Simone2's reads in 2017

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Simone2's reads in 2017

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1Simone2
Déc 30, 2016, 8:16 pm

Hi all, I am Barbara and this is my second year in this group. I have been very obsessed with the 1001 list and am happy to have discovered so many new authors and titles last year thanks to the reviews in this group.

I am Dutch, live in Amsterdam with my husband and two kids (16 and 13). I work more or less fulltime as a communication strategist in a company for strategy and design, which I started with some others ten years ago.

In 2017 I hope to read another 100 books, a combination of 1001 books, modern literary fiction from around the world and the Booker longlist.

2Simone2
Modifié : Mai 28, 2017, 2:24 am

JANUARY-MARCH

JANUARY
1 - De Ruiter by Jan van Mersbergen: 3,5*
2 - Lieveling by Kim van Kooten: 4*
3 - The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell: 3*
4 - The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro: 4*
5 - The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante: 4*
6 - Lieve by Ronald Giphart: 2,5*
7 - Complicity by Iain Banks: 4*
8 - As I lay Dying by William Faulkner: 4*

FEBRUARY
9 - The Counterfeiters by André Gide: 4*
10 - Brooklyn by Colm Toibin: 3,5*
11 - The Stand by Stephen King: 3,5*
12 - Swann's Way by Marcel Proust: 3*
13 - The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst: 3,5*
14 - The Hothouse by Wolfgang Koeppen: 2*
15 - Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum: 3,5*
16 - Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov: 4*

MARCH
17 - Mr Bridge by Evan S Connell: 3,5*
18 - Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf: 2*
19 - Makkelijk leven by Herman Koch: 3*
20 - Life is a Caravanserai by Emine Sevgi Ozdamar: 3,5*

3Simone2
Modifié : Juin 27, 2017, 6:29 am

APRIL-JUNE

APRIL
21 - Dagboek uit de rivier by Frederik Baas: 3,5*
22 - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: 3,5*
23 - King Lear of the Steppes by Ivan Turgenev: 3*
24 - Mokusei! by Cees Nooteboom: 4,5*
25 - Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter: 4,5*
26 - De wezenlozen by Wytske Versteeg: 3*
27 - The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek: 3*
28 - Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin: 3,5*
29 - In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower by Marcel Proust: 3,5*
30 - The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte: 3*
31 - A Slanting of the Sun by Donal Ryan: 4*

MAY
32 - Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet: 3*
33 - He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum: 3,5*
34 - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell: 4*
35 - The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall: 4*
36 - Spring Torrents by Ivan Turgenev: 3*
37 - The Mothers by Brit Bennett: 4,5*
38 - De onderwaterzwemmer by PF Thomese: 2*
39 - On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry: 4*
40 - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines: 4,5*
41 - Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin: 3,5*
42 - The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus: 2,5*

JUNE
43 - Old Filth by Jane Gardam: 4*
44 - In the Darkness by Karin Fossum: 3,5*
45 - Time's Arrow by Martin Amis: 4*
46 - Jarhead by Anthony Swofford: 3,5*
47 - Autumn by Ali Smith: 4*
48 - The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust: 4*
49 - The Nix by Nathan Hill:4*

4Simone2
Modifié : Oct 22, 2017, 11:51 am

JULY-SEPTEMBER

JULY
50 - Diary by Chuck Palahniuk: 3*
51 - The Dog by Joseph O'Neill: 2,5*
52 - Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin: 3*
53 - Ill Will by Dan Chaon: 4,5*
54 - Wachten op Bojangles by Olivier Bourdeaut: 3,5*
55 - Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout: 4,5*
56 - The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge: 4*
57 - Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor: 4*

AUGUST
58 - The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy: 4,5*
59 - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders: 4*
60 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: 4*
61 - Exit West by Mohsin Hamid: 5*
62 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips: 3*
63 - Elmet by Fiona Mozley: 3,5*
64 - Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf: 4*
65 - Before the Fall by Noah Hawley: 3,5*
66 - Our Lady of the Assassins by Fernando Vallejo: 3*
67 - History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund: 3,5*
68 - The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien: 3,5*
69 - Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch: 3*
70 - Days Without End by Sebastian Barry: 3,5*
71 - The Fourth Monkey by JD Barker: 4*

SEPTEMBER
72 - Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie: 5*
73 - Solar Bones by Mike McCormack: 2*
74 - The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells: 4*
75 - Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving: 3*
76 - Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin: 4,5*
77 - Marlena by Julie Buntin: 3*
78 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: 4,5*
79 - The Accusation by Bandi: 3,5*

5Simone2
Modifié : Déc 27, 2017, 5:20 pm

OCTOBER-DECEMBER

OCTOBER
80 - Old Masters by Thomas Bernhard: 3*
81 - The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier: 2*
82 - Tin Man by Sarah Winman: 5*
83 - Sourdough by Robin Sloan: 3,5*
84 - Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller: 4*
85 - A Separation by Katie Kitamura: 3*
86 - Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson: 2*
87 - A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvonne Edwards: 4*
88 - The Power by Naomi Alderman: 2*

NOVEMBER
89 - Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: 3*
90 - The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood: 3*
91 - The Fishermen by Chigozie Ibioma: 3,5*
92 - The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne: 4,5*
93 - Chemistry by Weike Wang: 4*
94 - The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna: 4*
95 - First Love by Gwendoline Riley: 3,5*

DECEMBER
96 - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce: 4*
97 - The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker: 4*
98 - The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss: 3,5*
99 - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng: 4,5*
100 - Zeldzame aarden by Sandro Veronesi: 3,5*
101 - All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg: 3,5*
102 - Winter by Ali Smith: 4*
103 - The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh: 4*
104 - The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach:

6ELiz_M
Jan 1, 2017, 9:53 am

Happy New Year! I am so looking forward to your thread -- judging from various 2016 best books posts you have similar reactions to many of the 1001 books we've both read and I enjoy your reviews of contemporary novels so I know what else I should be reading.

7dchaikin
Jan 1, 2017, 10:40 am

I was just reading over your best of 2016 and the fiction list looked like all books I would love to read. Following again. Happy New Year!

8NanaCC
Jan 1, 2017, 11:14 am

Hi Barbara. I'm just placing a star, and looking forward to your reading list.

9ursula
Jan 1, 2017, 2:12 pm

Looking forward to another year of following along with you!

10Trifolia
Jan 1, 2017, 3:33 pm

Hi Barbara, I'm dropping a star here. I'm looking forward to see what you will read because your choice of books is so inspirational and parallel to what I plan to read this year.

11AlisonY
Jan 1, 2017, 3:43 pm

Here's my star. Looking forward to you much adding to my wish list again this year!

12The_Hibernator
Jan 1, 2017, 9:09 pm

13Simone2
Jan 1, 2017, 10:38 pm

>12 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel, you too!

14Simone2
Modifié : Jan 2, 2017, 3:06 am

1 - De ruiter by Jan van Mersbergen

I have started the year skiing in Austria and brought some easy Dutch novels to read in between.
This one is written by a man I know personally so it is always nice to read his books. Every one of them is quite original and his language beautiful in its subtleness.

In De Ruiter (The Rider) the story is told by a horse. This could be awful but it isn't. He listens to the stories the boss and his granddaughter (who stays with her grandfather to hide from the criminal gang she is involved in) entrust him with. When the girl takes him on a ride into town the book becomes an urban western, but still very subtle. The open ending is chilling and touching.

3,5*

15arubabookwoman
Jan 2, 2017, 6:55 pm

Hi Barbara--I enjoyed following your thread last year as a lurker. This year I hope to comment once in a while on your interesting reading.

16Simone2
Jan 3, 2017, 12:50 am

>15 arubabookwoman: Thank you Deborah! I 'know' you from the 1001 group, but am interested in your reading-through-the-years as well!

17Simone2
Modifié : Jan 3, 2017, 1:12 am

2 - Lieveling by Kim van Kooten

Is there a way to write mildly humorous about a heavy subject as child abuse? There is. Kim van Kooten knows how to and in fact the humor (the story is being told by Puck, the girl who, from her 5th birthday on, was absurd by her stepfather) makes this true story even more poignant. It shows the little girls ignorance, her belief in the goodness of het stepfather (at first) and a way to survive (later on). Great achievement.

4*

18kidzdoc
Jan 3, 2017, 5:27 am

Lieveling is a book I would be interested in reading, as my partners and I are becoming more aware of child abuse and sex trafficking in our community, but it doesn't seem to have been translated into English yet.

19Simone2
Modifié : Jan 3, 2017, 7:41 am

>18 kidzdoc: I'll keep an eye on a possible translation and will let you know.
As a doctor you will run into child abuse cases inevitably I think. This must be very hard for you as well probably. I hope you are able to notie the signals and help some of those kids.

20Simone2
Jan 3, 2017, 9:53 am

Just for who's interested: Knausgard is sooo charming and in this interview he tells about his writing plans. I would love a novel of Edvard Munch by his hand.

http://www.tzum.info/2017/01/filmpje-karl-ove-knausgard-roem-en-succes/ (in English)

21ursula
Jan 3, 2017, 10:08 am

>20 Simone2: Ooh, I just watched the first few minutes. I'll have to come back to it later when I have the time to really enjoy it. Thanks very much for that. I'm itching to start Book 3.

22arubabookwoman
Jan 3, 2017, 1:26 pm

I've only read Books 1-3 of Knausgaard's My Struggle, but of those Book 3, mostly about his childhood, was my favorite. I hope to finish the series this year. I've also read A Time For Everything, and it was one of my favorites the year I read it.

23AlisonY
Jan 3, 2017, 3:56 pm

>20 Simone2: I've listened to about 15 minutes of this so far - very interesting! I'm not sure how exciting the Four Seasons sounds, but knowing Knaussgaard it could be a work of genius.

24kidzdoc
Jan 5, 2017, 10:54 am

>19 Simone2: Thanks, Barbara. As you said, I do care for a sizable number of abused children in the hospital, either ones with new injuries due to suspected or proven nonaccidental trauma, or, worse yet, ones who have sustained horrible traumatic brain injuries from abuse and are left severely disabled as a result. The ones who have been sexually abused are rarely admitted to our service, but we're also becoming more aware that some troubled teens, especially ones with sexually transmitted infections, may be the victims of sexual trafficking, and we're all learning more about the signs that may indicate that a child may be one of them.

>20 Simone2: Thanks for posting the link to that Knausgaard video! I'll listen to it later this week.

>21 ursula: Same here, Ursula. I had started Book Three late last year, and I'm oh so tempted to drop everything and give it a go.

>22 arubabookwoman: Ooh...this is making it very difficult for me to hold out! I give up...I'll start reading it this month.

I'm glad that you also liked A Time for Everything, as I own it as well.

25Oandthegang
Jan 5, 2017, 2:19 pm

Hi. I'm planning to read some Dutch and Scandinavian writers in the first quarter as part of the Reading Globally group, so would be interested in anything you could recommend (will have to be in English I'm afraid).

26Simone2
Jan 5, 2017, 3:23 pm

>25 Oandthegang: I think my favourite Dutch writer, whose work has been translated in English, is WF Hermans. Another good one is Harry Mulisch. A bit more 21th century are, for example, Joost Zwagerman and Herman Koch (the last one is quite popular in this group).
If you would like me to recommend some works by these authors, I can certainly help you.

I am not an expert in Scandinavian literature but my favourite Scandinavian book is probably The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas, followed by the My Struggle series by Karl Ove Knausgaard. I also liked Heaven and Hell by Jon Kalman Stefansson a lot, it is part one of an Icelandic trilogy.

27Simone2
Jan 5, 2017, 3:31 pm

>21 ursula: >22 arubabookwoman: >24 kidzdoc: Be kind to yourselves and read book 3! Haven't book 4, 5 and 6 been translated in English yet? I think book 5 was a bit less interesting, but 6.... wow. What a series.

I wasn't sure if I should read his first novel but I am glad you liked it.

In Dutch a new series has been published, 4 books, named after the seasons. I haven't read them yet.

28ursula
Jan 5, 2017, 5:32 pm

>27 Simone2: I will start it soon. I'm sure I won't be able to hold out long. My library doesn't have books 5 or 6 yet - not sure if that's because they haven't been translated.

29Oandthegang
Jan 6, 2017, 7:34 am

>26 Simone2: Thanks Simone. I will look them out.

30Simone2
Jan 6, 2017, 1:19 pm

3 - The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

In this novel David Mitchell combines a realistic story with fantasy/magical realism. I don't think he succeeded in this. I really enjoyed the book as long as it was the story of Holly Sykes, who we follow in different stories, told by herself (part 1), a boyfriend (part 2), her husband (part 3) and an over-his-top author (part 4).

