japaul22's 2019 Category Challenge

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japaul22's 2019 Category Challenge

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1japaul22
Bewerkt: nov 24, 2018, 8:36 pm

Hi Everyone! I'm Jennifer and I'm back for another Category Challenge. I live in D.C. (well, northern Virginia) and have two little boys, ages 9 and 6, who keep me very busy. I'm also a professional musician and play the french horn.

This year I've tried to set up my categories to reflect the specific reading goals I have for the year. I'm trying to keep plugging away at the 1001 Books You Must Read Before you Die list, so it's my biggest specific category. I also have 2 "off the shelf" categories, one specific to the NYRB publications that I love to buy but haven't been reading as fast as I purchase! And a category for rereads, which I find fascinating but don't always make time for unless I prioritize with a category.

Nothing fancy here, but I like this challenge because it helps me focus my reading and chose the next book without making me feel like I "have to" read anything in particular.

Looking forward to following everyone's reading!

2japaul22
Bewerkt: dec 29, 2019, 8:54 pm

1001 Books - 20 books

1. Quicksand by Nella Larsen
2. Pilgrimage by Dorothy Richardson
Pointed Roofs
Backwater
Honeycomb
The Tunnel
Interim
Deadlock
Revolving Lights
The Trap
Oberland
Dawn's Left Hand
Clear Horizon
Dimple Hill
March Moonlight
3. The Colour by Rose Tremain
4. Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata
5. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
6. The Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton
7. Fools of Fortune by William Trevor
8. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
9. Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
10. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
11. Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
12. Perfume by Patrick Suskind
13. Living by Henry Green
14. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
15. So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ
16. I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti
17. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
18. Memento Mori by Murial Spark

Ideas:
Bonjour Tristesse
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Castle Richmond
Cloudsplitter
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
Elective Affinities
Bel Ami
Kitchen
Hunger
Samila's Sense of Snow
Strindberg
Thomas Mann
Pilgrimage
World's End by T.C. Boyle
Perfume by Suskind

5japaul22
Bewerkt: dec 18, 2019, 12:22 pm

Rereads - 5 books
1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (audiobook)
3. Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, audiobook
5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Ideas:
Crime and Punishment
Daphne DuMaurier

7MissWatson
nov 25, 2018, 4:20 am

Hello Jennifer, it's great to see you're here. Have a great reading year!

8rabbitprincess
nov 25, 2018, 7:31 am

Looks like you're all set! Have a great reading year whittling down the 1001 list :)

9Tess_W
nov 25, 2018, 8:22 am

Great categories. I can recommend Fugitive Pieces from the 1001 list.

10katiekrug
nov 25, 2018, 12:03 pm

Dropping my star so I can follow along in the new year....

11dudes22
nov 25, 2018, 3:22 pm

Looking forward to following you again this year.

12DeltaQueen50
nov 25, 2018, 7:59 pm

My star is placed and I am looking forward to following along. I hope to do some whittling of that 1,001 list myself!

13LittleTaiko
nov 28, 2018, 4:16 pm

>2 japaul22: - I'm planning on reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 2019 too. It's one of those books I can't believe I haven't read by now.

14japaul22
nov 28, 2018, 8:01 pm

Welcome, everyone! Looking forward to following your reading as well.

>13 LittleTaiko: It's sometimes odd to read these books that you have so much cultural knowledge of because the book is different than the idea you have. I hope I actually get to it in 2019!

15dudes22
nov 29, 2018, 5:39 am

I had planned one year to read Les Miserables and, because of the length, I figured out how many pages I would need to read each day to get it done. Unfortunately, the beginning was so dense that I ended up quitting. But I will get back to it one day when I'm in the right frame of mind. All this as a way of saying, you're right about books being different than what we think we know.

16LittleTaiko
nov 29, 2018, 10:53 am

>15 dudes22: - Just a heads up about Les Miserables there is a huge section towards the middle that I finally just skipped because it was so dense. Plus I had seen the musical so many times that I just kind of figured I knew the pertinent parts. :)

17LisaMorr
nov 30, 2018, 3:57 pm

Looks like a fun challenge. I also have a lot of NYBR books that I am behind on reading - I look forward to seeing your thoughts on the one you read in the hopes that it will help push a few of mine up the list!

18lkernagh
dec 2, 2018, 6:54 pm

Looking forward to following along with your 2019 reading!

19The_Hibernator
dec 31, 2018, 11:43 am

Good Luck! Happy New Year!

20thornton37814
dec 31, 2018, 1:15 pm

21Tess_W
dec 31, 2018, 2:46 pm

22japaul22
jan 9, 2019, 8:49 pm

Welcome, everyone, and glad to see you here! I started off the year with a couple of really big books, but I've finally finished one.

For my "rereads" category (1/5)

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

I started off 2019 with a reread of a favorite that did not disappoint on a second reading. This book centers around Raskolnikov, a young student who is poor, ill, depressed, and possibly a bit insane. He decides to murder an old woman that he has pawned some items with and steal her stock and cash. Most of the novel concerns the aftermath of this event - how Raskolnikov deals with his fear of being caught, his guilt, and his changing life.

For a big, Russian classic, this book is a page turner. Though there is a lot of interior thought and some over-dramatic, long conversations, the story moves along pretty well. It's a book that I don't think you could read too many times; there is always something new to ponder or a new theme to follow. This time I was really interested in the way some of the characters were set up to parallel each other and then diverge in how they handle life differently.

I'm glad I took the time to reread this and highly recommend it for the first or second time to anyone.

Original publication date: 1866
Author’s nationality: Russian
Original language: Russian
Length: 512 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: folio society edition, gift
Why I read this: reread

23Tess_W
jan 10, 2019, 12:57 am

>22 japaul22: glad you enjoyed this one. I read it just a couple of weeks ago and also enjoyed it (more than War and Peace).

24virginiahomeschooler
jan 10, 2019, 9:05 am

>22 japaul22: This was one I was supposed to read in high school but only got about 1/3 of the way through. I really ought to go back and read the whole thing now that I'm an adult and could maybe appreciate it more.

25RidgewayGirl
jan 10, 2019, 9:14 am

>22 japaul22: I read that when I was but a teenager, so it probably is time for a reread.

26christina_reads
jan 10, 2019, 11:22 am

>22 japaul22: I loved that book, but I haven't read it since high school, so I am definitely due for a reread! The Brothers Karamazov is also terrific.

27katiekrug
jan 10, 2019, 11:50 am

I also read C&P in high school and remember loving it. I've kept my copy (complete with *very serious* notes and asides from my 17-year old self) and keep planning to re-read it.

28japaul22
jan 10, 2019, 1:51 pm

>23 Tess_W: Yes, I think it's much easier to read than War and Peace, though I prefer Tolstoy overall.

>24 virginiahomeschooler:, >25 RidgewayGirl: It's a great book to reread!

>26 christina_reads: I read The Brothers Karamazov over a decade ago and I have to admit that I just didn't get it. That's one I need to revisit.

>27 katiekrug: I love those old high school copies with notes! I still have my copy of Emma from high school.

29thornton37814
jan 12, 2019, 11:17 am

>22 japaul22: I read that one years ago--before LibraryThing. I should re-read it sometime!

30japaul22
jan 12, 2019, 11:37 am

1001 books list (1/20)

Quicksand by Nella Larsen

This was a great find from the 1001 books to read before you die list. The brief googling I did about Nella Larsen made me interested to read her work. She was an American writer in the 1920s and is considered part of the Harlem Renaissance. She was mixed race, with a black father, possibly of Caribbean descent, and a Danish immigrant mother. I had never heard of her, which I find sad.

Quicksand is largely autobiographical and explores Helga's search for identity. When the novel opens, Helga is teaching at a black college in the South. She quickly becomes disillusioned, though, and wonders what this closed community is really achieving or even trying to achieve. This disillusionment will follow Helga through all of the different communities she subsequently belongs to. She first goes back to Chicago, where she was raised, thinking she will get aid from her white Uncle who has helped her in the past. But he has a new wife who won't acknowledge Helga at all. Helga is helped by a wealthy black woman who gives her some connections in Harlem and Helga moves to New York. There she is happy at first, living among educated and creative black society, but she again becomes disillusioned, partially with their isolation from wider American culture. She travels to Denmark to live with her Aunt. There she is fully welcomed, but realizes that she is treated mainly like a novelty. At first she appreciates the freedom she has to fully participate in Danish society, unlike in America, but again she becomes disillusioned. So she returns to New York.

At the end she falls into the most common and expected trap of religion, marriage, and childbearing. A sad and disappointing ending for this bright and yearning young woman.

I found the writing beautiful and mature and the themes of race and belonging explored deeply and subtly. This was a really excellent surprise and I look forward to reading Nella Larsen's other novel, Passing.

Original publication date: 1928
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 132 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle edition, purchased
Why I read this: 1001 books group challenge

31japaul22
jan 13, 2019, 4:28 pm

Off the Shelf Books (1/15)

SPQR by Mary Beard

Mary Beard has put together an intelligent, in depth, and readable book about at ancient Rome. She covers Rome's founding, the changing politics (predominance of the Senate shifting to the Emperors), some of the famous (or infamous!) characters, and also the lives of the middle and lower classes. She really gives a good overall picture of the empire - it's people, politics, and how it hung together for so long. I really liked how she didn't get bogged down in any one famous person.

I think this is one of those books that, while I won't remember all the specific details, it will inform my awareness of all things Roman. I really didn't know much going in, so it was great to get a better picture of this long-lasting and influential empire.

Definitely recommended.

Original publication date: 2015
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 608 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: interested in the topic

32lkernagh
jan 13, 2019, 7:25 pm

Great start to your 2019 reading!

33christina_reads
jan 14, 2019, 1:54 pm

>31 japaul22: I really need to read SPQR...it's been on my TBR list for ages!

34japaul22
jan 19, 2019, 4:09 pm

For my Everything Else category (1/30)

The Sea House by Esther Freud

I really liked this quiet but deep book about a woman who goes to a seaside town for a vacation/escape and to work on a project researching an architect who lived in the town briefly. Lily is in a relationship that she's not sure is working and quickly gets wrapped up in the architect's letters to his wife. There is also an alternate timeline of about 50 years previous that follows this wife, Elsa, and a deaf artist named Max who meet in the same seaside town.

This book is full of secrets and it doesn't seem Freud's intent to ever really unearth all of them. Instead, the parallels between characters and the quiet unfolding of events peel back some of the layers of secrecy. There's drama here, but it's presented in an understated way. I found the writing very effective. I'm looking forward to reading more by Esther Freud.

Original publication date: 2004
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 288 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle book
Why I read this: LT recommendation

35dudes22
jan 19, 2019, 7:25 pm

I took a BB for another of her books last year from VivienneR. Sounds like another BB for me. I'll have to check her out.

36rabbitprincess
jan 19, 2019, 9:47 pm

>34 japaul22: My favourite of hers is Mr Mac and Me :) The Sea House is on my list!

37japaul22
jan 20, 2019, 8:27 am

>36 rabbitprincess: good to know! My library has that one available for kindle so I will probably read it this year. I also want to read Hideous Kinky as its on the 1001 books list.

38VivienneR
jan 21, 2019, 11:34 am

>34 japaul22: I loved Mr Mac and Me so The Sea House is going on my wishlist. I really like the way Freud writes.

39japaul22
jan 21, 2019, 2:16 pm

For my NYRB off the shelf category (1/5)

Augustus by John Williams

Augustus is John Williams's last of three novels and won him the National Book Award, very deservedly so. I found this historical novel about the Roman Emperor Augustus to be smart, emotional, and creatively done. I'm so glad I read this after reading Mary Beard's SPQR because I think I understood all of what Williams did much more deeply. He grounds his book in accurate and detailed historical detail, and creates memorable and flushed out characters of those involved.

Williams chooses to use the technique of letters and journals to tell this story. Octavius Caesar (Augustus) is revealed through the experiences of his friends, enemies, wives, and daughter. His daughter, Julia, is explored particularly well. It was nice to have an active female voice in this world of men. In a last, brief section, Augustus finally gets his own voice, summing up his life in a succinct letter.

Much of Williams's view of Augustus seems to be that history happened to him. Yes, he made decisions over his time as Emperor and greatly influenced the empire and life of Rome, but "fate" and "destiny" is also an important concept here. As Augustus says at the end of his life "It was destiny that seized me that afternoon at Apollonia nearly sixty years ago, and I chose not to avoid its embrace."

Williams also explores the rise to power and loss/changing of friendships, dutiful marriage vs. love, and the drama of choosing a successor - a problem for most long-lived emperor/kings.

I really enjoyed this work and recommend it highly to anyone with a grounding in Roman history. I can't say how it would work for someone who didn't know a bit of the history first. It paired very well with SPQR.

Original publication date: 1972
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 305 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased NYRB book
Why I read this: on my shelf, fit with SPQR

40japaul22
jan 23, 2019, 9:13 am

Off the Shelf Books (2/15)

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

This is a brief novel, only 130 small pages, but it delivers a big story. Sylvie and her family join a group of anthropological students who are spending a couple of weeks over summer break living as people may have in pre-Roman times. It's really not a very successful venture and doesn't seem particularly well thought out to begin with. Then things get really out of hand as the men involved become obsessed with building a ghost wall (a wall with human skulls on it meant to scare away the invading Romans). This ancient way of life meshes in a toxic way with the family father's abusive nature.

I liked this book and definitely recommend it, though I thought the story could have been better explored with some added material. But, then again, I prefer long books - if you like your novels succinct I think you'll be happy the way this was written.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 130 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased
Why I read this: interested in the author, LT rec

41Nickelini
jan 27, 2019, 2:49 pm

>40 japaul22:
I'm wondering if all of Sarah Moss's books have a ghostly element -- I read Cold Earth and it had some pretty unique ghosts.

Are you still playing in the band?

42hailelib
jan 27, 2019, 3:04 pm

>39 japaul22:

Good review of Augustus. I've been intending to read that and Beard's book for some time.

43japaul22
jan 27, 2019, 4:18 pm

>41 Nickelini: This one, despite the title, didn't have ghosts per se, but sort of invoked the spirit of the ancient people being studied. I liked it.

And, yes, I'm still in the band!

>42 hailelib: Thanks, I really enjoyed the pairing of Augustus and SPQR.

44japaul22
jan 27, 2019, 4:35 pm

Everything Else (2/30)

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

This was one weird nonfiction book. I had no idea this was a "thing" but apparently there is a small but dedicated group of men (at least there were no women mentioned in the book) who are obsessed with the Victorian art of fly tying. Fly tying, which I had never heard of, stemmed from the need for a lure for salmon, who will lunge at something floating on the water and be caught that way. So feathers were used and cut and tied in a manner to attract the fish. However, like other Victorian excesses, this turned into an art utilizing feathers from the rarest birds possible that were being discovered and brought back by explorers and naturalists of the time. Of course the obsession with birds and feathers was also a part of women's fashion and the Victorians quickly hunted many of these prized species to extinction. Today there is still a fringe group that covets the feathers of the extinct or nearly extinct birds so that they can create their fly ties (which they never even fish with).

So where does the "thief" part of the title come in? Well, a young flautist who also became obsessed with fly tying decides to rob a natural history museum and steals hundreds of birds to use and sell their feathers. This book is the author's obsession to figure out how this art of salmon fly tying came to be, whether this young man had an accomplice, and if he can recover any of the birds in the name of science.

This was an incredible story and quite fun to read, though I was rolling my eyes and shaking my head through much of it. It's hard to believe these fringe groups exist, but then again, the internet makes all things possible. My main annoyance with the book is that this is one of those nonfiction books where the author is a character - his quest for the truth and his personal issues color some of the writing. I didn't mind it terribly in this book, but I'd pretty much always prefer that authors not make it "all about them" when they write nonfiction.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 320 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: read a review somewhere that piqued my interest

45dudes22
jan 27, 2019, 7:05 pm

>44 japaul22: - I had heard of this book, Jennifer, and I think I may have even started it once, but I don't remember finishing it so it either didn't catch my attention enough or needed to be returned to the library. Or maybe I noticed your criticism and decided not to finish.

