japaul's 2012 reading log, part 2

Here's part 2 of my 2012 reading. I'll repost my introduction and goals for the year.

Hi everyone! I'm new to Club Read this year, but have been on LT since 2009. My name in Jennifer and I live in Washington, D.C. with my husband, toddler, and dog. I'm a classical musician - I play french horn and somehow lucked into actually making a living doing it. I've been logging my reading over in the 50 book challenge, but I'm looking for a little more interaction and discussion. After lurking on your threads for a few months, I think I'll be a good fit over here.

In 2011 I read 79 books, which shattered my old record of 52 books. Much of this increase is due to the influence of fellow LTers and also the 11 in 11 group. Also the fact that my toddler finally started sleeping - 12 hours at night and a 3 hour nap!

My goals for this year are:
1) to read Don Quixote
2) to read more non-fiction. I'm aiming for more of a 2:1 fiction to non-fiction ratio, which I slipped away from this year (possibly in an attempt to read more books - **blushing**)
3) to participate in more group reads on LT
4) to track the nationality of the authors I read - I expect to be embarrassingly full of American and British authors, but maybe this will make me broaden my reading

Books reviewed in my initial 2012 thread which is here http://www.librarything.com/topic/129369
January:
1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
2. Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
3. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
4. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
5. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
6. The Giant of the French Revolution: Danton, A Life by David Lawday
7. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
8. Push has come to Shove by Dr. Steve Perry
9. The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey

February:
10. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
11. A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
12. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
13. Snow by Orhan Pamuk
14. Persuasion by Jane Austen
15. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

March:
16. War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
17. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
18. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
19. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
20. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
21. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

April:
22. Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
23. The Virgin in the Garden by A. S. Byatt
24. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
25. Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith
26. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

May:
27. Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
28. The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak
29. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
30. Faithful Place by Tana French
31. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
32. Don Quixote, Book One by Miguel de Cervantes
33. Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen
34. Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Books read in 2012 for my Part 2 thread:
June:
35. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
36. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
37. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
38. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
39. The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson

July:
40. Year Before Last by Kay Boyle
41. Don Quixote, Part 2 by Miguel de Cervantes
42. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
43. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
44. Middlemarch by George Eliot

August:
45. A Mind of Winter by Shira Nayman
46. Torso by Helene Tursten
47. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
48. Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer
49. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
50. The History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones
51. Small Island by Andrea Levy

September:
52. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
53. Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution by Rebecca Stott
54. The Red and the Black by Stendhal
55. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
56. The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro
57. My Antonia by Willa Cather

October:
58. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
59. The Stand by Stephen King
60. The Forgetting River by Doreen Carvajal
61. Villette by Charlotte Bronte
62. Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

November:
63. The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age by Janet Wallach
64. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
65. The Professor's House by Willa Cather
66. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
67. Candide by Voltaire
68. Baudolino by Umberto Eco

December
69. Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Laclos
70. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
71. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
72. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
73. So That's What They're For by Janet Tamaro
74. The Shape of Water by Camilleri
75. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
76. King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
77. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

#35 11/22/63 by Stephen King
I enjoyed this time travel romance that centers around JFK's assassination and what might have happened if the assassination hadn't happened. I'm fairly new to King's writing and I like it. Yes, it's a bit long, but he writes so grippingly that it really pulls you along. I thought the romance angle in this book was a little weak and ended up being too big a part of the book, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Original Publication Date: 2011
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 849
Other books read by this author: The Shining, Full Dark, No Stars
Rating: 3.5 stars

The continuation thingy worked :)

>4 japaul22: - I tend to always at least enjoy King's books, even when they're not brilliant. Some are actually very good, like his Different Seasons. This one's plot doesn't sound too promising, but King can make prosaic things gripping. Thanks for the review!

Checking in on part 2, so I can see what happens with your Don Quixote read. :) Also, noticing the very nice list of books you've read so far this year.

katiekrug - Yay, it worked!!

dmsteyn - yes, I've noticed so far that I really like King's writing and the premise of his books. He has great ideas! I really did like 11/22/63, even though I'm sure as I read more of his works I won't think it his best. I've heard that a lot of people get put off by the length of his books, but it doesn't bother me. I like long books!

dchaikin - Thanks for checking in. I've just started part 2 of DQ and am on chapter 11. I anticipate reading this half a little faster, but I won't make any promises!

I was inspired by Linda29007’s list of her favorite fiction published after 2000 to compile a list of my own. I limited myself to one book per author. I wanted to do this because I used to think that most current fiction wasn’t really all that well written or stimulating. This stemmed from knowing mainly of the bestsellers, which I still often dislike if I bother to read them at all. Since joining LT, I’ve been able to make better choices about which modern fiction to read and have discovered many new favorite authors. Except for Baudolino and Atonement, I learned about all of these books and authors on LT. I’m sure this list will change over the next few years since I have dozens of new fiction in my TBR pile! I'll be interested to see what I think of these favorites in a decade.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguru
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Baudolino by Umberto Eco
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

Great to see your list. I've read a couple of those - The Blind Assassin, Never Let Me Go, Atonement and just finished Gilead. Nice to see the recent Song of Achilles and Gillespie and I on the list - I'm looking forward to reading those.

Nice to see Baudolino on your list. It's been on my TBR forever, and I'm never up to tackling it. You encourage me.

DieFledermaus - My list is definitely weighted towards my reading since joining LT in 2009. I didn't read much modern fiction before that, so the list is definitely more for me than a complete list of great books since 2000. I just don't have enough of a pool of books read to claim that! It was fun to compile though.

Nickelini - Baudolino is not my favorite book by Eco (I like Foucault's Pendulum and The Name of the Rose better), but it's my favorite Eco book published since 2000 and I wanted to get him on the list! I'm planning to reread Baudolino with the 12 in 12 group read in November if you'd like to join us. I don't find that I really grasp Eco's writing til I've read the book twice.

Great list, Jennifer! I loved The Name of the Rose and would like to read more of Eco's works. LT says The Island of the Day Before is somewhere in my many unread books and I have a Kindle edition of On Literature, also waiting. Sigh

#36 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
This was a re-read for me. I first read Wolf Hall when my son was still a non-sleeping newborn and I knew that I loved it, but I honestly didn't remember much about it. So I wanted to re-read it before reading Bring up the Bodies. Luckily, my recollection of loving it was right. Since I've already reviewed it, I'll just say that I love how Mantel is able to get inside her characters and reveal their personalities through their actions and reactions. I also love that this book is funny - it isn't as serious as many historical fiction works can be. I also think her use of the present tense makes the reader feel more involved in the action than far removed from it. It is very effective. And the "he's" don't bother me at all! ;-)

Original Publication Date: 2009
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 560 pages
Other books read by this author: Wolf Hall in 2010, A Place of Greater Safety
Rating: 5 stars

I enjoyed your revisiting of Wolf Hall, Jennifer. I have been thinking about doing the same thing - a second read before launching into Bring Up the Bodies. There is a 75 Challenge Group Wolf Hall tutored read thread, led by Chatterbox, that is a great resource on the historical aspects.

Thanks Linda! I looked in on the tutored read, but there's so much information that I found it a little overwhelming! I think I got most of the historical references on my own since I've done a little reading on the Tudors and watched a lot of PBS specials!

It would be a different book with those he's...

#37 Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
This is an interesting biography of Cleopatra. Schiff knows that most of what is believed about Cleopatra is more folk lore and media-influenced than fact and tries very hard to separate the two. Of course, there isn't all the much accurate first-hand source material about Cleopatra, but somehow Schiff paints a convincing picture of Cleopatra's life and motivations anyway. I personally was a little put off by Schiff's writing style though I can't put my finger on why, but this is a fascinating book in spite of that. Recommended.

Original Publication Date: 2010
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length:394 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

Glad you finished and enjoyed Cleopatra: A Life in spite of the stylistic issues!

#38 Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
I've heard so many great things about this book on LT, and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. This is a mystery that weaves several cold cases together that detective Jackson Brodie works to solve. I actually didn't think the mysteries were all that mysterious, but the character writing in this book is amazing. Atkinson shifts point of view between chapters and very successfully creates different third person voices for each of her main characters. I'm definitely interested in reading more of her work.

Original Publication Date: 2004
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 310 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

I've heard good things about this one also. I have her Behind the Scenes at the Museum but might try to get Case Histories after. People will often cite this book in debates on literary fiction vs genre fiction.

#39 The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
Awesome! I loved this book about the adventures of Red Orm, a Viking from the mid 900s. This book has everything. Kidnapping, enslavement, fighting, humor, love, and adventure. Along the way I learned a lot about the evolving religions of the time. The Norse gods, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are all explored in a surprisingly evenhanded way. Also, I learned so much about daily life and family relationships at the time.

The book is in 4 parts. Part 1, The Long Voyage, sucks you right in as you go on a sea-faring adventure with Red Orm. This is the part where he goes from adolescence to manhood and becomes a man worthy of being a Chieftan. He's a smart, fair, and brave man. This part was an interesting discussion of the religions of the time. Part 2 takes place in England with more battles and Orm's conversion to Christianity. Part 3 explores home life and marriage as Orm gives up his adventures to farm, raise a family, and build a church. Part 4 is another adventure to recover a treasure.

Through all of this you meet interesting characters who show up again at unexpected moments. You see how communities interact with each other and how disputes are resolved. I also learned that Viking can be a verb - as in "to go a-viking". Awesome! The writing is fantastic - humorous, exciting, and intelligent. I highly recommend this book. It was great fun!

