Severn's 75 books for June 08 - June 09

I originally intended to do 60, but I figured 'yay, let's do 75 instead!'

I read a mix of literary fiction and fantasy.

So here's the list so far, starting from June 1 2008:

1 - Halide's Gift by Frances Kazan (great book actually, looking at one woman's life in the final days of the Ottoman Empire).

2 - The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip (I love everything this woman writes, everything).

3 - In The Gloaming by Alice Elliot Dark (some could consider this a depressing collection of stories, and in one sense I suppose they are - dealing with disease and death, and miscommunications. However, as usual for this type of writing, the facets of our humanity are graciously explored).

4 - Feathers Brush My Heart by Sinclair Browning (an odd one for me, prompted solely because of my own mother's death nearly 2 years ago. Some of the stories in this strike me as pure, desperate fabrications from people who miss their mothers like I do, and others as just coincidence. Some, though, yeah, I can see how those things might happen. Who am I to say, though? What is real for us, is real).

5 - Godslayer by Jacqueline Carey (another author I greatly admire, and love reading).

Welcome to the group.....and kudos to you for stretching your goals out a bit. Look forward to hearing more about the books you are reading. I see from your profile that you are from New Zealand.....cool! We also had an upstairs neighbor who used to vacuum in the wee morning hours. What do you suppose? Therapuetic or something, perhaps OCD.

Hi and welcome.
This is an incredible group of well read people who share insights. I've broadened my reading base because of all the fine recommendations.

Thanks for the welcome you two! I do love finding a bunch of well-read people to hang about with... :)

(The vacuuming? Eh, the poor guy is mentally unwell. He is being moved soon (mainly because of the concerns of tenants like us in the building) and we hope he's going into care. The other week he set some clothes on fire because they were 'evil'. I won't miss him, or his noise, but I do feel for him!)

I can think of a few pieces of clothing I've worn over the year that might qualify as evil but I never resorted to setting them afire.

Good luck!!!

6 - The Jane Austen Book Club - by Karen Joy Fowler (which I was not in any sense inspired by the movie to read. Here's a good time to, er, explain my geek way of organising my reading. I have over 200 books on my to-read shelves. I got a bit overwhelmed so decided to choose titles alphabetically in both the lit. fiction and fantasy departments. I just happened to be up to 'J' for lit. fiction. I'm pretty pedantic so I'll stick to it with odd departures here and there. I figure if I like the first in a fantasy series, I'll keep reading it though. In any event, I haven't seen the movie, and I'm not sure I will. I often find that movies don't hold up to the books, especially if I read the book first. I liked this book a lot, given that I love character-based fiction (yes, that includes fantasy), and this sure had some great characters. Witty, warm, human. Everything I like in my lit. fiction).

7 - Pride and Prejudice - by Miss Austen (inspired in part by the above book, and from conversations here, I just felt compelled to grab this classic and devour it. Which I did, and I loved it, as much as ever. I enjoyed rediscovering words that have slightly different meanings back then than they do now. Words such as 'condescension', 'confusion', 'terrified' and many more. Great for word geeks, are these classics. Ah, Austen, you sure could spin a polite love story.

8 - The Harlequin's Dance by Tom Arden (which is a very odd book, the first in the Orokon series - 5 books in all. Really, that's all I can think to say at the moment. Odd. Some characters are almost unconvincing, but not enough to put me off. I'll need to read more of the series to see how I feel about it).

9 - The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant (I really like Diamant's work. She seems to be a bit of a love her or hate her author. Her character construction is great, and I became quite emotionally involved in this story because of it. I have Good Harbor on the to-read list, so I'm looking forward to that, whenever it reaches the top of the list).

Slow reading period at the moment - just can't seem to focus. I've already put one book down that I'm unsure of, who knows if I'll pick it up again. Now I have three others on the go...

10 - Ilario: The Lion's Eye by Mary Gentle (this took me forever to read. Two weeks! I'm not sure why. I wasn't concentrating much, and was doing other things, and it's a dense besides. But, sheesh, I loved the thing. Mary Gentle and her Tomes - bliss. Still doesn't replace the sheer heady embrace of Ash but wow this woman can world-build, and her characters are well-drawn, and real. Recommended for sure).

11 - The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean (which did not take forever to read. In fact I read it yesterday, nearly in one sitting. Poignant, beautiful, emotional. Alzheimer's and the beauty of memory, and the horror of war. Couldn't put it down).

eta - dratted touchstones! Ah well, can't get Ilario to work

Hi
One of the greatest things about this group is the fact that I'm learning about such neat books.

