popped up! That'll teach me! :-D

To answer your question: no, it never ends! I have to fight when reading other threads to keep stuff off the TBR pile. Once it becomes country-, continent-, planetary-, or black-hole-sized, it's unmanageable for me—I become paralyzed with too many choices. I'm almost there right now; there are four or five books I absolutely have to read next. I have to figure out how to read one book with each eye simultaneously.

>43 digifish_books:: Hi Laura. I'm uncertain because that's the first Thirkell I've read. Lucy recommended it as a starting point (even though it's nominally fourth in the series) and I certainly didn't feel that I was missing any back story whatsoever. So, I'm guessing it's fine to read them in any order. From what I can gather from various reviews, the stories are all lightly interlinked because they are all set in Barsetshire and you occasionally encounter folks you've met in other books.

Let me know how you like the M-Edge cover. I'm very happy with mine (other than that ugly white stitching), and my wife with hers.

Hello there, I went on a Thirkell binge in the late 70's -- collected all of them in older hardcover editions which I treasure!..... It doesn't matter at all what order you read them in -- as each book tackles a different set of protagonists; there is really no continuity, other than that someone formerly single might turn up married or something like that and later, if you aren't reading in order, you might find out how that happened..... I recommend August Folly because along with Wild Strawberries I consider it one of the best. Nothing more nothing less, but they are all wonderful reading. And totally addicting. Sorreeee....

August Folly sounds like just my kind of book. On to the Amazon Wishlist it goes!

I have two Thirkells sitting there unread because they are near the end of the series, so thanks sib for the info about no continuity. I was going to go on the hunt for the first ones in the lovely Moyer Bell reissues.

Finally caught up on all your threads, Tad! :)

#35 I've not read anything on your list, but I reckon you should add some Roddy Doyle (maybe The Barrytown Trilogy) to taht list! ;o)

I've just gone to Amazon and looked up some of Thirkell's books ... they sound totally delightful. I'm going to give a couple a shot given the raves here on LT.

And from Thirkell it is only a short hop into the wonderland of the Virago series ....

Are you visiting Ireland, or has your friend chosen books s/he has read and is interested in? I read quite a lot of Irish writing, including literary, crime and chicklit, but have never read any of these though I own one or two books by Dermot Healy. Making recommendations presumably won't help your stress so I'll resist backing up the Roddy Doyle suggestion or mentioning Ken Bruen and Ferdia Mac Anna, and you're perhaps not a chicklit fan?

>53 elkiedee:: These were books he had read and had lying around, nothing more.

Just stopping by to say hello.

Senior management just...without advance notice...announced that my entire development staff was being off-shored to a not-yet-hired China team in 6 weeks.

Morale is in the toilet and, since we're in the final 6 months of a major release, there's still a ton of work to be done. Somehow, I have to "just make it work." 8-/

Needless to say, I'm not getting a ton of reading done.

Oh Tad, I'm sorry. You and your team are in my prayers. So, they're being laid off ... but not you? Is that right?

Yuk. That's just lousy.

>56 suslyn:: Yes, that's right. I'm still here and tasked with dealing with the consequences of their decisions.

Tad

Yikes! Sending good thoughts your way. This has to be oh so difficult for you!

It's not right and it isn't fair. I hope that the powers that be know that and they will suffer at least a few qualms re: their actions. It doesn't help you or your people, but it would be nice to know they haven't gotten off completely scott free.

For some reason, I keep thinking of the Alamo.... I do hope your outcome is better. Hang in there -- good luck...
What an ugly situation -- and to tell you to make it work? Tacky, tacky, tacky.

LOL Yes, better than the Alamo! (Do you have a Bowie knife?)

Sorry I read that right Tad... We'll be thinking of you over these next weeks. So sorry.

>55 TadAD: Eeeeek, of all the &*$ #** to do! It's tough, Tad but try to remain steadfast.

