Madeline's Orange 2011

Photo courtesy of amycgx (Flickr, CC-A)

I'm going to use this thread to track any Orange books (winners or long-listers) that I read in 2011. I'll set a goal of five of these, but am not sure I'll make it. I honestly must say I'm ever the skeptic because I tend to avoid books by women rather than read them.

Go ahead, though. Recommend some good ones to me and make me change my mind. I'll try to get an Orange book in my list at least for January and July. Jill has been excellent in tempting me to do this is the past. I predict that her influence will continue to affect my reading!

Thanks for starting this group, Jill. Great idea!

My ticker is a personal challenge to see if I ever get to five Orange books (winners or long-listers) in 2011. If not, I'll extend this challenge as long as I have to in order to complete 5 Orange books. That, for me, should prove to be quite a challenge.

Orange books I've read...and them year in which I completed them:

1. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - Marina Lewycka (2011)
2. Great House - Nicole Krauss (2011)
3. Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels (2012)
4. Intuition - Allegra Goodman (2012)
5.

Suggest something you think I'd like!

Madeline, you mentioned The Flying Troutmans - any other Orange books you've read that you can list here? This will help me formulate My List of Orange Temptation.

Let me look through the list. It will be a short list! :)

ETA: No pun intended!

Here are the ones I liked (skipping those I didn't):

Secret Son - Laila Lalami
Prep - Curtis Sittenfield
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
When the Emperor was Divine - Julie Otsuka
The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
Black and Blue - Anna Quindlen

I can honestly say that these books are not my favorite reads, but they are good enough to recommend. Of all of them, I liked Prep the best because it seemed so real. I had my daughter also read that book and she concurred with my evaluation of it.

ETA: I *loved* The Flying Troutmans. What a great book!! It restored my faith in the Orange prize. ;)

I also loved The Flying Troutmans and have one or two more of her books to look forward to.

I'm curious what it is (or isn't) about women writers that you dislike. On your list above, there are a few I've read and only one I thought excellent (the Otsuka).

Let's see, I predict you'd like:

The Siege
White Teeth
A History of Love
The Night Watch
Half of a Yellow Sun

It will be interesting to see if we can cast an Orange spell on you! :o)

I predict you might like:

Bel Canto
The Accidental
the Poisonwood Bible
Fault Lines
Alias Grace
Fugitive Pieces

And The Lacuna.

I must have missed some of those from the large list which I'd been scanning quickly. I loved White Teeth but thereafter disliked everything else Zadie Smith wrote.

A History of Love was good, but thoroughly confusing!! It's a good story, but quite a chore to read. I had the characters so confused that I had to stop and write them all down and how they related to one another. No I have another Krauss book (Great House) that Terri kindly sent to me. I hope that one's easier to read!

I have Half of a Yellow Sun here at home but never get to reading it because it's too thick! :)

I'll keep an eye out for the other two you mentioned, Joyce. Thanks!

I can't pinpoint exactly what it is I dislike about women authors. I know what I like about male writers. They tend to have a more dry sense of humor and are more cynical in their outlook. Women tend to gush more emotion. Women also tend to be flowery in their descriptions while men tend to be more symbolic and/or surreal in their writing.

Before you bash my preference of writing by men, I do realize that this is a vast generalization. I can be more specific when it comes to individual authors. Scan my liist of favorited authors and you'll see the kind of writing I most prefer.

By the way, I love Barbara Kingsolver's writing when she does her essays. They're fabulous!!

I can't pinpoint exactly what it is I dislike about women authors. I know what I like about male writers. They tend to have a more dry sense of humor and are more cynical in their outlook.

Well then you have to read Margaret Atwood! Her sense of humour is Sahara-dry! And she's delightfully cynical. And brilliant, too!

> 8

I *despised* Bel Canto, Joyce. That had to be one of the most boooooooring books I've ever read. I'll never know, to this day, why I forced myself to finish reading it. Oh, yeah. I read it through to the end because it was prize winner. Poor choice on my part. Spare me from any more books such as this one. Pulllll-eeeeze!!