Original Publication Date: 1954
Author’s nationality: Swedish
Original language: Swedish
Length: 503 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4.5 stars

2nd Quarter favorites:
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson

All fiction – whoops! I usually try to read roughly 1 non-fiction for every 2 fiction books I read, but this quarter I read 18 books and only 2 of those were non-fiction. The good news is that I read some fantastic books this quarter! I think I’ve been too brain dead from a stressful few months at work to concentrate on non-fiction.

Jennifer, The Long Ships gets consistently good reviews. It looks like a must read for me. You have read some great books this quarter.

The Long Ships sounds wonderful, Jennifer. I am adding it to my wishlist. Sorry that you have gone through a stressful period at work, but glad that it did not interfere with some great reading!

When I am stressed by life/work, I do the opposite and default to reading nonfiction instead of fiction. Funny how people vary in their reading comfort zones.

Nice review of The Long Ships, Jennifer. It's already on my wish list, after Rebecca's glowing review of it a couple of years ago.

#22 - hmm. It must be summer, so many fun books reviewed this week/weekend. This sounds terrific.

Thanks for all the interest in The Long Ships everyone! It's a fantastic book and I hope you all get to it at some point!

karspeak - it is funny how even people who choose similar books go to different sources for comfort reads!

Here are my favorites from the first half of the year in no particular order. I don't include rereads since I tend to reread about 5 books a year and they are all favorites!

Fiction:
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson

Nonfiction:
Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

#40 Year Before Last by Kay Boyle
This is a book that I picked up on a whim in my local used book store because it is a Virago Modern Classics edition. I'd never heard of the book or the author. The story is about the love between Martin and Hannah. Both are young, in their 20s, and have left someone to be together. Hannah has left her husband behind after falling in love at first sight with Martin, and Martin has chosen Hannah over the financial support of his Aunt Eve. While Hannah's husband is all but absent from the book, Eve is a never-ending presence as she holds the purse strings to Martin's true love - his avant-garde literary magazine that he edits and contributes to. Hannah finds that Martin has no money of his own and they move from hotel to hotel in southern France, first running from bills and then leaving as proprietors refuse to let the deathly ill Martin stay in their hotel. His lung illness is gruesome and described in detail as Hannah nurses him through fits where he loses containers of blood.

The book ends up being a sort of love triangle between Hannah, Martin, and Eve/the magazine. I started out really liking it, was pretty put off by the tone in the middle, and then got engrossed in the end. Especially in the middle, I started to feel like even though the writing is descriptive and romantic I was being kept at a distance from everything. That's strange to feel in such a narrowly focused book. Then I read the afterword and discovered that this is a highly autobiographical work and that Boyle really did watch her lover die an excruciating death. Then the distance seemed to make more sense as I imagine this was pretty painful to write.

Overall, I'm glad I read this, but I don't think it's earth-shattering enough to seek out.

Original Publication Date: 1932
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 320 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

** I think this is the only time I've been the ONLY reviewer for a book on LT!

I've read another of Boyle's, Plagued by the Nightingale, which has the same detached tone and is also not earth-shattering.

Pleased to see Excellent Women in your best of list.

Congratulations for being the only reviewer of Year before Last I think your lukewarm review might mean you remain the only reviewer.

>22 japaul22: - Glad to see another good review of The Long Ships. It has gotten quite a few raves. Sounds like a good, involving summer book.

This is a book that I picked up on a whim in my local used book store because it is a Virago Modern Classics edition.

I do this also!

#30 An interesting book you've stumbled across. I'm intrigued.

pamelad - interesting to hear that another book of Boyle's had a detached tone. Excellent Women was my first book by Pym and I'm planning to get to Quartet in Autumn soon.

baswood - yes, I did worry that a lukewarm review when it's the only one would be too influential. There's no reason that someone else might not like the book much more than I did, but it just wasn't impressive to me.

DieF - The Long Ships is fantastic - I highly recommend it!

dchaikin - Even if I didn't love it, I still think it's fun to try something I've never heard of. I don't regret the reading time!

#41 Don Quixote, Part 2 by Miguel de Cervantes
I finished Part 1 of Don Quixote in May and though I enjoyed it and was impressed by it, I never really connected to it. I couldn’t feel more differently about Part 2. Part of it may be that I read it more quickly, but mainly I felt that Book 2 was the work of a more mature writer with deeper characterizations and a better thread of narrative. I LOVED reading of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza’s adventures and I was so sorry to see it end. Their relationship really develops through this part and their adventures are less silly and more meaningful. I loved the section where the Duke and the Duchess set up adventures for DQ and Sancho, especially seeing Sancho get his chance at being a governor. I also thought it was smart and creative to have the characters all have read the previously published first book of adventures and to have the “unofficial” second part floating around. It was so hard to remember just how long ago this book was written because it feels so modern in many ways. It is definitely a book I will come back to again and again.

A must-read for all readers.

Original Publication Date: 1615
Author’s nationality: Spanish
Original language: Spanish
Length: 491 pages
Other books read by this author: Don Quixote, Part 1
Rating: 5 stars

Oh I'm glad you ended up really enjoying Don Quixote. As I was concerned after you read part 1 since you were reading it so slowly, it pleases me to see that you read part 2 much faster. I really think it makes a difference. And part 2 was my favored section as well.

But yes, I'm very glad you ended up enjoying the book.

I also found Part 2 more enjoyable, but then, I love both unconditionally.

A must read for all readers - indeed!

A must? Someday...

Enjoyed your comments on DQ.

Book 2 of Don Quixote is definitely in my near future; I loved first book. Glad to hear it gets better.

#42 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
After finishing Don Quixote, I needed a palate cleanser and for that I always turn to Jane Austen. I hadn't read Northanger Abbey since I started keeping track of my reading in 2008 so it was time to return to this book. I had remembered this as one of my less favorite Austen novels (it's all relative as I love them all) and I was a little surprised at how much I loved it. This is considered Austen's first novel and you can definitely tell. It's true that the writing may be a little less flowing and I could imagine some of the characters being more fleshed out if this was a later work, but I wouldn't trade those things for the benefits. Austen's voice and, most entertainingly, her sarcasm really comes through in this book. I felt like you could see more of her personality in this book than in some of her later ones. I also LOVE Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland, both of whom have their faults and feel like real people. Reading Austen always puts me in a general reading mood, so I'm off to find another book!

Original Publication Date: 1818
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 290 pages
Other books read by this author: all of them including most of her "juvenelia"
Rating: 5 stars

Nice description of reading Jane Austen

Entertaining review. So, where did Jane send you next?

Thanks Barry!

dchaikin - On to Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace. I've only read the first few chapters, but it's fantastic so far!

Atwood seems an appropriate follow-up, somehow.

#43 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Well that may just be the most satisfying book with an unsatisfying ending that I've ever read. This is a brilliant tale that weaves a historical subject with a character study. Atwood delves into the mind of Grace Marks, an 18th century woman convicted of colluding with a fellow servant to kill her employer and the housekeeper he was sleeping with. The book focuses on Grace's time in jail being interviewed by an aspiring doctor to the insane, Simon Jordan. The entire book is a question - just how involved was Grace in the murders? The answers range from her being a young, unwitting bystander who didn't stop the murders out of fear to her being a conniving, manipulative, jealous woman who orchestrated the whole affair. In the middle is the possibility of insanity, multiple personalities, etc. In addition to the questions about Grace, we get a glimpse into the mind of Dr. Jordan, who comes off as not-so-sane himself, even in comparison to Grace. Ultimately, there are few answers in this book, but even though that in itself is unsatisfying, the book is so absorbing and interesting that it is satisfying even without a neatly wrapped up ending. This may be my favorite Atwood novel so far.

Original Publication Date: 1996
Author’s nationality: Canadian
Original language: English
Length: 468 pages
Other books read by this author: The Handmaid's Tale, The Blind Assassin, Cat's Eye
Rating: 5 stars

Alias Grace was the novel that gotme hooked on Atwood. I think in the end I like The Blind Assassin better, but this is definitely an amazing novel. I enjoyed reading your comments!

I had stopped reading Margaret Atwood some time ago, but Alias Grace always sounded like a book that could get me to read her again. Your review has pushed that thought closer to the surface. Thanks.

Your review of Alias Grace reminds me how much I enjoyed this book and Atwood's earlier works, especially those you have listed as also having read. But her more recent works, not so much. I don't think I even made it through the first few chapters of Oryx and Crake.

Cait - Yes, it's hard to decide between The Blind Assassin and Alias Grace for a favorite. I think that The Blind Assassin is the smarter book, but I was a tiny bit more engaged by Alias Grace. They were both 5 star reads for me.

SassyLassy - Give Alias Grace a try! It was great.

Linda - I've been afraid to try Oryx and Crake because I really don't like science fiction and the topic doesn't sound appealing. I'll read her books that sound more my speed first, and then maybe try one of the newer ones. We'll see.

Enjoyed your comments on Don Quixote. I too finished it recently, but via the audiobook of the Edith Grossman translation. George Guidall reads it with so much fun! But in retrospect I would have done better with text for a first read (especially of Part One), then come back to it on audio.

Tempting review of Alias Grace. Was wondering which one to read after The Blind Assassin and The Handmaid's Tale. I have heard good things about Oryx and Crake though.

detailmuse - I think it would be really fun to listen to Don Quixote. Maybe next time. It's certainly a book I will revisit.