That just sucks is terrible. Best wishes for you to be able to work through this Tad.

sorry Tad, hate to hear people losing jobs like that

Ditto what Mac said. I hope things work out for everyone.

Wow. Having been through a somewhat similar situation (no notice, just everyone lost their jobs) at the beginning of the year, I can empathisize. I hope you are hanging in there, Tad!

@55: Wow. I'll join the chorus in saying how sorry I am that your life has taken a nosedive thanks to The Management. Sigh. I hope you survive the stress.

@67: Stasia, I hope you've bounced back from that. Again, still amazed at the lack of basic business courtesy/ethics/acumen. I suppose we can blame it on the economy, but still, no notice?? I guess that shows that I still have some illusions of fair play that haven't burst quite yet.

#67: Thanks, Chris. I was without a job for about 6 weeks, but we are slowly but surely recovering.

Adding my sympathetic voice among the others here, Tad. That does indeed stink. The cost of the decision may be argued for, but the timing to off-shore is really shocking. How do you offshore projects that are just a few months to release? I think I'd have a coronary if that happened at my place of work ..... oops, better not speak too soon...we're all on a cost saving track now too.

Thanks, all. It's going to be a total pita rest of the year. It would probably be helped if executives didn't feel the need to Manage By Platitude—"It's going to get worse before it gets better so, the sooner we embrace the worse, the sooner we'll get to the better"...yeah, that helps.

People who express these platitudes seem to be rarely, if ever, affected seriously by these situations.

#50 : Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Supernatural Fantasy, Hollows #8, 487 pages



Another episode in the series...the author writes well enough in these quick reads, but the story really isn't going anywhere. I had fun, but they're all starting to blur together. Harrison needs to stop writing "and now Rachel Morgan has a fight with <insert new opponent here>" stories and move the larger plot line along.

Recommended for those already reading the series; mildly recommended for fans of supernatural fantasy; there are better choices for those looking to try the genre.

#51 : Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

British Fiction, ~256 pages



How can one not enjoy a Gothic whose first page tells us that the father was "not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters" and that the mother "instead of dying in bringing [Catherine] into the world, as anybody might expect...lived on"?

As a parody, I found it a little more overtly funny than Austen's other novels and a little lighter in weight. The social conflicts and characters are typical Austen inventions, though General Tilney rather surprised me since it's not usual that someone changes his stripes midway through one of the stories, but fans of her work will find familiar ground. It is neither my most nor least favorite of Austen's stories, but thoroughly enjoyable.

#52 : Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides, translated from the Greek by Nicholas Rudall and a second translation from the Internet Classics Archive

Greek Drama, 69 pages



I read this one in preparation for #53 below...

This is the most cynical of the Greek plays I've encountered so far. Agamemnon must choose between sacrificing his daughter, Iphigenia, to ensure fare winds for the fleet or face the wrath of his men who place martial honor far above familial affection. The story casts an unflattering light on the supposed heroes of the Trojan War; only Achilles comes through with any modicum of grace. The reader's only satisfaction is in knowing the fate awaiting Agamemnon some years hence, and wishing it could be visited on a few others. Killing a daughter for a war whose sole basis is satisfying outraged male pride would seem so foreign to modern sensibilities, but we only have to look at honor killings to see that those sensibilities can be wrong.

Both of these are prose translations, the first a modern one by the director of The Court Theater, the second a more traditional wording. I found both completely readable, though I enjoyed the second one a bit more.

#53 : Iphigenia (The diary of a young lady who wrote because she was bored) by Teresa de la Parra, translated from the Spanish by Bertie Acker

Fiction, Venezuela, 354 pages



My review will be in Issue #5 of Belletrista.

Edit to fix bad link.

#54 : The Time of Terror by Seth Hunter

Historical Fiction, 389 pages



This was an Early Reviewer book.

This wasn't quite the book I was expecting to encounter. I thought it would be a naval adventure along the lines of Forester, Kent or O'Brian. Instead, while the main character is a naval officer and there is a small bit of naval action, most of the story takes place on land as Nathan Peake gets involved in espionage in the Paris of 1793...more Richard Sharpe than Jack Aubrey. I found this a pleasant adjustment since the "naval officer's career" series have been done often and well.

