Bonniebook's Best of Your Best 2010 Challenge, Chapter 3

As per Stasia's request, I'm finally starting thread #3. If we haven't talked before, here are the links to Bonniebook's Best of Your Best 2010 Challenges: chapter 1, chapter 2

I'll still be lurking on the 10-10, Club Read, and 50-Book Challenges and following old friends wherever they go, but because I’m naturally disorganized, this is going to be the only challenge I do in 2010. You all feel like "real" friends to me; hope the same is true for you too. Happy reading, everybody!

...in 2010:

August:
81. The Way Men Act - Elinor Lipman (8/28/10)
80. Notes From the Underwire - Quinn Cummings (8/27/10)
79. Flood - Andrew Vachs (8/26/10)
78. Emigrants - Vilhelm Moberg (8/23/10)
77. Free For All: oddballs, geeks, and gangstas in the public library - Don Borchert (8/21/10)
76. The Help - Kathryn Stockett (bookgroup re-read, 8/21/10)
75. Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. - Jeremy Mercer (8/20/10)
74. Hidden Brain - Shankar Vedantam (8/19/10)
73. Mrs. Bridge - Evan S. Connell (8/18/10)
72. Math Doesn't Suck - Danica McKellar (8/17/10)
71. Open House - Elizabeth Berg (8/16/10)
70. Molly Fox's Birthday - Deirdre Madden (8/15/10)
**. Mother Tongue - Bill Bryson (Unfinished, due back at the library)
**. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein (audiobook, 8/15/10)
69. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life - Amy Krouse Rosenthal (8/14/10)
68. Await Your Reply - Dan Chaon (8/13/10)
67. Letters to a Young Teacher - Jonathan Kozol (8/11/10)
66. Old Filth - Jane Gardam (8/10/10)
65. Blackwater Rising - Anne B. Jones (8/09/20)
64. Say You're One of Them - Uwem Akpan (8/08/08)
**. The Invention of Everything Else - Samantha Hunt (Unfinished/due back at library)
63. Admission - Jean Hanff Orelitz (8/06/10)
62. Columbine - Dave Cullen (8/05/10)
61. The Wilderness - Samantha Harvey (8/04/10)
**. The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien (audiobook, 8/01/10)

July:
60. Ellen Foster - Kaye Gibbons (a re-read, 7/30/10)
59. Burnt Shadows - Kamila Shamsie (7/26/10)
**. An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination - Elizabeth McCracken (audiobook, 7/24/10))
58. At Large and at Small: Familiar Essays - Anne Fadiman (7/23/10)
57. Home - Marilyn Robinson (7/17/10)
56. The Air We Breath - Andrea Barrett (7/--/10)
**. The Little Friend - Donna Tartt (Stopped reading)
55. The Three-Day Road - Joseph Boyden (7/10/10
54. The Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa (7/--/10)

June:
53. Agnes Grey - Anne Bronte (6/--/10)
52. Dead Aid - Dambisa Moyo (6/28/10)
51. Family Album - Penelope Lively (6/19/10)
50. The Bird Artist - Howard Norman (6/17/10) for book group
**. School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister (audiobook, 6/14/10))
49. Girl in Translation - Jean Kwok (6/13/10)
48. My Detachment - Tracy Kidder (6/11/10)
47. Mistress of the Art of Death - Ariana Franklin (6/09/10)
46. Brookland - Emily Barton (6/7/10)
45. Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry (6/05/10)
44. The Wild Things - David Eggers (6/04/10)

May:
43. Sweet Dates in Basra - Jessica Jiji (5/30/10)
42. Belong to Me - Marisa de los Santos (5/22/10)
41. Half the Sky - Nicolas Kristof (5/16/10)
40. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (5/16/10) A reread
39. Wild Swans - Jung Chang (5/14/10)
38. Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami (5/12/10) Mark's May Group Read
37. In the Woods - Tana French (5/09/10)
36. Cost of Living - Mavis Gallant (5/07/10)

April:
35. Little Rock: Crisis at Central High - Karen Anderson (4/25/10)
34. An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England - Brock Clarke (4/--/10)
33. House at Sugar Beach - Helene Cooper (4/20/10)
32. Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer (4/16/10)
31. Blankets - Craig Thompson (4/08/10)
30. Blindness - Jose Saramago (4/03/10)
29. Strength in What Remains - Tracy Kidder (4/01/10)

March:
28. Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay (3/30/10)
27. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer (3/29/10 & reread on 4/26/10)
26. Scottsboro - Ellen Feldman (3/26/10)
25. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows (reread, 3/22/10)
24. Fun Home - Alison Bechdel (3/16/10)
23. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English - John McWhorter (3/15/10)
22. Netherland - Joseph O'Neill (3/14/10)
**. Goodnight Nobody - Jennifer Weiner (audiobook)
21. A Room for Learning - Tal Birdsey (3/11/10)
20. Crazy Like a Fox - Ben Chavez (3/06/10)

February:
19. Gifted - Nikita Lalwani (2/28/10)
18. Thirteen Moons - Charles Frasier (2/26/10)
17. The Devil's Highway - Louis Alberto Urrea (2/22/10)
16. The Ministry of Special Cases - Nathan Englander (2/20/10)
15. Game Change - John Heilemann & Mark Halperin (2/19/10)
14. Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann (2/18/10)
13. Little Bee - Chris Cleave (2/16/10)
12. Zeitoun - David Eggers (2/15/10)
**. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe (audiobook)
11. The Good Mayor - Andrew Nicoll (2/05/10)

January:
10. The Twin - Gerbrand Bakker (1/25/10)
09. The Hunger Games - Susan Collins (1/23/10)
08. A Homemade Life - Molly Wizenberg (1/17/10)
07. The Idea of Perfection - Kate Grenville (1/15/10)
06. You Remind Me of Me - Dan Chaon (1/10/10)
05. Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story - Jerry Newport (1/09/10)
04. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right - Atul Gawande (1/08/10)
03. Cancer Made me a Shallower Person by Miriam Engelberg (1/04/2010)
02. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel (started in 2009, finished 1/04/2010)
01. Michelle, a biography by Liza Mundy (started in 2009, 1/02/2010)

...Seattle Public Library books checked out this week:

Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness... by Jim Frederick
Chasing Goldman Sachs Suzanne McGee
Emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg
Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins
Flood by Andrew Vachs
A Guide to the Birds of Africa by Nicholas Drayson
The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
Rein ne va Plus by Marie Desplechin
Up in the Air Walter Kirn (audiobook)

Currently reading:

Chasing Goldman Sachs
A Guide to the Birds of Africa by Nicholas Drayson
The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig

For new and old friends I come bearing gifts: My alphabetized list of books created from the "Ten Favorites of 2009" lists proffered by many of your LT friends on my bonniebook's Best of Your Best, 2009 challenge. I plan on choosing most of my books for 2010 from this list, but will also pick from my ever growing wish list--and, of course, I'll continue to make "bonnieruns" to my favorite independent bookstores. Note: I'm going to strike through the books I've already read, so if you want the "clean" version, go to message #177 in my bonniebook's 2009 challenge here. It's also fun to look at the individual lists to see who recommended what.

An Alphabetized List of Your Top Tens for 2009

Abani, Chris: GraceLand
Ackerley, J. R.: Hindoo Holiday
Adamson, Gil: The Outlander
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi: Purple Hibiscus; The Thing Around Your Neck
Adiga, Aravind: The White Tiger
Achebe, Chinua: Things Fall Apart
Alexie, Sherman: Absolutely True diary of a Part-Time Indian
Ali, Ayaan Hirsi: Infidel
Allen, Sarah Addison: Garden Spells
Anderson, Laurie Halse: Wintergirls
Anderson, M.T.: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 1
Antunes, Antonio Lobo: The Fat Man and Infinity
Armstrong, Kelley: The Summoning
Atwood, Margaret: Alias Grace; The Handmaid's Tale; The Penelopiad; The Robber Bride
Auster, Paul: The New York Trilogy
Azzopardi, Trezza: The Hiding Place
Bahr, Howard: The Black Flower
Baker, Russ: Family of Secrets
Bakker, Gerbrand: The Twin
Balzac, Honore: Old Goriot
Banks, Ian: The Player of Games
Barbery, Muriel: The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Barlow, Tony: Sharp Teeth
Barry, Brunonia: The Lace Reader
Batataille, Marion: ABC3D
Bauermeister, Erica: The School of Essential Ingredients
Bazell, Josh: Beat the Reaper
Beals, Melba Pattillo: Warriors Don't Cry
Bemrose, John: The Island Walkers
Benson, E.F.: Mrs. Ames
Benson, Mary: At the Still Point
Bhutto, Benazir: Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West
Bishop, Holley: Robbing the Bees
Bolano, Roberto: 2666
Boyle, Kay: Thirty Stories
Boyne, John: Mutiny on the Bounty
Bourdain, Anthony: Kitchen Confidential
Bradbury, Ray: Dandelion Wine
Bruen, Ken: The Guards
Bryson, Bill: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid; Notes From a Big Country
Bulgakov, Mikhail: The Master and Margarita
Butcher, Jim: Princeps' Fury; Turn Coat
Canfield, Dorothy: The Deepening Stream
Carroll, Lewis: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Cather, Willa: My Antonia; The Song of the Lark
Chabon, Michael: Yiddish Policeman's Union
Chace, James: Acheson: The Secretary of State Who Created the American World
Chang, Jung: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
Chaon, Dan: Await Your Reply
Chaplin, Charlie: My Autobiography
Childe, Julia: My Life in France
Clarke, Gerald: Capote: A Biography
Coelho, Paulo: The Alchemist
Collins, Susan: The Hunger Games
Collins, Wilkie: The Woman in White
Conroy, Pat: The Water is Wide
Cooper, Gwen: Homer's Odyssey
Cooper, Helene: The House at Sugar Beach
Courtenay, Bryce: The Power of One
Cullen, David: Columbine
Cummings, Quinn: Notes From the Underwire
de la Parra, Teresa: Iphigenia
Dallas, S.: Tall Grass
Diamond, Jared: The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution of the Human Animal; Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Dickens, Charles: Hard Times; Little Dorrit
di Lampedusa, Giuseppe Tomasi: The Leopard
Dinesen, Isak: Out of Africa
Dittmer, John: The Good Doctors
Djebar, Assia: So Vast the Prison
Doctorow, Cory: Little Brother
Donoso, Jose: The Obscene Bird of Night
Dunn, Mark: Ella Minnow Pea
Du Marier, Daphne: Rebecca
DuPrau, Jeanne: The City of Ember, The People of the Sparks
Earley, Tony: Jim the Boy
Easterly, William: The White Man's Burden
Elliot, George: Silas Marner
Emecheta, Buchi: The Joys of Motherhood
Enger, Leif: Peace Like a River
Erdrich, Louise: The Plague of Doves; The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
Eugenides, Jeffrey: The Virgin Suicides
Evans, Pollly: On a Hoof and a Prayer: Exploring Argentina at a Gallop
Fallada, Hans: Every Man Dies Alone
Farmer, Paul: Pathologies of Power
Ferris, Joshua: Then We came to the End
Fforde, Jasper: The Big Over Easy; The Fourh Bear
Figes, Orlando: The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia
Follett, Ken: Pillars of the Earth
Ford, Jamie: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Francis, Brian: Fruit
Frank, Anne: Diary of a Young Girl
Frank, Thomas: What's the Matter With Kansas?
Fraser, Antonia: The Pleasure of Reading
Frazier, Charles: Thirteen Moons
Frost, Jeaniene: Halfway to the Grave
Fuller, Alexandra: Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight:
Funke, Cornelia: Inkheart
Gaiman, Neil: The Graveyard Book
Galloway, Janice: Clara
Galloway, Stephen: The Cellist of Sarajevo
Garton-Ash, Timothy: The File
Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South; Wives and Daughters
Genova, Lisa: Still Alice
Goldsworthy, Peter: Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam
Goodwin, Doris Kearns: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Grace, Patricia: At the Still Point; Waiariki
Grandin, Temple: Animals Make Us Human
Grann, David: The Lost City of Z (unfinished)
Graves, Robert: I, Claudius
Greene, Graham: The Ministry of Fear
Grenville, Kate: Secret River; The Idea of Perfection
Groff, Lauren: The Monsters of Templeton
Grossman, Vasili: Life and Fate
Gruen, Sara: Water for Elephants
Gurnah, Abdulrazak: Desertion
Haddon, Mark: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Hage, Rawi: De Niro's Game
Hakamura, Ishio: The Remains of the Day
Hajdu, David: The Ten-Cent Plague
Hale, Shannon: Rapunzel's Revenge
Hammett, Dashiell: Red Harvest
Hanff, Helene: 84 Charing Cross Road
Harding, Paul: Tinkers
Harvey, Samantha: The Wilderness
Helm, Sarah: A Life in secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII
Hollinghurst, Alan: The Line of Beauty
Hoesseini, Khaled: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Hoffman, Alice: Blackbird House; The Ice Queen
Hornby, Nick: The Complete Polysyllabic Spree; Housekeeping vs. The Dirt
Houellebecq, Michel: Atomized/The Elementary Particles
Hustvedt, Siri: What I Loved
Huxley, Aldous: Brave New World
Ishiguro, Kazuo: The Remains of the Day
James, Henry: Portrait of a Lady
Jamison, Kay Redfield: Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illnes and the Artistic Temperament
Jansson, Tove: The True Deceiver
Jelloun, Tahar: This Blinding Absence of Light
Jones, Gail: Sorry
Jones, Lloyd: Mister Pip
Johnston, Wayne: The Colony of Unrequited Dreams
Jordan, Hillary: Mudbound
Kamkwamba, William: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Kapuscinski, Ryszard: The Shadow of the Sun
Kawabata, Yasunari: The Master of Go
Kay, Guy Gavriel: Tigana
Kent, Kathleen: The Heretic's Daughter
Kirn, Walter: Up in the Air
Kluger, Steve: Last Days of Summer
Knisley, Lucy: French Milk
Koestler, Arthur: Darkness at Noon
Kopelman, Jay: From Baghdad, with Love: A Marine, A War and a Dog
Krakauer, Jon: Into the Wild
Kramer, Clara: Clara's War, One Girl's Story of Survival
Krasikov, Sana: One More Year
Kristof, Nikolas: Half the Sky
Lahari, Jumpha: Interpreter of Maladies
Lamb, Wally: The Hour I First Believed
Land, Brad: Goat: A Memoir
Lansens, Lori: The Girls
Larson, Kate Clifford: Bound for the Promised Land
Larson, Stieg: The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo; The Girl Who Played with Fire
Lawson, Mary: Crow Lake
Le Carre, John: Smiley's People; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Lehane, Dennis: The Given Day
Levy, Andrea: Small Island
Levy, Ariel: Female Chauvinist Pigs
Lewis, C.S.: Till We have Faces
Lipman, Elinor: Inn at Lake Devine
Lively, Penelope: Family Album
Llosa, Mario Vargas: Conversation in the Cathedral
London, Joan: Gilgamesh
Longfellow, Ki: The Secret Magdalene
Lovell, Mary: The Biography of Jane Digby, A Scandalous Life
Ludum, Robert: The Bourne Trilogy
Lychack, William: The Wasp Eater
Lynch, Jim: Border Songs
MacDonald, George: The Highlander's Last Song
MacMillan, Margaret: Paris 1919
McCann, Colum: Let the Great World Spin
McCarthy, Cormac: All the Pretty Horses; Blood Meridian; The Road
Macintyre, Ben: Agent Zigzag
Mackinnon, Amy: Tethered
Maguire, Gregory: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Mandel, Emily St. John: Last Night in Montreal
Mann, Charles: 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall
Maraini, Dacia: The Silent Duchess
Marchetta, Melina: Jellioe Road
Mahjoub, Jamal: Traveling with Djinns
Martel, Yann: Life of Pi
Matin, P.D.: Body Count
Matthieseen, Peter: Shadow Country
Maugham, Somerset: Of Human Bondage
Mawer, Simon: The Glass Room
Maynard, Joyce: Labor Day
Mee, Benjamin: We Bought a Zoo
Melling, O.R.: The Hunter's Moon
Mercer, Jeremy: Time Was Soft Here; Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs
Mistry, Rohinton: A Fine Balance
Mitchell, David: Cloud Atlas; Black Swan Green
Montgomery, Lucy Maud: Anne of Green Gables
Monroe, Alice: The View From Castle Rock
Moore, Christopher: Lamb
Morrison, Toni: Beloved; A Mercy
Mortensen, Greg: Three Cups of Tea
Morton, Kate: The Forgotten Garden
Morton, Kate: The House at Riverton
Murakami, Haruki: Norwegian Wood; The Wild Sheep Chase
Murphy, Lynda and Julie Rugg: A Book Addict's Treasury
Myron, Vicki: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat
Nemirovsky, Irene: Suite Francaise
Newport, Jerry and Mary: Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story
Niffenegger, Audrey: The Time Traveler's Wife
Nicoll, Andrew: The Good Mayor
Nolen, Stephanie: 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa
Novogratz, Jacqueline: The Blue Sweater
Obmascik, Mark: The Big Year
O'Brien, Tim: The Things They Carried
O'Connor, Flannery: Wise Blood
Ogawa, Yoko: The Housekeeper and the Professor
Olmstead, Robert: Far Bright Star
O'Reilly, Tim: The Twitter book
Otsuka, Julie: When The Emperor Was Divine
Palahniuk, Chuck: Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey
Parker, Dorothy: Complete Stories
Patchett, Ann: Bel Canto
Pausch, Randy: The Last Lecture
Pears, Iain: An Instance of the Fingerpost
Peck, M. Scott: In Search of Stones
Pennell, Joseph Stanley: The History of Rome Hanks and Kindred Matters
Petterson, Per: Out Stealing Horses
Phillips, Jayne Anne: Lark & Termite
Plotz, David: The Genius Factory
Pollan, Michael: The Omnivore's Dilemma
Proulx, E. Annie: The Shipping News
Raabe, Tom: Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction
Remarque, Erich Maria: All Quiet of the Western Front
Reynolds, Sheri: The Rapture of Canaan
Rhodes, Dan: Gold
Rhodes, Jewel Parker: Douglas's Women
Roberts, Richard Samuel: A True Likeness
Robertson, Don: The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread
Robinson, Marilynne: Gilead; Housekeeping
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
Roth, Joseph: The Radetzky March
Ruesch, Hans: Top of the World
Rushdie, Salman: Midnight's Children (unfinished)
Russell, Mary Doria: A Thread of Grace
Sabato, Haim: The Dawning of the Day: A Jerusalem Tale
Sandoz, Mari: Crazy Horse
Safran Foer, Jonathan: Everything is Illuminated
Saramago, Jose: Death with Interruptions
Satrapi, Marjane: Persepolis
Savage, Sam: Firmin
Scheeres, Julia: Jesus Land
See, Lisa: Shanghai Girls
Setterfield, Diane: Thirteenth Tale
Shaara, Michael: The Killer Angel
Shaffer, Mary Ann & Ann Barrows: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Shamsie, Kamila: Burnt Shadows
Sheff, David: Beautiful Boy
Shields, Carol: The Stone Diaries
Shlink, Bernhard: Flights of Love
Sigman, Dr. Aric: Remotely Controlled: How Televison is Damaging...
Silvey, Craig: Jasper Jones
Singh, Khushwant: Train to Pakistan
Small, David: Stitches
Smith, Helen: Not So Quiet
Smith, Tom Rob: Child 44
Spiegelman, Art: Maus I; Maus II
Stanisic, Sasa: How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone
Stein, Garth: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Steinbeck, John: East of Eden; The Moon is Down; Of Mice and Men
Stewart, Amy: Flower Confidential
Stockett, Kathryn: The Help
Strout, Elizabeth: Amy and Isabelle; Olive Kitteridge
Suskind, Patrick: Perfume: Story of a Murderer
Tartt, Donna: The Secret History
Thackery, William Makepeace: Vanity Fair
Thiong'o, Ngugi wa: Wizard of the Crow
Tinti, Hannah: The Good Thief
Toews, Miriam: The Flying Troutmans
Tobin, Betsy: Ice Land
Toibin, Colm: Brooklyn
Tremain, Rose: The Road Home
Triolet, Elsa: A Fine of Two Hundred Francs
Tsiolkas, Christos: The Slap
Tye, Larry: Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend
Unsworth, Barry: Land of Marvels
Urgresic, Dubravka: Thank You for Not Reading
Urrea, Luis Alberta: The Hummingbird's Daughter
Valenti, Jessica: The Purity Myth
Verghese, Abraham: Cutting For Stone; The Tennis Partner
Vincent, Norah: Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Looney Bin
Waugh, Evelyn: Vile Bodies
Waters, Sarah: Affinity; Nightwatch
West, Rebecca: Return of the Soldier
White, Antonia: The Lost Traveller
Wiesel, Elie: A Mad Desire to Dance; Night
Wilde, Oscar: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Winterson, Jeanette: Oranges are not the Only Fruit
Wood, Charlotte: The Submerged Cathedral
Woolf, Virginia: Jacob's Room; A Room of One's Own
Wouk, Herman: The Glory; The Hope
Wroblewski, David: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Wyndham, John: The Day of the Triffids
Yglesias, Rafael: Happy Marriage
Young, Emily Hilda: Miss Mole
Young, Fellicity: Harum Scarum
Young, William: The Shack
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz: The Shadow of the Wind
Zakaria, Fareed: The Post-American World
Zaniewski, Andrzej: Rat
Zusak, Markus: The Book Thief

