Japaul22's 2013 Category Challenge

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Japaul22's 2013 Category Challenge

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1japaul22
nov 21, 2012, 5:50 pm

Hi everyone! I'm back for a third year of the category challenge. I'm going to set myself a low goal this year as I have a lot going on. I'm expecting my second child in February, and if he's as bad a sleeper as my first son was, I don't see myself doing as much reading as normal. Plus we moved in November and there are lots of projects to do around the house that I've never had in my previous rental spaces. I've made my categories as broad as possible and am aiming for 3 in each of the 13 categories for a total of 39 books. Honestly though, if I manage to keep the categories relatively even so that I'm reading a variety of books, I'll be happy with any amount completed. I've been trying to read more books off of the 1001 books to read before you die list, so my categories are skewed to allow for that. I'm also going to participate in the Author Theme Reads group and Monthly Author Reads this year, so I have a category for those books. Here they are!

1) 1001 books from the 1900s/2000s
2) 1001 books from the 1800s/1900s
3) Monthly Author Reads or other group reads
4) Prize winners (including short and long lists)
5) Historical fiction
6) Mysteries
7) TBR list pre-2013
8) Nonfiction
9) Author theme reads
10) Library finds
11) Children's books
12) Rereads
13) Miscellaneous

3japaul22
Redigeret: nov 26, 2013, 7:06 pm

5japaul22
Redigeret: nov 17, 2013, 2:36 pm

4) Prize winners (including short and long lists)
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (2012 booker shortlist)
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (2013 Orange Prize short list)
The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Pulitzer prize)
There but for the by Ali Smith (2012 Orange prize long list)
Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro
Harvest by Jim Crace

10japaul22
Redigeret: nov 13, 2013, 1:33 pm

9) Author theme reads
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Germinal by Emile Zola

11japaul22
Redigeret: nov 1, 2013, 1:17 pm

12japaul22
Redigeret: okt 19, 2013, 8:36 pm

11) Children's books
Welcome to the Bed and Biscuit by Joan Carris
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

14japaul22
Redigeret: nov 9, 2013, 2:05 pm

15lkernagh
nov 21, 2012, 9:57 pm

Great to see you back for 2013 ..... and congratulations!

16psutto
nov 22, 2012, 4:41 am

what Lori said!

17clfisha
nov 22, 2012, 4:22 pm

Congratulations and good luck!

18mamzel
nov 22, 2012, 10:57 pm

Maybe you can read some of those books aloud to your baby so he'll sleep and you can get them read? Or you can listen to them on audio while you do your projects? In any case, goo luck with your challenge!

19DeltaQueen50
nov 23, 2012, 1:11 pm

Glad to see you back and congratulations on the addition to your family.

20paruline
nov 23, 2012, 2:35 pm

Congratulations!

21hailelib
nov 23, 2012, 3:31 pm

A lot going on for you in the next year but it looks like you've set up a doable challenge. Good wishes for 2013!

22japaul22
nov 23, 2012, 6:24 pm

Thanks for the welcome everyone! I'm going to finish my 12 in 12 before starting this which may take me a couple of weeks into 2013, but I'll be here after that! Looking forward to a no-pressure, read whatever I want year of books!

23-Eva-
nov 23, 2012, 10:33 pm

Welcome back - good to see you here!! Well-planned categories to fit real life... Big congrats on the family addition!

24AHS-Wolfy
dec 8, 2012, 8:09 am

Looking forward to seeing how a lot of these categories get filled up. Good luck with your challenge.

25cammykitty
dec 30, 2012, 10:49 pm

Looks good!!! Just following you from your last thread. I need to read Kingsolver some day!

26japaul22
jan 1, 2013, 2:34 pm

Hi everyone! Thanks for the welcome. I've decided to use this challenge more as a way to direct my reading and keep me out of book slumps than as a strict challenge. I plan to read what I feel like and look to less used categories when I need an idea for something to read. So no counting this year and no pressure. I'll be interested to see of my categories stay fairly even anyway. I suspect they will since they are so broad. And with that . . .

My first book of 2013 is Casino Royale by Ian Fleming for my 1001 books category, 1900/2000s.

I enjoyed this, the first book in the James Bond series, much more than I expected to. I chose it because its on the1001 books read before you die list, which I have been slowly chipping away at. I enjoyed it enough to continue with the series.

This book introduces Bond and gives some background that I know from the movies will help explain his motivation and personality in subsequent novels. This is a good mix of spy adventure, good writing, and suspense. I knew to expect the blatant sexism, but other than that, the book didn't feel dated as I thought it might.

Lots of fun but, whoops, now I've started yet another series.

Original publication date: 1953
Author's Nationality: British
Original Language: English
Length: 178 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

27mamzel
jan 1, 2013, 6:21 pm

If you have a Kindle, Amazon was offering several of Fleming's books in their specials. Are you going to start drinking shaken martinis? Have fun!

28-Eva-
jan 1, 2013, 7:33 pm

I've been spending the holidays with the movie-Bonds, but I definitely want to try the original materials as well. I was even thinking of getting a Kindle only because you can borrow the books from Amazon on it - I figured the price of the Kindle would cover buying all the books. I should probably try at least one of them first, though... :)

29japaul22
jan 1, 2013, 7:58 pm

Mamzel - thanks for the tip. I'll look into the kindle prices. Otherwise I'll just get them from the library.

Eva - probably best to try one first, but I really liked it.

30Tanglewood
jan 2, 2013, 6:04 pm

I thought I'd pop over and say hello! I saw the the James Bond sale too and really thought about picking up Casino Royale but talked myself out of it. Now I'm wishing I hadn't!

31VioletBramble
jan 3, 2013, 11:42 am

Hi japaul! Congratulations on the upcoming addition to your family. With two little ones you should have your hands full.
Liked your review of The Bean Trees on your 12 in 12 challenge thread. I'm going to add that one to the wish list.
Good luck with your challenge.

32japaul22
jan 3, 2013, 4:31 pm

Tanglewood - sorry about the non-buyers remorse. Happens to me a lot too since I'm pretty good at curtailing my book buying.

Thanks Violetbramble. Yes, I'm expecting full hands, no sleep, and light entertaining reading for this year!

33japaul22
jan 4, 2013, 7:31 pm

For my historical fiction category, I read Morality Play by Barry Unsworth.

This is an excellent book written about a 14th century troupe of actors who happen upon a town where the murder of a young boy has just taken place. A local woman has been arrested, but there is question whether she was really the murderer. The actors become obsessed with the murder and find out as many details as possible to act out the events of the murder for the town. Through this exercise they arrive at the truth of the mystery.

That short plot synopsis, intriguing as it may sound, does not do the book justice. Unsworth does a fantastic job of comparing the experience of acting to life itself. In fact, the book is layered with metaphors. He also uses subtle but chilling foreshadowing throughout the novel. The book combines the best of both worlds by being both highly readable and thought-provoking. I'll be looking for more of Unsworth's works.

