Chatterbox Reads Omnivorously, and Fires Book Bullets Indiscriminately -- Part I
Ce sujet est poursuivi sur Chatterbox Reads Omnivorously, and Fires Book Bullets Indiscriminately -- Part II.
Discussions75 Books Challenge for 2017
Rejoignez LibraryThing pour poster.
Ce sujet est actuellement indiqué comme "en sommeil"—le dernier message date de plus de 90 jours. Vous pouvez le réveiller en postant une réponse.
1Chatterbox
Welcome once again, for the eighth year (gasp), to my thread in this group. Last year, both my reading and posting fell off dramatically, due to a variety of circumstances beyond my control, ranging from a relationship collapse to job loss and the serious illness of a close friend, for whom I have ended up as the primary support/caregiver. So I'm very much hoping that 2017 will be a much, much better year?? And very relieved to put 2016 behind me at last!!
I'm Suzanne, a rapidly aging freelance journalist in my 50s, dividing my time between my home base in Providence, Rhode Island, and my former home in NYC. The former, I share with three cats: Molly-cat, age 14; Cassie, aged 12, and the recently adopted Fergus (aka the butterball-cat), aged 4, whom Cassie loathes with a deep and abiding passion (in spite of the fact that Fergus has figured out how to open plastic boxes of cat treats without the advantage of opposable thumbs, something that Cassie benefits from.) I've written one book, about Wall Street, and my area of specialization is business and finance, but I'm now pondering what to do about my future, given the way that the Internet has wreaked havoc on journalism. Many of my former colleagues at the WSJ just took buyouts in a big round in recent weeks, leaving that paper without a deep bench of senior/experienced professionals. It's a tough world for freelancers, and is about to get still tougher.
I read extensively and indiscriminately: I get advance review copies from publishers via Amazon Prime and directly, and from attending book events, which is great, and have a massive TBR backlog, since I just can't keep up. Even so, I'm a bit obsessive, and will have several books on the go at once: at least one serious non-fiction book, an audiobook, and a couple of lighter reads. Ultimately, I look for a book in which I can completely immerse myself: this can be a great mystery, a contemporary novel, a work of literary fiction, a classic, or a non-fiction tome. A great read can be found anywhere.
My favorite books are as likely or more likely to be a great mystery or an obscure biography as they are to be the book of the moment that everyone is hailing as being just SO iconic -- I tend to be a bit wary of "insta-classics" and prefer to discover things for myself than follow the prescriptions and "top books" lists of critics. I'm drawn to what interests, amuses and engages me, and some of it will be entertaining fluff, while some of it will be intense and cerebral. You've been warned!
For the second year running, I'm hosting a non-fiction reading "challenge" -- light on the challenge, but the emphasis on discovering new non-fiction books to read, and share with others. Come and join us -- we are starting the new year by reading prizewinning works of non-fiction, and every month features a different theme. It's a low-pressure/no-pressure challenge...
As I've said before, I treat my thread a bit like a literary salon -- I love book-related discussion, and a bit of life related discussion. But I don't want it to become a forum for recipes (at one extreme) or idle chit chat about weather, or political arguments and hostility. Especially as we venture into what may be a politically very turbulent time, I'd like everyone to feel that they are welcome here, and thus ask visitors and posters to treat each other and each other's views with courtesy and thoughtfulness. This is LT, not Facebook, and not a place for polemical utterances -- at least not on my thread. Take it somewhere else, and let's focus on what we share -- a love for books and good writing.
Happy reading!
I'm Suzanne, a rapidly aging freelance journalist in my 50s, dividing my time between my home base in Providence, Rhode Island, and my former home in NYC. The former, I share with three cats: Molly-cat, age 14; Cassie, aged 12, and the recently adopted Fergus (aka the butterball-cat), aged 4, whom Cassie loathes with a deep and abiding passion (in spite of the fact that Fergus has figured out how to open plastic boxes of cat treats without the advantage of opposable thumbs, something that Cassie benefits from.) I've written one book, about Wall Street, and my area of specialization is business and finance, but I'm now pondering what to do about my future, given the way that the Internet has wreaked havoc on journalism. Many of my former colleagues at the WSJ just took buyouts in a big round in recent weeks, leaving that paper without a deep bench of senior/experienced professionals. It's a tough world for freelancers, and is about to get still tougher.
I read extensively and indiscriminately: I get advance review copies from publishers via Amazon Prime and directly, and from attending book events, which is great, and have a massive TBR backlog, since I just can't keep up. Even so, I'm a bit obsessive, and will have several books on the go at once: at least one serious non-fiction book, an audiobook, and a couple of lighter reads. Ultimately, I look for a book in which I can completely immerse myself: this can be a great mystery, a contemporary novel, a work of literary fiction, a classic, or a non-fiction tome. A great read can be found anywhere.
My favorite books are as likely or more likely to be a great mystery or an obscure biography as they are to be the book of the moment that everyone is hailing as being just SO iconic -- I tend to be a bit wary of "insta-classics" and prefer to discover things for myself than follow the prescriptions and "top books" lists of critics. I'm drawn to what interests, amuses and engages me, and some of it will be entertaining fluff, while some of it will be intense and cerebral. You've been warned!
For the second year running, I'm hosting a non-fiction reading "challenge" -- light on the challenge, but the emphasis on discovering new non-fiction books to read, and share with others. Come and join us -- we are starting the new year by reading prizewinning works of non-fiction, and every month features a different theme. It's a low-pressure/no-pressure challenge...
As I've said before, I treat my thread a bit like a literary salon -- I love book-related discussion, and a bit of life related discussion. But I don't want it to become a forum for recipes (at one extreme) or idle chit chat about weather, or political arguments and hostility. Especially as we venture into what may be a politically very turbulent time, I'd like everyone to feel that they are welcome here, and thus ask visitors and posters to treat each other and each other's views with courtesy and thoughtfulness. This is LT, not Facebook, and not a place for polemical utterances -- at least not on my thread. Take it somewhere else, and let's focus on what we share -- a love for books and good writing.
Happy reading!
2Chatterbox
I tend to start each thread with a poem. In honor of the late, great Leonard Cohen, who started his career as a poet, I'm going to use the lyrics of one of his songs. Not the beautiful "Hallelujah", which we're hearing so much right now (and which I love), but this one:
Anthem
Leonard Cohen
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
.....
Ring the bells ... that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Anthem
Leonard Cohen
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
.....
Ring the bells ... that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
3Chatterbox
I always read far more than 75 books a year and so just keep a single ticker to track my total reading. I'll start new threads (as usual) when the total number of posts hits between 250 and 300. I will do my best to keep the list current and to keep up with mini-reviews of the books I read, with capsule comments. My goal, once again, is 401 books -- I've surpassed that in 2013 and 2014, but fell short in 2015 and 2016, both years in which I had bad personal stuff derail my reading. Last year my total hit a personal worst of only 347 books...
Since sometimes (especially last year) I am bad at updating my reading and mini-reviews on this thread, if you want to see what I have been reading in real time, your best bet is to go to my library on LT, and look at the dedicated collection I've established there, under the label "Books Read in 2017. As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to the list. I'll also tag it, "Read in 2017". You'll be able to see it by either searching under that tag, or clicking on https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2017.
My TBR mountain is out of control. I think for every book I read last year, I acquired three. The good news is that the vast majority of those were freebies or Kindle sale books ($1.99 or so), or books bought using money from Apple's settlement with Kindle -- I got a massive Kindle credit as a result (north of $450). So I can console myself that I actually didn't spend that much. But I do literally have book stalagmites around the house, with all the ARCs (advance review copies) that remain unread! So one goal for this year is to do better on that front: purchase/acquire fewer relative to the number that I read.
My guide to my ratings:
1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!
The January list...
1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (finished 1/2/17) 4.2 stars
2. Bleaker House by Nell Stevens (finished 1/3/17) 4.1 stars
3. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan (finished 1/3/17) 3.85 stars
4. Consequences by Penelope Lively (finished 1/5/17) 4.15 stars
5. Fatal by John Lescroart (finished 1/5/17) 2.8 stars
6. The Angry Tide by Winston Graham, (finished 1/6/17) 4.3 stars
7. Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman (finished 1/8/17) 3.8 stars
8. The Futures by Anna Pitoniak (finished 1/9/17) 3.7 stars
9. The Honeymoon by Dinitia Smith (finished 1/11/17) 4.2 stars
10. Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin's Plot for Global Revolution by Giles Milton (finished 1/11/17) 4.15 stars
11. The Stranger From the Sea by Winston Graham (finished 1/12/17) 4.1 stars
12. Jonathan Swift by Leo Damrosch (finished 1/13/17) 4.4 stars
13. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham (finished 1/14/17) 4 stars
14. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham (finished 1/15/17) 4 stars
15. The Long Room by Francesca Kay (finished 1/16/17) 4.2 stars
16. Generation Revolution: On the Front Line Between Tradition and Change in the Middle East by Rachel Aspden (finished 1/16/17) 4.35 stars
17. Buried in the Country by Carola Dunn (finished 1/16/17) 3.35 stars
18. A Prisoner in Malta by Phillip dePoy (finished 1/17/17) 2.9 stars
19. The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle (finished 1/19/17) 4.5 stars
20. Latest Readings by Clive James (finished 1/20/17), 4.8 stars
21. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham (finished 1/21/17) 3.9 stars
22. The Bertie Project by Alexander McCall Smith (finished 1/23/17) 3.35 stars
23. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham (finished 1/25/17) 3.8 stars
24. East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity (finished 1/26/17) 5 stars
25. The Empty House by Michael Gilbert (finished 1/27/17) 3.1 stars
26. Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty (finished 1/29/17) 4.3 stars
27. Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies (finished 1/30/17), 5 stars
28. Death on Delos by Gary Corby (finished 1/31/17) 3.5 stars
The February list....
29. Human Acts by Han Kang (finished 2/2/17) 4.2 stars
30. A Want of Kindness by Joanne Limburg (finished 2/3/17) 2.9 stars
31. The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths (finished 2/4/17) 3.85 stars
32. Small Admissions by Ivy Poeppel (finished 2/5/17) 3.5 stars
33. The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins by Antonia Hawkins (finished 2/6/17) 4.4 stars
34. American War by Omar El Akkad (finished 2/6/17) 4.6 stars
35. Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty (finished 2/8/17) 4.4 stars
36. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (finished 2/8/17) 5 stars
37. The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (finished 2/9/17) 4.15 stars
38. Death in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/10/17) 4 stars
39. Bartleby and Benito Cereno by Herman Melville (finished 2/10/17) 4.35 stars
40. Dark Summer in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/11/17) 4.15 stars
41. Cold Winter in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/12/17) 4.2 stars
42. End Games in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/12/17) 4 stars
Since sometimes (especially last year) I am bad at updating my reading and mini-reviews on this thread, if you want to see what I have been reading in real time, your best bet is to go to my library on LT, and look at the dedicated collection I've established there, under the label "Books Read in 2017. As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to the list. I'll also tag it, "Read in 2017". You'll be able to see it by either searching under that tag, or clicking on https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2017.
My TBR mountain is out of control. I think for every book I read last year, I acquired three. The good news is that the vast majority of those were freebies or Kindle sale books ($1.99 or so), or books bought using money from Apple's settlement with Kindle -- I got a massive Kindle credit as a result (north of $450). So I can console myself that I actually didn't spend that much. But I do literally have book stalagmites around the house, with all the ARCs (advance review copies) that remain unread! So one goal for this year is to do better on that front: purchase/acquire fewer relative to the number that I read.
My guide to my ratings:
1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!
The January list...
1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (finished 1/2/17) 4.2 stars
2. Bleaker House by Nell Stevens (finished 1/3/17) 4.1 stars
3. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan (finished 1/3/17) 3.85 stars
4. Consequences by Penelope Lively (finished 1/5/17) 4.15 stars
5. Fatal by John Lescroart (finished 1/5/17) 2.8 stars
6. The Angry Tide by Winston Graham, (finished 1/6/17) 4.3 stars
7. Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman (finished 1/8/17) 3.8 stars
8. The Futures by Anna Pitoniak (finished 1/9/17) 3.7 stars
9. The Honeymoon by Dinitia Smith (finished 1/11/17) 4.2 stars
10. Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin's Plot for Global Revolution by Giles Milton (finished 1/11/17) 4.15 stars
11. The Stranger From the Sea by Winston Graham (finished 1/12/17) 4.1 stars
12. Jonathan Swift by Leo Damrosch (finished 1/13/17) 4.4 stars
13. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham (finished 1/14/17) 4 stars
14. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham (finished 1/15/17) 4 stars
15. The Long Room by Francesca Kay (finished 1/16/17) 4.2 stars
16. Generation Revolution: On the Front Line Between Tradition and Change in the Middle East by Rachel Aspden (finished 1/16/17) 4.35 stars
17. Buried in the Country by Carola Dunn (finished 1/16/17) 3.35 stars
18. A Prisoner in Malta by Phillip dePoy (finished 1/17/17) 2.9 stars
19. The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle (finished 1/19/17) 4.5 stars
20. Latest Readings by Clive James (finished 1/20/17), 4.8 stars
21. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham (finished 1/21/17) 3.9 stars
22. The Bertie Project by Alexander McCall Smith (finished 1/23/17) 3.35 stars
23. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham (finished 1/25/17) 3.8 stars
24. East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity (finished 1/26/17) 5 stars
25. The Empty House by Michael Gilbert (finished 1/27/17) 3.1 stars
26. Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty (finished 1/29/17) 4.3 stars
27. Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies (finished 1/30/17), 5 stars
28. Death on Delos by Gary Corby (finished 1/31/17) 3.5 stars
The February list....
29. Human Acts by Han Kang (finished 2/2/17) 4.2 stars
30. A Want of Kindness by Joanne Limburg (finished 2/3/17) 2.9 stars
31. The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths (finished 2/4/17) 3.85 stars
32. Small Admissions by Ivy Poeppel (finished 2/5/17) 3.5 stars
33. The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins by Antonia Hawkins (finished 2/6/17) 4.4 stars
34. American War by Omar El Akkad (finished 2/6/17) 4.6 stars
35. Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty (finished 2/8/17) 4.4 stars
36. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (finished 2/8/17) 5 stars
37. The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (finished 2/9/17) 4.15 stars
38. Death in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/10/17) 4 stars
39. Bartleby and Benito Cereno by Herman Melville (finished 2/10/17) 4.35 stars
40. Dark Summer in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/11/17) 4.15 stars
41. Cold Winter in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/12/17) 4.2 stars
42. End Games in Bordeaux by Allan Massie (finished 2/12/17) 4 stars
4Chatterbox
While I want to read serendipitously, I also have some reading goals. I did a truly appalling job at meeting those that I set for myself last year, so this is my other New Year's reading resolution: to do better at reading the books that I know I want to complete. They only add up to about a quarter of my total estimated reading, so it shouldn't be too much of a hardship...
Reading Series Books
The Poldark Series by Winston Graham (the remainder of these)
The Angry Tide read
The Stranger From the Sea read
The Miller’s Dance read
The Loving Cup read
The Twisted Sword read
Bella Poldark read
The Bordeaux quartet by Allan Massie
Death in Bordeaux read
Dark Summer in Bordeaux read
Cold Winter in Bordeaux read
End Games in Bordeaux read
The Elena Ferrante quartet
My Brilliant Friend
The Story of a New Name
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
The Story of the Lost Child
The Cornish trilogy by Robertson Davies
The Rebel Angels
What’s Bred in the Bone
The Lyre of Orpheus
The Quintilian Dalrymple series by Paul Johnston (remainder)
The Bone Yard
Water of Death
The Blood Tree
The House of Dust
Heads or Hearts
Skeleton Blues
The Teetering Tower of ARCs (Advance Review Copies
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
City of Secrets by Stewart O’Nan read
The Honeymoon by Dinitia Smith read
City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence
At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell
Country of Red Azaleas by Dominica Radulescu
Three-Martini Lunch by Suzanne Rindell
Mercury by Margot Livesey
The Terranauts by T.C. Boyle
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
House of Thieves by Charles Belfoure
The Patriots by Sara Krasikov
Among the Living by Jonathan Rabb
A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker
The Fall of Princes by Robert Goolrick
Authors New to Me -- and Recommendations
The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter by John Pipkin
The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan
Serious Sweet by A.L. Kennedy
The Year of the French by Thomas Flanagan
The Guineveres by Sarah Domet
The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver
Did You Ever Have a Family? by Bill Clegg
Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto
The Allegations by Mark Lawson
Canadian Content
The Parcel by Anosh Irani
Stranger by David Bergen
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
The Piano Maker by Kurt Palka
The Night Bell by Inger Ash Wolfe
Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay
Punishment by Linden Macintyre
Reading Series Books
The Poldark Series by Winston Graham (the remainder of these)
The Angry Tide read
The Stranger From the Sea read
The Miller’s Dance read
The Loving Cup read
The Twisted Sword read
Bella Poldark read
The Bordeaux quartet by Allan Massie
Death in Bordeaux read
Dark Summer in Bordeaux read
Cold Winter in Bordeaux read
End Games in Bordeaux read
The Elena Ferrante quartet
My Brilliant Friend
The Story of a New Name
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
The Story of the Lost Child
The Cornish trilogy by Robertson Davies
The Rebel Angels
What’s Bred in the Bone
The Lyre of Orpheus
The Quintilian Dalrymple series by Paul Johnston (remainder)
The Bone Yard
Water of Death
The Blood Tree
The House of Dust
Heads or Hearts
Skeleton Blues
The Teetering Tower of ARCs (Advance Review Copies
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
City of Secrets by Stewart O’Nan read
The Honeymoon by Dinitia Smith read
City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence
At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell
Country of Red Azaleas by Dominica Radulescu
Three-Martini Lunch by Suzanne Rindell
Mercury by Margot Livesey
The Terranauts by T.C. Boyle
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
House of Thieves by Charles Belfoure
The Patriots by Sara Krasikov
Among the Living by Jonathan Rabb
A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker
The Fall of Princes by Robert Goolrick
Authors New to Me -- and Recommendations
The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter by John Pipkin
The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan
Serious Sweet by A.L. Kennedy
The Year of the French by Thomas Flanagan
The Guineveres by Sarah Domet
The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver
Did You Ever Have a Family? by Bill Clegg
Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto
The Allegations by Mark Lawson
Canadian Content
The Parcel by Anosh Irani
Stranger by David Bergen
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
The Piano Maker by Kurt Palka
The Night Bell by Inger Ash Wolfe
Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay
Punishment by Linden Macintyre
5Chatterbox
Reading Challenge Part II
Why Haven't I Read This Yet??
No Great Mischief by Alistair Macleod
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Lolita by Nabokov
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Europa Editions
The Golden Age by Joan London
Baba Dunja’s Last Love by Alina Bronsky
The Pope’s Daughter by Dario Fo
Fire Flowers by Ben Byrne
Revolution Baby by Joanna Gruda
In the Orchard, the Swallows by Peter Hobbs
A Voyage Around the World
Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John (Nigeria)
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (Cameroon)
Human Acts by Han Kang (South Korea) read
Judas by Amos Oz (Israel)
The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany)
Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra (Chile)
Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto (Brazil)
The Chosen Ones by Steve Sem-Sandberg (Sweden)
Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila (Congo)
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Finland)
Harlequin’s Millions by Bohumil Hrabal (Czech Republic)
2084 by Boualem Sansal (Algeria/Germany)
An Englishman in Madrid by Eduardo Mendoza (Spain)
The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
Broken April by Ismail Kadare (Albania)
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (Turkey) read
They Were Counted by Miklos Banffy (Hungary)
The Four Books by Yan Lianke (China)
The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien (Ireland)
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Vietnam/USA)
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Ghana/USA) read
2084 by Boualem Sansal (Algeria/Germany/France)
Why Haven't I Read This Yet??
