Cariola's 75 Book Challenge for 2008

1. The Child in Time by Ian McEwan.

I put off reading this book for a long time, probably because the synopses I had read focused on the kidnapping that occurs in the book's first chapter. But, like all of McEwan's novels, there's so much more to it than surface plot. The prose is exquisite, and no one gets inside of a character or understands relationships as well as McEwan. The book is heartbreaking but beautiful.

I've just joined the group - thanks Cariola for starting this one. Originally I was aiming for 88 books this year, in '07 I managed 83. 75 is a good number to aim for.
In 2008 I want to read at least 20 books I've had for at a year or more. I also want to read some classics.
Other than that, I'm flexible!
Cariola, I definitely want to read Atonement soon; I also have A Child in Time in my TBR pile. On Chesil Beach was my favourite book read in 2007.
I'm going to try to find cheap secondhand hardcover copies of books I want to keep (most of my books are given away or are on my Mooch list) - for example I picked up A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry yesterday.
Always hoping to read more CanLit too.
I have about 5 books on the go right now, so nothing to post to my 2008 list yet!

#2 dihiba, On Chesil Beach was in my top five for 2007 as well. I really didn't expect to like it after reading a few reviews--how silly to write a whole book about an unconsummated wedding night, right? Wrong--because there was so much more to the book than that. McEwan just keeps getting better and better, more and more introspective. I loved Saturday as well. I plan to reread Atonement--well, because I didn't really read it, I listened to the audiobook, and I think perhaps the reader had a negative impact on me. I hear the movie is wonderful and can't wait for it to get here.

Saturday and A Child in Time are also in my TBR pile. The only McEwan book I had read before Beach was Amsterdam which I enjoyed.
So many books to look forward to in '08! I started reading The Story of Lucy Gault this morning by William Trevor - think it will be very good.

The Story of Lucy Gault is somewhere amid my vast stacks of TBRs. I really need to STOP acquiring books before I get some of them read. I just started collecting Virago Modern Classics about two months ago and already have acquired about 60--in addition to all the other TBRs. I guess I will be set for retirement reading (which won't be happening for quite a few years yet).

I have a huge TBR pile* (*i.e. boxes) as well - and I keep breaking my resolutions about books, and it's only January 4th.
I figure it will take me 3 years to get through the books I have.
I bought 2 secondhand books only to find out they are Viragos. They are paperbacks though. Are the ones most people collect hardcover?

I still stop posting here now : ) I realize this is for Cariola's 2008 books.

Hey, that's OK! It's lonely in here!

well, then, come to the kitchen!

#6 There aren't many Virago Modern CLassics (if any) available in hardcover, so you've got a collection going. Which two did you pick up?

2. The Courage Consort by Michel Faber.

A rather dull set of novellas. Faber's writing is excellent, but his collection of disturbed characters are rather ho-hum, and the plots, which start off interestingly, just fade away to an ending. He might have done better to make these novellas into short stories, since none of them has the stamina for its length.

I have only kept two Viragos - George Eliot novellas - and have sent off others. I pick them up when I see them as I have too many LT friends who are rabid collectors (and some less rabid, but collectors nonetheless). I suspect Cariola that you are a member of the not-so-secret society of Virago collectors? :-)

#12 Yes--I only starting collecting them a few months ago, but I already own about 70. A woman on PBS offered to give me her collection of 200+, and they have been arriving a dozen or so at a time.

oh my, you must have paola and the others quite envious (although I think she has over 200 now).

3. The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrevzani.

Fascinating novel, the kind that's hard to put down. The narrator/main character is a 14-year old Iranian girl living in a small town in sixteenth-century Iran. She discovers that she has a passion and a talent for rugmaking--which, of course, she can't pursue as a career because she is female. When her father dies unexpectedly, she and her mother move to the city to live with her father's half-brother--a rugmaker who is delighted to teach her the trade. But his wife is less happy about happy two more mouths to feed. I don't want to give the plot away for anyone else who might want to read it, so I'll stop there. The book is a wonderful study of class, status, sexism, and customs--and of one young woman's perseverance. Highly recommended.

4. American Bloomsbury by Susan Cheever. A rather ho-hum account of the community formed by Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Alcott, and Fuller, with guest appearances by Melville, Whitman, and others.


4 / 75 books. 5% done!

Oh, that's a pity! Not knowing anything about American Bloomsbury, I just yesterday borrowed it from a friend and was looking forward to reading it. But after reading your reaction and then checking the reviews here on LT, I'm less enticed.

I'm enjoying reading your opinions.

I admit to skimming American Bloomsbury after receiving an arc from the author at a book trade show. She and I had a lively discussion of Fruitlands, Bronson Alcott's failed utopia (and also the place I got married in 2005). I didn't think the book told me much that I didn't already know though.

#18 Since my specialty is English Renaissance lit, I don't know a lot about the transcendentalists et al, but even at that, I didn't learn much from this book that I hadn't gotten somewhere years back in my education and/or reading.

How cool to have a personal connection to Fruitlands!

I've got American Transcendentalism queued up in the TBR list from my local library. The Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal reviews piqued my interest. I'm hoping it's a good intro to the broader transcendentalist movement since I'm pretty much only familiar with Thoreau and Emerson.

5. Hotel World by Ali Smith. Smith attempts to create separate voices of five women (one of whom is dead) who live(d) in or near an old hotel. Each of the stories is written in a very different voice. While I appreciate Smith's experimentation, the stories have little, aside from the hotel, to link them. I've been fairly disappointed in both of her books that I've read since The Accidental.

6. The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan. Enjoyable as an audiobook on my commute, but I don't think I would have liked it as well in print. This story of a 16th century Indian Muslim woman who spends decades dreaming of what might have been (since childhood, she imagined marrying the emperor's son) is a bit lightweight, but the descriptions of customs, palaces, and warfare are lively enough for divided concentration. I also have the author's followup, The Feast of Roses, on audio and just downloaded her latest, which is set in the 1940s.


6 / 75 books. 8% done!

I didn't continue after Sundaresan's first, although I might have been tempted with an audio. I didn't know there was a third. I've been meaning to read more Ali Smith but I just haven't gotten there yet.

Lois, I had high hopes for Smith's other books after reading The Accidental, but so far, I'm not too impressed.

7. Beowulf

8. Titus Andronicus

9. Henry V

(All rereads for courses I am teaching.)


9 / 75 books. 12% done!

10. The Lifted Veil by George Eliot. An interesting little novel--more of a short story, really. It reminded me of Frankenstein and of some of Poe's short stories.


10 / 75 books. 13% done!

11. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Reread for a class I'm teaching. What can I say? It's a classic.

12. Harbor by Lorraine Adams

Rereading this excellent book for two classes I'm teaching. It raises a lot of questions about illegal immigration, amnesty, the working poor, prejudice, terroism, and the "evidence" the government uses to convict and deport people. Lots for my students to write about. (Wrong touchstone showing.)


12 / 75 books. 16% done!

Cariola, I think you are the first person I have run across on LT who has read Harbor. I thought it a great book for all the reasons you state. Also good in this way is Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami.

btw, Lorraine Adams is the author of that NYT article mentioned on the Reading Globally group questioning about the overexposure of the 'oppressed Muslim woman' in our literature these days.

avaland, I read the book the summer before last and thought it was perfect for my freshman seminars on the American image (how other countries view us and why, especially post-Iraq invasion) and Changing America (which included units on immigration, prejudice, and terrorism. I'll be interested to see the article you mention.

13. Afterwards: A Novel by Rachel Seiffert

A quiet but very moving novel, beautifully written. The point of view shifts between Alice and Joseph, the new man in her life. The men in Alice's life have all been rather detached; she never knew her father as a child and her grandfather, while civil, has always seemed to live behind an emotional wall. Things go smoothly with Joseph until Alice intuits that there's something he won't talk about--and until her grandfather begins to open up to Joseph.

(I don't think I put any spoliers in there. Sometimes it's difficult to write these bllurbs without giving away too much.)


13 / 75 books. 17% done!

Cariola I love your progress meter!! I hope you don't mind that I borrowed the tech and added it to my own post. Oh and you are may ahead of me!!

Not a problem! I borrowed it from someone else; I think there are several links posted on the 50 Book Challenge thread.

14. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.

This is a reread for a course I'm teaching--haven't taught this one for about 10 years. I always find the straight comedies harder to teach than the tragedies, histories, romances, or problem plays. This one is not as reliant on the language and inside jokes of Shakespeare's day, so it should be fun.

15. The Second Shepherds' Play and Everyman.

More rereads for classes; again, I've not taught these two (which I'm counting as one book) in about five years.


15 / 75 books. 20% done!