Sure, there were some fantasy elements throughout these parts, but they were few and intriguing. In the mean time I enjoyed Holly's story, but also that of the egocentric Hugo Lamb, that of the author (Mitchell?) who criticizes the literary world, and, especially that of Ed, Holly's husband, who works as a journalist in Iraq after 9/11. I loved his (Mitchell's?) view on international politics and the British/European dependence on the US, without any government having a policy of what to do with Iraq after the fall of Saddam.

And then there is part 5 and the battle between good and evil takes place. I felt like I had arrived in a YA-novel I didn't like. I skimmed the pages and the last part didn't make up for that, even though they describe a scary but imaginable future of the world.

So. Partly very good, partly very weak and boring, in my opinion.

3*

31AlisonY
Jan 6, 2017, 1:27 pm

>26 Simone2: picked up a few great looking book bullets there. The Assault by Harry Mulisch looks interesting - have you read it? I've never heard of The Birds but the synopsis on Amazon sounds great.

32Simone2
Jan 6, 2017, 2:48 pm

>31 AlisonY: The Assault is the book I think we all read in high school here. It is a good read and is considered Mulisch's best, along with The Discovery of Heaven, which I liked better.

And yes, Vesaas's The Birds is fantastic!

33arubabookwoman
Jan 6, 2017, 3:47 pm

I love David Mitchell but I'm not a fantasy fan, so your review of The Bone Clocks summarizes my feelings when I read the book.

I'm also a fan of The Discovery of Heaven. I've had The Birds on my wishlist forever (because I want to find it used and not pay full price.) I may have to break down and pay full price before too much longer.

34ursula
Jan 7, 2017, 7:02 am

The Bone Clocks didn't work for me either, for all the reasons you give.

35ELiz_M
Jan 7, 2017, 9:10 am

>33 arubabookwoman: BetterWorldBooks has a used hardcover for $9 (shipping is free):
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/The-birds-id-BWB14822408.aspx

Also, Archipelago Books published a translation last year, so if you wait a few more copies may show up in the used market soon.

36kidzdoc
Jan 8, 2017, 8:43 am

Thanks for your useful review of The Bone Clocks, Barbara. I wish I hadn't bought it, and I'll probably give it away, since I'm not a fan of fantasy literature either.

37PaulCranswick
Jan 9, 2017, 1:24 am

>32 Simone2: I will be reading The Assault next week, Barbara,

38Simone2
Jan 9, 2017, 4:06 am

4 - The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

How I love the way Ishiguro writes. He is definitely one of my favourite authors and he may even (as opposed to David Mitchell as I mentioned above) write a fantasy novel, like he did in this book.

Above all, The Buried Giant is a story of the love between an elder couple. The setting is England in the 6th century in the aftermath of the days of King Arthur. A strange thing is happening: people tend to forget almost anything that happens after a few days. The couple is afraid of this 'mist' as they call it, and hangs on to the memories they have and share, which are not many. They remember their son, who doesn't live with them anymore. They don't remember when of why he left but suddenly have the urge to go and find him. Partly this is due to the fact that they are no longer allowed to have a candle in their cave anymore. The community decided this and therefore they live in the dark and have lots of time to think and reminiscence.
We don't learn why they are no longer allowed their candle and this is a perfect example of why I love Ishiguro so much. You immediately feel for the couple, their love for each other, how they try to protect each other while worrying about this candle and the darkness.

The journey that follows, in search of their son, is an adventure in which they meet many people and creatures. They encounter all of them with their kindness. Ishiguro describes many beautiful conversations and Saxons as well as Britons treat the couple with respect. However, under the surface I felt someting that kept me constantly worrying about what would happen to them, they being so old and fragile.

4*

39AlisonY
Jan 9, 2017, 5:00 pm

>38 Simone2: nice review. I've not read anything by Ishiguro - sounds like an author I need go pick up soon.

40Simone2
Modifié : Jan 15, 2017, 1:54 am

5 - The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

Finishing The Neapolitan Novels leaves me feeling empty. In the fourth book Elena is back in Naples, where Lina is the queen of the old neigbourhood. Everyone respects her independent attitude. Elena observes and keeps wondering why Lina isn't more ambitious with her intelligence and capabilities.

They become close friends again though not on an equal level. Elena is a succesful writer now but she keeps comparing herself to Lina. Every bitchy remark from her friend keeps touching her deeply. Often those remarks touch a subject Elena is insecure about (her relationship with Nino, motherhood, her books), which Lina seems to feel and likes to point out. The result is that things go as Lina foresees - it seems as if Elena acts according to them. Certainly, Lina is very observant, she is smart and streetwise, but so is Elena. Why is the latter such a victim of what's happening to her?

On the other hand, Elena decides when she is ready to listen to Lina: when Elena does things she is not too confident about (like with Nino) she just avoids Lila for a while. She probably knows exactly what's happening but won't let her conscious (Lila) speak until she is ready to listen.

I am surprised at how much these novels appeal to me. I have never liked Lila but in the end I don't like Elena much either. And still, their story makes a great read as do the descriptions of Naples and the other (all worked out very good) characters.

About the ending I have to think a bit more. It was rather abrupt to me (I don't get why Lina disappears exactly af the mentioned moment) and I didn't understand the meaning of the gift Elena receives in the end.

I am still wondering how autobiographical the story is but in the end I am leaning towards the thought that it is - but partly. Perhaps it is, but without Lina. Perhaps Ferrante wrote a story about Naples and Elena (herself?), needing Lina to explain herself and the choices she made in life. Needing Lina as an opponent and a conscious. Needing Lina to feel better.

4*

41dchaikin
Jan 15, 2017, 8:37 am

Great review. Interesting idea about Lila as a fictional counterbalance to other possibly autobiographical parts. That brings in a lot of other ways to think about the story. (I'm about halfway through)

42Simone2
Jan 15, 2017, 9:44 am

>41 dchaikin: I am looking forward to your thoughts once you've finished it (which will be soon I expect!)

43dchaikin
Jan 15, 2017, 2:30 pm

I'm getting close. : )

44Simone2
Modifié : Jan 18, 2017, 4:30 pm

>29 Oandthegang: I thought this article in The Guardian might be interesting for your reading Dutch literature for the Reading Globally Group: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/jan/17/dutch-literature-lost-to...

45kidzdoc
Jan 18, 2017, 6:41 pm

>44 Simone2: Thanks for mentioning The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories, Barbara. I've added it to my wish list, but I own several other books by Dutch authors that I plan to read for the Reading Globally challenge.

46Simone2
Jan 19, 2017, 10:45 am

6 - Lieve by Ronald Giphart

Ronald Giphart is the cliché Dutch author. It's like these cliché Dutch movies, they are all about sex. And only about sex. And I don't mind sex but it is so over the top. Why did I even bother to buy and read this book? Because it had good reviews in the media. And yes, he can write. I just wish he would sometimes tackle another subject to write about.

2,5*

47RidgewayGirl
Jan 19, 2017, 2:07 pm

I felt less empty than bereft when I finished the final book in the Ferrante series. It took me a few days to read novels again.

48Simone2
Jan 19, 2017, 2:50 pm

>47 RidgewayGirl: Bereft. That's a better word indeed. I am going to look up your review of the series.

49Oandthegang
Modifié : Jan 21, 2017, 6:23 am

>44 Simone2:. Thanks Simone. Confirmed gloomy then, but I shall get a copy. I read The Great Longing when it was first translated into English and loved it. Perhaps I should search out more Möring.

50janemarieprice
Jan 20, 2017, 8:22 pm

>38 Simone2: Ooh, sounds wonderful! Unlike you, I do like a good fantastical element so this piqued my interest. (Hmm, appears to already be on my wishlist, need to cull that thing one day.)

51Simone2
Jan 23, 2017, 3:06 am

7 - Complicity by Iain Banks

Scary, violent novel of a journalist who is being trapped in a series of murders. The journalist is addicted to a lot of things: speed, cigarettes, his computergame, whisky and his mistress. In between his addictions he writes for a Scottish newspaper and is trapped into a murder investigation. He is beign acccused of being the murderer of all those evil-men-who-deserved-it?
What follows is a smart story about responsibility, friendship, betrayal and yes, complicity.
No simple whodunnit but a real Iain Banks again, which can't let you untouched.

4*

52AlisonY
Jan 23, 2017, 9:44 am

More great praise for Ferrante. I'm so intrigued now about this series.

53edwinbcn
Jan 25, 2017, 9:37 pm

It seems Ishiguro is still experimenting and renewing his writing style over and again. I have followed his writing throughout the years, and will add The Buried Giant to my wish list.

54Simone2
Jan 29, 2017, 3:47 am

8 - As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

It took me a lot of time to get into the story, mostly because of the used language. Although I read English all the time, I had difficulties with the used accent (the story in set in the American South) and understanding what was happening.

And then suddenly I was drawn into the story and the stream of consciousness style of it.

After Addie Bundren dies, her family takes her in a wagon to Jefferson to bury her with her parents. The journey is horrible, told by (among others) her husband, sons and daughter. All these different narrators and their interpretations of what happens, make this a unique read. Big themes as death, grief, poverty and family give the book many layers to keep thinking of.

The end is shocking. Highly recommended.

4*

55AlisonY
Jan 29, 2017, 8:29 am

>54 Simone2: I read this a couple of years ago and loved it too. I had to read it in conjunction with Spark notes online to make sure I was getting the gist of it OK, but I agree it pulls you in wonderfully.

56japaul22
Jan 29, 2017, 8:54 am

>54 Simone2: so glad you enjoyed Faulkner - your first, right? His style is tough but I think it usually complements his stories really well.

57Simone2
Modifié : Jan 29, 2017, 1:47 pm

>55 AlisonY: I had Shmoop nearby during the first chapters because I hardly knew what was happening!

>56 japaul22: Yes, my first. So perhaps I am ready now for The Sound and athe Fury, which is one of your favourites, isn't it?

58Simone2
Fév 7, 2017, 7:22 am

9 - The Counterfeiters by André Gide

The Counterfeiters is a story of people moving in and out of an upperclass Paris setting in the early twentieth century. There are some adolescent friends, their parents, their teachers, an uncle etc and all are woven into many plotlines.
I loved it from page one. Not a word too much is being said, the dialogues are witty, the relations realistic and underneath a lot is happening. The fact that the adolescents act too wise for their age, that homosexual feelings are never outspoken, and even that there it is a novel-within-a-novel: it doesn't matter. It all adds up to a great story in which all of the many characters really come to life.

I had never read anything by Gide and am happy the 1001 list brought him to my attention, I'll make sure to read more by him.

4*

59ELiz_M
Fév 7, 2017, 7:56 am

>58 Simone2: This is my favorite work of his that I have read, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

60SassyLassy
Fév 7, 2017, 10:25 am

>44 Simone2: Great article. I have put your link to it on the current Reading Globally quarterly thread, literature from the Benelux. Here is a link to it:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/245366

61Simone2
Fév 7, 2017, 4:52 pm

>59 ELiz_M: I remember how much you liked it. And I completely agree, it is great book. Did you read Strait is the Gate yet? isn't that supposed to be his masterwork?

>60 SassyLassy: You're welcome! I am looking forward to the books you'll read from the Benelux.

62japaul22
Fév 7, 2017, 6:45 pm

63Simone2
Fév 12, 2017, 11:41 am

10 - Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

I am a fan of Toibin's writing style, however I liked Brooklyn a lot less than Nora Webster and The Heather Blazing.

This is because of the storyline which I think is very Thin. It feels like reading one of those romantic novels I read as a teenager - although I really liked Eiles, the girl who moves from Ireland to Brooklyn and succeeds in finding her way there within and outside the Irish community.

3,5*

64AlisonY
Fév 12, 2017, 2:54 pm

>63 Simone2: aw, shame. I really enjoyed Brooklyn. I guess it was a bit of a romance novel, but it was still a page turner for me.

65Simone2
Fév 12, 2017, 5:21 pm

>64 AlisonY: Yes it definitely was a page turner. And as I said I love his style, but in the end I was a bit disappointed by its predictability. But I am still a fan of Toibin!

66Simone2
Modifié : Fév 18, 2017, 2:24 pm

11 - The Stand by Stephen King

The complete and uncut edition, that is. 1445 pages of a post-apocalyptic world in which many characters who survived the superflu, try to build a new world. Then the dreams start: some dream of a free zone, led by a very old woman, others dream of the dark man. All wander the US, looking for their leader. The result is two communities and the inevitable clash between them.

I wasn't bored for one minute, I kept reading and wanted to know how it would end. And still, it was not as good as I expected. Not as scary, not as mysterious. It was good. But not as good as I hoped.