46kac522
jan 27, 2019, 7:50 pm

>44 japaul22:, >45 dudes22: I heard a piece on NPR about this--maybe it was an interview with the author, or talk he gave?? Not sure, but I do remember the intricate plans the young guy made to get into the museum, and there I think I turned off the radio :) But it sounds like a fun read.

47dudes22
jan 28, 2019, 6:59 am

>46 kac522: - I've heard some interesting interviews on NPR over the years that have turned me on to various authors. I heard Mary Doria Russell do one about Doc and didn't realize that she actually started her writing career writing 2 sci-fi books which were excellent. (And I don't do much sci-fi).

48japaul22
jan 28, 2019, 7:45 am

>45 dudes22: >46 kac522: I've mentioned this book to a couple of my reader friends at work and one of them had listened to a several part podcast about this. The story is definitely out there in several forms.

49japaul22
jan 29, 2019, 8:19 am

Off the shelf books (3/15)

Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston

"This is such an important book" may be something that we toss around too often, but in this case it certainly applies. In Barracoon, Zora Neale Hurston interviews Cudjo Lewis in the late 1920s. Cudjo was brought to the American South as a slave in 1860 on the last shipment of African slaves, decades after the slave trade was supposedly outlawed. Hurston gives this man a chance to tell his story in his own voice. He relates his life in Africa - he was captured at age 19 by a rival tribe - and of his trip to America. He was a slave for about 5 years, but when he gained his freedom after the Civil War, he had to try to craft a life for himself in a hostile land. It will be no surprise that he had a hard and tragic life.

I loved that Hurston writes his words in his dialect, truly giving this man a voice after a lifetime of being treated as subhuman. This is a brief book that I really think everyone should read.

Original publication date: 2018, written in 1927-9
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 169 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased
Why I read this: interested in the topic

50japaul22
jan 30, 2019, 2:19 pm

Towards my 1001 books category

Pointed Roofs by Dorothy Richardson

Glutton for punishment that I am, I've decided to read Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage this year. This is a 13 part 2000 page semi-autobiographical novel told completely from the protagonist, Miriam's, point of view. Richardson is viewed as the first author (before Proust or Woolf) to attempt a stream of consciousness style. Her book didn't really catch as much attention as some think it should have considering the innovative style. One reason for that may have been that publishing a pro-German book in England 1915 just wasn't going to go over well.

Pointed Roofs introduces us to a young Miriam. She is seventeen and her family has fallen on hard times financially, so she decides to go to Germany as a governess to earn her keep. She ends up in a situation where she is living with a handful of other girls in a boardinghouse and she is responsible for teaching English. This mainly seems to consist of her listening to the German girls read in English and conversing with them in English. In between we hear Miriam's thoughts about living with so many women (not fun), wondering about her family back in England, cultural observations about Germany, and her lack of teaching skills.

I like Miriam. She seems to be the sort of person that is hard to get along with. She's sort of stand-offish and opinionated and not one to open up. But her voice and observations strike me as honest and authentic and I'm enjoying getting to know her.

Original publication date: 1915
Author’s nationality: English
Original language: English
Length: 185 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased Virago edition
Why I read this: 1001 books, group read

51LittleTaiko
jan 30, 2019, 4:14 pm

>44 japaul22: - I've read a few fiction books involving fly fishing and what I've learned from them is that they take their flies really seriously. Not sure if it's to Victorian fly tying level but it's a huge part of the activity.

52VivienneR
feb 4, 2019, 1:24 am

>44 japaul22: The late Queen Mother was an ardent fly fisher so it's not restricted to men. It's still a popular sport that survived Victorian extravagance. Sounds like an interesting book. The only one I've read was Salmon Fishing in Yemen that could eclipse Victorian extravagances easily, but a good story.

Once I met someone who didn't fish, just tied beautiful flies and had a huge collection.

53JayneCM
feb 4, 2019, 2:24 am

>44 japaul22: Based on the number of fishing shows my hubby watches and looking at fishing gear in shops, it is an amazingly intricate affair.
I saw a meme the other day describing fishing as the most expensive way to get a free dinner!

54pamelad
feb 4, 2019, 2:54 am

>30 japaul22: Before reading Quicksand and Passing, I'd not heard of the Harlem Renaissance. Since then I've also read The Ways of White Folks, a collection of short stories by Langston Hughes, which is just as much of an eye-opener.

55japaul22
feb 4, 2019, 7:57 am

I'm enjoying all the fishing comments, everyone! Interesting that the queen mother fly fishes!

>54 pamelad: I was familiar with the Harlem Renaissance, but still hadn't heard of Nella Larsen. I know of Langston Hughes's poetry, but haven't ever read his prose. Actually, as I think about it, I know more about the people involved in the Harlem Renaissance and the cultural revolution it describes and less about the actual writing (or painting or other arts) that were created.

56japaul22
feb 5, 2019, 3:09 pm

Everything Else (3/30)

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Like the rest of you, I loved this book. I listened to it on audio and thought it was fantastic to hear Obama's voice read her own words. It made me so nostalgic for their time in the White House and I teared up many times. It's sad to think how much of their hard work has been undone.

She pulls no punches when it comes to describing her feelings about Donald Trump, and I appreciated that. I loved hearing about her childhood and early life with Barack. Though there isn't much here that is revolutionary, it's worth the time to read or listen to. She pulls some consistent themes through which makes it deeper than just a conglomeration of memories.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: English
Original language: English
Length: 15 hours
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library audiobook
Why I read this: why not?

57LisaMorr
feb 5, 2019, 4:21 pm

>56 japaul22: I'm looking forward to this one! I'd kinda like to read it when things are back on the right track though, if you know what I mean.

58LittleTaiko
feb 6, 2019, 10:31 am

>56 japaul22: - I'm currently reading this and quite enjoying it as well.

59japaul22
feb 9, 2019, 11:56 am

Everything Else (4/30)

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

In Kingsolver's latest novel she explores the topics of middle class poverty and the destruction of the earth by using two different time periods. The modern day story is of Willa Knox and her family. Willa is an out-of-work writer and her husband, Iano, has lost his college professorship and pension after his college closes. They move to a house they've inherited in Vineland, NJ. Both of their adult children are also down on their luck so they are still caring for them and Iano's father, who is elderly and dying. The other story is set in the late 1800s in the same town, where Thatcher Greenwood brings his wife and mother-in-law to a home that they have inherited. He teaches in the town and is dismayed at the hostility he finds when he tries to teach the science of the day (Darwinism). He also meets a next door neighbor, Mary Treat, who is a respected natural scientist. These two timelines share a common desire for something better in life, but obstacles at every turn. And crumbling homes - literally built so poorly that the houses are falling down.

I usually enjoy Kingsolver's work and there is certainly something in this book to appreciate, but I found the message very heavy-handed and a bit over-dramatic. I'm also not quite sure that the two timelines worked so well together. The whole thing felt a bit unfocused or forced.

I'd like to hear if others have the same opinion, but at the same time I can't recommend this as a book to run out and read immediately.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: English
Original language: English
Length: 480
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: like the author

60katiekrug
feb 10, 2019, 8:32 pm

>59 japaul22: - I've seen lots of mixed reviews for this one. I saw Kingsolver talk about it a few months ago at an event in Brooklyn and I'm intrigued but worried about the heavy handedness... The event ticket included a hardcover copy, so I'll get to it, eventually (I think)!

61japaul22
feb 16, 2019, 4:33 pm

1001 books (3/20)

The Colour by Rose Tremain

A crazy work schedule is leaving me with no brains leftover to review right now. I did very much enjoy this historical fiction set during the New Zealand gold rush, late 1800s. If you like well-written historical fiction with a strong setting, good character development, and a strong female character, you'll probably like this.

Original publication date: 2003
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 352
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library book
Why I read this: 1001 books group read

62Tess_W
feb 16, 2019, 4:45 pm

>61 japaul22: That is already on my TBR list, so I'll nudge it up a few spaces!

63japaul22
feb 18, 2019, 4:07 pm

Everything Else (5/30)

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

In An American Marriage, newly married Roy and Celestial find their world and marriage turned upside down when Roy is falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Roy and Celestial are African American, from different backgrounds, but both making their way in the world with optimism and budding success when Roy is sent to prison. There is never any question about whether Roy is guilty, he isn't and that isn't what the book is about. In fact, no one seems surprised at all that a black man would be sent to jail for a crime he didn't commit - and that is one of the things this book is about. It's also about what marriage means and if it can survive distance and separation.

This book is told from alternating points of view, both Roy and Celestial's, and also their mutual friend, Andre, who complicates things romantically for Celestial. There was a lot in this book that I really liked; interesting themes and good and believable character development. I didn't particularly like the addition of Andre's voice, though. I thought he ended up speaking to Celestial's side of things too much and I lost some of her voice in the book.

It's a strongly written book and I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't think it achieved quite what it set out to.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 320
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: lots of buzz

64katiekrug
feb 18, 2019, 4:08 pm

>63 japaul22: - Good review. We felt similarly about it. There was a lot to like but it never quite reached the heights I think she wanted to. My book group had one of our best discussions about it, though. There is so much to unpack in it.

65japaul22
feb 18, 2019, 4:13 pm

>64 katiekrug: I think the love triangle thing just didn't work for me. I did really like the letter writing. I can imagine it leading to really good discussion - and it's an easy enough book to read that probably most people finished it!

66dudes22
feb 19, 2019, 7:18 am

>63 japaul22: - >64 katiekrug: - I pretty sure this is on my recommended list from someone else here at LT. Seeing your comments, Katie, about reading this for a book club has me thinking that maybe I'll pick this the next time it's my turn to pick a book.

67japaul22
feb 25, 2019, 8:11 pm

Everything Else (6/30)

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

I loved this book and was sort of surprised at how well done it was. The books opens in a 1880s pub on a cold rainy night when an injured man shows up carrying a dead 4 year old girl who appears to have drowned in the river. He collapses from his injuries and she, hours later, is unexpectedly no longer dead. The rest of the book strives to discover who this little girl, who can't talk, is. Is she the child of a couple who's daughter was kidnapped two years ago? Is she the daughter of a young woman who killed herself and may have drowned her child a few towns over? Or neither?

The book has a mystical, fairy tale quality to both the plot and the telling. But it is balanced with some very realistic, down to earth characters. It has the feel of a mystery genre at points as well. I found it very entertaining and well-written. Definitely recommended.

I read Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale a few years back and liked it, but I don't remember it being as good as this. This was a welcome surprise.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 480
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: new release I was interested in

68dudes22
feb 26, 2019, 4:36 pm

I read The Thirteenth Tale a few years ago and remember enjoying it so I think I’ll take a BB for this one too.

69japaul22
feb 27, 2019, 8:56 pm

towards my 1001 books category

Backwater by Dorothy Richardson

Backwater is the second part of the 13 that make up her book, Pilgrimage. In this part, Miriam has come back to England after being a governess in a German school for young women. Now she is teaching in a school for younger girls, hired by the Misses Perne, two sisters. Miriam thinks about many topics that a teenage girl would - attraction to young men and feeling attractive to them, ideas about religion, reading novels late at night. She also finds out her mother needs surgery and their family can no longer afford the nice house they've been living in. So she needs to find a job that pays more than her current one. She resigns from her job and hopes to find a job as live-in governess to a wealthy family.

I liked this installment even more than the first. I'm getting used to Richardson's writing and finding a lot of insight and beauty in it. Looking forward to continuing on.

Original publication date: 1916
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 147 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased virago edition (not currently in print that I've found
Why I read this: 1001 books, group read

70japaul22
mrt 1, 2019, 1:39 pm

Off the Shelf Books (4/15)

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf

This is a fascinating look at how humans developed reading and writing and what reading does to the brain. It is divided into 3 sections: the first a history of the development of reading, the second a look at how children learn to read and how it changes the brain, and the third looking at learning anomalies such as dyslexia and what they further tell us about the brain.

I really liked this. The language can be a bit dense and scientific, especially in the latter sections, but it was very interesting. One of my big takeaways was the idea that reading is not an inherited skill but something that each human attempts to learn from scratch. I also was very interested to read about the way the skill of reading changes neural pathways and the implications for how these pathways can lead to a deeper way of thinking in many ways.

Wolf briefly addresses her concerns about how an increasing digital age may again change our neural pathways, much as happened when the Greeks discussed the move to written word away from "dialogues" and memorization for oral retelling. This was a big concern for Socrates, at the cusp of this mental shift.

Original publication date: 2007
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 306 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: interested in the subject matter

71MissWatson
mrt 2, 2019, 10:07 am

>70 japaul22: This sounds like a fascinating subject!

72japaul22
mrt 3, 2019, 8:26 pm

1001 books

Honeycomb by Dorothy Richardson
Honeycomb is the third volume in Richardson's Pilgrimage series. In this, Miriam attempts to make more money by being a governess in the wealthy home of the Corries. She is just responsible for the Corrie children and in her considerable free time, she reads, ponders life, and is introduced to the scandalous society of the Corries. She meets divorced couples and hears about Oscar Wilde and his trial for homosexuality. So her world seems both wider and smaller in this volume as she is introduced to a wider berth of society but is also confined to a country house.

I'm finding it interesting to think about her different teaching circumstances so far - in Germany as a companion to speak English with girls basically her age, in England at a boarding school with middle class girls, and now at an English estate with only one family of children. Her interactions with the outside world differs greatly in these three situations and of course the teaching itself is different as well.

In this novel, I felt like I lost Miriam's voice a little when she got so involved with thinking about the Corries and their friends. But then the last section completely turned that around. She goes home for the summer and two of her sisters marry and then she spends time at a seaside resort with her mother. In this section, Miriam's voice felt strong, authentic, and honest again to me.

I've now finished what is generally grouped as the first volume of this four volume/13 novel work. I'm very much enjoying it and I'm glad to have started this as my project for the year.

Original publication date: 1917
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 141 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: 1001 books group read, year long project

73japaul22
mrt 8, 2019, 2:35 pm

Everything Else (7/30)

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

What a wonderful, wonderful book. Makkai has brought to life the tragedy, fear, and trauma of the AIDS crisis in 1980s Chicago. She does this through wonderfully real characters, the kind of characters who you think about and wonder what they are doing while you aren't reading the book. It's sad - I rarely cry at books and couldn't contain it here - but it's so beautifully done that it isn't as depressing as it could be, somehow.

Makkai uses an alternating timeline, between 1985-90 and 2015, and sometimes these don't work for me, but here I thought it was perfect. Though I never wanted to leave the 1980s characters, flashing forward to 2015 helped put the crisis in perspective - sometimes deepening the sadness, sometimes showing the lasting trauma it cause for those who survived, and sometimes giving glimmers of hope.

Highly recommended - please give it a try!

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 432 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: following the crowd

74japaul22
mrt 19, 2019, 12:47 pm

Everything Else (8/30)

The Kellys and the O'Kellys by Anthony Trollope

I read this early Trollope novel with a group read led by Liz, always a rewarding experience. This is set in Ireland - different than I'm used to reading from Trollope, where I'm used to an English setting. There's a bit more mixing between the social spheres here. I also felt the characters were a little more one-sided than in Trollope's later novels.

This novel revolves around two women, Fanny and Anty, who inherit large fortunes and therefore become the target of marriage. There is manipulation and threat from those who stand to benefit if they don't marry or marry differently than they would prefer.

I liked this, and it's interesting to see the early seeds of Trollope's later excellence, but I wouldn't say it is quite present yet. Enjoyable, certainly, but most likely to be enjoyed by those with a good grounding in Trollope already.