Hunter also did a good job of evoking his setting, weaving Mary Wollstonecraft, Gilbert Imlay and the Pitt brothers in as important characters. He inserted several small scenes that particularly conveyed the senseless insanity of the Terror, when people were dragged off the streets and killed for no reason.

For all that, however, I didn't particularly enjoy this book. The characters were not well-developed. We never get a real sense of who Nathaniel Peake is, let alone understand why Gillet is so malevolent and omnipresent. Robespierre and Danton are drawn with more depth than the people the author has created...and, while I understand that they were colorful figures in history, bursting with substance, it represents a failure of imagination on the part of the author that his own inventions should seem so pale in comparison.

I also found the story's pace herky-jerky. No scene was ever really developed; they are simply thrust upon the reader in rapid succession: Peake is in Paris undertaking a clandestine mission, a few pages later he's suddenly back in England having a conference with the Prime Minster, only to have another few pages place him back in France participating in another desperate undertaking.

I wanted very much to like this as I enjoy this type of book, but I don't envision trying the forthcoming second book in the series.

#77: Too bad about that one. It sounds like something I might have enjoyed as well, but I think I will be skipping it.

Congratulations on reading 54 books Tad!

I like the extended title of Iphigenia : the lady who wrote ... I'll look out for your review, Tad.

Oh pooh I was all set to hear how wonderful >77 TadAD: was and, nope, it wasn't. Hope your next reads are superb.

>76 TadAD:: Looking forward to your review in Belle, Tad. I read that book last year and enjoyed it. I didn't read the Greek play though -- looks like an interesting preamble.

It is neither my most nor least favorite of Austen's stories, but thoroughly enjoyable.
You have certainly hit the nail on the head. Good review of Northanger Abbey Tad.

Just saying hi, as I have been lurking silently for some time now. I am so sorry about yr work woes.

#55 : Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle

Young Adult, Newbery Honor, 122 pages



This was a recommendation by Linda (Whisper1)—perfect as I need light reading right at the moment.

This is an interesting tale of friendship...focusing on issues of loyalty, independent thinking and how we treat those who are different. From the back blurb, I expected something similar to a modern version of T. H. White's Mistress Masham's Repose (a marvelous book, itself) but it surprised me. The reader is left to decide whether this is a delightful fantasy story, or a tale of desperate imagination attempting to make reality bearable.

I think most readers will enjoy this book; I did. However, it has a rather odd overtone which left me unsettled. If you come down on the side of this not being a fantasy book...as I did...the author seemed unwilling just to let Hillary have her viewpoint. It's almost as if she, the author, took sides in the story in a slightly irresponsible way.

Recommended, but I plan to talk over the larger issues with my kids if they read it.

I like your caveat on the last one.

#56 : A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

Mystery, Three Pines #4, ~384 pages



Another thoroughly enjoyed book in Louise Penny's mystery series. We don't actually have the pleasure of being in Three Pines for this one, but Manoir Bellechasse was an acceptable substitute. One of the things that makes these books so enjoyable is that the author hasn't frozen her characters. Each new volume gives us a bit more insight into the history and personalities of the characters, making them more believable.

>86 suslyn:: Thanks, Susan. I changed slightly..I'm not trying to tell others how to deal with their children. :-)

Tad

Both Stasia and I were somewhat disturbed by Afternoon of the Elves. We actually had a phone conversation about our opinions and we both agreed it was a book that was thought provoking and complicated.

we both agreed it was a book that was thought provoking and complicated.

I'm finding that true about many YA books and even some "children's books" I've read lately. Our children seem to be growing up awfully fast.

Tad

I love your reviews of the Louise Penny series. My husband and I use them for "car books" when we go to our house in the Bay area. It's a series we both enjoy very much.--You reminded me I need to get the next on--we are on number 3.