My TBR pile is relatively small by LT standards (and YAY! I made some headway on it last month) but it's too long for me. I want to get it down to no more than 10 books. (Note: This list won't include library books waiting to be read.) Of course, I am continuing to add to the pile even as I'm trying to pare it down. ;-) For my own benefit, I'm also going to start noting where and when, and sometimes why, I got the book.

New Year's Resolution: By the end of the year 2010, there will be no more than 10 books in this list.

List of Books To Be Read in 2010:
Angier, Natalie: The Best American Science Writing, 2009 (bonnierun, TPB w/arubabookwoman)
Blackmon, Douglas: Slavery by Another Name (bonnierun/wishlist, Third Place Books, 12/22/09)
Chaon, Dan: You Remind Me of Me (bonnierun, Third Place Books, 12/22/09)
Chalmers, Robert: Fortune's Bastard * (Ryan's book)
Change, Jung: Wild Swans (rec by arubabookwoman)
Clark, Brock: An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England (bonnierun, Powell's Books, 12/31/09)
Coelho, Paula: The Alchemist
Ehrenreich, Barbara: Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream *
Enright, Anne: The Gathering
Erdrich, Louise: The Bingo Palace
Frazier, Charles: Thirteen Moons
French, Tana: In the Woods (bonnierun/discounted, Third Place Books, 4/10)
Gallant, Mavis: The Cost of Living (Christmas gift/Ryan, 2009)
Ghosh, Amitav: Sea of Poppies (bonnierun/discounted, Third Place Books, 11/09)
Hamid, Mohsin: The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Hosseini, Khaled: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Kinzer, Stephen: Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq *
Kramnick, Isaac: The Godless Constitution: A Moral Defense of a Secular State *
Kristof, Nicholas & Sheryl WuDunn: Half the Sky (Christmas gift/Ryan, 2009)
Mahfouz, Naguib: Palace of Desire
Mistry, Rohinton: Family Matters
Mitchell, David: Cloud Atlas (bonnierun/best of your best 2009, Powell's Books, 12/31/09)
Morrison, Toni: A Mercy
Murakami, Haruki: Norwegian Wood (bonnierun/best of your best 2009, Third Place Books, 12/22/09)
Murakami, Haruki: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle *
Perstein, Rick: Nixonland *
Rushdie, Salman: Midnight's Children unfinished
Saramago, Jose: Blindness (bonnierun, Powell's Books, 12/31/09)
Smith, Zadie: White Teeth *
Thaler, Richard: Nudge *
Thiong'o, Ngugi Wa: Wizard of the Crow (best of your best 2009/Alcottacre, Third Place Books, 12/22/09)
Toltz, Steve: A Fraction of the Whole * (rec by Ryan}
Undset, Sigrid: Kristin Lavransdatter * (gift by LT/Maggie?)
Vowell, Sarah: The Wordy Shipmates * (bonnierun, Third Place Books, 1/09)
Weiland, Matt (edit.): State by State * (Christmas gift/Ryan, 2009)
Wroblewski, David: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle * (Costco/discounted, 1/09)

*Books started and unfinished, or parts skimmed over and want to reread

I'm going to keep posting my "Top Ten Favorites of 2009" for those of you who want to know whether we might have similar reading interests. I was surprised that 2 mysteries/crime detective novels made it onto my list along with Lush Life--not my normal genres at all, but some of you LT-ers *coughMarkcough* convinced me that they were great stories and you were right! I read a total of 140 books last year, not including a few re-reads or the dozens of children's books I read as part of my work. Don't know if I'll read as many books this year, given my new resolution to get out more, but if I give up even half of my TV time, I might read even more. Either way, I know that your recommendations will greatly add to my reading enjoyment.

I'm know I'm cheating a bit by recommending two books-about-books here: Ex-Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman and Housekeeping vs. Dirt by Nick Hornby. But I loved them both and I wouldn't have gone looking for A Complicated Kindness if not for Hornby's quote about Toews which I think could be used to describe all of my favorites:

"You may think you don't want to read about the problems of growing up Mennonite, but the great thing about books is that you'll read anything a good writer wants you to read."


My Top Ten favorite books in 2009:
1. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
2. The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway
3. Mudbound - Hillary Jordan
4. A Complicated Kindness - Miriam Toews
5. The Coroner's Lunch - Colin Cotterill
6. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
7. The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon
8. What is the What - David Eggers
9. Still Alice - Lisa Genova
10. Lush Life - Richard Price

Other books in contention for the #10 spot:
A Case of Exploding Mangoes - Mohammed Hanif
Gardens of Water - Alan Drew
Property - Valerie Martin
Sharp Teeth - Toby Barlow - because it surprised me how much I enjoyed a book about werewolves--and I just loved that cover!
Gold - Dan Rhodes
The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

My favorite re-reads in 2009:
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Special Topics in Calamity Physics- Marisha Pessl
During the Reign of the Queen of Persia - Joan Chase
Isabel's Bed and Inn at Lake Devine - Elinor Lipman
Water for Elephants - Sarah Gruen

I still want to use book covers to more easily find my comments about books I've read, so I'm going to ask all you graphic-loving LT-ers to please not post any graphics on my thread--just because I kept messing up my lists last year, either skipping over books, misnumbering a book, or posting a book twice. I'm thinking the covers will stand out a lot better if they're the only graphics, though I'll probably still mess up, knowing me. Hope you all will still join me in talking about books and our lives--I love all your comments! :-)

33. House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper

I really enjoyed this memoir by the New York Times reporter, Helene Cooper. It's been awhile since I read it, so I'm going to cheat and link you to a summary of the book at Simon and Schuster. I thought Cooper did a fine job of describing her idyllic early years on Sugar Beach, as well as what was happening to her family during the overthrow of the government and the Congo People who owned and ran everything. I was also glad to see her go back 20 years later to find her adopted "sister" and give us an updated, and still very personal, picture of what is happening in Liberia now.

What I was a little disappointed by, was Cooper's more superficial description of her life as a teenager in the South. While she talked about having very little money, and how much her family was struggling; she didn't really talk about the discrimination/racism that she must have had to face there. There was still so much disparity between the living conditions and the schools of Blacks versus Whites in the 70's. It must have been so bizarre, considering her image of all things American being so cool/good when she had been living as a member of the elite upper-class in Liberia. I would still like to hear her say more about this time in her life.

34. An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke.

I have to admit that I bought the book for its title alone. You guys know by now that if I don't like a main character, it taints my impression of the book, and I really got impatient with Sam Pulsifier, the main character of this book. This is supposed to be a funny book, but Sam was too much of a loser for me to laugh at him. I meant to give this book to my son when he was home--I think he would get it. I would put it in the category of "guy humor."

35. Little Rock: Crisis at Central High by Karen Anderson

This book reads more like someone's Ph.D dissertation, but it's well worth reading. I thought I lived through this--I can see myself standing in front of the TV watching the events play out--but I was too young. I must have just seen replays of the news coverage, but it had such a huge impact on me that I remember it as if it were "real time" for me. Here's a good link to a brief description of the book per Princeton Press: link

36. The High Cost of Living by Mavis Gallant

I wanted to like this book better than I did, because it's one of the books my son gave to me for Christmas. The writing was good, and there were stories that I really liked, but the characters were sometimes annoying. Or, let me take responsibility for my feelings. In many of Gallant's stories, her characters were upper middle-class. I grew up poor, so I sometimes felt jealous/resentful of some of these characters and their relatively petty problems. Plus, the stories take place in the late fifties and early sixties and they're all so darn repressed and have fifties sensibilities about marriage, race, and class. Yuck! But, maybe that's a good reason to read these stories, as they do represent how many women and men thought and behaved during these times.

37. In the Woods by Tana French

This book combines two mysteries in one. Very disappointing. Detective Rob Ryan is at the center of both. As a child, he goes missing, but turns up--in the woods by his house--with blood on him and unable to say what happened. The two children who were with him were never found. Twenty years later, now a detective, he has opportunity to investigate the murder of a twelve-year-old girl in the same woods. Are the murders related? Will he finally be able to remember what happened to him as a child or solve the mystery/murder of his missing friends?

Possible Spoiler: The first mystery never gets even a little bit resolved, which I think is extremely unfair to the reader. And the main culprit in the second mystery (as well as his/her motivation) is very obvious. I had to laugh when Detective Ryan at the end of the book says something to the effect of 'Yes, I got tricked, but then so did you!' Uh, no!

38. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

I'll weigh in on this book when the group read is finished.

39. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

Loved this book! Thanks, Deborah, for encouraging me to read it. Most engaging, while also most thorough, description that I've read yet of what was really happening during Mao's Cultural Revolution. Some LT-ers have described Jung Chang as being whiny--I assume because her parents were part of the communist elite--but that's just what made this book so fascinating.

40. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I enjoyed this reread, but it's maybe not my favorite Margaret Atwood anymore. I wasn't as scared by this novel as I was when I was younger and in my child-bearing years, myself. Maybe it's because I've read so many real-life stories lately in which those in power manipulate and severely curb/repress people's speech and behaviors--and kill those who are found "guilty" of going against the new "regime"-- while continuing to behave in ways that are at odds with what they are espousing and forcing others to do. That should make this book scarier, you would think, but it elicits the opposite reaction in me. Plus, it's always funny to see how novels set in the future miss out totally on important trends and inventions which end up being so central to our lives. This book would be a lot scarier set in present time with a government's potential ability to track our every move and comment. I still would recommend Handmaid's Tale, but now I'm going to have to read Cat's Eye again to see if it's still my favorite Atwood.

41. Half the Sky by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl Wu Dunn

I keep reading and re-reading parts of this book. So upsetting, but also so inspiring at the same time. I hate to even try to talk about these true stories of women who have survived being raped, neglected, and abused to the extreme; mutilated, enslaved, and oppressed in a myriad of ways. It can be discouraging to read the individual stories in Half the Sky, because these women represent millions of women who are equally suffering every day in this world--not to mention the hundreds of thousands who are murdered or die due to neglect and lack of medical care every year--but knowledge is power. Kristof and Wu Dunn also share ways that you can lend your support: monetarily, personally, and politically. If only every literate woman could read this book and act in some small way to make the lives of women better around the world. Strongly recommend!

Finally! I've got most of my new thread up. Still have to add some comments about some of the books I've been reading these last few weeks, but I'm excited to start conversing again on my own thread.

Glad to see this thread Bonnie. :) More books for my wishlist.
I was just thinking about you when I was noticing I've only read one book so far in my "Books from Bonniebooks Best of 2009" category. I haven't been able to find the ones I want used, so I really need to get off my tush and get to the library!

I know, I haven't read that many books off the list either, but I have made a sizable dent in my tbr list, so I'm happy. I like having the whole list there for other people to see, but I know there are books on the list that I'll never read, so am considering making it an abridged list (e.g., The Best of Your Best 2009 Books that I'm Actually Going to Read). What do you think?

Glad to see you finally started a new thread! lol

I hate abridgements, so I am voting 'No' to your abridged list, especially since I know that you will axe at least 40 of my 50 suggestions.

Bonnie- Nice thread! You go all out, my friend! A couple quick things: I just started Sharp Teeth, very very promising!! Sorry you did not like In the Woods. I thought it was terrific and the follow-up The Likeness was also very good. I also finished Norwegian Wood yesterday and I'm hoping you were favorable on it. I'll be back later...
BTW- liked the "coughMarkcough" reference!

Hi Bonnie, Mark tells me I need a new thread, but mine will be the bare-bones variety.

I like having the unabridged list up. You could always mark the ones you know you'll never read with an asterisk or set them apart in some other way. I don't remember what I suggested to you, but somebody might get their feelings hurt if you delete their suggestion. You know how sensitive we bookies can be.

I have In the Woods queued up for my summer reading. I guess I'll have to form my own opinion of it. It's not the kind of book I usually read, but that will be my focus this summer. I plan to read some mysteries, thrillers (but NO werewolves please), and whatever else I've been ignoring on my TBR towers.

I love your new thread and, yes, I consider you to be a real friend.

So how does it work for you, reviewing 9 books in a few minutes time? LOL

Abridged list is fine with me since that list is an impossibility what with the "too many books, too little time" thing. Half the Sky goes on the pile.

Stopping by to say hi Bonnie - I don't seem to be keeping up very well these days on LT (too much reading, see - quite the Catch 22)... Some wonderful reads for you so far this year, including a fair few already on my TBR shelves -maybe I'll be able to keep up from here onwards!

Ahah... found you again, Bonnie and glad you got your thread up again.

Alas, I've got In the Woods on my list to read this year and it's been moving up my TBR Tower... I had read some good reviews of it from other LTers, so from your review I guess I should dial down my expectations a little. Thanks for the tip.

I too loved Wild Swans and it actually led me to another book which I thoroughly enjoyed ... The Soong Dynasty which is more historical and covered the 3 Soong sisters, who each married men of power, and their brother, Richard. All of them had an impact on Chinese history.

Sorry you didn't like In the Woods very much.

I read a book about the "integration" of Central High last year, called Warriors Don't Cry. What a sad event in our history. The struggle for educational integration is something where our country does a poor job paying remembrance, IMO.

Just dropping by to say hi! Nice new thread, Bonnie.