This is only partially relevant, but I'm going to mention it anyway:

A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and I think it's because, when I was 5 years old, my best friend's mother took us to see the play. It was accessible enough that I got the gist of what was going on, I think (at the very least, Bottom was hilarious and kept a 5-year-old's attention), and it was simply magical. My first theater experience and it made me fall in love with Shakespeare at a pretty early age. I'm always happy when I hear that it's made it into a syllabus.

I also agree that teaching comedy is harder than teaching tragedy in general, not just Shakespeare, although Plautus is one of my favorite authors to teach, even though it is difficult to do so for me (whoa, run-on sentence much?). Is it because it's harder to teach people what's funny in literature than it is to point out to them what's tragic? I think it also has to do with the fact that, in order to fully understand comedy, one has to step outside one's society and take a hard look at it, whereas tragedy seems more naturally understood (if that makes any sense)...

(pardon my ramblings, please...)

Oddly, I took my daughter to see this play when she was 13, and she was totally confused. I blame it on the production. One of my beliefs is that Shakespeare isn't all that hard to grasp if you just trust the written word. If you add too many bells and whistles, you can muck it up. Her questions at intermission really made this point to me: "Why are some of the people wearing roller skates and others aren't? Who are the three little girls on the tricycles? (That was their interpretation of Puck.) Why are some people wearing 1900s clothes and others are wearing modern clothes? Who is that guy that looks like David Lee Roth?" I think it can be difficult for beginners to READ Shakespeare, but everybody can pretty much understand what's going on in a decent film or performance.

I think comedy generally depends a lot more on 1) visualization (which can be hard for a lot of students); and on 2) topicality. A lot of the "inside jokes" that make sense to people contemporary to the playwright are lost on us. Think how much of today's humor is based on current events, popular culture, slang, etc. Earlier playwirghts used the same strategies, but they are totally lost on most members of a 2008 audience who aren't familiar with that culture. When you read tragedy, however, it's pretty easy to "get it"--when someone goes mad or is betrayed or dies, we understand that at the gut level.

I would never dream of teaching Love's Labour's Lost--and I've had a hard time with As You Like It as well. And while students generally understand Measure for Measure, they get angry at Isabella for choosing to save her virginity rather than her brother's life. It's a different world to them.

I agree wholeheartedly on all counts. Plautus is slightly different in that most of his humor is strangely timeless (much like Greek New Comedy, he moves away from topical humor to basic (and pretty base) slapstick stuff), but it still takes some thinking to figure out what he's saying about his culture overall.

As far as Measure for Measure, I find similar reactions to some ancient Roman stories too - Lucretia, for example - students are shocked that she kills herself after being raped so that other women won't be able to use her as an excuse to commit adultery willingly, and that because of this she is considered one of the most virtuous of Roman women. I find that this resistance on the part of the students can be really fruitful sometimes, though. It gets them talking about the text, and to me that's rarely a bad thing.

18. Lady Susan by Jane Austen.

A clever little book written in letters. While nowhere near as fine as Austen's later, longer novels, the spark of Austen's genius lies beneath the surface of this story of a recently widowed woman who has set her cap on a much younger man, to the dismay of his sister and parents. Is Lady Susan a golddigger and a bad mother? Or has she been grossly misunderstood?


17. My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru.

Kunzru's first novel, The Impressionist, is at or near the top of my list of favorite contemporary novels. But his next two novels, Transmission and My Revolutions, don't come close. The characters in My Revolutions, political radicals of the 1960s/70s, come across as immature, whiny, egotistical, and boring. I didn't care about them and in fact was hoping that some of them would indeed blow themselves up. Way too much political ranting for my taste. I do credit Kunzu for trying something completely different with each of his novels (even if it doesn't quite work). I'll be looking forward to seeing what he takes on next.


17 / 75 books. 23% done!

Cariola, I never know what I'm going to find here on your thread! Sometimes I think you can see into my head. I have been dithering about My Revolutions, having been impressed with Kunzru, but the subject matter didn't capture my interest. Still, I dithered. It is even on the shortlist for the Commonwealth Prize. Your review puts an end to my dithering.

Good decision--it was pretty painful. As I'm sure was said many times on the Booker Prize thread, the longlisted books are often better than the shortlisted ones. Did Afterwards make the list? That is one I would definietely recommend.

Not the Commonwealth list. It's been posted here:
http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/news/author/article_display.jsp?vnu_...

oh, what a disappointment about My Revolutions. I loved his first two, and keep almost buying the new one (but skintness makes me wary of hardbacks at the moment).

But Lady Susan is one of those usually ignored treasures. I think it's hilarious, and I also love her very arch frustration with the epistolary form. I also have mad love for many of the Victorian sensationalist novels, too, particularly those with wicked, wild-tempered heroines (Vixen and Lady Audley's Secret sprint to mind) rather than the sappy, good-works-doing put-upon pious types.

She liked Victorian novels. They were the only kind of novel you could eat while eating an apple. (sorry... been re-reading Cold Comfort Farm and making an idiot of myself by laughing out loud on public transport).

I love Cold Comfort Farm. Ah, to get by for your whole life simply on the basis of having seen something nasty in the woodshed!

I picked up Lady Susan at the library the other day. I have not read a lot of Jane Austen, so I am looking forward to reading this one.

Now, I will have to go get Cold Comfort Farm. I am dying to know who saw what in the woodshed!

Edited because I cannot seem to spell today.

I'm currently reading Cold Comfort Farm as well. I might just pretend I've seen something in the woodshed to explain any future socially unacceptable behaviour! Oh, what's that in the woodshed...

There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm. Oh, a delightful book, and, when you finished the movie is a bit o' fun also, especially the pump scene with young Rufus Sewall.

Agreed--the movie is a must.

18. The Brontes Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson.

A Virago Modern Classic. Very amusing story of three sisters who create an imaginary world that begins to intersect with reality.

#48 Cariola: I am definitely going to have to look for that one!

>48 Cariola:

People who are reading that book need to stop telling other people about it! ;) I'm trying to find one and it's hard enough as it is! Nevertheless, it's good to know you liked it.

19. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Reread for a course I am teaching. I really enjoy teaching this play; there are so many directions to go with it.

20. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe.

Another reread for another course. Not my favorite Marlowe play, but I am using an edition with some great critical essays.

21. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones.

A wonderful novel that ponders the power of books to change lives (or at least to make them more bearable) and the influence of one individual and questions the notion of heroism.

Cariola, Thank you for recommending The Brontes Went to Woolworths. I put it on interlibrary loan based on your recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it.

#52 - Completely agree with you about Mister Pip.

22. The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.

A heartbreaking personal account of a tragedy too often relegated to the back pages of American newspapers. I hope more people will read this book and be moved to take action.

23. The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle.

Absolutely delightful, and very original. While there were a few sad moments, these stories often had me smiling (and sometimes laughing out loud). In one of the stories, Doyle brings back Jimmy Rabbitt from The Commitments, who is now married with four kids named Jimmy Two, Marvin, Mahalia, and Smoky. (His love for Motown continues . . . ) All of the stories involve the new immigrants to Ireland, many of them from Africa or Eastern Europe, and the response of the native Irish to them. I highly recommend this one!

Sounds like a good book to read if the Reading Globally group decides to do immigration as a theme read for June!

avaland, I think you'd enjoy it! The stories involved Africans, Poles, Roumanians, etc. The title story is about Jimmy forming a new band, The Deportees ("No Irish need apply"). Probably my favorite stories were "Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner" and one about a young half-black Irishman who comes to New York to study (his topic: "The effect of Irish Literature on the rest of the f*ing world"), but he ends up looking for his father's family.

24. Macbeth. (A reread for my Shakespeare class.)

Hey Cari,
I finally got around to reading my National Geographic for the month and one of the stories was on the Sahel, which is a stretch of land that encompasses about 6 or so African countries and regions of which Sudan is one (and Darfur specifically). Anyway, the writer of the story talks about how he was kidnapped and tortured for days with his guide and translator. While I was reading, the name of the translator jumped out at me. His name is Daoud Hari and I believe its the same guy who wrote the book you read a few books ago. I have no idea when the story for National Geo was written, if it was before or after he wrote the book you just read. Anyway I just thought it was something you may have wanted to know.

By the way they eventually got released and left Darfur.

I read that article also! (NG is my favorite bathroom reading)

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/sahel/paul-salopek-text

Did you read the Calvin Trillin story about the last days of the rickshaw?

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/kolkata-rickshaws/calvin-trillin-text

Yeah, I really like the rickshaw article, especially the description of the impacts to the local communities if the rickshaws were to go away. Such as the fact that locals depend on the rickshaws during the rainy season when other vehicles can't travel on some roads. It's a much more complicated situation than my naive first thoughts.

Thanks, Trish and avaland. I don't subscribe to NG, so it was great to have access to these two articles.