Original publication date: 1995
Author's Nationality: british
Original Language: English
Length: 206 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 4.5 stars

34.Monkey.
jan 6, 2013, 5:07 am

I thought Morality Play was great. I picked it up at the library when browsing through the shelves because the title piqued my curiosity, so I opened it up and read a couple lines, and decided I needed to see what it was about. :P

35cbl_tn
jan 6, 2013, 8:54 am

I dodged a book bullet here. I thought I was going to have to add Morality Play to my wishlist but discovered it was already there. Someone else must have hit me with that one!

36japaul22
jan 13, 2013, 8:08 pm

For my 1001 books category, I read Heart of Darkness, Norton Critical Edition by Joseph Conrad, Ed. by Paul Armstrong

This was an interesting book to read, following closely on the heels of one of my last reads of 2012, the nonfiction book King Leopold's Ghost. Heart of Darkness itself is the long short story or novella that gives some of Conrad's observations of his 6 month trip through the Congo. To be honest, the book itself didn't do much for me. I appreciated some of the literary techniques, such as the embedded narrator and the way he uses descriptive language. However, that descriptive language was also the book's downfall for me personally. It kept me too far removed from the actual story (or what I wanted to be the actual story)- the interaction between the native people who inhabited the region known as the Congo and the white explorers, colonists, invaders, whatever you want to call them! Instead this read as more of one man's obsession with the idea of another, Kurtz. I just didn't get that into it. I felt oddly that as much as the Congo should have been the main point of the book, the actual story could have really taken place anywhere and that bothered me.

However, the text of the book itself only comprised 77 pages of this 504 page critical edition. I did not read every essay word for word, but for the most part they were interesting and enlightening. Included are encyclopedia entries from the time the book was written, essays on race from the time period by people like Hegel and Darwin, contemporary responses to Heart of Darkness, and then more current essays on racism and sexism in the book and its worth as far as being read now. I haven't done this kind of in depth study on a book in quite some time and I enjoyed it, especially with a book that has caused as much controversy as this one.

I'm sorry I can't remember who suggested that I take the time to read this edition, but thank you to whoever it was and let me pass on the recommendation. I personally don't think I would have felt this book worth reading if not for the extra articles included.

Original publication date: 1899
Author's Nationality: british
Original Language: English
Length: 504 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 2.5 stars for the book, 4 stars for the edition

37jfetting
jan 14, 2013, 9:39 am

I'm sorry you had to read Darwin's ideas on race. He's the worst. His Descent of Man is really pretty disgusting and infuriating. I now you are supposed to read with the time period in mind, but ugh no.

I also can't stand Conrad in general, but you are being very fair and objective in your review - good for you! I think mine was something like "This book sucks".

38japaul22
jan 14, 2013, 10:29 am

He-he. If I'd only read the book, right there with you. Also, I think Hegel was even worse than Darwin. Yikes.

39japaul22
jan 29, 2013, 3:56 pm

For my historical fiction category, When Christ and his Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman

I really enjoy Penman's historical fiction. This is the first in her series that centers on Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. This book sets up the story by focusing on rivals for the throne, Stephen and Maude. Maude is Henry's mother. I will admit that I didn't love this one as much as her Welsh trilogy or The Sunne in Splendor, but it was still lots of fun. I like how she seems to stick to the facts as far as events and battles and such but feels free to embellish character the way she sees it. That suits my taste for historical fiction. Looking forward to continuing the series this year.

Original publication date: 1995
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 746 pages
Other books read by this author: the Sunne in Splendour, the Welsh trilogy
Rating: 3.5 stars

40rabbitprincess
jan 29, 2013, 5:44 pm

I really liked When Christ and His Saints Slept and am glad to hear praise for her Welsh trilogy too! Probably won't get to it until next year though ;)

41VioletBramble
jan 29, 2013, 7:33 pm

Good reviews for Morality Play and Heart of Darkness. I read Darkness 2 years ago and the only thing I liked was the descriptive language. I thought it was boring, and considering the subject, it could have been so much better.

42japaul22
feb 3, 2013, 6:15 pm

For my mystery/thriller category, I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Wow, that was one messed up book. This is the story of two extremely disturbed people who are married to each other. Things start out fairly normal and the marriage seems to deteriorate at first in a predictable way. Both the husband and the wife take turns narrating the events and you quickly realize you are being manipulated - probably by both of them - and the question becomes who is telling closer to the truth. The basic plot of the missing wife (was she abducted, murdered by the husband, did she run away and set him up?) can be a little Lifetime movie-esque, but the book sure was a page turner. And actually, though I had low expectations, I found the writing kind of interesting and well done. I liked that the author infused a lot of humor into what should be a really dark, thriller-type book. If you're looking for a diversion and don't mind reading about some really psychotic people, you might enjoy this. And, just a warning, the end is just as messed up as the rest of the book!

Original publication date: 2012
Author's Nationality: American
Original Language: English
Length: 432 pages
Other books read by this author: none
Rating: 3.5 stars

43lkernagh
feb 4, 2013, 10:44 pm

With all the buzz on LT about Gone Girl, I have placed a hold at my local library. I have taken you opening comment very much to heart and will keep it in mind when I get around to reading it!

44japaul22
feb 8, 2013, 7:42 am

Hi everyone!
Isaac Charles Paul was born on 2/7 at 7:58 am! We're both doing well. Obviously might not be posting as often for a while but I'm hoping to finish Anna Karenina soon.

45Yells
feb 8, 2013, 7:43 am

Congrats!!

46paruline
feb 8, 2013, 9:06 am

Congratulations!

47psutto
feb 8, 2013, 9:14 am

congrats!

48AHS-Wolfy
feb 8, 2013, 10:36 am

Congrats from me also.

49mamzel
feb 8, 2013, 10:50 am

So glad everything went well. Guess you won't have much time for reading for a while. Sleep when the baby sleeps and let the housework and reading go. We'll be here for updates and (hopefully) some pictures.

50DeltaQueen50
feb 8, 2013, 3:58 pm

Congratulations on the newest addition to your family!

51-Eva-
feb 8, 2013, 6:20 pm

Congratulations from me too!!

52hailelib
feb 9, 2013, 10:32 am

Congrats!

53rabbitprincess
feb 9, 2013, 9:08 pm

Congratulations and take care of yourself!

54VioletBramble
feb 10, 2013, 12:27 am

Congratulations!

55lkernagh
feb 10, 2013, 2:00 pm

Joining the rest in posting congratulations on the new addition to the family!

56japaul22
feb 12, 2013, 6:29 pm

Thanks, everyone! We are all happy and healthy and my older son is adjusting well to being a big brother. I'm typing this on my phone while holding a sleeping baby, so apologies for typos!

#6 Anna Karenina by Tolstoy
This was a third time reread for me and is still one of my favorite books. This time I appreciated the reality that Tolstoy approaches relationships with. No one, even those in a compatible relationship like Levin and Kitty, has an easy time of marriage. I also think the arc of Anna and Vronsky's relationship is very well done. This time I also enjoyed the country scenes, such as the mowing chapter with Levin. Sad to say that most of the religious philosophy from Levin still was not very interesting to me.

As a side note, I just happened to be reading the chapters where Kitty goes into labor when I was in early labor and still reading. I think I'll always remember that!