3,5*

67Simone2
Fév 19, 2017, 8:49 am

12 - Swann's Way

Well, I did it, I finished my first Proust! The sentences kept meandering and I couldn't keep concentrated all the time, but overall I think I have an impression of what to expect of this series. Some beautiful things he says, and so recognizable. Other parts I cannot relate to myself (the obsessive love for example) but I liked the lyrical way Proust tells about those feelings.
I was a little bit disappointed by the much referred-to scene of the madelines (although I do recognize the importance of the senses in Proust's writing), had to laugh about the part on monocles and am ready to give the second part a try as well!

3*

68dchaikin
Fév 19, 2017, 6:24 pm

Some great authors popping up here. So glad you liked Swann's Way, even if the madelines disappointed. Intrigued by your Gide review, and by the Faulkner review. And interesting about Banks and Toibin and King - I haven't read any of these authors, except Proust.

69Simone2
Fév 20, 2017, 12:36 am

>68 dchaikin: Never mind the others, you read Proust :-)

70baswood
Fév 20, 2017, 7:11 pm

Enjoying your reviews of some great books

71Simone2
Modifié : Fév 22, 2017, 11:44 am

13 - The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst

Holidays for me. A few days on the very stormy coast with family and books. Perfect! I started with this novel, recommended here by Bragan when she was in the mood for something light. I remembered that and indeed, this book turned out to be exactly what I was looking forward to.

The Nobodies Album is a multi-layered novel of a mother/writer and her son Milo, with whom she has a very complicated relationship. They haven't spoken for four years until he is accused of murdering his girlfriend.

What follows is in some parts a whodunnit, in others a psychological story on grief and family and in yet others a collection of short stories with different endings.

Together they form a real pageturner, very well written. Recommended for everyone who is in the mood for a not too complicated good read.

3,5*

72Simone2
Modifié : Fév 23, 2017, 3:19 pm

14 - The Hothouse by Wolfgang Koeppen

There was no match between me and this book. I think the subject can be interesting (a German man getting his life back on track after WWII), but it wasn't to me. Those endless sentences, I could not concentrate and skimmed them. I did get the story but probably missed all the beauty hidden in the sentences. It doesn't really bother me, perhaps another day I'll read it again.

2*

73AlisonY
Fév 23, 2017, 4:48 pm

Lurking and enjoying your reviews....

74Simone2
Fév 24, 2017, 1:40 am

>73 AlisonY: Thank you. I hope you'll have a break from work soon to do some reading yourself and add another one to my wishlist!

75deebee1
Fév 24, 2017, 5:14 am

>72 Simone2: I, too, found this book challenging requiring a second and careful read to be fully grasped. The subject is difficult but I think, an important one. Don't give up on Koeppen, though, I suggest you try his more accessible work, A Death in Rome. I think it's a masterpiece.

76Simone2
Fév 24, 2017, 10:44 am

>75 deebee1: Thanks for this suggestion. I will buy that one because I feel sure there is more to Koeppen than I got out of it.

77Simone2
Fév 25, 2017, 3:41 am

15 - Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum

Another good holiday read. First of the Inspector Sejer series that I read and it turned out to be a real pageturner. Behind the mystery surrounding the murder of Annie Holland, there is a whole story of a Norwegian community and their way of life. There are some dark psychological stories and the end of the book left me feeling uncomfortable.

I think I am going to check out the next one in the series.

3,5*

78bragan
Fév 26, 2017, 11:07 pm

>71 Simone2: Oh, yay! I'm glad it worked for you the same way it worked for me.

79PaulCranswick
Fév 27, 2017, 11:13 pm

>77 Simone2: It is funny isn't it why we are always so well entertained by murder mysteries on holidays? Maybe because secretly we would like to kill the travel agent!

80Simone2
Fév 28, 2017, 2:36 am

>79 PaulCranswick: Fortunately there was no travel agent, but I certainly do like to read murder mysteries on holidays. I love being able to read on and on, which holidays are perfect for!

81Simone2
Fév 28, 2017, 2:49 am

16 - Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

I am a big fan of Lolita, despite its subject, and have always thought no other Nabokov could live up to that one.
Pnin couldn't, indeed, but I loved it nevertheless.

It took some time to get into the story of Pnin, a Russian immigrant in the US who teaches Russian a Waindell University. In seven chapters Nabokov tells about his life and his past.
The book starts as a satire, with Pnin being some kind of caricature; his English is bad, his classes are empty, he missed his train etc. I felt he was being made fun of.

And then suddenly there is this moment (I don't know exactly where) it is no longer funny. The moment when I started to feel deeply sorry for the lonely man, building his life as best as he can far away from home.

I think this is exactly what Nabokov had in mind with this book and in my opinion he succeeded absolutely.

4*

82dchaikin
Fév 28, 2017, 10:05 pm

Enjoyed your comments on Pnin and Nabokov.

83ipsoivan
Mar 1, 2017, 8:32 am

Oh, I loved Pnin! I'm really enjoying following your reading.

84RidgewayGirl
Mar 1, 2017, 9:27 am

I've been reluctant to read anymore Nabokov, because of how perfect Lolita is. Thanks for the encouragement to go ahead and read something else by him.

85Simone2
Modifié : Mar 1, 2017, 11:38 am

>82 dchaikin: >83 ipsoivan: Thank you both!

>84 RidgewayGirl: I felt the same and I know people who didn't like Pnin at all, but somehow I think you'll enjoy it as well.

86valkyrdeath
Mar 4, 2017, 6:23 pm

>81 Simone2: Interesting comments on Pnin. I want to read something by Nabokov but haven't been able to decide where to start since I'm not sure I want to read Lolita yet. I've been leaning towards Ada but this sounds interesting too.

87Simone2
Mar 9, 2017, 5:29 pm

>86 valkyrdeath: It is a good one to start with I think. Only 200 pages. But why wait with Lolita? That's a book that pulls you in from the first page.

88Simone2
Mar 9, 2017, 5:43 pm

17 - Mr Bridge by Evan S Connell

I absolutely loved his wife so I wanted to read Mr Bridge's side of the story as well. He seemed so boring in her book, and not interested in her at all.

The opposite is true: his life is dedicated to her and their children. He just feels that the best way to take care of them is by working hard and make sure that they can live without having to worry about money.

So he is at his office all the time, making money. What we didn't learn from Mrs Bridge is that he talks to his children all the time. When things get complicated she directs them to their father who will learn them about morals and values, about things he has known for sure all his life. He doesn't register the changes the world is going through after WWI and holds on to his (sometimes very politically incorrect!) values no matter what. This makes him real and human; his honesty is touching, though we certainly don't share the same opinions.

However, Connell has been able to bring to life the man who was the absent husband and father in Mrs Bridge. Together the books give a pretty complete story about marriage and family life in Kansas in the 1950s.

Being a woman, I still love the Mrs better though.

3,5*

89AlisonY
Mar 10, 2017, 8:06 am

>89 AlisonY: aw, really hope to read Mr Bridge sometime too. Mrs Bridge was very humorous (without often meaning to be) - was Mr Bridge lacking in that a little?

90Simone2
Mar 16, 2017, 2:42 am

>89 AlisonY: Mr Bridge himself lacks any kind of humor but that is rather humorous in itself!

91Simone2
Mar 16, 2017, 2:49 am

I haven't been able to read for a while with our elections coming up and the threat of an anti-islamic populist as its winner.
However, the Dutch chose for Europe and the climate, against populism (in majority). Finally a reason to be proud of us again. Especially of my city: in Amsterdam the Green Left Party has gained a majority.

So, now I will be able to go back to Proust, Mantel and Woolf!

92RidgewayGirl
Mar 16, 2017, 7:52 am

I know that I'm breathing a sigh of relief that the Dutch kept their heads!

93Rebeki
Mar 17, 2017, 12:18 pm

>92 RidgewayGirl: Me too!

I'm glad you can relax and enjoy reading again, Barbara.

94Simone2
Modifié : Avr 1, 2017, 3:46 pm

18 - Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf

What a fight, this one. My mind kept wandering and Woolf did nothing to prevent it.
A book consisting of fragments of the lives of people around Jacob. Himself we hardly get to know.
I know how many of you love Virginia Woolf. I am not one of them I am afraid to admit. O yes, I liked Orlando and Mrs Dalloway but I just can't relate to her experimental novels, like The Waves and this one.

2*

95Simone2
Mar 17, 2017, 4:54 pm

>92 RidgewayGirl: >93 Rebeki: Thank you both. Let's keep our fingers crossed for France, where the elections will be held in April.

96Simone2
Modifié : Mar 26, 2017, 4:15 pm

19 - Makkelijk leven by Herman Koch

It is the Week of Books in the Netherlands, which means that if you buy a book this week, you receive one for free. Every year another author writes this free gift.
This year, Herman Koch did.

'Comfortably Living' it is called, named after the book with the same title that the main character, Tom Sanders, wrote. A very succesful self help book.
In short the theory of this self help book is to just make life as easy as possible for yourself and just be lucky.

And that is exactly how Sanders lives. Of course (this being Koch) he is not a sympathic man and of course nothing is the way it seems.

When Sanders' daughter in law shows up one day with a black eye, caused by his favourite son, his comfortable life is being disrupted. What to do? Confront his son? Or just let it go, as he promotes in his book?

Another twist, but then Koch can't live up to the expectations. With just 10 more pages to go, way too much happens.

Still, an amusing read for a Sunday afternoon.

3*

97Trifolia
Mar 27, 2017, 2:45 pm

>19 Simone2: - Excellent review, Barbara. I just finished De greppel by Herman Koch and having read two of his other books, I'm still unsure about his (imo unusual) way of writing about very serious subjects in a diverting way. Makkelijk leven seems to be like that too.

98thorold
Mar 27, 2017, 3:03 pm

>96 Simone2: Just got my copy this evening. Not convinced yet, but it sounds as though I'd better reserve judgement until the last ten pages!

99Simone2
Mar 27, 2017, 5:14 pm

>97 Trifolia: Thank you Monica. I think you are right; Makkelijk Leven won't change your opinion of Koch.

>98 thorold: You should; the first 80 are great, Koch at his best.

100Simone2
Mar 29, 2017, 2:27 am

20 - Life is a Caravanserai by Emine Sevgi Ozdamar

This book reads like a dreamy trip. It is the coming of age story of a girl in Turkey, but it is also the story of her family and ancestors, and their stories and beliefs. Mix this with some fairy tales, some magical realism a bit of Islam and the vividly described smells and spices of Turkey and you get this exceptional novel. Surely worth the read.

3,5*

101Simone2
Avr 5, 2017, 7:13 am

21 - Dagboek uit de rivier by Frederik Baas

This is the first thriller written (under pseudonym) by novelist Jan van Mersbergen.
It is a real psychological thriller. Barbara, her lover Robbert and her 9 year old son Rens go to the Belgian Ardennes for a holiday. Robbert, a publisher, knows the place because one of his authors lives there and he has visited him before. This author (who hasn't written anything since his succesful debut novel) is the one who tells the story. He and Barbara invent a search quest for Rens, but what starts out as a game becomes quickly less innocent.
More literary than thriller this is certainly an amusing read. I had no clue where the story would go and was pleasantly surprised by its twists.

3,5*

102Simone2
Modifié : Avr 15, 2017, 11:51 pm

22 - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

I finally finished it, Wolf Hall. I have missed all those books, movies and tv series about the Tudors and the Boleyns, so I knew little about Thomas Cromwell, Thomas More, Henry VIII, Anne and Mary Boleyn etc. So far I thought of the Catholic More as a noble good man and Cromwell as the bad guy.

Therefore, I really liked the perspective Mantel uses to describe this period of British history. The book shows how More treated his adversaries while I couldn’t help but like and admire Cromwell; his smartness, his opportunism, the way he treats his family, his cunning. Mantel portrays him as a really cool guy.

Then there is King Henry VIII, the one Cromwell helps to annul his marriage to Catherina so he can marry Anne Boleyn and, hopefully, get a male heir. You only see Henry and Anne from Cromwell’s viewpoint and that is quite originally as well. I often had to laugh reading his thoughts regarding the people surrounding him.

I can’t say I will read Bring up the Bodies immediately, but I am definitely looking forward to Anne’s fall and Cromwell’s role in this.

3,5*

103SassyLassy
Avr 11, 2017, 8:43 pm

>102 Simone2: Congratulations on finishing it. This was a book I loved. Bring Up the Bodies has a necessarily darker tone, but is well worth it. I am anxiously awaiting the third book. Cromwell does come across as an amazing person as portrayed by Mantel.

There is a BBC miniseries based on the book. As TV adaptations go, it is quite well done and Mark Rylance is excellent as Cromwell.

104Simone2
Avr 12, 2017, 4:17 am

>103 SassyLassy: That is good to know, I'll make sure to watch the series.

105NanaCC
Modifié : Avr 13, 2017, 8:17 pm

>104 Simone2: The series is having a re-run on PBS here in the states. It starts on Sunday.

I liked Bring up the Bodies even more than Wolf Hall, and also waiting rather impatiently at this point for the third volume.