Hey Ava, I did get to read the article on rickshaws. I thought it was very well done and showed that though some may object to the idea of one man carrying around another, the alternatives for the driver are almost non existent. The article on the Sahel was also wrenching...throwing babies in boiling water...seriously can we use our amazing mental capacities for better things than thinking up new ways to torture and dehumanize each other. Sad, very sad.

Hey Cariola, Sorry that I did not get back to you sooner, I was catching up on my British/Scottish television. I have been in serious withdrawal after I finished watching six seasons of Monarch of the Glen. Season seven lacks most of my favorite characters so I am in no rush to see it. But I just recently discovered Hamish Macbeth and I spent most of my weekend watching that and an assortment of other UK TV stuff. (I did no reading this weekend...boo)

Anyway I totally agree with you as concerns For matrimonial purposes. I liked the description of life in India and the whole marriage industry over there. I related very much to her life in New York and as an NYU alum myself I could totally relate with her description of certain aspects of her life while a student. I could understand and totally relate to her loneliness as she adjusted to New York life. However, she began to lose me when she said that she had finally discovered her purpose in life and it was to dedicate her life to her job(I forget how exactly she said this but that is what it pretty much amounted to). And by the end, I guess we were supposed to be surprised by her final fate but I gotta say that it was stereotypically obvious that thats where it was headed. The whole thing felt very "Bridget Jone's diary" but not as good. At least in Jone's diary we get a sense that they carried on a real relationship and that marriage was somewhere later in the future. I was kinda disappointed cause my feelings by the time I got to the end was "That's it?". And why was it that all her friends who had arranged marriages had to be secretly unhappy? I guess that we are supposed to take away from it that all arranged marriages were bad. Don't get me wrong, I would not be caught dead in an arranged marriage but there is something that I personally respect about the whole thing. I guess the idea we are to draw from this is that though her parents want her to have an arranged marriage and she also wished for the same, arranged marriages were not so good after all. I was just a bit confused as to what we were supposed to make out of all of that. I did find many aspects of the book to be hilarious especially as concerns her mother and some of her descriptions of New York city. Anyway those are some of my thots on the book.

Trish, I hadn't thought about it, but you're right, the novel was, in a way, multicultural chick lit!

25. In My Other Life: Stories by Joan Silber.

I was sorely disappointed in this collection, which I obtained on the strength of Silber's Ideas of Heaven: A Ring of Stories, one of my favorite reads in the past two years. While this one was well written, it was also rather dry, the characters just didn't interest me, and the stories seemed overall to go nowhere.

Cariola - I read Household Words by Joan Silber about a year ago and really enjoyed it. I hope to read some more of hers in the future. If you haven't read HW, I recommend it.

67--> Thanks, it's on my list and will stay there. Ideas of Heaven really left an impact on me, so I won't give up on Silber that easily!

26. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky.

A lovely but sometimes sad novel about the ways in which a group of very diverse French citizens endured the German occupation.

27. First Love, Last Rites by Ian McEwan.

I'm a big McEwan fan, but I have to say that I'm glad he shifted away from what he was doing in his earlier novels and stories, including this collection. For me, the "ick-factor" was way too high--too much focus on incest, masturbation, child molestation, sado-masochism, etc.).

28. The Way of the World. Reread for my Brit Lit course.

29. Twelfth Night. Reread for my Shakespeare course.

Hi Cariola, nice to see someone reading Shakespeare. I have listened to four of his plays recently, including Twelfth Night and really enjoyed them. I think audio with explanations is the way to go for people like me!!!

Karen, I teach Shakespeare, and even after all these years, I always reread the plays when I teach them, and I always find something new to think about.

I have several as yet untouched books interpreting Shakespeare which are begging to be read - do you have any favourites to recommend?

It really depends on what you're looking for. There are some old classics, such as A. L. Rowse, John Berryman, and A. C. Bradley; and Stephen Greenblatt's Will in the World is a lot of fun. I've used a lot of essay anthologies in teaching. There's a great feminist one my Mary Ann Novy, The Woman's Part, that still holds up well.

What's on your shelf?

Cariola, I remember a book I found interesting when I took my Shakespeare class - I think it was called, Shakespeare Alive!. It put the plays in their historical context, if I remember correctly.

I really enjoyed Will in the World as well. If you're interested in Hamlet, the first half of Looking for Hamlet was decent, but light. The second half kind of loses focus when Hunt starts talking about modern interpretation of the play.

On my shelf is:

The Genius Shakespeare by Jonathan Bate
Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
The Age of Shakespeare by Frank Kermode
Shakespeare after all by Marjorie Garder
William Shakespeare by Anthony Holden
How to Read Shakespeare by Nicholas Royle
Shakespeare the biography by Peter Ackroyd
Shakespeare - The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
The Life and Times of William Shakespeare by Peter Levi

Now this is embarrassing as I have only read one of these. And it does not include my interpretive books on Shakespeare!!!

one of the very best books about Shakespeare's plays is Shakespeare, our contemporary by Jan Kott. Written in the seventies (sixties?) but still mindblowing.

Of the books posted, I have and would recommend:

Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
The Age of Shakespeare by Frank Kermode
Shakespeare after all by Marjorie Garber
Shakespeare, our contemporary by Jan Kott
Shakespeare the biography by Peter Ackroyd (to know more about Shakespeare's life, but not necessarily the plays)

I'll take a look at my shelf at work today, which is where most of my WS books are shelved.

Cariola (or anyone) - do you know anything about Shakespeare of London by Marchette Shute?

#79 Yes, it's a "biography" written in the 1950s or 1960s. I put "biography" in quotes because, although she gets some basic facts right, she tends to write her books as though they were romances. In other words, they are for popular consumption and are not very scholarly. Many of them were in fact Book-of-the-Month Club selections. I read her bio of Ben Jonson when in grad school and was appalled by it.

Some essay collections that I highly recommend:

Shakespearean Tragedy and Gender ed. by Shirley Nelson Garner and Madelon Sprengnether
Materialist Shakespeare ed. by Ivo Kamps
The Matter of Difference by Valerie Traub
Shakespeare and Gender ed. Deborah Barker and Ivo Kamps
Political Shakespeare ed. by Jonathan Dollimore and Alan Sinfield
Shakespearean Negotiation by Stephen Greenblatt

Wow Cariola, this Shakespeare thingy has kinda taken over your thread. Thanks so much for the posting of recommendations. I am inspired to try one or two now that I am familiar with most of his plays.

There was also a recent English TV programme on Shakespeare, incorporating some of the Royal Shakespeare players - excellent, excellent program. The photography was splendid - although I watched the HD version.

#81 No problem--since I consider myself a Shakespearean, I love to talk about the plays, criticism, performances, etc. I would recommend starting with Greenblatt's Will in the World. He is such an excellent writer and a brilliant mind, and he makes Shakespeare fun in this one.

If you want to see a really interesting recent film version, take a look at The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. My students loved it.

Thanks Cariola. I think I will start with the Greenblatt book - I see he won a Pulitzer for it, too.

I have enjoyed many different film versions of Shakespeare, including the Jeremy Irons one. I have seen several with Kenneth Branagh who seems to have a passion for Shakespeare (Henry V, and I think Midsummers night) - he did several in the 1990a.

There was a contemporary (1920s) Othello - cannot remember who was in that one. I love the original R&J and recently re-watched it - but could not enjoy the later version with 'whats his name' from the Titanic movie. The music really grated (showing my age).

Listening to the audio explanations really gave me a better understanding though - as some of the historical nuances must be explained.

30. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka.

Nadia, the narrator, learns that her recently widowed 84-year old father, a Ukrainian immigrant to the UK, plans to marry a 36-year old woman from his homeland, partly to help her and her teenaged son stay in the country, partly because she lets him fondle her "Botticellian" breasts. A sociology lecturer and a liberal, Nadia has some concerns, despite her hope that her father has found someone to care for him (if not love him) in his last years. Soon after the marriage, however, she and her estranged older sister bond in their opposition to the new wife, and their fears are realized as Valentina spends lavishly, appears to be seeing other men, refuses to cook or clean house, and ultimately abuses their father, both verbally and physically.

The novel is neither as bleak as it sounds from above, not as funny as the blurbs on the cover contend; it raises a mix of emotions, from amusement to anger. In the course of the story, family secrets are revealed and family dynamics explained. The title refers to Pappa's last work, a treatise on tractors that features the role the Ukraine plays.

I throughly enjoyed this book (maybe because I went through a similar experience when my dad married a younger woman who took him for quite a ride) and gave it 4.5 stars.

31. Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell.

The story of a young woman, seduced and abandoned in Victorian England. Rescued from a suicide attempt by a clergyman and his sister, Ruth is convinced to pose as a widow, and she and her son live a reformed life--until her sin is exposed.