I don't know how I missed the transfer to a new thread, but I did and just found this one. So sorry to hear about the work situation. That really does suck.

I have A Rule Against Murder as my next Three Pines read Tad. I'm trying to stretch the series out as much as possible:)

#57 : Treason’s Harbour by Patrick O’Brian

Historical Fiction, Aubrey/Maturin #9, ~336 pages



I enjoyed this, but I also have to say that I’m having doubts. The pleasure of a roman fleuve is that each episode is a self-contained little yarn, while the larger life story of the characters ties the books together. O’Brian’s books followed that principle through the earlier volumes. However, of late, they haven’t. The subplots—Wray’s actions, Stephen and Diana’s marriage, Jack’s financial troubles—carry on from book to book, not as little background stories, but as major plot elements that do not get resolved.

I enjoyed this book, but not because it moved the story along. It wasn’t even that it was full of action, for, even by O’Brian’s slender standards, there was little in this episode. I enjoyed it simply because I love O’Brian’s language, because his dry sense of humor appeals to me greatly, and because the characters are old friends. But, I’d really rather have more.

#58 : Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Historical fiction-ish, 567 pages



Bottom Line: We can argue either way about whether this is one of Kay's best...but even his not-best is better than 99% of the genre. Recommended.

---

Under Heaven is another exceptional quasi-history from Guy Gavriel Kay. This wasn’t really a surprise—my take on his stories is this: if he writes it, I will read it, virtually certain of enjoyment.

In some respects, I would even say this is his best work. His departure from Europe and the Middle East for China during the Tang Dynasty (Kitai in the book) has resulted in his richest setting and deepest-realized characters. Kay leads us, for almost 600 pages, across the sprawling empire, through the intrigues of the palace, to the pleasures and pains of the brothels, from dealings with the powerful Tibetan Empire to the southwest, to the Great Wall and the nomadic tribes whom it was meant to block.

Along the way, Kay does what he does best, introducing us to people who feel real. Some are drawn from China’s past: generals and imperial concubines of history occupy these pages as pivotal characters; even the poet Li Bai, the “Banished Immortal”, becomes Sima Zian, keeping both his sobriquet and fame. Others, such as Shen Tai, the unassuming second son who is thrust into Empire-shaking events, are from Kay’s imagination. In each case, real or imaginary, major or minor, they are drawn with such color and detail that the reader becomes engaged with them, believes in them.

And, in a way, this is the difficulty in this story…leaving it, contrary to what I said above, not his best work. For, having spent almost the entirety of this book investing us in these characters, there are simply too many fascinating tales for him to resolve in the pages remaining. Whether 567 pages was his choice, his publisher’s, or both, we are left wondering what happened to some of those minor characters we met along the way, and wishing a hundred more would have been allowed. I finished this story with the same sense of quiet contentment I always have with one of his stories, but it wasn’t quite as complete as it was after, say, a recent re-read of The Lions of Al-Rassan.

Yet, don’t let this make you hesitate—Kay is always a sparkling and enjoyable read. This one is no exception.

I need to figure out how to characterize Kay's work. Not his "Obviously Fantasy" like The Fionavar Tapestry or even Ysabel. But all that stuff thats 99.9% historical fiction with just a hint of magic in it?

"Fantasy" conveys totally the wrong idea. "Magical Realism" just plain feels wrong...it's too tied up with other movements in fiction right now. "Historical Fiction" doesn't acknowledge the fact that, "No, a shaman can't really see through the eyes of a flying swan."

But, if that's about the extent of the magic in the story...

Hey, Tad, Tim just posted some changes to the ER algorithm today. I think this one should up your chances of getting a book...

"Another factor disclosed! It's now my pleasure to peel back the curtain on one factor that we are definitely confirming is in the algorithm, "the long-time loser boost." The long-time loser boost helps members who keep requesting, and keep losing. The boost increases with each failure, and while it alone isn't going to get you a book, it ups the chances considerably. "

re >95 TadAD: Historical Fantasy?