It looks like the re-run of Wolf Hall on PBS started a week or two ago. I have some catch up to do.

106Simone2
Avr 15, 2017, 2:41 am

23 - King Lear of the Steppes by Ivan Turgenev

Turgenev may well be my favourite Russian writer, but this novel is not his best.
It is the story of Charlow, a man as big as a giant and the neighbour of the storyteller. He owns a lot of land and after a dream that predicts his death, he divides his property between his daughters (hence the reference to Shakespeare's King Lear). He is left empty handed but trusts his daughters to treat him right.

It is a story about fate and it is certainly well told (as always with Turgenev I can visualize all characters and the setting of the story), it is just not that good.

3*

107Simone2
Avr 15, 2017, 4:03 pm

24 - Mokusei! by Cees Nooteboom

Unexpected beautiful novella over a Dutch photographer who falls in love with the Japanese model of whom he takes pictures in front of Mount Fuiji.
She is as mysterious as the country itself. He never knows what she thinks, what is beneath the surface.
He longs for her when they are separated but when they are together he keeps wondering who she is. Is she who he wants her to be? Just like Japan, of which we have many fixed ideas and expectations. When in Japan, we are just looking for a confirmation of what we expect. We do see other things, but what doesn't fit in our image, we simply delete from our memories.

Very touching, very recognizable and a beautiful love story.

4,5*

108dchaikin
Avr 15, 2017, 10:43 pm

Catching up. Glad you enjoyed Wolf Hall.

109Simone2
Modifié : Avr 17, 2017, 3:03 am

25 - Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter

What a heartbreaking, daring, beautiful novel.
A father and his two young sons loose their wife/mother unexpectedly and are left devastated.
What is grief, how to deal with it? By dismissing well-meaning friends, by killing fishes, and, by letting a crow into your life to talk to, fight with, show your raw self to?

I didn't especially like the concept of the crow (based on a work by Ted Hughes about whom the father is writing a book at the time) but I was blown away by the book anyhow. Those small fragments, little peeks into the lives and souls of the 'dad' and the 'boys', little peeks in their lives with and without their wife/mother. The dealing or not dealing with grief, the not wanting to move on, yet moving on anyhow. The last sentences. The tribute to their wife/mother.

4,5*

110Simone2
Modifié : Avr 19, 2017, 10:29 am

26 - De wezenlozen by Wytske Versteeg

The silent protagonist of De wezenlozen is Gone, a girl who loses her ability to speak after an accident at a young age. The rest of her family feels responsible for Gone, each in their own way. The narrators of the story are Gones twin sister Ismeen, their mother Clarissa, uncle George, and father Siegfried. Each of these individuals casts a different light on the situation. Together they tell the story Gone can't tell anymore.
The result is a family tragedy, based on the classic Greek ones (which Siegfried teaches at a highshool to pupils only interested in the class trip to Rome). A bit too artificial for my likes though.

3*

111AlisonY
Avr 19, 2017, 6:16 pm

Some great recent reads - just catching up.

112Simone2
Modifié : Avr 23, 2017, 4:09 pm

27 - The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek

This is the very long story of Svejk, a soldier in WWI (who actually never comes close to the real front), who behaves (perhaps he is, but I don't think so) very ignorant and incompetent and in this way is able to show us a very critical view on what happened in Austria-Hungary at the time. It shows the pointlessness and futility of military discipline and is a real anti-war novel. Written in 1926, the way Hasek writes about and makes fun of the Jews with the knowledge we have now, is quite sobering.

I did enjoy parts of the book, but got the overall idea pretty quickly and then it became a lot of repetition. Svejks answers almost all questions with broad stories which have nothing to do with the plot. 'Examples from his chronicle of human suffering', Hasek calles them. They are sometimes great and funny and poignant, but in my opinion there are way too much and they definitely invited me to start skimming.

Anyhow, the book definitely had an impact on later readers, writers, thinkers and the Czech people so I think it deserves its place on the 1000 books to read before you die-list.

3*

113Simone2
Modifié : Avr 23, 2017, 2:16 am

28 - Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin

Encouraged by many reviews here (especially by Colleen), I started the first book in the Rebus Series.
I was not disappointed. I was warned (even by Ian Rankin himself in the introduction) that the first one is not the best, that the character of detective John Rebus is being introduced here, as well as the context of his life.

I didn't mind. His past as a SAS agent comes alive in this first book, which deals with a serial killer in Edinburgh, abducting and killing teenage girls without a sexual morive.
Next to the whodunnit part of the story, we are introduced to Rebus's brother Michael, his colleagues, journalist Jim Stevens, and Edinburgh itself.

I am looking forward to the next Rebus and would like to read the series in one go but I won't. So many books already call for my attention from their shelves.

3,5*

114NanaCC
Avr 23, 2017, 10:00 am

>113 Simone2:. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Barbara. You have lots of good reading ahead.

115RidgewayGirl
Avr 23, 2017, 11:13 am

There's something wonderful about having a long series ahead of you. Take you time and enjoy the ride.

And regarding The Good Soldier Svejk, which I began but never finished; my SIL is Polish and she was excited to see me reading it - she said it was also a staple book for Polish people.

116Simone2
Avr 23, 2017, 12:36 pm

>114 NanaCC: >115 RidgewayGirl: I immediately ordered Hide and Seek, despite myself!

117Simone2
Avr 24, 2017, 9:58 am

29 - In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower by Marcel Proust

Reading Proust to me is really hard working at times, I find it difficult to keep following his thoughts and not be distracted. More than a few times I finished a page without remembering what I've read. And I have to admit that, between the streams of consciousness, I keep looking forward to some action (like a conversation). I am proud of myself for finishing the second book of Proust’s In Search of Lost Times.

In the first part, ‘Madame Swann at home’, the narrator writes about his love for Gilberte, Swann’s daughter. As the title already suggests, the story is much more about Madame Swann (Odette) than about Gilberte herself. I haven't got a clue what Gilberte looks like, for example, while I could draw out Odette in various outfits. I keep wondering what Proust means by this, but can’t figure it out. Maybe later…
I liked the way the narrator convinces himself that it is best not to meet Gilberte anymore to protect himself the hurting of seeing her, however, it all seems so sensible, while everything regarding Odette is more emotional somehow.

In the second and third part of the book, the narrator is staying in Balbec with his grandmother. To me, these have been the best parts so far. I loved the ambiance of the hotel and the rich people. I also loved Marcel's role in this surroundings, his fears and his dreams. Finally I start to understand him a bit. I feel sorry for him with his poor health, and the way he manages to live with this without complaining too much. He is busy all the time thinking about the people in the hotel and the way he should treat them, what to say, how to behave etc.
In Balbec he meets the ‘girls in flower’, a group of girls who he admires enormously because of their free attitude and the uncomplicated fun they have. He tries to get acquainted to them and at last he succeeds. He likes them all, thinks of them as one person almost. When Albertine writes him she likes him, she becomes his girlfriend (although Marcel himself hardly has a choice in this, he just accepts what happens). Immediately the carelessness of their relationship disappears because the narrator keeps anticipating on conversations and situations that could happen to protect himself and instead, makes things pretty hard for himself.

As I said, reading Proust is hard working at times, but so far it has not been as hard as I expected. Actually, it is getting better and I am aware that I might grow into the young narrator’s musing about almost everything.

3,5*

118Simone2
Avr 27, 2017, 6:40 am

30 - The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte

Another one off the 1001 list. I really don't know why this book is on it, I could have lived perfectly happy without reading it. Not that it is bad, not at all. It is an easy to read mystery story centered around The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (which I haven't read yet). A hand written chapter of this book sets in motion a lot of action mixed with occult aspects and satan worshipping. I read it almost in one go, wanted the mystery to be solved. So that is good.
Now I know I am a bit disappointed and guess that I won't remember this book for long.

3*

119AlisonY
Avr 27, 2017, 2:22 pm

Noted your Grief is the Thing with Feathers for a future read. Seems like you've not been overwhelmed by the rest of your recent reads. Sending some good reads fairy dust your way.

120Simone2
Modifié : Mai 17, 2017, 10:05 am

>119 AlisonY: Thank you for the fairy dust! You are right. I would love a 5 stars read but I have this stringent system of what books to read and am not expecting too much at the moment. That'll change, I'm sure!!

121Simone2
Avr 30, 2017, 10:52 am

31 - A Slanting of the Sun by Donal Ryan

Dutch media were so enthusiastic about these short stories by the Irish writer Donal Ryan, that I could not ignore them.

And they were right; the stories are really powerful (I can't think of a better fitting word).
Most of the main characters are rather cruel people; they kill, steal, offend and yet you stick with them. Not (always) because they are nonetheless sympathetic but for their humanity. A killer can also be tired. A nurse who abuses her patients is also a mother, struggling with the alienation of her growing children.
Other characters in the stories are victims. They are exactly as wandering, searching and as powerless as the perpetrators in the other stories. I don't think I'll ever forget the priest in Syria, who teaches young muslims how to play hurling, or the girl who is being discriminated by a woman who tries to be nice. Or the nurse, for that matters.

Highly recommended.

4*

122AlisonY
Mai 1, 2017, 4:31 pm

>121 Simone2: sounds great. Glad your mediocre reading run has hit some gold dust.

123Simone2
Mai 4, 2017, 2:09 pm

32 - Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet

What a weird book. This is the story of Anna and her young daughter Lena, who hide from husband Ned in an old hotel in Maine. He has never cared for either of then until now. For his political ambitions he needs a stable family.

Then there is another storyline. After Lena was born, Anna started hearing voices, continually when she was with her daughter. The moment Lena starts talking herself the voices disappear. Anna has told no one about them. The strange thing is Ned heard them once too.

When both storylines start coming together I lost track. I wanted to follow what happened, I liked Anna and wanted to understand what was going on. But I didn't.
The abstract parts on religion and existentialism went way over my head.

3*

124Simone2
Modifié : Mai 6, 2017, 2:46 am

33 - He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum

The second volume in the Inspector Sejer series.
In the Norwegian woods a lonely woman was killed. A 12 year old boy discovers the body and spots Errki, the local lunatic, in the woods. The same lunatic who, a few hours later, is taken hostage by a bank robber. Inspector Sejer is called in.

What follows is a real Scandinavian type thriller, with little violence and conversation, enough however to keep me turning page after page.

3,5*

125Simone2
Modifié : Mai 7, 2017, 3:00 am

34 - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

My first Maggie O'Farrell, of whom I become curious after reading about her in this group. I loved this first acquaintance. This is the story of Esme, who has stayed in a mental institution for over sixty years. Until Iris learns that Esme is her unknown great-aunt and comes to get her. Esme's memories, those of her sister Kitty with Alzheimer, and Iris's own life come together in a dazzling, shocking story.

Perfect holiday read. Now boarding the plane from sunny Valencia, Spain, to cloudy Amsterdam.

4*

126AlisonY
Mai 8, 2017, 3:26 pm

>125 Simone2: that sounds like a good read - haven't read anything of hers either.

127NanaCC
Mai 8, 2017, 3:31 pm

I love Karin Fossum's Sejer series. I found them hard to put down.

Vanishing Act is the only Maggie O'Farrell that I've read, but I have a couple more waiting in the wings.

128Simone2
Mai 12, 2017, 4:05 am

35 - The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

The Well of Loneliness is a lesbian novel from the early 20th century. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an English girl who is obviously gay from an early age. Her father understands and tries to protect her but after his death she has to face the cruel world, in which homosexuality is still a huge taboo. She moves to Paris and falls in love with Mary. Their love is met with hostility, isolation and rejection until they become befriended with other lesbian women in Paris’ nightlife.

I loved the first part of this book, with Stephen still a girl and the tender relations and conversations she has with people who try to protect her, like her father and her teacher, who becomes a very dear friend. The coming-out dialogue with her mother is heartbreaking.
The second part of the book I liked less. Why do so many authors have to write about salons and clubs in Paris in the early 20th century? I was a bit bored by Stephen’s life with Mary. The end however, is very touching again, unexpected and shocking.

With Stephen’s desperate words to God, ‘Give us also the right to our existence’ the novel was also a plea for being accepted as gay. A plea which ninety years later is unfortunately still as relevant as it was in Hall's time. All in all a novel that absolutely deserves its place on the 1001-list.

4*

129Simone2
Mai 17, 2017, 3:33 am

36 - Spring Torrents by Ivan Turgenev

This is the rather unbelievable story of Dimitri who, on his way to Russia, misses his diligence and therefore runs into the beautiful Gemma. Within a week he falls in love, he is duelling for her, and he submits to another woman in order to sell his Russian estate and be able to marry Gemma. The course of this week determines the rest of his life.

Too much happens in a too short period of time and the main characters do not come to life in my opionion. And yet, this is Turgenev, and he is always able to sketch an impressing picture of life in his time.