No Great Mischief by Alistair Macleod
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Lolita by Nabokov
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Europa Editions
The Golden Age by Joan London
Baba Dunja’s Last Love by Alina Bronsky
The Pope’s Daughter by Dario Fo
Fire Flowers by Ben Byrne
Revolution Baby by Joanna Gruda
In the Orchard, the Swallows by Peter Hobbs
A Voyage Around the World
Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John (Nigeria)
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (Cameroon)
Human Acts by Han Kang (South Korea) read
Judas by Amos Oz (Israel)
The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany)
Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra (Chile)
Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto (Brazil)
The Chosen Ones by Steve Sem-Sandberg (Sweden)
Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila (Congo)
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Finland)
Harlequin’s Millions by Bohumil Hrabal (Czech Republic)
2084 by Boualem Sansal (Algeria/Germany)
An Englishman in Madrid by Eduardo Mendoza (Spain)
The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
Broken April by Ismail Kadare (Albania)
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (Turkey) read
They Were Counted by Miklos Banffy (Hungary)
The Four Books by Yan Lianke (China)
The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien (Ireland)
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Vietnam/USA)
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Ghana/USA) read
2084 by Boualem Sansal (Algeria/Germany/France)
6Chatterbox
Reading Challenge Part III
NetGalley Tower of Shame
The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
The Lauras by Sara Taylor
Boat Rocker by Ha Jin
The English Agent by Phillip DePoy
The Futures by Anna Pitoniak read
Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch
The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott
The Whole Art of Detection by Lyndsay Faye
Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr
The Private Life of Mrs. Sharma by Ratika Kapur
The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith
Black Widow by Christopher Brookmyre
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
The Imperial Wife by Irina Reyn
I am No One by Patrick Flannery
Darktown by Thomas Mullen
The Letter Writer by Dan Fesperman
Non-Fiction Challenge
Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway’s Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises by Lesley Blume
Spain in Our Hearts by Adam Hochschild
The Immortal Irishman: the Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by Timothy Egan
Tom Paine by John Keane
We Were Feminists Once by Andi Zeisler
All Strangers are Kin by Zora O’Neill
Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman
The Porcelain Thief: Searching the Middle Kingdom for Buried China by Huan Hsu
Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty by Dan Jones
Deep South by Paul Theroux
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman
Mercies in Disguise by Gina Kolata
Strangers Drowning: Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices and the Urge to Help by Larissa MacFarquhar
Game of Queens: The women who made sixteenth-century Europe by Sarah Gristwood
The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao by Ian Johnson
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
The Trials of the King of Hampshire by Elizabeth Foyster
Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-Extinction by Helen Pilcher
Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication and Music by James Rhodes
Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge
Beethoven for a Later Age: Living With the String Quartets by Edward Dusinberre
The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre
Thieves of State by Sarah Chayes
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
The Invention of Russia by Arkady Ostrovsky
Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neill
The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding
Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
A Kim Jong-Il Production by Paul Fischer
In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon’s Wars by Jenny Uglow
Once Upon a Time in Russia by Ben Mezrich
The French Intifada by Andrew Hussey
Hotel Florida: Truth Love and Death in the Spanish Civil War by Amanda Vaill
How to Ruin a Queen by Jonathan Beckman
Scott-Land: The Man Who Invented a Nation by Stuart Kelly
Russian Roulette by Giles Milton read
Travels With a Tangerine by Tim Mackintosh-Smith
Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain by Charlotte Higgins
The Emperor Far Away by David Eimer
The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms by Gerard Russell
NetGalley Tower of Shame
The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
The Lauras by Sara Taylor
Boat Rocker by Ha Jin
The English Agent by Phillip DePoy
The Futures by Anna Pitoniak read
Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch
The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott
The Whole Art of Detection by Lyndsay Faye
Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr
The Private Life of Mrs. Sharma by Ratika Kapur
The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith
Black Widow by Christopher Brookmyre
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
The Imperial Wife by Irina Reyn
I am No One by Patrick Flannery
Darktown by Thomas Mullen
The Letter Writer by Dan Fesperman
Non-Fiction Challenge
Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway’s Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises by Lesley Blume
Spain in Our Hearts by Adam Hochschild
The Immortal Irishman: the Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by Timothy Egan
Tom Paine by John Keane
We Were Feminists Once by Andi Zeisler
All Strangers are Kin by Zora O’Neill
Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman
The Porcelain Thief: Searching the Middle Kingdom for Buried China by Huan Hsu
Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty by Dan Jones
Deep South by Paul Theroux
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman
Mercies in Disguise by Gina Kolata
Strangers Drowning: Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices and the Urge to Help by Larissa MacFarquhar
Game of Queens: The women who made sixteenth-century Europe by Sarah Gristwood
The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao by Ian Johnson
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
The Trials of the King of Hampshire by Elizabeth Foyster
Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-Extinction by Helen Pilcher
Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication and Music by James Rhodes
Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge
Beethoven for a Later Age: Living With the String Quartets by Edward Dusinberre
The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre
Thieves of State by Sarah Chayes
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
The Invention of Russia by Arkady Ostrovsky
Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neill
The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding
Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
A Kim Jong-Il Production by Paul Fischer
In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon’s Wars by Jenny Uglow
Once Upon a Time in Russia by Ben Mezrich
The French Intifada by Andrew Hussey
Hotel Florida: Truth Love and Death in the Spanish Civil War by Amanda Vaill
How to Ruin a Queen by Jonathan Beckman
Scott-Land: The Man Who Invented a Nation by Stuart Kelly
Russian Roulette by Giles Milton read
Travels With a Tangerine by Tim Mackintosh-Smith
Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain by Charlotte Higgins
The Emperor Far Away by David Eimer
The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms by Gerard Russell
7Chatterbox
Books Purchased or Otherwise Permanently Acquired in 2017
Part I
1. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat (Kindle Sale, $), 1/1/17
2. The Children by David Halberstam (Kindle Sale, $) 1/2/17
3. Amberwell by D.E. Stevenson (Kindle Sale, $) 1/3/17
4. The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley (NetGalley) 1/3/17
5. The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda in Flight by Cathy Scott-Clark & Adrian Levy (NetGalley) 1/3/17
6. Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin (NetGalley) 1/3/17
7. All the Lives I Want by Alana Massey (NetGalley) 1/3/17
8. The Lost Woman by Sara Blaedel (NetGalley) 1/3/17
9. Down City: A Daughter's Story of Love, Memory and Murder by Leah Carroll (NetGalley) 1/3/17
10. The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries by Andrei Soldatov and Irinia Borogan (Kindle Sale, $) 1/4/17
11. The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle (Audiobook, $$) 1/4/17 read
12. The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin (UK Kindle, Kindle Sale, $) 1/5/17
13. Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin (Kindle Sale, $), 1/6/17
14. A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson (NetGalley), 1/6/17
15. Trajectory: Stories by Richard Russo (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
16. There Your Heart Lies by Mary Gordon (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
17. Chemistry by Weike Wang (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
18. Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
19. Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst (Kindle Sale, $) 1/7/17
20. Sex Object: A Memoir by Jessica Valenti (Kindle Sale, $) 1/7/17
21. As Good As Gone by Larry Watson (Kindle Sale, $) 1/7/17
22. Prussian Blue by Phillip Kerr (NetGalley) 1/7/17
23. The Fall Guy by James Lasdun (Kindle, $$) 1/8/17
24. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/8/17 read
25. Bed-Stuy is Burning by Brian Platzer (NetGalley) 1/8/17
26. Icy Clutches by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
27. Curses! by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
28. Twenty Blue Devils by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
29. Skeleton Dance by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
30. Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
31. Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker (NetGalley) 1/9/17
32. Small Hours by Jennifer Kitses (NetGalley) 1/9/17
33. A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn (Kindle, $$) 1/10/17
34. Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig (NetGalley) 1/10/17
35. The Unbanking of America by Lisa Servon (Kindle, $$) 1/10/17
36. Bad Blood in Meantime by Murray Davies (UK Kindle, Kindle Sale, $) 1/10/17
37. The Believer by Joakim Zander (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
38. Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for Breakfast by Megan Marshall (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
39. On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
40. If I Could Tell You by Elizabeth Wilhide (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
41. The Dry by Jane Harper (Kindle, $$) 1/11/17
42. We Do Our Part: Toward a Fairer and More Equal America by Charles Peters (NetGalley) 1/11/17
43. Signals: New and Selected Stories by Tim Gautreaux (e-galley from publisher), 1/14/17
44. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
45. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
46. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
47. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
48. Shield of Three Lions by Pamela Kaufman (Kindle, $) 1/16/17
49. Latest Readings by Clive James (paperback, $$) 1/17/17 read
50. Shelter in Place by Alexander Maksik (paperback, $$) 1/17/17
51. Othello by William Shakespeare (paperback, $$) 1/17/17
52. The Bertie Project by Alexander McCall Smith (NetGalley) 1/20/17 read
From here to end of page, all are ARCs from ALA Midwinter in Atlanta, at no cost to me, Jan 20-22
53. The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World by James Barron
54. In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
55. Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe by John Julius Norwich
56. The Long Drop by Denise Mina
57. How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life by Massimo Pigliucci
58. I See You by Clare Mackintosh
59. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
60. Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli In His World by Erica Benner
61. The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
62. Silver and Salt by Elanor Dymott
63. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid read
64. The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky
65. Death on Delos by Gary Corby read
66. The Leavers by Lisa Ko
67. Death on Nantucket by Francine Mathews
68. Europe's Last Chance: Why the European States Must Form a More Perfect Union by Guy Verhoefstadt
69. The Trophy Child by Paula Daly
70. Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future by Martin Ford
71. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan
72. When the English Fall by David Williams
73. NK3: A Novel by Michael Tolkin
74. The Dime by Kathleen Kent
75. Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty
Part I
1. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat (Kindle Sale, $), 1/1/17
2. The Children by David Halberstam (Kindle Sale, $) 1/2/17
3. Amberwell by D.E. Stevenson (Kindle Sale, $) 1/3/17
4. The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley (NetGalley) 1/3/17
5. The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda in Flight by Cathy Scott-Clark & Adrian Levy (NetGalley) 1/3/17
6. Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin (NetGalley) 1/3/17
7. All the Lives I Want by Alana Massey (NetGalley) 1/3/17
8. The Lost Woman by Sara Blaedel (NetGalley) 1/3/17
9. Down City: A Daughter's Story of Love, Memory and Murder by Leah Carroll (NetGalley) 1/3/17
10. The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries by Andrei Soldatov and Irinia Borogan (Kindle Sale, $) 1/4/17
11. The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle (Audiobook, $$) 1/4/17 read
12. The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin (UK Kindle, Kindle Sale, $) 1/5/17
13. Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin (Kindle Sale, $), 1/6/17
14. A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson (NetGalley), 1/6/17
15. Trajectory: Stories by Richard Russo (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
16. There Your Heart Lies by Mary Gordon (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
17. Chemistry by Weike Wang (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
18. Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny (e-galley from publisher) 1/6/17
19. Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst (Kindle Sale, $) 1/7/17
20. Sex Object: A Memoir by Jessica Valenti (Kindle Sale, $) 1/7/17
21. As Good As Gone by Larry Watson (Kindle Sale, $) 1/7/17
22. Prussian Blue by Phillip Kerr (NetGalley) 1/7/17
23. The Fall Guy by James Lasdun (Kindle, $$) 1/8/17
24. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/8/17 read
25. Bed-Stuy is Burning by Brian Platzer (NetGalley) 1/8/17
26. Icy Clutches by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
27. Curses! by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
28. Twenty Blue Devils by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
29. Skeleton Dance by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
30. Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins (Kindle Sale, $) 1/9/17
31. Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker (NetGalley) 1/9/17
32. Small Hours by Jennifer Kitses (NetGalley) 1/9/17
33. A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn (Kindle, $$) 1/10/17
34. Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig (NetGalley) 1/10/17
35. The Unbanking of America by Lisa Servon (Kindle, $$) 1/10/17
36. Bad Blood in Meantime by Murray Davies (UK Kindle, Kindle Sale, $) 1/10/17
37. The Believer by Joakim Zander (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
38. Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for Breakfast by Megan Marshall (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
39. On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
40. If I Could Tell You by Elizabeth Wilhide (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/11/17
41. The Dry by Jane Harper (Kindle, $$) 1/11/17
42. We Do Our Part: Toward a Fairer and More Equal America by Charles Peters (NetGalley) 1/11/17
43. Signals: New and Selected Stories by Tim Gautreaux (e-galley from publisher), 1/14/17
44. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
45. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
46. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
47. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham (Kindle, $$) 1/16/17 read
48. Shield of Three Lions by Pamela Kaufman (Kindle, $) 1/16/17
49. Latest Readings by Clive James (paperback, $$) 1/17/17 read
50. Shelter in Place by Alexander Maksik (paperback, $$) 1/17/17
51. Othello by William Shakespeare (paperback, $$) 1/17/17
52. The Bertie Project by Alexander McCall Smith (NetGalley) 1/20/17 read
From here to end of page, all are ARCs from ALA Midwinter in Atlanta, at no cost to me, Jan 20-22
53. The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World by James Barron
54. In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
55. Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe by John Julius Norwich
56. The Long Drop by Denise Mina
57. How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life by Massimo Pigliucci
58. I See You by Clare Mackintosh
59. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
60. Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli In His World by Erica Benner
61. The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
62. Silver and Salt by Elanor Dymott
63. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid read
64. The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky
65. Death on Delos by Gary Corby read
66. The Leavers by Lisa Ko
67. Death on Nantucket by Francine Mathews
68. Europe's Last Chance: Why the European States Must Form a More Perfect Union by Guy Verhoefstadt
69. The Trophy Child by Paula Daly
70. Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future by Martin Ford
71. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan
72. When the English Fall by David Williams
73. NK3: A Novel by Michael Tolkin
74. The Dime by Kathleen Kent
75. Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty
8Chatterbox
Books Purchased or Otherwise Permanently Acquired in 2017
Part II
Until further notice, all books below were ARCs acquired (free) at ALA Midwinter in Atlanta, January 20-22, 2017
76. A Twist in Time by Julia McElwain
77. The Last Hack by Christopher Brookmyre
78. Agent M: The Lives and Spies of MI5's Maxwell Knight by Henry Hemming
79. The Unruly City: Paris, London and New York in the Age of Revolution by Mike Rapport
80. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
81. The Little French Bistro by Nina George
82. Stranger in a Strange Land: Searching for Gershom Scholem and Jerusalem by George Prochnik
83. Mozart's Starling by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
84. The Wanderers by Meg Howrey
85. Lenin's Roller Coaster by David Downing
86. Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner
87. A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes
88. The Child by Fiona Barton
89. 4 3 2 1: A Novel by Paul Auster
90. The Girl in Green by Derek B. Miller
91. The Trump Survival Guide by Gene Stone
92. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
93. The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
94. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
95. The Marches: A Borderland Journey between England and Scotland by Rory Stewart
96. Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King
97. The Young Widower's Handbook by Tom McAllister
98. The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
99. Miss You by Kate Eberlen
100. Fateful Mornings by Tom Bouman
101. Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
102. The Other Widow by Susan Crawford
103. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
104. Final Demand by Deborah Moggach
105. The Cutaway by Christina Kovac
106. The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne
107. The Jane Austen Project by Karen Flynn
108. Identity Unknown: Rediscovering Seven American Women Artists by Donna Seaman
109. The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker
110. City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York by Tyler Anbinder
111. The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown
112. My Last Lament by James William Brown
113. The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown
114. The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall
115. What My Body Remembers by Agnete Friis
116. New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
117. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
118. No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts
119. The Birdwatcher by William Shaw
120. Kingdom of Olives and Ash: Writers Confront the Occupation (edited Michael Chabon)
121. Double Bind: Women on Ambition by Robin Romm
122. The Secrets You Keep by Kate White
123. The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve
124. The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor
125. Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams
126. The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon
127. Our Little Racket by Angelica Baker
128. The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett
129. Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy
130. Party Girls Die in Pearls by Plum Sykes
131. The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris
132. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
133. UNSUB: A Novel by Meg Gardiner
134. Bad Seeds by Jassy Mackenzie
135. Touch by Courtney Maum
136. Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes
137. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
138. The Widow's House by Carol Goodman
139. Devastation Road by Jason Hewitt
140. Easternization: Asia's Rise and America's Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond by Gideon Rachman
141. Dead Man Switch by Matthew Quirk
142. Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan
143. Mad Country by Samrat Upadhyay
144. Bad Dreams and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley
145. Most Dangerous Place by James Grippando
146. Inheritance From Mother by Minae Mizumura
147. Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961 by Nicholas Reynolds
148. Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles
149. Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean
150. Shining City by Tom Rosenstiel
151. Last Hope Island: Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of War by Lynne Olson
152. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
End of list of ARCs from ALA Midwinter
Part II
Until further notice, all books below were ARCs acquired (free) at ALA Midwinter in Atlanta, January 20-22, 2017
76. A Twist in Time by Julia McElwain
77. The Last Hack by Christopher Brookmyre
78. Agent M: The Lives and Spies of MI5's Maxwell Knight by Henry Hemming
79. The Unruly City: Paris, London and New York in the Age of Revolution by Mike Rapport
80. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
81. The Little French Bistro by Nina George
82. Stranger in a Strange Land: Searching for Gershom Scholem and Jerusalem by George Prochnik
83. Mozart's Starling by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
84. The Wanderers by Meg Howrey
85. Lenin's Roller Coaster by David Downing
86. Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner
87. A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes
88. The Child by Fiona Barton
89. 4 3 2 1: A Novel by Paul Auster
90. The Girl in Green by Derek B. Miller
91. The Trump Survival Guide by Gene Stone
92. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
93. The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
94. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
95. The Marches: A Borderland Journey between England and Scotland by Rory Stewart
96. Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King
97. The Young Widower's Handbook by Tom McAllister
98. The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
99. Miss You by Kate Eberlen
100. Fateful Mornings by Tom Bouman
101. Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
102. The Other Widow by Susan Crawford
103. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
104. Final Demand by Deborah Moggach
105. The Cutaway by Christina Kovac
106. The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne
107. The Jane Austen Project by Karen Flynn
108. Identity Unknown: Rediscovering Seven American Women Artists by Donna Seaman
109. The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker
110. City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York by Tyler Anbinder
111. The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown
112. My Last Lament by James William Brown
113. The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown
114. The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall
115. What My Body Remembers by Agnete Friis
116. New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
117. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
118. No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts
119. The Birdwatcher by William Shaw
120. Kingdom of Olives and Ash: Writers Confront the Occupation (edited Michael Chabon)
121. Double Bind: Women on Ambition by Robin Romm
122. The Secrets You Keep by Kate White
123. The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve
124. The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor
125. Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams
126. The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon
127. Our Little Racket by Angelica Baker
128. The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett
129. Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy
130. Party Girls Die in Pearls by Plum Sykes
131. The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris
132. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
133. UNSUB: A Novel by Meg Gardiner
134. Bad Seeds by Jassy Mackenzie
135. Touch by Courtney Maum
136. Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes
137. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
138. The Widow's House by Carol Goodman
139. Devastation Road by Jason Hewitt
140. Easternization: Asia's Rise and America's Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond by Gideon Rachman
141. Dead Man Switch by Matthew Quirk
142. Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan
143. Mad Country by Samrat Upadhyay
144. Bad Dreams and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley
145. Most Dangerous Place by James Grippando
146. Inheritance From Mother by Minae Mizumura
147. Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961 by Nicholas Reynolds
148. Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles
149. Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean
150. Shining City by Tom Rosenstiel
151. Last Hope Island: Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of War by Lynne Olson
152. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
End of list of ARCs from ALA Midwinter
9thornton37814
Marking my place and hanging my star out.
10PaulCranswick
I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.
Thank you for also being part of the group.
11Chatterbox
A hearty welcome to my first visitors, Lori -- my fellow cat lover and amateur genealogist -- and Paul, who is almost as obsessive a reader as I am and probably even worse when it comes to acquiring these darn books... :-)
Happy 2017 to you both! As you can see, I already have acquired my first book, although to be fair, it's a Kindle replacement for a very elderly mass market paperback that has acquired that yucky feeling that old poor-quality paper has, making me not want to read it or even touch its pages. The only reason I haven't thrown it out is sentiment: I remember buying it when I was about 12 years old, and it reminds me of being that old and having (relatively) few books and the era when a new paperback cost only $1.75 or $1.95 (Canadian!)
Happy 2017 to you both! As you can see, I already have acquired my first book, although to be fair, it's a Kindle replacement for a very elderly mass market paperback that has acquired that yucky feeling that old poor-quality paper has, making me not want to read it or even touch its pages. The only reason I haven't thrown it out is sentiment: I remember buying it when I was about 12 years old, and it reminds me of being that old and having (relatively) few books and the era when a new paperback cost only $1.75 or $1.95 (Canadian!)
12ChelleBearss
Hope you have a wonderful 2017!
13avatiakh
Hooray to see your thread pop up. I'm hoping to make a start on Poldark this year among other challenges.
14Fourpawz2
Hey Suzanne! So looking forward to seeing what you are reading this year, i.e. adding more books to my wishlists. The current count of you-recommended books (plus a few other interesting looking ones I've found on your threads) stands at 65.
16Chatterbox
>12 ChelleBearss: Thank you, and the same to you and the mini Bear...
>13 avatiakh: I have been enjoying the Poldark books so much. I'm somewhat annoyed that I have (temporarily) run out of audiobooks, and will have to actually read one, as the audio versions are quite good.
>14 Fourpawz2: Only 65? I will have to get a move on... *chortle* What's at the top of that list!
>15 banjo123: Thanks, and right back to you! I will have to get around to visiting threads -- eventually. But it took me much longer than usual to get this one put up...
>13 avatiakh: I have been enjoying the Poldark books so much. I'm somewhat annoyed that I have (temporarily) run out of audiobooks, and will have to actually read one, as the audio versions are quite good.
>14 Fourpawz2: Only 65? I will have to get a move on... *chortle* What's at the top of that list!
>15 banjo123: Thanks, and right back to you! I will have to get around to visiting threads -- eventually. But it took me much longer than usual to get this one put up...
17LovingLit
>4 Chatterbox: you've never read Lionel Shriver? Of the teo of hers I have read, We Need to Talk About Kevin was a standout. I may have even read three of hers, but as I can't remember them, it's clear they aren't standout (for me!!).
Happy new year! I know you're looking for a better 2017 :)
Happy new year! I know you're looking for a better 2017 :)
21LizzieD
Happy New Year, Suz, and a star! I wish you a year of great satisfaction and lots of good reading!
22ronincats
Happy New Year! (dropping a star)
Sincere wishes for a much more positive year for you in 2017, Suz.
Sincere wishes for a much more positive year for you in 2017, Suz.
23Chatterbox
>17 LovingLit: I know, I know... (re Shriver...) I didn't read that because everyone else was reading it!
>19 katiekrug: Any chance you can travel to Atlanta for the ALA thingummy? It's the weekend of the 20th... Meanwhile, will be back in NYC on the 5th/6th, and will be there, possibly, until the 18th. I may go home for a day or two before the 18th -- there are a few moving parts. It depends on Atlanta, and G's release date from rehab, and a few other things.
>18 drneutron: >20 scaifea: >21 LizzieD: Thank you for the greetings!!
>22 ronincats: Thanks for the shiny star, the good wishes and the lovely book, which you will have noticed is on my resolution list!! I did bring it home to try to read over Xmas, but that hasn't happened... :-( And I don't want to lug it around, so it may have to wait for my next trip home...