>96 ronincats:: I got a book last month and have one coming this month. His changes seem to be working.

Nice review. I've read two GGK novels--loved Tigana and ended up liking Last Light of the Sun. I own one more--A Song for Arbonne which I hope to read soon. I've been doing some reading about China lately so I will have to find Under Heaven.

I kind of petered out on the Patrick O'Brian books, too, unfortunately. After a while they became more like soap operas. I was disappointed and I may try them again some time.

Tad, which ER did you get? I got Bruce Feiler's The Council of Dads. I'm looking forward to it.

>99 MusicMom41:: I looked at that one, but decided it would make me too uncomfortable. Cancer is a common thing in my family and I confess that I worry about it at times.

No, though I did request some that were somewhat meaningful (I was secretly hoping for Freefall, and will now buy it since I didn't win it), I have something totally...well...inane seems the right word: Blood Oath.

:-D

I'll be watching for your reviews on both of those books.

I'm excited about Feiler's book for several reasons: I was acquainted with him when he was a teenager, I'm a cancer survivor who went through it when my 2 boys were about the age of his daughters, and, most importantly, I am think we need to place more emphasis on the impact of good "fathering" in our families today (for which I think you set a very good example!).

Loved the Kay book. Not surprised ti didn't disappoint, but am really glad that's so! I've found some other hist fic with a bit of magic in it, enough actually for me to consider it fantasy (an Arthur book), but it was just labeled fiction. It was really pretty good -- good enough that I didn't mind yet-another arthur book. Sadly it's in storage so I can't leave the title or author (almost wrote 'arthur' LOL)

Tad
Congratulations on your hot review listed on tonight's home page!

Great review of Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kayand well deserving of hot review status!

Too bad about the French Revolution novel -- an interesting time and so many fascinating characters; there's no excuse for a bad book!
I've not read the O'Brian naval novels yet -- may start, but having read Hornblower and being interested but not overwhelmed, it hasn't been a priority for me.

I am adding Under Heaven to the BlackHole. Great review once again, Tad!

>102 suslyn: & 103 & 105: Thanks!

>104 Chatterbox:: Suzanne,

Yes...I thought the Terror had extraordinary potential for a book. Too bad Hunter didn't have the writing chops. Oh well, someone else will do it justice at some point.

The O'Brian books are quite a bit different from the Forester books, despite the apparent similarity of following a naval officer's career. The Hornblower saga is pretty much non-stop action...Horatio takes this ship, takes that ship, leads an assault on a fort, etc. O'Brian's have much less action in them—a book three times the length of one of Forester's might have less than half the action. They're much more focused on the characters of Jack Aubrey (naval captain) and Stephen Maturin (physician and intelligence agent), who become fast friends. Also, where Forester does a bit of hand-waving at the technical side of seamanship, O'Brian gives it to you both barrels, simply using the real language and trusting you to understand it eventually.

I don't know if this makes you want to read them more or read them less. ;-)

#59 : White Masks by Elias Khoury, translated from the Arabic by Maia Tabet

Lebanese Civil War, 303 pages



Bottom Line: I couldn't set down this vignette of Beirut during its Civil War.

---

In White Masks a journalist—who may be Khoury, himself, we are never sure—sets out to discover who committed the seemingly senseless murder of Khalil Ahmad Jaber. He tells us in the preface that he won't solve the murder. In fact, he tells us that the murder isn't even very interesting: "So I'm setting out to tell this story, which is really not a story, as the discriminating reader might observe, and which I know might well be of absolutely no interest to anyone." And so it goes, for, truthfully, the story of the murder isn't a story and it isn't particularly engaging.