3*

130dchaikin
Mai 17, 2017, 9:30 am

Hasek, Proust and now Turgenev, among others. Seems like you're on a good streak. CR had a Czech member at one time (who lives in Canada) and he encouraged me to read The Good Soldier Svejk several years ago, but I haven't followed the suggestion yet.

131Simone2
Mai 19, 2017, 9:06 am

>130 dchaikin: The Good Soldier Svejk consists of four books. I think reading one would be enough to give you an accurate opinion on the book. Perhaps that's encouraging!

132Simone2
Mai 19, 2017, 9:08 am

37 - The Mothers by Brit Bennett

What a wonderful author, Brit Bennett. The three main characters of this book (Nadia, Luke and Aubrey) are so unbelievably real and alive. Their lives are commented upon by The Mothers, the old wise ladies of the church in the Californian village where the protagonists grow up.

Nadia's mother commits suicide and in the chaotic period thereafter she has a short-term relationship with Luke. She gets pregnant and has an abortion. After that, Luke and she can’t face each other anymore and Nadia gets acquainted with Aubrey, also a girl without a mother. When Nadia move to Michigan to study, Aubrey and Luke stay behind.

The book is about the lives of these three young people and their mutual relationships. Serious themes are described in a beautiful way: subtle, but utterly understandable and lifelike. It's a book about real people, the mistakes they make, and the things they withhold. All are recognizable and my heart went out to all three of them.

The only minus for me personally is the excessive and continuous judgement of the abortion as a sin. Throughout the whole book everyone has the same, firm opinion on the subject, not in the least The Mothers, who eventually get a bigger role than being the commentary choir.

That said, it is a beautiful, beautiful book about absent mothers. Read it!

4,5*

133AlisonY
Mai 21, 2017, 4:36 am

Ooh - that sounds like a goody.

134Simone2
Mai 21, 2017, 6:50 am

38 - De onderwaterzwemmer by PF Thomese

The story of a boy who loses his father in WWII and feels guilty because he couldn't safe him. The rest of his life he feels unworthy: all his actions and thoughts are centerered around this guild for something he couldn't help.
This could have led to an interesting book but I didn't enjoy it at all. Glad it's over.

2*

135RidgewayGirl
Mai 21, 2017, 4:13 pm

>132 Simone2: I thought that The Mothers was brilliant. Bennett's descriptions of how the church congregation felt about the abortion were rang true to the community she was describing. In the discussion of the book (on goodreads and on the Tournament of Books site) there were some non-Americans who were upset about the way it was written about, which is understandable. The US has some quirks, to put it mildly.

136Simone2
Modifié : Mai 22, 2017, 8:46 am

>135 RidgewayGirl: Oh really, I am not the only one finding it a bit exaggerated? Glad to hear that, I already felt a bit cliché Dutch!
And we all have our quirks, yours are just a bit more magnified, especially these days!

However, a brilliant book it is.

137Simone2
Mai 24, 2017, 10:03 am

39 - On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry

Lily was as a young woman forced to leave Ireland because her husband was haunted by the IRA. Together they went to America. In this book Lily, now 89, looks back on her life in the US.

It is her story, sure, but more than that it is the story of America, the land of possibilities and hope.
The land where people from all over the world can find a place and live together. Lily’s life shows a perfect example of this. An important moment is 1968, when Martin Luther King was killed. ‘The death of hope’, Barry calls it, ‘on Canaan’s side’. I enjoyed the book and keep thinking how many things have changed over the last years. Within the US and all over the world.

Monday was the attack in Manchester, today our soccer team Ajax plays a European final against Manchester United. The whole city looks like a fortress. My son wants to go and watch at a central square in town and I feel I have to warn him to be alert and to leave the crowds as soon as he is outside the secured area of the square. Where is all of this leading towards?

4*

138Simone2
Mai 26, 2017, 10:29 am

40 - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines

In Louisiana before the civil right movement, Jefferson, an African American man, is sentenced to death innocently. Because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and because the victim was white, as were the jurors. They call him a hog and lead him to death row. Jefferson himself agrees in being a hog, unworthy of living or being treated as a human.

His aunt Emma, his only family, wants her nephew to die as a man, to stand up against white prejudice and to face the electric chair with dignity. She asks Grant, the only educated black man in the community to visit Jefferson and talk to him, teach him how to be a man. Grant however, is not too sure of himself either, as he watches the vicious circle of lives in the black community in Louisiana, as he doubts the existence of God and as he notices how little he is able to make a change. Visiting Jefferson learns him a lot as well.

This is a must-read about racism and oppression in the American South. It is a very emotional and depressing read, yet it is also a story of hope.

4,5*

139RidgewayGirl
Mai 26, 2017, 10:43 am

>138 Simone2: I read that a decade ago, when I first moved to the American South. It might be time for a reread.

140Simone2
Mai 28, 2017, 3:21 am

>139 RidgewayGirl: Maybe you should. I was deeply touched by it.

141Simone2
Mai 28, 2017, 3:30 am

41 - Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin

I couldn't resist reading the second Inspector Rebus novel while having a long weekend off work, so lots of time to read and, finally, lots of sun to do that in the garden.

I had hoped for a page turner and a page turner it was. A young man is found dead in an empty house, used by junkies as a temporary shelter. Obviously an overdosis, but Rebus feels there is more to it. He starts digging on his own and discovers so many threads he no longer knows what is important and what not.

Again his personal life and character play a role in the story, which I like a lot.

3,5*

142Simone2
Juin 1, 2017, 6:00 am

42 - The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus

The world of Sam, Claire and their daughter Esther is hit by a plague: all adults get sick. The cause appears to be the language and children are immune to it. Parents flee from their children in order to survive. A very promising starting point for a book, but the second half of the story gets so abstract that I lost my attention.

LeBov, a mysterious scientist who researches the plagues, claims it is caused by a Jewish community whose members do not know each other but who all pray in underground huts, where they listen to unknown and unseen rabbis. Is the language of these rabbis indeed the cause of all misery or could it possibly be its salvation?

Sam and Claire belong to this group, and to save his family Sam searches for solutions in this language and science. I do not understand what's happening then half of the time and found that I skimmed the last 50 pages of the book. Too bad, because Marcus can write very well and the first half was so promising. In addition, it's Karl Ove Knausgard's favorite book, the reason I bought it in the first place. Anyway, not my favorite book but worth a try when you’re into dystopia books with a scientific edge.

2,5*

143AlisonY
Juin 1, 2017, 9:19 am

>137 Simone2: catching up. That sounds like an interesting read.

Totally agree that the world feels a depressing place to live these days. Stop the planet I want to get off! I feel so sad for our children's generation - everywhere has become a potential battleground now. I just can't get my head around why the world seems to be going crazy.

144Simone2
Juin 4, 2017, 5:31 am

>143 AlisonY: Neither do I. It is a tough world to grow up in, yet my kids are still very positive and carefree, fortunately

145Simone2
Modifié : Juin 4, 2017, 5:38 am

43 - Old Filth by Jane Gardam

This melancholic novel reminded me a bit of favourite of mine, The Remains of the Day. It contains the memories of an old man, without being too sentimental.
Sir Edward Feathers (or Old Filth) is a Raj orphan; born in Malaya and at 8 years shipped 'home' to England to get educated by foster parents.
The story of his life is an unusal one and Gardam writes beautifully. She leaves a lot of the interpretation to the reader, which I love. Highly recommended.

4*

146japaul22
Juin 4, 2017, 8:02 am

>145 Simone2: I really liked this one and then I didn't like the next two at all. Not sure why since everyone else seemed to love the whole series! I'll be interested to hear what you think if you read the next ones.

147Simone2
Juin 4, 2017, 3:29 pm

>146 japaul22: I didn't know I had started yet another series. I don't think I will read the second one very soon, especially after your 'warning'. I am reading too many series as it is at the moment.

148Simone2
Juin 5, 2017, 4:21 am

44 - In the Darkness by Karin Fossum

Another Inspector Sejer. Satisfying for a lazy Sunday in the sun.

3,5*

149Simone2
Juin 10, 2017, 2:35 am

45 - Time's Arrow by Martin Amis

Wow, what a mindblowing read this was. It describes life with a reversed chronology. And Amis works this out perfectly, and shockingly.

It is the story of the American doctor Tod Friendly, who keeps wondering about the meaning of life because doctors are the ones who demolish human bodies. He feels something is wrong, but later in life, when he gets younger, he becomes nazi doctor Odilo Unverdorben and then all makes sense: then he is able as a doctor to create life, he creates Jews out of ashes and is able to reunite families.

This is not a spoiler, you know from the start what will happen - however it is so shocking when reading it.
Especially because it is a funny book as well, explaining life backwards. The protagonist for example is pleasantly surprised that NY yellowcabs are always exactly there where you need them, no wonder people salute them for hours after arriving, waving goodbye!

A highly original, disturbing read.

4*

150valkyrdeath
Juin 11, 2017, 5:47 pm

>149 Simone2: I added that book to my list a while ago. It sounds really interesting, and I love book that play around with time. I can't help but think of the Backwards episode of Red Dwarf whenever I hear about it though.

151NanaCC
Juin 11, 2017, 9:19 pm

I love the Inspector Sejer series, although I haven't read this one. It wasn't translated at the time I read them. I'll have to go back and find the ones that were not available at that time.

152Simone2
Modifié : Juin 13, 2017, 2:42 pm

46 - Jarhead by Anthony Swofford

'The sky above Baghdad is illuminated.' I remember the start of Desert Storm, the Gulf War, vividly. I was a student at the time and all alone in my student house - what hardly ever happened - at the moment that CNN delivered the message and showed real time images. Never before did we see a war 'live'!
I was very scared of what would happen. In the end it was over in a month.

This book is the account of an American marine sniper, situated in the Saudi Arabian desert for months. Months of boredom, cleaning weapons, working out and men talk. In fact they are glad the war finally starts. And then he doesn't use his weapon once.

Anthony Swofford thinks a lot about what's (not) happening and how this makes him feel. He shows us a very personal view on the life of a marine sniper. Interesting.

3,5*

153Simone2
Modifié : Juin 17, 2017, 5:37 am

47 - Autumn by Ali Smith

This is the story of the friendship between Elisabeth and her old neighbour, Mr Daniel Gluck. A friendship that sustains over the years. But the book is much more than that: it is about this post-Brexit world, it is about art and storytelling.

Smitt writes mesmerizing about her characters: I am fascinated by and liking Elisabeth, her mother, her mothers friend Zoe and Daniel a lot. I was happy to learn about Pauline Boty, a pop art artist of the sixties of whom I had never heard. I loved the dialogues between Elisabeth and Mr Gluck, between Elisabeth and her mother and between Elisabeth and the man behind the counter at the post office.

Autumn is the first of a planned quartet by Smith, I am really looking forward to where the next installments will take us.

4*

154Simone2
Juin 18, 2017, 2:16 pm

48 - The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust

I have finished The Guermantes Way and it turned out very readable. I enjoyed this book a lot. Could it perhaps mean that I begin to understand and appreciate Proust?!

In this first part Marcel becomes a bit obsessed with the Duchesse de Guermantes and is looking for ways to get in contact with her. He tries by visiting his friend Robert de Saint Loup, who is at his army base. Interesting discussions follow among the soldiers because the Dreyfus affair is hot indeed.
Via Robert he meets the much anticipated mistress (an interesting scene!) and gets introduced in the higher circles of society, where the nobility and aristocrats meet. At the salon of Mme de Villeparisis the Dreyfus affair is a main subject as well. I learned a lot about the nobility in France at the time and about anti semitism being very fashionable among them.

After leaving Mme de Villeparisis's party, the narrator is accompanied by Baron de Charlus, who is an interesting character and of whom we'll see more in the fourth book.

In the second half of the book the narrator is invited by the Duchesse de Guermantes for a dinner party. This is a very long, boring part of the book, but then again: the dinner party is very boring. Marcel sees through the façade of the nobility: always behaving as one is supposed to.

In the end, Swann appears suddenly and things become clear for Marcel. I love most characters and am impressed by the way Proust builds his characters.

4*

155Simone2
Modifié : Juin 23, 2017, 4:54 am

Does any of you know Litsy? Maybe I am the 'late majority' but I only discovered it yesterday, downloaded the app and it turns out to be very addictive. It is a kind of Instagram just for books....!

156deebee1
Juin 23, 2017, 7:29 am

Proust! You have my admiration. I have tried at least twice to read In Search of Lost Time but have never succeeded beyond a few pages. I would love to discover the pleasure of reading Proust so the goal of picking up the book one day is still there. Your reading is nudging me in that direction.

Litsy -- I've never heard of it, but out of curiosity, downloaded the app. Looks very interesting, I'm tempted to try it out. Thanks for mentioning it.