I do have these books you mentioned here at home:
The Poisonwood Bible
Fugitive Pieces
I just haven't gotten to them yet.

By the way, I love Barbara Kingsolver's non-fiction writing (especially her essays).

> 9

I'll be sure to read The Lacuna at some point. I had the CD out of the library, but it was due back (no renewal) after I only had gotten into a few pages.

> 11

I'm willing to give her a try, Joyce. I *really* want to read her newest book (The Year of the Flood). One of my closest friends gave it a super-high rating and said I *musr* read it.

ETA: Years ago I read The Cat's Eye. It was a "Meh" book for me.

Madeline, I wouldn't dream of bashing you re: your preference! I'm just curious what draws people to genres or writers. btw - Great House is every bit as challenging as History of Love. Just so you know.

Uh oh! I'll get my pencil and paper ready to take notes... :)

I *despised* Bel Canto, Joyce. That had to be one of the most boooooooring books I've ever read. I'll never know, to this day, why I forced myself to finish reading it. Oh, yeah. I read it through to the end because it was prize winner. Poor choice on my part. Spare me from any more books such as this one. Pulllll-eeeeze!!

See, that's why you have to list the books you didn't like beside the ones you did like. There's as much to be learned there, right? Anyway, I liked but didn't love Bel Canto, but I suggested it only because it's popular with a lot of readers. For me, it was sort of like Half a Yellow Sun. I liked it well enough, but others rave about it.

Okay.

Mediocre:
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (...although other works by this author are great. Try her short stories!)
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (preferred not to finish)
Sorry by Gail Jones

Truly Dreadful:
Charming Billy by Alice McDermott
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Clearly, those on the panel who choose the Orange Prize winners have a different taste in books and reading than I do. I'm in this challenge for Jill's sake! :)

I am not always swept away by the Orange prize winners, either. I agree with you 100% about The Lovely Bones. I wish I had the time back that I spent reading that one. But Gilead was one of my favorites. So I'm not going to venture any recommendations for you!! But if you read something for this challenge that you DO like, I will have to read it too.

I'm in this challenge to find something I *do* like. If I find something I like, I'll be sure to tell you. Linda, if you haven't read The Flying Troutmans yet, read that one. It's darling.

In all fairness to Gilead, I started by listening to it on audio, and it was putting me to sleep during my commutes to and from work. Perhaps I should read the actual book itself. Others have told me how much they liked it. I might just give it another chance (but not any time soon!)

In tandem with Robinson's Home, Gilead was almost a miracle, in my opinion. But it's a soft and quiet one, and I can certainly understand that it wouldn't work well on audio while driving. (I can't do audio books while driving at all---they either put me to sleep or distract me so I drive miles out of my way without realizing it!)

so I drive miles out of my way without realizing it!)


I'd hate to see your gasoline bill! :)

Hi Madeline, nice to meet you.

I agree with you about Gilead - great sleeping aid, as I started to doze off everytime I picked it up. A tremendous ugh from me on that one.

I didn't like Miriam Toews first book very much - A Complicated Kindness, so haven't read The Flying Troutsmen based on the other book.

Although Half of a Yellow Sun was large, it read much shorter. That is, I really liked it and raced through it.

What about The Lizard Cage? That was my favorite book of the year a few years ago. Truly amazing.

After a long day of work and slaving over mashed potatoes for a pot luck, this is exactly what I need! A lively conversation about Orange books!

Madeline, I am glad you're here and giving some Orange books a try. There's absolutely nothing wrong with have preferences toward male or female writers. There's enough quality writing to go around!

So my initial thoughts:
1) I would recommend The Lacuna over The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver for you.
2) You may like Fugitive Pieces if you can get into the book's writing style. (Get it from the library!) =)
3) You may want to check out The Girls by Lori Lansens. I think the nurse in you would like it.
4) Have you read We Need To Talk about Kevin? At the risk of categorizing, I found Shriver's writing style to be very male (as you describe it in your earlier thread).
5) Depending on how you can handle books related to George W. Bush, I thought American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld was a really good book - loosely based on Laura Bush's life.