Original publication date: 1848
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 516 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle
Why I read this: group read

75japaul22
mrt 28, 2019, 5:06 pm

Everything Else (9/30)

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

I finally read this American classic and I loved it. I get why it is as popular as it is - great characters, interesting time period and setting, exciting plot - what's not to like? Well, I didn't love all the violence and I think the relations with Native Americans were certainly oversimplified. And I wished that I personally had more background on the Texas Rangers, as the two main characters had been Rangers and I don't know much about that time period. I gather there are prequels to this novel that cover some of that. For a Western, there were some decent women characters, which is sort of a rarity, so I appreciated that.

I think the greatness here really lies in the characters and the way McMurtry slowly reveals characteristics and relationships throughout the novel. Gus, Call, Lorena, Clara, Newt, Pea Eye, Deets - they are all unforgettable.

I'm betting most have already read this, but if not I definitely recommend it. Don't be put off by the page count - it really does read quickly.

Original publication date: 1985
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 864 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased kindle
Why I read this: group read, has been on my TBR for a long time

76hailelib
Bewerkt: mrt 30, 2019, 9:50 am

>70 japaul22:

Wolf's book sounds right up my alley so ordered the library's copy.

I loved Comanche Moon when I read it and meant to try more McMurtry. I should attempt to get to one this year.

77katiekrug
mrt 30, 2019, 9:30 am

>75 japaul22: - Such a great book. I think people get turned off by the 'Western' label and/or the length, and it's a shame. Just a wonderful story and characters.

78japaul22
mrt 30, 2019, 5:10 pm

Rereads (2/5)

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, read by Erin Bennett

This was a reread for me that I listened to as an audiobook. I've been listening to this for months - it's 45 hours long! I also took some breaks to listen to other audiobooks and podcasts and such. I don't have a lot of tolerance for listening to audiobooks.

I liked the reader for this, but she has sort of a monotone delivery. At first I wasn't sure she'd work for me, but I stuck with it for a few hours and it really grew on me. I think she got the tone right, in the end.

When I read this the first time, in print, it was a 5 star read for me. I was blown away by Undset's ability to develop her characters over a lifetime, realistically having them stick with some of their faults and also showing how their experiences change them over time. And I loved the setting of medieval Norway and all the detail about life then. The historical side of this book is revealed through the plot, characters, etc. and is never approached as a side note - it's just part of the story.

The thing that grated on me this time around was the religious aspect of the book. I remember that from the first time, but I didn't remember that it was as detailed as it is. Maybe I skimmed over some of the sermonizing when I read this - not possible during an audiobook! So this didn't remain quite the 5 star read for me that it was the first time I read it, but I still love it and highly recommend it.

Original publication date: 1920-22
Author’s nationality: Norwegian
Original language: English
Length: 45 hours/1168 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: audible book
Why I read this: reread

79Tess_W
mrt 30, 2019, 6:55 pm

>78 japaul22: I also have this on Audible. I'm hoping that I, too, can rate it 4.5 after listening. It is the 45 hours which has caused me not to listen, yet. I hope to get to this in 2019!

80japaul22
apr 2, 2019, 3:25 pm

NYRB off the shelf (2/5)

During the Reign of the Queen of Persia by Joan Chase

The "Queen of Persia" is Lil/Gran, the matriarch of an Ohio farm family in the mid 1900s. Gran had 5 daughters and 4 of her granddaughters spend their summers and some years at the farm. The five daughters also keep coming back to the family home, when fallen on hard times financially, after divorces, when ill, or just to visit. They are all drawn back repeatedly. One of the first generation of sisters, Grace, gets breast cancer and her illness and death is central to the book. She is mother to two of the four girls growing up in the home. But outside the spectre of death, we also see the four girls growing up. Their experiences are related in a disjointed manner, but a complete picture of girlhood emerges nonetheless.

One of the interesting things for me was the narration of the book. It's a first person narration, but from the point of view of all four girls as a collective. All of the older generation of daughters are referred to as "Aunt so and so", even though some of these Aunts are mother to some of the narrators. I was confused at first, but came to really like it. It's an interesting way of describing identity, and I can't really recall another book that has used this same technique. I guess sort of like a greek chorus, but they weren't commentating on events, they were living them.

This won't be for everyone - it's a bit quirky and a bit depressing - but I quite liked it.

Original publication date: 1983
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 215 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased NYRB edition
Why I read this: NYRB off the shelf

81japaul22
apr 4, 2019, 8:26 am

1001 books (4/20)

Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata

This is a post-WWII Japanese novel, focused on a young man, Kikuji, who is in contact with two of his deceased father's former mistresses. One, Chikako, is trying to marry him to a young woman she knows, and the other, Mrs. Ota, he ends up having a sexual relationship with. When Mrs. Ota commits suicide, he becomes close to her daughter, Fumiko.

These relationships are all wrapped up in fine detail about tea ceremony and the bowls used in them. To be honest, I think it was all too foreign to me to really understand. I gathered that Kawabata was exploring the post-war cultural shift, but I didn't understand enough to know exactly what he was getting at. As always, Japanese novels seem very subtle to me - nothing is spelled out - so without the cultural knowledge that a Japanese reader would have I feel that I miss so much.

The writing is lovely and descriptions are beautiful, but I ended feeling a bit bewildered.

Original publication date: 1952
Author’s nationality: Japanese
Original language: Japanese
Length: 148 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle purchase
Why I read this: 1001 books

82japaul22
apr 7, 2019, 8:06 am

1001 Books (5/20)

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

Another brief novella by a Japanese author that I had on my kindle. This one is about a young woman who connects with a new family after her grandmother dies. She goes to live temporarily with a young man and his mother. She finds quickly that this beautiful mother is actually a man. This doesn't phase her, but I found it interesting that this book written in the 1980s was so accepting of this alternative life style.

The crux of the story is really whether or not the two young people will fall in love. The "kitchen" of the title references the narrator's obsession with kitchens and cooking.

I liked this quirky and cute novel.

Original publication date: 1983
Author’s nationality: Japanese
Original language: Japanese
Length: 152 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle purchase
Why I read this: 1001 books

83Tess_W
apr 9, 2019, 2:50 pm

>82 japaul22: I also have that one on my ereader, so will move it on up the line!

84japaul22
Bewerkt: apr 19, 2019, 2:30 pm

1001 Books

The Tunnel by Dorothy Richardson

I feel like Richardson has really hit her stride in this 4th installment of Pilgrimage. Miriam's mother has died and she has struck out on her own, away from the traditional governess scene. Instead, Miriam gets a "room of her own" (yes she uses this term a decade before Woolf) in London and works as a secretary for a dental office. The descriptions of her office work are amusing as she tries to keep on top of everything. But, the real interest here is Miriam discovering London, going to concerts, and reading avidly. She wanders and bikes!! around London, meeting new people and observing the city. In her musings a streak of feminism is becoming more and more prevalent. She notices the limiting expectations on women and the differences between the sexes.

I was so struck in this novel that Virginia Woolf must have been influenced by this work. Miriam being out in London reminded me of Clarissa Dalloway and the importance of Miriam's own space both within her flat and in claiming London is also a prevalent them in Woolf's later work.

Richardson has come up with a unique style. It is all Miriam's point of view and to keep that narrow focus characters flit in and out, sometimes without much explanation of who they are. I think this was Richardson's way of keeping Miriam the focus, but it does make for challenging reading.

I'm really impressed with this work and so glad to be reading it.

Original publication date: 1919
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 287 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased used virago edition
Why I read this: 1001 books, group read

85japaul22
Bewerkt: apr 19, 2019, 2:30 pm

1001 books

Interim by Dorothy Richardson

In the 5th novel of Richardson's Pilgrimage, Miriam mainly observes others. Particularly noticeable was her rendering of different accents and pronunciations of the people she meets. This was spot on and amusing. There are new boarders in the house with her that provide a lot of this observation.

Also, her sister leaves her governess job with the Greens for a job in the city and her own apartment, presumably following in Miriam's footsteps. This doesn't work out for her, though, and she's back to governess-ing by the end of the novel. I'm sure this gives Miriam some personal satisfaction, that she can survive in London on her own despite it not being easy.

Miriam also gets her own bike - exciting! - and even more freedom.

Original publication date: 1919
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 163 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased used virago edition
Why I read this: 1001 books, group read

86japaul22
Bewerkt: apr 19, 2019, 3:53 pm

Off the Shelf/Kindle (5/15)

Madame President: The Extraordinary Journey of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf by Helene Cooper

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first woman President of Liberia (and first woman President of any African country) and took the reins of the country at its rock bottom. When she was elected in 2006 her country had been through over a decade of bloody civil war. The country, both its people and its infrastructure was decimated. Sirleaf's background made her an excellent choice to lead this country. Sirleaf had a father with roots in one of the local tribes and a mother who was "Congo-born", i.e. the designation for former American slaves who moved to Liberia after being freed and founded Liberia. She had excellent schooling in economics and had worked for Citibank and the World Bank. Most importantly to her election, she rallied the women of the country who were sick and tired of war and violent men. Something like 70% of Liberian women had been raped when Sirleaf took office - they had survived decades of violent civil war and women were virtually the only economy Liberia had as they bought and sold necessary goods at roadside stalls. Sirleaf worked tirelessly to get Liberia's considerable debt forgiven so the country could begin to rebuild. As they were on the road to recovery, ebola hit Liberia killing many, many people. Liberia was able to contain the disease with considerable help from outside countries.

This book opened my eyes to both Liberia's history and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's life. I'm sorry to say I knew virtually nothing about this country or this remarkable leader before reading this book. This is highly recommended.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: Liberian/American
Original language: English
Length: 336 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle purchase
Why I read this: interested in the topic

87japaul22
apr 22, 2019, 8:24 pm

Everything Else (10/30)

The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith

In this novel, the setting of Newport, RI is the backdrop to centuries worth of characters. The modern-day setting is about Sandy Alison, an almost tennis star, and his relationships with several women in the town. Then there are 5 more characters/time periods: a gilded age gay man trying to marry money, Henry James as a young man during the Civil War, the diary of a British nobleman during the Revolutionary War, and a young woman in pre-Revolutionary days who finds herself on her own when her parents die young.

If it sounds like a lot, it was. I thought there were too many different timelines going on for most of the book. But about halfway through I started to accept the jostling around and realize how interestingly Smith was creating connections and parallels between the people and using the setting to create connections as well. These were done with subtlety and nuance and I started to enjoy the book more when I focused on those details rather than each of the different characters for themselves.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you happen upon it.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 368 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle library book
Why I read this: new book that caught my eye

88dudes22
apr 23, 2019, 7:06 am

>87 japaul22: - I think I'll put this on my wish list because I live in RI and want to see if I recognize any places.

89japaul22
apr 23, 2019, 7:42 am

>88 dudes22: The Newport setting was really wonderful since Newport has such a rich and varied history. I've been there once briefly, but the city made a big impression.

90LittleTaiko
apr 23, 2019, 10:49 am

>86 japaul22: - That sounds fascinating! Love learning about new areas and people. I'm going to keep this in mind as a book club selection for next year.

91japaul22
apr 23, 2019, 1:33 pm

1001 books (6/20)

The Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton

Having just finished a book set in Newport, RI, where one of the plot lines takes place during the Gilded Age, I was led to read a book by Wharton. The Bunner Sisters is the last entry of hers that I've not read from the 1001 books to read before you die list.

The Bunner Sisters is a brief novella that I felt packed quite a punch. Wharton strays from the world of the wealthy elite and instead explores the lives of two sisters living one small step away from poverty. They have a small shop in NYC and make just enough to get by and set a little aside. They are happy, but then meet Mr. Ramy and both sisters see a chance at marrying him and having a different life. Let's just say the novel doesn't end happily.

Towards the end of the book, this passage really summed up the moral of this novella. This is the thought of the older sister, who sets aside her desires to allow her younger sister a chance for a happy life.

Hitherto she had never thought of questioning the inherited principles which had guided her life. Self-effacement for the good of others had always seemed to her both natural and necessary; but then she had taken it for granted that it implied the securing of that good. Now she perceived that to refuse the gifts of life does not ensure their transmission to those for whom they have been surrendered; and her familiar heaven was unpeopled.

As always, I love Edith Wharton's writing.

Original publication date: 1916 (but written in 1890)
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 59 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle freebie
Why I read this: 1001 books

92japaul22
mei 1, 2019, 8:42 pm

1001 Books (7/20)

Fools of Fortune by William Trevor

I really like Trevor's writing. The style is simple and straightforward, but the plot and characters are always deeply drawn. This novel begins during the Irish war for independence in the early 1900s and introduces a family whose house is burnt down, killing several family members, by the Black and Tans. The aftermath of this for the remaining family members is the subject of the book.

Though I really liked this, it wasn't my favorite book by William Trevor, which remains The Story of Lucy Gault.

Original publication date: 1983
Author’s nationality: Irish
Original language: English
Length: 207 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: 1001 books

93katiekrug
mei 2, 2019, 10:57 am

I love Trevor, too. I have this one on my shelf but haven't gotten to it yet.

94DeltaQueen50
mei 4, 2019, 12:23 pm

I really enjoyed The Bunner sisters as well. This month I am planning on The House of Mirth by Wharton, who has become a favorite author.

95japaul22
mei 10, 2019, 8:02 am

1001 Books (8/20)

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

A disjointed, forgettable novel about a young woman's first year at college. I wasn't sure what the point was or what the focus was supposed to be.

Too busy to post more!

96japaul22
mei 11, 2019, 8:11 am

So tomorrow I leave for a 9 day whirlwind trip to Japan with work. We (the Marine Band) are performing 5 concerts in Yokohama (outside Tokyo), Kanazawa, Hamamatsu, and Iwakuni. It's a ton of travel in a short amount of time, but I have my kindle loaded up with options, especially for the 14 hour plane ride! I wanted books that are absorbing and easy to get into, not challenging to read, and familiar authors or genres.

I'm bringing:
Educated by Tara Westover
Tombland by C.J. Sansom
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Georgia by Dawn Tripp
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

I also, of course, brought 4 paperbacks in case my kindle breaks or something. Must be prepared!

In reality, I will probably only read 1.5 of these, but . . .

97katiekrug
mei 11, 2019, 10:40 am

Good selections! Safe travels!

98DeltaQueen50
mei 11, 2019, 12:01 pm

Have a wonderful trip!

99rabbitprincess
mei 11, 2019, 9:32 pm

Have an awesome time! The Evelyn Hardcastle book sounds like it would be a good plane-ride book :)

100dudes22
mei 12, 2019, 6:29 am

Have a great trip, Jennifer. I just read Educated for my book club and it's good, but also disturbing. Hope you get time for a little sightseeing while your there.

101Tess_W
mei 12, 2019, 6:32 am

Hope you enjoy your trip (and your reading)!

102MissWatson
mei 12, 2019, 8:47 am

Have a good trip!

103mathgirl40
mei 12, 2019, 10:20 am

>96 japaul22: Have a great trip! I'm impressed by the progress you've been making on the 1001 list. I'm plugging away at it too but at a much slower pace.

104lkernagh
mei 17, 2019, 5:30 pm

Wishing you a wonderful trip!

105japaul22
Bewerkt: mei 23, 2019, 8:24 am

I'm back from Japan - a fabulous and interesting country, though it was such a busy work trip that I didn't have much time to really get to know it. I'd love to go back sometime with my husband for a vacation. I got very little reading done, but did get half way through the newest mystery in C.J. Sansom's Tudor series and finished Educated by Tara Westover.

Off the shelf or kindle (7/15)

Educated by Tara Westover

This was one of those memoirs that is like watching a car crash - you can't really look away out of morbid curiosity, but it sickens you all the same. Tara Westover was raised in an abusive family with a father who probably had some sort of serious mental illness (schizophrenia or bipolar), a mother who repeatedly looks the other way, and a physically abusive older brother. The family lives off the grid, not sending their children to school or believing in established medical care. The memoir is Westover's struggle to educate herself and try to separate herself from her abusive family.