157japaul22
Juin 23, 2017, 7:30 am

I've heard of Litsy but haven't tried it yet. You might have given me the nudge!

158Simone2
Juin 23, 2017, 9:41 am

>156 deebee1: Jennifer (Japaul22) had started a group read for Proust, which is very motivating. It is good to see that others also struggle with certain parts of the books. However, after a while you get used to Proust's style, his musing and his long sentences and then it suddenly isn't so hard anymore and that creates space to really enjoy what you're reading. You should give it a try :-).
Then again, I am not halfway yet, let's see whether I'll finish this project!

>156 deebee1: >157 japaul22: Be warned, it really is addictive...!

159dchaikin
Juin 23, 2017, 2:31 pm

Litsy? Huh

I'm hopelessly behind everyone, so just skimming through. Happy Proust is working for you. I'm not sue I knew anything about A Lesson Before Dying, even if the title sounds somehow familiar. I'm interested. Not sure I could handle Times Arrow right now... Although the taxi salute is cute.

160Simone2
Juin 27, 2017, 6:33 am

49- The Nix by Nathan Hill

I really enjoyed this one. It was smart, funny, and timely. It made me laugh out loud (the pebbles throwing mother who is being compared to Osama bin Laden for example). I loved most of the many, many topics in the book. I enjoyed the going back and forth in time and subject.

It is the story about Samuel, a university professor and gaming addict, who has not seen his mother for 20 years, until she is arrested as the one who 'attacks' a presidential candidate. This sets in motion this page turning novel.

4*

161VivienneR
Juin 29, 2017, 1:04 pm

>153 Simone2: Count me in on those looking forward to the next book from Ali Smith. I really enjoyed Autumn.

>155 Simone2: Litsy attracted my attention too and I promptly signed up - but have never been back since then! I spend so much time on LT that it seems there is no time left over for Litsy.

162Simone2
Juin 30, 2017, 9:58 am

>161 VivienneR: Do you have any idea when to expect the second season by Ali Smith?

And about Litsy, I signed up and am completely hooked. I never fell for GoodReads but this one is a combination of GoodReads and Instagram I guess. I am uploading my reviews there and hopefully afterwards I can read again and be here on LT, which I love!

163Simone2
Juil 4, 2017, 2:20 am

50 - Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

What a strange book. It took me way too long to finish it, that's probably why I never got really into it. I don't even know what happened in this horror story, what was true and what wasn't. So I am hardly the persoon to review it here, though I did finish it.

3*

164AlisonY
Juil 4, 2017, 10:50 am

Stopping by.... Going to check out Litsy, although beyond FB I'm struggling to get into any of this other social media stuff as I find it so time draining. But if its about books, well.....!

165Simone2
Juil 5, 2017, 3:30 am

>164 AlisonY: Let me know if/when you succeed, then I can follow you :-). It really is quite nice and all about books!

166AlisonY
Juil 5, 2017, 3:40 am

>165 Simone2: I think I need to buy a memory card for my phone first. It seems to be constantly out of memory.

167Simone2
Juil 9, 2017, 6:58 am

51 - The Dog by Joseph O'Neill

After his divorce an American lawyer accepts a vague job as advisor of an ultra rich family doing business in Dubai. While there he tries to make the best of an unsatisfying, boring life. Ingredients for a good novel but somehow it led to nothing.

2,5*

Now I'll reward myself with the next Inspector Rebus!

168Simone2
Juil 11, 2017, 4:33 pm

52 - Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin

In this third book in the series, Rebus is on an assignment in London, investigating a series of murders by a serial killer. I didn't really like this installment. I was not pulled into the story from the beginning and was a bit disappointed by the (to me) unexpected outcome of the case. I'm glad Rebus went back to Edinburgh in the end!

2,5*

169Simone2
Juil 15, 2017, 4:46 pm

53 - Ill Will by Dan Chaon

I was so looking forward to reading this after some reviews here and I was not disappointed. What a great, mindblowing read, full of twists, psychology and different styles and narrators.

Dustin's life is characterized by murders: when he was young, his parents were murdered. As a grown-up he becomes interested in a series of disappearing college boys, who seemingly all drown when drunk.

In both cases the reader doesn't know what is real, what is the truth. This is because of Dustin's character but also because the story jumps between time and narrators.

Chaon takes you on a wild ride and yes, I did come to some conclusions about what happened but I am certainly not sure if I am right. Above all I feel dazzled and I like that a lot.

4,5*

170Simone2
Modifié : Juil 18, 2017, 10:02 am

54 - Wachten op Bojangles by Olivier Bourdeaut

French novella about a boy who describes the extravagant life he leads with his parents. It reads like a fairytale: the three of them dress up, party, buy a castle, he quits school, they keep an exotic bird in the house, his mother has a different name every day and so on.
I don't do right to the story by describing it so literally because it is a kind of fairytale, but one that doesn't end well. Recommended.

3,5*

171Simone2
Modifié : Juil 22, 2017, 3:18 pm

55 - Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Another brilliant book by Strout, in a way a sequel to My Name is Lucy Barton. This novel consists of short stories, all loosely related to eachother and to Lucy Barton. All characters live in this small town in the Midwest, the place where Lucy grew up and that she escaped.
The stories are so fantastic, again with as little words as necessary, Strout writes about real humans, their lives, fears, hopes and thoughts. She leaves me breathless at times, as if she writes what's in my mind but what I would never be able to express myself.

4,5*

172RidgewayGirl
Juil 22, 2017, 8:40 pm

I'm so glad you liked both Ill Will and Anything is Possible!

173AlisonY
Juil 23, 2017, 8:05 am

>169 Simone2: noting Ill Will - sounds great. I think Strout is not for me - I know many of you loved My Name is Lucy Barton but it just didn't do it for me.

174Simone2
Juil 26, 2017, 11:10 pm

The Man Booker Prize longlist has been announced, which means I have a lot of reading to do!
- I read only two, Autumn and The Underground Railroad, which I enjoyed both.
- I have copies of Reservoir 13, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness and Exit West; I should be able to read them during my upcoming holidays.
- I have heard good things about Swing Time, Lincoln in the Bardo and 4321
- I had never heard of Days Without End, History of Wolves, Elmet, Home Fire and Solar Bones, so am pretty excited to find out more about them.

175japaul22
Juil 27, 2017, 8:57 am

>174 Simone2: It's an exciting list! I won't try to read all of them but I am interested in Autumn, Reservoir 13, and History of Wolves. I've already read the Underground Railroad and Lincoln in the Bardo which were both excellent.

176RidgewayGirl
Juil 27, 2017, 10:30 am

It is an exciting list! I'm glad to see Exit West on it, as I think it was brilliant. I've only read four, but I'll be hunting down the rest soon.

177Simone2
Juil 28, 2017, 5:03 am

>175 japaul22: >176 RidgewayGirl: I am also very interested in History of Wolves, I have ordered a copy of Lincoln in the Bardo (of which so many are really enthusiastic) and of Solar Bones, which is very cheap at Book Depository at the moment.

I have Exit West reserved for taking with me on my holidays, which will begin in about two weeks. I am really looking forward to that one.

Oh man, where to start, I also can't wait to read Reservoir 13... luxury problems!

178Simone2
Modifié : Juil 28, 2017, 4:09 pm

56 - The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge

This was a fascinating read. It is about author HP Lovecraft, the mysterious 19th century horror writer who is surrounded by a lot of speculative stories concerning his life, even a century after his death. Charly is one of those interested in Lovecraft. His search for the truth ends with his suicide. Or did it? His wife Marina can't believe he is dead and starts her own search. Most of all this is a story about truth, about what is true and what to believe. I am not sure myself what to believe after finishing it! A weird but great read.

4*

179Simone2
Modifié : Juil 31, 2017, 2:32 pm

57 - Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor

A 13 year old girl goes missing in an English village. The whole village participates in a search for the girl but without any result.
What follows are 13 chapters describing the village and its inhabitants in the 13 years following the incident.
We get to know a lot of these inhabitants and what happens in their lives. We also read about the yearly changes in seasons and nature, the animals coming and going and the yearly events and celebrations in the village. In the background there is always the missing girl.
McGregor pulls the reader into the story with short sentences full of meaning. Subjects which are being touched upon in a certain year, turn out to be relevant for what happens the next year, subjects which seem so important turn out not to be at all. Just like real life!
All in all quite an original novel, beautifully written.

4*

180Cait86
Juil 31, 2017, 5:11 pm

>179 Simone2: Looking forward to reading this one soon!

181Simone2
Modifié : Août 6, 2017, 6:51 am

58 - The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

At first this book is about Anjum, a hermaphrodite, who grows up with other 'Hijra's' in the slums of Delhi, where she becomes a woman.

Call me a snob, but I was thinking 'O no, not another book about poverty in Indian slums', when the story moves on to four students and the way their lives are one way or another all centered around Kashmir. In her beautiful thoughtful sentences Roy tells the story of religion, politics and violence in the northern part of India. All I knew from the news comes to live in this sad, sad story.

Set in the 90s, the parallells with our current times (in India as well as the rest of the world) are undeniable and frightening.

And then there is Anjum again and suddenly her story makes sense and I get the picture. I am so glad I didn't bail on this thought provoking book. I ended up loving it.

4,5*

182Simone2
Modifié : Août 9, 2017, 4:18 am

59- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

This read reminded me the most of a very unusal play or at least the script for one.
Based on the story that Abraham Lincoln visited the grave of his death son Willie soon after the funeral to hug him one more time, the novel is set on the graveyard. There are many ghosts there in a kind of afterlife, and their voices are loudly heard. They reminiscence over the past, comment on other peoples lifes and death and observe what happens when Lincolns sits near the grave of his son, whose ghost is observing his fathers despair and grief.

The fact that, despite the often hilarious conversations between the ghosts, the grief remains so untouched, so raw, without ever having it explained by Lincoln himself - always through other voices -, makes this a very special read.

4*

183dchaikin
Août 10, 2017, 7:56 am

Lincoln on the Bardo yet again... I'm really interested (I'm in line for an audio version at my library)

184AlisonY
Août 11, 2017, 1:20 pm

So many book bullets from your most recent reads. Sounds like you're on a run of good picks!

185Simone2
Août 15, 2017, 12:31 pm

62 - Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips

A mother and her 4 year are on the run when a shooting takes place in the zoo they are visiting.
I couldn't relate at all to Joan as the perfect mother. I am a mother myself but the way her whole life is centered around her son annoyed me. The whole raising of Lincoln is so 'by the book' and without any spontanity. And all those childish words used by a grown-up... no, not for me.
The story itself, so-so.

3*

186AlisonY
Modifié : Août 17, 2017, 4:38 pm

>187 Simone2: 5 stars - praise indeed. Noting, noting...

187Simone2
Août 17, 2017, 6:54 pm

63 - Elmet by Fiona Mozley

Yes, it was a good read. This is the beautifully written story about a boy and a girl, raised by their father in an unconventional way. They build their own house and their father earns his money by fighting other men. The siblings don't go to school but the three of them are happy. Until their luck turns against them.

A good read although I kept wondering when the story is situated. I somehow think I somewhere read it is in the recent past but then again, I can't imagine the things that happen to happen in our time.

A good read but why it is longlisted for the Man Booker Prize I don't know. But maybe I have to be blamed for that because I guess there is a link with Ted Hughes's book Elmet which is lost on me.

3,5*

188RidgewayGirl
Août 17, 2017, 8:19 pm

I agree with you wholeheartedly on Exit West. And I enjoyed reading your thoughts about Elmet. I want to read it, but I'm no longer so eager.

189Simone2
Août 18, 2017, 5:24 pm

64 - Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

And another one finished. I loved the setting of the book, of two older, lonely people who find good company in eachother. Beautiful conversations!

4*

190dchaikin
Août 18, 2017, 8:57 pm

Glad you liked OSaN. I was kind of unexpectedly taken with it.

191Simone2
Août 20, 2017, 10:44 pm

65 - Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

A pageturner for sure. A good plot and I was intrigued by the Scott-character. What started out as a thriller turned out to be more of a social portrait of our current society, which was definitely interesting but made the whodunnit-part a bit disappointing. Never mind, it was an enjoyable read.

3,5*

192Simone2
Modifié : Août 23, 2017, 5:12 pm

66 - Our Lady of the Assassins by Fernando Vallejo

Fernando is an older man, who comes back to the country he left years before: Colombia. In the city where he was born, Medellin, he falls in love with a 'sicario', a 12 year old assassin, working for Escobar's drug cartel.

What follows is a tirade against Medellin, the poverty, the violence and the corruption, while Fernando at the same time becomes part of it, by witnessing his young lover murder everyone who's in his way.

I appreciated the book because I am in Medellin at the moment and experience (fortunately) a city that has dealt with its violent past and is now an example for other Latin American cities, fighting poverty and violence. Otherwise I don't know if it would have made aa much sense.