#31: Another one to read by Elizabeth Gaskell! I just bought Cranford, which I had originally checked out of the library, because I was enjoying it so much.

32. The Attack by Yasmina Khadra.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was disappointing. The characters were stereotypical and/or not believable, and although I'm sure that the reader, like the main character (a doctor whose wife has carried out a suicide bombing), is supposed to gain a better understanding of why anyone would go to this extreme, I felt it simply fell into a lot of the usual diatribe about humiliation, poverty, and nationalism.

33. A Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare. Reread for a course I'm teaching.

I guess I can't count books that I started but didn't finish. I gave up on The Underpainter about 150 pages in and on Midnight at the Dragon Cafe after about 100.

Maybe two halves make a whole, Cariola?

Now if only I could count the 80 student papers I have to finish reading in the next week!

Hey, I'll let you count them! I only have to read the ones my girls do . . .

34. Women with Men by Richard Ford

Three novellas about relationships. I enjoyed the first one, the others were just OK.

35. The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope.

Reread for course I am teaching. The eighteenth century doesn't get any better than this, in my opinion. (Sadly, my students don't seem to agree.)

36. The Warden by Anthony Trollope.

A quiet little book--just what I needed in the midst of reading semester papers and grading exams. This is the second Trollope I've read; the first was The Small House at Allington, which is a later part of the Barchester Chronicles. I plan to read them all in sequence over the summer. I find his work delightful, and I'm definitely on this side of the Dickens v. Trollope contest.

37. The Unknown Errors of Our Lives by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

A collection of short stories "about family, culture, and memories." Many focus on Indian immigrants either adjusting to life in the US or returning to their homeland. Not all the stories are quite as moving as "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter," but they all have a wonderful quality of self-discovery, and Divakaruni writes beautifully.

38. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

An Early Review book. The first 2/3 of the book was wonderful. It moves between two stories, that of a 10-year old Jewish girl living in Paris when the Vel d'Hiv roundup occurs, and that of a contemporary journalist investigating the atrocity. Each "chapter" is only 2-4 pages in length, the story moving rapidly between them. After the climactic moment in Sarah's story, the narrative shifts entirely to Julia, and, unfortunately, the novel flags at this point, fallling into predictability and cliche. Nevertheless, it is worth reading to learn about Vel d'Hiv, an incident the French covered over for decades.

I just finished Sarah's Key and agree with you .The last part of the story could have been cut out!

39. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Wonderful, wonderful, and even more wonderful. Gaskell is such an expert at developing character and creating in words the full picture of Victorian society. I have read this one before and have seen the excellent BBC drama based on the novel. This time I listened to the audiobook, and it was a real pleasure.

40. Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson.

I was not quite as enraptured by the story as others have been, but Olsson's spare, quiet prose was perfect for it. She really makes you feel like you are in the heart of snowy Sweden in March, that you can taste those berries and mushrooms in late summer, that you can smell the merging greenness in the spring. Beautifully written. It's the story of two women, one young and one old, who come together in friendship as they each are trying to detach themselves from life.

41. Memoirs of a Muse by Lara Vapnyar.

This one has been on Mt. TBR for a long time; it might as well have stayed there. A real disappointment. Too chick lit-ish for my taste; I found the main character an irritatingly silly girl.

I loved North and South, also Cariola. I must get to her other books ASAP.

As for Astrid and Veronika, I read the book based on enthusiastic recommendation and was disappointed. I read it while visiting home in New Zealand from Canada so it was appropriate in that respect - but not great literature IMO.

Has anyone read Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell Thoughts?

Yes, I read Mary Barton many years ago as part of a course in Victorian women's lives. Like Ruth, it's not exactly an "upper," but it is a marvelous read and a wonderful depiction of the harshness of life in the lower classes.

Thanks. My grandfather was born into that milieu in 1889 - I believe she sets her books in northern England. He was born in the Manchester area. I think her books are set in that area, aren't they?

Yes, most of them are and involve the Industrial Revolution's side effects.

Lara Vapnyar wrote a much better book of short stories entitled There are Jews in My House. I found her novel disappointing as well

#103 Yes, I read it--that's why I got the novel. We seem to agree on a lot of books!

42. The March by E. L. Doctorow.

I don't know why I put this one off for so long--it was absolutely wonderful. A brilliantly created collection of characters (including a "white" slave girl, two conscripted convicts, a Eurpoean doctor, a British reporter, a judge's daughter, an young Irish soldier, a photographer's assistant, among others) either encounter or accompany Sherman's army on its march through the south. Best Doctorow I've read since Ragtime.

#105: The March has been on my TBR list for a while now. I will definitely have to get on it now that I am done with the move.

43. America America by Ethan Canin

This one started off slowly and didn't grab me for about 200 pages. And that didn't last. It was just a so-so-read, ponderous and predictable. The author had too many themes running, the characters were stereotypes, and he kept trying to create suspense that generally ended in a let-down. I felt like he was trying to hard to write The Great American Novel, but it felt more like it was bogged down in Dreiser, Fitzgerald, etc.

44. The Spanish Bride by Laurien Gardner

I whipped through this bit of fluff in a single afternoon. A not-so-good novel about Katherine of Aragon told from the POV of one of her ladies-in-waiting, with a few bodice-ripper pages stuck in for good measure. It's going right back on my swap list.

45. Mothers and Sons by Colm Toibin.

An interesting collection of characters in eight stories, each of which somehow involves a mother and son (although sometimes peripherally). My only problem with this book was that the stories just STOPPED in what seemed to be random places--particularly annoying as I listened to the audio version. I'd start wondering who the reader was talking about and what happened to Sean or Fergus or Catherine, until I realized I was in another story with new characters.

46. Anagrams by Lorrie Moore.

I have loved Moore's quirky style and her ability to get inside of her characters' heads for years. This was her first novel, and it doesn't disappoint.

47. A Lady Raised High: a novel of Anne Boleyn by Laurien Gardner.

Another bit of fluff, but actually much better than the Gardner novel listed two messages above. The narrator, another lady-in-waiting, was much more interesting, and there was significantly less bodice-ripping.

48. Daughters of the House by Michele Roberts.

This book, a former Booker nominee, got a lot of hype--perhaps undeservedly so. It's the story of two adolescent cousins (one French, one French-English) living in a rural French town after World War II. There's some "secret" about the town that no one will speak of--but it didn't seem like much of a mystery to me. Roberts uses an interesting style: very short chapters, each titled after an object that figures in the chapter. Overall, it just didn't do much for me.

I read one of Michele's books - while I liked her style, there was (IMO) something lacking although I could not put my finger on it. I didn't pursue reading any others of hers after that one.

#112 The only one of her books that I really liked was Fair Exchange. That said, I'm trudging through a short story collection, During Mother's Absence, and have two more of her novels on my TBR shelf. I guess I keep hoping that one of them will be as good as Fair Exchange.

49. During Mother's Absence by Michele Roberts

A rather mediocre collection of short stories. I have no idea how any of them relates to the title.

One more book and I'm 2/3 of the way to goal!

Halfway through the year and 2/3rd of the way to your goal, that's great.

I'm not really a goal person when it comes to books. I seem to do ok reading what I'm interested in at the time and I always read between 80-100 a year (which I think is a perfectly suitable amount of books to read). I should probably develop some housekeeping goals, though:-)

I was thinking next year I might want to find a non-challenge, book log group (and may have to start one...). The whole quantitative thing just doesn't work for me but the challenge has been keeping the log with comments on each book.

I certainly don't need the numbers to motivate me to read--I doubt that many LTers do. Like you, I'm more interested in tracking my own comments on the books and reading those left by others on the challenge.

That said, I do get frustrated with how little I can read, aside from work-related material, during the academic year, so it's always a pleasure to see the numbers rise in May-August.

#116 - avaland, if you do start such a book log group, I am in. I read quite a lot, so to me, the numbers are not the thing, I am more interested in the comments on the books. I am not good at reviewing books (I just know what I like and what I do not), but I do enjoy seeing what others say about their reads. There are quite a number of books that I have read already this year that I would never have touched if not for the comments here on LT.

I'm with alottacre and avaland. A non-challenge book group sounds great. (Though I've found that the 75-Book group functions in much the same way if one forgets all about the fact that one is meant to be racing through the library with a goal in mind and just reads and posts comments about what one reads.)

One of the reasons I picked the 75 book challenge over the 100 book challenge is that I'm pretty sure I'll break 75, and am likely to break 100, but there's very little pressure on me to hurry up. So I'm really using the group for tracking and commenting, and getting a sense of what other devoted readers are reading. In that sense, I don't care whether the group is a challenge group or not.

I agree- I use this group for my own comments and tracking of what I have read- I have kept a list of what I have read for a number of years now-the number doesn't matter- it is the quality of book read.