The book left me fairly unimpressed. I guess it was interesting to see the life of someone raised by a person with undiagnosed mental illness, but that's really what it boiled down to. I thought the family was less of a fringe society (which would have been more interesting) and more just a case of an abusive family, which can and does occur in all walks of life and stratum of society.

I think I'll be left mainly remember the string of crazy injuries - severe concussions and whole body burnings - that pepper the book.

I can't really recommend it despite the rave reviews.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 352 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased kindle
Why I read this: to see what the buzz was about

106dudes22
mei 23, 2019, 9:56 am

Welcome back! Did you at least get to eat some interesting food?

We read this book for book club last month and I wish I'd had your comment about the car crash. That explains it so well. It also sort of reminded me of Jeannette Walls' book The Glass Castle. I feel that you very rarely read a memoir where you end up feeling uplifted after you're done. It's usually how awful the person's life was.

107LittleTaiko
mei 23, 2019, 12:39 pm

Welcome back! Hope you do a get a chance to go back someday. We went for vacation a couple of years ago and loved it. Can't wait to go back someday.

108japaul22
mei 27, 2019, 12:36 pm

Off the shelf (7/15) - in my audible library

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I finished this a while ago and forgot to review it. I listened to this book on audio, read by the author, and it was fabulous. Trevor Noah is a comedian/actor and this book is about his life growing up in South Africa as apartheid ends.

Highly recommended, especially as an audiobook.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: South African
Original language: English
Length: 9 hours
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: audible credit
Why I read this: great reviews

109Tess_W
mei 27, 2019, 10:45 pm

>108 japaul22: Goes on my wish list!

110japaul22
mei 29, 2019, 1:14 pm

Rereads (3/5)

Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier

This was a reread of an old paperback that I've had since I was 16. For my birthday that year, my grandparents took me on a 2 week vacation to London, Devon and Cornwall, and Paris, and we stopped at Jamaica Inn. They bought me this book before we went, knowing me to be a reader.

**Spoilers are definitely included in the following summary**

Jamaica Inn is set in the 1800s and has a gothic feel. Mary Yellan is the heroine. When her mother dies, she goes to live with her Aunt Patience who is married to the owner of Jamaica Inn. Mary immediately finds that something is wrong here - no locals will frequent the Inn and her Uncle has a terrible reputation. Mary later learns that he is a "wrecker", meaning that he and his team lure ships into the the rocks with false lights and then salvage and sell the cargo from the wrecked ships. Of course Mary also meets and falls in love with the Uncle's brother, though she is unsure of his involvement or his character.

This was a very satisfying read, a gothic romance page turner. I really enjoyed it.

Original publication date: 1936
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 269 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: paperback off the shelf
Why I read this: reread

111lkernagh
mei 31, 2019, 4:42 pm

>110 japaul22: - If you are interested in watching a movie adaptation of Du Maurier's story, I can recommend the 2014 British drama television mini-series. It is really well done!

112japaul22
jun 5, 2019, 8:34 am

>111 lkernagh: thank you! I can imagine this working really well as a mini-series!

113japaul22
jun 5, 2019, 8:35 am

Off the shelf/kindle (8/15)

Tombland by C.J. Sansom

This is a continuation of Sansom's historical mystery series set in Tudor England. The main character is Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer who works for a string of high ranking people, royalty and such.

I enjoy these because of the historical setting. The mystery is usually sort of tangential to the history and that's ok with me. This particular installment wasn't my favorite because the focus was on civil war/strife between the landholders and the commoners. While it was interesting, I never love reading battle descriptions. I did like that is was set in Norwich, a place I've visited, so I could sort of picture what was happening with a better frame of reference.

This book was really long. As in 880 pages long. I imagine the author will start losing readers if they are all this long, but I will keep going with the series as it comes out.

I was interested to see that this was longlisted for a historical fiction prize. Goes along with what I was saying that though this series really started with a mystery genre feel, it's very much switch to historical fiction.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 880 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased for kindle
Why I read this: reading the series

114japaul22
jun 6, 2019, 8:48 pm

Off the shelf/kindle (9/15)

The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

OK, mystery lovers, this one's for you! Stuart Turton's first book is a unique puzzle-type mystery. A man wakes up and finds himself at an estate, Blackheath, for a party on the 19th anniversary of the death of a child who was murdered. He has little memory of who he is, but figures out he is a doctor, Sebastian Bell. That is, until he wakes up again on the same day in a new body. Then he figures out (with a little help) that he is going to inhabit 8 different bodies on this same day and he only will escape living this loop over and over if he is able to discover who murders Evelyn Hardcastle, who will be murdered at 11 pm that day. There are others also trying to solve the mystery and escape the loop, though they are all there for different reasons.

There are actually several "mysteries" going on. The first is the main character figuring out what is happening to him. He's a person/soul waking up each morning in a different body and reliving the same day. Why he is there and who he really is are questions to solve. Then there is the mystery he's charged with solving - who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. Through his various bodies (he sort of takes on the personality of each while retaining part of himself and his memories of the day lived as each previous person) he sees different parts of this same day and must figure out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle before his 8th body falls asleep at the end of the day. Otherwise he starts the day over, not remembering anything about his failure. A third mystery is who his companions are and why they are trapped at Blackheath with him. And a 4th is who killed the child that died 19 years ago that really started the whole thing.

The whole book is an intricate puzzle. It really worked very well, though of course, I think you do have suspend reality and not think things through too deeply. And because the plot is so intricate, the characters aren't as deeply drawn as they could be. That always bothers me a little, but the book was innovative in so many other ways that I was ok with it. I found this a lot of fun and was able to just go along for the ride.

I hope others read this because I'm very curious whether people will like it. I think it could be a love it/hate it type of book.

Apologies for the convoluted review - it's really hard to put into words what it's about without giving too much away.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 432 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased for kindle
Why I read this: read a review that intrigued me

115LisaMorr
jun 6, 2019, 10:12 pm

>114 japaul22: That one sounds really interesting - I'll check it out (and actually I didn't think your review was convoluted!).

116dudes22
jun 7, 2019, 7:32 am

>114 japaul22: - Well, I'll be taking a BB for this. The description kind of reminds me of Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I think I'll go check out if the library has it.

117christina_reads
jun 7, 2019, 11:14 am

>114 japaul22: That one's already on my list, so I'm glad to see you enjoyed it!

118haydninvienna
jun 8, 2019, 3:49 am

>114 japaul22: Wishlisted.

119japaul22
jun 8, 2019, 8:20 am

Glad to have sparked some interest in The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle!

120japaul22
jun 8, 2019, 8:20 am

1001 books (9/20)

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

Bonjour Tristesse was written by 18 year old Françoise Sagan in the 1950s. It centers around a 17 year old girl, Cécile, who lives with her bachelor father. They are vacationing in the Mediterranean and he arrives there with one young mistress and ends the vacation planning to marry a different woman. Cécile is not happy about this marriage idea and crafts a plan to break them up. She also experiences love herself for the first time with a local boy named Cyril.

As with most books written about a teenager, by a teenager, there is definitely a self-centeredness to the main character. I liked this brief book, though, finding it a pretty realistic depiction of a girl growing up in this situation. There are several lines that really sum up the feeling of being a teenage girl very well and I can see why this book was a success. It probably is better read when you are a teenager yourself, but I missed the boat on that!

Original publication date: 1955
Author’s nationality: French
Original language: French
Length: 137 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: 1001 books group read

121japaul22
jun 12, 2019, 1:36 pm

NYRB off the shelf (3/5)

Our Spoons Came from Woolworths by Barbara Comyns

In this mostly depressing novel, a young woman recounts her early adulthood. She married way too young and had a baby right away, lived in poverty, gets ill, husband is unsupportive and leaves her, etc. It was sort of like a first person Hardy novel set in the mid-1900s.

I liked it, but not as much as the other Comyns novel I've read (The Vet's Daughter). I mainly liked the voice of the narrator in this one. She is very straightforward and matter of fact about all the terrible things happening to her. I actually found it sort of funny at times.

Original publication date: 1950
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 224 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: nyrb off the shelf

122japaul22
jun 16, 2019, 8:56 am

1001 Books (10/20)

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

I'm going to admit that I got nothing out of this book. You are immediately thrown into the life of Stephen Dedalus and I really didn't care a bit. It's short, which is a blessing, but is full of long tirades/philosophical discussions of family, country, sex and attraction, and the church. There are moments of pretty writing, but I wasn't at all invested in the character before it was all too dramatic.

I've read other books in this vein that I love - like Proust and Woolf and the part of Dorothy Richardson that I've read so far - but this I just couldn't connect with. Does not make me look forward to Ulysses, which I've always meant to read some day.

Original publication date: 1916
Author’s nationality: Irish
Original language: English
Length: 250 pages
Rating: 1.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle
Why I read this: 1001 books group read

123Tess_W
jun 16, 2019, 11:18 am

>122 japaul22: I feel exactly as you do about this book. (As well as Dubliners and Finnegan's Wake.

124katiekrug
jun 16, 2019, 12:04 pm

>122 japaul22: - I only appreciated Portrait.... because I read it for a lit class in college and had a great professor. I have zero interest in re-visiting it or trying his other novels.

Dubliners, on the other hand, is a favorite of mine. Go figure.

125DeltaQueen50
jun 16, 2019, 12:36 pm

>122 japaul22: I had pretty much the same reaction to Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and my dread of Ulysses has grown.

126pamelad
jun 16, 2019, 10:04 pm

I didn't mind A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and was interested in all the church stuff. Liked Dubliners. Didn't get a lot out of Ulysses - long, confusing and blokey. I loathed the feckless drunks who left their families destitute.

127japaul22
jun 18, 2019, 2:11 pm

Off the shelf (10/15)

The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt

I really like Hustvedts's writing. It's always smart and emotional and just on the right side of being pretentious. She's smart in that she picks intelligent, worldy, artistic characters as her voice so that her novels are believable.

In this short novel, 50-something year old Mia has been left by her husband, had a mental breakdown, and gone to visit her mother for the summer. During this summer, she is surrounded by women. She is a poet and author and teaches a summer course on poetry to a group of seven drama-filled young teenage girls. She also gets to know her mother's aging circle of friends in her nursing home. Setting up the contrasts and similarities between these two groups gives the book structure and depth. And then she also meets a neighbor who is a young mother in an abusive marriage.

This is not my favorite Siri Hustvedt novel (that remains The Blazing World), but it's a good and accessible intro to her writing.

Original publication date: 2011
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 182 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: used paperback
Why I read this: off the shelf

128japaul22
jun 18, 2019, 2:12 pm

>124 katiekrug: When I gear up at some point in the future, I will try Dubliners next. Fingers crossed!

129japaul22
Bewerkt: jul 2, 2019, 7:02 pm

Everything Else 11/30

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

I needed a break from the two heavy books I'm reading, and when this came in from the library I thought it would be just the thing. Something in the Water is one of this summer's thriller/page turners. A newlywed couple - the husband has just lost his high paying bank job - go on a honeymoon to Bora Bora. While scuba diving, they find a black duffel bag floating in the water. What they find in it leads them down a road they weren't expecting.

The whole thing is implausible and fairly predictable at the same time. Not as clever as some other books I've read in this vein. It was fine though - a quick read that sort of kept my interest and definitely gave my brain a break.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 352 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle library
Why I read this: looking for a page turner

130pamelad
jul 2, 2019, 6:44 pm

>129 japaul22: Wrong author? Christina Stead is not my idea of light relief!

131japaul22
jul 2, 2019, 7:03 pm

>130 pamelad: Ah!!! Yes, I was way off! Catherine Steadman. Whoops!

132japaul22
jul 8, 2019, 3:28 pm

1001 books (11/20)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

I've been meaning to read this for a while, and with the recent fire at Notre Dame, I decided to pick it up. I'm glad I did, especially because the descriptions of Notre Dame and the city of Paris in the 14th century were vivid and interesting. When Hugo wrote this book, he wrote it as historical fiction. I think it's easy to lose that now, since his present is so distant to a modern reader, but I also think it's an important part of the book.

Beyond the descriptions of the city and architecture, the plot and characters were actually a little weak for me. There are so many diversions and stops and starts with the storylines, that it was hard for me to get into. Hugo does tie it all together in the end, very dramatically, but it took a long time to get there.

I suppose most people are familiar with the basic story of Quasimodo and Esmerelda, but it's darker and more complex than I expected it to be. I think this book is worth reading once, but it won't be a favorite for me.

Original publication date: 1831
Author’s nationality: French
Original language: French
Length: 541 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle
Why I read this: 1001 books

133LittleTaiko
jul 9, 2019, 11:27 am

>114 japaul22: - I loved the experience of reading that book so much! Totally agree that it's hard to write about without giving too much away. I might not have understood everything that happened but it sure was a fun ride.

>132 japaul22: - I've been trying to get through this book for months now. It sounds like you and I reacted differently to the book though. Every time I start to get interested in what is happening with the actual characters he goes off on a really long tangent about architecture or some other topic. It reminded me of reading Les Mis when I ended up skipping the big war section. I can tell it's going to require lots of skimming for me to finally finish it. :)

134japaul22
jul 9, 2019, 11:54 am

>114 japaul22: I think a lot of LTers would like The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Such a fun book.

And I was also distracted by the diversions in Hunchback of Notre Dame but for me I almost enjoyed them more than the actual plot. I think for the same reason as you mention, though - I just couldn't get into the characters because he keeps shifting to a tangent.

135japaul22
jul 15, 2019, 8:01 pm

1001 books (12/20)

Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

I loved this inventive thriller set in 18th century France. Grenouille is an orphan born in Paris. When he is just a baby, his first nurse notices that he has no scent. She is repulsed and afraid of him and refuses to nurse him. As he grows, Grenouille realizes that he has an unusual sense of smell. He can smell everything down to the smallest scent and separate out the individual smells that comprise others. In fact, he can only relate to the world through scent. He becomes apprenticed to a parfumier in order to learn how to distill and capture scents. But he is not interested in the normal scents that a parfumier is interested in - instead he is interested in the scents that other humans can barely smell or notice, particularly their own human scents. Later in the book, Grenouille leaves Paris and finally discovers that he himself smells like nothing. His quest to create a scent for himself leads him to the ability to manipulate others through scent.

This is an extremely clever premise is carried out really well. I loved the creativity of the book and was so interested to find out how it would end. Highly recommended.

Original publication date: 1985
Author’s nationality: German
Original language: German
Length: 255 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: 1001 books

136Nickelini
jul 16, 2019, 2:05 am

>135 japaul22:

I read that last year and approached it with mixed feelings, but really like it too. Different and well written.

137DeltaQueen50
jul 16, 2019, 2:00 pm

>135 japaul22: I'm adding Perfume to my list - sounds like a book that I would enjoy.

138dudes22
jul 17, 2019, 5:06 am

>135 japaul22: - Sounds interesting to me too. One more BB for me.

139Tess_W
jul 17, 2019, 6:31 am

>135 japaul22: a BB for me!

140japaul22
jul 18, 2019, 8:23 am

Everything Else (12/30)

Proust's Duchess by Caroline Weber

This dense nonfiction explores the lives of three women who Proust used as a composite to create his famous character, the Duchess of Guermantes, in In Search of Lost Time. Having recently read this novel, I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw it had been published.

The three women, Geneviève Bizet Straus, Laure de Chevigné, and Élisabeth Greffulhe, (I've shortened their names and titles significantly for convenience!) were staples of the French monde. They were known for their beauty and dominance of society. They were significantly different from each other, and Weber does a wonderful job of bringing them each to life separately. They do have things in common, such as loveless marriages, sometimes even abusive, and a shallowness that likely came with their focus on being popular. These traits were central to Proust's novel.

Geneviève Straus's first husband was the composer Bizet of Carmen fame. When he died young she never forgot him despite remarrying. She was an opium user, had a facial tick, and would often entertain in a comfortable but risque nightgown.