57japaul22
feb 15, 2013, 3:20 pm

For my 1001 books list category, I read A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

This charming book completely suited my current mood. The heroine is Lucy, who we first meet on a trip to Italy with her spinster cousin. There are, of course, competing suitors to marry Lucy, but though the outcome is predictable, all the characters were interesting and memorable and the travel scenes a lot of fun.

4 stars

58cammykitty
feb 15, 2013, 5:58 pm

Congrats!!!

59christina_reads
feb 16, 2013, 9:41 am

@ 57 -- A Room with a View is one of my favorite books! Glad you enjoyed it. :)

60jfetting
feb 17, 2013, 2:14 pm

I love that book. I love all of Forster that I've read.

61japaul22
feb 22, 2013, 6:16 pm

Another 1001 books book, Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Yet another book by Gaskell that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is Gaskell's first novel and, like North and South, focuses on the plight of the working poor in the Manchester mills. I think I liked this book even better, though, as I felt a deeper connection to the characters than I did in N&S. This book really keeps the focus on the lower classes and finds a beautiful love story there. The family relationships are also deep and fleshed out.

The focus is Mary bArton, a young woman whose love interests parallel her growth as a person. There is a lot of drama, including a murder, and I found this 19th century novel a real page turner.

62RidgewayGirl
feb 22, 2013, 9:32 pm

You're zooming through the books!

63japaul22
feb 23, 2013, 9:04 am

I know! This baby is a much better sleeper than my first was. I'm already getting a 3 hour junk of sleep overnight which barely happened at all with my first til he was a year old! Plus I'm just more used to being sleep deprived this time around.

Also doesn't hurt that I got the new paper white kindle as an early birthday present and I love it. That's one of the reasons I've been reading the free classics.

Just started the Forsyte Saga which I expect to take quite some time.

64paruline
feb 23, 2013, 6:43 pm

Hurray for sleeping babies!

65lkernagh
feb 25, 2013, 3:30 pm

Seconding the Hurray for sleeping babies!

66japaul22
mar 7, 2013, 4:37 pm

For my nonfiction category, I read Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman

This is a highly readable biography of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who lived in the second half of the 18th century. She was notable as part of one of the wealthiest families in England, the Spencers (also Princess Diana's ancestors). She was the leader of society and instrumental in setting the fashions of the day, including ridiculously big hats. She was also a force for the Whig party. She wrote poetry, studied minerals, and was, unfortunately addicted to gambling.

Things I liked about this book were the intro into Britsh politics of the time. I knew a lot about the corresponding times in America and France, but not so much about Britain. I also enjoyed all the political cartoons the author includes about Georgiana.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't really like Georgiana. Seemed like too much of a drama queen and I was really annoyed by the super wealthy people always in debt and strapped for cash.

Good book about an annoying person.

3 stars

67japaul22
Redigeret: mar 18, 2013, 3:40 pm

For my prize winners category, I read The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2012.

I loved, with minor reservations, this book that looks back at one woman's experience in WWII. This book takes place in Malaysia in roughly the present time (probably the 1990s if I had to guess). It is the story of Judge Yun Ling Teoh who was a prisoner of war and her relationship with Aritomo, a Japanese gardener to Emperor Hirohito transplanted to Malaya, who she met after the war ended. The plot sounds convoluted because there are three time periods that Eng describes. There is the present in which Teoh recalls her experiences and writes them down in anticipation of losing her memory to a brain dysfunction, Teoh's experience as a POW in a Japanese camp where she lost two fingers and her sister was made to prostitute herself to the camp workers (her sister and everyone else in the camp was killed there), and the 1950s where Teoh meets the Japanese gardener Aritomo and begins to confront her war experience.

I loved that I learned so much that I didn't know about Malaysia - the cultural clashes of its people, the war experience, and many customs. Because there is also a lot of Japanese culture include, I also learned a lot about it, specifically the gardening and tattoo traditions. In fact, in this book it seems that every character is a different nationality or ethnic group. That was the most fascinating part of the book for me. I had to do a lot of googling and consulting maps to get everything straight in my head. The only thing I didn't really like about this book was some of the relationships between the characters. The book was so rich in detail about culture and war history that this was easy to overlook, but I found some of the relationships unrealistic (especially the love relationship between Yun Ling and Aritomo) and the characters a bit less developed than I would have liked.

Overall, though, this is a fantastic book and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I would recommend it.

4 stars

68cbl_tn
mar 16, 2013, 9:58 pm

I hope to read The Garden of Evening Mists for my Commonwealth challenge. I haven't come across anyone yet who didn't at least like the book, and a lot of readers seem to love it.

69jfetting
mar 17, 2013, 12:12 pm

Great review! I want to read it now.

70japaul22
mar 17, 2013, 7:44 pm

I think you'll both like it. Forgot to put in my star rating which I think would be 4 stars.

71DeltaQueen50
mar 18, 2013, 3:12 pm

I, too, plan on reading The Garden of Evening Mists for the Commonwealth Challenge. I read his first novel a year or so ago, The Gift of Rain and can recommend that one as well.

72sandragon
mar 22, 2013, 1:08 am

I've come across The Garden of Evening Mists, and have been able to pass it by, but you've made it sound so tempting. You got me with the promise of learning about Malaysian and Japanese cultures. Onto the wishlist it goes.

73japaul22
mar 22, 2013, 8:19 am

Thanks for the recommendation, deltaqueen.

Sandragon, the setting was my favorite part of the book.

74japaul22
mar 28, 2013, 9:03 am

For my mystery category I read The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill.

This is the first book in a mystery series featuring coroner Dr. Siri set in Laos in 1976. The setting, politics, and main character really make this a fun series and I'm so glad I found them through so many positive LT reviews!

Laos in the 70s has recently been won over by the communist party and politics definitely comes in to play in the book, though everything is done in a light, tongue in cheek manner that was very appropriate for a mystery. Dr. Siri has been a loyal member of the communist party for years and thinks that once the communists take over, since he's in his seventies, he'll be able to retire. Actually, the new political party has other ideas and makes him the only coroner for the country. Unfortunately, he has no coroner experience. He and his misfit team figure out how to go out their business and on the way solve some murders. There is also a kind of weird idea that Dr. Siri can commune with the dead through an ancient spirit that inhabits him. Sounds weird and I wasn't convinced at first, but it works somehow.

Bottom line, I've found a new mystery series that I can see myself actually reading all of.

75mamzel
mar 29, 2013, 3:55 pm

Yay! Another Dr. Siri fan!

76japaul22
Redigeret: mar 31, 2013, 12:00 pm

For my 1001 books category, The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
I've been reading this 1000 page novel made up of three novels and 2 short interludes all month and I think I'm going to miss it now that its over. This book follows several generations of the Forsyte family, an upper middle class family in England the end of the 19th cent and through WWI. The Forsytes and their characteristics become a metaphor for the whole upper middle class society.

The book revolves around the miserable marriage of Soames Forsyte to Irene. Soames treats Irene as his property, and with marriage laws being what they are at the time, in essence she is his property. Soames is possibly the most despicable character I've met in literature. Irene falls in love with a young architect and ends up escaping Soames. In the next book, Soames is back, wanting a child and needing Irene to comply or divorce him. She ends up falling in love with a different Forsyte and marrying him. In the third book, the children of Soames and Irene's subsequent marriages of course fall in love.