Yeah! I found you. ; ) Starred as always. Keep the list of good reads going so I can come over and steal a few ideas whenever I need them. Glad you are back and posting on your own thread.

Hugs, Berly

Bonnie

I am impressed! It must have taken a lot of time to compile all your lists and review your latest reads.

I really like your description of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China and I'm adding it to the tbr pile.

Linda : you won't regret adding this to your pile .. it's a very very good read.

Hi, Bonnie!
You are so organized! My younger daughter read House at Sugar Beach for her orientation at college last summer, so I have been wanting to read that one. Have a great day!
--BJ

Hi Bonnie! I like your organizational system... and how disappointing that The Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England wasn't as good as the title!

I had the same reaction to In the Woods that you did.

I'm so glad you liked Wild Swans. Now I don't have to feel guilty about making you read it. (I still need to get to Gilead.

Hope all is well.

Hi Bonnie! I enjoyed In The Woods almost right up to the end.

***possible spoiler - The ending made me want to throw the book across the room. I actually yelled at it. Very disappointing.***

Have loved reading your new thread. I have Half the Sky out of the library at the moment- it's great but I got through the first chapter and had to stop because it was so upsetting. Will keep going but it's going to be in small bits I think.

I bought The Help earlier this month, at last!!

I didn't see the ending to the new murder in In the Woods coming from a mile away like you did (maybe because I rarely read mysteries?) but by the end it wasn't the big reveal it was supposed to be. And the resolution to the other murder mystery - ugh. I can see throwing the book across the room. BUT - I did actually like it overall.

Thanks, everyone, for not forgetting about me and coming over for a look at my new thread. I can't get on to LT as often or conveniently as I used to, so my apologies for not responding as quickly or completely as I would like.

It's not that hard to transfer the lists up top--I just open the posts and copy and paste--it's having to write something about the books I've read. I would love to have more of a conversation going, but am afraid that if I really get going, I won't be able to stop--or I'll be misunderstood. I so rely on tone of voice and facial expressions to get my ideas across. That, and allowing others to finish my sentences. I sound so much smarter when that happens! ;-)

Faith, I wish I had talked about Little Rock: Crisis at Central High while I was reading it. Even though it was on the dry side, the quotes of what people actually said, as well as the descriptions of what they did, were shocking and would be so worthy of discussion.

Cushla, Half the Sky *is* upsetting to read. I think it would be even harder to have read it when my kids were younger, or if I had a girl. In a weird way, it's quite an inspiring/uplifting book as well. I'm so in awe of the strength/determination/bravery demonstrated by these women. Plus, the authors share information about organizations that are helping women in very practical ways, so for me it's overall a very positive book. I'm like you, though. I've had to read it in very small bits.

Whisper, I think you'll like Wild Swans. You really get the inside scoop on Mao's cultural revolution. Why is it that the people who are the most cruel and/or most corrupt always seem to come out on top?

Donna, I would say "no werewolves" for me as well, but really liked Sharp Teeth. I bet you would too!

B.J. I think you'll like House at Sugar Beach, but I, then, I do love memoirs.

And, Yay, some like-minded people re: In the Woods. I'll be happy to send you some of my specific rants about the book if you want. I would love to hear what you think, but don't want to be a "spoiler" for those who haven't read it yet.

Finally, I haven't requested any books from the library lately, because I want to focus on my tbr's, but when returning some books, I did do a quick "fly by" past the fiction stacks and found some titles I've considered for my wish list and even some that are on the wish list (e.g. Sweet Dates from Basra). Unusual for my library, since it's the most used branch in Seattle and hardly anything I want is ever on the shelves. (You should see the "requests ready to be picked up" shelves by comparison! If I wanted to sit in the library and, ahem, 'borrow' a few titles, I could read the "top tens" on everyone's wish list.) The current 'grabs' are always listed in message 2 above. Happy reading everybody!

LT won't let me fix the previous posting. So, sorry, Sher and Faith, I mixed up who said what about what! Glad I *cleared* that up, huh? ;-)

42. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

Today was such a funny day: sunny, then pouring down rain, sun, rain, sun, rain... A perfect day for curling up with some chick lit--which I happily did. Never even got dressed as a matter of fact! I'm a sucker for Santos. She's funny, but she makes me tear up from time to time too, usually because someone is being nice. Does that happen to you? That's when I cry--when people are being nice. Anyway, this book hit home, too, because one of the characters has cancer and the help she got from her friend reminded me of when I had cancer (25+ years ago, thank goodness) as well as the experiences of my two sisters who lost their battles with cancer.

#38: I am the same as you, Bonnie. I cry when people are being nice (and I am not much of a crier at all!)

I am going to check out Belong to Me. Thanks for the recommendation.

>37 bonniebooks:: Haha! I was definitely confused until I read msg #37...

Bonnie

I'm glad you beat the cancer scare. I'm so sorry that your two sisters lost their battles. BIG hugs.

>41 Whisper1:: Me too! :-)

Well, I'm skimming Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet for my RL book group. It's still bugging me in the same places. I'm sure my group is going to like it, but I still think Nisei Daughter is much better, folks!

I also started Sweet Dates in Basra last night. Hmmm, it's feeling a bit choppy and juvenile so far.

#42: I will have to give Nisei Daughter a try, Bonnie, as I did enjoy Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet for the most part.

>38 bonniebooks:, 39 I'm the same and that's what I loved and still remember a decade after I read Elizabeth Berg's Open House -- a character was not only so kind to the story's main character, he was also completely comfortable with her tears. It's a terrific comfort read.

I'll have to add Open House, MJ. I thought I had already read it, but apparently not. Thanks for coming by.

Have a pile of books to choose from this weekend. I like to totally immerse myself in a book and read it in one sitting, start to finish, so tend to read on weekends. Reading LT keeps me busy on weeknights.

I'll take it as a sign that as I am writing this post, my eyes went to the book case near the computer and saw the book Open House right at eye level.

I'm pulling it off the shelf and will read it this weekend.

Bonnie- I got my copy of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close today! Your influences run deep with me, my friend! I also had picked up "Blindness" awhile back and hope to possibly do a Group Read on it in September, if I can drum up enough interest. I will read it regardless!
I am loving Strength in What Remains. It will easily be one of my top reads of the year! Hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Bonnie...found your "new" thread. It's a list-makers heaven! I don't think I'd ever seen your favorite list of 2009, and because 4 of the top 10 were also hits with me, I think I need to simply read everything on that list. Thanks!

I loved Open House. I haven't read any Elizabeth Berg in a long time, though.

Hi, everybody! Nice to see some friends. Today I was on the bus, trudging around downtown, because...long story, but it involves getting my car burgled earlier this week (including--compliments of me--my iPod + accoutrements, and everything in my wallet: debit and credit cards, SS card, cash, lots of gift cards...Oh, the joys of canceling and replacing everything); a dead battery because door was left open by the dirty rotten scoundrels; and a son who needed me to go buy another certified copy of his birth certificate and Fed-Ex it to him priority overnight. The good part of my "adventure" was being able to hang out at the downtown library (see picture in msg. #2); it's beautiful on the inside too. If I hadn't had to lug everything home on the bus, I would have gone crazy. Yes, I know I'm spoiled, but I DON'T LIKE WAITING FOR BUSES! Pant! Pant! OK, I feel better now. And deep breath...

Hey, Linda! How serendipitous! So, how are you enjoying Open House? This weekend, I'm going to add a bunch of library requests, including that one. I'm really in the mood for some good chick lit.

Mark, I love your enthusiasm. I've gotten some darn good recs from you too. I'll participate in your Blindness group read, though I never did find thread 3 for Norwegian Wood. Gotta go do that, then go back and add my comments above on my own thread. Have a good weekend and hope there's some good barbeque in your near future!

Yeah, Louanne! Good to see you more regularly on LT now. I agree, that Best of Your Best 2009 list has been great to have. I appreciate so much the people who responded. I'll be working off that list for years. I love seeing people's Top Ten favorites for the year. If we have a lot of favorites in common, I feel much more confident about their recs. Hope you have a little more time this summer to get in some reading just for you.

Good to know you like Open House too, Joanne. I think we have similar tastes, so I should too.

Gotta go get new license tabs this morning, then I'm going to curl up with one of my library books. I should be out in my garden, but as in Kim's garden, my weeds are growing fine without me! ;-)

Oh Bonnie what a terrible story. How awful to have to replace all that stuff and a ......bus?? God terrible. I do envy you being able to pend time in that beautiful library though. At least you had that.

Good luck getting everything replaced sis :)

Oh yeah, read Open House a few years ago but it was just a "meh" read for me.

What a nightmare! Poor Bonnie .... I was robbed once and canceling all my cards, making a police report and informing my mobile phone that I needed a new phone and for them to stop all calls made from my stolen one was really frustrating.

I hope your day went off without a hitch today and you got to relax with a good book (what are you reading ... inquiring minds would like to know).

I've got Open House somewhere in my TBR Tower and I keep meaning to dust it of and finally read it.

I just had to laugh today. I put a new battery in my car last night and then when I went to get the emissions test (that was overdue), they said it couldn't be completed because the computer in my car had been reset and now I would have to drive it 30-50 miles so it could go through a "drive cycle." Geesh! What's that, anyway? After my scenic drive, and the retesting, I got to the licensing office for my tabs 5 minutes before they were closed. Yay! I just like to live on the edge, I guess. ;-)

Continuing to read Sweet Dates in Basra. Earlier, I said that it feels more like a children's book; now I would say it's more a YA novel. Which is not necessarily good or bad, but just is.

As someone who went through canceling just one debit card recently (since some kid decided he needed to use it to charge $300 in games to my account), I can imagine the hassle of having to cancel them all! I am glad you are OK and the car is OK, but am sorry you had to go through all this mess, Bonnie.

Edited for mixed up pronouns :)

Bonnie- Sorry to hear about all the problems! What a hassle! Hope the rest of the weekend is going well for you, my friend! Throwing a hug your way!

Sorry to hear about the burglary, Bonnie! Hoping for better times and brighter days for you!

43. Sweet Dates in Basra

Comments coming...

#57: I will be interested in seeing what you think of that one, Bonnie. I know Caroline really liked it.

I know! And I really like Caroline, so am thinking about what I want to say about it... Might give it to a teacher friend to see what she thinks about it.

#59: I am sure if you did not like the book that Caroline will still talk to you :)

>57 bonniebooks:: Oh! That sounds very interesting, I'm looking forward to your thoughts!

Sorry to hear about the burglary Bonnie! What a pain. And a bus to boot! I don't have a car and take trains everywhere, but even I draw the line at buses. :)
I hope everything gets replaced soon!

Bonnie : I'm interested in what you thought of the book and yes, I will still talk to you even if you didn't like it one iota ....*grinding teeth... LOL*

There should always be differing opinions on books we read because our different personal experiences and backgrounds color our impressions of what we read. It's this difference that makes this forum so addictive ... it's never boring. :-)\

So thrash away, Bonnie ... I shall survive ... and I'll still like the book.

Hi Bonnie. Sorry about the whole car burglary thing. My weeds are still doing just fine thanks; I found lots of other things to do this weekend instead. ; ) Now I am not sure I want to read On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet even though it is staring at me from the top of my pile. Hmmmm. Awaiting your review of Sweet Dates...

Bonnie, commiserations about the burglary. I was burgled a couple of months ago, and it was an absolute pain replacing the cards. I was very lucky in one way though: the suspected burglar is infamous for taking photos of his privates and sending them to every woman on the phone's contact list, but my phone was too old and basic to take photos!

>64 Berly:: My book group liked reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet because it had some interesting history that was centered in Seattle, but mostly because it was an "easy read." Most of our discussion centered around the internment camps during WW II, but that could have been because I brought in some facts that I knew. There was also some discussion about immigration, rights of citizens, paranoia and prejudice, prisoners of war, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, political prisoners, Guantanamo, etc. Nobody talked about the quality of the writing or any particular poignant event in the story. We talked about the implausibility of some plot points and some anachronisms. The majority of our group likes to read YA fiction and/or something you can listen to in the car, so Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was perfect for them.

The cool part was that we actually had our book group in the tea room at the Panama Hotel. Very funky and atmospheric. They had a 6 x 6 section of glass floor in which you could see down into the basement and see some of the belongings that were stored down there.

>65 pamelad:: That's funny! No, not really, that would be very upsetting to have my friends and/or family members get their privacy violated as well--so why am I laughing?! In RL, I would be creeped out!

Bonnie, the setting for your book group was so perfect. I'd love to see that glass floor, but I'm glad I didn't have to read Hotel on the Corner again! It fell short of wonderful for me although, for the life of me, I can't remember why.

I felt so bad for you with your recent car burglary and the ensuing problems. At least you didn't have to go through the humiliating situation pamelad wrote about. Can you imagine having to identify the pervert by the pictures he took?

Sometimes an oldie is a goodie!! #65

Oh my goodness, Bonnie, I just caught up on your thread. Sorry to hear about the theft - what a headache.

I wasn't totally thrilled with Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet but I would have just loved the book group meet up at the Panama Hotel!

Catching up on threads . . . so sorry to read about the theft! What a mess!

44. The Wild Things by David Eggers

What parent doesn't have fond memories of reading Where the Wild Things Are to their preschooler? It was such a ground-breaking picture book because Max was so "bad" when he got angry, and it was so comforting, and strangely thrilling, to both children and their parents who got to read about some other boy who couldn't always control his feelings, who sometimes went too far, but was appreciated for his spunk and creativity. I liked it for the message it gave about parenting too. Mom's going to set limits, and dish out consequences, but she still loves you (and has hot soup waiting for you when you calm down.)

I can picture moms (or dads) sitting down together with their elementary school child to read David Eggers book, The Wild Things, for much the same reason--especially with children who are still having trouble controlling their behavior when they're upset, and/or when they're having to deal with major disruptions (divorce, death, parent having to go to war, etc.,) within their own family. I felt like Eggers really knew this boy--and he probably did since he raised his younger brother after the death of both his parents when he was still very young, himself. He described some pretty wild times in his memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Eggers does such a good job of getting inside of Max's head in the first part of this book. I could understand and empathize with Max's very normal feelings about his parent's divorce, his father being gone, feeling rejected, worrying about whether it was his fault; about having to have his mother's boyfriend around, as well as the loss he felt about his changing relationship with his sister.

But! In my opinion, Eggers has created a character with some *serious* problems with impulse control, as well. Or maybe that's the only place he could go with a more grown-up Max. After all, we expect tantrums in preschoolers, but count on children getting better at self-control as they get older. Anyway, I think that's good--that's actually what makes this book worth reading with/by children. For the average child, I can hear potential discussions about what do you do with angry feelings, or to broach those uncomfortable subjects like having to deal with your mother's new boyfriend. But as I was reading, I also thought of children I had read about whose severe ADHD led to dangerous, out-of-control behavior that their parents didn't know how to cope with. (The "chatter" that the Wild Things heard even made me think of the voices that a child with schizophrenia sometimes has to deal with.)

Bottom line: This is a well-written children's book. My fond memories of Where the Wild Things Are kept me reading (though I have to admit to skimming through some of the scenes on the island with the "Wild Things") Also, I work with children with some of these difficulties, so I wanted to read it through to see if I could recommend it to both parents and students. And I would for the reasons mentioned above. But (imo) most adults who don't have to deal with the issues above could easily skip this book.

eta: Sorry, some touchstones aren't working for me!

Interesting concept for a book. I've never read anything by Dave Eggers before, but I'm about to start Zeitoun for my book club.

>72 AMQS:: That's a good one, Anne! Zeitoun will be a great discussion book as well as a good read.

45. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

I liked this book better than I thought I would, considering the comments I've heard lately. Wouldn't put it on my favorites list or anything like that, but wanted to keep reading. Possible spoiler: I did have a "What the ...?" reaction over one of the surprises at the end and had to go back and reread parts to have the book make sense. Interesting to read some of those passages again with a new perspective. Some of the places that didn't quite fit together the first time around (e.g., the boathouse with Jack), made sense with the knowledge gained the second time around, but then it seemed like other key events (the first car scene with Cal) didn't work anymore. And why was Towner so mad at May anyway? I like to be tricked, but the puzzle pieces have all got to fit together in the end, and I don't think that Barry quite did this.

Hmmmm, do I need to add a book that only gets a lukewarm recommendation from my sis?? Nah, I don't think so.

I've head mixed reviews on The Lace Reader and I haven't as yet added it to my obese wish list. I suppose if someone were to gift this to me, I'd read it, but as of now I'm not compelled to borrow it from the library or buy a copy.

I think it's so cool that you had your group read meeting of Hotel on the Corner of the Bitter and Sweet at the Panama Hotel itself. I'm surprised they still have the old belongings downstairs. I thought perhaps they were going to get rid of it all. What a great idea to turn their basement into a sort of museum and a glass floor so you could look back in time. Was it sad to look down and think of all the Japanese families who had to abandon their belongings before their internment?

>76 cameling:: It was cool to see the actual hotel mentioned in the book. It's still a working hotel too. I don't think there's very much of the old belongings in the basement. There's just a display that you can see; and, yes, it does make it all feel more real and sad when you look down and see somebody's belongings that they had to leave behind.