Laure de Chevigné was a descendant of the Marquis de Sade. She had an interesting way of speaking, using made up slang and also pursued typically male pursuits like hunting and putting herself in male circles.

Élisabeth Greffulhe was probably the most stereotypical example of a mondain superstar. She consistently made a splash at every ball with her eccentric and beautiful costumes. She gathered men to her, always having many men declaring love for her while she kept them at a distance. It seems she rarely if ever consummated any of these relationships, simply wanting the attention and adoration. She was a beauty, often compared to a swan and painted by many famous artists of the time.

Proust met these three in the order I've described them, at first being obsessed with meeting them and then becoming disillusioned with how boring he found their salons. Weber has written a book that strikes a great balance of describing these women and their lives with source material and also connecting them to Proust's famous novel as characters. She gets the balance between analyzing the book and separating these women from it just right.

I think this will mainly appeal to readers of In Search of Lost Time, but those who have an interest in the lives of high society women in early 1900 France might also be interested. I loved it.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 715 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: nonfiction relating to Proust

141japaul22
jul 26, 2019, 1:19 pm

1001 books (13/20)

Living by Henry Green

I almost put this book down after the first 10 pages because it was not grabbing me. It seemed like too many characters, the dialect was tough to decipher, and the author uses very few articles (like a, the, etc.). The lack of articles made me read the book in a sort of monotone voice in my head that was robotic and boring. But, I persevered. And I ended up really liking it.

The novel takes place in 1920s England in a factory town. It centers on the workers and their relationship with the owner and his son who is starting to take over the business. It also focuses on one household with an older man, Mr. Craigan, who has boarders, Mr. Gates, his daughter Lucy, and Mr. Dale. Mr. Craigan acts as a father/grandfather to Lucy and controls her behavior and also tries to set her up with Mr. Dale. Lucy has her own ideas, though, and takes up with another factory man. Lucy tries to escape her life and her inability to do so is a major theme of the book. There is also much social commentary on working conditions and the treatment of aging employees.

Though I'm not sure I really understood the point of the writing style in this book, I ended up appreciating it and I'm sure it will make the book more memorable to me. I'm curious to try more of Green's writing.

Original publication date: 1929
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 213 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library nyrb edition
Why I read this: 1001 books

142pamelad
jul 26, 2019, 7:25 pm

>141 japaul22: In the last couple of years I've read a few books by Henry Green. I really liked Party Going. As with Living, I had to give myself a bit of time to get into it. I found it best not to read too many in a row, because the joylessness intensified. Characters too realistic!

143japaul22
jul 27, 2019, 2:58 pm

>142 pamelad: Good to know. I have Loving on my shelf but will wait a while to try it.

144pamelad
Bewerkt: jul 28, 2019, 2:09 am

I've confused Living with Loving. Read Loving and, after a slow start, really enjoyed it. Never got into Living at all because of the dialect. Gave up on it.

No touchstone for Loving today. https://www.librarything.com/work/64272

145japaul22
jul 30, 2019, 6:54 am

Off the shelf (11/15)

The Good People by Hannah Kent

This is a rare example of a book that I purchased in a bookstore on vacation and read immediately. And it was fun!

The book is set in Ireland, probably in the early 1900s. The "Good People" of the title are fairies who are credited and blamed with much of the trials and tribulations of a small village in rural Ireland. Nance is the local healer who has the knowledge of the Good People and the locals both need her services and distrust her practices and intentions. This distrust is exacerbated by the new, young, Priest in the village who denounces her skill and encourages the villagers to trust the church instead of her fairy-craft.

There are several subplots, but the main story line involves Nora, a recent widow who is caring for her deceased daughter's son, Micheal. Micheal was born a "normal" child, but at about 2 years of age, coinciding with the death of the daughter (his mother), Micheal stops progressing in language and loses the use of his legs. Nora, under Nance's influence, believes that the Good People have taken the actual child, Micheal, and replaced him with a fairy child. The steps the women take to banish the fairy lead to dire consequences.

I liked a lot of elements of this book - the setting, the characters, and the fast-paced writing style. There was one thing that bothered me throughout the book, though. My expectations in a plot like this are that the woman being accused of witchcraft-type practices actually has quite a bit of skill as a healer, through inherited knowledge of herbs and good medical practices. I've read so many novels with women midwives who are skilled in delivering babies and curing common illnesses. Usually they don't know the science behind their practices but our current knowledge shows why these practices were actually helpful. But in this book, Nance really doesn't seem to have much of that skill. I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to be supporting her when her actions were obviously not going to work and seemed only rooted in this fear of fairies. If this culture blamed mental illness on fairies, then holding the affected person to a fire, or effectively poisoning them with herbs, or holding them in a converging river is obviously not going to help. I guess what I'm saying is that the practices didn't seem like they could be rooted in any past success, so I don't understand why they would have survived as treatments.

I'm probably over-thinking it. It was an entertaining novel and, like the author's first novel, Burial Rites, I liked it enough to keep reading this author's work. If anyone else reads this, I'll be curious to hear what you think!

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: Australian
Original language: English
Length: 380 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased on vacation
Why I read this: like the author's previous work

146rabbitprincess
jul 30, 2019, 10:47 pm

>145 japaul22: Both this and Burial Rites are on my to-read list!

147japaul22
aug 4, 2019, 9:00 pm

1001 books

Deadlock by Dorothy Richardson

I've started VMC's third volume of Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage. It begins with the 6th novel, Deadlock. This novel centers on Miriam's budding relationship with a Russian man, Mr. Shatov. They have long philosophical discussions, introduce each other to great writers in their respective languages, and explore London together. The romance is slow to develop and then suddenly they are in crisis. As I've come to expect with Richardson's writing, the actual crisis is barely described - it seems these moments are too intense for her to write about with any amount of detail. But from subsequent discussions, I believe the conflict was him asking her to marry him and revealing that he's Jewish and them not being able to see a way forward with their relationship with their different religion and culture.

In addition to this relationship, there are a few episodes with former characters. Some of the other boarders are revisited. Miriam is also fired from her dentist office secretary position after speaking her mind too heatedly. This happens about half way through the book and honestly, I was wondering if she was even still working there because her work life isn't touched on at all. And then suddenly she's fired! It seemed that she might have been rehired, but then the topic is dropped so I wasn't completely sure. She also goes to visit her sisters - I really enjoyed this scene. Eve has escaped her governess position and opened a shop. Harriet is married to Gerald and they are unhappy but staying together for their kids.

What stuck out to me in this book is that Miriam has become more vocal. In previous novels she is opinionated but the "discussions" mainly occur through her interior monologue. In this book she states her opinion, often to Mr. Shatov, but also at work, which gets her in trouble, and to her family. I liked seeing this change in Miriam. She's growing up, exploring how to vocalize her opinions, and using others reactions to frame her own beliefs and grow. Her opinions on feminism, particularly, are maturing and she's able to voice some of her feelings about life as an English woman.

Original publication date: 1921
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 229 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased virago used edition
Why I read this: 1001 books, year long group read

148japaul22
aug 6, 2019, 10:19 am

I'm sure most of you have seen this, but Toni Morrison has died. She has been an incredibly important author to me. I was first introduced to her through a college American Lit course back in the 1990s. To be honest, my youthful self didn't realize that high quality, challenging literature was being written. I had been immersed in either old classics or bestseller-type fiction. Her writing to me is always poetic, challenging, dramatic, and profound. I've read five of her novels and The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved are my favorites. I have Paradise and Tar Baby on the shelf and will try to get to one of them soon.

149DeltaQueen50
aug 6, 2019, 11:13 am

Toni Morrison is a recent discovery for me and I totally agree with your description of her writing. I have only read two of her books so far so I am lucky in that I have many more ahead of me.

150katiekrug
aug 6, 2019, 11:17 am

>148 japaul22: - I was so sad to hear she passed away. I read Beloved in high school and was blown away. I've also read and loved The Bluest Eye and Sula. I've got 8 more on my shelves...

151dudes22
aug 8, 2019, 8:51 am

Like Judy, I have only recently started reading Toni Morrison and have only read two. You've expressed exactly how I feel about her writing.

152japaul22
aug 12, 2019, 9:19 am

Off the Shelf (12/15)

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Alderman has come up with an interesting and powerful premise: women around the world are awakened to the fact that they have an electrical charge that gives them physical power over men. It starts first in 15 year old girls. There are several characters followed through this awakening. Allie, an abused foster child, experiences it as a religious movement and becomes "Mother Eve" to her followers. Roxy, daughter of a mob boss, uses her extensive power to continue in her father's footsteps. Tunde is a man who travels the world documenting the events and consequences of the power. Margot is a woman in her 40s in politics and using events to climb to the top.

I found the idea to be powerful, but unfortunately I found the execution weak. What the women do with this new-found power might be partially realistic, but I found it disappointing. There is a lot of violence and not a lot of exploration of the intellectual side of what this physical power could mean. I also thought the characters she chose to create and develop did a disservice to what could have happened.

In short, I wish someone would try again with this premise but different characters, thematic exploration, and outcomes.

Original publication date: 2016
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 382 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback at independent bookstore
Why I read this: catching up with the buzz around this book

153japaul22
aug 17, 2019, 5:15 pm

Off the Shelf (13/15)

Paradise by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison's recent death prompted me to pick up this book, which had been lingering too long on my shelves. I'm a little (more than a little) in awe of Morrison's talent and this book was no exception.

Paradise revolves around a small town of Ruby, Oklahoma, that was founded by 15 black families fleeing from persecution and racism. These families were freed slaves who were successful during Reconstruction, achieving political roles and higher education, and then squashed back down when whites regained control. They were even discounted and run out of towns by fellow blacks for being "too black". So they take that as a matter of pride and found their town that they try to keep pure to the original families.

The conflict comes with an enormous home 17 miles outside of their town that used to be a Convent. The remaining Mother and her "daughter" Connie end up taking in several misfit women who all have had traumatic roads to finding them. The men of Ruby are tempted by these women and of course end up blaming them for their problems, including the most recent generation of Ruby not valuing the same insular society. When they start to lose control of their dearly held beliefs, the blame falls to the women at the Convent and tragedy happens.

There's so much more to this book that can't be described in a brief description. It's complex and beautiful writing but it also draws you in. I read it quickly and was completely wrapped up in it. I love that Morrison can write with such complexity but still in a way that is so readable. I would rank this novel right up with my other favorites, Song of Solomon and Beloved.

Original publication date: 1997
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 318 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library sale paperback
Why I read this: Morrison's death prompted me to take it off the shelf

154katiekrug
aug 18, 2019, 10:08 am

I haven't read Paradise, but I own a copy, and your comments make me want to dig it out!

155japaul22
aug 18, 2019, 12:58 pm

>154 katiekrug: I really loved it! I'd love to hear what you think.

156katiekrug
aug 19, 2019, 10:19 am

>!55 - Unfortunately, it's packed in one of the million boxes of books now (I hate moving!) so it may be a while....

157japaul22
aug 19, 2019, 5:15 pm

1001 books

Revolving Lights by Dorothy Richardson
The 7th novel in Richardson's Pilgrimage left me a little cold. I feel like I really should have started a character list at the beginning of reading this book. There were several characters who return after absences and I had a hard time putting them in context.

The main action is this book is a vacation to visit Miriam's boarding school friend, Alma. There she meets a man named Hypo and slowly grows closer to him. There are some great moments, including the group deciding to sleep under the stars, and some philosophical discussions, often about the differing roles of men and women. Miriam also continues with her writing, branching out from translating. And the ending was intriguing - a note from Hypo asking "when can I see you? Just to talk."

After writing this, I visited my trusted (only) source I've found for any sort of commentary on Pilgrimage and I found that Hypo is actually married to Alma and is H.G. Wells. So now I know!

Original publication date: 1923
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 163 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: ebay VMC
Why I read this: year long project

158japaul22
aug 21, 2019, 4:14 pm

Off the Shelf (14/15)

History. A Mess. by Sigrún Pálsdóttir

I found this novel on a list of recent English translations by women authors and I'm so glad I did. Pálsdóttir packs a lot into this brief novel about a young woman whose life unravels after finding that eight years of work towards a doctoral thesis seems to be founded on a mistake. The narrator (I don't recall ever learning her name) has been studying a diary from the 1600s, believed to be written by S.B., painter of a famous portrait. Little is known about this "S.B." until the narrator stumbles upon a diary entry that makes it seem the portraitist is a woman. She builds her thesis on this discovery and towards the end of writing her 600 pages she discovers that she missed an entry that was mistakenly labeled with the same date. This entry suggests to her that she was wrong and S.B. was actually a man, negating all of her work.

This discovery leads to a surrealist account of a descent into madness and despair. There are confused, dream-like episodes paired with moments of harsh reality.

This book won't be for everyone but I really loved it.

Original publication date: 2016, 2019 translation
Author’s nationality: Icelandic
Original language: Icelandic
Length: 158 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: found on a list and was interested

159japaul22
aug 24, 2019, 2:00 pm

1001 books

The Trap by Dorothy Richardson
This is one of the shortest installments in Richardson's Pilgrimage. Not much happens and I'm finally getting a bit bored. Definitely hoping that the final volumes get back to what I loved about the first 6.

In The Trap, Miriam moves out of her single room in a boardinghouse into a shared flat with Miss Holland. At first they get along well and Miriam seems to enjoy her new living situation, but in the end she misses her solitude. There is also a New Years Eve party where she interacts with people her own age, including some young men. (I think Hypo was there, this time referred to as Wells)

I don't need something to "happen" since that isn't what this book is about, but I feel like I need a stronger episode where Miriam grows in some way. I haven't felt that much in The Trap or the previous volume, Revolving Lights. I'll take a break for a month or so and then return for the final volume which contains the final 5 volumes. I can do it! Right . . . ???

Original publication date: 1925
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 109 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback virago
Why I read this: 1001 books, year long read

160japaul22
aug 25, 2019, 10:08 am

Rereads (4/5)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

I'm not sure how many times I've read this, probably 3 or 4, and this time I listened to it as an audiobook read by Juliet Stevenson. I loved it again, though some of the scenes being read came off as even more overwrought and dramatic than I remembered. And Juliet Stevenson is certainly not an overdramatic reader. But still, it's a wonderful book and I love it very much.

Original publication date: 1847
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 19h 15m
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: audible credit
Why I read this: reread, favorite

161japaul22
aug 27, 2019, 12:54 pm

Everything Else (13/30)

The Body Lies by Jo Baker

I really liked this literary thriller about a young mother who is a professor of creative writing. She becomes entangled with her students, leading her into personal danger. I thought there were things that Baker could have chosen to do differently that would have made the book a little more believable and a bit more suspenseful, but I was happy to go along for the ride.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 273
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library
Why I read this: new book, like the author

162katiekrug
aug 27, 2019, 1:40 pm

>161 japaul22: - I really liked how she explored the objectification of women's bodies and the appropriation of their lives and stories.

163japaul22
aug 29, 2019, 8:11 am

Off the shelf/kindle (15/15 COMPLETE)

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

First off, let me make the distinction between Frederick Douglass himself and this particular biography. Frederick Douglass was a fascinating person who was one of the most important voices in the abolitionist movement. He overcame a life of slavery and racism to become a brilliant speaker and highly intelligent man. As most humans are, he was a complex person. Not all of his political ideas mesh with my 21st century beliefs and it certainly seemed he put his national political role in front of his family life. But in such times, who can blame him?

That all being said, I'm not convinced that this particular biography did justice to Frederick Douglass. It is very thorough and uses a lot of Douglass's own words from his writings and speeches, which I liked. However, I never felt that Blight really captured who Douglass was or did a good job propelling the action forward. And there was plenty of action to draw from in the turbulent times that Douglass lived.