DieF - I think Alias Grace fits well with Blind Assassin and Handmaid's Tale. I almost read Oryx and Crake with a group read this year, but other books were calling to me more strongly! I'm a little afraid that Oryx and Crake will be too sci-fi for me - a genre I'm not really interested in. I'll probably try it at some point though.

#44 Middlemarch by George Eliot
This is one of my favorite books and was a reread in a used Folio Society edition that I received as a gift this year. I love this book. The characters are beautifully developed and though most are based on some sort of prototype they all feel like real people to me. There are beautiful love stories, unsuccessful marriages, local politics, youthful scandals coming back to haunt the established, family fights, family love, and it's all just fabulously written. I think that one of my favorite characters is the self-absorbed Rosamund. She is not the kind of character I'd normally like (and I don't actually like her), but Eliot does such a great job of making her human even with her selfish ways and limitless mistakes. I also love the contrasts between the main female characters - Dorothea, Rosamund, and Mary. This is a book that I will continue to return to.

Original Publication Date: 1871
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 837 pages
Other books read by this author: Daniel Deronda, The Mill on the Floss
Rating: 5 stars

Nice review, Jennifer. Middlemarch is sitting on my Kindle, but I just never seem to get around to it. Thanks for the nudge!

Middlemarch is one of my all time favourite books; it's great to find someone else reading it for enjoyment. Nice review and I agree about Rosamund.

I should get back to Middlemarch; I made a failed attempt to read it in three days as a preparation for a lecture by a visiting scholar when I was at university. I wasn't able to finish it, and never went back to it.

Linda and Edwin - Hope you decide to give Middlemarch a try - it's a great book, especially in the right mood.

Sassylassy - Happy to find another Middlemarch fan!

#45 A Mind of Winter by Shira Nayman
I received A Mind of Winter as a LT Early Reviewers book. To be honest, I wasn’t that excited about this book, but it turned out to be very enjoyable and I’m glad I read it.

This novel takes place in the immediate aftermath of WWII. Oscar has moved to America and from the beginning it is made clear that he has changed his identity and that he is hiding something. His story, and his family’s, is gradually revealed along the way. His life is intertwined with two women. Christine is a British woman who he had a relationship with after meeting her through English language classes that she taught to people housed in an Internment Camp that Oscar (named Robert at the time) was part of. Christine leaves England abruptly after seeming to discover something evil in Robert’s past. She travels to Shanghai where she falls deeper and deeper into an opium addiction and seems to be lost. The other woman central to the book is Marilyn, a photographer whose war-time pictures affect Oscar deeply. She is struggling with her own demons, trying to come to terms with the real world behind her photographs.

All of the characters in this book are haunting. The plot is interesting – exotic at times, but also familiar. There are nods to The Great Gatsby when Oscar moves to America and sets up a summer estate where he invites friends for the weekend, Marilyn included. The opulence and laziness of that setting definitely reminded me of Fitzgerald’s work.

Where the book fails a bit is in the ending. With a book like this, I actually would have liked a few more loose ends to remain. The plot gets tied up a bit too nicely for my taste. I also thought that the characters could have been tied together more strongly – especially getting Marilyn into the main story – and the theme of coincidences could have been more flushed out.

Overall, though, this was a pleasant surprise. There’s a good amount of suspense and it kept my interest to the end.

Original Publication Date: 2012
Author’s nationality:
Original language: English
Length: 320 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

I enjoyed your review of A Mind of Winter, Jennifer. This book seems to be getting much better LT reviews than her prior novel, although her short stories seem to be the best received. Hopefully a sign of development as a writer and even better things to come!

Nice review of A Mind of Winter, Jennifer. I'm glad that it was a worthwhile read, as I also received an LTER copy of it. I'll probably read it next week.

Linda - I had never heard of this author, but I did notice that a lot of the reviews for the book I read weren't very positive. While the book didn't blow me away, I did enjoy it.

Darryl - I'll be interested to see what you think!

#46 Torso by Helene Tursten trans. by Katarina E. Tucker

This is the second book in the Detective Irene Huss series. This book is much more gruesome than the first in the series, as it deals with a pair of serial murderers who are into "sado-necrophilia" - yeah, just what it sounds like and disgusting! What I like about this series is that the main detective is serious about her job and good at it, but it doesn't completely consume her family life. She stops working at the end of the day and she makes an effort to spend time with her family, including twin teenage girls. I get kind of sick of detective novels where the main detective is a disaster and has no separation between life and work. This feels more realistic. What I don't like is that the translation (originally in Swedish) is pretty clunky. The series has several different translators, so I'm hoping it improves. I enjoy this series as a diversion from my normal reading.

Original publication date: 2000
Author's Nationality: Swedish
Original Language: Swedish
Length: 341 pages
Other books read by this author: Detective Inspector Huss
Rating: 3 stars

Middlemarch is one of my favorites also - and I agree with you about Rosamund.

I had not heard of the Tursten books and even though I haven't read any of the current crop of Scandinavian mysteries, glad to see a lot being translated.

#47 The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

This is a book that will most definitely change your outlook of race relations and incarceration rates in America. It certainly did for me. In place of a review of this book, I’m going to list a few quotes to hopefully get you interested in reading this book. I highlighted almost 60 passages, which is quite possibly a record for me. As a person who thinks of herself as liberal, progressive, and informed about the state of America, I was pretty shocked by some of the statistics in this book. The basic tenet is that the mass incarceration of blacks through The War on Drugs is creating a massive racial caste system. I personally knew that incarceration rates for blacks were highly inequitable, but I will admit to not knowing that drug use across color boundaries is virtually identical even though it is not remotely prosecuted identically. I will also admit that media, tv shows, movies, skewed my thinking to assume that one of the reasons for the difference in incarceration rates between the races was that violence was often a part of black drug usage in a way that it is not for white drug usage. I’m really, really embarrassed to admit that, but there it is. I’m so glad I read this book as it has radically changed my knowledge and ideas. Alexander’s book is particularly strong in her analysis of court decisions and tracing the funding and politics behind the War on Drugs.

Here are just a couple of quotes - it was really hard to pick.

In less than thirty years, the US penal population exploded from around 300,000 to more than 2 million, with drug convictions accounting for the majority of the increase. The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, dwarfing the rates of nearly every developed country, even surpassing those in highly repressive regimes like Russia, China, and Iran.

Studies show that people of all color use and sell illegal drugs at remarkably similar rates. If there are significant differences in the surveys to be found, they frequently suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color. That is not what one would guess, however, when entering our nation’s prisons and jails, which are overflowing with black and brown drug offenders. In some states, back men have been admitted to prison on drug charges at rates twenty to fifty times greater than those of white men.

. . . for drug felons, there is little hope of escape. Barred from public housing by law, discriminated against by private landlords, ineligible for food stamps, forced to “check the box” indicating a felony conviction on employment applications for nearly every job, and denied licenses for a wide range of professions, people whose only crime is drug addiction or possession of a small amount of drugs for recreational use find themselves locked out of the mainstream society and economy – permanently.

SWAT teams could have rappelled from helicopters in gated suburban communities and raided the homes of high school lacrosse players known for hosting coke and ecstasy parties after their games . . . Suburban homemakers could have been placed under surveillance and subjected to undercover operations designed to catch them violating laws regulating the use and sale of prescription “uppers”. All of this could have happened as a matter of routine in white communities, but it did not. Instead, when police go looking for drugs, they look in the ‘hood.

To put the crisis in even sharper focus, consider this: just 992 black men received a bachelor’s degree from Illinois state universities in 1999, while roughly 7000 black men were released from the state prison system the following year just for drug offenses.

Original publication date: 2010
Author's Nationality: american
Original Language: english
Length: 290 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4.5 stars

66 - Good review. I'm consistently amazed that there isn't more focus on this topic.

The New Jim Crow looks very interesting to me, Jennifer, particularly as years ago I taught some undergraduate social welfare courses in both a medium and a maximum security facility. It was an eye-opening experience on so many levels, both rewarding and discouraging.

Nice review of The New Jim Crow and you certainly did make me interested in reading it! A few years ago I read Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse which brings up the same issues The New Jim Crow does.

>The New Jim Crow
Thank you for these excerpts, they do get me interested. I'd heard the statistics and this sounds like excellent background.

Glad that I've interested some people in The New Jim Crow. I think it's an important book!



#48 Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer
This was my first experience reading Heyer, an author I learned about on LT. I'd say I liked it and would read more by her in the future, though I wasn't as blown away as I hoped to be. This is one of Heyer's romances. There is the feisty female heroine in unfortunate financial situations and the rich, young nobleman who is infatuated with her. His cousin and guardian sets out to save him from this woman and of course ends up falling in love with her himself. There is lots of action and some witty dialogue. I found it all very predictable, but I still enjoyed it. It's a fun book if you're in the right mood for it.

Original publication date: 1941
Author's Nationality: British
Original Language: English
Length: 304 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

Nice review of The New Jim Crow, Jennifer. I downloaded it to my Kindle after DieFledermaus's review of it last month, and I'll probably read it in September or October.

Great review of The New Jim Crow - thumbed. I have to admit that before I read the book I had a similar view as the one Alexander describes - that the justice system has the usual racism that you'd find in American institutions but that there must be some controls on it. Also glad to see so much interest in the book.

#49 The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
I think that Ford Madox Ford should have fought the publishers and stuck with his original title, The Saddest Story. It is a much better descriptor of this intense and depressing short novel. This is the story of the twisted lives of two unhappily married couples and the various affairs they involve themselves in. It's narrated by one of the husbands, John Dowell, whose wife Florence has at least two affairs, one with the husband of the other married couple, Edward, who is the title character. Leonora, Edward's wife, is aware of everything going on and trying to control events as much as possible by managing her husband's affairs - both in love and money. John, the narrator, insists that he never knew that his wife was having affairs. He tells the story of Edward and Leonora through a series of flashbacks after Florence and Edward have both committed suicide, Edward several years after Florence.