The plot seems soap opera-esque, but it's all so tastefully and artfully done that it definitely reads like literature. Irene is a main character, but she's so passive that the story just happens around her. But there are strong women characters, like June and Holly, so the book doesn't fall into the annoying trap of no female characters. Soames is despicable, but so fleshed out through the book that he's understandable and therefore even more disgusting. I didn't love the last of the three parts because I found the relationship between the youngest Forsyte generation to be kind of annoying, but I was happy with the ending.

Overall, I loved the experience of reading this epic novel.

77rabbitprincess
mar 31, 2013, 10:20 am

I've wanted to try the TV adaptation of The Forsyte Saga because Rupert Graves is in it, but now I think I want to read the book as well! It sounds kind of like Parade's End, in the sense that both are huge books consisting of multiple novels that cover the early 20th century and WW1. I'll have to keep an eye out for the Forsytes in my secondhand-book travels :) Thanks for the review!

78japaul22
mar 31, 2013, 12:01 pm

I'm intending to watch the miniseries soon! I think it will translate pretty well to TV.

79-Eva-
mar 31, 2013, 8:12 pm

They reran the 1967 TV-version when I was a kid and I remember my whole family sitting down for it, so I've been wanting to read the book but the number of pages has put me off before - sounds like it wasn't such a long read after all.

80japaul22
mar 31, 2013, 8:53 pm

Eva- it's a long book, but it isn't difficult to read and the story is so good that it keeps you going. There aren't long diversions or tons of discription so it is very readable. I've just started the 2002 miniseries. I looked for the 1967 version and it was too expensive compared to the streaming Netflix version that I can get with my monthly fee!

81-Eva-
Redigeret: mar 31, 2013, 9:05 pm

It's in my disc-queue on Netflix, but I may try the new version on streaming instead. If the older one doesn't stand the test of time, I don't want to know - I have such good memories of it. :)

82PawsforThought
apr 1, 2013, 4:43 am

81. I watched a few episodes of the original 60's version about a year or so ago and thought it was quite good. :)

83lkernagh
apr 6, 2013, 6:50 pm

One of these days I will join everyone else in reading the Dr. Siri series. Great review of The Forsythe Saga... that one is on my 'read before I die' list so always happy to see others make it to the end of that epic and with an overall good experience!

84japaul22
apr 8, 2013, 1:53 pm

I've been watching the 2002 miniseries of The Forsyte Saga which has significantly cut into my reading time this month! I very much enjoyed it despite some rather drastic liberties taken with the plot, especially at the end. It was well done, though it captures a different spirit than the book. I would like to see the earlier tv version, but it isn't available through my Netflix streaming and I don't think I'm interested enough to search it out some other way. Overall, as usual,the book is better but both are worth delving into.

85RidgewayGirl
apr 8, 2013, 2:08 pm

I watched the BBC version of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and they twisted the ending quite a bit. As someone who had read the book more than once, it did make me pay attention. Not sure how I feel about it generally, especially if someone were to think they had a good handle on the book by only watching the movie. What do you think about the changes in the miniseries of The Forsyte Saga?

86japaul22
apr 8, 2013, 3:53 pm

Some of the changes didn't bother me, like doing some of the storyline out of order. They chose to present it in chronological order in the miniseries, whereas in the book a lot of the back story is revealed through family gossip and memories. That made sense for tv. It bothered me that they changed quite a bit of the ending though, because it really effects the characteristics of the main characters in the book and changes their motivations and even some of the over-arching themes. The changes make for more predictable tv (loose ends are tied up more cleanly) but I liked the less Hollywood ending of the book because it felt more authentic.

The miniseries was still well done enough to warrant investing the time in, but I don't think it should be watched in place of reading the book.

87japaul22
apr 16, 2013, 8:12 pm

For my historical fiction category, I read Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharratt.

I'm going to suggest that there are too many books out there to spend time on this one. I got to about 65% through the book (I was reading on my kindle) before deciding that it was a waste of time, so I plugged away and finished it, but I thought it was pretty mediocre.

As is evident from the title, this is historical fiction based on the life of Hildegard von Bingen. She was a nun/abbess in the 12th century who is well known for her musical compositions, writings on the church and the role of women in the church, and her possible sainthood and visions. She has been adopted both by highly traditional religious orders and modern feminists for different reasons - quite a feat! I've been interested in her since learning of her in my music history classes and thought this would be a fun way to learn a little more about her life.

The beginning of this book was pretty interesting. Hildegard was sent as a child to be a companion to a wealthy woman who chose the life of an anchorite. Anchorites "anchor" a monastery by being literally walled up in a small corner of the church 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Hildegard grows up in this cell until she is released at the age of 39 when her companion dies. After that, the book takes a nose dive. The writing gets worse and worse and the author makes up several relationships that just don't ring true. The visions and mysticism get old for someone like me who doesn't really believe in that kind of thing.

I wish I'd just read a biography instead.

2 stars

88japaul22
apr 16, 2013, 8:15 pm

My reading has really slowed this month for several reasons. One was watching the miniseries of the Forsyte Saga, which I don't regret. Also, my maternity leave ended on April 8 (8 weeks is seriously not enough!) so I'm balancing home and work life again and don't have as much free time.

I'm still reading and enjoying Of Human Bondage and am about to start Broken Harbor though.

89japaul22
apr 24, 2013, 8:33 pm

For my mystery category, I read Broken Harbor by Tana French.

This was another page turner in Tana French's mystery series. It's the fourth in the series and she continues the method of choosing a minor character from her previous book to be the first person voice of the current book. I love that technique because it keeps her writing fresh even though there are other similarities between the books. This book got back to the creepiness that was in her first book In the Woods. I liked it a lot, but not as much as the other books she's written. However, I will eagerly read any book she writes next.

3.5 stars

90-Eva-
apr 25, 2013, 6:55 pm

Tana French is one of my favorites as well - she'd have to write something properly awful in order for me to not like it. :)

91japaul22
maj 9, 2013, 3:04 pm

For my 1001 books list category, I read Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

I've been reading this book, considered to be Maugham's masterpiece, for the past month. To be honest, I found large sections to be pretty boring and kept wondering if anything was going to happen. The book has an autobiographical feel to it, in that it moves slowly through the life of the main character, Philip, from his early childhood through his early 30s when I would say he finally matures and becomes an adult. Despite the moments of boredom, I ended up thinking this is a brilliant book. The pace is slow but very in depth, and Philip's experiences, relationships, and growth as a person feel authentic. I thought the exploration of youthful love as being repeatedly stronger from one individual in the relationship (sometimes with Philip being the one loved and sometimes with him loving) was interesting and remarkably true to life, especially among youths. I also appreciated Maugham's insights into the poor and the opportunity to work being so important to one's self esteem. I liked that the themes in this book were both clear and subtle at the same time - Maugham isn't beating you over the head with a moral but there are several there.