46. Brookland by Emily Barton.

I enjoyed this historical novel about one woman's attempt to explain herself to her daughter, as well as explain why, and how, she tried to build the first Brooklyn Bridge. (The actual Brooklyn Bridge was built in the late 1880's while this story starts during the Revolutionary War and ends in the early 1800's.) Why did I like it? After all, there were long sections in which Barton is describing, for example, how gin is made, and I don't drink any kind of alcohol nor have any desire to in the future. (I think I've had a total of 3 frozen strawberry daiquiries, all in my early twenties.) Again, I wouldn't include it in my favorites, even for this year; but I enjoyed immersing myself in these times, and absorbing some history, as well as being a part of this woman's life.

eta: Ha! Ha! I had to fix the spelling of daiquiries! ;-)

Definitely not a lush, more a teetotaler!! (I had to look up how to spell that, so we are even!) Thanks for the reviews, as usual. ; )

I read The Lace Reader last year, and I had exactly the same reaction you did. I have Hotel on the Corner in my pile. Soon...soon...

I actually really wanted to keep reading it, and the new knowledge at the end made rereading parts of it again good in a different way, but my disappointment with the ending still stands. Also, couldn't understand why anyone would be in love with her so quickly, especially given her behavior; it reminds me of teen romances and TV movies where people are seriously in love when they hardly know the other person.

#79 I meant you not me... ;)

I think I shall pass on the Lace Reader, but I have Hotel on the Corner somewhere in my pile.

>57 bonniebooks: Hi Bonnie, Sweet Dates of Basra looks interesting, how did you like it? Or is there a reason you are not sharing yet? Book club maybe?

I suspect that many people are more apt to agree with Caroline, considering the positive "professional" reviews it's getting; but I wouldn't recommend it. I'm going to add some comments up above (#57).

eta: ...eventually! ;-)

#79 : Berly : you had to look up the spelling of lush?! Oh oh ... i see, i think you meant teetotaler ... LOL *sorry...couldn't resist that one*

#85 Thanks ever so much, C!! LOL. Speaking of lush, I do occasionally partake and I had the most marvelous Bloody Mary at a birthday brunch for a girlfriend this morning. Course I needed a nap when I got home...

47. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franlin

This story is set in medieval times in Cambridge, England. Four children--all Christian--have been brutally murdered and the Jews of the town have been blamed (as usual). After some are killed by rioting mobs, they all are being belatedly protected within the town's castle. The King is losing money in taxes, and asks the King of Sicily to send him a "master of the art of death" who can figure out who is murdering these children. The doctor sent from the University of Salerno turns out to be a woman who, with her team, works much like a modern-day medical examiner/CSI detective--but undercover, of course, since a woman during those times could easily be accused of witchcraft.

I picked this book as an escapist kind of read. The writing didn't have to win any prizes; as long as it kept me engaged, I was going to be happy. Except for the real ickiness of the gruesome child murders (no spoiler because you know this right off the bat), this historical romance was a good mix of history, a strong female character, and murder mystery. Well, one particular love scene at the end of the book was particularly silly/anachronistic, and the main character was way more of a feminist that you could expect for the 1100's in England, but I didn't care. I still really enjoyed this book. All the things I was supposed to get done today got canceled, but luckily I finished a few minutes before it was time to start work. Yay!

I liked the book too, Bonnie. I am glad you enjoyed it!

I have TWO copies of this - I clicked it twice by mistake on Book Depository - and I'm moving it up the TBR stack... especially because of your last sentence!

IDK, Cushla, I don't know if I would want to read it if I had young kids; I'm not sure the author had to make the murders quite so awful. And, keep in mind, that I live alone, so if I want to forego cooking, cleaning, or running errands, it doesn't really impact anyone but me, so I have lots of days of mostly reading.

I've been wanting to read this for quite some time, and now even more so! Thanks for the reminder, Bonnie. :)

>89 cushlareads: & 90: I don't mean to discourage you from the book, Cushla--especially since you have 2 copies--you'll have to tell me what you think. It would have been more difficult to read a few scenes when my own children were the same age, but the book's tone overall isn't like that.

>91 RedBowlingBallRuth:: You're welcome! How's school going?

Luxx just read a book that has the most interesting title: Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde. It made me think about what books someone might use to--not define my life--but to talk about me, based on our conversations, including our conversations about books. Would they be very different from the ones I would choose? And what books would I choose that would describe my best friend? Or describe my relationship with my mother? Or could I find books that reflect the arc of my children's lives? I know I'm probably way off base in terms of the book Luxx read, but it's got me thinking...

>92 bonniebooks: Interesting thoughts, Bonnie. I really liked Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal because the main character's home literally becomes "built of books". It's one of my very favorite books, but I studied East European literature, so that lends me to a certain predisposition.

As for your questions, I found myself thinking of the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society where the characters identify with a certain work or author as a way to emotionally survive the isolation of occupation. It made me wonder which work I would choose in that situation. Or which book I would memorize and thus preserve in the case of The Giver.

What would you choose?

Hi Bonnie- Good review! I have a nice copy of the Franklin book all-ready!

92 - I found Built of Books here on LT, but I can't remember who rec'd it in the first place. I'm really bad about that. But I just posted what I hope is a clear description of Wright's project.

It would be interesting to think of what someone would think based on my bookshelves.

I'm adding Mistress of the Art of Death and The Wild Things. The latter has been on my radar for awhile (Sendak's picture book is my favorite children's book, and inspired the naming of our second son), but I've been undecided about it. It sounds like it's worth a shot.

#92: It's (thank God!) over for the summer! I haven't gotten the results from any of my exams yet, so I'm currently living it up in a blissful state of ignorance and book reading.

> 87 I completely enjoyed Mistress of the Art of Death also. I need to read further in the series. I am currently reading a stand-alone City of Shadows by Franklin. It is good but doesn't have the atmosphere of MotAoD.

>93 labfs39:: I'll have to check that one out too, Lisa. It's always interesting to read other people's favorites.

>95 London_StJ:: I'm heading over now to read it, Luxx!

I just picked up a huge stack of books from the library. I feel r-i-ch! Most all are recs from LTers:

The Air we Breathe by Andrea Barrett (rec by Donna828 and bpompon)
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel (rec by detailmuse)
The Bird Artist by Howard Norman (bookgroup)
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (rec by NYTimes, rec by Charlie Rose)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (rec by Mark and brenzi, maybe even judylou?)
Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo (rec by rebeccanyc)
Family Album by Penelope Lively (rec by ?)
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (rec by sydamy)
My Detachment: A Memoir by Tracy Kidder (rec by ?)
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (rec by ?)

eta: I'm trying to remember to tag each book as I add it, as to who recommended it on their thread, but I obviously forgot to do some. Anybody want to claim credit? ;-)

Oh, I'm adding The Mistress of the Art of Death to my wishlist. I'll remember to scoot through the violent parts. Thanks for the recommendation!

Karen O.

Hi there Bonnie,

I've got The Mistress of the Art of Death staring at me from my shelf asking "When? When?"

That's quite a pile you have from the library. I enjoyed The Air We Breathe but not as much as Voyage of the Narwhal which knocked my socks off :)

message #99...
Thanks for making me laugh out loud. Naturally, when you wrote that you feel r i ch, I immediately had the image of Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd.

Happy Reading all those wonderful books from the library!

Oh, oh! I didn't like Voyage of the Narwhal very much, but love, loved Ship Fever. It's one of the few collections of short stories that I've read more than once and that I will read again. Maybe that's why I was so disappointed in The Voyage of the Narwhale and you were so disappointed in The Air We Breathe--nothing can match the thrill of your first contact with an author whose work "knocks your socks off." Well, I'm going to go pet my books until I decide which one to start tonight.

Always happy to make someone else laugh, Linda! I don't know that movie. Tell me more so that I can laugh too! :-)

I wasn't really disappointed with The Air We Breathe but then I went on to read and love Ship Fever; especially loved the title story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NicYE6pdm8

Bonnie,
The movie is a classic!

LOL!

#99: Nice haul, Bonnie!

I am one of the lovers of Child 44 so I hope you enjoy it!

OK, LOL! (because otherwise I would have to cry) I just realized that I've already read Child 44. Don't know why I didn't remember that. The cover and title was familiar, but I just thought it was because a person can see a title and cover over and over again. Anyway, without looking back, I probably recommended the book to Mark and brenzi, not the other way around. What goes around, comes around, I guess.

#109: Well, on to something else then :)

Bonnie- I have The Air We Breathe & Ship Fever in the stacks! I loved "Voyage". I also have The Given Day in the pile. Boy, this is getting ridiculous!

Ok, I made the following comment on pheby's thread in response to her comments about The Sparrow and wanted to bring over here because I think the last part would make a good discussion.

pheby said: ..."part of my problem with it is that I don't really care that much about any of the characters..."

I said: This so plays a part in my connection to a book as well. I really loved the characters in The Sparrow though (as in I wanted to be their friends), so maybe that's why I loved the book even though the torture scenes were very icky.

Also, I agree that a book that's been talked about so much, and so positively, can really disappoint. That's why I can't give books stars/ratings. I might love a book because it's good escapist fun, or because the author made me care about an important time/event in history, or because the writing is so beautiful, or because I love the characters. How do you compare/rate those different kinds of books? Plus, sometimes a book disappoints because I'm just not in the mood for that kind of book.

Plus, there's something to be said for reading a book until you're done with it. I know not everyone has the time to read a book in one sitting--and there's something to be said for putting a book down and thinking about what you've read--but I just don't think it can truly be the same experience when you read a book in bits and pieces--especially while you're reading other books in bits and pieces at the same time. In my opinion, it's being immersed in that one story (forgetting about yourself and real life/real time) that makes reading so pleasurable. But! Before people jump on me... ;-) I'll have to say that reading Wolf Hall in one go may be why I thought the last third was a bit of a slog. And I don't advocate reading all books this way, but--for me--it can make a huge difference in how feel about a book.

OK, I bolded the part above that I would love to talk about. Or, actually, we bring so much of ourselves to a story anyway, so forget the comparisons with each other even though I sound like I think one way of reading is better. What I want to know (and maybe someone else can phrase it better) is this:

Do you think a story you read in bits and pieces *can be* the same book for you than if you had read it in one reading?

In my opinion, it's being immersed in that one story (forgetting about yourself and real life/real time) that makes reading so pleasurable.

Bonnie, I totally agree with you but it's all depends on how I feel about the book--if it grabs me and pulls me into the story then I want to immerse myself in it and not read anything else at the same time. If I can't really get into it, then the best I can do is read it in small spurts.

I used to only read one book at a time but lately have been reading a novel at the same time as short stories or collections of poetry. I haven't really felt that that detracts from my reading experience.

I may be getting pickier in my old age but I don't run across books that often that I get totally immersed in but I'm often glad I read them just the same.

I'm not sure if this totally gets to what you're asking but I hope it comes close.

...if it grabs me and pulls me into the story then I want to immerse myself in it and not read anything else at the same time. If I can't really get into it, then the best I can do is read it in small spurts.

Thanks for coming over, Pat. Yeah, that describes me too sometimes. So, if you were reading a book that you totally loved, but for outside reasons you had to read it in bits and pieces, do you think it would be/could be the same book? Hmmm... this is sort of an unanswerable question, isn't it?

I'm one of those sad souls who always, always read several things at the same time. (Well, I don't feel sad, but other people apparently do for me.) I can't remember when I read one book exclusively until I finished it. Somehow, that would make me feel as though I were doing an assignment. I don't find it hard to go from novel to novel to novel to travel to biography (you get the idea) - people who watch television do it all the time and even from week to week. I'm always entertained because I'm always reading what suits my mood exactly. Also, the books have a way of talking to each other in my head that can be quite stimulating. When I'm nearing the end, I do usually push through that one book. On the downside, I go weeks and weeks without finishing anything. (I'm not Stasia.) In fact, my finishing books comes in bloom waves like roses.
Just thought I'd speak a word for the other side.......

You know when you ask the question that way, I think the answer would be "No" because part of the pleasure would be getting lost in the world of the book and that wouldn't really be possible if you could only read a few pages at a time.

I'm looking forward to reading The Mistress of the Art of Death ... it's been in my TBR Tower for quite some time and I think I should move it up a step or 5.

#115 I agree with Peggy about how great it is when different books you're reading at the same time relate to each other and also what it's like to not finish anything for weeks and then finish several books at once. This experience of reading more than one book at a time is fairly new to me and does have its pleasures.

Also, the books have a way of talking to each other in my head that can be quite stimulating.

That's a really good point. I do think about other books as I'm reading. And there are some books that would give you something really good to think about every day/night. Maybe it's a personality thing. I'm impulsive/greedy--if something's good, I want more; I'm lazy (I'd rather read than do what I should be doing); and I'm too ADD to try to keep two plots and two sets of characters in my head as I'm racing through both of them.

I am not one to read two books at one time. I like to get fully immersed in one story and plug away until done. Very occasionally, I'll have a fiction and non-fiction going at the same time but never, ever two fiction books.

Now Bonnie's question is really hard to answer. Really you'd have to read a book in one sitting and then a couple of years later read the same book in bits and pieces and compare the two experiences to see which was more satisfying. I rarely have the time to read a book in one sitting unless it's relatively short (less than 300 pages). I live for the day when I will have enough time on my hands to do that. *sigh*

>117 cameling:: Huh! ;-) I notice you're not entering into the "fray," Caroline. No opinions? Does anybody read one book at a time? Even I don't, in that--like Pat--when I'm reading something other than a novel, or when a book doesn't interest me that much, I'll read in bits and pieces--but only until I have found something I can get immersed in.

I rarely have the time to read a book in one sitting unless it's relatively short (less than 300 pages).

That's because you're responsible, Sis! ;-)

I know that it is not going to be any big surprise to find out that I read multiple books at a time. I rarely read the same genre books at the same time though.

This is a good discussion -- I don't overlap within genres -- but except for fiction there is no reason not to read in bits and pieces. Poetry, essays, short stories, history -- I can only absorb a small amount of each -- particularly the first three it actually feels wrong to read more than a handful at a sitting and if something is really good, I'll stop right there.

But I do think about this with novels -- recently I was reading Tana French's The Likeness and that week my life got so busy I couldn't get anywhere with it and I began thinking, 'this one isn't as good as the last one' but then when things eased up I got to read the second half in a day or two and began to enjoy it immensely. I'll never know if that was because I had time to 'get into' it, or that it actually got better.

Some novels -- say Pynchon, James, Woolf, Christina Stead, Joyce et al -- ask so much of the reader, word by word, that I can't really imagine trying to read one of their books over a short space of time -- I'll spend weeks sometimes months on those monsters. So then, I might read a mystery or something quite frivolous at the same time......

In conclusion...... albeit inconclusively: there are books that grip me so hard that I do just disappear into them, sometimes when I realize that is going to happen but it isn't the right time, I'll hoard that book for a time when I know I won't be interrupted because it makes for a much more immediate reading experience. Some books can be 'ruined' by being read too slowly during a busy time, that is for certain, but many other books are best read in pieces. Some books also, if you have time to think about them too much while reading them sort of fall apart which is also too bad. The trick is figuring out which of those I have in hand at any given moment!

sorry to be so long-winded! I've had several days of almost NO time for LT, so I must be pent up!

...there are books that grip me so hard that I do just disappear into them.

Well said, Lucy. I feel so blessed when I get ahold of one of those 5-star books, although it makes it hard for me to meet my other commitments in life.

This is a great topic, Bonnie. I used to be a one-book-at-a-time reader, but now I often have one fiction, one NF, and sometimes a collection of stories going at the same time. Fiction is my choice of genre so I concentrate on that one as my main book.

Bonnie, I agree with you that reading in bits and pieces is not the way to go, but sometimes I have no choice. Sometimes when that happens, I'll put the book on my re-read shelf and give it the reading it deserves at a later, less busy time.

I often have a non-fiction and fiction book going at the same time, but I must confess, I don't always finish a book if I don't find it interesting. Yet, I can't quite give up on it. I feel as though I "must" finish it as some point. So I have a dedicated shelf of books tagged "bookmark part way through", that I occasional go back to and try again. So technically I guess I have a lot of books going at once!

Okay, I am one of those who only reads one book at a time. It just feels "wrong" to jump around, and also, I get confused. I guess I used to be able to do it, at least with non-fiction, when I was a student, but that was a LONG time ago. Also, if I like the book, I just want to get on with it, see what happens next. But so many people here do read more than one at a time, and enjoy it, that maybe I should try it. My question, though, is why do you do that? Or is it only ever one fiction at a time?

I'll generally only read one novel at a time, although I'll sometimes read a book of short stories at the same time. I'll almost always have a book of nonfiction alongside the novel, but I can't see reading two novels at the same time.

Hi Bonnie- Of course LT turned my reading world upside down. I used to be content plugging away with a single book, but now I can juggle a few things at once. If I am reading 2 books, the 2nd one is usually is different, short stories or an opposite genre. I'm also heavy into the audiobooks and it doesn't seem to affect my "paper books".

I also used to be a one book at a time girl. But since LT, I'm reading a couple at a time plus an audio - generally a book for home and a book for carrying around. One book will usually win out over the other and get more reading time though.

>127 JanetinLondon: My question, though, is why do you do that?

Excellent question!

I can only read for a couple hours before I need a break. Maybe my subconscious needs time to process and parcel before it's ready to take in more? (I'm the same with a season-ful of a TV show on DVD ... a few episodes and then a break.) But I love reading, and so sometimes the break is just to a different book.

