I'm starting the year with high hopes. This is the first challenge I've done so I might as well start big! I'm going to try to review as many as I can but at the very least I'll give a thumbs up or down. My first five books are:
Canoe Trip: North to Athabasca by David Curran
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Little Book by Selvan Edwards
The Book of William by Paul Collins
I'm having a great time looking at the other threads and getting some good ideas.

Well, as you can see, I'm not great at counting. Book number 5 is The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West.

Welcome!

Welcome to the group!

If you have not already done so, you might want to check out the other group members here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/79114

Thanks for the welcome. A very diverse and friendly group!

I've finished my first book, Canoe Trip: North to Athabasca by David Curran. It's a great armchair adventure for those like me, who love the outdoors but are not into danger or serious discomfort. Curran and a friend take a canoe trip down the MacFarlane river in northern Saskatchewan and he does an excellent job of describing the planning and considerations for a trip like this as well as the actual day to day adventure.

And now on to book number 2, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Message modifié par son auteur, Jan 6, 2010, 6:40pm.

#6: The Curran book sounds like one I would really enjoy being and armchair traveller like yourself. Thanks for the recommendation!

I've finished my second book of the year, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
I found this to be a very entertaining novel. Stein tells the story of Denny Swift, race car driver and owner of an amazing dog, Enzo. The story is told through Enzo's eyes. He is Denny's best friend and support as Denny goes through incredible difficulty and loss in his life. It is a very sweet story but I think the author does a good job of avoiding getting too sappy.

I'm now starting The Little Book by Selden Edwards and loving it!

Found 'ya. I didn't realize there were 2 pages of threads! What a large group! I enjoy travel books too. I read a lot of YA books since I work in a high school library. One book I can remember enjoying was called Jason's Gold by Will Hobbs which took place during the Yukon gold rush and gave lots of details about the trek and getting caught in the winter up there.

Thanks for the recommendation, mamzel.

I've just finished my third book, The Little Book by Selden Edwards. I tried to touchstone this title but kept getting The Pokey Little Puppy!
This novel, involving time travel by three generations of the Burden family, begins in 1898 Vienna, then touches on every major event of the first half of the 20th Century. The story is told by the mother of Wheeler Burden. He is a bit of a cardboard character, as are the others: scholar, incredible athlete, rock star, a perfect character following in the footsteps of his perfect father, who was also a war hero who died at the hands of the Gestapo. Wheeler leaves 1969 San Francisco and suddenly finds himself in 1898 Vienna. The concept, that the Burden family affected almost every historical event of the time, is interesting but at times a bit strained. I found it hard to follow the debates between Wheeler and Freud. I don't want to be a spoiler but Wheeler Burden's love affair was very disturbing, even creepy. But in spite of all that, I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down. The author's description of fin de siecle Vienna is fascinating. The plot is very clever and I thought he dealt with the details of time travel, how it can affect the past and the future, very well.

Next I'm on to The Book of William: How Shakespeare's First Folio Conquered the World by Paul Collins.

#10: I will see if I can find a copy of The Little Book. Thanks for the recommendation!

I've just finished my fourth book, The Book of William: How Shakespeare's First Folio Conquered the World by Paul Collins. I think this book is a must read for those of us who love old books and Shakespeare but are not scholars. The author describes what printing was like in early 17th century, and how books were bought, sold, and cataloged. From a book sale at Sothebys to a Japanese university, he tracks the ownership of first folios and gives a sense of that rarified world where people have fortunes to spend on books. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I've just received an ERC of Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor, about one year late, so that will be my next read.

#12: I've just received an ERC of Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor, about one year late, so that will be my next read.

You too, huh? I could not believe it when the book showed up the other day! I was so excited when I had heard that I was going to get this book back in February because it was the first ER book for me - and then it never showed! I am wondering at this point if it is even necessary to do a review.

I'd definitely read and review it so the lack of review won't count against you in later requests.

There's a thread about receiving the book so late and someone on there said we needed to review it. My first thought was "Do I have a year to read it"? But actually, it looks really good.

#12 & 13: Oregon & Stasia,

It may be late but I think you'll find it worth the wait. I read it last year. It's very atmospheric and Victorian gothic.

#14: OK, thanks for the advice Jim.

#15: Yes, it does look good, which was why I requested it to begin with, Jan. I suspect you did the same.

#16: Thanks, Mark. I love Victorian gothic!

#17: I'm Maryann, not Mark. :-)

#18: Sorry about that! Sometimes I go too fast for my own good!

Hi Oregonreader! Its good to have you in the 75 book challange. As a word of warning though, it is terrible for your TBR list :)

Glad to hear you enjoyed The Art of Racing The Rain. I've had it on my wishlist for a while now. Hopefully I'll get to it this year.

Message modifié par son auteur, Jan 21, 2010, 7:21pm.

Thanks, Kittybee. I'll admit I've been feeling the pressure! I've never actually counted how many books I read in a year so I may have had delusions of grandeur. But I've picked up so many good titles from this group already that I may forge through.