But, it serves as a vehicle. Tied to it are threads arising out of the lives of five people connected with the victim. Their stories intertwine around the murder, leading the reader from one to the next, and their sum is a portrait of Beirut in the summer of 1980. Like a tree, these five main limbs branch out into a myriad of small stories, drawing in other characters that have no connection with Jaber for their piece of the picture: a guerrilla fighter having to abandon a wounded comrade during a battle, a doctor dealing with the predatory extortion gangs, a garbage collector facing the simple impossibility of collecting garbage properly. These are interesting...in fact, they are engrossing.

The picture they paint is of a country tired of war, but almost unable to imagine any other state. There is no sense that Khoury is taking sides in this conflict, only that he is recording the pain, disillusionment, and despair that are the reality of war regardless of causes or ideologies. The pull of these stories causes the reader to forget utterly about the murder, except when forcibly reminded by the narrator, to focus on the everyday lives affected by an interminable and meaningless conflict. The passion in this translation...and surely in the original...is impossible to ignore.

Wow! Thumbs up!

NICE review!

Great review, Tad! A well deserved thumbs up to you.

Definitely a super review --

>108 MusicMom41:-111: Thanks

#107: OK, I have got to find a copy of that one! Thanks for the review and recommendation, Tad.

I finished White Masks early this morning, and also loved it (4-1/2 stars). I'll write a review later today.

#60 : Stories of Red Hanrahan by William Butler Yeats

Irish folklore and poetry, ~48 pages



I've loved Yeats' poetry since high school but have never tried any of his prose until now.

These six tales concern a schoolmaster, Owen "Red" Hanrahan, who is caught up by the Sidhe one Samhain Eve and, Rip Van Winkle-like, held out of time for years. When he returns, he has become one of the old bards, able to turn the hearts of men, charm women to his side, and lay curses upon those who offend him. The attraction of these tales is not in the stories, which are rather simple, but in their language. Yeats prose and poetry in these early stories is ornate and lush, evoking Irish folklore just by their tone.

In one of the stories, Hanrahan creates a poem I've always loved, "A Song for Ireland". It draws on the story of Kathleen Ni Houlihan, a woman in Irish folklore who personified Irish independence, much like Marianne of the French Revolution. There's something about the poem's language that made me feel the sad beat of Ireland's history. It starts:

The old brown thorn-trees break in two high over Cummen Strand,
Under a bitter black wind that blows from the left hand;
Our courage breaks like an old tree in a black wind and dies,
But we have hidden in our hearts the flame out of the eyes
Of Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan.

#115: I enjoy folk tales, so I think I will give that one a try. Thanks for the recommendation, Tad.

>116 alcottacre:: It's a quick read, Stasia, so worth it if you're at all interested. I'll be interested to see how they catch you. As stories, they're fairly bland...it's all about Yeats' ability to evoke Ireland with his words.

#117: The local college library has a copy of the book, so hopefully I can get it in the next week or two.

Adding White Masks based on your excellent review.

Adding White Masks to be pile. My thumbs up was #8. And, by the way, congratulations on two hot reviews listed on today's home page!

Tad- Excellent review on White Masks! Good Job! And on the list it goes!

Opps, forgot to add a comment regarding Yeats. As you may know, his poetry greatly influenced the Pre-Raphaelities.

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/E392M/cp/TheRose/TotheRoseupontheRoodofTimePreR...

>122 Whisper1:: Every time I see the Rosetti picture, Roman de la Rose, that's on that link, Linda, it makes me think of the Sulamith Wulfing painting, Love Song. I'm not sure why—they're actually quite different styles, maybe it's just the color and theme.

A college girlfriend was quite enamored of Sulamith Wulfing and, while I was never a big fan myself (speaking of the artist, not the girl *smile*), certain images from walls of her dorm room have stuck with me.

Gonna have to take a peek at some Yeats' prose. thx!

Tad

I'm learning something new today. I've never heard of Sulamith Wulfing....I'm certainly going to learn more about this artirst.

Thanks, as always for continuing to teach me new things.

>125 Whisper1:: Linda,

Oh, I don't if you'll like her or not...I wasn't suggesting that. Her stuff is generally more ethereal than the pre-Raphaelites. It's just that particular painting.