I, too, like the idea of a non-challenge group. With the challenge groups I am constantly thinking about where I am - number-wise - in the challenge and it kind of intrudes on the actual reading of the current book. Also, I find that knowing I've got x number of books left to read, I tend to not pick up the really long books for my next read because I'm concerned about how long it's going to take me to read a 700 page plus book.

Count me in, too! I agree with Fourpawz that the numbers thing can get in the way of the reading. I should also - alas - be spending less time reading (ie more time doing the things that aren't getting done at the moment!), so the removal of the challenge aspect would be welcome on that score, too.

Wow, I just don't find the numbers that oppressive. I log 'em, write a little about my books, that's it. At the end of the year, I like to know how many I've read, but I don't feel any pressure to meet a challenge.

Not sure why my poor thread got deluged with all these posts about disliking challenges; you're making me feel guilty about starting this one. :(

Now, group reads--that's something that makes me feel pressured. I always have good intentions and love the discussions, but I always fall behind and/or feel guilty if I don't like the book and drop out.

You shouldn't feel bad, Cariola. I mean, it isn't keeping me up nights or anything. It's just that I have this awareness of the numbers. All in all, I love the challenge and enjoy chipping away at it.

50. The Age of Shiva by Manil Suri.

I was looking forward to Suri's second novel but, sadly, was quite disappointed. It's very hard for me to enjoy a book if I really dislike the narrator/main character, and that was the case here. Meera was a selfish, jealous, self-pitying, blaming, vengeful woman. Yes, some unpleasant things happened to her, but she brought a number of them onto herself, and others she just wouldn't let go. Worst of all was the central relationship with her son. I guess we are supposed to see her mothering efforts as admirable and self-sacrificing, but I would say "smothering" and "dysfunctional" to the max. Her obsessions with breast feeding, sleeping together, and covering each other's faces in kisses--well, you get the picture. The kid was 13 before she even considered separate beds, then changed her mind because he seemed hurt. It's a wonder she wasn't still breast feeding him. When the kid finally gets the courage to ask his grandfather to send him to boarding school, she decides to commit suicide because the purpose of her life is over (at which point, I just wanted her to get it over with--but she changes her mind).

OK, yeah, I really hated this book. It's only redeemed by some of the minor characters and good writing.

51. The Unfinished Novel and Other Stories by Valerie Martin.

A series of longish short stories about artists and relationships, this book was just OK. The main characters were pretty unlikeable and the situations they were in mostly familiar. Martin can do better.

Hello to all
I agree with a thread for documenting books and yet not having the pressure of reading a certain number.

Count me in!

Linda

#124--I agree with you, Cariola. I've never felt any pressure to read a certain number of books, but the challenge to do it is kind of fun. What are you all going to do to me if I fall short? I mean, really, outside of ridicule, which I suspect wouldn't come from any of you. It did set a stretch goal for me, and I really think I've read more than I normally would have, which is a great thing. So thank you for starting this group. It has afforded me a great amount of pleasure and fun! And great books to read.

Cariola, I didn't mean to start a whole separate discussion on challenge threads here! apologies. If you hadn't started this group and invited me, I might not have started to log my reading here on LT and it has proven to be a great exercise! *off to check tloeffler's tally* (just kiddin!).

This group is taking on a life of its own, Deborah - you done good! (besides that other group is too darn big)

Tloeffler, I am lining up a couple of the ladies from LT and if you happen to fall even one book short of 75, we will stand on the roadside, pointing and laughing at you for not having completed the 75!!! :)

Or we could flog you with a wet unread page.

Oh, Deborah, you are such a pill:-) A wet unread page wouldn't even serve up a paper cut. You go, Trish! (boy, those young people really know how to throw a party, eh?)

btw, I've mailed off Adam's Breed to you.

#124
Thanks very much for starting this thread. Any pressure I feel is very much self imposed..And, I have to say that I do like the challenge. It spurs me on to read as much as possible. I enjoy the comments and the discussions. Thanks again!

Linda

The funny thing is, reaching the target of 75 books in a year is a positive challenge for me because I love reading but have to be disciplined to make time for my reading or I would read 2 books a year! Knowing that I have read x amount of books a year only spurs me on.... to be honest it is not the number of books that is important, (i.e. not so much the quantity as the quality) but LT has made me love reading even more, that I have to be organised as there is so little time and there are so many books to be read!

52. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.

I started reading this book because I was trying to clear out some shelf room, and it seemed like something I could read quickly and post for swapping. I did read it quickly--but that's because it grabbed me from the first page and I couldn't put it down. I love books with multiple narrators and/or points of view, and O'Farrell does an fine job of creating very unique voices for each of the three women whose stories intermingle here. Iris is a thirty-something Scottish woman who lives in a flat in her grandmother's house. Kitty, the grandmother, suffers from Alzheimer's and lives in a nursing home. Iris did not know that Esme, Kitty's sister, existed, until she got a call from the mental institution where Esme has been confined for 61 years. The hospital is closing, and Iris finds herself responsible for moving Esme elsewhere. The story is sad and moving, and O'Farrell finds just the right structure for gradually revealing the secrets of the past and their effect on the present. Highly recommended.

O.K. - you convinced me. It just came off the wishlist

You won't be sorry!

53. The Assassin's Accomplice by Kate CLifford Larson. A fairly straightforward account of Mary Surratt's involvement in the Lincoln assassination plot. She was the first woman executed by the US government. Larson's task was to debunk the concept that Mary, as a woman, was probably innocent (women not being capable of such brutality and conniving), and to show how deeply she was involved in the plot with John Wilkes Booth.

Cariola, you and avaland read the most interesting books. I am truly in awe of how you two find such treasures! I am adding The Assassin's Accomplice to my ever-growing TBR list.

#140 Thank you! I often find suggestions in your posts as well.

54. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.

A delightful little (121 pp.) book that I read while waiting for minor car repairs. Queen Elizabeth II chances upon a local library bookmobile and becomes an avid reader. There are many funny moments and a lot of cheeky references to writers familiar to LTers--like when the queen's jealous corgis steal her Ian McEwan and rip it to pieces.

Re: message 131. (sorry, i got busy and haven't made it on the site for a while). Trish, you just point and laugh all you want, as long as you bring cake.
If there's laughing involved, I'll probably be laughing along with you, even if it's at me!

message 136....
If you liked The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, you might want to try After You'd Gone. This was also a wonderful book.

#144 It's somewhere in my TBR stacks, and I definitely plan to move it up.

55. The Lodger: Shakespeare on Silver Street by Charles Nicholl.

Nicholl attempts to reconstruct life in Shakespeare's London neighborhood through extensive research based on the playwright's testimony in a civil suit. He traces and speculates upon the doings of the Mountjoy family, French emigre tyre-makers in whose home Shakespeare lodged for three years. Fairly interesting if somewhat repetitive.

56. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

I had heard such high praise for this book that I guess some disappointment was inevitable. I found it slow going at times and the frequent dropping of African-language words and phrases in the characters' dialogue started to irritate me. The depiction of the Biafran tragedy was moving and the characters generally well-developed, but the novel could easily have cut 100-150 pages and been just as powerful.

Hi Cariola

I started Half a Yellow Sun after reading many wonderful comments about it here on LT. For some reason, I keep putting it down and going on to other books. I'll keep plodding along but thus far it isn't captivating me.

Hi Cariola

I started Half a Yellow Sun after reading many wonderful comments about it here on LT. For some reason, I keep putting it down and going on to other books. I'll keep plodding along but thus far it isn't captivating me.

That was exactly my experience. It took me over a month to read it, and frankly, I started to skim halfway through just to get it finished. Maybe I'm just not that interested in African life and politics.

#148 & #149: I had problems with the book, too, but was glad I stuck it out. I felt like the author tried to put in too many of what I call "soap opera" elements, such as the illegitimate child, the sister's lover sleeping with the other sister, etc. The story was strong enough to stand on its own and the other additions were just plain distracting to me. I agree completely that 100 or so pages could have been cut with no problem whatsoever.

57. The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle.

Interesting but rather depressing story of Paula Spencer, a 39-year old Irish woman. At the beginning of the novel, her estranged husband has just been shot dead by the police after killing a woman in a botched robbery attempt. She reminisces about her past, which seems to have been happy--although her older sister Carmel remembers it differently. Paula later begins her story all over again and we learn the truth: that Charlo was a violent abuser and that Paula seems determined to take the blame for everything that has happened to her.

58. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.

I wasn't sure if I'd like this book; I find that often books so highly hyped are disappointing, and it sounded like chick lit from some of the blurbs I read. Well, it lived up to the hype, and it was definitely much more than chick lit. A bit of mystery and possible murders, much psychological delving into the main character, some romance on the side, family secrets unwinding, witches v. Calvinists--lots going on, and all of it intriguing. While I can't say it has become an all-time favorite or even a top five of the year read, I did enjoy the book (I'd give it an 8 out of 10). I listened to this one on audio--very good reader, Alyssa Bresnehan, who was the reader for The Lovely Bones as well. The only problem was that towards the end, there is a series of very short chapters that shift between characters and time periods, which was a bit disconcerting in audio format (but probably fine in print).