I have no doubt that this is one of those books that I will continue to ponder for a long time and to me that is always a sign of the best books.

4.5 stars

92lkernagh
maj 9, 2013, 8:54 pm

Great review of On Human Bondage, which is one of those books I am scared to pick up and read. I figured it will either go right over my head or be steeped in deep insights that would make it a huge time investment for me to read. Your review shows a glimmer of light for me so onto the 'bucket list' it goes.

93japaul22
maj 12, 2013, 9:05 pm

Hi everyone! Took a couple of tries, but I finally figured out how to upload a photo. Here's Isaac at 3 months old. Notice the shirt!


94LittleTaiko
maj 12, 2013, 10:27 pm

Cute! Love the shirt!!

95DeltaQueen50
maj 12, 2013, 11:10 pm

Isaac is adorable, and obviously has flawless taste in his clothes!

96rabbitprincess
maj 13, 2013, 5:51 am

Hee! Great shirt :)

97paruline
maj 13, 2013, 9:48 am

What a cutie pie!

98lkernagh
maj 13, 2013, 8:55 pm

Issac is adorable and love the T-shirt! That is awesome!

99japaul22
maj 18, 2013, 9:14 pm

Thanks everyone! He's a sweetie!

For my non-fiction category I read Setting Limits with your Strong Willed Child by Robert MacKenzie
I have a three year old. Therefore, I've gotten interested again in reading some parenting books, both about discipline methods and child development books, so you'll all be seeing some of that in my reading this year.

This particular book really resonated with me. The method of discipline seemed very natural to me - but gave me a way to get out of the constant reminding, nagging, and second chances that I've fallen into giving my 3 year old. Basically, you stay calm and matter of fact while disciplining, use logical consequences or unemotional time outs, and be consistent. That's the limit setting section. There is also a section on how to teach your child to make better choices and practice good behavior.

The author includes tons of real life examples, many of which I experience on a daily basis, and I can see this method working for me and my son. The book is well thought out and clearly explained. I had several friends recommend it to me and I'm glad they did.

100japaul22
maj 19, 2013, 9:01 pm

For my miscellaneous category, I read Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.

I've been interested by all of the reviews I've seen on LT for Japanese authors in the last year or so inspired by the Author Theme Reads Group, but I wasn't convinced any of the books would really appeal to me. This one caught my eye and got positive reviews from some readers whose tastes often align with mine so I decided to give it a try. I'd say I had a mixed response.

On one hand, Murakami writes memorable, meaningful characters. Toru Watanabe is the narrator of this book. He remembers a year in his life, 1969, when he was in college and torn between two loves, Naoko and Midori. Naoko is in a mental institution after the suicide of her high school sweetheart and Midori is a larger than life, brutally honest, funny fellow college student of Toru's. I loved the shifting atmosphere that Murakami can create and think I'll remember this book for a long time to come.

However, there were some things that I didn't love. I had a hard time with the flow of language and especially the dialogue in the book, much of which sounded kind of stilted and unnatural to me. I'm not sure if that's a translation issue? I did get used to it the farther into the book I got. I also think the book would have meant more to me if I'd lived in 1969 Japan. I have a feeling that Murakami recreates that particular time period well in this book, but I wouldn't know since I wasn't alive then and certainly wasn't living in Japan! I had no idea what the student riots were about that are referred to repeatedly.

So overall, I loved the characters in the book and the atmosphere and could sense a brilliance in the writing, but the stilted language and my lack of knowledge about the time period detracted a bit from the overall picture. I'd be curious to try something else by Murakami, though, and I'd call it a successful first foray into Japanese novels.

101japaul22
maj 25, 2013, 4:45 pm

For my mystery category, I read Dissolution by C. J. Sansom
Yay, another mystery series that I am going to have to try to keep up with! (That's half sarcasm and half real pleasure!) This is the first book in a series featuring Matthew Shardlake as lawyer turned detective. It is set in Tudor England and Shardlake is working at Cromwell's request. I love this time period and the mystery part was fun, so overall a win for me. I'll be reading more in this series.

4 stars

102mamzel
maj 26, 2013, 2:33 pm

And you will probably enjoy the rest of the series. It is great!

103japaul22
maj 29, 2013, 2:04 pm

For my historical fiction category, I read The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh.

This book was received through the Early Reviewers program.
McVeigh's debut novel is the story of Frances Irvine, a young woman in Victorian England who is orphaned and left on her own with no money or prospects. She agrees to marry Edwin, one of her father's relatives who is a doctor in South Africa, and travels there to join him. On the boat, she meets and falls in love with William Westwood, the over-confident nephew of the biggest name in diamond mining in Kimberly, South Africa. The novel follows the shifting romance between Frances, William, and Edwin and at the same time explores the exploitation of the natives working the diamond mines, the beauty and hardships of life on the veldt, and the coverup of a smallpox epidemic by the English that ends up decimating Kimberly.

I am of two minds about this book. On the one hand it is a book that reads quickly and was hard to put down - I can't pretend I wasn't engaged. The parts that worked best are when McVeigh sticks to the history of the diamond mines, Edwin's fight against those trying to hide the smallpox epidemic, and the description of the wildlife and hardships of living in the environment of South Africa in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, this book also includes the main character - a whiny, unable to adapt woman - and a ridiculously obvious love triangle. Every aspect of Frances's decisions and her shifting attitudes towards these two men was completely predictable and annoying. The publisher tries to draw parallels to Gone With the Wind, I book I grew up loving, and there is ZERO comparison between these characters and depth of Margaret Mitchell's characters. The comparison raises the readers expectations way too high and I question the decision to market the book that way. It may draw readers in, but it will leave them wanting much more.

Overall, it would be a good in between book. A beach read for the serious reader or a stretch for the kind of reader who mainly sticks to romances or pop fiction because of its setting in South Africa.

3 stars

104-Eva-
jun 1, 2013, 8:07 pm

->93 japaul22:
Love the shirt!!

->101 japaul22:
I have Dissolution on the wishlist and am only balking slightly due to already having a billion series to keep track of - looking good, though!

105thornton37814
jun 3, 2013, 5:51 pm

Glad you enjoyed Dissolution. It's one of my current favorite series.

106japaul22
jun 7, 2013, 11:53 am

For my rereads category, I read Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

After the Gone With the Wind comparisons in the last book I read, The Fever Tree, I decided it was finally time to reread my guilty pleasure, Gone With the Wind. I stress the guilty in that sentence. I have been in love with Scarlett, Rhett, Melanie, and Ashley since I was very young (I think I first saw the movie in second grade - what were my parents thinking?!!). I've seen the movie countless times and read the book many times as well. However, I don't think I've approached the book as a full-fledged adult and I was really nervous to. I've always known enough to understand that the book is horribly racist and by no means an accurate account of slavery and reconstruction, and as an adult I've been embarrassed to love it so deeply knowing that and especially knowing that there are too many people who still have a nostalgic view of the South (read Confederates in the Attic!!).