If the above description was confusing, I'll say I'm just following the layout of Ford's book. The unreliable memories and misunderstanding of events by the narrator and the rambling, out-of-chronological-order retelling make the novel complex and interesting. The writing style is amazing, especially considering this was written in 1915. The characters in this book are all pretty despicable, mostly being either totally passive, like the narrator, or passive aggressive, like Leonora. Usually I can't stand a book where I don't like at least one of the characters, but this book is good enough to overcome that.

Original Publication Date: 1915
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 177 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

Great review of The Good Soldier, Jennifer. I have not read anything by this author, but skimming through some of his LT reviews, I am becoming interested. Thanks for the introduction!

Nice review of The Good Soldier, Jennifer. I've just downloaded the free e-book onto my Kindle.

Agree with you Jennifer The good Soldier is something special. well worth it's classic status.

My grandmother gave me The Good Soldier when I was about twelve! Maybe it was a warning, but it made no sense to me then. I reread it last year and thought it was brilliant.

Thanks for the comments about The good Soldier review. SassyLassy, I can't imagine reading it at 12! Definitely wouldn't have gotten most of it.

#50 The History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones
Wow, I finally finished this! This is an incredibly dense and informative history of the entire Viking era. Jones works his way from pre 700 AD to 1066. He breaks this up into four sections based on time periods and explores the society, culture, legal systems, famous leaders, and religions. He also describes their explorations and expansions into other countries. To me, some of the most interesting sections were about the pre-Christian religious beliefs and descriptions of everyday life. I was also pretty interested in the ship building and thought there could have been a bit more about that.

Although the subject matter and detail is fascinating, this book is not an easy read. It was published in the 1960s and the language feels old-fashioned and stuffy. It was really hard to get into the flow of it and had lots of words that are rarely used today. I'm also so used to reading current nonfiction that is or tends toward narrative nonfiction that it took me a while to get used to the style.

While the information in this book is fantastic, you have to be determined to get through the dense language. I definitely got so bored at times that I missed the gist of certain sections.

Original publication date: 1968
Author's Nationality: Welsh
Original Language: English
Length: 504 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

Well done for getting through The History of the Vikings. What made you start reading it in the first place.

Barry - I've had it on my shelves forever and originally bought it because I've always been interested in Norwegian history and literature because my mom's family is from there. My family has kept a lot of Norwegian traditions and we took a family trip there when I was 18 that is still my favorite overseas experience. Reading The Long Ships pushed me towards finally completing this.

If anyone ever has any suggestions of Scandinavian nonfiction or literature, I'd love to hear about it!

I loved The Good Soldier also - one of the best "unreliable narrator" books out there.

The History of the Vikings certainly sounds useful but maybe another book on the topic would be better.

For Scandinavian lit -

It looks like you've already read Kristin Lavransdatter but I also enjoyed Undset's Jenny and Gunnar's Daughter. Jenny is a psychological study of a modern (for Undset) artist and Gunnar's Daughter reads like one of the old Icelandic sagas but more streamlined.

I've never read any of Tove Jansson's Moomintroll books but The Summer Book, Fair Play and The True Deceiver are all great reads and quite different.

Arto Paasilinna's The Howling Miller was a fun read despite what might be unpleasant subject material - the title character is ostracized by a small town, shipped off to a psychiatric institution, then escapes and wreaks havoc. I've seen some good reviews about his The Year of the Hare and have it on the wishlist.

Halldor Laxness - loved Independent People and The Fish Can Sing, am pretty much willing to read anything by him.

Doctor Glas - a classic by Hjalmar Soderberg which I loved. I also have Gregorius by Bengt Ohlsson which tells the story from a different POV - haven't read it yet.

Games of Night - bleak but lyrical stories by Stig Dagerman. This might be hard to find.

I think I've seen that some people around here have read piles by Per Olov Enqvist. I haven't, but The Royal Physician's Visit was very good.

Knut Hamsun did not have an exemplary life but Hunger which is about one man's unrelenting, well, hunger, is pretty powerful. Pan is interesting also.

Linn Ullmann's Before You Sleep was charming, funny and vivid though the end was a bit of a letdown.

Amalie Skram wrote a number of interesting 19th c. feminist novels - I can recommend Constance Ring, Lucie and Betrayed.

And plenty of Scandinavian mysteries/crime novels though I haven't read any.

Great review of The good soldier. I will probably have to reread it, as I only gave it 2 stars when I read it in 1990. Probably, as a student, I was either pressed for time, or did not read it very carefully.

>83 DieFledermaus: - Wow, Games of Night. I bought that in a used bookstore here in South Africa, not realising how scarce it is. Yet to read it, but looking forward.

Catching up - between you and Dewald, older history books are growing more appealing. Also fascinated by your review of The New Jim Crow.

Wow, DieF, thank you so much for all of the book suggestions. I've been exploring them and adding to my wish list. Thanks so much for taking the time to do that as I hadn't heard of many of those authors.

Edwin - Thanks! The Good Soldier is a slim book packed with thoughts - one of those where every word counts - so I'm sure that reading it under busy circumstances would affect your opinion. It's short enough and good enough to deserve a second chance!

Dan - Well, I won't be running out to find more older history books, but this topic was interesting enough to me personally to give it the time. And, yep, The New Jim Crow was a fascinating and disturbing book.

>85 dmsteyn: - The one I bought was published by Quartet Encounters. They have a lot of interesting selections but are hard to find especially as I don't buy from Amazon or Amazon-owned sites.

>87 japaul22: - You're welcome and I hope you enjoy the books!

speaking of non fiction and foreign authors....i'm thinking you might enjoy "Reading Lolita in Tehran"....

>82 japaul22: Seconding Halldor Laxness and as a quick easy read, although not by a Scandinavian author, you might enjoy Jane Smiley's The Greenlanders. A much different read is The Icelandic Sagas or The Vinland Sagas.

LoriDemange - I read Reading Lolita in Tehran a few years ago. I really enjoyed the subject matter, but something about the writing didn't really suit my taste. Thanks for the suggestion though!

SassyLassy - thanks for the suggestions! The Greenlanders looks right up my alley.

#51 Small Island by Andrea Levy
This fantastic book was winner of the Orange Prize in 2004. It is the story of two newly married Jamaican immigrants in England just after WWII and the white woman they rent a room from. I don't really want to describe the plot or characters much because Levy does it so beautifully. I will say that the portrayal of the immigrant experience, and the black immigrant experience at that, is done really well. I loved how she wrote their words in clear English as they were thinking them and made it clear how different it sounded by making others not understand. Also the characters are connected in ways they don't realize and I loved that Levy revealed this to the reader, but not to the characters. Levy also explores the war experience through both the black and white characters and especially how they are treated after service.

This book is an enjoyable read that has some important themes to share. I highly recommend it.

Original publication date: 2004
Author's Nationality: British
Original Language: English
Length: 415 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

>74 japaul22: Intriguing review of what sounds like an intriguing book.

I haven’t read Ford Madox Ford but recently encountered him in Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast and couldn’t figure him out except to know he got a lot of writers published. So I looked him up on Wikipedia, where he’s attributed as saying, "Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you." I wonder if that’s the case with The Good Soldier? Page 99 of A Moveable Feast was certainly pure Hemingway.

>93 detailmuse: Naturally your quote immediately sent me to page ninety-nine of my edition of The Good Soldier. Now that is to me a very amazing thing - amazing for the possibilities that it casts into the human heart.

Not upon the heart, but right into it; a very amazing thing in itself and a wonderful example of "the quality of the whole".

He did say something like that, I remember it as random, in The March of Literature. I still use it and tell people about it, but I've found it a lot less reliable than perhaps we need.

Robert

Finally catching up with your thread! Congratulations on finishing Don Quixote!

Your review of The Good Soldier really makes me want to read it...

#52 The Color Purple by Alice Walker
This is the story of two black sisters who grow up in the south in the first half of the 20th century. They escape their abusive father, Celie through being given away in marriage as a very young girl to an abusive husband, and Nettie meets a black family that takes her along on a mission trip to Africa. This book is told through letters. Celie's are to God in journal form and later to Nettie, and Nettie writes to Celie of her experience in Africa.

Walker explores many topics in this book - the challenges of being poor and black in the south, relationships between husband and wife, the justice system for blacks, love, and religion. She also contrasts the African experience with the African-American experience through Nettie's letters.

Overall, I found this a very moving and well-done book. There were sections that I found a bit predictable , but I enjoyed watching Celie and Nettie grow out of their difficult beginnings to be whole, interesting people.

Original publication date: 1970
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 288 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

>97 japaul22: My mother gave me The Color Purple as a gift years ago and I couldn't get past the opening pages. One of these days I'll tackle it. Appreciated your comments on it.

Having finally read Middlemarch in its entirety, I have to agree with you on its splendidness. I love way the three central stories were written so differently from each other. Fred and Mary's story was so fondly told and full of humor while Rosamond and Tertius were character studies and Dorothea and Will's story was just so fraught. And then there was the contrast between Harriet's and Rosamond's reactions to what happened.

Avidmom- the beginning is by far the most disturbing part. The rest of the book has depressing moments and of course the characters deal with the ramifications of what happens at the beginning, but the book is not completely dark. The characters lead very difficult lives, but many end up finding a good life or at least come to terms with the life given to them. Anyway, don't let the beginning turn you off from the whole book.