I have The Lace Reader on my (admittedly) massive TBR list. Glad to see your input on it. I may do as you did and listen to it - my local library does not have it yet, and I know that I can rent it from Recorded Books, and I do like Alyssa Bresnehan's narration, having listened to her do several books in the past. I will be wary toward the end, though. Thanks for the heads up on that.

59. The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe.

Reread for a class I am teaching on Shakespeare's Rivals; it will be paired with The Merchant of Venice to demonstrate how WS borrowed and developed ideas. It's always a a bit of a shocker to see how extreme the stereotypes were.

60. Restoration by Rose Tremain.

A wonderful novel about the rise and fall of a young man in Charles II's court. Some of the most enjoyable sections are those away from court, particularly when Merivel, formerly a physician, joins his old friend Pierce to work in a Quaker mental institution. Highly recommended. I plan to push up on my TBR stacks several other books by Tremain.

I just saw the movie Restoration a couple of days ago on TV and have put the book by Rose Tremain on my wish list-what did you think about it?

#155 I loved the book! The movie follows the main story line fairly accurately, but of course a lot of things, like Merival's relationship with Pierce and with his servant Will, are much better developed.

On the movie: I thought it was really good, and I use parts of it in my Brit Lit class to show what the plague and the fire were like. Hard to believe it was filmed shortly before Robert Downey Jr. was found drugged and sleeping in a neighbor kid's bed. I thought he did a fine job.

You've convinced me. I have added Restoration to my ever increasing TBR list.

I've added Restoration to my list of tbr.
Thanks for the recommendation. I enjoy historical fiction.

Restoration sounds very interesting. I did away with my TBR list and tried to keep a mental one. That lasted a few weeks and the physical TBR reappeared. Guess Restoration will be added to this ridiculously long pile.

Hi Cariola - thanks for starting this group! I am really enjoying logging my books, and reading what other people are up to. Also everyone is sooo friendly :)

Clearly going to have to put a bit more effort into commenting as well as listing... your reviews are really interesting. I put The Brontes Went to Woolworths on my list after an article on Virago Modern Classics, but it seems to be tricky to get hold of in the UK. I'll have to keep my eyes open as it sounds worth it.

Flossie, that's a hard one to get ANYWHERE. Here in the US, copies are rarely available, and when they are, they are going for about $200. It was good (but not THAT good!).

Holy mackerel. One book costing $200!! I will admit to spend way too much money on books but never that much at one time and certainly not on one book. Is it out of print? Is that why its so pricey?

Yes, out of print. The $200 is for USED copies, in paperback. It's a Virago Modern Classic, and there are a lot of collectors out there.

I was just calculating how many used books I could get for that.........

I was calculating how many books I can buy on bookCloseouts.com.

61. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Reread for a course I'm teaching; I don't think I've read this one for 25+ years, and I quite enjoyed it this time.

I loved Sir Gawain when read it in high school! I may have to go back and read him again . . .

62. The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther.

The book opens on a sad and striking note, an accident that causes Sara to lose her unborn baby. We soon learn her Iranian mother is to blame: in a London cafe, she struck out in anger at her young nephew, the boy ran into the street, and, in pulling him to safety, Sara was kicked and fell to the ground. The accident provokes her mother, Maryam, to reflect on events in her past and to leave for Iran, date of return unknown.

Crowther moves smoothly between two voices (mother and daughter), two places (London and Iran), and past and present as both women try to understand each other and the forces and persons that have shaped their lives. If you enjoy novels about culture and generational clashes, put this one on your list.

I will remember this title as I do enjoy such material. It made me think of The Love Wife by Gish Jen. Also, a study of cultures and generations along with a perspective on the human need to belong. I think you would very much enjoy this one.

63. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

A reread as I'm teaching it once again.

64. Edward II by Christopher Marlowe.

Another reread, although it's been at least five years since the last time I taught the play. It's wonderful, but I wish there was another version on DVD aside from Derek Jarman's.

Getting close to the 75 book mark, Cariola! Keep up the good work . . .

65. The Adventures of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

I've been wanting to read this one for many years. It wasn't as racy as I thought it would be, but I enjoyed the story of an eighteenth-centry woman who used her wiles to survive. (The BBC series with Alex Kingston was also wonderful, by the way.)

66. Richard II by William Shakespeare.

Another reread, but it's been at least eight years. I've paired it with Marlowe's Edward II for a course I'm teaching.

Hi Cariola
book #65 sounds interesting.

Moll Flanders Agreed on the BBC treatment of the book. I really enjoyed this strong character.

blackdog, I enjoyed The Love Wife also; I listened to it on audio which was well done in several voices. I suppose The Joy Luck Club would be another prime example of the generational and cultural conflict that Deborah is talking about.

Always wondered about that book, I saw the movie but never picked up the book.

67. Alice Dugdale by Anthony Trollope.

A lovely little novel in Trollope's typical style. It's about a young man being torn in two directions in his prospects for marriage: one way by his heart, another by his mother and his head.

#177: I really like Trollope's writing style, so I will have to keep an eye out for Alice Dugdale. Is it a stand alone - that is, not in the Barchester or Palliser series?

I wouldn't worry about the other thing - it's probably one of those technological glitches that comes and goes and then suddenly resolves itself, lol.

#178 It's not connected to the Barchester of Pallisers series (or if it is, not in a way that you'd need to be familiar with those other works). I know how irritating that can be, since the first Trollope I read was The Small House at Allington--only to find I should have read most of the rest of the Barchester series first. (I've now read The Warden and just got started on The Barchester Chronicles.) Alice Dugdale is a very short novel--actually a novella, or maybe even a long short story. I have another such in store: The Lady of Launay.

#179: Thanks, Cariola. I did not think it was in either of the series, but it never hurts to check. Let me know what you think of The Lady of Launay when you are done. I would be interested in your review.

68. The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd.

Reread for a class I'm teaching (but it has been many years). It's the Mother of All Revenge Tragedies--literally, since it kicked off the craze in 16th century London. Everybody, including Shakespeare in Hamlet and elsewhere, 'borrowed' from Kyd. Ghosts, murders, tokens dipped in victims' blood, onstage hangings, letters written in blood, people going mad, avenging oaths--this one started it all.

Hi
The Spanish Tragedy has been added to the mountain of TBR. By the way, I checked your library page and found the beautiful Waterhouse painting of Opehlia.

Do you, like me, appreciate his art?

Cariola: I recently (i.e. in the last year) read Moll Flanders too, as part of my Banned Books list. I was hesitant going into it, since the only other Defoe I'd read was Journal of the Plague Year and I didn't like that at all, but I really enjoyed Moll Flanders, although I agree that I was expecting more racy stuff - LOL!

182> Yes, I love Waterhouse, Millais, and Rosetti. I have a wonderful powerpoint of representations of Ophelia that I use when teaching Hamlet in an interdisciplinary arts course.

183> Maybe I was mixing it up with Fanny Hill. Or maybe the early eighteenth century had a different definition of "racy" than we do (although, with the Earl of Rochester in full swing, I doubt it!).

After reading your review on The Spanish Tragedy, I really, really want to read it. It sounds so deliciously vengeful. I can't wait to get it.

Cariola.

I recently read the book Pale as Dead by Fiona Mountain. Set in the Cotswolds and Oxford, this delightful mystery/suspence book might be interest to you because you love Rosetti.

I wrote this description of the book on my 75 challenge thread:

Using the mystery of the Victorian death/suicide of Lizzie Siddal, the beautiful and haunting model (wife of Dante Gabrial Rossetti) portrayed in many Pre-Raphelite paintings, the author weaves the present with the past.

Natasha Blake, a present day genealogist is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, Bethany, who was obsessed with possibly linked to Lizzie Saddal.

The author clearly studied a lot about the intertwining lives and scandals of the Pre-Ralphalite brotherhood and creatively wove their happenings into a fascinating detective novel.

--------------------

I found this for a very reasonable rate on bookCloseouts.com.

As you probably well know, Lizzie was used as the model for Millais' painting of Ophelia.

Teaching Hamlet sounds fascinating. Do you enjoy teaching this subject?

Yeah, Fanny Hill was quite a bit racier than Moll Flanders - it had me blushing a few times!

Whisper1, thanks, that sounds like an interesting book. I read nother one about a year ago that focused on Rosetti, Siddall, Morris, and another of their models. Can't remember the title but it was by Elizabeth Hickey.