*yoohooo ... Bonnie* i sometimes read multiple books, but generally because I'm too lazy to move my books around with me. But if a book is really gripping, then I'll forgo all others and dedicate my time solely to this book until I'm done.

When I do read multiple books though, they won't be the same genre.

Hmmm... Lots to think about. I guess I do have some overlap in my reads as well. I read nonfiction when I'm in the mood for it so that does get stretched out over time, and interspersed with other reads, but once I'm reading a good book, that's all I'm reading. I do think I read too fast sometimes and certainly some books need some breathing time between chapters. Sibyx makes some excellent points (#124) which I can't really disagree with. For example, I can't imagine reading many of the classics all in one go, but I'm still not going to be hopping back and forth between novels.

Some have made comparisons to watching a TV series all in one go, which does sound like too much, but I confess that I tend to treat a book more like a movie. If I think a book is going to be really good, I get my snacks ready, get all comfy, and make sure I have the time to read the whole book before I get started. Knowing that most people don't read books in one sitting, even if they're sticking with just one book, do you think authors create books to be read more like a TV series than a movie?

#133: do you think authors create books to be read more like a TV series than a movie?

Nowadays, I would say the answer is yes.

48. My Detachment by Tracy Kidder

This is Kidder's memoir about his experiences as a young man in college and his tour in Vietnam. I know Kidder is wanting to be honest about what a fool of a young man he was then, but, my gosh, for me it just backfired. Maybe someone more forgiving would just laugh and say his ability to tell a story was evident then, but the lies/stories he told then were always to garner sympathy, and make himself sound more heroic, more brave, and in more danger than he ever was. Some of the exaggerations and out-in-out lies were just ridiculous. I know he was young, but I think people are pretty consistent in their personalities and he was at times so self-righteous and self-aggrandizing, it was really obnoxious--even if he was telling on himself.

It's not that I disagreed with his comments about the war, or that I thought he was a bad guy, but there was enough there that made me question his ability to tell a story straight--without exaggeration. I can't help it, from here on out, I don't think I'll be able to read his books with the same amount of credulousness. (Not sure if that is a real word, actually, but you know what I mean.)

49. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

An engaging coming-of-age story about a young girl who, with her mother, gets out of Hong Kong before it comes back under the control of China. Both she and her mother live and work under terrible conditions--suffering through freezing winters in a condemned building in Brooklyn with broken windows and no heat, except from an oven; while having to work in extreme heat and oppressive conditions late into the night as piecemeal workers in the garment industry. Kim shouldn't be working, but since her mom is paid in cents per garment, rather than a minimum wage, Kim has to help her for hours every day, so that her mom can earn enough for them to live under the most minimum of existence. (By the way, even though this is illegal, I know it still happens in the farming industry, so I'm willing to bet that that there are still millions of people working under these conditions in U.S. cities across the country.)

Kim's extreme intelligence gives her opportunities that most just-as-hard-working people still doing this kind of manual labor don't, and won't, ever have. Kwok's story reads like a memoir--so much so, I was half way through the book before I realized it wasn't nonfiction. I was tickled right away by the following phrase (bolded) in the very first paragraph and enjoyed Kwok's story all the way through.*

A sheet of melting ice lay over the concrete. I watched my rubber boots closely, the way the toes slid on the ice, the way the heels splintered it. Ice was something I had only known in the form of small ices in red bean drinks. This ice was wild ice, ice that defied streets and buildings.

*I loved that comparison. For a memoir--which it is not--the writing was good all the way through. Well, except for the ending--really hated that! Knowing it's a novel, I probably should have been more critical of it, but I have to admit that it was a very enjoyable afternoon's read.

Edited to fix italics.
Oops! I forgot to say that my copy came compliments of DetailMuse just yesterday. Thanks, MJ!

#135: Too bad about that one. I have enjoyed a couple of Kidder's books, but think I will give that one a pass.

#136: Already in the BlackHole!

I'm not saying it was a bad book, though it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. It just left me with a slightly more negative impression of Kidder; I wonder if other readers had the same reaction? I'm going to have to go read some reviews.

Nice review of Girl in Translation, Bonnie; I'll have to look for that one.

From what I understand, there are hundreds and possibly thousands of illegal Asian immigrants living and working in these conditions—or worse—in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other U.S. cities.

I have Girl in Translation on my shelf thanks to another generous LTer who lives somewhere in Colorado ;-)

ETA I'll save your review since I hope to read it soom.

This ice was wild ice

ha! I'm not sure I gave that its due when I read it. Wild ice ... vs the freezer-farmed, cube kind, I guess! :)

>135 bonniebooks:: Another literary hero bites the dust! Oh well, I'll forgive him for his past (since I didn't have to read about it!) and continue to read his books.

I'm patiently waiting for Girl in Translation from the library. I also liked the ice quote, especially the reference to ice in red bean drinks. Blah! I'll stick to lemonade.

>141 detailmuse:: Wild ice ... vs the freezer-farmed, cube kind, I guess! LOL!

>142 Donna828:: I will too, Donna. I've enjoyed all his books. And I just want to be clear. He doesn't sound melodramatic or self-aggrandizing at all in the memoir--just the opposite, but it's his descriptions of his younger self (and he's quoting from letters he wrote back then) that turn me off. Presumably they turn him off too!

>136 bonniebooks:: Ditto for Girl in Translation. For a first novel, I thought it was splendid reading. I can't wait to hear more from this talented young author.

Since I'm all caught up on my "starred" and "posts" threads, I thought it might be interesting to see who I can blame the most for my current wish list combined with my "to read" books actually sitting in my house. I started tagging sometime last year and have recs from 120+ LTers, but here are the ten "most guilty" parties so far this year.*

Deborah/arubabookwoman (20)
MJ/DetailMuse (19)
Darryl/Kidzdoc (14)
Suzanne/chatterbox (11)
Donna828 (10)
Bonnie/brenzi (10)
Terri/teelgee (9)
Cushla/cmt (9)
judylou (8)
rebeccanyc (6)

*Note: These numbers are based on my incomplete, and probably inaccurate, records. Some of you 'escaped' being in my 'top ten' because I've already read some of the wish-listed books you recommended. Since I'm now keeping the tags on even after I've read the books, it will be interesting to see which LTers have most influenced my reading when I look at all the categories in my collection at the end of the year.

I have an advantage because I can bop Bonnie on the head in RL if she doesn't listen to me about a book. :) (Just kidding--she knows I would never do that).

Girl in Translation sounds like a great book. I love "wild ice."

>146 arubabookwoman:: Ha! Remind me to keep sitting across the table from you! ;-) I find it so difficult to get the right tone when discussing books on LT. I did really enjoy the book for that afternoon, but it's on the "lighter" (dare I say "fluffier") side in terms of writing.

I'm only in third place. Must try harder...

OK, this is just me thinking out loud, so you all can ignore this posting if you want (though secretly I want you to read and care about every thought I'm struggling to express). Anyway, I want a new goal for my next readings. I am really feeling frustrated regarding my written comments here about the books I've read. I want to get better at capturing the gist of what I'm feeling and thinking about a book, but I'm a reader, not a writer--and I want to stay that way. I'm not interested in trying to hone my craft as a writer; I do want to remember more as a reader.

Biggest problem getting in the way of change: When I wait until I've finished a book, I can never remember any particular phrases/sentences well enough to quote them. ("...wild ice" being the exception, but it was in the very first paragraph in chapter one, so easy to find.) I just have this vague blob of thoughts and emotions that get translated into writing that feels so superficial and cliched. And considering how long it takes me to form these mediocre comments, I want them to mean more when I look back at them at the end of the year.

I'm just so resistant to stopping and writing something as I'm reading, because that takes me out of the experience of being in the story. Even stopping to place a post-it note takes me out of the experience mode into an analytical mode. It would be like noticing the lighting or the costuming in a great movie, instead of just experiencing the story. Llike noticing my emotions (oh, I'm crying...) instead of feeling my emotions, and I so do love that experience of being in the story.

But to be honest, I do have reactions about the author and the writing (both admiring and critical) as I'm reading which take me out of the story, so maybe I can start to put in a post-it from time to time without negatively impacting my experience as a reader. Certainly I could do it more with the non-fiction I read.

But here's the flip side of not wanting to stop and make a notation/comment about what I'm reading. When I do get started in on this (e.g., when I'm reading a book for my book group), I can't do it just a little bit. I go crazy! Every page corner gets turned down. Every page has something underlined. I start doing the 'double crimp' thing--larger triangle turned down with smaller triangle bent back up. And then the bottom corners of the pages get bent back. When there are too many dog-eared pages, I start folding the pages in half vertically. Pretty soon, the number of pages not dog-eared are the ones that stand out. Sigh

I don't even care whether my comments convince you all to read the book or not. I admit that I would like to have more meaty discussions about the books I'm reading. When I've struggled to say something about a book I've read, it's disappointing to sometimes get no real response other than whether someone is going to add it to their wish list--or not. I really don't care about that. Instead I want to hear what someone is thinking or feeling about what I've said. But I realize I'm not really writing that way, so I'm going to try to change what I'm doing. Bottom line: I'll be satisfied if my comments help me remember something important about that book.

So! I'm not going to make huge immediate changes in how I talk about books. I'm not going to have time--or want to take the time--with every book I read, but I do want something to change, and, as I said, I know that change has to begin with me. Wish me luck!

.

Bonnie : I read My Detachment and came away with an impression that Kidder is a real jerk. I don't know if I want to read his other books now because I just don't like the person he portrays himself to be in this memoir.

Hi Bonnie- I hate that when I post a message and it doesn't go through! Grrrrr! I was responding to Darryl's last post about "trying harder" and I said I need to try alot harder too! I'm getting lost in the dust here! I'll try to pick it up, my friend! I have Girl in Translation all-ready on the list, due to Joanne's glowing rec.
I think you do a fine job expressing your opinion. You might be a bit forceful but that's what I admire about you! Keep it up!
BTW- We are stuck in Portland until late tonight! Wish us luck!

Wow, where to start. How about here:

Pretty soon, the number of pages not dog-eared are the ones that stand out.

That would mean, to me, I'm taking this book apart too much. (Not to mention the fact that I like to keep my books in the pristine condition they came to me in.)

I agree with you; too much note taking ruins the flow so I pretty much limit it to particularly memorable passages, and even then, I don't mark everything that I could.

But I love Mark's remark: You might be a bit forceful

Really? But that's what we all love! I enjoy your remarks about what you read so I hope you don't change anything.

>148 kidzdoc:: LOL! Darryl, to be fair, I'll admit the handicap I've given you. I often don't add books that you've talked about that sound good to me, because 1) you recommend way too many good books and my wish list would be equivalent to visiting one of my favorite independent bookstores and wanting every book on the front tables, (2) you're way too ahead of me in that you recommend books that are just coming out in hardback, and I don't like to think about waiting a year to read them, and (3) I don't want to work my brain quite as hard as you do. But I highly value and enjoy reading your reviews. :-)

>151 msf59:: Mark, you've already crossed the finish line in my book. You're not as high on the list, because I've already finished many of your recs--which should be a compliment. I've certainly read more thriller/mysteries because of you. It will be interesting to see where you come on the list at the end of the year when I include my rec tags of books I've already read. And how can you feel "stuck" in Portland when you've got Powells?!

>150 cameling:: Caroline, I'm so glad you had the same reaction to Kidder's book. I wondered whether I was being overly critical of his confessions. After all, he didn't have to reveal what a jerk he was in his younger days. I do think his stories backfired if you now don't want to read his books, and I'm questioning his truth-telling in the books he's written about other people--and which I have enjoyed very much.

Kidder does put himself into all the books as a "participant-observer" which is a kind of research that I respect and value. I do believe that every writer (just as every reader) has a bias (I'm talking about a way of seeing the world, not something negative) and it's good to know some of that bias upfront. Kidder writes about people and subjects that are interesting to me in a style of writing that maybe fulfills his need to feel important too--and don't we all have that essential need? I just don't want it to color his telling of other people's stories, so that I can no longer trust them. I've just always thought his inclusions of his own comments/thoughts were a way of being honest with the reader,so it's a bit disconcerting to read about how dishonest he was (imo) as a young man.

eta: Needed to stop the italics!

Hi Bonnie, I think you do great with your book comments and reviews! I don't like to interrupt the flow of a book either and so I tend to use those little sticky arrows to mark passages and pages. Some books look very colorful by the time I'm done with them!

I also loved Girl in Translation. And totally agree with you about the ending.

Bonnie, I love the way you are so passionate about what you are reading, whether on the pro or con side. Everyone experiences books in different ways. I too wish that we could do more in depth discussions here on LT. It is difficult to express feeling through words alone...and sometimes the smiley face just isn't enough. :~}

As far as turning pages down...I don't do it. Never have, never will. But I am a very brief note taker as I read, even if I don't plan to do a review. Sometimes it's just a word or a phrase. If I like a quote, I'll put the page no. with quotation marks around it so I can find it again quickly.

Whatever it is you're doing, keep it up! We like you the way you are.

I use sticky notes all over my pages too because, like Donna, I just cannot turn the pages down in my books. By the time I am done with a book, especially a particularly good one, the book tends to look like a porcupine with quills sticking out all over the place (Oblomov was ridiculous in that respect!)

#153: Thanks, Bonnie! This may seem like work, but reading these books is very enjoyable. It's much more difficult for me to read "pedestrian fluff" (borrowing arubabookwoman's now famous term), as I get annoyed and frustrated with them.

>151 msf59: & 152: Leave it to my friends/the other members of the "Bonnie Club" (remember that?) to tell me the truth about how I come across on LT. I feel a little chagrinned, but then my "Popeye Pride" comes out and I think, "I yam what I yam!" because I do value telling, not *the* truth, but *my* truth.

But, I'm also reminded of Max in David Egger's book The Wild Things when he dumps pails of water all over his sister's room in self-righteous anger. He feels so right while he's doing it. I could so relate to that. I would never damage things physically and have no sympathy for people who do. In fact, it drives me *crazy* even when I'm only reading a book in which authors let their characters destroy things of value. But verbally? Verbally, I'm a "water dumper." Well, that's not really true, because I don't say mean things to people, I don't call people names, I take ownership of my feelings and thoughts. I just believe in saying what I really think or feel at the time, but then--like Max--I regret it a bit later.

Oh well, at least the water (usually) only gets dumped in own my thread, so I'm the one who has to deal with the mess! And at least it's water--no oil spill catastrophes or anything like that. Maybe I should hand out boots to all those willing to wade in here? ;-)

Donna, I like your system--quote marks around page number, how simple, yet clever. I know I would always be losing the book journal though, and I'm a sloppy perfectionist. I scribble when I write, then hate that it's messy. (My sons' beautiful baby books both went unwritten in because I didn't want to mess them up. Instead I wrote my notes on calendars for each of them, thinking that I'd transfer the info later when I was in a "neater" mood--never happened!) I think I am going to try those pretty little arrows.

I can see how reading a book on an iPad is going to be perfect for me--I'll be able to "tag" as many phrases and pages as I want. I just don't want to give up the pleasure of seeing and touching and owning real books. Waaah!

Two things, Bonnie. God created post-its just for you. And --- Kindle (mine)/iPad vs. real printed books doesn't have to be a battle. Have both! Rejoice and post!

>160 LizzieD:: Ha! Ha! If only I believed! And remember I have a sickness! Once I get started with those things, I can't stop. At least when I finish with a book now, I can smooth out all my turned-down corners. It doesn't look perfect, but that's part of loving a book. I eat when I read too; my best friend laughs as she's trying to determine what I had for dinner when she comes across the occasional stain (usually fruit, chocolate or Pasta Puttenesca).

I know you're right about having both, but I'm cheap. If I buy a book for my iPad, will I want to buy it again for real if I love it? Will the story *feel* different? And I won't be able to loan or borrow from my friends--one of my greatest pleasures of owning a book I loved. Hey, maybe books will be like journals? You buy a subscription, get the hard copy and also have access to the electronic version? I envy those kids who will read all their books electronically without regret--especially their textbooks--won't that be great?

And, btw, I've been keeping quiet until you finish In the Woods. I want to know what you think of the ending.

I keep my post-its on envelopes tucked into the book -- use them over and over -- and I can peel one off it and put it on the spot I want to mark without pausing at all when I'm reading. But the page # idea is not bad at all.... good for when the post-its have gotten mislaid. The spousal unit is always finding stray post-its in books I've read.....

I've been lurking and enjoying this discussion.

When I wait until I've finished a book, I can never remember any particular phrases/sentences well enough to quote them ... I just have this vague blob of thoughts and emotions that get translated into writing that feels so superficial and cliched.

I know that feeling! I never write as much as I'd like to about what I've read b/c pulling something out of the "vague blob" starts to feel too much like homework, and what I do write always feels repetitive.

Good luck making those changes! :)

>161 bonniebooks: Bonnie, you have hit on a real problem with the e-reader. I'm not a great lender (in fact, except for my mama and our niece and nephew, I avoid it like red bugs), but I'm never without something going on Kindle, and I would really like to have Ma read an occasional book. On the other hand, my house is so crammed with books that I'm happy not to have to decide whether to shelve or box the incoming flood. I am also thrifty (!), so I would never duplicate either way, and most of the time, used book prices are better than Kindle. BUT - having access to "complete works of" whomever is absolutely wonderful if those works are in public domain. I do usually spend the 99¢ for an active table of contents, but wow! (And I'm poking along in *Woods.* I like it very well, but don't spend a lot of time with it although I'm reading some every day. I posted somewhere else, I think, about reading multiple books together, so I won't do it here.)