Am reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi right now. Getting a slow start on the year though, as I overslept.
>19 katiekrug: Any chance you can travel to Atlanta for the ALA thingummy? It's the weekend of the 20th... Meanwhile, will be back in NYC on the 5th/6th, and will be there, possibly, until the 18th. I may go home for a day or two before the 18th -- there are a few moving parts. It depends on Atlanta, and G's release date from rehab, and a few other things.
>18 drneutron: >20 scaifea: >21 LizzieD: Thank you for the greetings!!
>22 ronincats: Thanks for the shiny star, the good wishes and the lovely book, which you will have noticed is on my resolution list!! I did bring it home to try to read over Xmas, but that hasn't happened... :-( And I don't want to lug it around, so it may have to wait for my next trip home...
Am reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi right now. Getting a slow start on the year though, as I overslept.
24ronincats
Yes, I saw it in the Nonfiction Challenge books, Suz. And I meant to comment that I love the Leonard Cohen lyrics that you started your thread with--they really spoke to me.
25katiekrug
>23 Chatterbox: - Oh, I wish I could go to the ALA thing! I am going to be back in TX for work 21-27 January. Phooey! I have every other Friday off, as long as I'm not traveling, so I'm sure we can coordinate for some time when you are down here. I'll look at my upcoming calendar to see which I have off - I've lost all sense of time over the holidays!
26Chatterbox
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books of 2016
(Well, my subjective choices, from among the books that I read, at any rate!!)
1. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Oh my. I’m not sure that I can say anything that hasn’t already been said about this wonderful book chronicling the lived reality of the Great Migration, through the lives of three distinct individuals in three quite different decades and with three distinct results. Wilkerson paints a vivid backdrop of the life that each was fleeing, from that of a sharecropper to a more established teacher’s son – all victims of Jim Crow. This book will live with you for the rest of your lives.
2. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.
A lot of buzz surrounded this book, released during the election campaign. Vance, a product of coal country Appalachia, and not a Democrat (but not a Trump supporter, either), has a lot to say about what it’s like in red state America, and the realities of life there, through his own story of growing up there. Very unpolemical, which is what makes it work, and moving. Read it for that, because Vance isn’t trying to “normalize” anything other than human beings.
3. The Vanishing Velazquez by Laura Cumming
I loved the fact that Laura Cumming could translate her own love for art and imagery into the written word, a talent that escapes too many writers. She also has latched onto a fascinating tale: one of a Victorian-era art aficionado who discovers a portrait he is convinced (in an era before art historians or even photography) is by Velazquez. But how to prove it? He devotes his life, obsessively, to trying to do just that, and Cumming devotes her book to his tale, alternating with that of Velazquez himself. Brilliant.
4. Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon
Another book told in alternating chapters, which I read early in the year and that has stuck with me. The chapters, in this case, are devoted to the biographies of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, two early women writers – one a feminist pioneer in her life and writings, and the other a novelist, and author of “Frankenstein”. The structure allows the writer to compare the lives of the mother and daughter, whose lives overlapped by only a few days, as the elder Mary died at her daughter’s birth. I’m fascinated by this era, as the Enlightenment gave way to Romanticism, and each Mary was an example of one of these two trends, with Wollstonecraft being on the cusp.
5. Known and Strange Things by Teju Cole
A collection of essays that is divided into three parts: "reading things", "seeing things" and "being there." The pieces become increasingly successful, with those devoted to “being there”, oddly enough, being more engrossing than those devoted to writing and writers, although the latter always were fascinating (especially an encounter with Naipaul.) Cole conveys his passion for photography to the reader, and those political, social and cultural topics that arouse his excitement or ire are the most intriguing of all. It all reaches a climax of sorts in the biting fury underpinning his prose in "The White Savior Industrial Complex", which should be required reading for all well-intentioned Western philanthropists. Although these essays are uneven in quality of execution, with somebeing unfledged ideas, the caliber of what is there is so strong that it’s definitely worth reading.
6. Caught in the Revolution by Helen Rappaport
Note: this is only out in the UK so far, and will be released in the US shortly. I got an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I’m not normally a fan of Rappaport’s work (she tends to focus on royal personages and that makes me yawn a bit) but this was a triumph. This history captured the experiences of a vast array of foreign citizens and residents in St. Petersburg during 1917, in the weeks leading up to the first revolution, through that dismantling of the Tsarist regime, and then the unsettled spring and summer months as Kerensky struggled to continue the war and retain control, to the Bolshevik seizure of power in October/November. From nurses to journalists, diplomats to wives of Russian citizens, including the African-American valet/major-domo of the American ambassador whose character leaps off the page most vividly, these personalities recount what it was like trying to decode what was happening, to stay one step ahead of the violence and chaos, to stay fed and informed, and to try to get out of the country when they realized that there was no point in remaining any longer. An excellent interweaving of a number of first-person chronicles; highly recommended to anyone interested in the period. In spite of how much I’ve read (as a non-professional historian), I found the perspective and the detail captured a lot that I never knew and presented it in fascinating ways.
7. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer
For all the attention that this book gleaned, it deserved even more. Once upon a time, when our European ancestors were largely illiterate and struggling to write on vellum, scholars in Timbuktu were compiling large manuscripts of all kinds in what would become one of the most impressive libraries in the Islamic world – even Cairo would plead for manuscripts to add to its own collection. When in later centuries, early generations of fundamentalists descended on Mali and Timbuktu’s empire contracted, the city’s top families secreted these treasures, preserving them. Only in recent decades did funding eventually become available to bring them out of hiding and display them to the world, preserving them and cherishing them in a series of libraries – just in time for a new danger in the form of an offshoot of al-Qaeda to sweep into town and seize it, along with a swathe of northern Mali. That’s the story that Hammer tells: that of the priceless manuscripts and their heritage, the librarians who first brought them out of hiding and then save them from those who would have burned them. It’s a wonderful story – a reminder that rich heritage isn’t a preserve of the West, and that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
8. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Rebecca Solnit never uses the phrase “mansplaining” but the title essay in this collection gave birth to the phrase – it, and so many others in this short book are, quite simply, iconic. “The Longest War” is Solnit’s take on the war against women in the USA; she also tackles Dominque Strauss-Kahn and the way in which the rape accusations against him are emblematic of the IMF and its relationships with underdeveloped nations that it “helps”; addresses the question of credibility and the use of labels and language. I can’t help comparing this to Gloria Steinem’s oddly lackluster book of autobiographical essays; I admire Steinem and her work, but whoever advised her to write that book served her poorly. That came across as self-congratulatory, since it really was about her and her achievements. Solnit, in contrast, has a lot to say about women’s role in society and their ongoing struggles.
9. The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf
The second of three books that are about a similar era and focus on a similar array of themes, the first of which was the twin biography of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. This is about their near contemporary, Alexander von Humboldt, a restless and intrepid adventurer, explorer and natural historian, whose exploits and legacy are chronicled by Wulf in great detail. There is perhaps too much digression (I learned a bit more than I needed to about the modern day Parks Service in the US, or the conflicts in which Simon Bolivar was engaged), but Wulf is to be praised for (hopefully) resurrecting someone who as recently as a century ago was still a national hero in Germany and throughout Europe, and one of the last to take a pan-scientific approach. Perhaps we have become too specialized?
10. The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes
And this is the third in that collection of books focusing on social/cultural/scientific history of two centuries ago! Holmes looks at the discoveries made by the final generation of those who could truly be described as polymaths, in the days when people like Sir Joseph Banks could be as interested in geology as they were in astronomy, and simply look for breakthroughs wherever they occurred. He points out how the discoveries made by Humphry Davy, William Herschel and others laid the way for modern science, although his arguments that there was a link between them and the romantics themselves sometimes falls flat (with the sole exception of Coleridge’s direct engagement in this arena.) Still, indeed a fascinating, compelling and tremendously readable yarn.
(Well, my subjective choices, from among the books that I read, at any rate!!)
1. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Oh my. I’m not sure that I can say anything that hasn’t already been said about this wonderful book chronicling the lived reality of the Great Migration, through the lives of three distinct individuals in three quite different decades and with three distinct results. Wilkerson paints a vivid backdrop of the life that each was fleeing, from that of a sharecropper to a more established teacher’s son – all victims of Jim Crow. This book will live with you for the rest of your lives.
2. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.
A lot of buzz surrounded this book, released during the election campaign. Vance, a product of coal country Appalachia, and not a Democrat (but not a Trump supporter, either), has a lot to say about what it’s like in red state America, and the realities of life there, through his own story of growing up there. Very unpolemical, which is what makes it work, and moving. Read it for that, because Vance isn’t trying to “normalize” anything other than human beings.
3. The Vanishing Velazquez by Laura Cumming
I loved the fact that Laura Cumming could translate her own love for art and imagery into the written word, a talent that escapes too many writers. She also has latched onto a fascinating tale: one of a Victorian-era art aficionado who discovers a portrait he is convinced (in an era before art historians or even photography) is by Velazquez. But how to prove it? He devotes his life, obsessively, to trying to do just that, and Cumming devotes her book to his tale, alternating with that of Velazquez himself. Brilliant.
4. Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon
Another book told in alternating chapters, which I read early in the year and that has stuck with me. The chapters, in this case, are devoted to the biographies of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, two early women writers – one a feminist pioneer in her life and writings, and the other a novelist, and author of “Frankenstein”. The structure allows the writer to compare the lives of the mother and daughter, whose lives overlapped by only a few days, as the elder Mary died at her daughter’s birth. I’m fascinated by this era, as the Enlightenment gave way to Romanticism, and each Mary was an example of one of these two trends, with Wollstonecraft being on the cusp.
5. Known and Strange Things by Teju Cole
A collection of essays that is divided into three parts: "reading things", "seeing things" and "being there." The pieces become increasingly successful, with those devoted to “being there”, oddly enough, being more engrossing than those devoted to writing and writers, although the latter always were fascinating (especially an encounter with Naipaul.) Cole conveys his passion for photography to the reader, and those political, social and cultural topics that arouse his excitement or ire are the most intriguing of all. It all reaches a climax of sorts in the biting fury underpinning his prose in "The White Savior Industrial Complex", which should be required reading for all well-intentioned Western philanthropists. Although these essays are uneven in quality of execution, with somebeing unfledged ideas, the caliber of what is there is so strong that it’s definitely worth reading.
6. Caught in the Revolution by Helen Rappaport
Note: this is only out in the UK so far, and will be released in the US shortly. I got an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I’m not normally a fan of Rappaport’s work (she tends to focus on royal personages and that makes me yawn a bit) but this was a triumph. This history captured the experiences of a vast array of foreign citizens and residents in St. Petersburg during 1917, in the weeks leading up to the first revolution, through that dismantling of the Tsarist regime, and then the unsettled spring and summer months as Kerensky struggled to continue the war and retain control, to the Bolshevik seizure of power in October/November. From nurses to journalists, diplomats to wives of Russian citizens, including the African-American valet/major-domo of the American ambassador whose character leaps off the page most vividly, these personalities recount what it was like trying to decode what was happening, to stay one step ahead of the violence and chaos, to stay fed and informed, and to try to get out of the country when they realized that there was no point in remaining any longer. An excellent interweaving of a number of first-person chronicles; highly recommended to anyone interested in the period. In spite of how much I’ve read (as a non-professional historian), I found the perspective and the detail captured a lot that I never knew and presented it in fascinating ways.
7. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer
For all the attention that this book gleaned, it deserved even more. Once upon a time, when our European ancestors were largely illiterate and struggling to write on vellum, scholars in Timbuktu were compiling large manuscripts of all kinds in what would become one of the most impressive libraries in the Islamic world – even Cairo would plead for manuscripts to add to its own collection. When in later centuries, early generations of fundamentalists descended on Mali and Timbuktu’s empire contracted, the city’s top families secreted these treasures, preserving them. Only in recent decades did funding eventually become available to bring them out of hiding and display them to the world, preserving them and cherishing them in a series of libraries – just in time for a new danger in the form of an offshoot of al-Qaeda to sweep into town and seize it, along with a swathe of northern Mali. That’s the story that Hammer tells: that of the priceless manuscripts and their heritage, the librarians who first brought them out of hiding and then save them from those who would have burned them. It’s a wonderful story – a reminder that rich heritage isn’t a preserve of the West, and that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
8. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Rebecca Solnit never uses the phrase “mansplaining” but the title essay in this collection gave birth to the phrase – it, and so many others in this short book are, quite simply, iconic. “The Longest War” is Solnit’s take on the war against women in the USA; she also tackles Dominque Strauss-Kahn and the way in which the rape accusations against him are emblematic of the IMF and its relationships with underdeveloped nations that it “helps”; addresses the question of credibility and the use of labels and language. I can’t help comparing this to Gloria Steinem’s oddly lackluster book of autobiographical essays; I admire Steinem and her work, but whoever advised her to write that book served her poorly. That came across as self-congratulatory, since it really was about her and her achievements. Solnit, in contrast, has a lot to say about women’s role in society and their ongoing struggles.
9. The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf
The second of three books that are about a similar era and focus on a similar array of themes, the first of which was the twin biography of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. This is about their near contemporary, Alexander von Humboldt, a restless and intrepid adventurer, explorer and natural historian, whose exploits and legacy are chronicled by Wulf in great detail. There is perhaps too much digression (I learned a bit more than I needed to about the modern day Parks Service in the US, or the conflicts in which Simon Bolivar was engaged), but Wulf is to be praised for (hopefully) resurrecting someone who as recently as a century ago was still a national hero in Germany and throughout Europe, and one of the last to take a pan-scientific approach. Perhaps we have become too specialized?
10. The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes
And this is the third in that collection of books focusing on social/cultural/scientific history of two centuries ago! Holmes looks at the discoveries made by the final generation of those who could truly be described as polymaths, in the days when people like Sir Joseph Banks could be as interested in geology as they were in astronomy, and simply look for breakthroughs wherever they occurred. He points out how the discoveries made by Humphry Davy, William Herschel and others laid the way for modern science, although his arguments that there was a link between them and the romantics themselves sometimes falls flat (with the sole exception of Coleridge’s direct engagement in this arena.) Still, indeed a fascinating, compelling and tremendously readable yarn.
27Chatterbox
Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2016
Again, my personal, highly subjective and idiosyncratic selection!
1. Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann
It figures that one of the final books that I read last year would also have been one of the best! The title novella is a brilliant work – alternating segments that are stream of consciousness/thought by an elderly judge on what we learn will be the final day of his life with those probing the cause of his death. It’s a tribute to the author’s ability to understand humanity and to get inside the minds of this elderly judge. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. The final short story in this anthology is equally compelling: an aging nun spots her torturer on TV and is compelled to seek out the man who now presents himself as a peacemaker. Do not miss this.
2. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
Many have praised this already: I’m late to the game. Set in 1799 in the Dutch trading post of Dejima, by Nagasaki, the title character arrives to find a strange new world, and makes his way there – learning the forbidden Japanese language, and falling in love with a Japanese midwife studying medicine with a Dutch doctor at Dejima. There are wonderfully complex plots involving Japanese powers, and Dutch factions, and how they try to outwit each other, and meanwhile Jacob tries to rescue the beautiful, but scarred Orito…
3. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
4. Underground Airlines by Ben Winters
If Mitchell’s book was one of the hottest five or six years ago, the novel by Colson Whitehead is one that is popping up on virtually every “top books” list this year. I can’t argue with it, and you’ve probably read about it elsewhere. I’d just give an extra shout out to “Underground Airlines” by Ben Winters, an imaginative book that also focuses on slavery that has gone little noticed thanks to the attention given to Whitehead’s book. It’s not as good, but it’s also very creative: Winters, who previously wrote a trilogy of mysteries about a cop trying to solve crimes as an asteroid approaches earth, imagines a world in which Apple has still invented the iPhone and so on, but in which Lincoln was assassinated before he was inaugurated, the Civil War never happened and in which slavery is still legal in four states. What might that look like – slavery in the early 21st century? And what might someone with an escaped slave as his tool want that individual to do? This is very dark, but good and imaginative.
5. The Infidel Stain by M.J. Carter
This, along with The Devil’s Feast, represent the second and third books in an excellent series by historian Miranda Carter (author of several biographies) that began with “The Strangler Vine” and I can’t recommend them highly enough for anyone who likes historical mysteries. They are impeccably written, tremendously atmospheric (these two are set in 1840s London) and combine suspense with fascinating insight into contemporary issues – the former deals with censorship (set in the back streets of London, where small-scale printers are being found gruesomely murdered) and the latter with party politics (set in the new Reform Club, and its famous kitchens, replete with details of the wonderful meals created there.) The kind of books I walk around holding in front of my face while I’m reading, and smash into things because I can’t put them down…
6. Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
This year saw the publication of three novellas by three well-known English novelists, and I decided to pick only one for my list. Most would have chosen “Nutshell” by Ian MacEwan, but I felt that once past the clever concept (and the always excellent writing, of course), there just wasn’t enough there. It was very self-consciously clever, but I wanted something original – the kind of work I knew MacEwan could deliver. And that’s what I found in this little gem from Graham Swift, which darts, light as a feather, back and forth from a particular “Mothering Sunday” in the past, forward in time, following the fortunes of a young woman. It’s a bit like taking a photograph from an extreme close up and then widening its focus outward and, as you do so, allowing the events in the photo to change. If that makes sense. Swift has done something remarkable here, structurally, and his writing is, as always, brilliant.
7. The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela
An author who is new to me to read, but whose books have been lurking at the fringe of my consciousness for some time. This new novel deals with identity and questions of belonging and loyalty: to whom do we owe our allegiance? The two stories don’t work equally well: I found the historical narrative far more compelling. That deals with Imam Shamil and his fight against Russia in the Caucasus, his son Jamaleldin, taken hostage as a young child and who now feels more Russian than Avar, and Princess Anna, the granddaughter of the last kind of an independent Georgia, taken hostage from her estate by Shamil to force the tsar to return his son. Anna, ill at ease when in Moscow and happiest on her Georgian lands, finds herself torn; Jamaleldin is equally disconcerted at the idea of abandoning his Russian surface identity. Who are they, underneath? That tale is juxtaposed with a contemporary one, revolving around half Russian, half Sudanese Natasha, whose Scottish stepfather brought her to the UK as a teenager. Now teaching at a college, one of her students (Oz, aka Osama) introduces her to his mother, a Sufi Muslim – and shows her Shamil’s sword hung over their fireplace. Then, days later, Oz is arrested for suspected terrorism, just as Natasha learns her Sudanese father is dying, prompting another “where do I belong?” question. Definitely worthwhile.
8. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
Read this for our New York book group and absolutely relished it – the tale of a desperately inventive reluctant spy whose fictional agents suddenly appear to come to life. It’s one of Greene’s “entertainments” and seamlessly blends humor, satire, and serious, provocative thought.
9. The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor
Yet another overlooked author… Although not all of his books would end up on a top books list, admittedly! This one was unputdownable. In the wake of the Great Fire of London, James Marwood – son of a member of a renegade Puritan sect – is coerced into investigating the murder of a man found dead in the ruins of St. Paul’s. Catherine Lovett has her own ties to the now-disgraced Puritans and the regicides now being hunted by Charles II, and her remaining family want to obscure them, and secure their financial wellbeing by marrying her off to a member of the court – a fate she desperately wants to avoid. The investigation becomes increasingly complex and treacherous and will bring Cat and Marwood together when the former must flee her home and work as a maid. The plot is too richly detailed to do it justice here, but you’ll meet Charles II and Christopher Wren (while he’s designing St. Paul’s) and it’s full of thrills and chills.
10. Winter by Christopher Nicholson
The best of the Europa Editions books I read this past year; an elderly Thomas Hardy has turned into a domestic tyrant and bully, enjoying the flattering attention of the public while oppressing his decades younger (but still middle aged) wife, Florence. We read their views of their lives in alternating chapters, Hardy’s in the third person, Florence’s in the first person, during the winter of 1924 and 1925, as Hardy becomes obsessed with a local farm wife, the beautiful Gertie, who has played his Tess locally. Gertie, he resolves, shall play the role when the dramatization of his most famous novel transfers to the West End… Meanwhile, Florence, for whom this obsession is the proverbial last straw, struggles with Hardy’s fixation with his first wife and tries to find a way to assert her own possession of the great man. Fabulous skill at dealing with emotional turmoil; Nicholson’s touch of perfection is to add two chapters in the first person by an indifferent, bemused Gertie.
Honorable/Honourable mention to...
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Read early this year; delayed publication. A wonderful tale of the growing bond between an aging man and a returned captive from an Indian tribe as they travel to her “home” together.
Siracusa by Delia Ephron
What lies beneath the surface of perfect marriages and perfect parent-child relationships? This will make you blink, and think twice and wonder a lot…
The Wonder by Emma O’Donoghue
Had it not been for the too-pat ending, this might have made the list. A former Nightingale nurse in the Crimea travels to Ireland to bear witness to a child who hasn’t eaten for months – a miracle? She finds secrets that no one wants to hear about. Excellent.
The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
Another of the English novellas. Barnes, who knows about music, writes of Shostakovich, creativity and betrayal. Utterly lovely to read, but in a pinch, the laurels went to Swift.
Swann by Carol Shields
My first novel by this author, and absolutely fascinating, if slightly goofy ultimately. Academics compete to study an obscure poet, becoming obsessed. Wonderful writing, and I’ll definitely be reading more by Shields in 2017.