I'll probably think of some more, but that's enough for more dialogue, I think! =)

How about Fingersmith by Sarah Waters?? Now there's an amazing romp!

Hi Elizabeth,

Nice to meet you, too!

It'll be a while before I try Gilead again (if I do), although I'm sorry to hear about A Complicated Kindness. That's a book I actually have here at home. I bought it after enjoying The Flying Troutmans so much. Oh, well.

Never hear of The LIzard Cage before, but it does sound good. I'm adding it to my wishlist. Thanks for the suggestion.

I have The Poisonwood Bible but find it hard to get hold of The Lacuna.

I have Fugitive Pieces here at home and might give it a try if I can find it.

I read The Girls and liked that. It was your review of it that led me to read that book in the first place, Jill! I read the review you posted to your blog just after you read it.

I started We Need to Talk about Kevin, did not like it (found it boring), and couldn't finish it. My daughter considers that book one of her all-time favorites. Go figure!

I have American Wife here at home but am not sure I'm in the mood to read that. Sometimes, here in DC, I need to get a break from anything related to the White House!

Sorry, Jill! :)

Sorry, Terri. British crime fiction is really *not* my thing.

To all...

It'll be interesting to see what I do come up with...and if my choice will find favor with me or not. I'm not going to start reading an "Orange" book until January anyway probably.

I'm not arguing with you Madeline or trying to talk you into it, but Fingersmith is so much more than British crime fiction! (not that I read British crime fiction to know...) It's a brilliantly written adventure with a bit of lesbian erotica tossed in for more fun! Truly, one of the most memorable books I've read.

People *have* been talking about that book. I should probably not be so negative (!) and give it a chance. I'll add it to my wishlist and see if it ever shows up. I'll let you know when it does. Okay, Terri?

It'll be a while before I try Gilead again (if I do), although I'm sorry to hear about A Complicated Kindness. That's a book I actually have here at home. I bought it after enjoying The Flying Troutmans so much. Oh, well

I haven't read the Troutmans, but I LOVED Complicated Kindness.

I would say Fingersmith isn't "crime fiction" at all. There's "crime" in it, but it is certainly not genre fiction. And I agree that it was a remarkable read.

>32 laytonwoman3rd:: agree with that. It's unique and I enjoyed it.

Hi Madeline,

The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville is one Orange winner that I loved. I'm pretty sure Laura loved it also. Fingersmith is one I read last summer and also loved. And The Lizard Cage was terrific for me but then i loved We Need to Talk About Kevin.

I think Madeline needs one of those pummeled with oranges photos too! :p

>34 brenzi:: oh yes, I did ... The Idea of Perfection was a 5-star read for me. I also really liked the other books Bonnie mentioned, but then she and I have very similar taste!

I loved both A Complicated Kindness and The Flying Troutmans, so I thought I would chime in with my quick thoughts. While the books do cover different territory - a road trip across Canada/USA in a beat up van as opposed to the pent up desire to escape a small dead-end Mennonite community for the very first time - the character development in both is pure Toews.... quirky, offbeat, intelligent, and introspective while the characters are silently screaming their frustrations at the world around them. Thebes (from The Flying Troutmans) is, IMO, the younger, kindred spirit to the older, more rebellious teenage Nomi.

But that is just my take. To each, their own. That is what LT such as great place! :-)

I think Madeline needs one of those pummeled with oranges photos too!

Why? Just because I'm not crazy about most "Orange" books? :)

> 37

I'll keep The Idea of Perfection on the back burner. The write-up of it doesn't seem all that interesting, although I know that the book was highly touted by those who've read it.

> Jill:

By the way, Jill, is there any place other than here on LT that we are supposed to be posting our "Orange" reads?

>39 SqueakyChu: no, no -- because we're pummeling you with all our Orange suggestions!!!