--Tad

Tad

I do like her stuff. Thanks again.

Fab review of White Masks, Tad, which just arrived in the mail for me. Thumbs up from me.

#61: Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
#62: Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
#63: High Five by Janet Evanovich
#64: Hot Six by Janet Evanovich
#65: Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
#66: Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
#67: To the Nines by Janet Evanovich

Mysteries, ~300-350 pages each

Generally to depending on the book

---

With all the stress at work, I guess some people start drinking—I inhale some mind candy.

Jersey is quite funny through Evanovich's eyes. Who'd a thunk it?

Oh my, I'm missing 130 posts here, but I wanted to pop in and say hello.

Mind candy is good for the soul, and far healthier than copious amounts of alcohol. Enjoy your indulgence!

With all the stress at work, I guess some people start drinking—I inhale some mind candy."

I agree with that! I'm doing mysteries and rereads this month. Of course, another solution is to leave the country! HAVE FUN!

Character-driven stories are always more likely to capture my attention, Tad! So I'll probably delve into O'Brian at some point.

But I doubt I'll better your review of the Khoury novel, which arrived from Archipelago last month and has been staring at me reproachfully since, awaiting my attention. I shall have to stop dithering and read it, obviously.

Thank you, Suzanne.

Glad you had some laughs with Evanovich :)

Hi Tad, I enjoyed your review of White Masks. I seem to be on an Archipelago Books kick lately and saw that one in their catalog. I thought it looked interesting so I'm glad to see you liked it!

I've just caught up with your thread - sorry to hear about the job...

Tad
When is your trip to Ireland? I hope you are able to get away and rest.

Oh Ireland! Please go to a good music session at a pub for me!

Earth to Tad! Come in, Tad!

I just got back. I'm rather tired and work has piled up. I'll update later.

OK, I just found you after about 2 months. I'm making a coffee and starting at the top...

Hope you had a lovely time in Ireland! Where did you go?

Welcome back!

Cool, Ireland! And wow you have been reading some great books. I must restart War and Peace, but I feel like I'm in need of your reset button at the moment. I got about 200 pages in last year and was really enjoying it, but once work started to get busy and then we were moving I gave up on it. I should have a better run at it later this year. I still haven't read any Patrick O'Brian and am out of control on series at the moment so am not starting one for a while.

Your work situation sounds dire - or it did when they announced it. Having survived a while in a bank that said utterly stupid things like "embrace the worse" (actually our logo was Embracing Change - how inspiring) I feel your pain.

>142 flissp:: Where did you go?

This was our itinerary:

This was probably my favorite spot of the scenic variety: the cliffs out at Loop Head. A bit like the Cliffs of Moher, though a little lower.

Unfortunately, Moher has been completely Disney-ified—specified walkways with walls around them, talking telescopes explaining what you're seeing, shops selling cutesy snowglobes, the ruins "re-built" for your convenience, etc.

In contrast, Loop Head outside Kilkee is still just "walk up to the cliffs and be careful." Loved it!

Beautiful!

Ok, catching up on some books, though I didn't get much reading done while on vacation. The Irish roads are so bumpy reading is almost impossible and evenings were spent Pub + Guinness + Irish Music.

Some "series" reads since my last post:

#68: Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth: An Early Reviewer book. Somewhat entertaining mixture of a suspense thriller and a vampire book...more of the former than the latter. Somewhat reminded me of Maberry's Patient Zero, though not as good. Probably only of interest to genre fans. I may or may not pick up the next one.

#69: Quietly In Their Sleep by Donna Leon: Sixth in the Inspector Brunetti series. A bit slower than the others but I still enjoyed it.

#70: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny: #5 in the Three Pines Series. I've read a lot of "she killed Three Pines" comments about this book. I completely disagree! I enjoyed this. Trying to avoid spoilers here—as far back as Book #1 I felt "that part" of Three Pines didn't fit into the town, though the other half did. Was that cryptic enough?