The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley
Left me helpless chuckling more frequently than I could ever have imagined, this satirical look at the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance features a cynical dealer in religious relics who runs afoul of one of his major clients, with the “help” of Durer. Let’s just say that they fake a shroud…
The Girls Emma Cline
Another book with lotsa 2016 buzz – riffing off the Manson family. On this list primarily because of the writing, which was brilliant – Cline captures a spirit of place, and a sense of what it’s like to be a teenage girl, and for that matter, a woman of any age. Hard to believe she’s still so young herself.
Again, my personal, highly subjective and idiosyncratic selection!
1. Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann
It figures that one of the final books that I read last year would also have been one of the best! The title novella is a brilliant work – alternating segments that are stream of consciousness/thought by an elderly judge on what we learn will be the final day of his life with those probing the cause of his death. It’s a tribute to the author’s ability to understand humanity and to get inside the minds of this elderly judge. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. The final short story in this anthology is equally compelling: an aging nun spots her torturer on TV and is compelled to seek out the man who now presents himself as a peacemaker. Do not miss this.
2. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
Many have praised this already: I’m late to the game. Set in 1799 in the Dutch trading post of Dejima, by Nagasaki, the title character arrives to find a strange new world, and makes his way there – learning the forbidden Japanese language, and falling in love with a Japanese midwife studying medicine with a Dutch doctor at Dejima. There are wonderfully complex plots involving Japanese powers, and Dutch factions, and how they try to outwit each other, and meanwhile Jacob tries to rescue the beautiful, but scarred Orito…
3. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
4. Underground Airlines by Ben Winters
If Mitchell’s book was one of the hottest five or six years ago, the novel by Colson Whitehead is one that is popping up on virtually every “top books” list this year. I can’t argue with it, and you’ve probably read about it elsewhere. I’d just give an extra shout out to “Underground Airlines” by Ben Winters, an imaginative book that also focuses on slavery that has gone little noticed thanks to the attention given to Whitehead’s book. It’s not as good, but it’s also very creative: Winters, who previously wrote a trilogy of mysteries about a cop trying to solve crimes as an asteroid approaches earth, imagines a world in which Apple has still invented the iPhone and so on, but in which Lincoln was assassinated before he was inaugurated, the Civil War never happened and in which slavery is still legal in four states. What might that look like – slavery in the early 21st century? And what might someone with an escaped slave as his tool want that individual to do? This is very dark, but good and imaginative.
5. The Infidel Stain by M.J. Carter
This, along with The Devil’s Feast, represent the second and third books in an excellent series by historian Miranda Carter (author of several biographies) that began with “The Strangler Vine” and I can’t recommend them highly enough for anyone who likes historical mysteries. They are impeccably written, tremendously atmospheric (these two are set in 1840s London) and combine suspense with fascinating insight into contemporary issues – the former deals with censorship (set in the back streets of London, where small-scale printers are being found gruesomely murdered) and the latter with party politics (set in the new Reform Club, and its famous kitchens, replete with details of the wonderful meals created there.) The kind of books I walk around holding in front of my face while I’m reading, and smash into things because I can’t put them down…
6. Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
This year saw the publication of three novellas by three well-known English novelists, and I decided to pick only one for my list. Most would have chosen “Nutshell” by Ian MacEwan, but I felt that once past the clever concept (and the always excellent writing, of course), there just wasn’t enough there. It was very self-consciously clever, but I wanted something original – the kind of work I knew MacEwan could deliver. And that’s what I found in this little gem from Graham Swift, which darts, light as a feather, back and forth from a particular “Mothering Sunday” in the past, forward in time, following the fortunes of a young woman. It’s a bit like taking a photograph from an extreme close up and then widening its focus outward and, as you do so, allowing the events in the photo to change. If that makes sense. Swift has done something remarkable here, structurally, and his writing is, as always, brilliant.
7. The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela
An author who is new to me to read, but whose books have been lurking at the fringe of my consciousness for some time. This new novel deals with identity and questions of belonging and loyalty: to whom do we owe our allegiance? The two stories don’t work equally well: I found the historical narrative far more compelling. That deals with Imam Shamil and his fight against Russia in the Caucasus, his son Jamaleldin, taken hostage as a young child and who now feels more Russian than Avar, and Princess Anna, the granddaughter of the last kind of an independent Georgia, taken hostage from her estate by Shamil to force the tsar to return his son. Anna, ill at ease when in Moscow and happiest on her Georgian lands, finds herself torn; Jamaleldin is equally disconcerted at the idea of abandoning his Russian surface identity. Who are they, underneath? That tale is juxtaposed with a contemporary one, revolving around half Russian, half Sudanese Natasha, whose Scottish stepfather brought her to the UK as a teenager. Now teaching at a college, one of her students (Oz, aka Osama) introduces her to his mother, a Sufi Muslim – and shows her Shamil’s sword hung over their fireplace. Then, days later, Oz is arrested for suspected terrorism, just as Natasha learns her Sudanese father is dying, prompting another “where do I belong?” question. Definitely worthwhile.
8. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
Read this for our New York book group and absolutely relished it – the tale of a desperately inventive reluctant spy whose fictional agents suddenly appear to come to life. It’s one of Greene’s “entertainments” and seamlessly blends humor, satire, and serious, provocative thought.
9. The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor
Yet another overlooked author… Although not all of his books would end up on a top books list, admittedly! This one was unputdownable. In the wake of the Great Fire of London, James Marwood – son of a member of a renegade Puritan sect – is coerced into investigating the murder of a man found dead in the ruins of St. Paul’s. Catherine Lovett has her own ties to the now-disgraced Puritans and the regicides now being hunted by Charles II, and her remaining family want to obscure them, and secure their financial wellbeing by marrying her off to a member of the court – a fate she desperately wants to avoid. The investigation becomes increasingly complex and treacherous and will bring Cat and Marwood together when the former must flee her home and work as a maid. The plot is too richly detailed to do it justice here, but you’ll meet Charles II and Christopher Wren (while he’s designing St. Paul’s) and it’s full of thrills and chills.
10. Winter by Christopher Nicholson
The best of the Europa Editions books I read this past year; an elderly Thomas Hardy has turned into a domestic tyrant and bully, enjoying the flattering attention of the public while oppressing his decades younger (but still middle aged) wife, Florence. We read their views of their lives in alternating chapters, Hardy’s in the third person, Florence’s in the first person, during the winter of 1924 and 1925, as Hardy becomes obsessed with a local farm wife, the beautiful Gertie, who has played his Tess locally. Gertie, he resolves, shall play the role when the dramatization of his most famous novel transfers to the West End… Meanwhile, Florence, for whom this obsession is the proverbial last straw, struggles with Hardy’s fixation with his first wife and tries to find a way to assert her own possession of the great man. Fabulous skill at dealing with emotional turmoil; Nicholson’s touch of perfection is to add two chapters in the first person by an indifferent, bemused Gertie.
Honorable/Honourable mention to...
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Read early this year; delayed publication. A wonderful tale of the growing bond between an aging man and a returned captive from an Indian tribe as they travel to her “home” together.
Siracusa by Delia Ephron
What lies beneath the surface of perfect marriages and perfect parent-child relationships? This will make you blink, and think twice and wonder a lot…
The Wonder by Emma O’Donoghue
Had it not been for the too-pat ending, this might have made the list. A former Nightingale nurse in the Crimea travels to Ireland to bear witness to a child who hasn’t eaten for months – a miracle? She finds secrets that no one wants to hear about. Excellent.
The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
Another of the English novellas. Barnes, who knows about music, writes of Shostakovich, creativity and betrayal. Utterly lovely to read, but in a pinch, the laurels went to Swift.
Swann by Carol Shields
My first novel by this author, and absolutely fascinating, if slightly goofy ultimately. Academics compete to study an obscure poet, becoming obsessed. Wonderful writing, and I’ll definitely be reading more by Shields in 2017.
The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley
Left me helpless chuckling more frequently than I could ever have imagined, this satirical look at the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance features a cynical dealer in religious relics who runs afoul of one of his major clients, with the “help” of Durer. Let’s just say that they fake a shroud…
The Girls Emma Cline
Another book with lotsa 2016 buzz – riffing off the Manson family. On this list primarily because of the writing, which was brilliant – Cline captures a spirit of place, and a sense of what it’s like to be a teenage girl, and for that matter, a woman of any age. Hard to believe she’s still so young herself.
28SandDune
Your round-up of the year has provided me with six book bullets! I hope 2017 doesn't carry on at this rate!
30Crazymamie
Dropping my star, Suz. I love your lists up top. And I think you have gotten me with Winter. My first hit of 2017!
31thornton37814
Enjoyed your best of 2016. Can't wait to see what you read this year.
32torontoc
Loved your 2016 list and have added some of those books onto my wish list.
I read The Wonder, The Relic Master, The Noise of Time and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet but have to add the others!
I read The Wonder, The Relic Master, The Noise of Time and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet but have to add the others!
33charl08
Thanks for all the lists. I'll come back to your best of ones after my guilt at buying new books has settled down a little...
Looking forward to hearing about new books in 2017 as well as the encouragement to get cracking with my non-fiction reading.
Looking forward to hearing about new books in 2017 as well as the encouragement to get cracking with my non-fiction reading.
34vivians
Hi and best wishes for a better year all around. So glad to see all your posts, despite the many BBs! Lmk next time you're in the city.
35Donna828
Suzanne, I hope this is a better year for you. That is disturbing news about the WSJ writers. I have noticed the size of the paper has diminished over the past year. My DH used to leave me the "fluffy" section and take the rest of the paper to work with him. It seems like the human interest stuff has been incorporated into the main sections with only the weekends providing a separate section for me. Oh well, I've learned to be resourceful.
Happy New Year of Reading! Loved the lists of favorites from last year. Mine are still under consideration.
Happy New Year of Reading! Loved the lists of favorites from last year. Mine are still under consideration.
36Chatterbox
>33 charl08: I haven't been doing much book buying (except for Kindle sales) recently, so I'm not feeling all that guilty!
>34 vivians: I'll be heading back on Thursday night, taking G to a doctor's appointment on Friday. I'll be more or less around until the 19th, I think, unless I opt to come back for a day or two prior to the 17th. (Book circle is the 18th... should you want to join us, we'll be discussing Erewhon by Samuel Butler.)
>35 Donna828: I've been watching the list of people taking the buyout grow in WSJ Alumni group on FB and my jaw is lodged somewhere around my ankles. If you combine that with all the people who have already left, it's probably half of the senior staff. People like Scott Thurm and Laura Landro, who have been there perhaps 35 or 40 years. Top editors. And younger people, who have now been there maybe 20 years, but who I remember mentoring. I look at the baby-faced reporters coming to events, and listen to the silly questions they ask, and wonder... Well. Enough of that. But as far as size goes, a lot of the content has migrated to the online edition anyway -- it's just economics. I've said this before, and will happily do so again -- people need to be willing to pay for good journalism. The WSJ saw the writing on the wall early on and did put up a firewall but others haven't and now readers expect to get "content" for free -- and then wonder why their news is all listicles and frivolous stuff. Because that's what advertisers will pay a fraction of a penny per eyeball to put their ads next to. It's not rocket science. Now that they can measure precisely what we read and how long we spend reading it, we are the captives of the vast majority who prefer to read about the Kardashians -- or else we have to be willing to pay for substantive news.
Looking forward to seeing what everybody else loved reading in 2017, and to being hit by a few book bullets myself!!
>34 vivians: I'll be heading back on Thursday night, taking G to a doctor's appointment on Friday. I'll be more or less around until the 19th, I think, unless I opt to come back for a day or two prior to the 17th. (Book circle is the 18th... should you want to join us, we'll be discussing Erewhon by Samuel Butler.)
>35 Donna828: I've been watching the list of people taking the buyout grow in WSJ Alumni group on FB and my jaw is lodged somewhere around my ankles. If you combine that with all the people who have already left, it's probably half of the senior staff. People like Scott Thurm and Laura Landro, who have been there perhaps 35 or 40 years. Top editors. And younger people, who have now been there maybe 20 years, but who I remember mentoring. I look at the baby-faced reporters coming to events, and listen to the silly questions they ask, and wonder... Well. Enough of that. But as far as size goes, a lot of the content has migrated to the online edition anyway -- it's just economics. I've said this before, and will happily do so again -- people need to be willing to pay for good journalism. The WSJ saw the writing on the wall early on and did put up a firewall but others haven't and now readers expect to get "content" for free -- and then wonder why their news is all listicles and frivolous stuff. Because that's what advertisers will pay a fraction of a penny per eyeball to put their ads next to. It's not rocket science. Now that they can measure precisely what we read and how long we spend reading it, we are the captives of the vast majority who prefer to read about the Kardashians -- or else we have to be willing to pay for substantive news.
Looking forward to seeing what everybody else loved reading in 2017, and to being hit by a few book bullets myself!!
37Chatterbox
The first book of the new year!!
1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This was a novel that got a lot of love from a lot of readers and reviewers last year, and ended up on many, many "top of 2016" lists. Had I finished it on the weekend, alas, it wouldn't have made that list for me, although it's very interesting and the author is clearly someone to watch. Primarily because the highly episodic novel is also very uneven -- the story of two strands of family, ripped apart by the slave trade, is told in segments by members of six generations on two continents. The Ghanian stories are both compelling in nature and vivid and somehow, in the words of one of one of Gyasi's characters, can be felt inside you. Too many of those set in the US were overly predictable (with the exception of the segment about "H"), to the extent that I could actually guess what would happen next and even anticipate some of the language used by the characters to describe their situations. Gyasi captures the Ghanaian experience, but her view of African-American experience seems more limited and even clichéd -- there's the Harlem experience, the drug addiction, the alternate history, etc. The author hints at something that would have been interesting -- the distinction between a Ghanain-born African living in America, and an African-American, descendant of slaves, and how that shapes attitudes, etc. -- but never develops it in the way that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did in Americanah. I realize that I'm focusing on the negatives, but perhaps that's in contrast to the waves of love the book has received -- I feel like pushing back a little! I did like the book, and found it fascinating and (especially in the first half) gripping and compelling, but it just didn't live up to the hype. 4.2 stars.
1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This was a novel that got a lot of love from a lot of readers and reviewers last year, and ended up on many, many "top of 2016" lists. Had I finished it on the weekend, alas, it wouldn't have made that list for me, although it's very interesting and the author is clearly someone to watch. Primarily because the highly episodic novel is also very uneven -- the story of two strands of family, ripped apart by the slave trade, is told in segments by members of six generations on two continents. The Ghanian stories are both compelling in nature and vivid and somehow, in the words of one of one of Gyasi's characters, can be felt inside you. Too many of those set in the US were overly predictable (with the exception of the segment about "H"), to the extent that I could actually guess what would happen next and even anticipate some of the language used by the characters to describe their situations. Gyasi captures the Ghanaian experience, but her view of African-American experience seems more limited and even clichéd -- there's the Harlem experience, the drug addiction, the alternate history, etc. The author hints at something that would have been interesting -- the distinction between a Ghanain-born African living in America, and an African-American, descendant of slaves, and how that shapes attitudes, etc. -- but never develops it in the way that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did in Americanah. I realize that I'm focusing on the negatives, but perhaps that's in contrast to the waves of love the book has received -- I feel like pushing back a little! I did like the book, and found it fascinating and (especially in the first half) gripping and compelling, but it just didn't live up to the hype. 4.2 stars.
38Fourpawz2
>16 Chatterbox: - The Blue Place is at the top of the list. And after today the you-recommended and found-on-your-thread lists are up to 69.
I should be getting Hillbilly Elegy soon. The wife of a couple that I clean for has read it and after her husband finishes it I get to read it.
Very disturbing about what's happening at the WSJ. I'm very unnerved by what's happening in the news industry generally. We seem to be sliding backwards at an alarming rate.
I should be getting Hillbilly Elegy soon. The wife of a couple that I clean for has read it and after her husband finishes it I get to read it.
Very disturbing about what's happening at the WSJ. I'm very unnerved by what's happening in the news industry generally. We seem to be sliding backwards at an alarming rate.
40Chatterbox
>39 Matke: I have a certain reputation to uphold... :-)
42Chatterbox
>41 Teisho: Welcome Darcy!
And please everyone, say hi to Darcy, a RL/Facebook friend who is tiptoeing into LT for the first time...
The first thing to do is to set up your own thread!
And please everyone, say hi to Darcy, a RL/Facebook friend who is tiptoeing into LT for the first time...
The first thing to do is to set up your own thread!
43Crazymamie
>41 Teisho: Hello, Darcy! Welcome!
44LovingLit
>26 Chatterbox: Men Explain Things to Me eeuuurgggh.... That was me being hit by a BB. So soon in the year.....
:)
>28 SandDune: I couldn't read all the fiction ones, already wounded from NF BBs ;)
>41 Teisho: woo hoo! A new recruit! Welcome :)
:)
>28 SandDune: I couldn't read all the fiction ones, already wounded from NF BBs ;)
>41 Teisho: woo hoo! A new recruit! Welcome :)
45Fourpawz2
>41 Teisho: - Hi Darcy! Welcome to the group - the very best one on LT.
46FAMeulstee
Happy reading in 2017, Suzanne!
>2 Chatterbox: I love the Leonard Cohen lyrics, I am sad he is gone, "But we still have the music!"
>2 Chatterbox: I love the Leonard Cohen lyrics, I am sad he is gone, "But we still have the music!"
47Matke
>41 Teisho: Darcy, welcome aboard! This is a friendly group. It's a bit large and chatty, so just take your time. We're glad you're here!
48sibylline
Love the "Why haven't I read this yet" category. And I have read every single one and can say: Get cracking! All fabulous books!
Re the Relic Master -- Durer and Dismas fake not just a shroud but the shroud that ends up, eventually, being THE shroud . . . and given Durer's tricksiness? That was a very fun book.
Re the Relic Master -- Durer and Dismas fake not just a shroud but the shroud that ends up, eventually, being THE shroud . . . and given Durer's tricksiness? That was a very fun book.
49qebo
>26 Chatterbox: Fortunately I've either read or acquired the ones that interest me or I'd be shredded by BBs. I've switched over to Club Read for a slower pace this year, but I'm hoping to keep up with your non-fiction challenge here.
50magicians_nephew
>26 Chatterbox: know I'm late to the party - remember how gobsmacked I was by The Age of Wonder when I read it a few years ago. Glad you liked it too
51Chatterbox
2. Bleaker House by Nell Stevens
Well, this won't be out until March, I'm afraid -- I got an advance copy and for once got around to reading it before the publication day! The author is a young English woman, an aspiring writer (this is a memoir) who after her yearlong MFA course at Boston University, gets it into her head that the ideal spot to take herself off to to pursue the task of drafting a novel is -- an isolated part of the Falkland Islands. The book that results isn't quite the novel that she had anticipated, but rather a mishmash of her life to this point, her thoughts and ambitions about writing, life and experiences in the Falklands (!!), her existing stories, and bits and pieces of the novel itself, in an eccentric juxtaposition. It mostly works, sometimes delightfully, only to sort of peter out and become a little too predictable by the end of the book. For such a daffy idea, I expected more than an author whose only movie on her laptop is Eat Pray Love (really?? wincing at the heavy-handed coincidence...) and a limp ending. But the first two-thirds of the book is entertaining, as befits a book about failing to write a book. 4.1 stars.
3. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan
Brand, the sort-of hero/main character of this novel, has somehow survived the Holocaust, but it has left him as the sole member of his Latvian family alive, and haunted by memories of life before the war and of the camps. Now in Jerusalem, he has drifted into involvement with a Haganah cell, in hopes of finding some new meaning or point to his life. But while they accept him -- in large part thanks to the fact that his job as a taxi driver means he has access to a car on demand -- he finds himself asking increasingly uncomfortable questions about the morality and ethics of the Jewish resistance to the British occupation of what was still known as Palestine, as the level of violence escalates and comes closer to hitting home. Even when he falls in love, it becomes clear that won't save him... Intriguing, spare, and thought-provoking, but somehow too spare -- it left me with a lot of questions about various characters, their actions and motives. It's as if O'Nan was only interested in Brand, and perhaps Eva (but even then, only in relationship to Brand) and everyone else (except Jerusalem itself) was a backdrop, never really developed in 3-D. Pity. 3.8 stars. Good, but not as good as it could have been.
Moving on... I'm reading (slowly) the Leo Damrosch biography of Jonathan Swift and the next book in the Poldark series. I may pick up a mystery to read, too.
Have to make shortbread for the book group meeting tomorrow. Made the dough tonight and it doesn't look right, for some reason. Will try to roll it out tomorrow, cut out the cookies and bake them -- always tricky, since shortbread crumbles so much even when raw dough. Wish me luck...
Well, this won't be out until March, I'm afraid -- I got an advance copy and for once got around to reading it before the publication day! The author is a young English woman, an aspiring writer (this is a memoir) who after her yearlong MFA course at Boston University, gets it into her head that the ideal spot to take herself off to to pursue the task of drafting a novel is -- an isolated part of the Falkland Islands. The book that results isn't quite the novel that she had anticipated, but rather a mishmash of her life to this point, her thoughts and ambitions about writing, life and experiences in the Falklands (!!), her existing stories, and bits and pieces of the novel itself, in an eccentric juxtaposition. It mostly works, sometimes delightfully, only to sort of peter out and become a little too predictable by the end of the book. For such a daffy idea, I expected more than an author whose only movie on her laptop is Eat Pray Love (really?? wincing at the heavy-handed coincidence...) and a limp ending. But the first two-thirds of the book is entertaining, as befits a book about failing to write a book. 4.1 stars.
3. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan
Brand, the sort-of hero/main character of this novel, has somehow survived the Holocaust, but it has left him as the sole member of his Latvian family alive, and haunted by memories of life before the war and of the camps. Now in Jerusalem, he has drifted into involvement with a Haganah cell, in hopes of finding some new meaning or point to his life. But while they accept him -- in large part thanks to the fact that his job as a taxi driver means he has access to a car on demand -- he finds himself asking increasingly uncomfortable questions about the morality and ethics of the Jewish resistance to the British occupation of what was still known as Palestine, as the level of violence escalates and comes closer to hitting home. Even when he falls in love, it becomes clear that won't save him... Intriguing, spare, and thought-provoking, but somehow too spare -- it left me with a lot of questions about various characters, their actions and motives. It's as if O'Nan was only interested in Brand, and perhaps Eva (but even then, only in relationship to Brand) and everyone else (except Jerusalem itself) was a backdrop, never really developed in 3-D. Pity. 3.8 stars. Good, but not as good as it could have been.
Moving on... I'm reading (slowly) the Leo Damrosch biography of Jonathan Swift and the next book in the Poldark series. I may pick up a mystery to read, too.
Have to make shortbread for the book group meeting tomorrow. Made the dough tonight and it doesn't look right, for some reason. Will try to roll it out tomorrow, cut out the cookies and bake them -- always tricky, since shortbread crumbles so much even when raw dough. Wish me luck...
52LizzieD
Many thanks for writing up your 2016 best! It's now a favorite, and I'll refer to it as $ comes in for new stuff for me! And thanks for the reading in the new year. I may be a trifle less anxious about picking up Homegoing now although I'll eventually get to it.
53Chatterbox
>45 Fourpawz2: Not that you're biased or anything.... :-)
>46 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Yes, I know -- it's just hard to realize that someone whose music was so much a part of my youth was old enough to have had a decently long life. Gulp. And he did have a good, long, life and did a lot with it, so... I suppose we celebrate what he did do and have and nor mourn. And there is the music.
>48 sibylline: Spoiler alert, Lucy!!! (But yes, it's fabulous. I did download another book by Buckley, Florence of Arabia for my audiobook library, but somehow doubt it will be as good, so haven't listened to it yet.)
>49 qebo: Well, shall be glad to see you whenever you drop by. My pace is my pace, though I can understand being daunted by the pace of so many threads. I look up, and see thread #21, with 315 unread posts, and I want to run and hide somewhere. If anything, I want to read more and post less this year. I'm more likely to lurk than to post. Apologies in advance...
>50 magicians_nephew: Oh yes, it was wonderful. Well, I had been prepared for it by reading a lot of other stuff about the era generally, and then by reading the Aubrey/Maturin novels, in which Stephen Maturin is in constant pursuit of the wonders of natural science (hmm, almost time for a re-read??) so it fit neatly into place. I also want to read Jenny Uglow's Lunar Men, another book of that ilk, if dealing with a slightly different era. One of the novels I plan to read soon, by John Pipkin, deals with astronomy, too -- tied to the story of the Herschels.
>46 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Yes, I know -- it's just hard to realize that someone whose music was so much a part of my youth was old enough to have had a decently long life. Gulp. And he did have a good, long, life and did a lot with it, so... I suppose we celebrate what he did do and have and nor mourn. And there is the music.
>48 sibylline: Spoiler alert, Lucy!!! (But yes, it's fabulous. I did download another book by Buckley, Florence of Arabia for my audiobook library, but somehow doubt it will be as good, so haven't listened to it yet.)
>49 qebo: Well, shall be glad to see you whenever you drop by. My pace is my pace, though I can understand being daunted by the pace of so many threads. I look up, and see thread #21, with 315 unread posts, and I want to run and hide somewhere. If anything, I want to read more and post less this year. I'm more likely to lurk than to post. Apologies in advance...
>50 magicians_nephew: Oh yes, it was wonderful. Well, I had been prepared for it by reading a lot of other stuff about the era generally, and then by reading the Aubrey/Maturin novels, in which Stephen Maturin is in constant pursuit of the wonders of natural science (hmm, almost time for a re-read??) so it fit neatly into place. I also want to read Jenny Uglow's Lunar Men, another book of that ilk, if dealing with a slightly different era. One of the novels I plan to read soon, by John Pipkin, deals with astronomy, too -- tied to the story of the Herschels.
54Chatterbox
>52 LizzieD: I would certainly read it, but I also would have been happy enough to read it as a library book. (As it was, I got an advance copy from the publisher, so no money was dispensed...)
55katiekrug
Florence of Arabia may be my favorite Buckley... I read it in 2003? 2004? Soon after it came out, anyway, and it was so timely with a lot of painful truth. I wonder how it would fare upon a re-read now...
56katiekrug
Meant to say I liked City of Secrets, but I'm an avowed O'Nan fan. Not having much knowledge of the lead up to the creation of Israel, I was a bit lost at times. And I understand what you mean about "too spare."
57Chatterbox
>55 katiekrug:
>56 katiekrug:
I have a very elderly ARC of West of Sunset sitting here, so I'll give that a shot sometime, and you've prompted me to give Florence of Arabia a try, too...
>56 katiekrug:
I have a very elderly ARC of West of Sunset sitting here, so I'll give that a shot sometime, and you've prompted me to give Florence of Arabia a try, too...
58katiekrug
West of Sunset is one I haven't read because the subject didn't do much for me. I know I'll get to it eventually, but in the meantime, I have his entire back catalogue to work through :) He is the AAC author for next month...
59benitastrnad
I tried to read Florence of Arabia a few years ago and I "Pearl Ruled" it.
60lalbro
Hi Suzanne! I am having great fun reading everyone's new threads - and was excited to see that several of your best of 2016's are on my 2017 planned reads - including Hillbilly Elegy, The Underground Railroad, and Thirteen Ways of Looking. And The Age of Wonder is one of my most memorable books ever! I'm looking forward to following your thread this year.
61tiffin
Suz, dear avid reading chum, I will never be able to keep up with your thread but I will drop by as I'm able. This visit is to wish you all the best for 2017. Good health!
62katiekrug
>59 benitastrnad: - Yeah, Buckley is not for everyone.
63Chatterbox
>60 lalbro: Thanks for dropping by! I'm hoping to be a little more active on the visiting/posting front this year, but am getting off to a slow start. It's a minor miracle that I'm staying (somewhat) up to date with my own thread.
>61 tiffin: My dear, you'll always be welcome, whenever you're able to swing by. I'm sure the pace will drop off once the New Year frenzy abates. This isn't one of this "new thread every other week" domains!!
I did finish Consequences by Penelope Lively, the "consequence" of which was a resolution to read more of her novels. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun...) More about that later. Woke up in the middle of the night and listened to the last 30 mins of the audiobook.
>61 tiffin: My dear, you'll always be welcome, whenever you're able to swing by. I'm sure the pace will drop off once the New Year frenzy abates. This isn't one of this "new thread every other week" domains!!
I did finish Consequences by Penelope Lively, the "consequence" of which was a resolution to read more of her novels. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun...) More about that later. Woke up in the middle of the night and listened to the last 30 mins of the audiobook.
65vivians
Hi - just wanted to hear if you've read The Painted Veil by Maugham....It's an audible daily deal today. I read The Razor's Edge years ago and remember liking it. Any thoughts?
66Chatterbox
Shortbread turned out yesterday, but I'm not up for making a second batch today. Feeling exhausted and have to race to get everything done and get to second book circle and then onto a train to NYC.
>65 vivians: Haven't read it, but have seen the film, which was good. Doubt I'll grab the daily deal for that reason; I'm more likely to opt to read it.
>65 vivians: Haven't read it, but have seen the film, which was good. Doubt I'll grab the daily deal for that reason; I'm more likely to opt to read it.
67The_Hibernator
Nice list of favorites. I'm going to read Hillbilly Elegy this year, and I just finished a Rebecca Solnit book.
68LovingLit
>44 LovingLit: >26 Chatterbox: Men Explain Things to Me eeuuurgggh.... That was me being hit by a BB. So soon in the year....
And my library has one copy, which I will wait for rather than pay the $3 reservation fee.
>51 Chatterbox: both look quite enticing, but Im still going to pass. I am determined to read some of my shelved literature this year. I did quite well not buying too many more last year, so should keep momentum.
And my library has one copy, which I will wait for rather than pay the $3 reservation fee.
>51 Chatterbox: both look quite enticing, but Im still going to pass. I am determined to read some of my shelved literature this year. I did quite well not buying too many more last year, so should keep momentum.
69Chatterbox
>68 LovingLit: Both of those should be library books, not books to spend money on, in my view. At least, that would be my rec. Would be happy to ship the ARC of the O'Nan to you?
70LovingLit
>69 Chatterbox: that is so kind of you to offer! But I know how much shipping costs, and I think a closer LTer might be a better recipient. I can barely get through what I have, as you know :)
71Chatterbox
>70 LovingLit: It can't be that much? It's a skinny book.
72LovingLit
>71 Chatterbox: well, if you really really wanted to send me one....I'd be rude to decline, right? ;)
I'd be much obliged!! (did I mention I love LT? I'm currently reading one Nittnut/Jenn gave me)
I'd be much obliged!! (did I mention I love LT? I'm currently reading one Nittnut/Jenn gave me)
73Chatterbox
>72 LovingLit: Very rude indeed to decline such largesse... *grin* There will be a delay, however, as I'm currently on a train for NYC and am not entirely sure when I'll be home to get it, package it up and mail it. Possibly not until late this month. Still, PM me the address...
74Chatterbox
4. Consequences by Penelope Lively
This was slow to get into, but once I relaxed and allowed myself to simply go with the flow, I found myself remembering just what it was that I like so much about Penelope Lively's novels. Essentially, it's a book about random chance, and how we meet the most important people in our lives because we make a specific decision on one day -- Lorna decides to go watch the ducks in a London park in 1935 and meets an artist; many decades later, her daughter Molly, invites a poet to read his work at an arts conference and he, for once, decides to accept. We see three generations of women, each of whose lives is shaped by the consequences of their mother's decisions and their own -- Lorna, Molly and Ruth. The narrative glides smoothly over time, so that we become aware we're really skimming above the surface, dipping down into the details from time to time when it's relevant. Fascinating and beautifully written. As I said, slow to start with but it's dealing with the cycle of life. It's sticking with me, so I've upgraded my rating to 4.3 stars. No, the material doesn't deal with socially-important issues, but it's about everyday people and experience and what makes us human. Resolution: read more by Lively this year.
5. Fatal by John Lescroart
Oh dear. Over the years I had enjoyed, to varying degrees, Lescroart's series of mysteries featuring a series of familiar characters -- cops, lawyer Dismas Hardy, investigators, etc. But here comes a stand alone mystery and it's remarkably heavy-handed and unconvincing. Somehow the reader is supposed to believe that a single adulterous fling (one afternoon in a hotel room) is enough to send a married man off the rails and completely transform his personality into someone who ruins the lives of everyone around him. So, when he is found murdered, there are plenty of suspects, right? The solution is impossibly complex, and downright bizarre. I can't get into my problems with it without dealing in spoilers. All I can say is that it felt to me as if the author's wife had cheated on him and he wrote this novel as a kind of revenge catharsis. I certainly had figured out whodunnit by midway through the book, and the twist was completely strange and not remotely convincing. It just didn't work as a persuasive plot twist, and the original "whodunnit" was far too obvious. Both readers and Lescroart should stick to Dismas Hardy. 2.8 stars.
6. The Angry Tide by Winston Graham
This is the seventh book in the Poldark series, and marks the end of what I think of as the first "half" of the saga; when it resumes, for another five tomes, it picks up a full ten years later, in 1810, so we miss out on the day by day, year-by-year chronicle of events that we've enjoyed in the first seven books. A lot is packed into this: a bank failure; a duel; some deaths; one person is rewarded for their long loyalty but others aren't. And of course, it's all set against the backdrop of Cornwall in the final years of the 18th century, and the intensifying feud between Ross Poldark and George Warleggan, which reaches new heights in these pages. This is where the original TV series (sadly...) stopped, if I recall correctly. So when I move on, I'll be into uncharted territory, until I reach nearly the final volume. 4.2 stars.
This was slow to get into, but once I relaxed and allowed myself to simply go with the flow, I found myself remembering just what it was that I like so much about Penelope Lively's novels. Essentially, it's a book about random chance, and how we meet the most important people in our lives because we make a specific decision on one day -- Lorna decides to go watch the ducks in a London park in 1935 and meets an artist; many decades later, her daughter Molly, invites a poet to read his work at an arts conference and he, for once, decides to accept. We see three generations of women, each of whose lives is shaped by the consequences of their mother's decisions and their own -- Lorna, Molly and Ruth. The narrative glides smoothly over time, so that we become aware we're really skimming above the surface, dipping down into the details from time to time when it's relevant. Fascinating and beautifully written. As I said, slow to start with but it's dealing with the cycle of life. It's sticking with me, so I've upgraded my rating to 4.3 stars. No, the material doesn't deal with socially-important issues, but it's about everyday people and experience and what makes us human. Resolution: read more by Lively this year.
5. Fatal by John Lescroart
Oh dear. Over the years I had enjoyed, to varying degrees, Lescroart's series of mysteries featuring a series of familiar characters -- cops, lawyer Dismas Hardy, investigators, etc. But here comes a stand alone mystery and it's remarkably heavy-handed and unconvincing. Somehow the reader is supposed to believe that a single adulterous fling (one afternoon in a hotel room) is enough to send a married man off the rails and completely transform his personality into someone who ruins the lives of everyone around him. So, when he is found murdered, there are plenty of suspects, right? The solution is impossibly complex, and downright bizarre. I can't get into my problems with it without dealing in spoilers. All I can say is that it felt to me as if the author's wife had cheated on him and he wrote this novel as a kind of revenge catharsis. I certainly had figured out whodunnit by midway through the book, and the twist was completely strange and not remotely convincing. It just didn't work as a persuasive plot twist, and the original "whodunnit" was far too obvious. Both readers and Lescroart should stick to Dismas Hardy. 2.8 stars.
6. The Angry Tide by Winston Graham
This is the seventh book in the Poldark series, and marks the end of what I think of as the first "half" of the saga; when it resumes, for another five tomes, it picks up a full ten years later, in 1810, so we miss out on the day by day, year-by-year chronicle of events that we've enjoyed in the first seven books. A lot is packed into this: a bank failure; a duel; some deaths; one person is rewarded for their long loyalty but others aren't. And of course, it's all set against the backdrop of Cornwall in the final years of the 18th century, and the intensifying feud between Ross Poldark and George Warleggan, which reaches new heights in these pages. This is where the original TV series (sadly...) stopped, if I recall correctly. So when I move on, I'll be into uncharted territory, until I reach nearly the final volume. 4.2 stars.
75LovingLit
>73 Chatterbox: oh la la! Will do. And thank you in advance.
>74 Chatterbox: the Penelope Lively one is one I may end up reading, I loved Moon Tiger, but the next one of hers I read (which I can't remember the name of) wasn't such a hit.
>74 Chatterbox: the Penelope Lively one is one I may end up reading, I loved Moon Tiger, but the next one of hers I read (which I can't remember the name of) wasn't such a hit.
76benitastrnad
#73
I read Consequences and liked it. I didn't love it. I thought that Moon Tiger was by far the better book. However, I also find that both of these Penelope Lively books were ones that think about quite often. Moon Tiger started quite a discussion over on Daryl's thread when several of us read it about the same time. I think the writing is outstanding and I like the way the author made me think about characters that might not have been lovely characters.
I read Consequences and liked it. I didn't love it. I thought that Moon Tiger was by far the better book. However, I also find that both of these Penelope Lively books were ones that think about quite often. Moon Tiger started quite a discussion over on Daryl's thread when several of us read it about the same time. I think the writing is outstanding and I like the way the author made me think about characters that might not have been lovely characters.
77Chatterbox
>76 benitastrnad: I have yet to read Moon Tiger. I do have it on my Kindle, and have pulled it up to the top of the list, to remind me to read it sooner rather than later. I would say that's a good way to describe Consequences -- I liked it rather than loved it. It definitely crept up on me, and what I will say for it is that the characters are definitely real people, who won't leave my mind any time soon. At a time when so many novels are so forgettable, that's a real tribute, not to be sneezed at.
I have booked flights and hotels for ALA Midwinter. I bit the bullet. Found a package deal on travelocity that, while not cheap, was cheaper than my jaunt to Chicago in May for Book Expo was. And I'm going to do a lot of rationalizing -- the little bit of extra work I got out of the WSJ for the mutual funds quarterly will cover the hotel portion, etc. etc. (eye rolling back in my head...)
I have booked flights and hotels for ALA Midwinter. I bit the bullet. Found a package deal on travelocity that, while not cheap, was cheaper than my jaunt to Chicago in May for Book Expo was. And I'm going to do a lot of rationalizing -- the little bit of extra work I got out of the WSJ for the mutual funds quarterly will cover the hotel portion, etc. etc. (eye rolling back in my head...)
78jessibud2
>4 Chatterbox: - I am currently listening to the audiobook of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos and I have to say, I am enjoying it a lot. The narrator is excellent (Edoardo Ballerini). His voice is perfect and he does accents very well (this is always iffy; it can go either way, when it comes to accents but he ails it).
79Chatterbox
>78 jessibud2: For those in the US with Kindles, that is one of today's Kindle Daily deals - 40 plus books, a VERY good collection of last year's best monthly selections, all priced at $3 or less for your Kindle.
80magicians_nephew
I like Penelope Lively and keep recommending her books to my book group. (Not THAT book circle - my other one).
One of these days.
One of these days.
81lalbro
>78 jessibud2: and >79 Chatterbox: Just purchased The Last Painting of Sara de Vos - clearly being on 75 in 17 is going to be a problem for my TBR list!
82benitastrnad
Did I miss your non-fiction thread link somewhere? I can't seem to find it.
83Chatterbox
Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/topic/244342
84TheWorstOffender
Ce utilisateur a été suspendu du site.
85Chatterbox
Just dipping into and out of books, and too busy to actually finish anything. Had to go buy a pair of boots yesterday (snow!! blizzard!!) and buy food. Friday, I had to take my friend to his oncologist appointment. Today has been a slow headachey day. I may -- may -- get a book finished. Pah.
But I did BUY two books today -- not Kindle sale books, but "real" books. Oh dear.
But I did BUY two books today -- not Kindle sale books, but "real" books. Oh dear.
86michigantrumpet
Good for you, going to the ALA! Color me deep green with envy! Next year for sure!
Do you remember that list you had of books to look out for and pick up at the ALA? It was part of my To-do list as John and I awaited your arrival that first day. Can you forward to me if you get another similar list this year?
Wish I could be your wingman again. Say hi to Benita for me! thanks!
Do you remember that list you had of books to look out for and pick up at the ALA? It was part of my To-do list as John and I awaited your arrival that first day. Can you forward to me if you get another similar list this year?
Wish I could be your wingman again. Say hi to Benita for me! thanks!
87Chatterbox
>86 michigantrumpet: Will send it along to you; I've signed up to receive it but haven't got it yet.
88rosalita
All I can say is thank goodness I took most of those Best of 2016 book bullets on your thread last year, or I'd be as full of holes as Swiss cheese right now! Here's to a calmer 2017 full of good books and good friends.
89TheWorstOffender
Ce utilisateur a été suspendu du site.
90Chatterbox
I'm definitely going to feel guilty later. But that will be later.
For now, I'm just battling headaches and the general blahs so it's good to have at least the prospect of something later in January to pull me through the month.
>86 michigantrumpet: Wish you could be my wingwoman again, Marianne!! I will have Benita, but you were a star act -- we made a great pair, actually, with my book whispering talents at the various booths, and your organizational skills! Heck, even John ended up having more fun than he anticipated, I think. I shall keep my eyes open for ravishing cookbooks for you.
For now, I'm just battling headaches and the general blahs so it's good to have at least the prospect of something later in January to pull me through the month.
>86 michigantrumpet: Wish you could be my wingwoman again, Marianne!! I will have Benita, but you were a star act -- we made a great pair, actually, with my book whispering talents at the various booths, and your organizational skills! Heck, even John ended up having more fun than he anticipated, I think. I shall keep my eyes open for ravishing cookbooks for you.
91michigantrumpet
There's a new Rebecca Solnit coming out. I also am intrigued by a book called Priestdaddy out in May, I think. Skip thecookbooks - they tend to be too heavy. John did have a good time. And was so very helpful, too. Got caught up in the thrill of the hunt!
92Chatterbox
>91 michigantrumpet: I will look for those. No guarantee that they will have ARCs or that those ARCs will be on display, but who knows? I will check out the publishers for them. You really need to sign up for NetGalley, though...
93elkiedee
I have an ARC of Priestdaddy from the UK publisher. Amazon Vine seems to have lifted limits here at the moment so I've been allowed to request more books, and rather a lot of them.
94Chatterbox
>93 elkiedee: They have done the same here -- but there are no books on offer!!!
96benitastrnad
Since I will be driving this year to that ALA Mid-Winter (ALAMW) conference this year, I am coming equipped with packing tape (big rolls) and with one of those fold up carts to carry boxes. ALA usually has a post office, and on Saturday and Sunday the lines are not long. I really recommend mailing the books as a nice sized box will cost about $10.00 to mail. It is very reasonable. Contrast that with UPS or FedEx at $40 to $60 a box for books. Boxes can be picked up at the vendors booths so they are free. I take labels that I have pre-printed and my own tape gun, (I check my bag so it will go right through security) and 6 of the smaller rolls of tape. This time I am taking the big tape gun and the big rolls of tape.
ALA also offers free shuttle service to the conference center. These are usually big buses with nice luggage compartments, which I also make use of in hauling things back and forth to the hotel.