Ridgewaygirl - I'm so glad you loved Middlemarch! I read and loved your review. It's a book I think I will always love and reread many times.

#53 Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution by Rebecca Stott
I received Darwin's Ghosts as an Early Reviewers book.

In Darwin's Ghosts, Rebecca Stott attempts to trace the predecessors of Darwin's theory of evolution. She uses each chapter as a short essay on a person who studied some aspect of how the species were created. Her preface seems to suggest that she will be showing all of the steps leading up to Darwin's discovery and give credit where credit is due. In the first chapter she talks about how Darwin was criticized for not acknowledging those who came before him (and some concurrent scientists) for their contributions to the idea of evolution. It wasn't until his third edition of The Origin of Species that Darwin included a history of the study of evolution. In order to write this, he had to delve into the history books and ask for a lot of help as to who to include, and therein lies my first problem with this book. Though Stott seems to be suggesting that Darwin did not come up with his theory on his own and that it wasn't quite the revelation we now take it to be, it seems that Darwin himself knew very little about the discoveries of these other men. Her whole premise here seems flawed as many of these men knew little of each others work since they lived in radically different times and places. If they did know of the other works on the subject, she certainly doesn't make that clear except in a very few instances. She also never even gives a brief summary of Darwin's own theory of evolution, even to contrast it with the other theories she presents.

If you read this book on a superficial level, there are some interesting stories, but the overarching thesis and connective thread between the scientists/philosophers presented in this book is woefully lacking.

Original Publication Date: 2012
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 397 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 2 stars

>101 japaul22: Nice review of Darwin's Ghosts; needless to say I'll take a pass on it.

>101 japaul22:: Nice review. That confirms my suspicion about the work. In an NPR interview she gave made it sound like her thesis was weakened by the fact that she spent most of the interview explaining why it took Darwin so long to compile a list of previous contributors and the number of people Darwin had to ask for ideas of who he should include. It's too bad really because the premise is actually quite interesting.

Great review of Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution, Jennifer. I had been considering reading it in preparation for a seminar on Darwin that I hope to attend this Fall. Thanks for diverting me from that!

102, 103, 104 - one of the other problems with Darwin's Ghosts was that it didn't seem very scholarly, but there wasn't enough Darwin background info for someone with little Darwin knowledge. It just seemed like it was rushed and not completely thought through. Or she came up with her thesis before she had any info the back it up and then dug deep to find connections. My caveat, though, is that I know very little about Darwin's theory of evolution. I guess it's possible that if you knew a lot about it, you could draw your own (better) conclusions from the information presented in the book.

I had a fantastic book buying day today. Our local library has a book sale fundraiser with donated books every few months. Everything is a dollar. My rule is to only buy books or authors that I've wanted to read and they have to be in decent condition. I also tend towards books that I can't get for free on my kindle. They have thousands of books so I need some parameter. I walked away with these books for $12.

The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
Paradise by Toni Morrison
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
The robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I'm so excited!!! Now to find a place to put them . . .

Jennifer, excellent review of Darwin's ghost which sounds a real disappointment. I am a little surprised that Darwin is not supposed to have known other peoples work on the subject of evolution. At the time of the Enlightenment the leading scientists, writers etc seem to have been in close correspondence, it was a sort of gentleman's club which did not respect national boundaries.

I will also avoid Rebecca Scott's book, even with its snazzy title.

Barry - well Darwin was certainly aware of some of his predecessors and contemporaries (one was his grandfather!) but Stott fails to point out the connections in her book. Darwin himself is barely mentioned except for the beginning and end. I think that Darwin's own insecurities about writing the acknowledgment section were fears about his lack of historical knowledge and the thought of unintentionally leaving someone out. But again, those are my extrapolations and are not presented in the book. It seemed like she spent the time to research, but forgot to develop her thesis coherently and come to final conclusions.

Very interesting about Darwin's Ghosts. I requested...then unrequested it...then wasn't sure if I would regret that. Too bad it's not as good as that title made me hope. Careful with Shindler's List (or Arc)...emotionally difficult.

Fabulous book haul, Jennifer!

#54 The Red and the Black by Stendhal
This is one of those books that I certainly appreciated, but didn't necessarily love. Stendhal's book was published in 1830 and takes place then as well. The book follows the mind of the young Julien Sorel, a man of common birth who aspires to much more. He idolizes Napoleon, attempts a church career, seduces/is seduced by two women - one of whom is married and both of whom are well above his social station, and let's just say this all doesn't end well. I was confused by all of the political factions and factions within the church that are competing in this story. It distracted me from enjoying the character study that is at the heart of this book.

This is a book that I will probably keep thinking about for months to come, trying to figure out what I did and didn't like about it.

Original publication date: 1830
Author's Nationality: French
Original Language: French
Length: 534 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

Interesting to read your take. I had never heard of Stendal before LT and all those lists made it clear he is a major author in literary history...and yet yours is the first review I've read about him here.

I tried reading that book three years ago and was close to being finished when I just put it away due to lack of interest. The characters were just such a bore to me and I also got lost in all the church hierarchy. I pulled it back out to consider finishing it for the group read but it's still on the shelf for now.

And to think my brother was named after that book (Julien).

I've only read two books by Stendhal - The Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma - but I loved both of them. For The Red and the Black, I was absorbed in the story and drama and thought it was an interesting portrait of society at the time, but I really enjoyed the tensions between Julien and everyone else he meets - the opposing personalities and beliefs of Julien and the women he loves, their ideas regarding Napoleon and the monarchy, places in society etc. I don't remember being bothered by the Church factions though it has been awhile but I do remember being amused by the fact that Julien entered the church determined to be a hypocrite and came up against even worse hypocrites.

Dan - we're doing a group read of The Red and the Black over in the 1001 books to read before you die group, so you may see some other reviews floating around in the next month or so.

Lilisin - I've picked it up and put it down several times in the past decade that it's been sitting on my shelf. If you try it again, I'd try to look at it as a psychological study leading up to a pretty dramatic climax that happens in the last 50 pages or so. It's a book that you need to pace yourself for!

DieF - those are great insights! It was definitely an interesting portrait of society as Stendhal sneaks in people from most spheres without making a huge deal of it. I think I just expected to learn more politically, but it was too confusing to me for that. If you put that aside though, it's interesting on the character level. I like your statement about the church hypocrites - so true!

#55 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
This book was just for fun. It's YA lit that was published in 1978 (I picked it to fit a 12 in 12 category challenge of books published the year I was born). The book won the Newbery Medal in 1979. I didn't remember reading this as a kid when I planned it for this year, but as soon as I started it I remembered it.

The plot revolves around an eccentric, wealthy man with a lot of enemies who gathers them all together in the same apartment building as his heirs. He dies and leaves a game for the heirs in his will to figure out who murdered him. Of course, nothing is as it seems. The heirs are paired up and given clues. The characters are diverse and interesting and the mystery is presented with many clues to allow the reader to figure it out along with the characters. It's a very clever book and I really enjoyed reliving a forgotten part of my childhood reading through it. Lots of fun and I think it would hold up for today's kids as well - probably middle school level.

Original Publication Date: 1978
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 216 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

There has been a lot of talk about ratings on various threads over the last few months, so I thought I'd take the time to explain mine as the last two books are good examples. I tend to give stars on an emotional reaction right after reading a book. I also rate based on expectation and genre. So for The Westing Game, I gave it 4 stars because it was really fun, well-written, and clever as an example of books written for children. I gave The Red and the Black 3.5 stars. Obviously, Stendhal's book is a bigger feat, more complex, and I would consider it "literature" (I know that's a loaded word in itself). But because of that I put it up against other "greats" and compared to them, I liked it a bit less. That's taking into account that I had very high standards for it.

Basically, my rating system means something to me, which is why I do it, but it wouldn't necessarily mean as much to anyone else. I tend to make my reviews, as I'm sure you've noticed, more about my impressions and thoughts of a book than a plot review, so that's probably a better way to decipher my feelings about a book than my star rating.

#56 The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro
Alice Munro's book, published in 1978, is best described as a collection of short stories that connect to create a novel. I wouldn't say that each short story/chapter would necessarily stand very well completely on it's own, but each story does focus on one major life event of the main character, Rose, and her step-mother, Flo. Taken all together, they feel like a novel in that the main characters develop through each story and the stories create a fairly complete picture of a life. However, there isn't the same pull of action throughout the work or closure that you would normally find in a novel, which keeps it feeling like short stories. Also the focus on one aspect of life in each chapter, like childhood friends, parent/child relationship, the life of a marriage, etc., remind the reader that these are short stories. I found it a very effective way to write this particular story and thought Munro did it much better than some other authors who've attempted it.

Rose herself was not my favorite person and certain sections of the book left me a little cold, but I was so intrigue by the writing style and format that I still very much enjoyed the book and would love to read more of Munro's work. I'm not usually a short story fan, but this structure really worked for me.

Original Publication Date: 1978
Author’s nationality: Canadian
Original language: English
Length: 210 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

I read that for my very first class at university, although under its other title, Who Do You Think You Are?. I didn't like Rose much either, and often wondered why Munro (and my prof) wanted me to spend any time with her.

Good review of The Beggar Maid

Currently living in the part of the world that Alice Munro writes about, Who Do You Think You Are? is probably the better title. Good review and I hope you get to read more Alice Munro as she really captures her time and place so well.