I've read quite a few of these 900+ page biographies and I tend to enjoy them, so I don't think it was just the wrong book or format for me. I love an exhaustive biography and have flown through enormous tomes by Ron Chernow, Antonia Fraser, David McCullough, Robert K. Massie, etc. This one just didn't seem up to the same level.

I feel some guilt for not recommending this because of the topic, but I really think it could have been better. I'm definitely in the minority. It gets great reviews from other readers and won the Pulitzer after all, but that's my humble opinion.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 912
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle purchase
Why I read this: interested in the topi

164japaul22
aug 29, 2019, 8:13 am

The previous book complete my "off the shelf or kindle" category. Some years this has been a hard category for me to complete, but this year I made a change to include ANY book I owned, even ones purchased in 2019. I felt at first like that was cheating, but actually it was really nice to read the books I was buying immediately. And in the end, it does keep my TBR pile down. If I don't read a book right away, I tend to lose interest. So I will definitely keep that change for next year. Maybe I'll add a separate smaller category for "backlog" off the shelf books. I'll have to think about it.

165japaul22
sep 1, 2019, 7:45 pm

Off the Shelf (16/15)

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

This book completely lived up to the hype for me. Ng writes believable, complex characters that are in situations that, while they are dramatic, are still plausible.

This novel is set in Shaker Heights, a planned community in Cleveland, OH. It is regimented and every detail is planned, but it also strives to be diverse and welcoming. How successful it is is a complex answer. Within this community, the Richardsons have a perfect suburban life. When Mia and Pearl move into the Richardson's rental home, everyone's lives are shaken up. Mia is an artist and Pearl is her teenage daughter. They've lived a nomadic life and the reason why is one of the secrets that will be unearthed. Also central to the book is a custody battle between adoptive parents and a birth mother. To be honest, the idea of that sensational topic would have really put me off reading this book, but Ng makes it work and uses it to explore other themes more deeply.

Elena Richardson and Mia are set up as contrasts of motherhood and there is so much to unpack here. They are both complex and I love the Ng can write characters that are so different, yet neither is "right". Ng also explores themes of career vs. motherhood for women.

I read this book because I'm going on a long weekend beach trip with some of my fellow "mom friends" this weekend. I'm so glad we picked this book because I think we'll have a lot to talk about and the discussions could easily lead to more global and personal discussions about motherhood, womanhood, living in the suburbs, career, and life in general. I think we will have some differing opinions about the characters in this book and I'm looking forward to that!

Original publication date: 2017
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 336 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased book at independent bookstore
Why I read this: book club

166dudes22
sep 2, 2019, 11:47 am

>165 japaul22: - This was picked for our book club this month too. Since I only have about 30 pages to go, I went ahead and read your review. There is a lot going on for the size of the book and you're right about many themes to explore.

167japaul22
sep 4, 2019, 10:09 am

Off the shelf (17/15)

Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter

Belle Gunness lived on a farm in La Porte, IN. When she and her young children died in a horrific fire, her fellow townspeople unearthed 28 bodies on her farm that she had dismembered and buried. It came to light that she was advertising for help on her farm (suggesting marriage), asking the men to bring cash or getting insurance policies, and then murdering them for the money. The gruesome and physical way she murdered these men coupled with the sheer number of men (and some of her adopted children) that she murdered, make her one of the most notorious female serial killers.

Harold Schechter goes through what is known of Belle's life chronologically, using newspaper accounts. He then covers the trial of the man who was convicted of setting Belle's house on fire. He also delves into the sensationalism surrounding the story. While many lament the 24 hour news cycle and voyeurism that are part of life today, it certainly was happening 100 years ago as well. Over 10,000 people showed up at the Gunness farm as the bodies were being unearthed to watch!

The story was interesting, but I'd say the book itself is just ok. The writing style got a little tedious for me - I felt the author relied a little too heavily on using newspaper articles and interviews. It was neat in a way to read contemporary accounts, but it tended to interrupt the flow of the narrative.

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 334 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle discounted book
Why I read this: LT review (Meredith) caught my eye

168Tess_W
sep 7, 2019, 1:56 pm

>167 japaul22: Schechter does have some interesting topics. I read one of his books on an American cannibal. The story could have been good, but his story telling was just very blase.

169japaul22
sep 9, 2019, 8:44 pm

General Off the Shelf Books (17/15)

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence

This Canadian classic drew me right in. Hagar Shipley is a 90-something year old woman nearing the end of her life. She lives with her son, Marvin, and his wife Doris. As they age themselves and have a more difficult time caring for her, they begin to try to convince her to move to a nursing home. Hagar is adamantly opposed and takes drastic steps to avoid moving.

The book is told from Hagar's point of view and she reminisces about her life as a child, wife, and mother in rural Manawaka while also revealing how aging is affecting her, both physically and mentally. Reminisces isn't really the right word though. Her age and mental state means that often she almost relives some of these times. Hagar is pointed and direct, funny and unfiltered. I really liked her, even while seeing how difficult she would be to live with and care for.

The novel is written with lots of skill, beauty, and insight. I loved it.

Original publication date: 1964
Author’s nationality: Canadian
Original language: English
Length: 309 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased paperback
Why I read this: must have seen an LT review that caught my eye

170rabbitprincess
sep 9, 2019, 8:49 pm

>169 japaul22: I'm looking forward to reading this once my BF's mum returns my copy! I loaned it to her because her book club is reading it next year and she wanted to get a head start on the reading. (Fortunately, she returns books in a timely manner.)

171Tess_W
sep 9, 2019, 10:46 pm

>169 japaul22: A must for my wishlist!

172dudes22
sep 10, 2019, 7:13 am

>169 japaul22: - I'll take a BB for that - sounds like something I'd like.

173LisaMorr
sep 16, 2019, 4:31 pm

I'll take a BB for The Good People and you remind me I really need to read Toni Morrison.

174VivienneR
sep 17, 2019, 1:18 am

>169 japaul22: Margaret Laurence is one of my top authors. I've read The Stone Angel a few times and never tire of it.

175japaul22
sep 18, 2019, 8:34 am

Off the Shelf (19/15)

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Atwood took on an enormous challenge in writing this sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which has experienced a cultural resurgence due to the TV series. I was so curious to find out how she would meet expectations of her reading following, her television following, and her own standards. I personally had fairly low expectations for this book because of all of that, but I think that Atwood really rose to the occasion and came up with a book that, while not as shocking and memorable as The Handmaid's Tale, is a successful book.

Instead of continuing Offred's story where it left off, Atwood jumps forward in time about 15 years. I thought this was VERY smart. In fact, Offred only exists in this book in the reader's assumption and/or imagination. Instead there are three narrators, writing their own stories. The familiar Aunt Lydia, a young girl named Agnes growing up in a privileged family who is slated to be a Wife, and a young girl named Daisy who is growing up outside of Gilead in Canada. Politically, the Mayday resistance to Gilead is growing and Gilead is starting to deteriorate. Right away, we find out that Aunt Lydia is actually part of that resistance and has been all along. We get her back story and see how she is working the system from the inside. I won't give any plot away, but Agnes and Daisy's stories end up intertwined as well, with each other and with Aunt Lydia.

The book ends, again, with a conference on Gileadean studies where some possible connections presented in the documents are discussed. I actually loved the very last statement of the book, that is a gravestone tribute to one of the characters. This short inscription managed to really color a lot of how I felt about this book in a positive way. It's the sort of moment that can deepen what you just read in an instant.

I've tried to be very careful not to give away any plot and that's difficult here, because this is a very plot-driven novel. I'm not sure what the reaction to this book will be from Atwood fans. I enjoyed it and thought it was well done, but at the same time, if it didn't have the connection to The Handmaid's Tale, I don't think I would have found it special or memorable at all. I hope that many people on LT choose to read it, though, because I'd love to hear everyone's opinions!

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: Canadian
Original language: English
Length: 419 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased hardback
Why I read this: how could I not??

176japaul22
sep 22, 2019, 8:11 pm

1001 books (14/20)

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

I read this for a group challenge with the 1001 books to read before you die group. The challenge was to read a book from the list that someone else hated. This was on my shelf and so I decided to give it a try. As such, I went into it with low expectations, but actually I quite liked it. It made me laugh many times.

This is a comedic telling of the life of a first-year college professor. Jim Dixon is trying to navigate school politics, get along with his boring and eccentric colleagues, cover up the fact that he knows little about his professed field of expertise - Medieval Studies, and avoid the girl he doesn't want a relationship with while trying to build a relationship with a different girl.

I found Dixon real and annoying and funny and ultimately rooted for him. I'm glad I read this and might even read some more Kingsley Amis books.

Also, I thought this was a brilliant description of waking up with a hangover:

The light did him harm, but not as much as looking at things did; he resolved, having done it once, never to move his eyeballs again. A dusty thudding in his head made the scene before him beat like a pulse. His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as its mausoleum. During the night, too, he'd somehow been on a cross-county run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police. He felt bad.

Original publication date: 1953
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 265 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased NYRB edition
Why I read this: 1001 books group challenge, off the shelf

177DeltaQueen50
sep 23, 2019, 11:30 am

>176 japaul22: I'm glad that you liked Lucky Jim more that I. I did really enjoy The Green Man by him so perhaps Lucky Jim was the wrong book at the wrong time for me.

178haydninvienna
sep 23, 2019, 11:48 am

>176 japaul22: Hangovers were something that Amis was an expert on. See his description of how to deal with a hangover in Kingsley Amis on Drink. No guarantee that it works.

179christina_reads
sep 24, 2019, 2:22 pm

>176 japaul22: Wow, that is a great description! I especially love the understatement of the final sentence. :)

180japaul22
sep 24, 2019, 2:24 pm

>179 christina_reads: yes, I thought "He felt bad." was just perfect!

181japaul22
sep 24, 2019, 2:25 pm

1001 books (15/20)

So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ

And next I read a short book that I expected to really like. It's written by a Senegalese woman, reflecting on her life as a woman in Africa married to a man who takes a second wife after they've been married for thirty years. When he dies suddenly, she writes "so long a letter" to her dear friend, Aissatou, reflecting on their marriages, lives as Muslim women, and the role of women in their society.

I'm not sure why, but I couldn't connect to this. The letter format didn't work for me; it seemed like an unlikely way to actually speak to a friend. And maybe it was too short with too little development for me to get into it? I'm not sure. I would expect many people love this and it's very short, so no reason not to give it a try. It just wasn't the right book for me at the moment.

Original publication date: 1980
Author’s nationality: Senegalese
Original language: French
Length: 81 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library sale purchase
Why I read this: 1001 books

182japaul22
sep 27, 2019, 8:24 am

Off the Shelf (20/15)

The Seas by Samantha Hunt

I picked this book up on a whim on vacation and I think it will be one of my favorites of the year.

The Seas is the story of a young woman as she approaches adulthood. She lives in a small coastal town with the highest rate of alcoholics in the nation. Her father walked into the ocean and she and her mother wait for him. Her grandfather uses a printing press to create backward letters and works on his dictionary. And Jude, the 33 year old man she is in love with, is highly damaged from his war experience in Iraq. Oh, and did I mention that the narrator is a mermaid?

I know it all sounds crazy but it works so beautifully. It's smart and sad and fantastical and real. Quite a feat for a debut novel.

Original publication date: 2004
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 217 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased on vacation at local book store
Why I read this: a whim

183VivienneR
sep 27, 2019, 6:51 pm

>176 japaul22: It's been a long time since I've read Kingsley Amis but your excellent review of Lucky Jim makes me think it's time to revisit Amis.

184katiekrug
sep 28, 2019, 6:13 pm

>182 japaul22: - The Seas has been lurking on my Kindle for a while.... I really want to read it now!

185japaul22
okt 5, 2019, 1:18 pm

Off the Shelf (21/15)

An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

I seem to be reading a lot of books lately where the premise is of an older, solitary woman looking back on her life. I've enjoyed them all, and this one as well. This had the added bonus of being set in Beirut, Lebanon. War and politics color the book, though they don't become its focus. Instead the focus is on a woman who is solitary but not lonely. She has her books and her translations to keep her company. 72 year old Aaliyah has translated one book a year into Arabic for the past 40 years. She tucks them away in packing boxes once she has completed them. The book is riddled with literary quotes and references, though not in a pretentious way. I liked Aaliyah and enjoyed this book.

Original publication date: 2013
Author’s nationality: American, Lebanese
Original language: English
Length: 291 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased
Why I read this: LT review

186japaul22
okt 5, 2019, 1:30 pm

Off the shelf (22/15)

The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A lovely little book made even more lovely by being a Persephone edition. This was my first purchase of a Persephone book and I love the size, feel, and look of these publications.

The story itself was rather predictable, but also a comforting, familiar read. Emily Fox-Seton is a wonderful person, living on a shoestring budget. She meets wealthy Lord Walderhurst who is enamored of her generous personality. They marry. At first I was surprised at how quickly this happened since I'm used to marriage being the end game of this sort of novel. Instead, the novel focuses on the fact that wealthy Lord Walderhurst is in his 50s with no direct heir. The next-in-line to inherit is Captain Osborn. His wife Hester is pregnant. They are devastated that Lord Walderhurst has married and could produce an heir of his own. When Walderhurst goes away for an extended business trip, Emily has to deal with the danger of their jealousy on her own.

I liked this. It's not remarkable in any way, but it was fun to read.

Original publication date: 1901
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 308 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased persephone edition
Why I read this: popular persephone title

187dudes22
okt 5, 2019, 2:36 pm

>185 japaul22: - I picked this up at a library sale recently and have added it to my potential list for my challenge next year. It sounded interesting to me - books about books - I can't resist.

188japaul22
okt 13, 2019, 5:23 pm

General Off the Shelf (23/15)

Dreyer's English by Benjamin Dreyer

I want to be a copy editor when I grow up.

This book is as funny as grammar gets.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 320 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle edition - then I purchased a hard copy for my shelves and reference
Why I read this: grammar nerd

189japaul22
okt 13, 2019, 5:29 pm

Everything Else (14/30)

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

I really liked this. It's a quick read about a sister who repeatedly helps her beautiful younger sister cover up the murders of her boyfriends. It has a lighter tone than you would expect, but it's not funny as some people describe it. There are themes of jealousy, familial abuse, and loyalty explored.

I read this is two sittings and definitely recommend it.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: Nigerian
Original language: English
Length: 240 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: borrowed
Why I read this: friend recommended it

190japaul22
okt 15, 2019, 1:49 pm

1001 books

Oberland by Dorothy Richardson

This installment of the Pilgrimage series is basically a travelogue. Miriam goes to Oberland, Switzerland for a vacation. She stays in a boarding house and interacts with the guests. She toboggans. She ice skates. She watches people ski jump. There was one brief reference to Hypo (the married man based on H.G. Wells who propositioned her).

It was fine, but not special.

I feel like I'm beginning to see the issue with this book and why it was hard to publish and didn't gain much traction, even in literary circles. In my opinion, it really should have been published all at once. The 13 parts don't stand well on their own, even though they were written years apart. I'm going to try to continue on, reading as though the rest is one book instead of 4.

Original publication date: 1927
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 127 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased virago
Why I read this: year long project, 1001 books

191japaul22
okt 19, 2019, 7:27 pm

1001 Books (16/20)

I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti

This is an Italian bestseller about a little boy who stumbles upon a boy being held captive. He becomes friendly with him but the situation turns dangerous when he discovers who kidnapped this boy.

The story is simple, short, and tense but the point of view makes it more special than it would otherwise be. The voice of the young boy is very well done. The world is confined to what he can see and understand of the situation. For that reason, I understand why this novel is well-regarded, but otherwise I found it fairly forgettable.

Original publication date: 2000
Author’s nationality: Italian
Original language: Italian
Length: 200 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: 1001 books, group challenge

192japaul22
okt 24, 2019, 9:03 am

Everything Else (15/30)

City of Light, City of Poison by Holly Tucker

This was a mediocre nonfiction book about a rash of poisonings that took place during the reign of Louis XIV. Tucker focuses on a police chief, Reynie, and his work to uncover the suppliers of the poisons. Most of those who used the poisons (supposedly) were untouchable since they were high-ranking members of Louis XIV's court.