>149 bonniebooks: bonnie
I want to get better at capturing the gist of what I'm feeling and thinking about a book, but I'm a reader, not a writer--and I want to stay that way. I'm not interested in trying to hone my craft as a writer; I do want to remember more as a reader.

Yay -- that you're clear about what you want and don't want, and that the change is for yourself. Because no matter what, if you write it we will come!

When I wait until I've finished a book, I can never remember any particular phrases/sentences well enough to quote them. {...} I'm just so resistant to stopping and writing something as I'm reading, because that takes me out of the experience of being in the story.

I also haven't figured a way around this. The least intrusive I've found is sorta like Donna: to stick a (regular) post-it just inside the book, then make a pencil mark in the margin of a notable passage and write the page # on the post-it. Like you, I waaaay over-mark, especially early in the book; but I'm learning to get more selective (like "pick your battles," I try to pick the beauties.)

>145 bonniebooks: wow! But (gulp) you do know I didn't love some of them, yes?

48: Now I feel like I shoud read my detachment, but I'm not sure I want to. I read and enjoyed Mountains beyond mountains a few years ago, and I'm a bit more than 1/2way through Strength in what remains on audio. Hmmm. . . don't know what to think about this, because he writes as a journalist, not a novelist.

>48 L-Anne:: I wouldn't bother. It was such a weak book, both as a memoir as well as a book about Vietnam. The only experiences off the base that he talks about were his interactions with prostitutes while on R & R in another country. There are so many good books about the Vietnam War. I, myself, am waiting to borrow The Things They Carried from my son.

**The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister.

It's not really fair to rate this book, as I only listened to it while I was working on my computer. I still want to talk about the writing style, though, so will come back to comment--honest!

50. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman

Read for book group. Comments coming.

51. Family Album - Penelope Lively

Comments coming. Just want to get the posting/pictures up.

There seem to be an awful lot of promises about upcoming comments :)

Looking forward to those comments, Bonnie! And v. interesting discussions on multiple reading and quotation marking going on over here since my last visit!

I've gone through various stages in the quotation thing - turning down pages, marking with a pencil, noting page numbers... now I find that by the time I've thought 'I want to remember that', I'm already far enough 'out' of the book to take a second to mark it. I keep a little piece of notepaper in the back of the book and tear a strip off it to slip in at the right place. Big enough to mark the page, not big enough to drop out or for me to absent-mindedly move it as if it were my bookmark!

And multiple reading? I'm a convert! For example, I've been reading The Count of Monte Cristo for months, and if I'd not had another book on the side to nibble at every now and again I think I would have felt more frustrated and impatient, instead of being able to savour the complexities of the story. I took the odd break to wolf down a bit of fluffy reading, and I've currently got one of Jeremy Clarkson's books of newspaper columns to provide a little bitesize relief from time to time. I think I love TCOMC even more for not feeling tied to it... I definitely can't mix within the same genre though - I did that at one point, almost by mistake, with Crazy as Chocolate and something else, and found myself getting very confused. One mother had committed suicide, the other mother had divorced her husband and moved away, both had Daughters With Issues - and I couldn't for the life of me keep the two straight. An unluckily close pairing, that one!

52. by Dambisa Moyo

Moyo's arguments regarding the ultimately negative effects of the huge amounts of aid that have been offered to, and grossly misused by, African regimes over the last 50+ years made sense to me. I'm not going to try to summarize her key arguments; I only hope it makes as much sense to those who have the power to change how we help people in need across the world.

Ellie, I mix up characters and events in books even when I'm reading sequentially, so I'm with you. I have collections of short stories, or various NF books that are part of my ongoing reading, but then when I get started on a novel that's readable in a day or so, I stick with it until I'm done. I just can't hold important details in my brain when I take too long of a break between reading. Plus, I really want to immerse myself in the story--to feel I'm there emotionally--and I just can't do that in bits and pieces. For me, a big chunk of the pleasure of a book gets taken away if I know I'm going to have to stop in an hour or two, so I mostly read novels Friday afternoons through Monday mornings.

53. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

A pleasant enough afternoon's diversion, but I've already forgotten the details. Wish I had just reread Pride and Prejudice.

#173: That sounds interesting. I heard a story on NPR the other day about aid programs in Haiti--the upshot was that there are tons of NGOs that have been operating there for quite a while, and yet it remains an incredibly poor country.

54. The Housekeeper and the Professor

This was a really charming book that was sweet, but not too sweet.

Hey Bonnie- It's good to see you back adding books! You must have been busy! Keep it up!

55. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden.

World War I seen through the eyes, and the lives, of 2 Canadian Crees. Grandma tells her stories too.

Oops! I forgot to say: In spite of the tough subject matter, and lots of gory details, I really enjoyed this book that was sent to me by Bonnie--whom I'm meeting up with tomorrow. Whoopee!

>175 bonniebooks: - I have always felt that Anne is the weakest of the Bronte sisters, and certainly the most forgettable. I read Agnes Grey for my undergraduate thesis, and I couldn't tell you anything about it. All I remember at this point is disappointment that it wasn't better.

** The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.

Not fair to rate this book. After all the real-life death in Three Day Road, I just wasn't in the right mood for this murder mystery. The writing was good; I appreciated/enjoyed parts of what I read, but I also wasn't in the mood for all the everyday prejudice and racism that was a part of this story set in the South. I read the first third, and because I knew I was never going to read the whole book, I read the ending to see if it would have been worth it. (Note: The number of times I've done this in my life, I could count on one hand.) Ooh! Glad I made the decision I did. This story didn't have an ending that I could see; it felt like it ended mid-chapter. Is this a series or something?

I'm still wishlisting many of your recent reads with or without reviews. You're chugging right along, 75 should not be a problem for you this year!!

Bonnie ... just a gentle nudge about the comments you were intending to post .. ;-) No pressure ... well, not much anyway... but I'm really interested to know what you thought of Family Album because it's been on my wish list for a while, but I've heard mixed reviews so far.

Hi Bonnie, I know you don't want to get into specifics with Dead Aid, but I wondered if the book changed your mind, or if it confirmed your views?

Agnes Grey was very disappointing, but I loved The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

{{{{{Bonnie}}}}}}

>183 cameling:: Dang! You should have applied more pressure, Caroline! Now it's going to be even harder to remember what it was that I wanted to say about these books. I thought I would love Family Album, the story of one English family--mother, father, six children, and their au pair--told from mostly the children's different perspectives--both as children and now as adults. Being one of six (or nine, if you count half-sisters) it's fascinating to compare notes about parents and those siblings who are not present, so can't defend themselves, and then think about how opinions/memories have changed over time--especially with my own experiences as a parent. The childhood stories, experienced and remembered differently by each child in Family Album were at times engaging, but I didn't buy one major event in the book, upon which much of the later relationships were built and/or deteriorated, so it just didn't touch me emotionally.

Of course, it didn't help that when the first grown child came home, she kept seeing the ghosts or specters in the house and garden which made me think I was going to be reading a ghost story. (Laughing at myself--that's what I get for not wanting to know anything about a book before hand!)

The Bird Artist was a much more interesting book, but odd, so not sure how many people would like it. I was waiting until after my book group met to discuss it, but only one other person read it, so that didn't help much. Does anybody else feel like there is a certain kind of somber, subtle, minimalist sensibility (I don't know how to describe it) that comes across in these stories about the very northern regions of our planet? For example, The Twin, which I loved btw, and Out Stealing Horses?

>185 elkiedee:: Uh, thanks, Lynda! I'm not sure what I did to deserve all those hugs, but I'll take them! :-)

>184 labfs39:: Lisa, if we were talking in person, I would just jump in with my opinions and comments about Dead Aid without reservation, but when I try to write down these same thoughts, it takes me way too long. That's a really good question, though. I would say it did a some of both, if that makes sense. We'll just have to meet up sometime at Third Place Books to discuss books. And, I'm sorry, I forgot that you could have met up with Bonnie and Deborah last week as well. One of these days. I don't have a car right now (long story), so am going to get my bike tuned up, so that I can ride it there. That would be a good balance to the 6+ hours I can spend there, sitting and looking at books. ;-)

I couldn't stand The Little Friend. Don't know what Tartt was thinking, frankly. Like yourself I read some, thought, hunh? And skipped to the end, and sent the book on its merry way with no regrets.

56. The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett

This story takes place just as WWI is beginning, within the confines of a tuberculosis treatment center in the Adirondacks whose patients are mostly poor; many are part of the most recent wave of immigrants to America from Russia and the Eastern European countries. Barrett weaves lots of science and socio-political history into her stories which I like, but this one felt a little lecturing at times. The story was also mostly told in first person plural which made sense at the end, but made it less engaging for me than her other books. Bottom line: I just liked it, whereas Ship Fever is one of my all-time favorite short-story collections. If you haven't read anything by Barrett yet, read that one.

57. Home by Marilynne Robinson

I have to admit that I was already biased against Jack, one of the three main characters in Home, since I had already been introduced to him and his sister and father (a retired minister) in Robinson's book, Gilead. But I was also looking forward to getting to know him better, to understand why he became the black sheep in his family, and to learn more about what he did, and who he was, in the twenty years he stayed away from his family. I was surprised and disappointed that after reading Home I didn't truly know Jack any better--either the why of his earlier "bad-boy" years with his family or any more details about the 20 years he was gone. It seemed like Robinson was trying to show that some people are just different, that they are born that way--sometimes there isn't a discernible reason why they behave the way they do, but that didn't feel enough for me. Robinson didn't have to give me *a* specific reason--life doesn't work that way--but I wanted to know more about the events of Jack's life that would allow *me* to come up with some possible reasons why he made the choices he did. But, again, maybe that was Robinson's intention--I had to struggle along with these three characters to try to understand Jack.

Though my opinion of Jack changed, I still think Gilead gave me more information about Jack, than Jack did, himself, in this book. Plus, I got a little tired of Jack apologizing, and being so down on himself--I wanted him to change just a little bit more, or at least stop being so negative about his current actions. It just got redundant after awhile, but maybe that was also the author's intention. It reminded me of people I know in my own family who feel bad about the past, and will talk about it, but don't do anything different in the present.

The family members in Home were trying so hard to understand each other; they were so careful of each other--not wanting to bring up past experiences that were painful (yet holding onto unhappy/sad feelings and memories) and so worried about the impact of every little comment and action on the other(s). It reminded me of the failures of communication and uncomfortable relationships in my own family, and I found myself stopping to think about this and feeling anxious--at least in the beginning. Plus, there was much more overt preaching and religiosity in this book which, from my admittedly biased, atheist point of view, seems as much oppressive or divisive as it was comforting to the characters.

Robinson is a great writer, and I enjoyed this book, but didn't love it. As the reader, I felt pretty much stuck in the house with two characters who had a long way to go towards becoming the persons they wanted to be, along with their well-intentioned, increasingly feeble and sentimental, but also very opinionated father whose every thought and action was centered on his religious beliefs. Yes, it got me thinking about my life, and my family relationships, but often in a negative way.

In contrast, I loved Robinson's earlier book, Gilead, and loved Ames (also a minister) who in that book was dying and wanting to leave some words of love and wisdom for his young son. Even though Ames is also deeply religious, his thoughts and feelings were more on the philosophical level; they were positive catalysts for my own thoughts about my relationships--what was important in my life, who and what I appreciated in my life, and a move toward wanting to live a life that more closely matched my values. So, even though Gilead was sad, I felt incredibly hopeful. Another reason I could relate to Ames was the work he put into his relationships--he felt regret, and questioned his own beliefs and behaviors in ways that Jack's father could not. Plus, Gilead had a backstory that included Ames's father and grandfather, slavery, and the Civil War.

Bottom line: If you're religious, you may find Home a more comforting, and positive and thought-provoking book than I did. For me, Gilead was a much, much better book.

>179 bonniebooks:: Three Day Road was one of my favorite reads a couple years ago and Boyden has become a favorite author. I'm anxiously awaiting his next.

The Little Friend was so panned by the friend who read it that I never considered picking it up even though I like that genre.

However, I'm looking forward to your review of The Air We Breathe. I've eyeballed it on Amazon a couple times, trying to decide.

58. At Large and at Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman

#187 the hugs were for encouragement to get some reviews posted. The bookcovers look great but......

#192: What did you think of that one, Bonnie? I did not enjoy it as much as I did Ex Libris.

Morning Bonnie- I have The Air We Breathe in the stacks! I loved The Voyage of the Narwhal. Also a big fan of Home! Robinson is a treasure!

I'll have to agree with you Bonnie on The Air we Breathe. But I loved Voyage of the Narwhal better than Ship Fever although I did love them both. I've got her other short story collection Servants of the Map on my shelf. Must get to it soon.

I'm eager to see your comments about Fadiman's book of essays, Bonnie.

Hi Bonnie, I'm looking forward to your reviews as well -- especially Home.

I agree absolutely that *Air* didn't have the energy and excitement of the earlier books, esp Ship Fever....

Bonnie
I haven't felt well and also work is very consuming right now. I'm sorry that I'm not able to follow the threads as much as I previously did.

I'm stopping by tonight to say hi.

>191 TadAD:: Tad, I'll have to go see if you were one of the reasons I wish-listed Three Day Road. I was glad--I think--that my son (who's interested in the military) took it home to read. And thank goodness someone else panned My Little Friend. Though I know I might have liked it better had I been more in the mood for that kind of book, I seem to be lots pickier than most LT-ers. Oh well, as long as I'm consistent, hopefully my comments are just as helpful to other LT-ers in deciding whether they'd like/not like it as well. Maybe some LT-ers even say, "Well, if Bonnie *doesn't* like this book, I'm sure to love it!" ;-)

>193 Carmenere:: Ha! Ha! OK, Lynda! No unconditional love on LT, huh? ;-)

>194 alcottacre:: Stasia, it was a little more "hit and miss" than Ex Libris, but I sure do love how Fadiman's mind works. And thanks for being a consistent visitor--I really do appreciate it.

>195 msf59: & 196: Hey, it's Mark and Bonnie, two of my most loyal LT friends! :-)

>197 tymfos:: Terri, I sometimes just want to enjoy the feeling I have about a book before I analyze it, or I have a jumbled mess in my head (not unusual) about what I want to say, and tell myself that it will get easier if I wait awhile--why do I keep falling into this trap? I just forgot everything. Plus, I had to take the book back to the library, so don't have it to remind myself re: what essays I most liked/didn't like. Sigh!

>198 AMQS:: You got your wish, Anne, at least in terms of Home, though you may be sorry you did! ;-) It's so much easier to say what bothers me about a book, then what I liked--and I do like Robinson's writing.

>199 sibylline:: Oh, good! I'm not just being picky then, Lucy? Well, knowing me, I probably am, but I just l-o-v-e-d both the stories and the concept of Ship Fever. The fact that she centered many of them around famous scientists (e.g., Mendel, Linnaeus, Wallace) made me feel that I had this very special glimpse into their lives that I wouldn't have without those stories. Yeah, I know.

>200 Whisper1:: Thanks, Linda! It's good to know some people are still with me. (Wry smile.) I find myself spending so much time reading other people's threads that I don't post very much on my own. When I look back, I think I either say too much (e.g., Home) or I say too little--sometimes nothing at all--about what I read.

That's a good review of Home, Bonnie .....it certainly was enough to let me know that this is not something I would enjoy, so thanks for not adding a book to my obese wish list.

I concur with Bonnie, Ship Fever is excellent! Voyage of the Narwhal is good, but needs editing IMHO.

Thanks for the review of Home Bonnie. I haven't managed to get all the way through Gilead, so I don't think I'll try Home anytime soon.

Hey there, Bonnie. You're doing some good reading here. I always enjoy your comments, even those I don't agree with. I think for the most part that we're on the same page -- to use a reading pun!

I love anything that Marilynne Robinson writes, but Gilead is the one I'll rescue from a burning house. Not really, but you know what I mean, right? I had a similar reaction to Jack Broughton. He was either mentally ill and needed some meds...or, better yet, a kick in the pants! Although I didn't like the character, I still think Robinson is one heckuva writer so I ended up liking the book.

I say don't worry too much about reviews. If you read it and say you liked it (or not), that's good enough for me. I think sometimes we (and I'm speaking of LTers in general here) tend to take our roles too seriously and forget that reading is supposed to be fun! The reviews are just icing on the cake.

Thanks, Bonnie -- what a thoughtful review of Home. Jack was my least favorite part of Gilead -- the rest of it I loved.

Thanks, Bonnie -- what a thoughtful review of Home. Jack was my least favorite part of Gilead -- the rest of it I loved.

ETA: looking forward to your thoughts on Burnt Shadows as well. I read Kartography by Kamila Shamsie a few years ago. I thought the story had a lot of potential, but didn't quite meet it.

I really am going to have to look into reading both Home and Gilead.

>207 alcottacre: me too
And this is the first time I've really thought that; Bonnie's comments about the family relationships captured me. Great review.

> 190 Great review of Home, Bonnie! Your comments were very insightful. I actually read Home without having read Gilead. (I still haven't read Gilead.) I thought the characters in Home were very realistic and produced the feelings you described about making us think of people we know in our own lives. It didn't really wrap up, but that's life. The only other Robinson book I've read is Housekeeping, which I also enjoyed.