With that said, I still love this book. You don't have to believe in the way of life it espouses to appreciate the masterful weaving of a historical time period with its characters. In my mind, this is historical fiction as it should be. These four main characters are who they are because of the time they lived and could not be transported to some other era and still be themselves. The dialogue in this book is amazing (as evidenced by the fact that the movie uses it almost word for word and it works) and I find the deeply flawed characters so believable, right down to the unhappy ending. Every time I read it I squirm at the poor decisions of the main characters and wish they would make different choices. But every time I realize that Mitchell's success stems from keeping the characters lifelike - poor decisions and all. There are no happy endings or neatly tied up story lines in this book. Speaking of the ending, I love the loose ending as it lets your imagination conclude what will happen. Every time I read it I think something different about what will happen to them all without Melanie and whether or not Scarlett and Rhett can find a way to be together.

There is definitely an element of childlike pleasure to reading this book for me as I read it first as a child (I was probably about 12 when I first read the book). I found that I can enjoy this book with out enjoying the society that it esteems.

Reading it this time has also prompted me to pick up Eric Foner's, Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, the Pulitzer Prize winner that has been sitting on my shelf for too long.

107jfetting
jun 7, 2013, 11:59 am

I love that book too, and have a very similar backstory (surprised?) in that I first read it back in middle school and have watched the movie countless times since I was a little kid b/c my parents love it too and would sometimes veto watching Spaceballs for the thousandth time in favor of watching GWTW. Now I want to re-read it too! A perfect summer book, I think. Great review.

108lkernagh
jun 7, 2013, 3:32 pm

Books that you can re-read over and over again and still retain the love..... those are great books! I am a sucker for the movie. ;-)

109christina_reads
jun 7, 2013, 4:49 pm

@ 107 -- I love that "Gone with the Wind" and "Spaceballs" were competing movies for the same night! :)

110jfetting
jun 8, 2013, 9:58 am

Both are still favorites of mine

111christina_reads
jun 8, 2013, 8:52 pm

"Spaceballs" is definitely in my top 5.

112mamzel
jun 10, 2013, 3:35 pm

I can't stand watching GWTW if there are commercial interruptions! I wait for it to come on TCM.

113japaul22
jun 10, 2013, 4:47 pm

I love the movie too. I used to own it, but on VHS. I'll have to look into buying it or see if its on Netflix since I'm dying to watch it now!

114japaul22
jun 14, 2013, 10:08 pm

For my nonfiction category, I read Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum
Another big thank you due to my fellow LTers who recommended this book. There are many excellent reviews that detail the content of this book, so I'm planning to just point out a few things I learned and the things that surprised me most.

First of all, the reaction I got from friends and coworkers as I carried this book along was interesting. I got two main reactions - either a joke about being "sent to the Gulag" or "sent to Siberia" or "what's a gulag?".

Well. People don't joke about Nazi concentration camps and everybody knows about them. The Gulag involved millions of people, millions died (though there weren't systematic mass murders), millions were forcibly removed from their homes and condemned to certain death in remote locations and yet many people know nothing about this. Even Russians don't want to talk about it.

To be fair, I personally knew very little about the Gulag. I learned that so-called political prisoners were lumped into prisons with actual criminals. I learned that the camps were tasked with jobs that were impossible to complete and also tasked with major projects that were no use to anyone, like hundreds of miles of roads and railroads that were never used. I learned that most of the political prisoners weren't really very political at all ( not like they were out protesting Stalin or something). And that those arrested weren't just one ethnicity, religion, or economic class - they really crossed all sections of the Soviet Union. I also learned that there were many, many people outside the Gulag who were exiled but aren't counted as technically part of the Gulag.

Basically, almost everything I read in this book was news to me and I'm very much looking forward to Applebaum's next book.

115japaul22
jun 25, 2013, 10:11 am

For my group reads category, I read The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.

I cannot decide whether I loved this book or was annoyed by it. Fowles wrote this Victorian era novel in the 1960s, but it never struck me as historical fiction. I guess it felt more like a writing exercise with really well thought out characters. Fowles inserts himself into the book, exploring his control or lack thereof over the characters, and comments on Victorian era psyche from the perspective of the 1960s. He also supplies 3 different endings to the book, never really saying which he feels is the right one.

I found this all interesting and annoying at the same time. I think it was even more annoying because the characters are so interesting and the plot so familiar (at the beginning at least) that I kind of wanted it to just be a straight ahead Victorian novel. I think it's kind of brilliant that Fowles was able to mesh these two things but it was also kind of jarring to read.

This is one of those books that I'll have to think about for awhile.

I am also really curious about the movie. I wonder how it manages to incorporate the present day voice into the Victorian story, or if it just ignores it? I don't often watch movies, but I might need to make the time for this one.

3.5 stars (at the moment)

116Yells
jun 25, 2013, 11:45 am

It's a good movie. It's set in modern day and they are actors on a film set acting out the Victorian part. It's rather well done. And really... Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep can act in anything and pull it off.

117japaul22
jul 2, 2013, 8:28 pm

For my library finds category, I read Inferno by Dan Brown.

This is the latest Robert Langdon thriller. Again, Langdon traces historical clues and solves puzzles and symbols to solve a crime. This time everything revolves around Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy and a possible plague that is about to be released into the world.

I have to say that I didn't like this one very much. Not like his other books are high art or anything, but this was not very intricate, didn't have very interesting puzzles, and I found the whole premise pretty unbelievable. It was mainly chase scenes.

I wouldn't recommend it.

2 stars

118LittleTaiko
jul 7, 2013, 9:12 pm

Hmmm. Good to know about Inferno. I'll keep it on hold at the library but not wait too anxiously for it.

119japaul22
jul 11, 2013, 10:16 pm

For my prize winners (includes short lists) I read Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
There have been a lot of great reviews of this book lately, so I not sure I have too much to add. I definitely enjoyed it. The main character, Ursula, dies repeatedly and comes back for another chance at living. Sometimes the point at which she dies is because of something she has chosen to do or not do and sometimes it seems like pure fate. As she relives her life, she seems to remember little things and have stronger feelings towards people and events in her past lives and almost seems to realize what is happening. The whole thing is rather odd when you really analyze it, but Atkinson's success lies in choosing to just let it all unfold and not try to extensively explain what's going on.

In the beginning of the book I found it easy to keep Ursula's lives separate and see the differences between them, both for Ursula and the family and friends she effects, but as the book went on I just started to think of all of her separate experiences as creating the one person she was. I'm not sure if that was Atkinson's intent, but it was the only way I could make sense of things.

All in all, I thought the idea was great, the writing captivating, and the characters interesting, so it worked for me, but part of me thinks something about the book could have been a bit better. Can't put my finger on what exactly, though.

4 stars

120japaul22
jul 12, 2013, 9:57 pm

For the Author Theme Reads group, I read The Lover by Marguerite Duras.

Huh? I'm not sure I really understood this book, my first attempt at a work by Duras. It's an autobiographical novel about a young white girl and her affair with an older Chinese man in Indochina. The title suggests this is the main narrative thread, but the narrator's relationship with her everchanging mother and her two brothers is also central. The problem for me was that I felt like I didn't have enough inside information to understand what was really going on. This was more like a series of musings and I didn't have the necessary background information to fill in the gaps.