I'll add the Madonnas of Leningrad to my list. I liked your description!

I agree, Whisper, regarding learning about more books I need to read here on LT. I put The Madonnas of Leningrad on hold on my local library, but the TBR list I have is staggering and growing by leaps and bounds due to LT.

Hey you two - I really hope you both like the book! Because I read quite quickly some books just fall out of my mind, as it were, but I think 'Madonnas' is going to stay. I still feel affected by it.

12 - The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (which really is quite beautiful. It doesn't 'feel' like a book from the 1920's, in fact sometimes as I read I felt I was reading a contemporary fairytale. I loved the depictions of time, and the sense - never stated, just alluded to - of how Elfland, despite it's unchanging beauty, is cold and stale, compared to the warm, fluid seasons of Earth. I also appreciated the fascination of Elfland's denizens of Earth, and of how the hard-working farmers turned their eyes away from the East, and the mountains of Elfland, in case they were distracted from their life of toil. All in all a stunning read).

13 - No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod (I've been lucky in recent weeks, in reading some sheer stunners. This just continued the trend. Narrated from one brother, one of six children, who has flown far from the coop of his native Nova Scotia. The tale flicks back and forth in time from chapter to chapter, and describes the intense, cruel, salt of the earth life of the MacDonald's of Cape Breton, whose history lies in Scotland. Based on true historical events, and told through a fictitious family, I was left with a great, emotional choke in my chest and throat as I finished. Now that is when I know a writer has really succeeded in reaching me)

I agree, Severn, one bazillion percent. I read No Great Mischief earlier in the year and I thought it was terrific - the best book, still, that I 've read all year.

Well, No Great Mischief will move up higher on my TBR pile...I've been meaning to read this book since it was published and heard about it on CBC radio. Coincidentally, last night I was watching an old BBC video about the Celts and they did a bit on Cape Breton.

I had checked No Great Mischief out of the library just prior to our move, but never had a chance to read it due to everything else going on. I am going to have to get it again!

Oh yes, you must read it! Honestly, this book has made me add Cape Breton to my list of 'places I really want to visit one day'.

Fourpawz2 - and the only downfall that comes from reading a great book, is finding one equally as great to read next. Here's hoping my next lit. fict. is just as rewarding. I don't think it will be though.

I think you are right about that, Severn. Right after I read No Great Mischief, I read Dances With Wolves (a story I knew very well from the movie) and found I had nothing at all to say about it - the only book, so far this year, I think, that I've done that with.

14 - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (I read this as recently as last year, but have reread it in preparation to read the next in the series. The book is so entertaining, witty and inventive that I had no problem doing that. Sometimes, relaxing with a book that just makes you feel good is a great thing. I love Locke's sassy arrogance, and intelligence. Likewise, the camaraderie between him and his gang is brilliant. It is, however, quite dark, and gritty, in places, and I just happen to love that too).

15 - Roma by Steven Saylor (Now, I knew going into this read that I was interested in the myth and the history surrounding Rome. In fact, I have a bit of a thing about Ancient Rome, and really must get my hands on some Livy. Sadly, though, I didn't realise just how pedestrian the writing really is. Blech. As much as I certainly got out of it what I wanted - history and whatnot - I also couldn't help but feel that the character's were made of wooden planks: 'Rome' as performed by the Two by Four Company. The character-lover in me just couldn't reconcile this to enjoyment, and I was glad when it ended. Alas).

Message #8

Severn, I finished The Madonnas of Leningrad last night. Thanks for your post re. this book.

Message #10 Alcottacre, it is a wonderfu and I highly recommend it.

Whisper - I'm really glad you enjoyed it! It's rare to find such a moving, and also humbling, book.

It's still with me, and I intend to reread it for sure.

Severn
If you haven't read Harrison Salisbury's book The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad, and if you are interested in learning more about the German occupation of Russia, I highly recommend this book. I found the Russian spirit to be incredible!

Thanks for the recommendation, Whisper! Looks harrowing...I tend to get very upset about real-life accounts of intense suffering, so I'd have to think about it. Hah, seems odd that, given my choices of reading material.

I have a recommendation for you as well: Cafe Scheherazade, which is also about World War II as told from the perspective of an elderly couple. If you liked Madonnas, you may like that one too.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll see if my local library has this one!

Isn't this site great? I've learned about so many great books!

hi severn, another real-life account of intense suffering which u might want to check out is Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng during China's Cultural Revolution. i know, i know, it's not to get u upset with such reads... :-), but it's a well-written memoir, and remarkably devoid of sentimentality. there's a lot to learn too about the internal politics prevailing then, as the author tries to make sense of the turbulence the country was undergoing.