3*

193RidgewayGirl
Août 21, 2017, 8:39 pm

How exciting to get to visit Colombia!

194Simone2
Août 22, 2017, 7:28 am

>196 Simone2: Yes I feel very lucky. It is an amazing country.

195AlisonY
Août 22, 2017, 2:36 pm

Enjoy your holidays!

196Simone2
Août 23, 2017, 7:42 pm

67 - History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund

Linda, the main character of this book, is 14 and above all, an observant of life. She observes her teacher, nature and her classmate Lily. In the meantime she babysits Paul, the little boy who lives across the lake from her, in a house as isolated as her. She is charmed by Patra, Paul's mother. Is this what makes her less observant of what's happening right before her eyes?

A good plot, well worked-out characters. Impressive for a debut, but not enough to win the Man Booker Prize.

3,5*

197deebee1
Août 24, 2017, 6:53 am

A good plot, well worked-out characters. Impressive for a debut, but not enough to win the Man Booker Prize.

My thoughts exactly. I just finished the book on the heels of Elmet, both of which bear some similarities. There is some lovely prose in Elmet, but I think there's much more to think about in History of Wolves. There is a theme, subtly interwoven, that holds the book together, which I did not find in Elmet. I actually liked Linda.

Looking forward to your comments on some more Booker List titles. What's next on your plan?

I'm intrigued by Days Without End, which seems to be getting a lot of attention. Looks like a tough choice for the winner this year!

198Simone2
Août 24, 2017, 11:56 am

>200 deebee1: I liked Linda too! And I also see similarities with Elmet. My favourite so far is Exit West and yours? Next will be Days Without End!

199Simone2
Août 25, 2017, 5:15 pm

68 - The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien

This book adresses the evil of the Balkan war: in a remote Irish village Fidelma falls in love with the strange new man who arrives one day, Dr Vlad, a 'healer' from the Balkan. He turns out to be 'the Beast of Bosnia' (no spoiler!), his character and crimes based on Radovan Karadzic. Fimelda has to deal with what happened between them and follows him to his appearance before the International War Crime Tribunal.

All the ingredients for a good novel are in here, but somehow O'Brien fails to deliver.

The explanation of the title though is horrible, beyond humanity, as are some other scenes in the book.

3,5*

200deebee1
Modifié : Août 26, 2017, 11:50 am

I just finished Exit West and found it interesting, though not exactly bowled over. There is something in the way he structured the narrative that I can't seem to put a finger on -- maybe it's how he tried to skirt around the more sensitive and more controversial aspects of the migration issue, hinting at them and then abruptly cutting and moving on to another story/stage? The way he employed this several times in the book didn't work for me in that I'm left with images, but not with much to think about (reality itself, unfortunately, supplies much of that). He introduced possibilities but didn't explore them, and got away with it by using the doors analogy -- where one enters through one and pops out to another world, as if it's a painless process. In reality, we know that the "doors" are where the most difficult and the darkest experiences occur. Maybe he intended it that way, but it seemed to me less than satisfactory.

Still, for me, a worthy read and I can understand why it's your favourite.

It's my first time to read books selected for a certain Prize, so yes, I'm discovering the fun of comparing notes as I read along! Good thing these books are easy reads and short enough for a single sitting or two, so it's a relatively painless exercise.

Look forward to know what you think of Days Without End.



201Simone2
Août 27, 2017, 5:32 pm

>203 deebee1: what an interesting thoughts on Exit West. I see exactly what you mean, especially about the 'doors' and why you think that a weak point. It is, I think you are right. I didn't realize that however when I read it.
To me I was very much impressed by the lives of Nadia and ... (forgot his name), the way they coped all this time and then this dystopian situation in the west... really touched me.

If you want to read more opinions on the Booker longlist, join the Booker Prize group!

I am now about to start Sebastián Barry!

202Simone2
Modifié : Août 27, 2017, 5:36 pm

69 - Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch

A perfect beach read, this book. A whodunnit mixed with the challenges of being a writer. Koch is very ironic and funny, I wanted to read on and on, but in the end I think I'll forget about Mister M. quickly.

3*

203deebee1
Août 29, 2017, 5:03 am

>204 Simone2: Will have a look at the Booker Prize group -- thanks for suggesting!

I'm halfway into Days Without End. How are you finding it?

204Simone2
Août 29, 2017, 8:00 pm

>206 Simone2: See my review below!

205Simone2
Août 29, 2017, 8:02 pm

70 - Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

I think I am lucky that, thanks to my holiday, I was able to read this book in one go. Because it is not an easy book. For me it was hard work to concentrate, but then it grabbed me and the reward was good.

This story is about the self-creation of the US in the 19th century. Thomas, an Irish boy, and his friend and lover John, join the US Army in the battles against the indian communities and, later, in the Civil War. I didn't care much for the descriptions of the battles themselves but all other scenes and storyline touched me deeply. Almost every sentence Barry uses is beautiful and spot-on. For example, I loved how Barry, with few words, makes Thomas's male and female side completely believable and sincere.

Not immediately my kind of book, but Barry's style makes up for that!

3,5*

206Simone2
Août 31, 2017, 4:03 pm

71 - The Fourth Monkey by JD Barker

The Chicago police hunts for the serial killer who sends the ears, eyes and tongue of his victims to their family before he kills them.

Exactly the thriller that I wished for. Full of twists, sharp dialogues and a lot of scary and exciting parts!

4*

207Simone2
Modifié : Sep 8, 2017, 8:46 am

72 - Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Wow. This is one of those books I couldn’t stop reading and that kept me thinking about it whenever I had to stop.

Isma, Aneeka an Parvais are siblings and orphans. Their father was a captured jihadi, killed on his way to Guantánamo, their mother died shortly afterwards. Isma has since then taken care of the twins Aneeka and Parvais, nut now that they are old enough to take care of themselves, she moves to the US to study. In the meantime Aneeka is studying law in London and Parvais feels a bit excluded and starts looking for a new meaning of life.

What follows is the highly political story of British/Pakistani muslims living in the US and UK today. It is a great portrait of current times. I could symphatize with all main characters wile they all are so different and with diverging views on today’s world. This is now my absolute favourite for the Man Booker Prize.

5*

208Simone2
Sep 10, 2017, 12:13 pm

73 - Solar Bones by Mike McCormack

I bailed on this one. I am definitely not in the mood for this one right now. I'll give it another try when and if I am ready for a one-sentence-stream-of-conscience.

209Simone2
Sep 13, 2017, 5:13 pm

74 - The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells

This German novel gets a lot of praise in the Netherlands at the moment and it has been translated in many languages but it remains undiscovered at Litsy. Which is a shame because it really is a very touching, well-written book.

It is the story of Jules, who loses his parents when he is eleven years old. While growing up, becoming a man and even a father, inside there is always this scared little boy, afraid of life and loss.

4*

210Simone2
Sep 14, 2017, 2:44 pm

75 - Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

I expected so much of this novel. I used to love Irving but lost track of his novels after Owen Meany. But then I heard so much praise for this book and remembering how I enjoyed Irving, I dived in.

And now I am a bit disappointed. He is still a great storyteller but I think he used too many pages to tell the story this time and, more important, none of the three main characters (the cook, his best friend and his son) is as memorable as Owen Meany or Garp.

3*

211AlisonY
Sep 15, 2017, 9:10 am

Noting Home Fire....

I've only read one John Irving - A Widow for One Year - which I really liked. Any others you'd recommend?

212Simone2
Sep 15, 2017, 8:05 pm

>214 Simone2: I loved three of them: The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Ciderhouse Rules. I could definitely recommend these!

213Simone2
Modifié : Sep 15, 2017, 8:08 pm

76 - Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

What a ride this was! This small book consists only of the very feverish dreamlike conversation between the dying Amanda and a boy, David, who is not her son. She does have a daughter, Nina, of whom she has been very protective (Nina always being in 'rescue distance'). The story is not so much about motherhood however, I think, as it is about Argentina's environmental issues. Mix this with a bit of magical realism and you get this wild, weird ride!

4,5*

214Simone2
Sep 18, 2017, 10:19 pm

77 - Marlena by Julie Buntin

I heard so many good things about this book that I dare hardly admit that I felt underwhelmed by it. I'll try to explain but then I always notice that reading English is much easier than expressing myself in it.

Partly I think it bores me to read about kids getting high or drunk (or both) all the time. Of course there are reasons but these didn't work out for me very well. Those two absent fathers for example, are they even human? They sound pure evil, there is no nuance whatsoever in their characters.

And what about this storyline building up to the meeting with Sal? To me that storyline added nothing, the meeting itself being an anticlimax. So, while it was an easy read and I don't mind disliking all characters, I felt a bit disappointed.

3*

215Simone2
Sep 24, 2017, 7:43 am

78 - Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

In the last of the 14 stories of which this books consists, Markus is a student, working on a research project about African Americans in the US. About this project Yaa Gyasi writes:

“What he wanted to capture was the feeling of time, of having been a part of something that stretched so far back, was so impossibly large, that it was easy to forget that she, and he, and everyone else, existed in it - not apart from it, but inside of it.”

And that is exactly what Gyasi does in this book. The two storylines, beginning with two sisters of whom one stays in Africa and the other is sold as a slave to the US, tell the story of West Africa, of slavery, of segregation and of being black in America. It could be too much for one book, but Gyasi succeeds by using short stories in different times. She draws the picture and leaves me filling in the rest and, at times, breaks my heart.

4,5*

216Simone2
Sep 30, 2017, 11:26 am

79 - The Accusation by Bandi

This book has been written by Bandi, an inhabitant (still) of North Korea. He wrote this collection of short stories, yoked together to one overarching theme: criticism of the Kim Il-sun era.
What a country. What a system. What a fear.

3,5*

217Simone2
Oct 1, 2017, 5:13 pm

80 - Old Masters by Thomas Bernhard

For more than thirty years Reger has spend his mornings in the art history museum in Vienna, where he always faces Tintoretto's ‘Man with a white beard’. Reger is filled with a deep disgust of almost anything. He complains about Vienna, Austria and the Austrians, about writers, composers, philosophers and especially the Old Masters of painting. The reason for Reger’s hating the arts becomes slowly clear: after the death of his wife, art is the only thing he can still cling to.

This is a typical Bernhard novel, so cynical, but I kind of like him.

3*

218Simone2
Oct 2, 2017, 11:47 pm

81 - The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier

I read this book because I was looking for a book about Haïti, where I am right now for work with an international development organisation. I hoped to learn a bit about this unknown country, one of the poorest, neglected by most developed countries. Unfortunately I learned not much. Carpentier writes passionately about voodoo and wars and slavery and sex. And with lot of magical realism of course.... I lost it, I’ve got no clue of what he tried to say.

2*

219Simone2
Oct 3, 2017, 7:40 am

82 - Tin Man by Sarah Winman

Another 5 star read for me. This little book has it all: love, loss, friendship. It reminded me a bit of A Little Life, but it is written more subdued (I hope this is the correct word), which gives it its special feeling, that lingered on when I finished it.
Laatste but not least I liked the references to Van Gogh, because I have worked at the Van Gogh Museum and admire the artist as much as Dora in the book does.

5*

220dchaikin
Oct 3, 2017, 7:58 am

Sorry the Carpentier didn't give you insight into Haiti, but cool that you're there. Wish I could recommend something. Also noting your last four books.

221japaul22
Oct 3, 2017, 10:06 am

>221 japaul22: Have you read any Edwidge Danticat for books set in Haiti? I read The Farming of Bones and really enjoyed it - plus it gives a lot of insight into Haiti's history and the DR too.

From the 1001 books list, The Feast of the Goat? It's about the Dominican Republic, but their history is so tied up with Haiti that I think it would be interesting.

222Simone2
Oct 7, 2017, 6:49 am

>224 Simone2: Thanks! The farming Bones sounds really interesting. I read the Vargas Llosa and it is a good one as well indeed.

223Simone2
Oct 7, 2017, 6:50 am

83 - Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Lois can’t cook and orders in: spicy soup and sourdough bread. Every night. So she becomes the number one client of the deliverers: two brothers. When they must leave the country they give her the starter for sourdough bread and Lois starts baking. This changes her life rapidly.
What follows is a story about magic sourhough. I loved this concept and I really liked Lois. I lost it a bit in the end but all in all a very enjoyable and highly original read.

3,5*

224Simone2
Oct 9, 2017, 12:51 pm

84 - Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Flora’s mother Ingrid disappeared when she was nine. Her memory of her is completely different than that of her sister Nan. And then there are the letters Ingrid wrote to her husband Gil and hid in his many books. Did she want him to find them and read her view on their life together?

I really loved this novel in which nothing is quite as it seems, and where everyone is trying to find a missing person and understand them.

Recommended!