I love teaching Shakespeare. This will be the first time I've spent a whole semester on one play. They will be reading not only the play, its sources, and critical essays, but also a lot of adaptations and "spin-offs" (like Garrick's revision, Hamletmachine and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead), but also several novels, including Gertrude and Claudius and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. And they will be watching a number of different film versions of the play, reading about its stage hisotry and the actors who played the role (inlcuding Sarah Benrhardt and Keanu Reeves!), and even watching a Hamlet Monty Python sketch.

I would love to sit in your class. It sounds fascinating!

I found this site regarding Pre-Raphelite models.

http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~mcuddy/ENGB02Y/JaneMorris.html

More information on Pre-Raphelite women.

http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/lizzie.html

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is so much fun!!

I did not realize that The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was a take on Hamlet?

#188 Cariola: I am with Whisper - I want to go to your class, too!

Cariola--

Are you showing the Hamlet sketch by Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson? It's from Blackadder:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=IwbB6B0cQs4

Or how about the performance of Hamlet on Happy Days? The one with Fonzie as Hamlet.

Okay, maybe not that one.

Or how about Gilligan's Island??

>pretty funny, nickelini and marise (hey, I can still sing the song from the Gilligan's Island version).

>Deborah, I hope you have some downtime soon!

69. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope.

I am really enjoying this series on audio. Nine very long novels; I'm about to start the third one.

70. Arden of Faversham (Anonymous).

Reread for my course on Shakespeare's Rivals. It's great--based on a real case of an adulterous wife who murders her husband. He manages to escape about eight plots to kill him before he finally gets done in (including poisoned broth and a poisoned crucfix).

#197 Cariola: Reminds me of Rasputin and the multiple attempts to kill him. I will have to watch for Arden of Faversham - looks like a good read.

It is; the studnts enjoyed it. There are a lot of comic scenes between two bragging, bumbling hired killers, Black Will and Shakebag, as well.

Cariola, as a new member of this group, I've enjoyed reading about your books and agree with you about many of them, maybe especially The March by E. L. Doctorow, one of my favorite books of last year. Many good ideas for new reads too.

Thanks! I loved The March.

71. The Lady of Launay by Anthony Trollope.

This one is NOT part of the Barchester Chronicles, but rather a short novella about a couple in love who are thwarted by his class-conscious mother. It was OK but pales in comparison to most of Trollope's work.

72. A Chaste Maid in Cheapside by Thomas Middleton.

Another great early modern play. The social climbers and moneygrubbers in this comedy are just hilarious. One character, Allwit, more or less pimps his wife to Sir Walter Whorehound (she has seven of his children) so that he can get a free ride; another, who is so fertile that he has to separate from his wife to avoid creating any more mouths to feed, ends up getting paid by a childless couple for his "miraculous water" that will cure barrenness. I am getting more and more interested in Middleton's work.

LOL on book number 72. I gotta check that one out.

Three more to 75.

I'm with Trish - definitely have to check out book 72!

73. The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory.

Technically, I shouldn't be counting this one, since I threw in the towel after reading about 2/3 of it. But I suffered through that 2/3, so I think I deserve the credit. I've enjoyed other Tudor novels by Gregory, but this one was little more than a bodice-ripper. Other readers have complained about the way she portrays Elizabeth, and I have to agree: she's depicted here as a slut and a wimp. The only thing more irritatingly wimpy in the book is Dudley's wife, Amy. I couldn't wait for her to get pushed down the stairs and break her wimpy little neck. I didn't get that far, but I know that, historically, she was either pushed or fell. After this book, I'd be willing to give her a shove myself.

Cariola, I read your review of this book first, and then came here. You had me rolling on the floor laughing!

Cariola - I felt the same way about Amy in The Virgin's Lover too! Wanting to shove her down the stairs - very funny! I recently read The Queen's Fool and Amy is in that as well for a bit, and she's just as annoying in it! Gregory certainly had it out for her, as she did with Elizabeth who is still portrayed as a slut, only more devious than in The Virgin's Lover.

Cariola, I don't know how you are finding time to read with all you have going on! Loved reading about Elizabeth and Amy!

I have to admit, I enjoyed socking it to that book.

I'm reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society now, which is refreshing after that drek.

Cariola - congrats on being one and a half books away from your goal.

I also read GL&PPPS and was one of the very few readers in the entire world that thought the book was mediocre, especially the ending. It seems like it pleased just about everyone and is a very popular read.

(I am probably in the doghouse for saying it, too as some very erudite readers thought it wonderful!!)

#209 kiwidoc: I am one of the people who loved Guernsey, but I do not consider you to be in the doghouse. If everyone in the world loved all of the same things, where would we be? LT is just the place to share likes and dislikes.

Cariola....

oh my...like lindsad, I was laughing right out loud re. your comments about pushing poor Amy Dudley right down the steps.

And, like you, I find Phillipa Gregory's books a tad annoying at times.

Re: Phillipa Gregory - I have made it through exactly 1 of her books, The Other Boleyn Girl, and I barely made it through that one without throwing it up against a poor defenseless wall because of the historical inaccuracies it contained and the less than stellar writing. I do not think I can stand another one, poor Amy Dudley notwithstanding. To say that I find her books a tad annoying might just be an understatement, lol.

Continuing the posts regarding Phillipa Gregory...
A few months ago I read Earthly Joys

It was VERY annoying and I was astonished to read the very positive reviews on Amazon about this one!

My review was not as positive.

She went into graphic detail about the main character James and his trysts with the men of court. I'm not a prude, but truly this could have been left out.

One of my favorite college professors depicted James, Charles and the Duke of Buckingham in the same manner as Gregory did in the book. Gregory wove in what she felt were historial facts re. these characters.

I found it humorous that in the discussion questions at the back of the book, the question was raised IF John cheated on his wife...duh! Of course! Does the fact that John slept with another man instead of a woman equate to non cheating?

Like a stroll in an English garden, Gregory meandered and lost the plot in a maze of unnecessary additions. John isn't a character I liked.. He was indeed very much like the court company he kept, ie self absorbed, greedy and haughty.

Oh, don't even get me started on this one!

The most egregious of her errors: This was a tightly hierarchic society. There was no way on God's earth that Buckingham would have slept with a commoner--a gardener--and jeopardize his status with the king. He was an exceedingly ambitious man who knew where the lines were drawn. Yes, he did use sex to get ahead; but he wouldn't have had to use it to get what he wanted from John Tradescant.

And it was such a potentially interesting story otherwise; why did she have to muck it up like that?

The only one that was worse was The Constant Princess. My reaction to that one was similar to alcottacre's.

OK, you ladies have sold me on never, ever reading another book of hers again (and I am interested in John Tradescant, so had some hopes for Earthly Joys). I am going to have to find a good, NONFICTION book about him.

#215 I recently got a swap copy of a nonfiction books about the Tradescants. I'm looking forward to reading it. It's The John Tradescants: Gardeners to the Rose and Lily Queen by Prudence Leith-Ross.

Hi Cariola
Let's hope that the non-fiction book is a lot better than Earthly Joys. I'll be interested in reading your posts when you finish the book.

And, the only thing worse than the book The Other Boleyn Girl was the movie...I drug my husband along to see this one. Throughout the movie he turned to me and said "You owe me!" "You owe me BIG time!"

I'm with your husband on that one, Whisper. The only thing it had going for it was the costumes. It was the worst example of pacing I've ever experienced in a film.

There's another version of the novel, done by BBC for TV. I hear it's much better, but I haven't rented it yet. Still have the bad taste in my mouth from the hollywood version.

#216 Cariola: Please post your review of the Tradescant book when you finish with it. I am very interested. Thanks!

Will do--but it will be quite awhile before I get around to it, I'm afraid.

That's OK, Cariola. The Tradescants have waited this long for me to read about, I do not expect that they care if I wait a bit longer. I have been interested in learning more about them for about 10 years or so now - I was introduced to them through a fiction book by Barbara Michaels called The Dancing Floor. One of these days I may actually make it to England to see some examples of their work.

I was there the summer before last and tried to see the Tradescant garden at Southwark Cathedral, but it was blocked off for repairs.

Mental note to self: avoid Philippa Gregory ;-) Wow, this seems to have raised some steam!!

#223 Cariola: That is too bad. If I ever get to go, I will try and make sure that I can see their work on the trip.

#224 FlossieT: Maybe you will enjoy her work more than I do. Lots of people do you know.

I haven't read any of P. Gregory's simply because of what I've heard on here - and I had a free copy of The Other Boleyn Girl which I gave away.
I think we can say she's in the business of selling books, not staying true to historical fact?

dihiba

imho, you are correct in your statement re. P. Gregory

74. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.

A bit on the chick lit side for me, but I did enjoy it. I'm always a sucker for books written in the form of letters. I didn't realize that some of the Channel Islands had been occupied by the Germans in World War II, so I learned a few things as well.