I also scout out the nearest Post Office. On the final day of ALA (usually Monday) the Post Office on the conference floor has lines out the wazoo so I just take a cab to the Post Office and mail the boxes from there. Some of my funniest stories from ALA happen at the Post Office. The friendliest P.O. I have ever found is the one in the Macy's store in San Francisco. Great staff and they loved the business. By the time I left that P.O. the line was out the door and almost to the escalator, but those ladies could handle it.
Next best is the one in the mall to which the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Boston is attached. That is the one that took my Dunkin Donuts card as security and loaned me a cart to take back to the attached hotel to get the other four boxes of books. That was also a great staff.
Gotta love the Post Office!
ALA also offers free shuttle service to the conference center. These are usually big buses with nice luggage compartments, which I also make use of in hauling things back and forth to the hotel.
I also scout out the nearest Post Office. On the final day of ALA (usually Monday) the Post Office on the conference floor has lines out the wazoo so I just take a cab to the Post Office and mail the boxes from there. Some of my funniest stories from ALA happen at the Post Office. The friendliest P.O. I have ever found is the one in the Macy's store in San Francisco. Great staff and they loved the business. By the time I left that P.O. the line was out the door and almost to the escalator, but those ladies could handle it.
Next best is the one in the mall to which the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Boston is attached. That is the one that took my Dunkin Donuts card as security and loaned me a cart to take back to the attached hotel to get the other four boxes of books. That was also a great staff.
Gotta love the Post Office!
97michigantrumpet
Color me green with envy over Suzanne and Benita's Excellent Book Adventures! W@#as just looking at our pictures from last year. What a good time. HArd to believe a whole year already!
98Chatterbox
>95 elkiedee: Seriously. My current Vine list has Orajel stuff for cold sores, a Jergens lotion to apply after the bath/shower that will give me a "glow" (glorified tanning lotion, really), a woman's crepe jacket (ugly, and wrong size), a set of Avery labels, Amazon basics microphone cable (??!!), a birthday card for a quincañera (since I'm not Hispanic, a non-starter), a single handle pull for a drawer (to be installed by yrs truly, presumably!!) and dog treats. No books.
99ronincats
>98 Chatterbox: Well, you aren't turning 15 either, so a double non-starter. ;-)
100Chatterbox
>96 benitastrnad: I'll have to be a little more organized than that, as my flight back to NYC is going to be early Monday morning. So I'll have to mail a box early, and be prepared to pay for an overweight bag on the plane...
>99 ronincats: Try turning 55... *eyes roll*
>99 ronincats: Try turning 55... *eyes roll*
101elkiedee
I'm currently offered foundation which I never use, but I've had some great stuff over the last 6/7 weeks, and I've also taken quite a few books from Vine for All.
102LizzieD
I'm having a great time being a vicarious former and potential ALA attendee.....maybe not so much a Vine person. Keep it up anyway! (Hi, Suz!)
103Chatterbox
Having said that about Vine... I finally got offered some books, including the next Adrian McKinty Belfast mystery novel. (which I took...) Do you think they were eavesdropping on me?
104charl08
I was wondering how many books I'd need to pick up at an ALA to 'write off' the value of a plane ticket from the UK (!!)
Have a great time. Looking forward to hearing more about all the new books you pick up.
Have a great time. Looking forward to hearing more about all the new books you pick up.
106Chatterbox
As long as I come back with enough to cheer myself while watching politicians flush my healthcare down the toilet.
I am so angry/distressed. At this rate, I may not even get my new 2017 insurance card before Trump repeals Obamacare.
But anyway... I have identified about three dozen books I'd like to get. We'll see. That's based on the Galley Guide from LibraryJournal, and last year that was the tip of the iceberg... Sadly, I don't think Houghton Mifflin is going, but Soho is (they were missing from BookExpo.)
I am so angry/distressed. At this rate, I may not even get my new 2017 insurance card before Trump repeals Obamacare.
But anyway... I have identified about three dozen books I'd like to get. We'll see. That's based on the Galley Guide from LibraryJournal, and last year that was the tip of the iceberg... Sadly, I don't think Houghton Mifflin is going, but Soho is (they were missing from BookExpo.)
107benitastrnad
I just finished reading Invasion of the Tearling (the second in the Queen of the Tearling trilogy) and I love this series!!! In fact, I decided that I didn't want to wait for the third book to come via an Inter-Library Loan request, so I stopped at Barnes & Noble last night and purchased the third book Fate of the Tearling. It came out in late October of 2016 so the waiting lists for the novel is still quite long at libraries. I figure I will just buy it and knock it out while I am so consumed with curiosity that I can't wait to find out what happens next. This author has certainly succeed in bringing something new and fresh to the world of dystopian fantasy.
In general most of the big publishers are always at ALA. However, sometimes they don't bring samples of all their imprints. I was disappointed last summer when the new Penguin Random House didn't bring a single Europa editions title. Aside from Amazon it is often hard to find these titles, so I not only want to see what is new, I really like the idea of a chance to purchase them for myself. I thought it was strange that there were no Europa editions, and I did say something about it to the Penguin sales rep. I hope that there are some of them in the booths this time.
In general most of the big publishers are always at ALA. However, sometimes they don't bring samples of all their imprints. I was disappointed last summer when the new Penguin Random House didn't bring a single Europa editions title. Aside from Amazon it is often hard to find these titles, so I not only want to see what is new, I really like the idea of a chance to purchase them for myself. I thought it was strange that there were no Europa editions, and I did say something about it to the Penguin sales rep. I hope that there are some of them in the booths this time.
108Chatterbox
>107 benitastrnad: I didn't see Europa listed on the Galley guide... which is somewhat disappointing. They were at BookExpo. Houghton Mifflin didn't make BookExpo either. Cutbacks...
109benitastrnad
#108
Well that's a disappointment.
Well that's a disappointment.
110Chatterbox
>109 benitastrnad: Agreed... I wanted to talk to their main editor about the new bookstore that they are backing in Providence. Hoping to write a story about it for the Guardian. Though the latter didn't pay me for the last freelance piece I did for them -- and paid only half of the kill fee they promised for the other piece they asked for and then didn't run. Argh...
111sibylline
Have fun at the conference! Good luck with the article. And now I have to go see if I have or have read Lively's Consequences!
112ronincats
So, I get a notice today that Simon & Schuster are holding a Book Club Matinée at the Ed Sullivan Theater on March 11 in NYC, featuring Anthony Doerr, Isabel Allende, Lisa See, Lisa Genova, Ruth Ware (author of the maligned title, The Woman in Cabin 10 :-)), and Megan Miranda, as well as a couple of others. Might be an interesting use of time for those of you in the area. Ticket is $55 but you get a DELUXE canvas bag with 6 bestselling novels from these authors plus one advance copy. So the cost of the books is far more than the ticket. Who else is in the NY area who might want to know about this?
113benitastrnad
#112
I wish I lived in NYC. Very attractive book deal. Maybe some who live close to NYC could plan a book weekend with this as the centerpiece.
I wish I lived in NYC. Very attractive book deal. Maybe some who live close to NYC could plan a book weekend with this as the centerpiece.
114benitastrnad
I talked with Suzanne this evening and we have our meet-up plans made. She is a veteran of last winter's conference in Boston, so knows the ropes well. This should be fun for her and she needs that.
115Chatterbox
>114 benitastrnad: she does need that!!
Benita and I hit the exhibits floor at ALA this evening, after which I was exhausted. (I flew into Atlanta today, wrote a story for the Guardian on the plane and filed it 15 mins before we landed...)
Nonetheless, managed to find no fewer than 32 advance review copies (ARCs) of appealing looking books at various publisher booths!! Had I been a fan of the Anne Hillerman or Sara Paretsky series, two more would have been added to the stack -- there were piles of them, all over the place.
There are still at least 17 books on my shortlist that I know I want to get copies of that will be available, so it's not over... If you want to keep tabs on what I've found, you can look at my library, and the tag "ALA Midwinter 2017".
A particularly nice thing is that I'll be able to meet up for an early lunch tomorrow at about 11:30 with my cousin Nancy, who is a librarian at Stanford, and who I see too rarely. Our mothers are cousins, and both live in Canada. We have come to get along v. well in spite of being family. Then I met another friend, Mona, who works for a publisher. She is French, and just got her permanent visa. She's thinking of joining the women's march here in Atlanta, and so I may go off with her -- John Lewis will be addressing her.
My goal is to have fun, hang out with nice people, accumulate books, and avoid painful places that remind me of my ex-bf (tough as we spent time downtown) and to NOT contact him.
Then I fly home on Monday morning.
Benita and I hit the exhibits floor at ALA this evening, after which I was exhausted. (I flew into Atlanta today, wrote a story for the Guardian on the plane and filed it 15 mins before we landed...)
Nonetheless, managed to find no fewer than 32 advance review copies (ARCs) of appealing looking books at various publisher booths!! Had I been a fan of the Anne Hillerman or Sara Paretsky series, two more would have been added to the stack -- there were piles of them, all over the place.
There are still at least 17 books on my shortlist that I know I want to get copies of that will be available, so it's not over... If you want to keep tabs on what I've found, you can look at my library, and the tag "ALA Midwinter 2017".
A particularly nice thing is that I'll be able to meet up for an early lunch tomorrow at about 11:30 with my cousin Nancy, who is a librarian at Stanford, and who I see too rarely. Our mothers are cousins, and both live in Canada. We have come to get along v. well in spite of being family. Then I met another friend, Mona, who works for a publisher. She is French, and just got her permanent visa. She's thinking of joining the women's march here in Atlanta, and so I may go off with her -- John Lewis will be addressing her.
My goal is to have fun, hang out with nice people, accumulate books, and avoid painful places that remind me of my ex-bf (tough as we spent time downtown) and to NOT contact him.
Then I fly home on Monday morning.
117PaulCranswick
>115 Chatterbox: Oh God, I dread to think what would happen if I stumble upon one of those ALA events in the future.
Enjoy yourself Suz and give my very best regards to Benita. xx
Enjoy yourself Suz and give my very best regards to Benita. xx
118michigantrumpet
I continue to be soooo jealous. Glad that you are having fun. Thrilled that you are meeting up with Nancy.
Now if only you had John there to help with innumerable trips of your incredible haul to the car!
Missing you.
Now if only you had John there to help with innumerable trips of your incredible haul to the car!
Missing you.
119Chatterbox
Yes Katie, there is a new Ruth Galloway. I will go back tomorrow and see if I can get an extra for you.
Another 40-plus books today, to be logged later.
Another 40-plus books today, to be logged later.
120benitastrnad
#118
We need John and Edd. I have a nice size box to cart over to the Westin today. I could have had more if they were here.
We need John and Edd. I have a nice size box to cart over to the Westin today. I could have had more if they were here.
122Chatterbox
>116 katiekrug: Got Katie the new Ruth Galloway...
I think I will end up with even more books this year than I did last year. Terrifying.
I think I will end up with even more books this year than I did last year. Terrifying.
124Chatterbox
>123 ffortsa: The new Parents my?? Sorry, perplexed. If you mean the Paretsky, it's another Warshawski.
Total haul?? 101 books. A record. Three boxes heading off via FedEx and Benita is shipping another via USPS. She is sending six more to Marianne, and I have one for Katie, and one for my elder nephew and one for my mother.
Total haul?? 101 books. A record. Three boxes heading off via FedEx and Benita is shipping another via USPS. She is sending six more to Marianne, and I have one for Katie, and one for my elder nephew and one for my mother.
125LizzieD
I have every confidence that you'll make good use of those 101 (WOW!) books - and how satisfying to have them!
Like Judy, I'm interested to know that there's a new Paretsky out. I say I'm not going to read her again, and then I always do.
Anyway, I look forward to pictures and the list!
Like Judy, I'm interested to know that there's a new Paretsky out. I say I'm not going to read her again, and then I always do.
Anyway, I look forward to pictures and the list!
126katiekrug
>122 Chatterbox: - Really?!?! Thank you, thank you! I was just wondering if it was there and getting any kind of publicity- thrilled to actually get a copy! We need to make a date to meet in NYC next month :-)
127ffortsa
>124 Chatterbox: your translation talents are awesome. I think I was typing on my phone. You know what auto-correct is like.
128elkiedee
I love Sara Paretsky, and am looking forward to eventually getting hold of the new VI book. Hopefully one of my libraries will manage to get a copy. I think I've already read and enjoyed the new Ruth Galloway via Netgalley, as it's not yet been officially published.
129ChelleBearss
Sounds like you had a successful trip! Hope your flight home was good!
130Chatterbox
>128 elkiedee:, Ugh, I wish I had known. I'll see if I can get one for you after the fact from my new friend at Random House Penguin (I know it's officially Penguin Random House, but I still feel it should have been called Random Penguin, so....)
Very tired, but at least I got back to NYC just ahead of the big rainstorm. Landing at LGA at noon was no picnic, let me tell you. Big nor'easter heading up the coast.
Very tired, but at least I got back to NYC just ahead of the big rainstorm. Landing at LGA at noon was no picnic, let me tell you. Big nor'easter heading up the coast.
131elkiedee
>130 Chatterbox: That's so kind, but don't worry about it, shipping costs are ridiculous.
132charl08
Love the idea of random penguin. Their trademark could have been an unexpected penguin image in the text somewhere.
Oh, missed opportunities....
Looking forward to your list of book acquisitions. Living vicariously.
Oh, missed opportunities....
Looking forward to your list of book acquisitions. Living vicariously.
133michigantrumpet
Welcome back, Suzanne! Congrats on a most successful book haul. Do we know yet where next year will be? Tempted, tempted ....
134michigantrumpet
Just checked out your finds! WOW!
Last Hope Island looks interesting. As do the latest from Joshua Ferris, Dennis Lehane, Michael Chabon, Nina George and Beatriz Williams. You lucky girl, you! Utterly and completely jealous. The Rise of the Robots seems like it will be VERY relevant.
Last Hope Island looks interesting. As do the latest from Joshua Ferris, Dennis Lehane, Michael Chabon, Nina George and Beatriz Williams. You lucky girl, you! Utterly and completely jealous. The Rise of the Robots seems like it will be VERY relevant.
135benitastrnad
Next year is - June 2017 in Chicago. January 2018 in New Orleans.
I am betting that New Orleans sounds good. Especially in January.
I am betting that New Orleans sounds good. Especially in January.
136Chatterbox
New Orleans does sound good!
137Chatterbox
Sigh -- I'm already horribly behind in logging my books and comments on them. Shall try to catch up a little bit.
7. Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman
I rather broke my own rule by reading a mystery that is very, very late in a longstanding series when I picked up this advance review copy out of curiosity at the description. Kellerman's protagonist, psychologist Alex Delaware, is called on by a woman about to turn 100, even though he usually treats children. She simply wants to ask him for his definition of a psychopath, without giving him any clues as to why she wants to know. The next morning she is found dead -- but not of natural causes. It turns out the feisty woman who appealed so much to Delaware had an extremely unconventional background in the old LA of movies and mafiosi... A decent read and I might try some others by him, but I won't race off, panting, in quest of them. 3.65 stars.
8. The Futures by Anna Pitoniak
The more that I think of this novel, the more it strikes me as being very young. Not just because the characters themselves are young -- just out of college, they are starting to try to make their way in the Big City (aka, New York) but because every situation that they encounter strikes them as a Big Deal. There's no subtlety and no nuance in the characters, the situations they encounter, etc. and the plot is very banal and predictable. That's unfortunate, because the author can write and has an eye for telling details and observation. If you want the basics of the plot, check out the Amazon page -- it bored me too much (ultimately) to repeat it here, and the whole thing was singularly unconvincing. 3.35 stars.
9. Russian Roulette: A Deadly Game: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin's Global Plot by Giles Milton
After reading Helen Rappaport's book about foreign observations of the 1918 revolutions in Petersburg/Petrograd/Leningrad, this book was a logical next step. It's about the jousting between the newly-minted British intelligence service and "M", and the new Soviet leaders -- a battle of wits that continues to this day in a very different form. Milton portrays some great characters, and while the book isn't completely even (there are some stilted passages and a few bits that are confusing or long-winded) other segments are absolutely riveting. This goes up to the early 1920s, when the Brits struck a deal with Lenin: he'd tell Comintern to call off a planned revolt/invasion in/of India in exchange for a much-needed trade pact with the USSR itself, a betrayal of world Communism in favor of the USSR. Recommended. 4.2 stars.
10. The Honeymoon by Dinitia Smith
This has been lurking around my home for a year now -- it was one of the ARCs I picked up at LAST year's ALA Midwinter event. It's a moving biographical novel about George Eliot, with her doomed honeymoon with her much younger husband in the final months of her life (infamous, because he tried to commit suicide by jumping out the window of their hotel into the canal...) serving as the frame for her recollections of her early life, her romantic struggles, her evolution into an immensely successful and renowned novelist, with the support of her life partner, George Henry Lewes. If you've read any of Eliot's novels, you owe it to yourself to read this. It's as if a biography came to life, in the best possible way. 4.2 stars.
11. The Stranger From the Sea by Winston Graham
13. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham
14. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham
21. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham
23. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham
I might as well review all five of these as a group, as they are what I think of as the second grouping of Poldark novels. In the first grouping, which cover the period from 1783 until 1798 or so, the main focus is on Ross Poldark and his peers -- his wife, his cousin Francis and his wife, Elizabeth; Ross's enemy, George Warleggan, Ross's closest friend, Dwight Enys. Now in this second group, their children have grown old enough to be protagonists in their own right, ranging from being in their mid-20s (Francis's son, Geoffrey Charles) to their teens (Clowance Poldark) and even younger, Bella Poldark, and the two Enys girls. It's 1810 when the first novel opens and 1820 when the final one ends, and it covers the marriages of several members of this group as well as a lot of tragedy -- Waterloo, for instance. Valentine Warleggan, born under a black moon, battles with his father George and causes grief to many; the stranger rescued from the sea, Stephen Carrington, turns out to be a tremendous catalyst for the Poldarks and those in their circle, especially Jeremy and Clowance. The weakest novel of them all, alas, is the concluding one, when Winston Graham for some reason tosses a serial killer into the mix, and a great ape and various other bizarre things, rather than all the interesting and complex political and business machinations that had made the earlier books so compelling. In fact, you can feel him becoming less and less interested in what he was writing, which means that it's just as well that he wrapped up the series when he did. Even if it means that I'm left wondering what happened to all the characters I've been reading about for the last few months...
More later! I've read 25 books so far this month/year.
7. Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman
I rather broke my own rule by reading a mystery that is very, very late in a longstanding series when I picked up this advance review copy out of curiosity at the description. Kellerman's protagonist, psychologist Alex Delaware, is called on by a woman about to turn 100, even though he usually treats children. She simply wants to ask him for his definition of a psychopath, without giving him any clues as to why she wants to know. The next morning she is found dead -- but not of natural causes. It turns out the feisty woman who appealed so much to Delaware had an extremely unconventional background in the old LA of movies and mafiosi... A decent read and I might try some others by him, but I won't race off, panting, in quest of them. 3.65 stars.
8. The Futures by Anna Pitoniak
The more that I think of this novel, the more it strikes me as being very young. Not just because the characters themselves are young -- just out of college, they are starting to try to make their way in the Big City (aka, New York) but because every situation that they encounter strikes them as a Big Deal. There's no subtlety and no nuance in the characters, the situations they encounter, etc. and the plot is very banal and predictable. That's unfortunate, because the author can write and has an eye for telling details and observation. If you want the basics of the plot, check out the Amazon page -- it bored me too much (ultimately) to repeat it here, and the whole thing was singularly unconvincing. 3.35 stars.
9. Russian Roulette: A Deadly Game: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin's Global Plot by Giles Milton
After reading Helen Rappaport's book about foreign observations of the 1918 revolutions in Petersburg/Petrograd/Leningrad, this book was a logical next step. It's about the jousting between the newly-minted British intelligence service and "M", and the new Soviet leaders -- a battle of wits that continues to this day in a very different form. Milton portrays some great characters, and while the book isn't completely even (there are some stilted passages and a few bits that are confusing or long-winded) other segments are absolutely riveting. This goes up to the early 1920s, when the Brits struck a deal with Lenin: he'd tell Comintern to call off a planned revolt/invasion in/of India in exchange for a much-needed trade pact with the USSR itself, a betrayal of world Communism in favor of the USSR. Recommended. 4.2 stars.
10. The Honeymoon by Dinitia Smith
This has been lurking around my home for a year now -- it was one of the ARCs I picked up at LAST year's ALA Midwinter event. It's a moving biographical novel about George Eliot, with her doomed honeymoon with her much younger husband in the final months of her life (infamous, because he tried to commit suicide by jumping out the window of their hotel into the canal...) serving as the frame for her recollections of her early life, her romantic struggles, her evolution into an immensely successful and renowned novelist, with the support of her life partner, George Henry Lewes. If you've read any of Eliot's novels, you owe it to yourself to read this. It's as if a biography came to life, in the best possible way. 4.2 stars.
11. The Stranger From the Sea by Winston Graham
13. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham
14. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham
21. The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham
23. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham
I might as well review all five of these as a group, as they are what I think of as the second grouping of Poldark novels. In the first grouping, which cover the period from 1783 until 1798 or so, the main focus is on Ross Poldark and his peers -- his wife, his cousin Francis and his wife, Elizabeth; Ross's enemy, George Warleggan, Ross's closest friend, Dwight Enys. Now in this second group, their children have grown old enough to be protagonists in their own right, ranging from being in their mid-20s (Francis's son, Geoffrey Charles) to their teens (Clowance Poldark) and even younger, Bella Poldark, and the two Enys girls. It's 1810 when the first novel opens and 1820 when the final one ends, and it covers the marriages of several members of this group as well as a lot of tragedy -- Waterloo, for instance. Valentine Warleggan, born under a black moon, battles with his father George and causes grief to many; the stranger rescued from the sea, Stephen Carrington, turns out to be a tremendous catalyst for the Poldarks and those in their circle, especially Jeremy and Clowance. The weakest novel of them all, alas, is the concluding one, when Winston Graham for some reason tosses a serial killer into the mix, and a great ape and various other bizarre things, rather than all the interesting and complex political and business machinations that had made the earlier books so compelling. In fact, you can feel him becoming less and less interested in what he was writing, which means that it's just as well that he wrapped up the series when he did. Even if it means that I'm left wondering what happened to all the characters I've been reading about for the last few months...