Thanks Deebee! I shall think about that one too. :)

16 - Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear by K Weber (I really liked the style and form of this one. It's broken into three parts, and is about the relationship between two friends. The first part is a long, journalised letter from Harriet to her boyfriend while she is staying with Anne in Geneva. The second part is about Harriet's life as a child, from her perspective. The third is a mix between Anne and Harriet's perspectives. Such a finicky, mixed up form might provide a bumpy reading road, but Weber pulled it off, I think. A very readable, well constructed book, that I'd recommend to anyone who likes reading about relationships, loss and surviving).

Reading some tomes at the moment...

17 - Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (I was so pleased to find out there's a planned 7 books in this outstanding fantasy sequence, because in my opinion there can never be too much Locke Lamora. This was just as exhilarating and intricately plotted as Lies of Locke Lamora - if you haven't read these yet, and you like witty, clever fantasy involving thieving and jolly debauchery, I recommend them!)

18 - Peony in Love by Lisa See (So, I was under the impression that an utterly depressing novel awaited me, something akin to Passing Under Heaven which left me with a feeling of despair. And yes, after the first 6 chapters I thought that might be the case. Spoiler of sorts here: the main character dies, after starving herself to death, and thus becoming one of the 'lovesick maidens' that abounded at that time in China's history. But, reading further on, I made my peace with that because after all, that was the point of the author's story - to explore that cultural phenomenon. The rest of the novel was told from the point of view of the character's ghost, and it was a damned good read. Plenty of character growth, and historical fact, and written well. If anyone is interested in reading about Chinese history - in fictionalised form of course - of the 1600's, I'd recommend it).

19 - The Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton (which won't touchstone of course. This is a translation of classic Welsh myths - such as the tales of Pwyll and Rhiannon; Bran the Blessed and his sister Branwen; Gwydion and the sorceror-king Math and so on. Bloody marvellous really. Walton first started these translations in 1936, and they were published in several books. The edition I have is an omnibus. The tales themselves are extremely accessible, although dense, and beautifully written - gorgeous language. At times they are philosophical, and at others prophetic, although the prophetical nature is Walton's own invention. I'd have to say my favourite 'branch' (there are four sections) is the one concerning Pryderi, Manawyddan and Rhiannon after the curse that is placed on Dyvad and they must wander rootless for seven years, making their way as tradespeople. Definitely going to reread this one in the future).

20 - Returning by Edna O'Brien (A collection of short stories that captures the heart of country living in Ireland's not-so-distant past. Pathos mixed with hope, tragedy mingled with the attitude of accepting one's lot in life. Still, a bit of a pervasive sense of loss. Enjoyed the collection).

21 - The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther (Now, this was just beautiful. A strongly evocative story of a woman torn between two cultures, and two lives. Also, her daughter born in England struggling to understand her Iranian mother. Strongly recommended).

22 - The One Kingdom by Sean Russell (First in The Swans' War trilogy)

23 - The Isle of Battle by Sean Russell (Second in The Swans' War trilogy)

24 - The Shadow Road by Sean Russell (Third in the trilogy. Over all, I really enjoyed this series. I was in the mood for such a trio of books - young heroes, bit of romance, adventure etc. NOT filled with meaningless sorcery, which doesn't interest me in the slightest, and I found the existent magic system quite interesting. A few things bothered me - such as the existence of a magical child - blah blah, boring. Also, Russell's writing at times was just downright clunky. At times I was lost enough in the reading for my inbuilt editor's eye to close, but sometimes I was fighting that urge to pull out the pen and cross out words (an urge I sometimes lose to I might add). Nice set of books).

25 - This Side of the Sky by Elyse Singleton (This was just wonderful, fabulous reading. *gushes* 1930's Midwest moving into the war era, a tale told through the lives of two young black women, fighting to find their place in a somewhat hostile world. I was so engrossed I read this in nearly one sitting. Absolutely recommend this for anyone who loves character-based literary fiction).

26 - Unlocking the Air by Ursula LeGuin (A collection of mostly mainstream stories, but a couple of fantasy-ish stories made their way in, and, unsurprisingly, those were the two I liked the best. Some of the stories were just outright weird. I don't do weird. I like my fiction straightforward, eloquent and with characters I can connect to. So, several of these I just either skimmed or outright passed over. Several, though, such as 'The Poacher' - a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and 'Olders' - had me completely enthralled).