75. Free Love and Other Stories by Ali Smith.

I loved The Accidental, so I've been picking up more of Smith's work. I much preferred this collection to Hotel World. It's a little book (about 150 pages) of stories, most of which center around love in one form or another (romantic love, love between sisters, gay love, the death of a loved one, lost love, parental love, etc.). A nice change of pace.

HOORAY! I made it!!!

Congratulations!!

I also loved The Accidental so will look out for Free Love. Have you seen the multi-author, serialised story that she is writing with Jeanette Winterson, A.M. Homes and Jackie Kay in the UK Guardian? It's a bit, um, unruly... but entertaining.

Sounds interesting. I haven't seen it. (I'm in the US, so unless someone points me there, I wouldn't run across it.)

228 - I didn't realize that some of the Channel Islands had been occupied by the Germans in World War II, so I learned a few things as well.

-------------

One of my favourite things about reading is when I learn new things. (That's one of the reasons I get upset when authors get their historical details wrong.)

Congrats!

Congrats. Its must be nice to reach that number especially considering how busy you've been of late.

Well done on the 75 books!!

I also was not so impressed with the GL&PPS book as others. I also thought it quite obvious where the second author took over the reins, as the pace and predictability of the story picked up.

congratulations on a job very well done.

congratulations Cariola!

Add my congratulations to the rest, Cariola! Great job.

76. The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster

One of my favorite Jacobean tragedies. Such a perfect depiction of the corruption at court. Not to mention all the spectacle!

77. The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont.

I don't think I've yet convinced my students that this play is hilarious. It's about a grocer who bring his wife to the playhouse for the first time. She understands nothing about the conventions of playgoing, so she empathizes with all the wrong characters, has the players put her prentice onstage to play a knight errrant (it's a city comedy), keeps chatting with the boy actors instead of suspending her disbelief, etc. It has a very modern, Tom Stoppard-ish feel to it.

Congrats on reaching the challenge goal, especially since you are the person to have started this whole journey this year!

Cariola, that Beaumont play sounds fun! Have realised how very little drama and poetry I have read in recent years.... maybe another goal for 2009.

I think I will add the Beaumont play to the list my girls and I are reading together for literature this year. Thanks for the recommendation.

78. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent.

I really enjoyed this novel--highly recommend it. The narrator, 10-year old Sarah Carrier, lives in Andover, MA at the time of the witch hunts in nearby Salem. The novel is based on a true story: Sarah's mother Martha was hanged for witchcraft, and she and her three brothers were also charged. The novel not only presents the facts and a wonderful portrait of everyday life at the time but also creates a moving portrait of a daughter coming to understand her parents and the true nature of their love. I listened to the book on audio, read by Mare Winningham; very nicely done indeed.

The Heretic's Daughter sounds fascinating. Thanks for the description. I've added this to the tbr ever-growing mountain.

Yes, the Heretic's Daughter sounds very interesting indeed. Another for the wish list.

Count me in on The Heretic's Daughter as well!

Congratulations, Deborah, on reaching your goal!!!

>242 Cariola: I've said this before on someone's thread in this group. The read Sarah Carrier was just 7 years old in 1692. Artistic license, I guess. I'm glad it was such a good read. It is always good when an author can bring history alive.

79. The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley.

Poor Beatrice-Johanna! She just got engaged when the real man of her dreams shows up. What to do? Well, ask the creepy guy who's got the hots for her to kill the fiance, of course, and sleep with the murderer for payment.

Poor Beatrice-Johanna! She's about to marry the man of her dreams when it occurs to her that she won't be a virgin on her wedding night. What to do? Send the lady-in-waiting to the marriage bed in her place (disguised, of course), then get creepy guy to set a fire in her rooms and shoot her when she shows up. She's burnt to a crisp; who will look for a bullet hole?

Really, this is another incredible Early Modern play; I'm just having some fun with it!

80. 'Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford.

Sophisticated, intellectual Renaissance play that takes the subject of incest and, surprisingly, almost makes a case for it. Overall, it's a fascinating portrait of a corrupt world in which morality is all relative (pun intended!), everyone is looking out for #1, and the action is driven by lust and violence.

81. The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

Delightful 18th century comedy of manners. A classic.

I'm glad there's another person enjoying Sheridan. I'm a huge fan of his.

>247 Cariola: Cariola, when I was a teenager I was a programme seller at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London when Sir Raplh Richardson was playing in The School for Scandal. I watched it dozens of times and never tired of it. It was brilliant! Several other well known actors were in it too. I can picture one of them but his name excapes me.

- TT

I will have to look for copies of these fascinating plays you are reading. Thanks for all these recommendations!

82. Read My Heart: A Love Story in England's Age of Revolution by Jane Dunn.

A biography, based primarily on letters, of William Temple and Dorothy Osbourne. The first section was particularly interesting. William fell in love with Dorothy (more for her mind and wit than her beauty) and for seven years, he resisted his family's pressure to marry a woman who would bring a large dowry and more prestige. The family finally gave in, realizing that he was not about to change his mind. The rest of the book focuses on their domestic life and William's on again/off again career at court and as a diplomat. It gives much insight into aristocratic life in the time of Charles II.

83. Sorry by Gail Jones.

To say that I "enjoyed" reading this book isn't quite right; better, perhaps, to say that I was very moved by it. The story is a sad one, but with many moments of light. As a Shakespearean, I loved how she interwove bits from the plays into the novel. (The main character's name is Perdita, taken from The Winter's Tale; it means "the lost one," which is very fitting. And Perdita's mother's mental illness is characterized by her quoting long passages from the plays.) Highly recommended.

Sounds like another couple of great reads, Cariola. Thanks for the reviews and recommendations.

Whoa you do read the most interesting stuff. Changeling sounds hilarious in a macabre kind of way. I was wondering why the book 'Tis a pity she's a whore sounded so familiar then I remembered that I first heard about it from an episode of Midsommer Murders. Totally agree with you on Heretic's Daughter. A really fascinating book on the Salem trials.

I agree with Trish
Your list is amazingly interesting!

253, 254> Thank you!

84. Lost Paradise by Cees Nooteboom.

Well, this was rather a disappointment. It tells the stories of two people whose lives momentarily intersect--twice. He is a world-weary fortyish critic, she is a young woman who travels the world to escape a horrifying event in her past. He first encounters her as an angel in a cupboard (playing a part in a sort of angel scavenger hunt set up in Perth), then again as a masseuse in a rigorous Austrian spa. Sounds intriguing, right? Wrong! I kept waiting for something to happen, some moment of insight to occur, but nada. It just kind of flows on and then ends. Maybe that's the author's view of life?

85. The Passion by Jeannette Winterson.

Another short novel told from two characters' points of view, but somewhat more successful. The first is a young soldier in Napoleon's army, the second a young woman (the daughter of a Venetian boatman born with the hereditary webbed feet) who dresses as a boy in order to work in the casinos. They meet, one half of them falls in love with the other half, and they plot their mutual escape. This is the first Winterson novel I've read. I've heard others rave about her, but I can't say that I was blown away. It was good but not especially memorable or moving.

86. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

I listened to this one on audio. Highly dramatized (by the author, I mean, not by the reader) and biased account of Elizabeth I's life from the death of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to her accession to the throne. Much of the story is, of course, familiar, but Weir elaborates on the relationships between Elizabeth and her halfsister Mary, and between her and her brother Edward. Here's where the bias comes in: it's obvious that Weir loves Elizabeth and detests Mary. Mary is depicted as a fond sister in the early years but suddenly becomes a jealous, paranoid witch when Elizabeth hits puberty. One of Mary's obsessions is convincing herself that Henry VIII was not Elizabeth's father; you don't need a DNA sample to prove THAT paternity, just take a look at their portraits (as several characters in the book keep pointing out to her). Elizabeth is, on the other hand, bright, beautiful, and precocious. It's a little hard to feel sorry for her when she has sex with her stepmother's husband, Thomas Seymour; she may be only 14 in the book, but Weir makes it clear that she has been forewarned many times. (The sex scene is particularly nauseating . . . maybe it WAS the reader in this case.) Weir spins a tale of improbably consequences (enough said about that). Overall, a little too romance-novelish for my taste, but it certainly beats most of Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels.

87. Shorts III edited by Ali Smith.

A very unsatisfying collection of odd short stories, some of them by well-known writers like Michel Faber, Alexander McCall Smith, and Ali Smith. If this is indeed "the cream of contemporary Scottish short story writing," I won't be reading any more of them. I don't mind "experimental," but these had so little plot and characterization that they left me feeling empty--and rather angry that I had wasted my time on them.

And it's on to 2009!

looking forward to reading your posts in 2009! Congrats on reaching 87