More later! I've read 25 books so far this month/year.
138ronincats
Glad you are safely home, with many books on their way, Suz. We'll have to blame ALA for your low book count...
139LizzieD
I do so agree about the Poldark novels which I push as often as I can.
And I took a lethal BB with The Honeymoon. Thanks!
I'm looking forward to your reading and writing about all the new books after you finish petting the Cats!
And I took a lethal BB with The Honeymoon. Thanks!
I'm looking forward to your reading and writing about all the new books after you finish petting the Cats!
140LovingLit
>137 Chatterbox: only you could just go ahead and just review 5 books in one go. :)
Isn't it funny how there is something about someone's writing that tells you that they have lost their passion for it. I'm thinking it's hard to pinpoint what it is, but its definitely *there*.
Isn't it funny how there is something about someone's writing that tells you that they have lost their passion for it. I'm thinking it's hard to pinpoint what it is, but its definitely *there*.
141sibylline
Oh dear, I can feel that one of these days I will embark on the Poldark adventure . . .
WL'ed The Honeymoon
WL'ed The Honeymoon
142benitastrnad
#139
Suz got me with a book bullet on The Honeymoon as well. But it turns out that I have that one in my stash from the same ALA in Boston from which Suz got hers!
I am on book 4 of the Poldark series. That is still about Ross and Demelza, but it is good reading.
Suz got me with a book bullet on The Honeymoon as well. But it turns out that I have that one in my stash from the same ALA in Boston from which Suz got hers!
I am on book 4 of the Poldark series. That is still about Ross and Demelza, but it is good reading.
143Chatterbox
And some more....
12. Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World by Leo Damrosch
This is an excellent, magisterial biography of Dr. Swift, the man, his era, his works, his relationships and the world he inhabited. For Damrosch, no detail is too petty (I now know how Piccadilly got its name and all about the history of privies!) or irrelevant if it sheds light on Swift and the environment that shaped him: a Tory, Irish, Church of England (technically Church of Ireland or whatever it was called in those days) minister who was a great satirist, a lover of women if never, perhaps, in the flesh. Damrosch deals at length with Stella, of course, but also with Swift's lesser-known but significant entanglements with women, and with his circle of male friends, including the father of the playwright Sheridan; the essayists Addison and Steele, and politicians like Robert Hartley, Queen Anne's final prime minister. It's a great portrayal of the emergence of the Whig vs Tory rivalry, and the politics surrounding the arrival of the Hanoverians, too. And oh yes, you'll read all about Gulliver's Travels, and why it's more than just an entertaining yarn... 4.6 stars, recommended to anyone with an interest in the man or the era.
15. Generation Revolution: On the Front Line Between Tradition and Change in the Middle East
I picked this up with some trepidation, as there have been so many books written by first hand western observers of the Arab Spring and its aftermath, all of the "look at me, I was there and here's what I saw/what people told me/what my friends did" variant. They are insta-pundits, and their books are really nothing more than magazine articles inflated to book length, and worth about as much. This was better than that, taking a deeper dive into a handful of lives that symbolize certain specific trends in a single country, Egypt, over the course of a few turbulent years leading up to and following Mubarak's overthrow. The author can write competently if not beautifully, her approach means she hasn't bitten off more than she can chew. The result is intriguing, and the focus on young people -- the vast majority, percentage-wise, of Egyptian society -- is important. A good read. 4.35 stars.
16. Buried in the Country by Carola Dunn
A mildly interesting addition to this mildly interesting series of quasi-cozy mysteries set in Cornwall (the setting is why I'm reading them...) The era is the 1960s, and the protagonist, a retired and widowed government worker who has traveled the world, has now settled in a small fishing village; her niece works for the police in Cornwall. That's the backdrop. This time, Eleanor has been called on to help smooth the way for some talks at a resort in Tintagel -- peace talks between two factions of African student leaders from what is today Zimbabwe. Her niece is on hand as police escort for one of the students. But nearby there's a home invasion, a murder and a kidnapping of one of their friends in which Eleanor and Megan -- and the student leader -- become caught up. Other than a dramatic cross-Cornwall chase, there's not a lot here, really. Meh. 3.3 stars.
17. The Long Room by Francesca Kay
This was distinctive and sort of chilling... Stephen Donaldson had hoped to become the kind of glamorous spy who gets to trail people and do great deeds of derring do when he joined Britain's secret service. But somehow he got relegated to the B class of spies, and spends his days eavesdropping on other people, listening to recordings of their phone calls and bugged homes, and taking notes on them, listening for clues to anything out of the ordinary. The IRA may be planning bombing campaigns, but Stephen's suspects include a doddery old codger who never seems to plan anything except how to see a doctor about his ailments -- and who then dies on him. Then Rollo -- one of the glamorous spooks who is everything Stephen wanted to become -- assigns him an unusual task: to monitor one of their own, but only at home. And he won't tell him why. Then Stephen becomes obsessed with the suspect's wife, and finds that he'll do absolutely anything to keep listening to her voice... 4.2 stars. There are some unanswered questions here, and one or two moments of heavy-handed telegraphing, but it's a very good novel, and compelling reading.
18. A Prisoner in Malta by Phillip DePoy
Just, no. DePoy may be trying to do a Christopher Buckley with satire, or not -- I can't quite figure it out. But amidst all the swashbuckling adventure, he plays so fast and loose with history in bizarre ways (Frances Walsingham being encouraged to become a spy by her father, instead of a proper young lady?) that it annoyed me deeply. Then there are the implausible twists and turns that are everywhere, from miraculous escapes, strange convoluted plotting that doesn't make sense except to be convoluted (but that defies all logic) to people you think are dead and who come alive again. It's a pity, as a series of mysteries featuring playwright Christopher Marlowe as a spy had a lot of potential, given the rumors surrounding his own murder a decade or so after the time in which this novel was set. 2.3 stars, and I'm being generous.
19. The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle
I'm not at all sure why people still bother to read Philippa Gregory when there are novels by Elizabeth Fremantle focusing on the Tudor Court to devour instead, all of which are SO much better. This one centers on Arbella Stuart, the little known relative of both the Tudors and Stuarts (descendant of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's big sister, and so a relative of Mary Queen of Scots). She was kept from court by a fearful Elizabeth, who disliked rivals but was made part of the family by James I and his queen on their accession. But again, not secure on his throne, James didn't want Arbella to marry, and when she fell in love with William Seymour, he tossed her into the Tower for the rest of her life -- just as Elizabeth had Catherine Grey, who had married an earlier Seymour. It's a sad, poignant story, but captures what it was like to live too near the throne in this era. Fremantle made the intriguing decision to alternate Arbella's story with that of Aemilia Lanyer, who has been the focus of at least two other novels in recent years (linking her with Shakespeare). Aemilia is nominally free as a widow in the city of London, but is she really, given the limitations imposed on women? And that is Fremantle's real theme here... Very good for historical fiction fans. 4.5 stars.
20. Latest Readings by Clive James
An excellent, excellent collection of short pieces by the late critic and essayist, composed after his cancer diagnosis. In his introduction, he writes of the difficulty of winnowing his book collection: "I roamed slowly among them, old purchases begging to be read again even as the new purchases came in at the rate of one plastic shopping bag full every week. Insanity, insanity." He writes about Hemingway, about novels that come in a series, about Sebald, about Patrick O'Brian and his briny novels vs. Hornblower, about Shakespeare and commentary on Shakespeare by a chap called Johnson, in which the following gem appears: a certain observation "reminds me of some of my fellow writers, when I was young, who were so gifted that they practically had to fight to achieve obscurity. Late in my life, I still find it remarkable that they achieved their aim." Oh, and there's a piece on "Extra Shelves", all about bookshelves. So yes, you'll want to read this... 4.8 stars.
12. Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World by Leo Damrosch
This is an excellent, magisterial biography of Dr. Swift, the man, his era, his works, his relationships and the world he inhabited. For Damrosch, no detail is too petty (I now know how Piccadilly got its name and all about the history of privies!) or irrelevant if it sheds light on Swift and the environment that shaped him: a Tory, Irish, Church of England (technically Church of Ireland or whatever it was called in those days) minister who was a great satirist, a lover of women if never, perhaps, in the flesh. Damrosch deals at length with Stella, of course, but also with Swift's lesser-known but significant entanglements with women, and with his circle of male friends, including the father of the playwright Sheridan; the essayists Addison and Steele, and politicians like Robert Hartley, Queen Anne's final prime minister. It's a great portrayal of the emergence of the Whig vs Tory rivalry, and the politics surrounding the arrival of the Hanoverians, too. And oh yes, you'll read all about Gulliver's Travels, and why it's more than just an entertaining yarn... 4.6 stars, recommended to anyone with an interest in the man or the era.
15. Generation Revolution: On the Front Line Between Tradition and Change in the Middle East
I picked this up with some trepidation, as there have been so many books written by first hand western observers of the Arab Spring and its aftermath, all of the "look at me, I was there and here's what I saw/what people told me/what my friends did" variant. They are insta-pundits, and their books are really nothing more than magazine articles inflated to book length, and worth about as much. This was better than that, taking a deeper dive into a handful of lives that symbolize certain specific trends in a single country, Egypt, over the course of a few turbulent years leading up to and following Mubarak's overthrow. The author can write competently if not beautifully, her approach means she hasn't bitten off more than she can chew. The result is intriguing, and the focus on young people -- the vast majority, percentage-wise, of Egyptian society -- is important. A good read. 4.35 stars.
16. Buried in the Country by Carola Dunn
A mildly interesting addition to this mildly interesting series of quasi-cozy mysteries set in Cornwall (the setting is why I'm reading them...) The era is the 1960s, and the protagonist, a retired and widowed government worker who has traveled the world, has now settled in a small fishing village; her niece works for the police in Cornwall. That's the backdrop. This time, Eleanor has been called on to help smooth the way for some talks at a resort in Tintagel -- peace talks between two factions of African student leaders from what is today Zimbabwe. Her niece is on hand as police escort for one of the students. But nearby there's a home invasion, a murder and a kidnapping of one of their friends in which Eleanor and Megan -- and the student leader -- become caught up. Other than a dramatic cross-Cornwall chase, there's not a lot here, really. Meh. 3.3 stars.
17. The Long Room by Francesca Kay
This was distinctive and sort of chilling... Stephen Donaldson had hoped to become the kind of glamorous spy who gets to trail people and do great deeds of derring do when he joined Britain's secret service. But somehow he got relegated to the B class of spies, and spends his days eavesdropping on other people, listening to recordings of their phone calls and bugged homes, and taking notes on them, listening for clues to anything out of the ordinary. The IRA may be planning bombing campaigns, but Stephen's suspects include a doddery old codger who never seems to plan anything except how to see a doctor about his ailments -- and who then dies on him. Then Rollo -- one of the glamorous spooks who is everything Stephen wanted to become -- assigns him an unusual task: to monitor one of their own, but only at home. And he won't tell him why. Then Stephen becomes obsessed with the suspect's wife, and finds that he'll do absolutely anything to keep listening to her voice... 4.2 stars. There are some unanswered questions here, and one or two moments of heavy-handed telegraphing, but it's a very good novel, and compelling reading.
18. A Prisoner in Malta by Phillip DePoy
Just, no. DePoy may be trying to do a Christopher Buckley with satire, or not -- I can't quite figure it out. But amidst all the swashbuckling adventure, he plays so fast and loose with history in bizarre ways (Frances Walsingham being encouraged to become a spy by her father, instead of a proper young lady?) that it annoyed me deeply. Then there are the implausible twists and turns that are everywhere, from miraculous escapes, strange convoluted plotting that doesn't make sense except to be convoluted (but that defies all logic) to people you think are dead and who come alive again. It's a pity, as a series of mysteries featuring playwright Christopher Marlowe as a spy had a lot of potential, given the rumors surrounding his own murder a decade or so after the time in which this novel was set. 2.3 stars, and I'm being generous.
19. The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle
I'm not at all sure why people still bother to read Philippa Gregory when there are novels by Elizabeth Fremantle focusing on the Tudor Court to devour instead, all of which are SO much better. This one centers on Arbella Stuart, the little known relative of both the Tudors and Stuarts (descendant of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's big sister, and so a relative of Mary Queen of Scots). She was kept from court by a fearful Elizabeth, who disliked rivals but was made part of the family by James I and his queen on their accession. But again, not secure on his throne, James didn't want Arbella to marry, and when she fell in love with William Seymour, he tossed her into the Tower for the rest of her life -- just as Elizabeth had Catherine Grey, who had married an earlier Seymour. It's a sad, poignant story, but captures what it was like to live too near the throne in this era. Fremantle made the intriguing decision to alternate Arbella's story with that of Aemilia Lanyer, who has been the focus of at least two other novels in recent years (linking her with Shakespeare). Aemilia is nominally free as a widow in the city of London, but is she really, given the limitations imposed on women? And that is Fremantle's real theme here... Very good for historical fiction fans. 4.5 stars.
20. Latest Readings by Clive James
An excellent, excellent collection of short pieces by the late critic and essayist, composed after his cancer diagnosis. In his introduction, he writes of the difficulty of winnowing his book collection: "I roamed slowly among them, old purchases begging to be read again even as the new purchases came in at the rate of one plastic shopping bag full every week. Insanity, insanity." He writes about Hemingway, about novels that come in a series, about Sebald, about Patrick O'Brian and his briny novels vs. Hornblower, about Shakespeare and commentary on Shakespeare by a chap called Johnson, in which the following gem appears: a certain observation "reminds me of some of my fellow writers, when I was young, who were so gifted that they practically had to fight to achieve obscurity. Late in my life, I still find it remarkable that they achieved their aim." Oh, and there's a piece on "Extra Shelves", all about bookshelves. So yes, you'll want to read this... 4.8 stars.
144benitastrnad
I came home from the ALA Midwinter Conference late Monday night. I was a tired but happy camper. Then the work week hit me. I was so busy that I by Thursday I regretted spending the extra day in Atlanta. I spent all day yesterday (Saturday) at home. I napped some and then had to do grocery shopping as I am all out of food. Then I just sat and knitted while my bread was baking. I did mix up a batch of honey whole wheat bread and thank goodness bread dough has to rise, as I napped in the chair with my book Empire of Storms by Sarahh J. Maas in hand.
I did manage to bestir myself long enough to send you the big box of books. The P.O. says that they should be there this week - on Friday or Saturday. I will package and send the smaller box to you sometime this week. I think I figured out which ones go to Marianne and will also box those as I have a box to send to my sister as well. I will probably be e-mailing you this week with the title list for the box to make sure I have the boxes done correctly, so watch for them.
I am going to make homemade chicken noodle soup today, as I am in desperate need of some comfort food.
I did manage to bestir myself long enough to send you the big box of books. The P.O. says that they should be there this week - on Friday or Saturday. I will package and send the smaller box to you sometime this week. I think I figured out which ones go to Marianne and will also box those as I have a box to send to my sister as well. I will probably be e-mailing you this week with the title list for the box to make sure I have the boxes done correctly, so watch for them.
I am going to make homemade chicken noodle soup today, as I am in desperate need of some comfort food.
145thornton37814
>16 Chatterbox: I'm planning to read the Dunn book sometime this year. I've wanted to read that series, and we ordered that installment because a lot of our readers really like British Isles settings cozier in nature. (At least they check out well.) Now that I have a Knox County library card, I probably ought to see if earlier installments are available. The first in the series was wishlisted awhile back, but it was never in a library I used. I'll probably start with this one and go back to pick up earlier installments.
146PawsforThought
>18 drneutron: So disappointing to hear that the Marlowe mystery book wasn't good. I would have loved to read a mystery series with Kit Marlowe in the lead role.
Have you listened to the Christopher Marlowe Mysteries from the BBC? It was a series of 4 radio plays that aired some years ago, but I got hold of them later through the magic of the internet; I bet they're still available somewhere. It was really good.
Have you listened to the Christopher Marlowe Mysteries from the BBC? It was a series of 4 radio plays that aired some years ago, but I got hold of them later through the magic of the internet; I bet they're still available somewhere. It was really good.
147SandDune
>143 Chatterbox: I like the look of Jonathan Swift: His Life and World. I'm studying Gulliver's Travels at the moment and am finding the eighteenth century much more interesting than I ever have had previously.
>143 Chatterbox: Latest Readings is one I've had my eye on for a while. Good to see it's a good one.
>143 Chatterbox: Latest Readings is one I've had my eye on for a while. Good to see it's a good one.
148Chatterbox
>146 PawsforThought: No, I hadn't heard of those radio plays, but you can bet that I'll hunt them down!!!
>144 benitastrnad: Let me ping you with my whereabouts and timings so that you can mail it to Providence with an approximate arrival date for when I'll be there. I think the first box will arrive on the day I go back or thereabouts. I return to NYC around the 9th for a day or two, but then will be gone for the rest of the month.
>144 benitastrnad: Let me ping you with my whereabouts and timings so that you can mail it to Providence with an approximate arrival date for when I'll be there. I think the first box will arrive on the day I go back or thereabouts. I return to NYC around the 9th for a day or two, but then will be gone for the rest of the month.
149benitastrnad
#148
that works for me.
that works for me.
150Chatterbox
22. The Bertie Project by Alexander McCall Smith
The next in the Scotland Street series featuring young Bertie Pollock and a cast of characters in Edinburgh. I think you have to have followed them since the beginning to enjoy the books at this point; it's getting a little tired. Still, the precocious Bertie is an endearing character, along with his baby brother, Ulysses, who looks uncomfortably like Bertie's former psychiatrist rather than his father, Stuart. Irene, their mother, is a bit of a caricature, she is so unpleasant, but she's a good character, as is the dog with a gold tooth, Bruce the narcissist (who meets his match in this book) and a few other personalities. Fun but fluffy and not memorable. I still prefer the Isabel Dalhousie books. 3.35 stars.
24. East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity by Philippe Sands
My first five star book of the year won last year's Samuel Johnson prize, aka the Baillie Gifford Prize. Although initially it's a bit hard to see how Sands will pull together the myriad narrative strands in this book, ultimately he does so masterfully. It's the story of three individuals: all three have legal backgrounds, and all three had some ties to Poland. Two had roots there and were Jewish; they escaped the continent in time to avoid being swept up in the Holocaust, one to become a professor at Cambridge and the other to work in the US, although they left large extended families behind them in Poland, Germany and Austria. The third was a major architect of the Holocaust, Hans Frank, who became head of the General Government, overseeing the final solution from Warsaw. Sands blends their stories with that of his own grandfather, who came from the same small town as one of the other two Jewish legal scholars, and pursued his own path to safety, first in Paris and then in England. But it isn't just about people, but about legal concepts: one of the legal scholars, Lauterpacht, advocated that Frank and other war criminals should be tried for their crimes against humanity (i.e. for violating the rights of individuals), while Lemkin, his peer and intellectual rival, Raphael Lemkin, coined the phrase genocide and sought desperately to have the Nazis tried for their crimes against specific groups of people, arguing that crimes against individuals didn't capture the full picture. The intellectual jousting between the two alternatives is fascinating, and interwoven into this is the story of Niklas Frank, Frank's youngest son, who has struggled to come to grips with the legacy of his father. Utterly unputdownable. 5 stars!!
25. The Empty House by Michael Gilbert
Gilbert has long been a favorite author of mine, and this is a mystery that I don't think I had read before (or can't remember having read before. That said, it was ho-hum. Peter Manciple, one of Gilbert's archetypal heroes (solicitors, insurance people, etc.) is an insurance adjustor, tasked with figuring out how a scientist doing research into biotech weapons might have died. It turns out to be very complicated, but the big conspiracy just never gels. 3. 1 stars.
The next in the Scotland Street series featuring young Bertie Pollock and a cast of characters in Edinburgh. I think you have to have followed them since the beginning to enjoy the books at this point; it's getting a little tired. Still, the precocious Bertie is an endearing character, along with his baby brother, Ulysses, who looks uncomfortably like Bertie's former psychiatrist rather than his father, Stuart. Irene, their mother, is a bit of a caricature, she is so unpleasant, but she's a good character, as is the dog with a gold tooth, Bruce the narcissist (who meets his match in this book) and a few other personalities. Fun but fluffy and not memorable. I still prefer the Isabel Dalhousie books. 3.35 stars.
24. East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity by Philippe Sands
My first five star book of the year won last year's Samuel Johnson prize, aka the Baillie Gifford Prize. Although initially it's a bit hard to see how Sands will pull together the myriad narrative strands in this book, ultimately he does so masterfully. It's the story of three individuals: all three have legal backgrounds, and all three had some ties to Poland. Two had roots there and were Jewish; they escaped the continent in time to avoid being swept up in the Holocaust, one to become a professor at Cambridge and the other to work in the US, although they left large extended families behind them in Poland, Germany and Austria. The third was a major architect of the Holocaust, Hans Frank, who became head of the General Government, overseeing the final solution from Warsaw. Sands blends their stories with that of his own grandfather, who came from the same small town as one of the other two Jewish legal scholars, and pursued his own path to safety, first in Paris and then in England. But it isn't just about people, but about legal concepts: one of the legal scholars, Lauterpacht, advocated that Frank and other war criminals should be tried for their crimes against humanity (i.e. for violating the rights of individuals), while Lemkin, his peer and intellectual rival, Raphael Lemkin, coined the phrase genocide and sought desperately to have the Nazis tried for their crimes against specific groups of people, arguing that crimes against individuals didn't capture the full picture. The intellectual jousting between the two alternatives is fascinating, and interwoven into this is the story of Niklas Frank, Frank's youngest son, who has struggled to come to grips with the legacy of his father. Utterly unputdownable. 5 stars!!