I've just finished Bleeding Heart Square and really loved it. It was well worth the wait. I'm a big fan of British mysteries but I had never come across Andrew Taylor before. I will definitely be reading some more of his books.
The heroine, Lydia Langstone, is a feminist (and fan of Virginia Woolf) in a time and social class where you might not expect it. Taylor does a wonderful job of intertwining her story with the mystery unfolding around her.

My sixth book of the year was Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell. It was a first book by this author as well. I think the interplay between the characters was more important than the actual plot. The story is told through letters and phone calls, after one member of a solicitor's office heads off to Venice for a vacation and is accused of murdering one of her tour group. The tone is very clever and funny. A good light read.
Now I'm on the The Help by Kathryn Stockett, a selection from my book group.

Oh dear. I just popped in for a couple of minutes, saw a thread I hadn't noticed before, saw Canoe Trip: North to Athabasca and now I've had to order it. There goes my resolution not to make any more book related purchases this month. I recently read another canoe journey related book which I really enjoyed, Voyageur by Robert Twigger. Time to pop out again before I see anything else to tempt me.

#22: I am also one of the people who just recently got the ER book of Bleeding Heart Square (only 11 months late!) I am going to try and get to it this week. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did.

I picked up a copy of Thus Was Adonis Murdered last year. I need to get to that one too. *sigh* So many books, so little time . . .

#23 Hope you enjoy Canoe Trip as much as I did. I'm going to check out Voyageur. Thanks for the tip. I wish there was some health benefit to all the exercise I read about!

#24 I know what you mean about so little time. Every time I browse through the threads, I start writing down titles. Retirement is the only solution to the long list!

When you look at a book's page to read what it's about and what others thought of it, you can click the button with the pink cross and it will be added to your wish list. Unfortunately, I do not have a phone with Internet capability so when I'm in a book store I can't check what books I was interested in.

Thanks, mamzel, I hadn't heard about that. It sounds useful. I don't have a fancy phone either. I'm more of a 'post-it note' person. Although even when I take a list, I always end up browsing for more. I have to limit my trips!

I've finished The Help and was pleasantly surprised. This was a selection of my book group and I probably wouldn't have searched it out on my own. It's a theme that has been dealt with so many times, black servants/white employers in the south, that I wondered what the author would add to that. But she has created some compelling characters and I found myself unable to put it down. I enjoyed it very much.
Now on to my eighth book, The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West.

#28: I look forward to seeing what you think of The Fountain Overflows.

I've just finished my eighth book, The Fountain Overflows. My review:
I had some difficulty getting into this book. Although not strictly autobiographical, West has based the characters on her family. The story revolves around the fortunes of the Aubrey family. The narrator is Rose, one of the four children of Piers, a small time newspaper editor and pamphleteer, and Clare, formerly a concert pianist who gave up her career upon marriage. Rose struck me at first as another example of the peculiarly British fictional character, the very precocious child who patronizes and condescends to the adults around her. But as I continued, I began to realize that West had created Rose with an adult eye so that she could describe their failings and weaknesses of the others while at the same time loving them with a child's unquestioning love. She describes her father with the words "sneering" and "swaggering", while expressing her adoration. The mother is so sensitive that hearing music performed by one who is not gifted makes her physically ill and yet she is the strength in the family, holding them together through poverty and disappointment. I gradually became fond of them all and fascinated by their lives. My biggest disappointment was the ending, which ends abruptly, almost as if the narrator suddenly put her pen down and had no chance to continue.

Now on to #9, Belong To Me by Marisa de los Santos.

#30: I may give that one a shot. I have another of West's books to read this year, The Return of the Soldier. Perhaps after that one. Thanks for the review, Jan.

#31 I checked out The Return of the Soldier and added it to my TBR list. This group has turned out to be the most amazing resource for good books!
I have finished by ninth book, Belong to Me. It was an enjoyable read but I don't have much to say about it. It's a story of three women living in the same suburban neighborhood whose lives touch each other in many predictable and some surprising ways. A good read for a Saturday afternoon.
I'm now starting number ten, Homesick Creek by Diane Hammond. Both these books were given to me by my neighbor. It's always interesting to get an idea of what acquaintances read. Sometimes very surprising.

#32: This group has turned out to be the most amazing resource for good books!

Trust me on this: that will turn out to be a double-edge sword. My TBR pile has gone from Mount TBR to Continent TBR to Planet TBR and finally to the BlackHole :)

BTW - I love it anyway!

Message modifié par son auteur, Fév 11, 2010, 1:19pm.

No kidding! I will be printing out my wish list and taking it with me hither and yon this weekend.

#33 and #34 Well, as my list grows, at least I'll be in good company!

I finished Homesick Creek. It's about two families, living on the edge of poverty, on the Oregon coast. There were the elements I expected, alcoholism, drug use, bitterness and despair. But also some I didn't expect which made me hang in there and finish it. I'm glad I did. I'd recommend it.
Then I did a hasty read with a guilty pleasure, a book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She's my favorite romance writer. I love her wild characters and sense of humor. What I Did For Love is not one of her best but still a fun read. My all time favorite of her's is Breathing Room which I've read twice.
I just had a birthday and someone gave me Short Cuts by Raymond Carver. so that will be book number 12.