Interesting about the alternate title. Anyone know why there are two? I'd assume it was a publisher decision.

The Beggar Maid is the US title, while Who Do You Think You Are? is the Canadian title. Titles often change between the two countries - The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, for example, is called Someone Knows My Name is the US.

Munro's only official novel (which to me is still a collection of related short stories) is called Lives of Girls and Women. It is really good, and so is her newer collection, Too Much Happiness.

Cait86 - thanks for the info about the title and the suggestions. I will definitely want to try her other books.

#57 My Antonia by Willa Cather
This was a reread for me. I remembered this as being a favorite and bought a nice Franklin Library edition of this book. However, for some reason, I was a little disappointed in it this time around. It's a quiet book, describing life in the midwest in the early 1900s. Jim Burden is the narrator and his focus is the life of his childhood friend and crush, Antonia, a immigrant from Bohemia. I do love Cather's writing style; it is quiet, focused, and character-driven. I think the reason I was a bit bored this time was just that I personally am having a very stressful time and it was a little too slow-paced for me to settle into at the moment. I am still excited to read more by this author and I will still give this a pretty high rating because my discontent was personal - just the wrong book for this time in my life!

Original Publication Date: 1918
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 288 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

It's a skill knowing when a book will work best, one I haven't entirely mastered, especially at stressful/overly busy times. I do know not to read emotionally wrenching books unless I'm feeling on top of the world (I've had Room for quite some time! Still waiting for the right time). Hope things become reasonably less stressful for you soon and that, in the meantime, you find the perfect book to temporarily escape into.

There is never a right time for Room

Interesting thoughts on My Antonia jennifer.

#125 one of those I am definitely going to read soon...as I've been telling myself for at least three years now. Anyway, interesting comments.

Well, most of my stress is happy stress, but stressful just the same. I'm going on a concert tour with work for the next month and leaving my almost 3 year old son for the first time. We're also buying our first house. And, our biggest news is that we're having another baby! Just found out today that we're having another boy (yay!!). So I should get a lot of reading done on tour while I'm on the bus 3 hours a day, but next year I make no promises!

Happy stress jennifer

Wow! That is happy stress. Congratulations!

Congratulations, Jennifer!

Congratulations, Jennifer. What area of the country will you be touring?

Two boys! Congrats Jennifer.

Thanks everyone! As my mother-in-law said (who also had two boys) I'm going to need a referee outfit for all the fighting!

Linda, we're touring the northeast this year. Here's our itinerary. All concerts are free, but tickets are suggested as most of our concerts are to full houses.

http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/NATIONAL_TOUR/tour_itinerary/index.htm

Unfortunately, nothing in my area, but it is wonderful to see that you are getting such a good response. Have a great time!

I am officially on the road now so I'm using my iPad for reviews which means they will probably be a little shorter than normal. But I'm hoping to get lots of reading done.

#58 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I'm not sure I've really read any of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries except for the random story/novel assigned in high school. I started watching the new PBS series, Sherlock, and that got me interested in reading these now. It's was a collection of 12 stories and I enjoyed all of them. My favorites were the Adventure of the Five Orange Pips, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, and The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet.

Original publication date: 1892
Author's Nationality: british
Original Language: English
Length: 240 pages
Other books read by this author: none that I remember
Rating: 4 stars

>129 japaul22: - Very exciting news! Congrats!

>137 japaul22: - The Speckled Band was one of my favorite stories also. That collection didn't have the story with the monkey serum, did it? I was talking about that one on another thread as an example of "bad 19th c. science". I read the complete stories in a couple volumes so I never remember which collection has which story.

No, the monkey serum one wasn't in this collection. It does found familiar though.

I'm now doing lots of reading, but mainly of the Stand, which reads fast but is very long! Also reading Villette which is nice, but not living up to my Jane Eyre standards.

No, Villette is not the most accessible of the Bronte novels. But it does have a quiet charm of its own, despite neither the heroine or her eventual partner being at all likeable.

> 129 Congratulations on all the good news! Do you know there is in fact a word for "happy stress"? I learned about it many years ago (I should have been going through something similar then!), it's called eustress. Here's wikipedia's take on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustress

I also finished recently My Antonia, while the complete illustrated stories collection of Sherlock Holmes was my summer entertainment read. I too loved The Speckled Band, it was my favorite. You actually have 44 more similar stories (the longer stories don't count) to look forward to and enjoy as much!

This is going to be a short review since I'm traveling all month with just my iPad and spotty Internet connections at hotels or coffee shops.

#59 The Stand by Stephen King
This was fantastic! I read the uncut edition, which is really long, but even so I was never antsy for the story to move along. King is a brilliant story teller and I'm guessing thesis one of his best. I think everyone knows it is about a killer flu strain that is accidentally released and kills 99% of the population. This part is gruesome, but it doesn't seem sensationalized, just the story that needs to be told. And then there's the aftermath. A struggle between good and evil with a lot of gray lines in between. My favorite character was the dog, Kojak. A great touch by King. Took me forever to read, but well worth the time.

Original publication date: 1978, expanded edition 1990
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 1200 pages
Other books read by this author: Full Dark, No Stars, The Shining, 11/19/63
Rating: 4.5 stars

This is going to be a short review since I'm traveling all month with just my iPad and spotty Internet connections at hotels or coffee shops.

#59 The Stand by Stephen King
This was fantastic! I read the uncut edition, which is really long, but even so I was never antsy for the story to move along. King is a brilliant story teller and I'm guessing thesis one of his best. I think everyone knows it is about a killer flu strain that is accidentally released and kills 99% of the population. This part is gruesome, but it doesn't seem sensationalized, just the story that needs to be told. And then there's the aftermath. A struggle between good and evil with a lot of gray lines in between. My favorite character was the dog, Kojak. A great touch by King. Took me forever to read, but well worth the time.

Original publication date: 1978, expanded edition 1990
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 1200 pages
Other books read by this author: Full Dark, No Stars, The Shining, 11/22/63
Rating: 4.5 stars

I used to read a lot of Stephen King, and The Stand was my favourite by quite a bit. I read the original at least twice, and the expanded version once. I think the original was better--editors are necessary after all.

#60 The Forgetting River by Doreen Carvajal
I was not I impressed by this Early Reviewers book. I guess it's kind of a family history memoir. The author suspects that her family is descended from conversos, Spanish Jews who converted to Catholicism to escape persecution during the Inquisition. The problem with the book is that Carvajal meanders through travels and side stories, sometimes focusing on her genealogy research and sometimes exploring a side story of a person she runs across or tradition that interest her. Sometimes I was interested too, and sometimes I wasn't. The book lacks focus and depth.

Original publication date: 2012
Author's Nationality: american
Original Language: English
Length: 300 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 2 stars

#61 Villette by Charlotte Bronte
And another book I was not blown away by. I'm a huge Jane Eyre fan so was looking forward to reading Villette. Unfortunately I really detested all of the characters and was slightly bored by most of the plot. I know that this is considered to be largely autobiographical, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that if I knew more about Bronte's life this may have been a more satisfying read. I did like the contrast between Lucy's (the main character and narrator) inner dialogue, which was highly dramatic and flowery, and the way the outside world viewed her, which was as a calm and sedate, almost boring person.

Original publication date: 1853
Author's Nationality: british
Original Language: English
Length: 592 pages
Other books read by this author: Jane Eyre
Rating: 2.5 stars

On the other hand, Bronte was able to keep you reading about two unlikeable characters for hundreds and hundreds of pages, wasn't she? Villette is not a favorite of mine, despite adoring Jane Eyre (but not as much as Anne's books).

True. My low rating reflects my high standards for any work by a Bronte sister.

#62 Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
I'm back from my month long concert tour (a few days early due to Hurricane Sandy), but I'm not up to writing a big review for this one. I'll let the multiple fantastic reviews of it that have been floating around LT speak for me as well. Short story is I LOVED it!!! I think Mantel is a brilliant writer.

Original Publication Date: 2012
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 432 pages
Other books read by this author: Wolf Hall, A Place of Greater Safety
Rating: 5 stars

I didn't like Villette as much as Jane Eyre but I still thought it was good - illuminating, like you said, the inner life of a seemingly negligible woman. I also thought the hate-like relationship between Lucy and M. Emmanuel was good. A friend and I had completely different interpretations of the ending.

I haven't seen any bad reviews of Bring Up the Bodies yet. Not sure when I'll get to Wolf Hall though - a lot on the list to get to.

#63 The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age by Janet Wallach
Finally an ER book that I enjoyed! Hetty Green lived from the mid 1800s until the early 1900s. She inherited a large fortune and made it into a massive fortune with her own intellect and financial savvy. As a woman in this era, that was quite a feat. Hetty Green was an admirable, intelligent, informed woman, though not necessarily a very likable one. She inherited a lot of money which she used to make herself incredibly rich but some of her financial practices grated on me. She also gave a very small percentage to charity, thinking that people generally spend too much and save too little. However, she did bail out the city of New York and many business by lending money at low (for the times) rates, so I won't say that she didn't do any good with her money. Also, her children who had no children of their own, gave most of their inheritance away to charities upon their deaths. Hetty Green lived a very thrifty life considering the millions she had. She generally wore old clothes, lived in rented apartments, and owned little. She was married, but controlled her finances on her own as stipulated in her father's will.

This is an interesting look at a financial time period in our country that has many parallels to today's financial crisis. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there was serious over-leveraging going on, the real estate market was in a big bubble, and the stock market was over-valued. There were several relatively minor crashes that most likely led to the Great Depression (this book doesn't go that far).