MJ and Stasia, please read Gilead first! And not just because I like Gilead so much better, but because Robinson wrote them in that order and Gildead makes you curious to read more about Jack, while I don't think the reverse is true. You wouldn't read Home and think, "Oh, now I've really got to read about Ames." And for those of you who read Home first, was there a reason that you did that?

And for those of you who read Home first, was there a reason that you did that?

Because I have Home and didn't have Gilead. :) (And I bought Home and not Gilead because the little bookstore didn't have Gilead).

MJ, I have to admit that I chuckled a bit when you said my comments make you want to read a book that I felt somewhat critical of. That's happened to me too, though, where someone doesn't like parts of a book and I think, "Oh, that sounds interesting, I want to read it despite the flaws." Or, maybe you just know me by now, and know that my comments say more about me than they do about the book, and you take that into consideration?

Breezing through to say Hello! :)

>212 bonniebooks: my* comments say more about me than they do about the book
Same with my* interest :) although I'm also curious to read Robinson. Difficult people / a claustrophic situation rings familiar; maybe I'll find takeaways?? Plus I'm interested in the faith philosophy.

Gilead first.

------

* reminds me of a passage from an essay by author Marianne Wiggins:
Some people believe that if you take a novel by its spine and shake it, The Author will fall out. Certainly, The Author's biases are on display on every page and in every choice she or he makes -- not in the least, in the very choice of what to write about in the first place.

But because every reader brings a different reading to every book, when you take a novel by the spine and shake it, what falls out is not The Author. What falls out is you. The Reader. Yes, I'm hiding in there, but the really great books, the ones that we remember all our lives, are the ones that are inclusive, the ones that mirror something in the reader, some fundamental, shared condition.

Bonnie, I agree with you completely, Gilead first.

When I read it I never thought she would write a book that would further explain Jack and his behavior. But when I got to Home what made my heart ache was Glory. She wanted so much for Jack to be reformed and be the brother she so desperately needed that I couldn't help but want the same for her. And then when it didn't happen, I had no room in my heart for Jack, regardless of his situation.

>214I LOVE the Marianne Wiggins quote (one of my favorite authors).

Hey, Bonnie! I've only ever read John Dollar which I remember not liking. Which of her books is your favorite? I googled her and realized that she was married to Salman Rashdie and went into hiding with him not long after they were married.

Re: Glory, she was so 50's, so small-town repressed. Worrying about how her every action and word was being received; stuck with taking care of her father because she was single (already the old-maid); cleaning, spending hours preparing/cooking the mid-day meal, reading her bible. I shudder to think about living her life.

> 210 I wanted to read/listen to Gilead first, but I listened to Home as an audio book and the library didn't have Gilead. It wasn't a planned decision, just lazy convenience. :)

>216 bonniebooks: Hi Sis, My favorite Wiggins is Evidence of Things Unseen. Try that.

>218 brenzi:: Will do! By the way, when I look back at what I just wrote about Glory, it sounds like I don't like her; I did, I just wouldn't want to live her life.

>214 detailmuse:: MJ, love that quote! Thought I already said that, but think I fell asleep in the process of responding late last night, so it didn't get posted.

Same with my* interest
I admire your thinking and writing so much that that is quite a compliment. I repeated your comment about "farmed-raised" ice cubes... versus the "wild ice" described in Lost in Translation at my book group meeting the other night and everybody laughed in appreciation--even though I always mess up the punch line. I've got to go over to your blog and see what you've been writing.

I thought the characters in Home were very realistic and produced the feelings you described about making us think of people we know in our own lives. It didn't really wrap up, but that's life.

Thanks, Sher, for adding your comments. It's nice to know that others have had similar feelings to authors and books that we care about. I'll be interested in what you have to say about Gilead. I'm thinking your reaction might be somewhat muted, having read Home first, but you'll never know in reality, right? I tend to love my first reading of an author most of all. Is that true for you too?

> 220 I actually read Housekeeping first but it was a long time ago. I read Home last year and I would say it's my favorite. That's somewhat unfair to Housekeeping since I read it so long ago. You have actually made me want to read Gilead more than previouly. It wasn't high on my list before.

bonnie & bonnie (and anyone else!) -- I don't feel comfortable posting Wiggins's whole essay here but I have it as a Word doc and if you PM me with an email address I'll send it. I've only read Evidence of Things Unseen but really liked it. The essay details how she came to write it, including the influence of the fatwa against Rushdie.

I have to say, of Robinson's three books I think I liked Housekeeping best by just a little. I read it right after I read Gilead because I liked Gilead so much.

>222 detailmuse: Thank you. I'll go right over to PM you.

I haven't yet read any of Robinson's books but am proposing Housekeeping for my book group--I'm glad to see such positive reviews.

>224 carlym:: That was a pretty discussable book as I recall. Our book group also went together to watch the movie that was just out at the time, so it was a while ago. What made you choose Housekeeping? And, I'm curious, what has your book group read recently? I love that the bookstore I go to has a section for all the book group selections, along with their own "picks." (Book groups get 20% off when they order ahead.) I love to see what other groups are reading. My book group tends to read books on the "lighter" YA side. Last time, I brought that questionnaire about reading habits that's going around. I'm going to list my answers soon.

For our group, I put together a list of 10-15 books, and we vote on them (we usually choose 2-3 at a time). I come up with titles by looking at lists of award winners, and I also just keep a running list of titles that look interesting and suitable. I'm not sure exactly how Housekeeping got on my list of possible titles. Then other people in the group also submit suggestions. We try to pick literary fiction titles that are not too long (no more than about 300 pages).

Recent picks--Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai, Picture This by Joseph Heller (which no one liked at all), Never Let Me Go, The Echo Maker by Richard Powers, Gods Behaving Badly, The Final Solution by Michael Chabon, and The Virgin Blue. The book for our upcoming meeting is Madeleine is Sleeping by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum. It's surprisingly difficult to find good books to put on the list, so I'm also always on the lookout for possibilities.

Stopping in to say hi! Thanks for the tip on reading Gilead first. I've been wanting to read one of Robinson's books for awhile now. Claudia

#210: Whew! I picked up one of Robinson's books the other day and had to check to see which one it is. Luckily for me, it is Gilead.

Just breezing through to say hello! :)

>226 carlym:: I really liked Ms. Hempel's Chronicles so I'll have to add Madeleine is Sleeping. Have you read Ms. Hempel's... and, if so, what did you think of it? I didn't appreciate the humor of Gods Behaving Badly that much, and I don't believe in Heaven or Hell, so wasn't a big fan of that one. But I just gave it to the daughter of a friend and am interested to hear what she thinks of it. I think if you are (or were ever) into the Greek myths, that book would be way more fun. Hmmm... Have I read Virgin Blue? That title sounds familiar. For sure, going to read more Chabon. Seems like a varied list in terms of writing styles--thanks for sharing it.

P.S. Just realized that Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard is by Kiran Desai. Inheritance of Loss was such a good first novel, I'll be interested to hear what your book group thinks of it--if they pick it.

Yay, Stasia and bahzah! Go Gilead! I think when a book like Gilead can so positively impact and inspire an atheist like me, then it's got to be good!

#231 OK, I give in. You've inspired me to try Gilead again. I started it a couple of years ago and then put it down.

59. Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

The multiple connections between two families takes the reader from Nagasaki during WWII right before the atomic bomb was dropped on the city to India, then to Pakistan after the partition, to NYC, post 9/11 and Afghanistan at the start of the current war. There was a big jump in time that I was disappointed in for a few minutes. I wanted to stay with Hiroko, the main character for the first half of the book, but the focus jumped to her son and to the son of her first love. Sometimes the relationships and events were a bit implausible, but overall this was a good book that brought the themes of war, racism, and prejudice to a personal level. What am I saying? This is all sounding so trite and vague. Go read Laura/lindsacl's review--it's beautiful!

60. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

I just love this little book! Thanks Whisper1 for your lovely review that made me go grab my copy off the shelf and read it again. The main character, Ellen Foster, is so fierce and vulnerable, brave and scared, smart and naive, tough and loving, prejudiced and open, funny and sad, cynical and hopeful, desperate and resourceful ... I could go on and on with the adjectives. Kaye Gibbons has given this girl such a distinctive voice. Every sentence feels perfect.

Bonnie- Nice long discussion on the Marilynne Robinson books! I love her work too! I need to get a copy of Housekeeping and read that baby! I remember seeing and loving the film many years ago!
Good review on Burnt Shadows. That one has been on the WL for quite some time! Ellen Foster also sounds good!

So you liked Burnt Shadows right? I've got to get to that one. I've waited long enough.

Bonnie
What great comments you have about Ellen Foster. Since I've read it, I'm driving all my friends, co-workers, fellow readers nuts! I tell everyone...read this book! Read this book!

Hi Bonnie, The will you like it thingy said I will love Burnt Shadows and Ellen Foster so I added them to my list. I've had Gilead and Home on my list for awhile. I wish I could get paid for reading!! or I could clone myself and send the other one to work.

#238 Sigh! Isn’t that a dream most of us here share?

218: I may have to try that, just because of the synchronicity of the title - I've just finished James Baldwin's Evidence of things not seen. And looking at the reviews, it sounds interesting in itself.

239- Sounds great to me too!

Hi Bonnie! Finally getting caught up. I finished Krik? Krak! - thanks for the recommendation! I loved it. Such powerful, beautifully written stories.
Now I need to find a copy of Ship Fever!

I'm not having very good luck so far with my category of books from your best of list. I just can't seem to find any! I'm not buying anything new (or even half-price-used) now so I'm at the mercy of thrift shops and BookMooch. (Or I could stop being lazy and use the library. =)

Re: Ellen Foster, have you read The Life All Around Me? It's not nearly as good - I wouldn't reread it - but since I loved the character I did enjoy finding out 'what happens next'.

I agree you didn't miss anything with The Little Friend. I was liking it well enough through at least half of it ... then it started to flag ... and then it had one of those endings that makes you angry at the author for wasting your time.

I liked Ellen Foster also.

Though my tbr pile would be a lot smaller, if I weren't using the library, I've been really pleased with how many of my requested books have gotten to me fairly quickly. The library didn't really work for me before, because all the good books were always checked out, but now that I have a wish list (thanks ? to all my LT friends) I have lots of books to request/check out. It's so convenient doing it online. I think you should try it, Shauna. What book titles are you looking for, anyway?

>237 Whisper1:, 242 & 243: Yay for Ellen Foster! I didn't like the follow-up book to Ellen Foster. I think I would have been disappointed even if it had been very good, because I often don't love the endings of coming-of-age stories as much as the beginnings and middles. Plus, Gibbons must have been on the manic side when she was writing The Life All Around Me, or she was wanting the character, Ellen, to be manic, herself. Either way, I just was not liking it--or Ellen--and stopped reading, so as to not diminish my love of Ellen Foster.

>238 tjblue:: Tammy, I rarely look at the "Will I Like it?" link. I tried it for a few times, but it didn't seem all that accurate/helpful--maybe because I don't rate any books and because I have lots of books in my library that I didn't like all that much. How has it been working for you?

>240 markon:: Glad you found a rec on my thread, Markon, even if it wasn't from my stack. What goes around, comes around. Maybe I'll be reading your thread in the future, see your review of Baldwin's book, and get interested enough to read it myself. If I put every book that sounded interesting on my wish list, I wouldn't have a list, I'd have a tome. Usually, I wait until I've heard about a book from several LT-ers before I finally put it on my wish list. And, occasionally, I go through my wish list and delete all the titles that don't bring up any memories/connections at all, 'cas I figured if I liked someone's comments enough to put it on my wish list once, I'll probably do it again.

I took the reading questionnaire that's been floating around on LT to my book group and we had fun discussing our various routines associated with reading. Here were my answers:

1. Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

Fruit is my favorite and most common snack, or something else I can eat with one hand (nuts, candy, popcorn, crackers). It's not that I snack so much, but I tend to read for hours, so eventually a meal comes into play, usually leftovers. And when I go out to eat, if by myself, I always bring/read a book, which can lead to too much food consumed without much awareness.

2. What is your favorite drink while reading?

I don't usually have a drink nearby when I'm reading, because I'll often read on my bed or a couch, and I'm just too darn clumsy!

3. Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I write in nonfiction/textbooks as a way to keep focused/actively engaged and to help myself remember or to be able to find an interesting fact/idea later. I'll underline, or even rewrite a key part of a sentence from the book on the margins of the page, so that I can find it more easily later. Sometimes I respond with a question or an opinion, but I also have a code for different kinds of reactions. I only write in my other books when I'm reading for a book group.

4. How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark, Dog-ear? Leaving the book flat open?

I don't know why I won't use a bookmark. I have plenty nearby, people give them to me all the time. Why do they? Because they see me dog-ear, but not to keep my place--I don't worry about that at all. It's my way of owning a book, I guess. I'll put a book face down or just close it, no big deal. I can't quote from a book the way other people can, but it's never been difficult for me to quickly find where I left off reading. No, I dog-ear as a way of responding to a book--as a way of finding something again that struck me emotionally. If I'm reading for a book group discussion, I'll dog-ear a lot! Usually, I'll smooth out the dog-ears after I'm finished with the book and they don't look much worse for wear.

Before you borrow a book from me, you should know that even though I'm hard on my own books (and I'm not that careful with other people's books when it comes to eating while reading) I like my covers to stay nice, and I *hate it* when other people bring back my books with a messed up cover, stained, or rumpled pages that have had drinks spilled on them, or because they've been dropped in the bathtub. Grrrr!

5. Fiction, Non-Fiction, or Both? Both, it goes in phases.

6. Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

I'll stop anywhere, even in the middle of a paragraph, because I'm often coming right back anyway. Or, if it's night time, I'll read until I fall asleep or find myself reading the same sentence over and over again.

7. Are you a person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?

I'll throw a book down when I've read something really interesting or complex (and occasionally I'm annoyed or frustrated, but mostly I feel excited), and it's because I feel this sudden urge to think, to pay attention to my feelings/reactions. I don't know why, I just like to hear that smack of the closed book dropped on the floor. In the absence of a psychologist who can analyze this weird routine, I'll say it's a satisfying signal to me that I've just read something really important that I want to pay attention to. Usually, I'll put my hands over my eyes as I think about what I just read. OK, now I'm sounding totally weird, but remember I'm very distractible, and it's my way of reducing incoming stimuli, even light.

8. If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?

Never when I'm reading a book, because I want to stay immersed in the story. I've been reading long enough that I rarely come across an English word that I haven't seen before (I'm not including words specific to an area of science, technology, or a particular profession). Though, I can often have the wrong meaning for a word, most words can eventually be understood through context. That's how we learn hundreds of thousands of words in the first place, so why change a good thing?

When I'm reading online, though, I will frequently look up words--it's just too easy. I've read a couple of books on my laptop and didn't feel the urge to look up words, but if I were reading on a Kindle or a Nook, I might click on a word, because it would, again, be so easy.

9. What are you currently reading?

That's easy! Look up above to see what's checked out from the library.

10. What is the last book you bought (other than the book-group book)?

I bought Home because of Gilead, and because it was really cheap at 20% off the used book price, but have vowed to get my tbr's read this year, so have bought very few books in the last 6 mos.

11. Are you a person who reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one? Sort of both. I have a book in the car for when I need one. I have books in my bathroom for, uh, when I need one. ;-) I'll more often start and stop when it comes to non-fiction or short stories. But, usually, once I start in on a book that I like, I'll read it non-stop until I'm done. Over my lifetime, I would say I feel like I've been mostly a one-book-at-a-time girl--and proud of it! ;-)

12. Do you have a favorite time and/or place to read? Growing up, there was nothing better than to be curled up on my bed reading, chomping on a crunchy apple, and listening to the sound of the rain drumming down (a frequent occurrence in the Pacific Northwest). I like to save novels for a day that I know I won't "have to" stop. I guess, curled up on my bed, under a comforter on a cool Saturday morning, is still my favorite time and place to read a good book; it brings up good "sense memories." I have a big ol' comfy chair in my TV/computer room where I read my on my laptop.

13. Do you prefer series books or “stand-alones?” "Stand-alones," most definitely! I can't think of a series that has held up in terms of quality writing, surprising plots/unique storylines, important themes, and great characters the way individual books can. Plus, series tend to be in genres such as mysteries, fantasy, and/or science fiction which are not my favorite reads.

14. Is there a specific book and/or author you find yourself recommending over and over?

It's gotten harder and harder over time to choose just one book that I would recommend. In fact, I don't think I could do it anymore. But in the past, I've talked about certain books over and over again (e.g., Dinner at a Homesick Restaurant, This Boy's Life, A Fine Balance, Ellen Foster, Interpreter of Maladies, Plainsong, Gilead) that I thought people would like. They're not classics, in the strictest sense of the world, but they are all good writing; and the stories and/or characters resonated with some particular aspect of my life, or met some need (for humor, for romance, for knowledge, and/or reflection) at that time. You'll find them in my "favorites" section of my library, if you're interested.