25. The Empty House by Michael Gilbert
Gilbert has long been a favorite author of mine, and this is a mystery that I don't think I had read before (or can't remember having read before. That said, it was ho-hum. Peter Manciple, one of Gilbert's archetypal heroes (solicitors, insurance people, etc.) is an insurance adjustor, tasked with figuring out how a scientist doing research into biotech weapons might have died. It turns out to be very complicated, but the big conspiracy just never gels. 3. 1 stars.
151Chatterbox
>147 SandDune: I was slow to become interested in the 18th century, too. For some reason, I kind of leaped from the 17th to the 19th, or really from the 16th to the 19th! But there is so much that happens then that is of interest -- the whole Enlightenment, for starters. So these days, it's a major focus for me. Of course, Swift starts out in the late 1600s, so he kinda bridges the gap.
I'm now reading Mad Enchantment by Ross King, about Monet and the water lily paintings, and the next mystery in the Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty.
I'm now reading Mad Enchantment by Ross King, about Monet and the water lily paintings, and the next mystery in the Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty.
152avatiakh
The Sands book is calling to me. I have lots of nonfiction to read but this does look good. I've also taken note of The Girl in the Glass Tower.
Hope your cats are all well.
Hope your cats are all well.
153magicians_nephew
>137 Chatterbox: the story of Lenin threatening to turn the sub-continent Communist in the '20's is interesting and I have heard bits and pieces of the story before.
The Indian people were getting restless then - would they have responded to Marxist propaganda? If it included "overthrow the British Raj" propaganda?
Or would Lenin's missionaries be clumsy and heavy handed and bollocks the whole thing?
Or was it just a huge bluff based on the monstrous British fear of Communism and the Russian Bear?
Have to look for that book.
The Indian people were getting restless then - would they have responded to Marxist propaganda? If it included "overthrow the British Raj" propaganda?
Or would Lenin's missionaries be clumsy and heavy handed and bollocks the whole thing?
Or was it just a huge bluff based on the monstrous British fear of Communism and the Russian Bear?
Have to look for that book.
154vivians
Glad to see you posting! You blew past me on the Poldarks - I'm just slowly slogging through them.
155Chatterbox
>152 avatiakh: I hope my cats are well, too! I haven't seen them in about two weeks or so. But I'll be home on Friday, however... I definitely recommend the Sands book, though you'll need some patience in a few places, as it can feel a bit rambling until its focus/argument appears.
>153 magicians_nephew: I had always assumed that this was more of a plan or even a bluff, but the way that Milton describes it, there was a very real operation in a fairly advanced stage of organization. Which leads to the kind of "what if?" scenarios that you posit. Do look for the book -- it has been out for a year or two and should be readily available at a library.
>154 vivians: Yes, I chomped through the Poldarks like one of those Pac-Man figures. I didn't enjoy the latter ones as much, but wanted to figure out what happened next more, because after the first seven books, I didn't know the plot/storyline!
>153 magicians_nephew: I had always assumed that this was more of a plan or even a bluff, but the way that Milton describes it, there was a very real operation in a fairly advanced stage of organization. Which leads to the kind of "what if?" scenarios that you posit. Do look for the book -- it has been out for a year or two and should be readily available at a library.
>154 vivians: Yes, I chomped through the Poldarks like one of those Pac-Man figures. I didn't enjoy the latter ones as much, but wanted to figure out what happened next more, because after the first seven books, I didn't know the plot/storyline!
156michigantrumpet
Thanks for the review of The Honeymoon. That one still resides on my shelves (or more precisely in the ALA-Yikes-I've -Got-to-Read-Has-It-Been a-Year-Already? pile in front of the book shelves.)
I've read quite a few and moved at least 25 out of the house, so John should be happy about that. Still a fair number to go.
I've read quite a few and moved at least 25 out of the house, so John should be happy about that. Still a fair number to go.
157Fourpawz2
Five books, Suzanne! Five books that I now must read. And I only picked the very, very best (she whimpered). Fortunately it will be a while before I can find them at the library....
158Chatterbox
>157 Fourpawz2: Ha! and it's only January. And I'm reading slowly. Only 27 books read so far this month...
160Chatterbox
The last of my January books:
26. Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty
The next in an ongoing series of very good mysteries set in Belfast during the "troubles" and featuring a Catholic policeman working for the predominantly Protestant police force. Sean Duffy ends up in trouble a lot, but has a strong sense of justice at the same time -- inconvenient in a city where justice is incidental, and paramilitaries impose their own twisted form of it. This time, Duffy is called out to investigate a bizarre incident -- the possible theft of a wallet from a visiting Finnish businessman. Before it's all over, Duffy will have lost one of his own fellow police officers and nearly lost his own life while investigating a pedophilia ring -- but will he get justice? McKinty has a great eye for period detail and character; this is a wonderful series and I'm very pleased he's taken it beyond the original planned trilogy or quartet. The next one -- not yet published; I have an ARC -- is awaiting my attention. This gets
27. Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies by Ross King
One of the best books that I've read so far this year, and not only because I happen to love Monet's water lily paintings, the creation of which are the lynchpin of this excellent narrative. Somehow, Ross King, who already has one book about Impressionism to his credit, has managed to write a history of France during the first two decades of the 20th century -- the first world war, the social and cultural trends -- together with a biography of Monet, the story of a friendship between the artist and journalist and politician Georges Clemenceau, and a tale of what it means to be a creative artist. And it all hangs together seamlessly, as King shifts between Monet's battles to retain his eyesight and his squabbles over the terms and conditions over which he is willing to donate his masterpieces to the nation, to Clemenceau's exasperation and his own political battles to preserve his political legacy of France's postwar role in Europe and the world. Frankly, it's a brilliant book about a time of transition in the artistic world and in politics, as the balance of power moves slowly and inexorably away from Paris. Read it, if the subject matter is of even the slightest interest. The full 5 stars.
28. Death on Delos by Gary Corby
Another mystery series I've been following since the beginning, although whenever protagonists Nicolaos and Diotima get far away from Athens, the edge seems to dampen slightly. This mystery is amusing, and Corby clearly enjoys the fact that such things as keys and lending money out and investing were novelties in ancient Athens, but the core mystery was rather lukewarm and flat. When the murderer of an obstreperous priest on Delos was unveiled, I sort of shrugged; it was less exciting than the adventure/drama also underway and confronting the two investigators. Still a worthwhile series, however, and distinctive by the solid knowledge and good writing. 3.5 stars.
That's it for January!! February book comments to come...
26. Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty
The next in an ongoing series of very good mysteries set in Belfast during the "troubles" and featuring a Catholic policeman working for the predominantly Protestant police force. Sean Duffy ends up in trouble a lot, but has a strong sense of justice at the same time -- inconvenient in a city where justice is incidental, and paramilitaries impose their own twisted form of it. This time, Duffy is called out to investigate a bizarre incident -- the possible theft of a wallet from a visiting Finnish businessman. Before it's all over, Duffy will have lost one of his own fellow police officers and nearly lost his own life while investigating a pedophilia ring -- but will he get justice? McKinty has a great eye for period detail and character; this is a wonderful series and I'm very pleased he's taken it beyond the original planned trilogy or quartet. The next one -- not yet published; I have an ARC -- is awaiting my attention. This gets
27. Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies by Ross King
One of the best books that I've read so far this year, and not only because I happen to love Monet's water lily paintings, the creation of which are the lynchpin of this excellent narrative. Somehow, Ross King, who already has one book about Impressionism to his credit, has managed to write a history of France during the first two decades of the 20th century -- the first world war, the social and cultural trends -- together with a biography of Monet, the story of a friendship between the artist and journalist and politician Georges Clemenceau, and a tale of what it means to be a creative artist. And it all hangs together seamlessly, as King shifts between Monet's battles to retain his eyesight and his squabbles over the terms and conditions over which he is willing to donate his masterpieces to the nation, to Clemenceau's exasperation and his own political battles to preserve his political legacy of France's postwar role in Europe and the world. Frankly, it's a brilliant book about a time of transition in the artistic world and in politics, as the balance of power moves slowly and inexorably away from Paris. Read it, if the subject matter is of even the slightest interest. The full 5 stars.
28. Death on Delos by Gary Corby
Another mystery series I've been following since the beginning, although whenever protagonists Nicolaos and Diotima get far away from Athens, the edge seems to dampen slightly. This mystery is amusing, and Corby clearly enjoys the fact that such things as keys and lending money out and investing were novelties in ancient Athens, but the core mystery was rather lukewarm and flat. When the murderer of an obstreperous priest on Delos was unveiled, I sort of shrugged; it was less exciting than the adventure/drama also underway and confronting the two investigators. Still a worthwhile series, however, and distinctive by the solid knowledge and good writing. 3.5 stars.
That's it for January!! February book comments to come...
161Whisper1
>1 Chatterbox: Suz, Regarding your opening comments, ..very well said. I am saddened that in the last few months, feelings and thoughts about politics have taken over what was once a healthy 75 challenge group.
I'm bombarded at work with political comments. Some of my co-workers have used their classes as a means to vent their anger at the outcome of the most recent election. If I paid $63,000 a year for my child to attend Lehigh University, I would be very upset that political diatribe was rampant in the classroom!
I hope to visit your thread more often this year. Like you, 2016 was a not-so-great year. Moving onward, I hope that 2017 brings success in areas needed. And, of course, I wish you lots of time to read wonderful books.
Belated Happy New Year to you!
I'm bombarded at work with political comments. Some of my co-workers have used their classes as a means to vent their anger at the outcome of the most recent election. If I paid $63,000 a year for my child to attend Lehigh University, I would be very upset that political diatribe was rampant in the classroom!
I hope to visit your thread more often this year. Like you, 2016 was a not-so-great year. Moving onward, I hope that 2017 brings success in areas needed. And, of course, I wish you lots of time to read wonderful books.
Belated Happy New Year to you!
162Whisper1
Suzanne, Book #27 comes with such a very high recommendation that I must see if my local library has this one. Book #24 is now on the TBR pile.
163Chatterbox
>161 Whisper1: Ii think it's completely reasonable to include current events in discussions when it fits into the curriculum, but in such a way that any argument is facts-based (not "alternate facts" based or constructed on emotion or wishful thinking) and logical -- that those discussions are used as a way to encourage reasoned, civil debate rather than ill-informed ranting. For instance, I was at university from 1979 to 1983, and studied political science, with a major in international relations. Many of my professors at that time had a tilt to the left and one, who taught international relations in my senior year, was far to the left. Our seminar focused on Latin American politics during the days of the Nicaraguan regime's attempt to fight off the rebels (funded by the US) and the Salvadorean civil war (funded by the US), etc., and included a discussion of the Monroe doctrine, the US role in Allende's overthrow and the rise of Pinochet, etc. etc. -- during Reagan's early years. Our professor was certainly outspoken re Reagan and his policies, but he was careful to put that in the context of history and facts, rather than just venting vitriol and name calling.
I find Milo Y. of Breitbart an extremely pathetic excuse for a human being and his views extraordinarily repugnant. I'd prefer that no one listen to them. On the other hand, what happened at Berkeley simply makes him a free speech martyr. The worst possible outcome. Let him speak and let him damn himself from his own mouth. Censorship simply does not work. Ridicule does. Informed criticism does. Indifference does. Protesting does -- but only when protesting is done on the basis of reminding people that this is the guy who has suggested that birth control makes women ugly. How can you take seriously anything else that he says after that? Case closed. You don't violence or vitriol or to respond to hate speech with hate speech. What happened was the biggest blow to progressive thought imaginable, and I grieve for it.
If I had a child attending college, I'd hope that his or her professors were helping them to make sense of the world, and that includes what is happening in the political sphere. Giving them the tools -- logic and reasoning and language skills -- to analyze, critique and debunk those who seek to use cheap rhetoric to hijack our minds. If they choose to use examples from what's in the news today, I wouldn't mind, as long as it'd done carefully and thoughtfully. When we have a president calling judges "so-called" and dismissing their reasoned opinions when they don't agree with his own thoughts or biases -- that calls for some careful thought and consideration and it should start in classrooms. What does this say about presidential powers and how they have evolved over the decades? About the role of an independent judiciary? About the checks and balances system as conceived in the constitution and as practiced today? If people can stick to the topic and steer clear of personalities and preconceived notions, these would be fruitful and important discussions that would produce a better informed electorate.
All that said, I know a number of college professors. Nearly all of them are frustrated by what they see as a lack of willingness or ability (and their views on which is responsible) on the part of students to delve beneath the surface in this way and grapple with the deeper issues. They'd rather engage in slanging matches, cling to their preconceived opinions (based on emotions -- they then go out in search of facts to support their theories rather than the reverse) and stick to their echo chambers. To the extent that there is a sense of "diatribe", that may be what parents are hearing. A push on the part of professors to challenge those utter certainties on the part of their students, or at least get them to question the roots of those certainties. When you're 19, you simply haven't lived or experienced or thought enough about anything to be THAT dogmatic. (I just had a conversation about this with a Brown Univ. professor who is teaching a small seminar at the Athenaeum this month, after our meeting on Saturday, as the whole Berkeley kerfuffle came up in the discussion.)
OK, rant over...
Shall get on to the February books later in the week. Am just... tired/drained. Trying to figure out my life. LOL.
Cats have been very, very happy to see me back again, though. Cassie and Molly have been "velcro cats", attaching themselves to me whenever I sit or lie down, in case I vanish.
I find Milo Y. of Breitbart an extremely pathetic excuse for a human being and his views extraordinarily repugnant. I'd prefer that no one listen to them. On the other hand, what happened at Berkeley simply makes him a free speech martyr. The worst possible outcome. Let him speak and let him damn himself from his own mouth. Censorship simply does not work. Ridicule does. Informed criticism does. Indifference does. Protesting does -- but only when protesting is done on the basis of reminding people that this is the guy who has suggested that birth control makes women ugly. How can you take seriously anything else that he says after that? Case closed. You don't violence or vitriol or to respond to hate speech with hate speech. What happened was the biggest blow to progressive thought imaginable, and I grieve for it.
If I had a child attending college, I'd hope that his or her professors were helping them to make sense of the world, and that includes what is happening in the political sphere. Giving them the tools -- logic and reasoning and language skills -- to analyze, critique and debunk those who seek to use cheap rhetoric to hijack our minds. If they choose to use examples from what's in the news today, I wouldn't mind, as long as it'd done carefully and thoughtfully. When we have a president calling judges "so-called" and dismissing their reasoned opinions when they don't agree with his own thoughts or biases -- that calls for some careful thought and consideration and it should start in classrooms. What does this say about presidential powers and how they have evolved over the decades? About the role of an independent judiciary? About the checks and balances system as conceived in the constitution and as practiced today? If people can stick to the topic and steer clear of personalities and preconceived notions, these would be fruitful and important discussions that would produce a better informed electorate.
All that said, I know a number of college professors. Nearly all of them are frustrated by what they see as a lack of willingness or ability (and their views on which is responsible) on the part of students to delve beneath the surface in this way and grapple with the deeper issues. They'd rather engage in slanging matches, cling to their preconceived opinions (based on emotions -- they then go out in search of facts to support their theories rather than the reverse) and stick to their echo chambers. To the extent that there is a sense of "diatribe", that may be what parents are hearing. A push on the part of professors to challenge those utter certainties on the part of their students, or at least get them to question the roots of those certainties. When you're 19, you simply haven't lived or experienced or thought enough about anything to be THAT dogmatic. (I just had a conversation about this with a Brown Univ. professor who is teaching a small seminar at the Athenaeum this month, after our meeting on Saturday, as the whole Berkeley kerfuffle came up in the discussion.)
OK, rant over...
Shall get on to the February books later in the week. Am just... tired/drained. Trying to figure out my life. LOL.
Cats have been very, very happy to see me back again, though. Cassie and Molly have been "velcro cats", attaching themselves to me whenever I sit or lie down, in case I vanish.
164thornton37814
>160 Chatterbox: I need to see if that Ancient Greece mystery series is available locally. Sounds kind of interesting.
ETA: Some are available on audiobook via Tennessee Reads. Looks like I'll be starting with book 2 unless I find the first one in Knox County's ebooks or audiobooks.
ETA: Some are available on audiobook via Tennessee Reads. Looks like I'll be starting with book 2 unless I find the first one in Knox County's ebooks or audiobooks.
165Whisper1
>163 Chatterbox: rant away.
166Chatterbox
>164 thornton37814: I think I read the first via Kindle or the library -- rats, or I would have sent you my copy. The first one remains my favorite; it's got a kind of tongue-in-cheek wit.
167Copperskye
>160 Chatterbox: Hi Suzanne, I love that you are back and posting thoughts on your reads again. I always discover interesting new books and enjoy your thoughtful comments. Rain Dogs sounds particularly interesting- oh look, a new series to try!
168thornton37814
>166 Chatterbox: I searched by author last night so it just presented me with what they had. I searched by title and found I could recommend the ebook for Tennessee Reads. I did that. I hope it is still new enough they'll consider it. I'll be waitlisted for it when it arrives. Of course, I could be first for it. I received a notice in the last day or two they'd purchased one of my recommendations. I was on the waiting list so more than one person recommended it.
169scaifea
>163 Chatterbox: Yesyesyes to all of that rant. Well said.
170katiekrug
The few political discussions I've seen among the 75ers have been enlightening, respectful, and very civil. It's heartening to know that people can still engage that way.
171ronincats
>163 Chatterbox: Wonderfully stated, Suz!!
173michigantrumpet
Stopping through, Suzanne to say Priestdaddy made it safe and sound. You are truly a great friend. Are you still hoping to make it to Boston on a Friday ion the near future? John and I need some Suzanne time!
174mdoris
Just found your thread and will now visit regularly! Wonderful to see your best of fiction/non fiction lists of 2016.
175Chatterbox
>173 michigantrumpet: Haven't booked anything (hair appointment, train...) but will do that. We were talking about a Friday evening, right?
>174 mdoris: Welcome! Always great to see a new face!
Just read my first five-star novel of the year: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid...
>174 mdoris: Welcome! Always great to see a new face!
Just read my first five-star novel of the year: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid...
176catarina1
Thanks for the review of Exit West - got an email from the only independent bookstore here in Baltimore that he is coming here in March for a reading. $28 gets you a seat and a copy the book.
177Chatterbox
>176 catarina1: Do you think you'll go?
178catarina1
>177 Chatterbox: I might now that I see your review. I recall trying to read one of his previous books.
179michigantrumpet
>175 Chatterbox: Yep - Fridays generally work for us. Just check first to make sure nothing outstanding on the social docket! But, yes! Let's do this!
180Chatterbox
>178 catarina1: I mentioned Exit West on my Facebook post, prompting a comment from an Indian friend of mine, and a bit of a debate about the relative merits of two Pakistani-born authors, Hamid and Mohamed Hanif (author of A Case of Exploding Mangoes.) Sanchia, who prefers Hanif's prose, wrote "hilariously, Hamid's cousin is a good friend of mine and he also sheepishly confessed that he prefers Hanif (though in undertones, because family loyalty)."
181Chatterbox
For anyone interested, and who hasn't checked out the ALA-listed books in my library, I've updated my acquisitions list above (in posts >7 Chatterbox: and >8 Chatterbox:) to include all the ARCs that I obtained while in Atlanta.
I'm still behind in updating my reading, of course... Haven't provided any notes on any of my February books, which have all been fiction thus far, and generally speaking, more enjoyable than many of January's. I'm reading through the "Bordeaux" historical mystery quartet by Allan Massie, and finding that they work much, much better when read one after the other; when I tried to read the first book in isolation, it was OK, but somewhat lackluster. Reading them this way, I can get caught up in the lives of the characters, which makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. They are set in Bordeaux (natch) during WW2, and the main character is a police inspector struggling with divided family loyalties, the increasing stress of his job, and the growing terror of the Vichy and Nazi regimes.
I'm still behind in updating my reading, of course... Haven't provided any notes on any of my February books, which have all been fiction thus far, and generally speaking, more enjoyable than many of January's. I'm reading through the "Bordeaux" historical mystery quartet by Allan Massie, and finding that they work much, much better when read one after the other; when I tried to read the first book in isolation, it was OK, but somewhat lackluster. Reading them this way, I can get caught up in the lives of the characters, which makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. They are set in Bordeaux (natch) during WW2, and the main character is a police inspector struggling with divided family loyalties, the increasing stress of his job, and the growing terror of the Vichy and Nazi regimes.
182avatiakh
I noticed that you read The Grand Tour by Adam O'Fallon Price last year. I just read it and loved it too. I hope it gets a wide readership.
183LovingLit
>143 Chatterbox: I read a Clive James book as a teenager (back when I didn't read) and it struck me as very funny and worth reading more of. But i have yet to read more of him. Perhaps the time has finally arrived.
>163 Chatterbox: Let him speak and let him damn himself from his own mouth. Censorship simply does not work.
I agree with you there.
>163 Chatterbox: Let him speak and let him damn himself from his own mouth. Censorship simply does not work.
I agree with you there.
Ce sujet est poursuivi sur Chatterbox Reads Omnivorously, and Fires Book Bullets Indiscriminately -- Part II.