There were way too many "characters" in this nonfiction book. I never connected to anyone, yet it was obvious that this was the type of nonfiction that attempts to draw you in as a novel would. Didn't work for me. The parts I liked focused on Louis XIV's various mistresses, and that was because I read the amazing book by Antonia Fraser, Love and Louis XIV, and kept remembering all the facts I learned in that book.

I'd skip it.

Original publication date: 2017
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 336 pages
Rating: 2 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: topic caught my eye

193Chrischi_HH
okt 24, 2019, 4:35 pm

You've been reading interesting books! I haven't been much around this year, and am trying to catch up. Three BBs since July, the latest being The Seas which sounds brilliant!

194japaul22
okt 31, 2019, 11:10 am

I'm quite a bit behind on both reviewing and reading, but that's because we've been having tons of fun watching the Nats win the World Series!! They are not my first team (Cubs all the way), but being local to D.C. now, we watch and attend a lot of their games. My kids are definitely Nats fans so this has been tons of fun.

Now back to reading . . . well, after Halloween tonight.

195japaul22
nov 3, 2019, 6:26 pm

Everything Else 16/30

Memories of the Future by Siri Hustvedt

I really love Hustvedt's writing. It is challenging, perceptive, and artistic. Sometimes I would fault her for using a few too many literary and philosophical references because it sometimes alienates from the story, but I love it anyway.

This book explores a year in the life of S.H., a young woman writer who moves from Minnesota to New York to take a year off before starting her degree at Columbia. She is distracted by her neighbor who she can hear through the walls. She meets a group of friends. She is almost raped. Her year is remembered by her older self who also reads a journal that S.H. wrote in that year (I think it was 1979). The book she was working on writing is also presented in large chunks.

I really liked this, but I still think The Blazing World is her best book. I felt a little too removed from this character to really connect to this book.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 319 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: love the author

196japaul22
Bewerkt: nov 9, 2019, 1:10 pm

Everything Else (17/30)

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

I really liked this historical fiction based in 6th century Wales. The main character is Langoureth, who is twins with Laikolen. Laikolen, in some historical accounts, is the given name of Myrddin, better known as Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian times. When Signe Pike discovered that some accounts say that Laikolen had a twin sister, Langoureth, who was a Queen, she became enamored of her story.

This is the first of a trilogy. Langoureth grows up in the Old Ways and has gifts as a healer, but her role is to be married to a future king and secure her family that way. Her twin, Laikolen, leaves to train as a Wisdom Keeper.

There is plenty of drama, a love story, and epic events are starting to unfold by the end of the book. The characters are rich and believable. Pike paints a good picture of the ancient times, especially the conflict between the Old Ways and the arrival of Christianity.

I've tried a lot of historical fiction trying to find something that appeals to me the way Sharon Kay Penman's work does. This is almost as good, the telling is too narrowly focused on Langoureth to have Penman's depth, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend it - I want the next two books to be published so would love to see people reading this!

Original publication date: 2018
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 518 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: like this kind of historical fiction

197JayneCM
Bewerkt: nov 6, 2019, 6:46 am

>196 japaul22: I picked up The Lost Queen from the library last week as I have heard good reviews. And I love books from that time period. Thanks for the review - it has encouraged me to move it up the list!

198christina_reads
nov 6, 2019, 11:36 am

>196 japaul22: The comparison to Sharon Kay Penman has me intrigued!

199japaul22
nov 6, 2019, 1:17 pm

>198 christina_reads: I think you'd like it! It doesn't have the breadth of Penman's writing, but I found it pretty satisfying.

200Tess_W
Bewerkt: nov 9, 2019, 12:10 pm

>196 japaul22: Have not read anything from this time period, but this sounds interesting--great review. On my wish list it goes! But I think your link is incorrect?

201japaul22
nov 9, 2019, 1:11 pm

>200 Tess_W: Yeesh, not at all the right link! I think I fixed it - thanks!

202japaul22
nov 9, 2019, 2:21 pm

1001 books

Dawn's Left Hand by Dorothy Richardson

After being pretty bored with the last few installments of Richardson's Pilgrimage, I thought this volume was more interesting again. Miriam is back from her trip to Oberland and London both benefits and suffers from the comparison to her trip. All the references to her experiences in Oberland made that volume a little more relevant than I initially thought when I read it.

The other major event in this volume is Miriam's consummation of her relationship with Hypo. To me it seemed like though she's not really in love with Hypo, she really wanted to experience sex and chose to have the experience with him. There are, of course, the awkward moments with Alma (Hypo's wife and Miriam's friend), as well. Set up against her relationship with Hypo is one with a new character, Amabel. Amabel is a beautiful young woman in love with Miriam. She tries hard to get Miriam to love her back and Miriam seems intrigued. I'm curious to see if this relationship goes anywhere in later volumes.

Original publication date: 1931
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 136 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased virago
Why I read this: year long project, 1001 books

203japaul22
nov 11, 2019, 7:31 am

Everything Else

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

Disappearing Earth is the story of two young girls who go missing in Kamchatka and the ripple of people it effects. The setting of this book is probably the most interesting part. I knew little about Kamchatka, an isolated peninsula between Russia and Japan. It was interesting to hear a bit about the physical attributes of the peninsula and the clash of cultures between Russians and ethnic groups there.

As far as the story, I liked that too once I got used to the fact that each chapter was going to feel almost like a short story. Most of the characters end up connecting to each other somehow, but still, the book had the feel of linked short stories. Having not expected that I was a little put off at first. But the book comes together in the end and I ended the book being connected to the book and impressed with the writer.

This is a debut novel and I'm excited to read what Julia Phillips writes next.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 256 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: LT buzz

204japaul22
nov 12, 2019, 8:37 pm

nyrb off the shelf (4/5)

Confusion by Stefan Zweig

This novella explores the relationship between a young university student and his professor. The student is completely enamored of this professor's ideas and life and the professor quickly adopts him in return. He finds a flat in the same boarding house and starts spending every day with the Professor and his young wife. This novella captures a brief time period, probably only one semester, and is intense and dramatic.

I enjoyed this, but sometimes when I read a novel of this length I leave unsatisfied. I feel like there was more that could have been explored here. There's no denying, though, that Zweig's writing is excellent.

Original publication date: 1927
Author’s nationality: Austrian
Original language: German
Length: 153 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased nyrb edition
Why I read this: off the shelf

205japaul22
nov 20, 2019, 3:17 pm

1001 Books

Clear Horizon by Dorothy Richardson
Volume 11 of 13

This volume feels like a summing up, in a way. Miriam is caring for her sister, Sara, and gets medical advice to leave London and relax in the country. Before that happens she closes many of her relationships. She puts an end to any idea of a relationship with Amabel, even introducing her to Michael Shatov. She also emotionally ends things with Hypo.

I was sad to see her say goodbye to her dental office job. Really, her experience there has been some of my favorite parts of the book.

Clear Horizon was the last of the 13 parts to be published on its own. Apparently it was barely noticed when it was published. The last two volumes were added to full volume editions.

On I go . . .

#76 Dimple Hill by Dorothy Richardson
Now Miriam is in the countryside, living a boarding house with Quakers, the Roscorlas. She visits some old friends and tries to regain her health (I think?). It feels like a move to combat depression. She greatly admires the way the Roscorlas live and she is enamored with the countryside.

We also see that her introduction of Amabel and Michael Shatov in Clear Horizon has led to their marriage. At the end of the book she gets an invitation back to Switzerland and decides to go.

I'm wishing the book had ended with Clear Horizon, it seemed a more natural closing. But on I go to the final installment. I expect to finish today or tomorrow!

206japaul22
nov 21, 2019, 10:10 am

1001 books

March Moonlight by Dorothy Richardson

I've done it. I've finished Pilgrimage. Overall thoughts to come later.

March Moonlight is the last installment of Richardson's 13 novel Pilgrimage. In it, there's more movement for Miriam. She begins at the Quaker Roscorla household. She is writing again, with intent. The she moves on to a convent for a change of scenery and she meets a man there who she considers marrying. Hypo gives his troubling easy consent. The book ends with her contemplating Amabel and motherhood. It's really no ending at all as Richardson didn't view it as the end of the book.

I'll have lots to say about this work as a whole later, but for now I'm reveling in actually finishing all 2110 pages.

207japaul22
nov 21, 2019, 12:36 pm

Pilgrimage by Dorothy Richardson

Pilgrimage is a 13 volume, 2110 page novel published between 1915 and 1967. From what I’ve found it is currently out of print, but fairly easy to access through used copies of Virago Modern Classics which published the work in 4 volumes. Originally, each volume was published individually until Dimple Hill, the 12th volume. It and the final installment, March Moonlight, were only published in full volume sets.

Pilgrimage is highly autobiographical. It follows the interior thoughts and experiences of Miriam Henderson, a young woman starting out in the world. I believe it covers her life from about age 17-30. Miriam leaves her home when her family falls on hard times financially to become a teacher in Germany. She teaches in different locations for the first few novels and then becomes a secretary at a dental office in London. While in London, she truly finds her confidence in being an independent and single woman. She explores the city and finds a deep connection to the city itself. As the book progresses, she develops her skill as a writer, begins and ends relationships with several men, and travels, gaining a wide array of experience.

The plot in the novel is buried deep within Miriam’s experience. Her reactions and thoughts are always primary, sometimes (often) to the point that the plot is undiscernible. This can be frustrating. Characters come and go sometimes without introduction and even large life events aren’t spelled out. Both her mother’s death and her first sexual experience I had to go back pages later and say, wait - what???

As such, this is not an easy reading experience. The book meanders and definitely loses its way, especially, I felt, later in the work. I think that by about half way through these novels, Richardson knew NO ONE was reading anymore and was truly writing for herself. I wonder if anyone was editing at all. Also, the book is unfinished which feels frustrating at the end of 2000 pages. I’m not sure Richardson ever intended to stop writing Miriam’s life experience.

All that said, I still highly recommend reading this. I thought a lot of the writing and ideas were truly groundbreaking. I’ve never read anything quite like this, and I’ve read Proust, Woolf, Faulkner, some of Joyce so I did have plenty to compare it to as far as interior, stream of consciousness writing. At her best, Richardson writes beautifully and intelligently, with great insight into the female experience. There is a definite feminist slant to her writing. There are certain scenes (Miriam exploring London on bicycle) that I will never forget.

If I were to be honest, I think you can get an excellent feel for Richardson’s talent and importance by reading the first 4 novels in this series of 13. I recommend those without reservation. And if you are a completist like I am, then by all means, read the whole thing. But I definitely recommend trying this neglected novel. I think it deserves to be read.

208japaul22
nov 23, 2019, 8:49 am

NYRB books off the shelf (5/5) complete

Butcher's Crossing by John Williams
John Williams is such a good writer. He has taken a subject I should have been revolted by and turned it into a book I would highly recommend.

Butcher's Crossing is a small western town on the brink of great things in the mid 1800s. Will Andrews arrives there from his comfortable life in Boston looking for an adventure. He meets a man named Miller who has been waiting a decade for someone to fund his next great adventure, traveling back to a Colorado valley where he saw thousands of buffalo ripe for the slaughter to gain their skins.

The two set out with a skinner, Schneider, and a wagon driver/cook, Charley Hoge. They have a tough journey out there, but arrive to find the promised herd. What follows is multiple chapters of details of the slaughter. It will turn your stomach. And then you realize that this is a story of greed and obsession. This greed has consequences. The men get snowed in to the valley for the entire winter. The second half of the book answers whether all of their work will be rewarded or if the trip is a bust.

I really liked this, despite the hunting. In fact, I thought the hunting scenes were an honest look at what could have driven white men to slaughter an entire species. Williams doesn't trivialize or sanction his characters' actions.

I only have one novel left to read by John Williams and I'm sad about it.

Original publication date: 1960
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 274 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased nyrb edition
Why I read this: off the shelf

209japaul22
nov 23, 2019, 8:51 am

I need to finish my rereads category and I've decided to reread Little Women for that. With the new movie coming out, I think the book is due a reread. Anyone want to join me? Might be fun to group read a book that was probably a childhood favorite for many of us.

210Nickelini
nov 23, 2019, 1:34 pm

>209 japaul22:

Hi, Jennifer
I can't read Little Women right now, but I want to point out that there is a beautiful new edition published by Thomas Nelson:

Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and A Tale of Two Cities. I've ordered the Austen and Bronte (like I need more copies of those two novels. But of course I do). There's a summer series planned too.

Have you seen the latest film? I adore Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet

211japaul22
nov 23, 2019, 2:14 pm

>210 Nickelini: uh-oh, those are beautiful. My shelves are groaning but I actually don't have a hard copy of Little Women, only on my kindle. I might have to buy this!

212Nickelini
nov 23, 2019, 6:32 pm

>211 japaul22:
I forgot to say, they're only printing 10,000 of each, ever. So treat yourself now or regret it.

213JayneCM
nov 23, 2019, 8:34 pm

>210 Nickelini: So, so tempting! Although, like many of us, I already own multiple copies of most of those books, I just cannot help buying beautiful hardbacks.

214lkernagh
nov 24, 2019, 7:50 pm

>207 japaul22: - Oooohhhh, I do love tackling 'chunkster' reads and your review has intrigued me! Now, the challenge is sourcing the books. As you have mentioned, they are currently out of print and I noticed that the Barnes & Noble Digital Library only has 5 of the books in the series available as ebooks. Looks like I have an acquisition challenge on my hands. ;-)

215japaul22
nov 24, 2019, 8:27 pm

>214 lkernagh: I'm glad you're interested. I pretty easily found the virago editions (published in 4 volumes) on ebay and abebooks. Good luck with your search!

216JayneCM
nov 25, 2019, 2:08 am

>215 japaul22: I have been on the hunt for these Virago editions for a while. I am hoping to see them some day!

217japaul22
nov 25, 2019, 7:22 am

>216 JayneCM: I think they are pretty rare to find in the U.S. I've only seen them a few times at used bookstores and never at library sales (my other big source for second hand books). I'm sure they are much easier to find in Great Britain.

218NinieB
nov 25, 2019, 6:20 pm

>217 japaul22: The problem with 1980s Viragos in the US, at least, is that the paper quality was not good. The pages usually are heavily tanned to a quite unattractive shade of brown. I think this affects whether used stores and sales will try to sell them.

219JayneCM
nov 26, 2019, 3:47 am

>217 japaul22: >218 NinieB: All the copies I have found have still been quite good. Maybe in Australia we got the British editions.

220japaul22
nov 27, 2019, 7:06 pm

1001 books (17/20)

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
I really enjoyed reading this book. Well, enjoyed is never quite the right word for Hardy, since his plots are always full of miscommunication, bad luck, and bad behavior, but nevertheless I always find his books compelling.

This one follows the consequences of a drunken young man, Henchard, auctioning off his wife and daughter to a stranger. Yep, really. And she goes off with a sailor. When Henchard wakes up, he vaguely recalls what he has done. When he can't find his wife and daughter, he swears off alcohol and starts life anew. About 20 years down the road, his wife and daughter show up in the town where he has risen to being the mayor. As in all Hardy books, nothing goes easily, several characters die, and it isn't exactly a happy ending (though pretty close as far as his books go!).

Hardy's novels are very plot driven, so I have a hard time writing too much about the book for fear of giving away the plot surprises. Suffice to say I recommend this among his books I've read so far.

Original publication date: 1886
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 308 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle freebie
Why I read this: 1001 books

221Tess_W
nov 30, 2019, 6:39 am

>220 japaul22: I'm a big Hardy fan and I enjoyed this book, also.