4*

225Simone2
Oct 15, 2017, 3:46 am

85 - A Separation by Katie Kitamura

I kind of enjoyed this book about a man going missing in Greece and his wife looking for him while they were already on the brink of a divorce. She does not know how to act and react to his disappearance. I was irritated however by the style of the book, the attempt of philisophy in it: everything the woman says or does is followed by explanations of why she does what she does and says the things she says.

3*

226VivienneR
Oct 16, 2017, 1:15 pm

>227 Simone2: Thank you, Barbara, I've added Swimming Lessons to my wishlist. It sounds intriguing.

227Simone2
Oct 18, 2017, 4:28 pm

86 - Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

I give up. It’s my fault, not Shirley Jackson’s, that I can’t get into this book. It has all the ingredients but I just can’t concentrate and am not interested in Natalie, her dysfunctional family or her college life. Maybe I’ll try again some other time.

228dchaikin
Oct 18, 2017, 11:33 pm

hmm. Just finished a Shirley Jackson on audio, and I'm all impressed (The Haunting of Hill House). I'll note this as maybe hard to get into.

229Simone2
Oct 19, 2017, 12:41 am

>231 dchaikin: I am sure it is a good book. I remember Japaul’s review (which made me buy this book in the first place) and I read other books by Jackson that I loved, so this must be me and my state of mind. Don’t let it discourage you to read it!

230Simone2
Oct 22, 2017, 11:50 am

87 - A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvonne Edwards

Fourteen years after her mother’s murder, Jinx still blames herself for her role in the crime. She is living alone, separated from her husband and young son, when Lemon arrives, an old friend of Jinx’s mom and her abusive husband Berris. Lemon blames himself for the death as well. The next few days they spend revisiting old wounds and reliving past events. Over the course of a weekend of Caribbean food and revelations, things turn out to be not always as they appear. An emotional book, written very well.

4*

231dchaikin
Oct 22, 2017, 6:29 pm

>232 Simone2: - I won't, but lack of audio access is discouraging me.
>233 AlisonY: - nice review.

232Simone2
Oct 27, 2017, 3:06 pm

88 - The Power by Naomi Alderman

Something vital has changed in the world, with devastating effect. Teenage girls get a physical power by which they can cause agonising pain and even death. With this twist of nature, the world changes utterly.

I kept asking myself ‘why am I reading this?’ I know why I was reading it: because so many people love this book. I really couldn’t. The concept may be great, the execution is very poor. I also thought that the main characters are very cliché and predictable. Boring...

2*

233AlisonY
Oct 28, 2017, 6:45 am

You hit me with quite a few BB's there, Barbara. Enjoyed catching up on your reviews.

Sounds like you are doing some very fulfilling work at the moment.

234Simone2
Oct 30, 2017, 7:08 am

>236 dchaikin: Thank you! I have been reading a lot of new releases lately. I didn't feel like reading the classics and am happy reading more modern fiction for now. And among them are some good ones!

235Simone2
Nov 5, 2017, 9:40 am

89 - Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

This book is an important one. It deals with many of the social and intellectual problems faced by Afro-Americans in the early twentieth century when searching for their identity as free men.

The story is told by a narrator who moves from the South to New York and gets involved in The Brotherhood, a movement for equal rights.

I feel sorry to admit that I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I think I should. The style, the preaching, I don’t know, it didn’t really grab me.

3*

236dchaikin
Nov 5, 2017, 11:07 am

>238 OscarWilde87: I have in mind a theme of sorts that would incorporate this one. Impressed you read it, but kind of sad you didn't like it. Wondering if I will now.

237Simone2
Nov 12, 2017, 10:43 am

90 - The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

Ten young women are kidnapped and taken to a desolate prison camp. Their ‘crime’ is they have been involved in sex scandals. They do hard, pointless labour and are being systematically degraded.
How does a woman survive this? I was eager to find out but was ultimately disappointed by the many open ends and the lack of depth in the book’s main characters.

3*

238OscarWilde87
Nov 16, 2017, 1:19 pm

>238 OscarWilde87:: I think quite often we put a lot of hope in books that so many other people like, but every now and then you do not like it as much as others do. Well, so what? So don't feel sorry!

239Simone2
Modifié : Nov 20, 2017, 1:09 pm

91 - The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

This is the story of four teenage brothers. One day the mad man of the village predicts that the oldest brother will be killed by one of the others. This prophecy sets in motion a series of irreversible events. A tragic story of life and loss in a Nigerian community.

3,5*

240Simone2
Nov 23, 2017, 4:17 am

92 - The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

What a fantastic story. Cyril Avery grows up being gay in post-war catholic, conservative Ireland. We follow him throughout his life, a life in which he is surrounded by various people, all of whom are kind of special. His life knows its ups, but certainly its downs.
As sad as the story may be, I have experienced it mostly as a cheerful and positive book. Cyril is an admirably strong personality who succeeds in being optimistic and not becoming cynical. The dialogues in the book are often hilarious, in which Boyne reminds me of John Irving, by whom he is definitelly influenced (he dedicates the book to him).
However, Boyne's characters are more credible and I think Irving today can no longer match this fantastic writer.
Highly recommended!

4,5*

241chlorine
Nov 24, 2017, 1:05 am

>243 Simone2:
"Irving today can no longer match this fantastic writer."
Now that's quite a recommendation! :)

Thanks for the review, this definitely seems like a book to check out.

242chlorine
Nov 24, 2017, 1:08 am

I've been to the author's page and I did not remember that Boyne was the author of The boy in the striped pyjamas, which I thought was great, and seems to be in a very different genre than this book.

243Simone2
Nov 24, 2017, 5:14 am

>245 Simone2: I also read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and yes, it is quite different. But I am willing to try all his other books now as well!

244Simone2
Nov 26, 2017, 7:10 am

93 - Chemistry by Weike Wang

I feel so sorry for the narrator of this book. A Chinese young woman, growing up in America. She is so afraid of disappointing her parents and of course she does (what child wouldn’t) and they blame her for that, time and time again. The result is that she feels she is not worth loving and pushes aside all chances of being happy. Very touching, beautifully written in as few words as possible - a style that reminds me of Elizabeth Strout and Lydia Davis and that I love.

4*

245Simone2
Nov 28, 2017, 1:58 am

94 - The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

The frustrated journalist Vatanen nearly kills a hare with his car. The animal hides wounded in the forest, Vatanen runs after him. The moment he takes the hare in his arms, he decides not to return to his car or life. He leaves the city life and his wife behind and starts a journey through the wilderness of Finland - a country I really want to visit now.
Great story, great ending.

4*

246dchaikin
Nov 28, 2017, 7:49 am

Interesting last two. I’m not familiar with The Year of the Hare (which I see is on the 1001 list)

247Simone2
Modifié : Nov 30, 2017, 2:00 am

95 - First Love by Gwendoline Riley

I feel kind of guilty to give 3,5 stars to such a horrible story. Neve has lived her life with an abusing father and an egocentrical mother. She flees into the arms of Edwyn, an older man of whom she can take care. Their marriage is horrible. Their dialogues are so painful, he is constantly emotionally blackmailing her and she keeps up with it. So sad.

3,5*

248AlisonY
Nov 30, 2017, 5:12 am

You got me with a good few book bullets there. Really interested in your John Boyne comments as I really enjoyed the first Irving book I read last year. Also noting The Year of the Hare - have a feeling it may already be on my wish list.

249chlorine
Nov 30, 2017, 4:29 pm

>250 Simone2: So was there something you liked in the book, that made you rate it 3.5 stars.

250Simone2
Déc 2, 2017, 8:11 am

>252 Simone2: Definitely. She writes so good, the dialogues are so good - though sad and disturbing. The whole book made me feel uneasy and I think therefore the author did a good job!

251chlorine
Déc 2, 2017, 11:41 am

>253 Simone2: I thought you meant the writing was bad when you wrote that the dialogues were painful. I understand better. :)

252Simone2
Déc 3, 2017, 4:47 am

>254 Simone2: Oh I am sorry, sometimes I can make such stupid mistakes in writing English: I see what you mean. Still I don’t know how to express it in English...

253Simone2
Déc 3, 2017, 4:48 am

>251 chlorine: Read the Boyne! I am almost sure you’ll love it. It has got everything a good read needs!

254Simone2
Déc 3, 2017, 4:49 am

96 - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

It may be my partly due to my yearly December blues but I really loved this sweet story.

Harold is on his way to the mailbox to send a goodbye note to a dear friend from his past when he decides to deliver it personally. So he starts walking, to the other end of England
This walk means a lot of time to think. About his life, his marriage, his son and the dying woman he is walking towards.
An emotional read with a beautiful ending.

4*

255chlorine
Déc 4, 2017, 5:45 am

>255 chlorine: To my (also not English) eye it was not a mistake, just an ambiguity maybe. :)

256Simone2
Déc 4, 2017, 3:48 pm

>258 Simone2: Haha, an ambiguity! Where are you from?

257chlorine
Déc 5, 2017, 11:43 am

>259 Simone2: I'm French, so not that far from you (geographically, at least, I think it's a different story concerning language proximity :)

258Simone2
Déc 9, 2017, 1:40 am

97 - The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

Sharon and Mel meet in college. They both fled from a loveless youth in the South and they both know how to draw. They become best friends and very succesful animators. Their work is based on their past and while working on it, they have to deal with that same past. Not a 5 star read but an impressive story about friendship and living hard. I liked it much better than Kavalier & Clay!

4*

259Simone2
Déc 11, 2017, 8:47 am

98 - The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss

Adam is a stay at home dad who takes very good care of his daughters while his wive is working full time as a doctor. One day daughter Mirjam nearly dies. The impact on the family is enormous; suddenly Adam has to live with the mortality of his children. Ordinary life has become surviving each day. Sarah Moss knows how to write about parenthood and despite the serious subject, she weaves in a lot of humor, picturing England today in a very funny and ironical way.

3,5*

260Simone2
Déc 17, 2017, 11:00 am

99 - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I Loved this book. It reads like a rollercoaster with all its twists and turns.
Two families meet incidentally and start intertwining in all kinds of ways. How they relate to each other, what happens between them: Ng has worked it out with such care and craft that every character comes to live and will stick with me for some time to come. I’ll definitely check out her first novel.

4,5*

261japaul22
Déc 17, 2017, 12:15 pm

>262 Simone2: I've been meaning to read something by Sarah Moss. Good to know you liked it.

>263 Simone2: And I recently read and loved her first book so I'm looking forward to this one.

262Simone2
Déc 22, 2017, 4:59 am

>264 chlorine: Your review of Everything I Never Told You makes me want to read it even more!

263Simone2
Déc 22, 2017, 5:08 am

100 - Zeldzame aarden by Sandro Veronesi

A few years ago I read Quiet Chaos, a book about a father and a daughter, trying to find a way to live together after the mother dies. The father is so afraid to lose his daughter as well that he brings her to school every day and stays in his car across the school all day.
I loved that book. This is the sequel, not yet translated in English. Eight years have passed and the father finds himself at a crucial point in life again. Problems at work, with the daughter and a new woman force him to make some drastic decisions. Very good written but less captivating as its predecessor.

3,5*

264chlorine
Déc 22, 2017, 2:09 pm

>100 Simone2: Quiet Chaos is a book I dearly love. I don't know how to express it but I feel as if the book has stayed with me in some way, since I read it two years ago. I want to read the sequel but am afraid that I'll be disappointed. I haven't read anything else by Veronesi, have you?

265Simone2
Déc 23, 2017, 10:01 am

>267 Simone2: I also really loved it. I also read The Force of the Past but that didn’t meet my expectations either.
Veronesi is a great writer but for me it was the subject, I think, that made Quiet Chaos stand out the way it did.

266Simone2
Déc 23, 2017, 10:02 am

101 - All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg

Andrea is 40 years old, an ex-artist, living the life in New York City, but living it pretty destructive. Drugs, men, arguments with her family. She is alone, sad and angry.

I read this book enjoying it, sometimes recognizing myself in it, sometimes not at all. But most of all I was waiting for where it would go. When I read the beautiful ending it somehow felt not right. I’ll have to think about this a little longer.

3,5*

267Simone2
Déc 25, 2017, 8:02 am

102 - Winter by Ali Smith

This is certainly not an easy read. I really had to concentrate to follow all storylines. A lot is happening between the lines.
Four people are meeting for Christmas, four completely different people with a different perception of the past, the present and the future. The dialogue at the dinner table is brilliant. I love the political references Ali Smith is making all the time.

I am already looking forward to Spring!

4*

268Simone2
Déc 27, 2017, 5:22 pm

103 - The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh

I cherished this book. I liked the concept so much, of a gated community filled with criminals with erased memories.
Then there is this suicide and a murder and everything starts falling apart in The Blinds, as the community is called. So much happens, enough twists to keep me going. Just until the end, which was the weakest part of the novel I think. Still a solid 4 star read though!

4*