I found the writing style unique and interesting. Words like misty, meandering, and dreamy come to mind. I also found my internal reading voice reading the words in monotone. Duras also shifts point of view subtly - using "I" at the beginning and "she" by the end. Not sure why.

This was an interesting reading experience, but I think I need to read more of Duras's writing to truly get it.

3 stars

121paruline
jul 17, 2013, 11:46 am

I read The lover last year and when I finished it, I went right back to the beginning and reread it even though I had found the writing style ho-hum. On the second try, something just clicked and I found that the writing came alive.

122japaul22
jul 21, 2013, 1:12 pm

paruline - I can see how a quick reread might work for that book. I didn't have the patience for it, though!

For my 1001 books category, I read A Passage to India by E. M. Forster.

After loving A Room With a View, I was eager to give Forster another try. Unfortunately, I really didn't like A Passage to India. I found the characters flat and more like caricatures than real people and their relationships with each other even more implausible. Then there was the plot, which seemed to revolve around an inane, imagined incident in a cave between an Englishwoman and her Indian host.

I suppose that when this was written in the 1920s, it was an important and possibly revolutionary look at British/Indian relations, but I found it rather boring. It will not stop me from reading more Forster, though. Maybe this one just wasn't for me.

2 stars

123jfetting
jul 22, 2013, 11:02 am

It is definitely my least favorite of Forster's books.

124-Eva-
Redigeret: jul 22, 2013, 10:23 pm

I highly recommend Maurice, which is more in the same vein as Room with a View albeit with a more serious subject matter, and, thus, not as laugh-aloud funny.

125japaul22
Redigeret: aug 1, 2013, 5:06 pm

For my TBR pre-2013 category, I read Possession by A. S. Byatt
I have a new book to add to my favorites list! I loved Byatt's Possession. This book was right up my alley. Roland and Maud are literary critics specializing in fictional Victorian writers, Randolph Ash and Christobel LaMotte. They uncover letters that reveal that the two had a secret affair and possibly a child. They hide the knowledge from their peers, advisors, and rivals and pursue the story themselves. Byatt brilliantly creates the source materials that they find along the way - letters, journals, etc. - and also creates a body of work for each author that includes long poems. It's an amazing feat. I still can't quite believe that the Victorians in the book were fictional because she does such a good job. The book is smart, detailed, and funny as Byatt gently pokes fun at the world of literary criticism.

This is a book that is going back on my shelves to reread in the future.

5 stars

126jfetting
aug 1, 2013, 4:46 pm

Yeah, it is amazing, isn't it? She's so good.

127japaul22
aug 1, 2013, 5:07 pm

I read A Virgin in the Garden a year or two ago and didn't like it nearly as much. Possession was amazing though.

128Bjace
aug 1, 2013, 8:56 pm

I'm glad to hear that about Posession--it's on my list to read this month.

129Roro8
aug 5, 2013, 1:15 am

I just read your review on Life After Life, which I have recently bought but not read yet. Your 4 star review is certainly encouragement not to let it sit waiting for too long.

130japaul22
aug 8, 2013, 6:59 pm

For my mystery category, I read Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom.

I love this mystery series! This is number two in the series following Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer during Henry VIII's reign who does occasional detective work for Cromwell. Since Cromwell is executed at the end of the book, I'm curious to see who hires him next.

This is *just* a mystery series, but the historical info is interesting too. I like the information about the Tudor legal system that Sansom makes a part of the story. He also does a good job of keeping you in the time period - everything takes so long when the characters are traveling by foot or horse and don't have ways to instantly communicate.

Love it.
4 stars

131cbl_tn
aug 8, 2013, 9:23 pm

I love the Shardlake series too! My favorite is coming up next for you. I loved Sovereign!

132japaul22
Redigeret: aug 9, 2013, 1:21 pm

Now I'll never be able to resist reading it right away! I almost never read books in a mystery series right in a row, but I might have to make an exception. I started something else, but as soon as it's finished I think I'll jump right in to Sovereign.

133rabbitprincess
aug 9, 2013, 7:21 pm

Hm now I'm thinking I need to investigate this Shardlake fellow sometime!

134mamzel
aug 10, 2013, 2:52 pm

You won't be sorry!

135japaul22
aug 23, 2013, 3:33 pm

For my mystery category, I read Sovereign by C. J. Sansom.
Well, I did start a different book, but I got sucked in and finished this one first. Book 3 in the Matthew Shardlake series is just as good as one and two. No more Cromwell in this book, so Cranmer takes over as the person who asks Shardlake to do a job for him.

Loved it.
4 stars

136-Eva-
aug 23, 2013, 7:03 pm

I'm another one who needs to get around to the Shardlake-series - I've heard nothing but good about it.

137japaul22
aug 25, 2013, 8:57 am

For my TBR pile category, I read A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor.
I've heard so many positive things about this author on LT, but I have to say I was kind of disappointed in this book. It's the kind of book I should love - 1950s, british, woman author, character-study type of book, but for some reason it didn't work for me. I felt that there were too many characters, I didn't like any of them, and the plot jumped around too much for me. I think the main thing was that I felt the characters and book in general were missing a certain charm that I look for in a book like this. That's a hard thing to put into words, but nonetheless I felt its lack in the book.

a surprising 2.5 stars

138jfetting
aug 25, 2013, 10:26 am

I have never heard of this Shardlake series, but if you like it that much I'll have to try it.

139japaul22
aug 25, 2013, 11:12 am

It's fun! *Just* a mystery series, but I like the historical setting in the time of Henry VIII and it's fit the bill for some light but not completely brainless reading. This third one had some plot that kind of concerned Richard III and ever since The Sunne in Splendour I love anything that even mentions him!

140mamzel
aug 27, 2013, 12:01 pm

>138 jfetting: Jennifer, a lot of LTers are fans of the Shardlake series! Hop on board the train!

141japaul22
sep 3, 2013, 5:02 pm

For my group read category, I read Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman (though this is coming very, very late to the game, the group read still spurred me on to read it now).

This is the second book in Penman's historical fiction series about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. This book covers the first half or so of their marriage and the birth of their many children and historical events through the murder of Thomas Becket. As always, I enjoy Penman's brand of historical fiction. She sticks to true events and real people (with one exception that kind of bothered me in this book) and uses the fiction to imagine the motivations and inner thoughts of her characters. I've still not found any of her books that measure up to her first book, The Sunne in Splendor about Richard III, but this was good.

3.5 stars

142christina_reads
sep 4, 2013, 10:19 am

Congrats on finishing Time and Chance! I really need to read The Sunne in Splendour one of these days.

143sandragon
sep 5, 2013, 11:23 am

I joined in the group read of the first book, but still haven't gotten to Time and Chance. I mean to but now I'm not sure I will this year. Was it a non-true event or non-real person that bothered you?

144japaul22
sep 10, 2013, 8:21 pm

For my Monthly Author Reads group category, I read Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates.