15. How do you organize your books? By genre, title, author’s last name, etc?

Some of my books are arranged by genre. My text books and non-fiction books are loosely grouped in different areas of my house by subject or genre (math, literature, teaching/learning, psychology, anthropology, health, history, poetry, short stories, politics). But after that, I have shelves and/or baskets designated for: books read this year and last year; all-time favorites; books I'm willing to trade or give away, a bookcase full of cookbooks, my tbr's, books for my sons and/or guests to peruse, etc. I would absolutely hate to have my books alphabetized by author or title. Some books just belong with each other, while others don't. Oh, and I have a huge bookcase full of picture books that are grouped into categories: favorites I want to give to my future grandchildren (hope! hope!), ones I use for teaching reading comprehension or particular writing strategies/skills, science-related books, books that include math, music, history, ABC's, poetry, etc. And in my work space, I have baskets and shelves of children's books that are grouped by reading level. I'm happy with how my books are arranged; my method totally fits me.

#246 Although the question was for tjblue, I'd like to chime in. The 'Will I Like It' feature rarely works for me. But last month I bought Girl in Hyacinth Blue on a whim and was afraid I was not going to enjoy it. Being into classics, I'm never sure of liking modern books. So when it said I'll like it, I didn't really believe it. But then 'Will I Like It' turned out to be right. I loved the book!

Hi Bonnie! Happy Tuesday! :

The "Will I Like It" feature cracks me up. I don't know what they use to gauge likes and dislikes... apparently my library and ratings are confusing them. I've come to the point that if it says I will not like - with high probability - I snatch it up and love it. I guess there's no accounting for my taste.

>230 bonniebooks:: I haven't read Ms. Hempel Chronicles yet. The Final Solution was not very well-received by the group. I think there are much better Chabon books out there. And I pretty much agree about Gods Behaving Badly. I thought it was only mildy amusing. I thought Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard was fantastic, and it was pretty well liked by the group. Inheritance of Loss is too long for a book-group pick, but I have it on the shelf and plan to read it.

I think I might send the reading questionnaire to my group!

>249 -Cee-:: Maybe that's the route I should take.

>250 carlym:: It was fun to do it together. I thought it would have been funny to gather the answers and guess who said what, but our group is too small. Anyway, I'll send it to you as a pdf if you just want the questions with space to fill in the answers, all on one page. Just pm me your email.

>252 alcottacre:: Hi, Stasia! (Waving, look up here!) I don't have the inclination to start a new thread right now, but thanks for reminding me... Attention All Thread Police: Y'all don't have jurisdiction around these here parts, so put your badges away and relax. I'll take care of the countin' from here on out.

Hey, Bonnie, nothing to contribute, just waving as I go through the threads.

(***cough*** About time for another thread though, isn't it?)

Stasia? Have you changed your name to Richard? :0)

#253: We are actually twins separated at birth, lol.

I'm so glad you liked Burnt Shadows Bonnie ....I know what you mean... I was so drawn to Hiroko and her strength as she accepted and worked with all that life brought her.

I'm enjoying reading these questionnaires. Funny - I'd think the most interesting question should be 'What books/authors do you most recommend?', but I want to know how people organize their books, and how they feel about dog-earing or writing in them. :)

Bonnie - The books I was most hoping to find are The Help, Purple Hibiscus, The Hunger Games and Wintergirls. They were mentioned so often on LT that I thought it'd be easier to find them used!
I do actually own a lot of books from your list, but I was trying to only count books that I first heard about there.

I actually have a few friends who work at the library, one of whom has offered to hold books for me, so I really have no excuse other than already being surrounded by hundreds of unread books. :)

** The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (audiobook)

One of the plainest, but also most moving, chapters of this book about Vietnam was O'Brien describing over and over again the first man he killed. Over and over again. Yes, he comes at it from different directions, but still it's the same words, the same images--cut into different parts, but forming the same whole. At first, I thought, "What? Again? Man, this guy is brave! Who writes the same words over and over again in a book? How many pages did this take up? How did his editor let him do that?" But then I thought, "This man knows war, he's been there." He knows how those scenes that don't stop can tear a person apart, mess up his mind, long after the war is over.

It doesn't just happen to soldiers; we all replay the sad, bad, horrible events of our lives over and over again. We pick them apart, start at different places, say, "What if?" "I should have... could have..." but continue to end up back at the same place. And it doesn't matter if someone else thinks you can move on, that you should move on, you better move on, or else. You just stay there... And that's what O'Brien did. He just stayed there, and forced us to look at the man who was lying there--seeing the man who was, who could have been--with him over and over again.

O'Brien's story was both the same and different from other books I've read about war. When other authors have talked about killing, no matter how horrific the image, we only have to read it once, then it's over. But not O'Brien. He keeps us there, reminding us that men who kill, who experience war, don't just leave it all behind, can't just leave it all behind. They come home, still playing those images over and over in their head, and it doesn't stop, just like this chapter didn't stop.

I'm sorry, my description of this chapter doesn't do justice to O'Brien's story of his experiences in Vietnam. Highly recommended. I want to actually read this book now.

#257: That one was one of my 'memorable reads' from last year. I am glad you liked it, Bonnie.

Bonnie, Lots of stuff going on here. The like it/don't like it feature should be renamed the It's a Crapshoot feature. It has never proved valuable to me.

I liked your review of The Things They Carried and I have it on my shelf so, hopefully this year..... I haven't read much about the Viet Nam war except The Lotus Eaters which I loved but I do have Matterhorn on my pile.

Could you send me the questionairre when you get a chance? BTW Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is none of my favorites too:)

>257 bonniebooks: Whew! At first I thought your two ** was a poor rating, so glad you loved The Things They Carried. You make me eager to get to it right now! Have you read Heller's Catch-22? -- he also repeats a death over and over as though he's processing and can't come to terms with it. (Very difficult and disjointed book ... and probably in my all-time Top 10.)

#257: The Things They Carried was a great book. Such great evocation of the horror and pain of war and war's aftermath. (Makes me shiver even now). And the author has such a nice last name!

Karen O. ('Brien)

The Things They Carried is one of my memorable reads too. I recently bought a new copy so I could read it again. His In the Lake of the Woods involves a character who, twenty years later, has to confront his actions in Vietnam at a My Lai type incident--also highly recommended.

I love Tim O'Brien's writing. Hearing him read in person at the National Book Festival last year popped him up into my favorite authors category.

Read this and don't cry (if you can help it).

Try reading Going After Cacciatio and Tomcat in Love. Both are completely different. Both are brilliant writing by Tim O'Brien. I love how he expresses himself. He captures what needs to be said *exactly*.

Glad you've discovered Tim O'Brien, Bonnie...

I've never read Tim O'Brien, but I've given his books as gifts to my dad, a Vietnam War veteran. He responds to the books on many levels -- not all of them positive -- but he always says he's the best Vietnam War writer.

#263 Thanks for that link, Madeline. That was a beautiful letter.

Morning Bonnie- Nice review of The Things They Carried! It's a stunning work! I have In the Lake of the Woods & Going After Cacciatio waiting in the stacks!

Anne- Have you picked up Matterhorn for your Dad yet? I've been hearing very good things about that one!

Touchstones are being cranky today!

Mark, no I haven't. Looks like a good one -- I'll put it on the list for Christmas. Thanks for reminding me!

After your review and the comments following I'm moving The Things They Carried way up the TBR list. Sounds fantastic.

Feeling very greedy/guilty. My library is going to be closed the last week of August through the first week in September, so I got anxious and requested a bunch of books, thinking I'd put some on "vacation hold," but forgot that part. Normally, I would be overwhelmed by having so many books to read, but if no one requests any of them, i should be able to hold onto them all through to September. Here are the library books I currently have in my possession:

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (audiobook)
Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon
Blackwater Rising by Anne B. Jones
Columbine by David Cullen
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Free for All by Don Borchert
How to Teach Physics to your Dog by Chad Orzel
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Letters to a Young Teacher by Jonathan Kozol
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
Math Doesn't Suck by Danica McKellar
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Conell
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
Rein ne va Plus by Marie Desplechin
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
Time was Soft There Jeremy Mercer
Up in the Air Walter Kirn (audiobook)

>263 SqueakyChu: Waahhh, wahhh, sob, sob why did you make me read that??

61. The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey

Deborah (arubabookwoman) liked this book about Jake--a middle-aged man who has lost his wife and daughter, has his only remaining son in prison, and is now losing his memories due to advancing Alzheimers--better than Still Alice whose main character also had Alzheimers. I, in contrast, like Lisa Genova's book much better. Yes, it was a simpler book, but I like that it stayed with one character (Alice). I liked Alice, I cared about her, I could relate to her way more than I could Jake, so Genova's story generated both more empathy and more anxiety in me.

Wilderness is a more complicated story--the author jumps you back and forth in the story, so that you can experience Jake's confusion and increasing loss of memory, not just read about it--and there were interesting bits, but I just didn't care for Jake, or any of the other characters really; they all were unappealing in one way or another. Maybe, the book you're going to like better depends on which one you read first, but really they are very different books. My vote goes to Still Alice, hands down.

eta: I cared *about* Jake, but not *for* him. The author did do a good job of showing the anger and frustration that often increases as a person tries to cope with his confusion, loss of memory, inability to read, and less and less understanding of how things work, or even what they are. I've heard stories from friends about how their mothers swore at them and called them horrible names, or slapped their children's friends, behaved inappropriately (walked around half-naked). I don't remember Genova's book dwelling on stories like that, so probably some people would call her book a bit sentimental, but, again, I loved it!

Came back to fix the size of the bookcover; it was really bothering me.

Wow, Bonnie, you've got quite a library pile there! I know Old Filth has earned some great reviews here on LT, as have many others. The only book on your list that I've read is Letters to a Young Teacher, which I read last year for a class and loved. I ended up buying copies for other people.

Good review, Bonnie ... and I'm going to pass on The Wilderness .. it sounds rather depressing and I really need upbeat now.

>272 AMQS:: Your rec is the reason I've got it, Anne!

I've got to read Columbine, The Invention of Everything Else, Old Filth, and Say You're One of Them by the 16th. Nine more need to be back by the 25th, because they've been requested by others. Darn those other greedy library patrons! ;-)

Bonnie,

You are too funny!
You would love the "Blizzard Days" that our library has when they close for the winter! You can take home as many books as you want in November! And you keep all the books till it reopens in May!

Claudia

Bonnie- all I can say is good luck, my friend! Columbine is outstanding, one of my top reads of the year! I listened to The Art of Racing in the Rain on audio and it was quite enjoyable!

Claudia, I'd hate not to have a library to access over the winter, but I thought of you when I read that my library was going to be closed for those two weeks with no books due, or late fees assessed. YOU're part of the reason I requested so many books--to take advantage of that! ;-)

>275 -Cee-: Wait a minute! Your library closes for the winter? They close at the time of the year when people want to get in front of a big fire and snuggle up with a good book??

My local library newer closes for anything! I guess I am lucky in that respect.

>275 -Cee-: But at least they let you stock up!

Hi Bonnie - A nice pile of books you have there! Columbine was excellent, though very unsettling. Await Your Reply was interesting and different.

uh... it's ok... really We can go to Bath, the "big city", and use their library in the winter.
We can also switch Blizzard Books with each other if the need arises.
And... we do have a P.O. for purchases.
Don't forget summer's fairs where we buy books cheap... 25 cents to a dollar.
And one more thing... the "Georgetown Mall". This is a sturdy little shed the locals built at the dump (oops, I mean transfer station). We drop off books we've read and are willing to give away; pick up books we want that look good. There are many other things at the "Mall" besides books, too. Cool place!

opps, forgot to mention that your review of The Wilderness is great and I'm adding it to the list.

Hi Linda, I left you a message on your profile. Have you read Still Alice already? I'm really recommending that book over Wilderness.

I've read only one of the books on your list. Say you're one of them was excellent. Hope you enjoy it!

I have read In the Woods and I have to say was a bit disappointed in the book also. But I was also in the mood for a good horror not whodunit so that may have been it. But I was a bit "well" when I was left hanging about the 1st unsolved mystery.

Hey Bonnie--Have we found a book we agree on yet? (lol). It's funny for being such good friends how often we differ in our reactions to books.

I think you characterized the differences between Still Alice and The Wilderness very well. However, whether I like a character or not usually does not factor that much into whether I like a book or not. In fact, I think I like a character with a few warts, and Alice seemed pretty near perfect to me.

I still feel that with Still Alice I was totally on the outside looking in--either she was being described by someone observing her or during her lucid moments she was describing herself to someone. With Jake in The Wilderness, I felt like I really was in the mind of an Alzheimers victim.

I guess we're just going to have to duke this out the next time we meet at TPB. :)

Hey Bonnie--Have we found a book we agree on yet? (lol). It's funny for being such good friends how often we differ in our reactions to books.

That does seem true--at least when it comes to current books. (How come we can agree on so many past reads?) I hope you don't mind me dragging you into my review; I thought I could do that because we are good friends.

In fact, I think I like a character with a few warts, and Alice seemed pretty near perfect to me.

I agree, that was a weakness of the book. I don't mind warts, I like warts too (well, that just sounds weird), but there are just some "warts" that make me not care as much about listening to a character's story, and "unfaithfulness" in a marriage is one of them. I don't like reading about characters in the throes of alcoholism or drug abuse either, so novels that include those kinds of characters have to have something else going for them to keep me caring/interested. This one didn't, but I take full responsibility for my lack of empathy. ;-)

I guess we're just going to have to duke this out the next time we meet at TPB.

Looking forward to it! (Big Smile!)

I very much liked Still Alice.

62. Columbine by David Cullen

I'm really wrestling with what to say about this book. For a year now, I've been hearing that this book was so "great," and I would agree that the author does an excellent job of describing in great detail what happened at Columbine High on April 20, 1999 (including what led up to the killing of 13 people, 20+ students injured, plus the suicide of the 2 killers) and what followed. Cullen convincingly dispels some of the myths that instantly sprang up about why Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed these terrible crimes. I learned more about all the victims, as well as how all the survivors, and their families are faring. They certainly deserve to have their story told, but did I really want to read all about killings at Columbine again? Honestly? Not very much.

This book is extremely well-written, very credible, and gripping; but I had hoped for a book that went beyond the telling of facts to more analyzation/discussion by experts on how we can prevent these things happening in the future. I wanted a book that looked more forward, that used this information to put more safeguards in place, to provide more support for parents, teachers, and other school personnel to do something when they were concerned about kids. I wanted more discussion about the society we've created wherein the comments that Eric and Dylan made publicly to their friends and teachers weren't more unusual, more abhorrent, and more unacceptable. I wanted some call to action for closing up loopholes for buying and selling guns. I wanted these killings to be connected to the fact that the possession of guns and assault rifles, etc., has gone up exponentially in the last 25-30 years and that's crazy! Without at least some of this kind of discussion in Cullen's book, reading it felt like the equivalent of slowing down to gawk at an accident on the road, and feeling guilty about it. I would recommend this book if that's the kind of book you were wanting to read, but I wanted more.

#290: I can understand that.

I also understand, Bonnie. After I read it, I couldn't read anything else for a couple of days because I couldn't concentrate. Looking forward to your thoughts.

63. Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

I liked Korelitz's writing right away. It felt light and funny, and I needed that after reading Columbine, so I thought I was going to like this book more than I actually did. The inside look at students' college/university applications and how an Ivy League Schools such as Princeton processed them and chose who they would accept or deny was interesting, but the details/explanations went on far too long for me. I really sort of hate it when an author introduces characters, and has them ask questions, just so the author can have another character "explain" something to the reader. Plus, one key plot point was *ridiculously* implausible (talk about a needle in a field of haystacks), so my opinion of the book really took a nose dive in the second half. I wish the author could have controlled putting in everything she knew about the admissions process at Princeton (she worked part-time as a "reader" of applications for them) and come up with a more original plot--this could have been 'high-quality' chick-lit!

#293: I think I will be passing on that one. I hope your next book is more of an enjoyment for you, Bonnie!

Bonnie- Good review of Columbine! I thought the book was incredible, one of my top reads of the year! I think he accomplished everything he intended. Hope you have a good Sunday!

Bonnie
Please post your review of Columbine so that I give it a thumbs up.

Yes, please do, Bonnie. I went to give it a 'thumbs up' only to find it is not there.

>295 msf59:: I think he accomplished everything he intended.

I agree, Mark. I don't fault him for wanting more.

>296 Whisper1: & 297: Thanks, Linda and Stasia. I appreciate your positive comments, but I'm not interested in posting my thoughts and feelings about a book as a review, because I don't really see them as such. Plus, although it's a compliment to say you want to thumb my remarks, what I would really like is more of a discussion--as in other people's thoughts and/or feelings about the books that I am reading--on my thread. I'm going to think about how I can generate that. In the meantime, I've got a mess of good books to tackle (see msg#269) all thanks to my LT friends, so I'm going to try to happily concentrate on that for the rest of the month. Happy August, everyone! See you in September! :-)

Official Notice: I'm going on a break, everyone! See you all back in September when I'll start a new thread. Happy reading! :-)

Hey Bonnie, "See You In September", just like the song. I'll be waiting to see if you like Await Your Reply. I received that one from my secret santa, but haven't read it yet. Happy Reading!! Tammy

Bonnie- Enjoy your break! See you in September!

Happy reading, Bonnie!

Break time for Bonnie! I look forward to seeing what September brings.

Enjoy all those books you've stocked up on Bonnie. And in case you get lonesome, you're welcome to head over here and lurk on Lisa's & my discussion about Gardens of water and Sweet dates of Basra.

Edited to add link to thread.

OK, I'm baaaack! And have my new thread set up here: Bonniebook's Best of Your Best, Chapter 4