Welcome Madeline :)

I enjoy British Crime but couldn't take to Fingersmith at all. I am trying The Help this year will see if it lives up to it's hype

Thanks for pre-reading all of these books for me. Knowing myself, I'll probably choose abook that no one in this challenge has yet read. :)

#40 - Nope, this is the only official place! =)

Oooo, nice photo! I think I'll go get me a Satsuma!

Madeline, Jill started this group so we'd have one central place to list and talk about our Orange books. We were all over the map before - Girlybooks, 75ers, and some others too.

Hi Madeline,
I haven't posted my thread here yet but wanted to recommend one that I listened to this year and loved, When we were bad, it's a black comedy about a Jewish family, a fairly refreshing bunch of dysfunctional adults. The mother is a successful and high profile rabbi, the father is an unsuccessful writer, and their four adult children leave much to be desired.

Another more quirky read is Eleanor Catton's debut novel The Rehearsal which has an interesting narrative style that might appeal to you.

Oooooh! Thanks for the recommendations. I have a hard time picking Orange prize books. I'll have to see if I can get hold of either of those. If not for January, then maybe for July! :)

I picked what I think will be my Orange January read: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. It was on the 2005 Orange Prize short list.

The reason I picked it? It fits a TIOLI challenge...and it makes a matched book because elkiedee is also going to be reading it!

Hope you enjoy. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is also on my Orange TBR list.

Great! Are you planning to read it this month?

I really enjoyed a Short History.... when I read it a couple of years ago. Its quirky and different and I liked the writing. I have read the book after this Caravans (?) and liked that as well. Have her third book on my TBR pile.

Hope you like it.

I like the writing style in "Tractors". It's been really fun to read so far. I think I made a good choice.

#51 There is a copy in the library so I can pick it up on Saturday!

I enjoyed "Tractors" a few years ago, and have the others on Mt TBR - haven't had a chance to start reading either of them yet! Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

I read "Tractors" a few years ago - I really enjoyed it :)

I also really liked "Tractors" when I read it. I liked it so much, in fact, that I read both her others as well! Hope you're still enjoying it!

I read it a few years ago and really liked it, I went to an author event last year and heard her talk up her latest book We are all made of glue which I read. She spent many years working with the aged and she tries to portray the reality of their lives, especially their loneliness in her books.

> 58

Thanks for that information, Kerri.

I like how A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is written as it's an extremely engaging read. What I could not understand before was why the author was trying to create a humorous story yet portray the horrifying condition of elder abuse throughout the book. Some of the scenes in this book mortified me (the wet towel incident, especially).

It's interesting. I've tried in two places now on LibraryThing to push others into talking about books that discuss the theme of aging. In neither place did I have any takers.

I find it very interesting to see how elderly individuals are portrayed generally in books. In A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Nikolai is eight-four years old. He's probably one of the older individuals who is a main character in books I've read. This book seems all to realistic for me. Elderly individuals are usually set in their ways. They have incredible knowledge which they've had a lifetime to accumulate.

As for the younger Valentina, she seems realistic as well. I only know of one young person of Ukrainian origin, but I've been acquainted with quite a few people of the former Soviet Union. The ones I've known (both from here and while I was living in Israel) were intelligent, proud of who they were and their accomplishments, and of of the opinion that they needed to get ahead in American (or Israeli) society. They also felt that they were being thwarted in their efforts. They (as a sterotypical whole) were friendly, unafraid to use others (I personally have been in more than one such situation) to get what they want and were rather (shall we say) "pushy". I am not saying this to be bigoted but rather to say that the story in this book seemed too true to me.

If anyone who reads this book has or has had aging parents, they are sure to recognize some "elderly traits" in the character of Nikolai as well. Resistance to change is way up on that list.

This book is extremely well done. I appreciate it more now that I understand why it was written this way. I'll certainly look for more of Lewycki's books.

I still have a few chapters to go yet, but I'll concede that this book was a worthwhile Orange Prize nominee.