I found the writing well done and interesting and Hetty Green to be a worthwhile person to know about. All in all a recommended book.

Original Publication Date: 2012
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 228 pages
Other books read by this author: Desert Queen
Rating: 3.5 stars

#64 Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
I loved this quiet book about four older people, two men and two women, who work in an office together. Pym explores what happens to the two women who retire towards the beginning of the book and how the relationship between the four of them evolves. All four people are relatively alone in the world, and their casual office relationship ends up meaning more to them than they expect. I found this book to be insightful and engaging - another work by Pym that I very much enjoyed.

Original Publication Date: 1977
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 218 pages
Other books read by this author: Excellent Women
Rating: 3.5 stars

Jennifer, your review of Quartet in Autumn has caused me to think of my own experiences, having retired at the same time as many others that I worked with for my entire career. It has been a somewhat surprising mix of becoming closer to some, both retirees and those still working, and losing touch with others. I am adding this to my wishlist.

Linda, I would definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts whenever you get to it. It's a short book and fairly quick read.

Quartet in Autumn sounds like it might have some interest for me too. Thanks for the review.

I've been wanting to get to Quartet in Autumn and thought to download audio for some Thanksgiving travel. Unfortunately it's not available so I chose My Antonia. I enjoyed O Pioneers!.

Glad to have piqued some interest in Quartet in Autumn.

Detailmuse - I'll be curious to see what you think of My Antonia. I'm reading The Professors House right now.

#65 The Professor's House by Willa Cather
The Professor's House is a short novel that Cather based around a short story she had previous written about a drifter named Tom Outland who finds an ancient Indian ruins in the mesas of the Southwest. He and a friend excavate the site and have a falling out along the way. Cather takes this as a centerpiece and adds a long beginning and short ending about how Outland's appearance in a Midwestern college town affects the life of the Professor and his family. The part about the Professor explores changing family relationships as children age and marry, and also the influence of unexpected wealth. Outland's influence is felt though he is not present during the action.

This is a quirky little book. I very much enjoyed it while reading it, but the more I think about it subsequently, the more I question the wisdom of the format. The two stories don't really gel as well as they should and I felt that there were too many loose ends at the end of the book. I love Cather's writing, she has beautiful descriptive passages and interesting characters, but I'm not sure how well this book really worked.

Original publication date: 1925
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 140 pages
Other books read by this author: My Antonia
Rating: 3.5 stars

#66 The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilmans

I read this because its on the 1001 books to read before you die list, so I'm counting it as its own book. This is a short story about a woman's descent into madness as she stays in a room with yellow wallpaper and grows obsessed with it. The themes behind it are that women in the late 19th century were often diagnosed with hysteria and mild mental problems when they were really struggling with post-partum depression or even something as simple as boredom. The subsequent treatment, in this case isolation and rest, often aggravated the problem. I enjoyed this short story, though I do wonder at this being included on the 1001 list.

Original publication date: 1892
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 29 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

The Yellow Wallpaper sounds very interesting!

#160 - it's great, and it's only 29 pages.

Hey, thanks for the page count - I read it on my kindle! I'm still thinking about it and considering rereading it right away. Anyone read any of Gilman's other books/writings?

29 pages! I could do that! :)

#67 Candide by Voltaire
I know this is an important book that's full of political and philosophical satire, but I have to say I didn't really get it. The story was familiar to me after playing Bernstein's Candide and talking about it in high school French a bit, but I think it would take a lot of extra research for me to get much beyond the basic satire. Overall, I was just a little annoyed at all of the characters, the horrible things that happen in "the best of all possible worlds" (yes, I know that was the point), and all the characters dying and coming back to life. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.

Original publication date: 1759
Author's Nationality: French
Original Language: French
Length: 112 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3 stars

I liked "The Yellow Wallpaper" (online here) well enough when I read it and it's come to mind dozens of times with other reading since. You ask a good question; not sure why I haven't read more by her.

#68 Baudolino by Umberto Eco
Baudolino is an Italian peasant living in the 1200s who is both a gifted story teller and a compulsive liar. The book is told through Baudolino's retelling of the events of his life to a Byzantine court official who he saves during one of the Crusades. The trick to this book is figuring out what is true, what is false, and if it even matters. As a young man, Baudolino falls into favor with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa who sends him to Paris to study. Baudolino has a natural talent for learning languages. He meets several friends there and they become obsessed with the idea of the existence of Prester John, a mythical priest who supposedly rules in the East. Eventually, they contrive a way to go on a journey to find Prester John. They have many adventures along the way and this all becomes more and more fantastic.

This book is one of Eco's most readable novels because he manages to stay relatively on track with the plot instead of having multiple diversions in each chapter. There is still a lot of play with words and obscure historical references (many of which I'm sure I didn't get), but this book has a lot of life, humor, and a sense of fun.

My favorite line in this book is the last. Niketas, the byzantine official who listened to Baudolino's story with the intent of helping to write his biography, is talking to a wise man about how he can possibly write out Baudolino's story with any credibility. The wise man cautions him not to tell the story. When Niketas expresses his regret, the wise man says

You surely don't believe you're the only writer of stories in the world. Sooner or later, someone -- a greater liar than Baudolino -- will tell it.

Original Publication Date: 2000
Author’s nationality: Italian
Original language: Italian
Length: 521
Other books read by this author: The Name of the Rose, Foucault's Pendulum, The Island of the Day Before
Rating: 4 stars

What an encouraging review of Baudolino. I bought it years ago because I love that time period, but after working my way through The Name of the Rose (which I liked) and trying to work my way through Island of the Day Before, I've been afraid to tackle this one. but "most readable" sounds very good indeed. Thanks!

I am not a great fan of Eco, having read a few collections of rather boring essays, and reading Foucault's Pendulum earlier this year was quite a disappointment.

Two weeks ago, I finished reading The Prague Cemetery, which I am not wild about, but your comment about Baudolino, namely that the trick to this book is figuring out what is true, what is false is intriguing, as this also seems the case with The Prague Cemetery.

I think Baudolino was the first work of fiction I bought by Eco. It has been unread on my shelves since 2003. I won't start reading it now, but your review, and Ridgewaygirl's comments elsewhere have bumped it up on my TBR pile.

Great review of Baudolino, Jennifer. I think I have it somewhere around here, even though it is not showing in my LT library.

I am, encouraged to read Baudolino after reading your review Jennifer.

Enjoyed your review of Baudolino.

Thanks everyone! Glad to have sparked some interest in Baudolino. I really enjoyed it!

#69 Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

This is a book written in letters that works. I loved the slow unveiling of the characters through their own words and the impressions of others. It took me a while to figure out all the characters because of the letter format, but I ended up thinking the letters were a very effective technique. The characters are interesting and I loved the evil Marquise de Merteuil and her relationship with Valmont.

Sorry, too tired to write more. Suffice to say I enjoyed it.

Original publication date: 1782
Author's Nationality: French
Original Language: French
Length:
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

Jennifer - have you seen any of the film versions of Dangerous Liasons? I'm wondering how they compare to the book. Although I think John Malkovich plays a perfectly devious Valmont in "Dangerous Liasons," I think Colin Firth was more convincing in the same role in "Valmont." I can see Molkovich's dastardliness at 50 paces, but Colin Firth might be able to talk me into just about anything . . . .

I've actually not seen either movie version, though I'd like to. Both Malkovitch and Firth are great actors, but I think I envisioned Valmont more like Colin Firth - just too handsome to resist! I'll have to check out both movies.

#70 Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
This was a fun book about two 19th century women who are fossil hunters. Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning are real women who lived in Lyme and explored the cliffs looking for fossils. They got little no recognition during their lifetimes, but history has at least marginally recognized their interesting finds (Mary Anning of some of the first recognized dinosaurs, and Elizabeth of a wonderful collection of ancient fish). Chevalier brings them to the forefront of this time period in fossil hunting with this book.

I felt the same way about the other book by Chevalier that I've read, The Girl with the Pearl Earring. I found them both interesting books that grab you from the start, but aren't particularly challenging or memorable. A fun, easy diversion nonetheless.

Original publication date: 2010
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 320 pages
Other books read by this author: The Girl with the Pearl Earring
Rating: 3.5 stars

I stumbled across Mary Anning in a children's book and have been curious about her ever since. This is the first I've heard of Elizabeth Philpott.

I've read three of Chevalier's books (Remarkable Creatures, the Girl with the Pearl Earring, and The Lady and the Unicorn), and I can see why you say they're not all that challenging. I myself find them memorable--all three have stuck with me. I agree with your comments on Remarkable Creatures, although I rated it higher. But yeah, I don't see her getting a Booker nomination. Still, worthwhile reading.

Dan- just realized I spelled Philpot with two t's. Should be one if you look her up. I had never heard of either if these women and found their story interesting.

Nickelini- I don't mean to belittle Chevalier as I've really enjoyed both the books I've read and will likely read more. I find her writing to be pleasantly accessible without being dull but can't put her in the same league as some of my favorite authors, like Atwood, Hilary Mantel, or Toni Morrison. There is definitely a place for her in my reading though!

#179 - I don't mean to belittle Chevalier

I know you didn't, and I didn't mean to sound like I thought you did ;-) . I find her difficult to place--she's heads above, say, Philipa Gregory, but not really in the realm of the literary stars either. But I always end up enjoying her books, so she has something. I think we're pretty close to being on the same page here. Maybe the difference is that a 3 star read for you might be a 4 star for me.

Yep, think we're saying the same thing. To me a 3 or 3.5 book rating is pretty good. Ratings are hard to explain!