27 - The Roses of Roazon by Cherith Baldry. (A sweet, romantic fantasy that I found I had read before but had completely forgotten. In truth, I think it's a forgettable story, which is likely why it had slipped my mind. It is such a sweet tale, with so many people falling in love here there and everywhere that it seemed almost incongruous when a great swarm of demons swooped out of the sky and began ravaging the central city. Hm. Professions of love and demons: yes, an interesting mix).

Hi.
I've added book #21 to my TBR mountain. I liked your description. You read very interesting books.

I loved The Saffron Kitchen too.

#27 Severn: Wow! Sounds like a great reading list. I have added several to Continent TBR. Thanks for the recommendations.

Hey everyone. :) Sorry, didn't see your comments before.

Whisper - ack, sometimes I wonder how I end up with the stuff I do, though!

Trish - yeah, it's still hanging about in my mind.

Alcottacre - I'm glad some of them sound like great reads. Cheers!

28 - Vinegar Hill by A Manette Ansay (which was, to be honest, utterly wretched and depressing. Perhaps that's why I rather liked it. Disturbing in parts, but I think that I've read so many depressing literary fiction novels that when the dark, family secret was revealed in its entirety I thought 'oh ok' rather than 'oh my god! That's terrible.' Most literary fiction novels of a dark nature seem to have some terrible family secret don't they?)

#31 Severn: Most literary fiction novels of a dark nature seem to have some terrible family secret don't they?) Maybe that is why they are "of a dark nature"?

Heh. Not completely, not always.

Vinegar Hill has a collapsing relationship, for example, which was quite dark enough in and of itself, but a good old tragic family secret was thrown in there as well.

It went some way to explaining the key character's parents, but - with or without that family secret in their past - it's likely they would have been exactly the same - screwed up, dysfunctional and miserable.

It just seems that tragic family secrets are the foundation stone of many dark literature novels, so much so that the element of horror and surprise is usually lost on me now.

29 - Dark Alchemy by Various Authors (a collection of fantasy short stories by many of the respected fantasy authors out and about today. I enjoyed this for the most part. Some of the stories have been criticised as being 'too young', but it is advertised as 'for all ages' and several authors do write YA fiction, such as Garth Nix. This didn't bother me, and most of the stories were great - Elizabeth Hand's, Tanith Lee's and Orson Scott Card's being the best of the bunch for me. Recommended for fantasy fans for sure).

30 - The Swordsman's Oath by Juliet E. McKenna (this is the second in McKenna's 'Tales of Einarinn' series comprised of 5 books. I'm really enjoying her work actually, which is good considering that her first novel, A Thief's Gamble was a bit rough around the edges. Memorable, rich characters. Adventure, interesting plot. Yup. I'm happy).

31 - While I Was Gone by Sue Miller (the first of 3 Miller novels I have sitting on my shelves. I'm very impressed. It's extremely character focused, and centres on one woman's struggle to accept change, and her past. This struggle leads to a rupture in her marriage, and the book's final chapters focus on a new struggle to find forgiveness. Lovely, and I could barely put it down. It reminded me greatly of A Map of the World by Hamilton).

32 - Vivia by Tanith Lee (I have to say at the outset that I really like Lee's writing. However. Vivia was, to me, appalling. Ridiculous nonsense that featured brutish men slavering over nubile virgins, and a vampirish protagonist with no clear character. The thing is, I don't like vampire fiction, and read this only on the strength of my fondness for Lee. So, perhaps as far as vampire fiction goes it's actually quite good. I really wouldn't know. Lee's writing is as lovely as ever - heart-breakingly ethereal in some places. I guess that plague infested villagers getting it on, brutish rape, and (yet more) nubile virgins having an orgy just isn't my thing, really).

eta - spelling

The Swordsman's Oath was indeed a good one! And Tanith Lee! Sorry Vivia didn't work for you. I haven't read it yet, and it sounds like maybe I'll pass.

Yes, I'm still bemused. I mean, the writing was typical, lovely Lee. But the content...and the ridiculous plot... *boggling* heh.

I have McKenna's other series waiting as well - the Northern, Southern etc ones.

Sounds like Juliet E. McKenna is an author whose books I will have to look for. Thanks for the heads up!

I tried A Thief's Gamble the year before last, I think it was and it didn't quite do it for me. I don't know what it was - it just seemed to run out of steam not very far into it and I put it aside. It seems to me that it is pretty hard to get hold of good fantasy books. Because of the uninspired, copy-cat fantasies, I now have an aversion to almost all quest-type stories with their oddball, cast of characters on the hunt for some special magic something or other or some person who will save civilization from the evil, evil ones. When I read the word mage or wizard in a book description now all kinds of warning bells go off in my head. There is no originality to far too many of these books. Not, of course, that I don't have a few fantasy writers that I just love, but given the huuuuge number of people who claim to be fantasy writers I find that only a tiny number are truly worth reading. Whew! Now, after all this uncalled for ranting I will shut up.