I read this book awhile ago, but I do remember feeling sorry for poor Nikolai. Yes, he didn't like change - like many seniors - but I also felt he was incredibly lonely. Add in a cultural difference and I think it perpetuated his loneliness.

Glad you found an Orange book you've enjoyed - and thanks for participating in Orange January! =)

Success! I liked A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian very much. That's a good sign. Here is my review of it. I'm going to try to be very selective in choosing other Orange reads, hoping to find others I like as well.

Squeak; how the heck are you gal?
I hope you have some awesome picks for Orange July. Looks like I will be starting a couple of days early. Can't wait. I have always joined in the reading but never had an ORANGE thread so I think I will be able to have some fun with it.
hugs,
belva

Hi, Belva!!

I usually try to avoid the "Oranges". Since July's coming, I might have to break down and pick one. So far, my reading has been really slow and boring this month. I keep hopping from book to book, hoping to finish at least one of my current *seven* (non-Orange) books! Yikes!!

Hmmm...

Thinking of reading one of these:
The Septembers of Shiraz
The Translator
Gut Symmetries
Brick Lane
Gilead

It depends which of these I have or can find.

Thoughts?

The only one I read was Gilead, which is a book that people seem to love or hate (I lean toward love with that one myself). I don't think it's an Orange book though if that's what you're looking for (but I could be wrong about that--don't have my list handy)

Gilead was on the Orange prize long-list. I tried to listen to it on audio, but it put me to sleep while I was driving. Needless to say, I didn't finish it. The question is whether or not it will put me to sleep if I read the hard copy.

I'm reading another "snoozer" now. I don't think I could handle two of those in a row. My current read, not an Orange book, is Saturday by Ian McEwan.

You're right--2006. Interesting that it doesn't have an Orange tag on its page. (Off to tag at least my copy . . . )

Oooh! I picked my Orange for July. It will be Great House by Nicole Strauss. This was a book that teelgee gifted me. It sure comes in handy now! I also have a CD version of it to listen to while I'm in the car. Let July begin...

Great House was on the Orange prize shortlist for this year (2011).

I am reading that book too, Madeline! Let's hope it's enjoyable! =)

So far, I'm really getting into it. It would be nice if I find more Oranges to like. :)

I also hope to read that one although I'm going to read a few others first.

Great House was my first 'Orange' for July. (I know, I know.......I cheated and started early but it is a library book and you know how funny those places are, wanting them back on time and all that) But G.H. was so awesome that I read it in less than 24 hours. Normally my first one is a snoozer too, but not this year. I think you will really like it. I certainly hope that you do.
hugs,
belva

Ahh! SqueakyChu! I've finally learned your real name - Madeline! Such a pretty name! Well - I very much enjoyed The Help and it was an easy read, if that helps. I've got Brick Lane by Monica Ali - like you do - as a possiblity for my July Orange. So far I've just started and am enjoying Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Enjoy Orange July!

Hi Madeline - Stopping by to wish you Happy Orange Reading! ~Lori

> 75

Thanks, Lori. I hope I get to fit my book in as I've been doing a lot of "book-hopping" lately!

> 72

Laura, I'm being like a kid in a candy shop. I can't seem to stop looking at different books while I'm in the middle of others. This has gotten a bit ridiculous now. I "accidentally" browsed the insides of a 500+ paperback yesterday to find that I now want to skip all the other books I'm currently reading and read that one instead. No wonder I never seem to get my ER books finished. :/

> 73

Belva, The fact that I also have Great House on CD (a library CD) means that I have a better chance of actually finishing that book! :)

> 74

The Help looks like an interesting read, Deborah. I might actually look for that book.

Hope you like it Squeak! I certainly did. Also I hope that you have a terrific reader. That can make or break an audio book.

I'm kind of worried about the reader. It's just that I'm hard of hearing and depend on the narrator to be clear and easy to understand. This book is going to have multiple narrators. At least I have the hard copy as well.

Then that will be good that you can follow along if need be. I have never listened to an audio book with multiple readers. Should be interesting.