#71 The robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
Another excellent book by Atwood! This one is dark. The book revolves around Zenia, a beautiful woman who does nothing but lie and wreak havoc on multiple lives. Zenia's deviousness brings together three women who loosely knew each other in college. They have all lost men and self respect to her. As much as they are damaged, the men she ensnares are arguably more damaged, though they aren't the focus of the book. Every character in this book has had a tough life, with abusive childhoods and absent parents.

I had no problem going along for the ride with this book, but I'm not sure if I really get the point yet. It bothers me that there was no "reveal" about Zenia's true background and motivations, although it probably would have ruined the book if there was. She was certainly meant to remain an enigma. It also bothered me that the three women who were friends were so different from each other. Besides having Zenia in common, I can't imagine them being friends at all.

So I don't know, the book had some flaws for me, but I was also entranced by it. Not my favorite Atwood, but comparing Atwood novels is starting to be like comparing Austen novels for me - I love them all and start with high expectations.

Original publication date: 1993
Author's Nationality: Canadian
Original Language: English
Length: 528 pages
Other books read by this author: The Handmaid's Tale, The Blind Assassin, Alias Grace
Rating: 4.5 stars

I hope to read this one some time. I'm curious which one is your favorite Atwood.

Dan, that's a hard choice. I rated Alias Grace highest. It's thought provoking, but I found it fairly easy to read. The Blind Assasin and The Robber Bride were a bit more challenging and also possibly a bit more rewarding, but it's a close call. The Handmaid's Tale was the first I read and got me hooked. It's different than the others I've mentioned in that it's dystopian.

Cat's Eye is a favorite and not one that seems to get as much press as Handmaid's Tale or Blind Assassin. If you like the dystopian Atwood, Oryx and Crake is a good read as well.

Oops, I should have Cat's Eye in my list if books I've read by Atwood. I read it earlier this year and enjoyed it very much, though it wasn't my favorite by her.

So I'll probably be lurking around here and everyone else's threads quite a bit the next few days. I'm 31 weeks pregnant, and last night I had a coughing fit as part of a cold I've had and pulled something in my back lower ribs. It's extremely painful and unfortunately pregnant women can't take Advil, so I'll be sitting around with heating packs on for the forseeable future. I'm taking it as a sign that I've been doing too much and using it as an excuse to do some good reading. So I guess it's not all bad . . .

#72 The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This gothic novel is as much about the setting of the creepy old house as it is about the characters. The building of the house of the seven gables by colonel Pyncheon at the expense of the Maule family begins generations of bad luck for the Pyncheons. When we meet the family, there are only a few members left and things are looking bleak for the continuation of the family line. Hawthorne creates a suspenseful mystery around the family and very slowly reveals answers.

I really enjoyed this book. The language was flowery and gothic without being silly and I thought the pacing, while admittedly drawn out, was appropriate.

Original publication date: 1851
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 240 pages
Other books read by this author: The Scarlet Letter
Rating: 4 stars

#73 So That's What They're For: Breastfeeding Basics by Janet Tamaro

Admittedly, this book has a limited audience, but if you or someone you know is considering breast feeding, this is the best book I've read on the subject, and I think I've read just about all of them. Tamaro gives out all the necessary information and does it with a sense of humor instead of getting preachy, my complaint with most of the breastfeeding books I've read. I breastfed my first son for over a year and a half and hope to do the same with the next one. I stumbled upon this book while looking for a book on the topic for one of my friends who is about to become a first time mom. I started looking through it and ended up reading it cover to cover. It's filled with tons of practical advice and would be great for a first time mom as well as being a good refresher for me.

Original publication date: 2005 (third edition)
Author's Nationality: american
Original Language: English
Length: 337 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 5 stars

#74 The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
Oh no, another mystery series to keep up with! This is the first in the series of Sicilian Inspector Montalbano's crime-solving adventures. I liked it, especially the food descriptions which I wanted more of, but wasn't blow away. I will continue with the series as the mood strikes me, but I think I like some of the Scandinavian series better (like Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, Helene Tursten). But all in all a fun diversion.

Original publication date: 1994
Author's Nationality: italian
Original Language: Italian
Length: 224 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3 stars

#75 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Well, this was my first attempt at an audio book and it didn't work very well for me. As such, I'm not sure how much of my disinterest in this book was due to the format vs. how much was due to the actual book. I mainly listened to this in the car while commuting and I found myself zoning out for large passages. I did think that some of the situations Huck found himself in were amusing and I though the evolving relationship between Huck and Jim was interesting.

I think I'll have to put this on the "to read again" pile, in book format this time.

Original publication date: 1884
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 8 hours audio
Other books read by this author: none except some short stories
Rating: 2.5 stars

I am so tempted to read the Inspector Montalbano books because I love the TV films http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0920489/

Ooh, I didn't know about the films! Thanks for the tip, Barry!

#76 King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
First of all, thanks to everyone on LT who made me aware of this book. It deals with the brutal colonization of the Congo by the Belgian King Leopold in the late 1800s-early 1900s. This is a period in history that I knew next to nothing about. Most of the slavery, killing, and mutilation of the Congo people and their culture came through the world's craving for rubber. This is yet another instance of extreme brutality and decimation of an entire population in the quest for personal gain, masked by humanitarian intentions, in this case "saving" the Congo people from the Arab slave traders. What a joke.

This is an important book to read to embark on an understanding of the problems the African continent is still trying to recover from due to colonization. I found it especially depressing because I'm not naive enough to think that humans have changed so much in the past hundred years that this kind of thing still isn't going on in areas of the world.

This is a well written book on a horrifying topic.

Original publication date: 1998
Author's Nationality: american
Original Language: English
Length: 306 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4 stars

Oh, and since I've never read Heart of Darkness, that will be one of the next books I read.

Heart of Darkness in the Norton Critical Edition is worth finding for the material in the back. It took me forever to read it, but the background information is fascinating, and the criticism is at least curious.

Robert

Thanks, Robert. Sounds like its worth requesting from the library rather than reading the free version I downloaded for my kindle.

#192 - great book. I read HoD, then King Leopold's Ghost, then immediately read HoD again. How could I not? Hochschild offered a completely different approach to HoD. Sadly, I agree with your pessimism.

I'm not naive enough to think that humans have changed so much in the past hundred years that this kind of thing still isn't going on in areas of the world. (from Jennifer's review) How right you are Jennifer

I don't think I want to read this - just too depressing

#77 The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

This is Kingsolver's first novel, but you would never know it. The Bean Trees is a mature book with well developed characters and great descriptive writing. The book follows Taylor Greer as she escapes her hometown in rural Kentucky, managing to have gotten though high school without getting pregnant or dropping out like so many of her classmates. She scrounges up the money for a beat up car and goes out to find what she can make of life. On the way, she winds up being given a young girl who has been abused on a Cherokee reservation. She names her Turtle because she clings on so tightly. She has obvious signs of physical and sexual abuse all over her small body (we later find out she's 3). Taylor's car breaks down in Tucson and she ends up making a life for herself and Turtle there. She finds a job and a mentor who houses illegal immigrants and befriends two of them. She also becomes close to her roommate, Louann and her young son.

The book explores adult friendship, immigration issues, adoption, and mother/child relationship all while offering an amazing description of life and nature in Arizona. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Kingsolver's works.

Original publication date: 1988
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 246 pages
Other books read by this author: The Poisonwood Bible
Rating: 4 stars

Good review - I do want to read King Leopold's Ghost as all the reviews I've seen have been positive. Will be sure not to read it with anything about North Korea or that Katherine Boo book.

>198 japaul22: I've had Pigs in Heaven forever and pulled it out at some point in the last couple of years only to find it's second in the series. At that time, I didn't want to acquire the first so as to read the one I have, but your comments make it a possibility again.

DieF - yes, I've also read Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Nothing to Envy. I found them all meaningful and well written but they are all quite different in tone. And, yes, don't read them all at once. That's a recipe for serious depression!

Detailmuse- I actually hadn't realized there was a sequel! Yay! I'll have to acquire a copy.

I own the Bean Trees, it's been sitting around a bit neglected. Maybe it's time to move up the pile.

Dan, its a quick read. I think it's one of those books where you'll have to make a connection to the characters to really enjoy it. Luckily I did, but I'd be interested to see if others would.

Well, I think I'll call #77 as my last book of the year. I'm close to finishing Casino Royale, but don't expect to have time to finish it tomorrow.

I've had a great time and learned a lot during my first year in Club Read. I will be around in 2013 as well. Hope to continue following everyone's reading there!

Here is my end of the year wrap up.

Book stats:
Total books: 77
Fiction-61, non fiction-16
Male authors - 30 Female authors - 47
Non-American/Canadian/British-13
New to me authors- 48
Pages read- 30293 total = 2524 a month = 83 a day
1 audio book

1600s - 1 book
1700s - 2 books
1800s - 13 books
1900-1949 - 10 books
1950s-1999 - 21 books
2000-2009 - 8 books
2010-present - 21 books

Best fiction:
5 stars
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

4.5 stars
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtssen
The Stand by Stephen King
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh

Best Nonfiction:
5 stars
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

4.5 stars
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie

Worst books:
Darwin's Ghosts: the Secret History of Evolution by Rebecca Stott
The Forgetting River by Doreen Carvajal
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
Push Has Come to Shove by Dr. Steve Perry
Snow by Orhan Pamuk

Hmm, you've convinced me to add The Warmth of Other Suns to my reading list. Happy New Year!!