Happy belated birthday! I hope it was a good one.

Thanks, Stasia. I spent the weekend in Portland which is my favorite city so it had to be good! The big pull for me is Powell's book store where I have to restrain myself from going into serious debt. But it's a great place to browse even if I don't buy.

I bet it is! I have ordered books online from Powell's. I do not know if I would ever trust myself to physically walk in there (even if it was close to me.)

I remember seeing Robert Altman's film Short Cuts several years ago and even though I couldn't put it all together, I was fascinated by the characters. I felt the same way reading Short Cuts by Raymond Carver on which the film was based. It is a series of vignettes, each giving me the feeling that I had dropped into someone's life mid-sentence. The stories deal with married couples experiencing distress ranging from the great, losing a child, to the small, hunting for a lost dog. There is no real resolution to them, you don't know what has come before or what will happen after, but I felt that I had shared an intense moment in someone's life. I hope to read more of Carver.

I had a quick read yesterday, Snobbery with Violence by Marion Chesney. I had read her Agatha Raisin series and really enjoyed them but this one just doesn't measure up. It ends with lots of threads hanging so I imagine there's a sequel but I think I'll pass.
I'm just starting All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki. It was recommended by a friend.

I have never read any of Marion Chesney's books I don't think, although I have read several of her books written as M.C. Beaton, from both the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series. It sounds like I am not missing much.

All Over Creation is an ambitious book. Yumi Fuller returns home to Idaho with her three children after running away 25 years earlier. She is contacted by her childhood friend, Cass, when her parents are no longer able to care for themselves. It is interesting that her relationship with her parents has frozen in time when she runs away and she hasn't really changed at all in spite of having children of her own. Her anger with her father drives all her life choices. Once she settles in on the family potato farm, the second story begins, an invasion by the Seeds of Revolution, a group of peaceful hippies fighting genetic engineering in plants.
They have come to the farm because of the writings of Yumi's father, Lloyd Fuller, and look to him as a sort of guru. The stories play out pretty much as I expected them to but the whole subplot on plant engineering was very interesting.
Now on to Passion by Jude Morgan. (I'm giving up on trying to Touchstone this. I'm getting some strange responses)

#43: All Over Creation looks pretty good. I will see if I can find a copy. Thanks for the recommendation, Jan.

I hope you enjoy it. I can't remember when the book was published but it is very timely about genetic engineering/building pesticides into the cells of plants, etc. Pretty depressing, actually. She does a good job of explaining it to the non-scientist (like me)

Hi - I found you and starred you and have now added even more books to the TBR mountain.

My cousins grew up on a potato farm in Idaho, and I have many fond memories of summers there. I also enjoy genetics and stories about relationships. How can I pass on All Over Creation?

You got me with Canoe Trip: North to Athabasca too.

Oh, I had to come back and join the ooo, ahhh, Powells. Aside from the rain, what I miss most about Oregon. When I go visit my parents, my husband calls the trip a "pilgrimage" to Powells.

Message modifié par son auteur, Mar 2, 2010, 4:07pm.

Pilgrimage, yes! After all, there can't be too many book stores where you need a map to get around!

My boyfriend's from Portland, going to school here in Maryland, and he waxes nostalgic about Powell's all the time. Whenever I mention a bookstore I like, he mentions that it can't be as good as Powell's. I'll have to go one day now that I've heard so much about it.

I hope you do have a chance to visit. Powell's is certainly worth it. It covers one city block and is three floors high, with both new and used books.
But there's lots of other wonderful things to see in Portland, as I'm sure your boyfriend has told you about!

I interrupted my reading of Passions by Jude Morgan to read Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Wench gives a fascinating look at an aspect of slavery I had never imagined. The author sets the story in a real place, Tawawa House, which was a summer resort for both Northern and Southern whites. Southern slave owners would spend the summer hunting and fishing, accompanied by one of their female slaves. This is the story of four slaves who come every year with their owners. The resort is set in Ohio, free territory, and you would have expected the slaves to run. Perkins-Valdez explores the complicated relationships of these four and what a run for freedom would mean for them. There are practical considerations, such as leaving children behind, and emotional and psychological ones as well. The most fascinating story is that of Lizzie, who lives as her owner's mistress year round and has two children with him. She tells herself that they love each other, even though he won't free her or their children. It reminded me of the "Stockholm syndrome" where kidnap victims identify with their captors. Reenie comes every year with a man she calls Sir and explains to Lizzie that he is her half-brother, both having the same father. Mawu comes from a plantation in Louisiana and Sweet from Tennessee. They are unforgettable characters that stay with you after you've finished the story.
Now back to Passions (and I can never get the Touchstones to work for this one).

I've enjoyed reading your thread. So glad you liked Wench as I've heard good things about it, and just need a little nudge to reserve it at the library. I'm trying to read as many of my own books as I can this year, but this one sounds too good to resist.

I hope you enjoy it, Donna. I think on the jacket blurb it is compared to The Help and I can see some similarities. I liked both of them.