I'm having fun finding old friends who are also thinking Orange this month. I loved Great House but didn't find it to be an easy read. I'm curious to hear your final thoughts on it, Madeline. Don't forget to put your Orange books on the TIOLI thread... as if I had to remind you. ;-)

> 82

Donna, I just have to see if I can get to it first. I don't like to overload the TIOLI challenge list (I already finished my first one for July, though!). I just started the 500+ page A Fraction of the Whole which is a very good book - albeit non-TIOLI. I'm simply trying to read too many books at once. :(

> 81, 82

I did finish Great House, liked it a lot, and posted a review of it here on LT. Jill will be proud that I found another Orange book that I like. Hey! That's two in one year. :)

I mostly read the book because the CD had multiple readers. Some were harder for me to understand than others.

What I find about Krauss' books is that they're well written but tend to be confusing because of all of the different characters who enter and exit the story at long intervals. I found this book less difficult to follow than The History of Love, though. Krauss' writing is lovely!

I was sad at the end of Great House that I didn't get to find out more about Daniel Varsky. He seemed like such an interesting character.

I agree Squeak, but I loved, loved, loved Great House and I am so tickled that you liked it as well. I gave it a perfect 5 stars and can't wait to read more Krauss.
big, warm hug,

Yay for Madeline! I liked Great House more than The History of Love too.

I just discovered that I read yet another novel by Nicole Krauss. It was Man Walks into a Room. It was not very memorable.

The irony of the above comment is that I only read that book in July of 2010, and the topic of the book was about a man who lost his memory. I didn't even remember reading it as I looked it up here on LT to see if I still owned a copy of it. Yikes!! I'm glad to say that Krauss' writing is improving greatly with each new book.

*rushes off do some sudoku in an attempt to improve her memory*

I would probably quickly forget a book with the title of Man Walks Into a Room as well Squeak. I mean:

Man walks into a bar............

(nuff said? No?...okay)

and says, "Give me a beer before problems start!" Again, the man orders a beer saying, "Give me a beer before problems start!" The bartender looks confused. This goes on for a while, and after the fifth beer the bartender is totally confused and asks the man, "When are you going to pay for these beers?" The man answers, "Ah, now the problems start!"

See what I mean? LOL!~! But the sudoku is great anyway.

Yeah. I'll stick to the sudoku. :)

;-)

Well, just a possible suggestion, Madeline. I'm just about finished Lullabies for Criminals and despite all of the hype that I've heard about it - it is really surpassing my expectations. Gritty, sad in some ways, but such a courageous narrator that one does not get bogged down in sorrow. I can't put it down.

Extending this challenge into 2012...

I thought Fugutive Pieces was a dreadful read. I can't believe I forced myself to finish it. Ugh!

ETA: I tried to put into words what I disliked so much about this book here in my review.

#93 - I didn't like it either, although I thought bits of it were interesting ...

I'm still reflecting on this book. I'm going back to pick out and write down some lines I liked. I think the author is a better poet than she is a novelist. I think her lyrical way of writing interfered too much with the flow of this story. Deborah also wrote a review of this book that said exactly what I've been trying to say about it.

I'll be glad when I've read my final two Orange books. This prize and I don't do too well together. Sorry, Jill! :)

Aww, no worries, Madeline! Thankfully, there are a zillion other prize lists to refer to!

:)

Ahem. Still no progress.

OMG!~! I loved Fugitive Pieces. What do I like about L.T.? It's diversity!

:)

I'm almost finished! :)

Wondering what you are planning to read in Orange July? It's almost upon us.

Am I still trying to finish this challenge? I forgot all about it. Heh!

I've been working on this for three years now. I never did much like the Orange Books. :)

I quit reading The Help. I got bored with it.

You are too funny Squeak!~! But I AM sorry that you didn't enjoy the Oranges you read. They are generally my favorite 'prize listed' books. This year wasn't a wow year however.
I hope you are enjoying what you are reading.
Cheers,