222japaul22
Bewerkt: dec 1, 2019, 12:46 pm

Everything Else (19/30)

The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

The Tenth Muse sets up two myths that form the crux of the life struggle of mathematician, Katharine. The tenth muse is a Greek myth about the youngest girl among ten sister muses who decides to give up her immortality in order to have her own voice instead of inspiring others. And Kwan-Yin, in a Chinese myth, gives up all of her powers and gifts to benefit others who need her help. These myths are subtly woven in to the life story of Katharine.

Katharine has a different childhood, growing up in the 1950s, than the typical midwestern girl. She is extremely gifted at mathematics to the point of alienating her fellow students and even teachers. Her parents are a mystery. Her father was a war hero in WWII and her mother is Asian and obviously struggling with some internal trauma. Katharine makes it through her childhood and goes off to college, the only woman in the mathematics program at Purdue. From there, we experience her struggles coming into her own, battling sexism, stumbling upon the secrets of her parents, and ultimately exploring her brilliance as a mathematician.

I REALLY loved this book. The voice of Katharine really spoke to me. The writing is excellent and deep. I haven't seen many reviews of this on LT, but I highly recommend this new book. It is Catherine Chung's second book and I'm now very interested in reading her first. I would be curious to hear from someone well-versed in advanced math theorems to hear if the math writing is realistic. To me it was interesting and exciting.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 286 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: read a review somewhere that caught my eye

223dudes22
Bewerkt: dec 1, 2019, 12:37 pm

>222 japaul22: - I have to say - that sounds very interesting. BB for me.

ETA: Except your link is sending me to a food memoir.

ETA2: Come to find out I read her first book way back in 2012 and gave it 4*.

224japaul22
dec 1, 2019, 12:46 pm

>223 dudes22: Ah, I've corrected the link - thanks! And good to know you liked her first book, even if you didn't quite remember it was the same author!

225japaul22
dec 12, 2019, 12:35 pm

Everything Else (20/30)

Behind on both reading and reviewing. December . . .

Maybe you Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Two of my "real life" friends recommended this so I gave it a try. It's a sort of memoir by a therapist who goes to therapy after a bad breakup. It is an interesting look at both sides of therapy, but it was sad (the descriptions of some of her patients' troubles) and very personal - a little too personal for my taste.

3 stars

226japaul22
dec 15, 2019, 8:05 pm

Everything Else (21/30)

Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

This is a fascinating nonfiction account of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. It details the lead-up to the disaster and the combination of Soviet culture/politics and rushed science, construction, and training that contributed to the event. The book also deals extensively with the attempt to contain the radiation afterwards and the impact it had on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

There is a lot of detail and science about the reactor itself and some about the physics of how the reactor worked. I thought the whole thing was really well done. There was enough detail to satisfy people who would want that (I was interested but admit to still not really understanding anything but the surface explanation of how a nuclear reactor works - and doesn't), but it didn't overwhelm the personal and cultural story of the event.

Highly recommended.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 560 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library kindle
Why I read this: LT review I think

227japaul22
dec 18, 2019, 12:22 pm

Rereads (5/5)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

****spoilers abound!****

This is my second reread as an adult of this childhood favorite. When I reread it back in 2010, I was so disappointed. I found it preachy and even though I remembered that Jo and Laurie don't end up together, I thought it was so, so wrong.

This time around, I went in with lowered expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I still found it sentimental and a little too obvious with the moral lessons, but I was prepared so it didn't bother me as much. In terms of form, I noticed that each chapter is a complete scene and there aren't cliff-hangers at the end of chapters. Also, I was a little tiny bit less troubled that Jo and Laurie don't get together. I was really watching for how Alcott was going to convince me of this and I found it a little better done than I thought. You know, I think it's less that I want Jo and Laurie together than that I really don't like the Professor as a match for Jo. He always strikes me as a father-figure and Jo needs an equal! Anyway, I will continue to consider this book a favorite even though there's actually plenty wrong with it because it just has such a strong, positive, nostalgia for me.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new movie that comes out here in the states on Christmas Day. Hopefully I'll find a time over our winter break to get to the theater. From what I saw in the trailer, this take on the book has a pretty strong feminist slant which is definitely not in the book but I might enjoy it anyway. If nothing else, the costuming looks lovely.

Original publication date: 1868
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 560 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: kindle freebie
Why I read this: reread, movie coming out

228katiekrug
dec 18, 2019, 12:27 pm

LW is a favorite of mine from childhood, too. I am too scared to re-read it and ruin happy memories :)

229christina_reads
dec 18, 2019, 3:35 pm

>227 japaul22: All the buzz about the new movie has me eager to reread Little Women -- it's been a few years! Might take it home with me for Christmas.

230JayneCM
dec 18, 2019, 8:16 pm

>227 japaul22: Christmas Day? Are cinemas open on Christmas Day over there?! We don't get it until 1st January. I am still reading - you were much faster than me!

231japaul22
dec 18, 2019, 8:46 pm

>230 JayneCM: Yes, I'm pretty sure movie theaters are open Christmas day. I've never gone, but I'm pretty sure. We are going to see the new Star Wars movie on Christmas Eve day with the whole extended family.

When was the last time you read Little Women - I'll be curious to hear how it stands up to an adult reread for you!

232JayneCM
dec 18, 2019, 9:57 pm

>231 japaul22: So many movies coming out over the holidays! Enjoy!

I last read Little Women as a adult about fifteen years ago, as a read aloud to my daughters. To be honest, I cannot remember how I felt about it then. Prior to that, I read it about four times as I was growing up as I do remember loving it. I so wanted to be Jo! I am planning to finish it over Christmas as I need something lovely, not too heavy and dark, as there will be lots of people around. Considering the book I am reading now, Night by Elie Wiesel, I am crying just reading his introduction.

233japaul22
dec 19, 2019, 8:44 am

>232 JayneCM: I think Little Women is a great Christmas read. It did have me tearing up a bit, but in a nice way - nothing like the emotions surrounding Night!

234japaul22
dec 21, 2019, 5:32 pm

Everything Else 22/30

The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell

I'm having a streak of "preachy" books . . .

This one is about the copper mines in the UP of Michigan and the workers' efforts to unionize. They are led and prodded to strike by Annie Clements, leader of the Women's Auxiliary. It is a group largely made up of immigrants, trying to achieve safer working conditions (men die weekly in the mines), shorter work days, and higher pay. The mining company is led by Joe McNaughton. He has set up a town with much nicer conditions for his workers than many other companies would do, but his power has definitely gone to his head and he will suffer no complaining. He seems so close-minded and cold-hearted that he was hard to believe, but the author's note suggests that she, at least, does believe it to be a true portrait.

The 9 month strike ends in a true disaster that I didn't know was part of this story, though I know I'd heard of it somewhere. 73 people, mainly children, die when a false alarm of fire is called in a packed second story hall where a Christmas Eve party is being held. One child trips on a 24 step staircase and the giant stampede to escape the room results in those 73 people piling up on the stairs and suffocating to death. What a horrific story and so hard to imagine.

The crux of the book is a polemic against the evils of putting capitalism over the rights of workers and is a bit heavy-handed. Luckily the characters are also strongly drawn. I ended up liking this quite a bit, but there were stretches where I got a little bored. Kept having the thought, "yes, I know, I agree, the workers deserve a better life - move on"!

Anyway, this was my first book by Mary Doria Russell who gets a lot of love on LT and I would like to read more.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 339 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library hardback
Why I read this: LT reviews

235japaul22
dec 24, 2019, 7:13 am

NYRB off the shelf (6/10)

The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes

It's impossible to review this book without giving away an important reveal that happens about a quarter of the way through the book. Let's just say this is excellent noir fiction with important cultural observations about America. I highly recommend it.

Original publication date: 1963
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 237 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased nyrb
Why I read this: LT reviews, nyrb off the shelf, litsy group read

236japaul22
dec 25, 2019, 10:18 am

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

We are having a relaxing day of opening presents, over-eating, and watching the kids play on their new Nintendo Switch. Had to take my 6 year old to the ER last night for strep throat, but the penicillin works fast and he's so much better today for Christmas!

My favorite present so far is a 6 month subscription to Persephone books! I get to pick those out, so if anyone has any favorites from that publisher let me know! I only own The Home-Maker and The Making of a Marchioness so far.

237rabbitprincess
dec 25, 2019, 1:50 pm

Glad to hear the 6-year-old is doing better. Being sick over Christmas is no fun!

Re Persephones, I liked The Blank Wall, by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding, which I read in an omnibus of women's crime fiction from the 1940s. The Expendable Man is also a Persephone book, but you just read that in an NYRB edition :)

238JayneCM
dec 26, 2019, 2:44 am

>236 japaul22: Glad your little one is feeling better now. What a terrible thing, to be sick for Christmas.

Persephone books! Someone is a present giving genuis! Easy for me to choose - everything! Although I do have a fondness for Elizabeth von Arnim.

239dudes22
dec 26, 2019, 7:30 am

>236 japaul22: - WOW! what a great gift. I'm sure it will be hard to choose.

240japaul22
dec 27, 2019, 1:49 pm

Off the Shelf (24/15)

The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
I loved this 1920s book that flips the typical man/woman roles on its head. The Knapps are a family of five struggling to get by. Lester, the father, is hopeless at getting along at work, constantly making errors and not progressing at all. Eva, the mother, runs a beautifully functioning household on her husband's meager salary, but is constantly slaving away and feeling stifled by her housework and her needy children. Everyone in the family has healthy problems and their youngest child, Stephen, is acknowledged by all their acquaintances as a terror, despite Eva's excellent mothering.

Then all is flipped on its head when an accident leads to a role reversal, Eva going out to work and Lester staying home to mind the kids. Though all feel sorry for them, they end up flourishing in these circumstances. But what will happen if all goes back to "normal"?

This book powerfully examines society's expectations for men and women and what happens when those expectations just do not fit. I loved it.

Original publication date: 1924
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 269 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: purchased persephone
Why I read this: LT review (thanks Simone!)

241JayneCM
dec 27, 2019, 6:02 pm

>240 japaul22: I loved this one too. And you have a Persephone edition! I have a green Virago.

242hailelib
dec 27, 2019, 9:11 pm

That sounds like an interesting book, especially considering its age.

243japaul22
dec 29, 2019, 8:54 pm

1001 Books (18/20)

Memento Mori by Muriel Spark

"Remember you must die" is a translation of memento mori and is the phrase that a group of elderly people is hearing from an anonymous phone caller. They respond to this is different ways, but they are all at the time of life where "remember you must die" is truly around the corner.

The characters in this book are in their 80s and 90s. As such, they've had plenty of time, decades!, to misbehave, fight, and fall in love. Muriel Spark explores their interactions with humor and realism. There is a certain amount of looking back, but they are still actively living their lives regardless of their state of health, something I appreciated.

In this book, Spark didn't surprise me quite as much as she usually does. It's a good book, but not my favorite of hers.

Original publication date: 1959
Author’s nationality: British
Original language: English
Length: 223 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: library book
Why I read this: 1001 books

244christina_reads
dec 30, 2019, 11:43 am

>236 japaul22: Yay for Persephone books! I personally love Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson and Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson.

245japaul22
dec 30, 2019, 1:43 pm

Off the Shelf (25/15)

No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History by Gail Collins

This was ok but not great. Collins does a survey of how "older" women have been treated by society and how they've viewed themselves from colonial times to the present. As with any book trying to cast such a wide net, she only touches the surface of the issues. Really, once she got to about the 1950s I lost interest. There wasn't enough depth to tell me anything I didn't already know. I was also annoyed that her focus was almost exclusively on women in politics or entertainment.

This was sort of a gag gift from a friend of mine. We are both in our 40s now and joke about the start of aging. So it was fun, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

Original publication date: 2019
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 422 pages
Rating: 2.5 stars
Format/Where I acquired the book: gift
Why I read this: gift, off the shelf

246japaul22
dec 30, 2019, 2:00 pm

And that wraps up my 2019 reading! It's been a very good year of reading. I read 88 books and about 30,000 pages. That's roughly 84 pages a day and has been my average for several years now.

I read 18 books from the 1001 books to read before you die list. I had hoped to read 20, but I did finish Pilgrimage by Dorothy Richardson and at 2000+ pages, I’ll let that round me up to “20”! I also reread 5 books and read lots of books off of my shelves. I read 16 nonfiction books. All in all an excellent year.

Next year you can find me in Club Read here http://www.librarything.com/topic/314543
And in the Category Challenge here http://www.librarything.com/topic/313228

My favorites
Best Classics:
Pilgrimage by Dorothy Richardson
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
*The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

Best Audiobooks:
Becoming by Michelle Obama (read by the author)
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Best New-ish Books:
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
*The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
7 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Perfume by Patrick Suskind
*History. A Mess. by Sigrun Palsdottir
The Body Lies by Jo Baker
*The Seas by Samantha Hunt
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

Best Nonfiction:
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higgenbotham

*really, you should read these!

247japaul22
dec 30, 2019, 2:09 pm

As far as my categories go, I am pretty happy with the outcome even though I didn't quite complete every category.

1001 books to read before you die:
My goal was 20 and I read 18. But, as I said above, 1 of the 18 was Pilgrimage which was really 13 novels and 2100 pages. So I'm happy with "only" reading 18.

General Off the Shelf/kindle:
This category I smashed my goal of 15. I read 25. A huge difference this year, was that I included all books I acquired, even those acquired in 2019. So while I didn't necessarily read books that had been on my shelf a long time (though I did read some of those too), I didn't add to the glut of books on my shelves because I read new ones right away. Plus, I found it really satisfying to buy a book and actually read it rather than just adding to the shelf! I will use this category again next year.

NYRB off the shelf:
I had a goal of reading 5 of my NYRB books. I've been collecting these faster than I can read them. I actually read 6 this year, so yay!

Rereads:
Goal of 5 and I read 5. I like using audiobooks for rereads of classics.

Everything Else:
My goal for the catch-all category was 30. Because I read so many extra books off the shelf, I only read 22 in the category. That's fine by me.

Even when I use these broad categories, I find the category challenge really helps me balance out my reading. I'm looking forward to being back in 2020!

(If you're wondering why my category numbers don't add up to my book total of 88, it's because I counted each of the 13 novels that make up Pilgrimage as a separate book in my running total, but only counted them as 1 for the category challenge since it's only 1 book off "the list".)

248katiekrug
dec 30, 2019, 3:53 pm

Nice wrap-up summary, Jennifer. Several of your favorites are on my TBR pile (The Seas, The Great Believers, Becoming...)

249mathgirl40
dec 30, 2019, 4:02 pm

>246 japaul22: Congratulations on reading so many from the 1001 list! I'll be sure to follow your reading in 2020.

250japaul22
dec 30, 2019, 4:40 pm

>248 katiekrug: I really loved those that you mentioned. I know there are so many books, but I hope you get to them in 2020!

>249 mathgirl40: Thanks! I always follow your thread as well!

251JayneCM
dec 30, 2019, 5:19 pm

>246 japaul22: Pilgrimage is definitely just that! Certainly should count as more than one book!
I love some of your favourites as well and have some on my list for next year. Look forward to following along in 2020.

252rabbitprincess
dec 30, 2019, 6:44 pm

I like your year-end wrap-up! Congrats on finishing Pilgrimage; that's an amazing achievement!

253DeltaQueen50
dec 30, 2019, 9:17 pm

Congratulations on a very successful 2019 of reading.

254dudes22
dec 31, 2019, 7:35 am

Looks like you did have a good reading year. Your daily page read is interesting and gives me an idea of what I need to think about to get the books read that I want. I think I need to figure out a way to pick up the pace.

255japaul22
dec 31, 2019, 8:21 am

>254 dudes22: Because I do read quite a few classics and slower-reading books, I think that 84 pages a day is probably 1.5-2 hours a day. I sneak in about 30 minutes sometime during the day and then read for a good chunk of time most nights before bed. It really helps that I watch almost no TV and little internet time (most of which is on LT!).