Well, I have already read The Brutal Telling and own the Donna Leon book, so I am getting off easy!

#71 : A Goat's Song by Dermot Healy

Ireland, 420 pages



A trip to Ireland, so some Irish reading to get into the mood.

Bottom Line: The middle section, lightly book-ended with much-reduced beginning and end, would have been a much more enjoyable story.

---

This is an unrelentingly bleak story about the failed love affair of an Irish Catholic writer, Jack, and an Irish Protestant actress, Catherine, who are separated by religion, background and an alcohol problem on either side.

The story is told by Jack in a retrospective fashion, starting at their breakup and moving back. It passes through their time together and then on to Catherine's childhood in which her father was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary who became the public face of brutality when he was filmed beating a protester.

The first quarter of the book...a long, drunken complaint by Jack...almost lost me. Fortunately, the middle part, which eventually tells the story of Catherine's father, arrived just in time. The switch from the account of what is, at its heart, simply an extended bender, to a look at the conflicts and turmoil of the Troubles was welcome. I came away from it sad, moved...and sorry to see it end. In the final quarter of the book, the reader sees the story circle back to join the beginning. Knowing what is coming, I felt this part held the reader suspended for too long.

In the end, I found Catherine unsympathetic and Jack even less so—but I would have loved the central story of her father bookended by a reduced version of their story.

ETA: Btw, if confused about the title. "Tragos" is a male goat in Greek and "Odi" was the Ancient Greek word for song. From those roots, our word "tragedy".

Blood Oath is next up for me, since it's due back to the library before my vacation and I can't renew it. Your comments duly noted...8^}

#72 : The Warden by Anthony Trollope

Victorian Fiction, ~335 pages



Ok, technically an English writer...but he spent years living and working in Ireland (including places we just visited) and loved it dearly.

This is the first in the original Barsetshire Chronicles (not Thirkell's re-use of that location). I found it amusing, if a bit long-winded in the middle.

For me, the real strength of this book lay in how well it brought to life both the characters and their daily existence. No one comes across as a caricature—the warden is not impossibly saintly nor the archdeacon unduly greedy...they are simply human in their eccentricities and foibles.

I don't absolutely rave about it, but I will pick up Barchester Towers, the second in the series.

>151 drneutron:: I'll be interested to see what you think of it, Jim.

#152: I liked that one slightly better than you did, Tad, but I got bogged down in the Anglican offices, since I am completely clueless about how the Church of England is organized. I think the second book is better. I have read them all up to the last one, which I hope to get to this year.

I think you'll prefer Barchester Towers...
Have you read Phineas Finn? That's the one of his books that I have read that captures some of the Irish debates of the times; there are some others, I know.

Great trip -- you covered the same ground that my family did when I was little, 40 years ago!! (My father just burned some of those pics onto a CD; I have one of my brother and I feeding a donkey.)

Beautiful photo, Tad, and the map is very nice. How did you do that?

>156 kidzdoc:: Just used a Paint program and drew the lines on an image of a map.

Here are a couple more places I really enjoyed seeing.

(And, yes, I'll start a new thread soon so these images won't slow things down for long.)

The waterfall inside of Ailwee Cave



The seals living on the rocks offshore at Glengariff



The waterfall at Powerscourt



The innumerable fishing villages...I'll have to check my notes but I think this was taken in Cobh

I love the picture of the waterfall in the cave. That is so cool looking!

What beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing these, Tad.

Thanks for these lovely, lovely photos!

Looks like you had a wonderful trip! Thanks for sharing your journey with us - note to self - head on over to the emerald isle sometime in the not too distant future.

#162: Note to Lynda: Take Stasia with you!

Gorgeous pics. I already want to go, but in TBR language ... you've moved it up the list :)

I have a friend who just returned from Ireland too. Your lovely pictures make me anxious to meet up with her next week.

#163 I'd be happy to take you with me Stasia under one condition...............You have to carry your own bag of books!

#166: Done!

Part 4 is here