Oh no, I agree, it's a case of weeding out the chaff from the wheat. Was going to spout off a few recommendations, but thought I'd just say if you're interested in recommendations just have a peruse of my fantasy tag if you want to. It's kinda large heh, and I have comments next to many of them. Anything with a To-Sell tag means I think it's absolute tripe, and not worth bothering about.

You description of Vivia had me in stitches. All those virgins and vampires and yet the story came to naught.

Snicker. It's so horribly true! I've been giggling and boggling over it with my husband ever since...hehe.

I thought While I was Gone was wonderful - it was the first Sue Miller I'd read and I've since read them all (I think!) - but to me it's her best. It will be a re-read some day.

chiming in regarding While I was Gone -- I too found it to be a wonderful book when I read it a few years ago.

It's the first I'd read from her...I have two others waiting on my shelves, which I'm extremely grateful for. :) I don't often think about a novel for days afterward, but this one is really sticking with me - just the nature of her relationships, and thoughts, and the issue of change and growth. There were couple of lines, early on, that really resonated:

'Age. Vanity. The impossibility of accepting the new versions of oneself that life kept offering. The impossibility of the old version's vanishing.'

Being 33, and feeling sometimes younger, and sometimes older, yet knowing I'm so different from the 'me' that was even 10 years ago, this speaks to me. So does the rest of the book...

Per your suggestion, Severn, (and thank you for it) I took a peep at your fantasy stuff and found more than one that look pretty good. I plan to come back for a more thorough look later.

Well, I've been slack and haven't kept this updated in the past 2 months...

And I've decided that since I am completely on target, I'm going to start a new thread in the 2009 group so I can keep track from January to December next year. But I'll note the books I've read in the last month or so.

33 - The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler (Tyler is one of my favourite authors, and this didn't disappoint, even though I didn't particularly like the characters. It's one of those stories, though, where liking the characters isn't necessary. I wonder if Tyler has created unlikeable characters simply to expose the less likeable aspects of being human. The characters have redeeming moments, for sure, but that's about it. They're moments in otherwise bland, undesirable lives).

34 - Being Dead by Jim Crace (which isn't one I'd recommend for the squeamish. I don't know, it is a disturbing book in some ways. The guts (no pun intended) of the story is the murder of a husband and wife at a beach, and what happens for the 6 days afterwards - to their bodies (in graphic detail), to their daughter, even to the grass lying under their bodies. Basically, it's an atheist account of life after death, and it has a curious grace. In the end, I was moved.

35 - A Calendar of Love by George Mackay Brown (ugh, couldn't stand this. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Stories that felt pointless, a story-telling style I couldn't respect or connect to. Blech. Like wading through sticky, brain-draining mud).

36 - The Curse of Chalion - by Bujold (I just loved this. Crystal-clear prose, and a great plot. I've always been partial to fantasy told via first-person perspective, and this didn't disappoint. The protagonist was engaging and interesting, and his challenges - and how he overcomes them - make for a fruitful, engrossing read).

37 - Paladin of Souls by Bujold (more of the same as above, although this one has a different main character. While I didn't latch onto her as much as the first book's character, still very enjoyable).

Felt like a break from lit fic, so have been reading nothing but fantasy for a bit.

38 - Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
39 - Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
40 - Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher

(So far, so good. I was really in the mood for a fast-paced actiony type fantasy, yet with a focus on character (because I just can't connect to books that lack character and character growth) and this series has been perfect. At the end of book 2 there was, for me at least, just a little too many fight scenes: Yes, yes I get the point - you're being chased by a big dog thing, and you're going to defeat it of course, so hurry up would you, so I can get on with the story. Which I like, a lot).

41 - Ratha's Creature by Clare Bell (which is an old favourite from childhood that I just had to revisit nostalgically).

My new 2009 challenge

I'm really enjoying Butcher's "Fury" books. I believe I'm getting the one that just came out for Christmas...can't wait!

Lucky you! I'll have to wait awhile for that one I think....as far as I know, though, the last one will be published next year. :)

Finally catching up with all the messages...

One more after Princep's Fury, huh? Oh well, I figured this series had to end. Unlike his Dresden books, which are sort of episodic, there's a very clear story arc to the Codex Alera books.

I hope he starts up something else to go with his Dresden books once he's done with these.