This novella definitely packs a punch. It is obviously a retelling of the famous scandal surrounding Ted Kennedy's car accident where he drove his car off a bridge with a female passenger inside, escaped, and didn't call the police until the next morning. The passenger, of course, died. Apparently there is quite a bit of controversy about what really happened (I missed this as it happened before I was born) but Oates skips most of the controversy and keeps the focus on Kelly, the passenger. The book is told almost completely from the Kelly's point of view as she drowns in the car. It's dramatic - time flying back and forth, hallucinations vs. memories vs. her present of drowning - and short. Oates could have chosen to make this a long novel, delving into The Senator's motivations for leaving this woman to die, presenting more background and aftermath, but instead she keeps the focus on the mind of Kelly as she slowly loses air and drowns. This is a powerful and haunting book.

Black Water was my first foray into the dozens of book Oates has written. I was impressed by it and will continue dipping into her vast array of books.

4 stars

145japaul22
sep 14, 2013, 7:03 am

Today I went to our local library's book sale. I got 17 books for $23. 7 were books for my kids that I won't list. These are the books I got for myself.

Sula by Toni Morrison
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Revelation by C. J. Sansom
The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov

146RidgewayGirl
sep 14, 2013, 8:08 am

Now that's what I call an excellent selection of books!

147DeltaQueen50
sep 14, 2013, 11:57 pm

What a great way to spend a Saturday! You've got some great reading ahead of you.

148lkernagh
sep 15, 2013, 11:10 am

Great purchase!

149japaul22
sep 15, 2013, 12:21 pm

For my children's book category, I read Welcome to the Bed and Biscuit by Joan Carris.
This is the first chapter book that I've read to my 3.5 year old son. I wasn't sure he was ready to listen and follow the thread of a story over multiple nights, but he did really well. We read a little before bed each night and he looked forward to it. We'll still read primarily picture books for a long time to come, but I think we'll continue with chapter books as well.

As far as this actual book, it was a gift from Grandma which is why it was our first. It was cute - talking animals and a small mystery. My son loved the humor in the book. There is a pig named Ernest and bird named Gabby who have (mild) arguments. We had to read several of those pages many times over. I think there are others in this series and I could see us reading some more of them.

I don't have much to compare this to except my own childhood memories, but I'll give this 3.5 stars.

150japaul22
sep 15, 2013, 9:25 pm

For my group reads category, I read The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox.
This novel was written in the 1750s and is a satire of Don Quixote. The main character, Arabella, is a beautiful, charming, wealthy woman who unfortunately grows up very isolated and therefore reads too many French historical romances about ancient Greece and Rome which she believes in completely. This leads to many humorous situations as she is courted by her cousin who her father intends for her to marry. I really enjoyed the first third of the book, but after a while the humor started to be the same over and over and got a little old. All the men in the book think she's crazy but don't care because she's beautiful and wealthy. I think this is worth reading, especially as an example of women writing in the 1700s. It's genuinely funny and entertaining. It was also obviously an example to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, a book I love.

3.5 stars

151lkernagh
sep 15, 2013, 10:45 pm

I have now downloaded a copy of The Female Quixote. Wonderful review!

152RidgewayGirl
sep 16, 2013, 1:56 am

Oh, enjoy the chapter book phase of bedtime reading. I miss that -- now that mine are twelve and ten, they do their own reading, and while the times we all curl up in the living room to read are lovely, it isn't the same.

I think my son was four or five when I read the entire Series of Unfortunate Events to them. That was a big hit. They liked books about animals or living in the wild, but the "Little House" books left them cold. Strangely, Black Beauty, in all its Victorian preachiness, was very popular. It's so much fun to discover what they like.

153japaul22
sep 17, 2013, 8:14 pm

For my TBR pile pre-2013 category, I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.
As this is a much reviewed book on LT, most of you probably know this novel is told from the point of view of a 15 year old boy with an unspecified condition that is probably a degree of autism or aspergers. I was sucked into the story and Christopher's world immediately. Take away the interesting perspective, and the book is still an interesting look at a family falling apart and trying to stitch itself back together. I thought it was very well done.

My one reservation is that I wondered how Haddon felt qualified to pretend to know the inner workings of a mind so different from his own. As long as I don't think about that too deeply, I enjoyed the book.

3.5 stars

154-Eva-
Redigeret: sep 18, 2013, 1:15 am

The Curious Incident is quite good, isn't it. I think Haddon has worked with autistic children, but I don't know to which extent. I did believe in Christopher's voice, though.

155japaul22
sep 20, 2013, 2:11 pm

Another off my TBR shelf (why oh why didn't I read this sooner?!!!!) - The Summer Book by Tove Jansson.

I have a new book to add to my favorites. Jansson's The Summer Book is a charming, subtle and humorous look at the relationship between 6 year old Sophia and her grandmother. The book is organized into chapters that are something like short stories, but more like snapshots of summers spent on an island in Finland. Jansson magically shifts point of view from Grandmother to Sophia throughout the stories, making this book equally about both of them. We find out in one short sentence that Sophia's mother has died and her petulant sometimes erratic behavior becomes more than just the mood swings of a typical six year old, but also the reaction of a child to the loss of a parent. Jansson never hits you over the head with an psychological analysis, but keeps the event in your mind as you read. Grandmother is nearing the end of her life. She is sarcastic and ironic and not always patient with Sophia, but she is loving and hilarious. My favorite chapters were "The Pasture", where Grandmother and Sophia have a hilarious but somehow meaningful discussion about God, "The Cat" where Sophia learns her first lessons about loving something that doesn't always act the way you want it to, and "Of Angleworms and Others" where Sophia writes a book. Grandmother and Sophia are two of my favorite characters I've ever come across and I guarantee I'll read this book again.

I seriously hope that everyone takes the time to read this short, beautiful book. You'll love it.

5 stars

156psutto
sep 23, 2013, 5:04 am

Great book haul! I've read a winter book by Janson but not the summer book

157japaul22
sep 25, 2013, 9:34 pm

For my 1001 books category, I read The Secret History by Donna Tartt
This was a 1990s best seller that I picked up because its on the 1001 books to read before you die list. It's one of those books where you find out up front that a murder has occurred and then the book goes though the lead up, murder, and aftermath.

It's an odd book and I don't think I liked it much. It's about a tight knit circle of college friends studying the Classics. They have a Bacchanal where they get out of control and murder a local townsperson and then kill a member of their circle who wasn't there but finds out about it. The characters were all terrible people, but my main problem was that the book is told in first person by someone who was on the outer edge of the circle of friends and I never felt like he knew enough about the other characters or the events for me to get a clear picture of what was going on. So that was annoying. It's also about 200 pages too long (and I typically like long books). It has some redeeming qualities in that the build up to the murder and the downward spiral afterward are delved into in depth and it was interesting to see how all of the characters reacted. Overall, though, I just don't think it worked that well with the first person voice.

As an aside, I kept thinking of Tana French's The Likeness while I was reading this because of the tight knit group of college kids living in a farmhouse similarity. Anyone else read both and feel the same way?

3 stars

158-Eva-
sep 26, 2013, 7:53 pm

"Anyone else read both and feel the same way?"
Absolutely! But I liked The Likeness a lot better. :)

159VioletBramble
sep 26, 2013, 10:15 pm

The Summer Book is such a beautiful book. "Of Angleworms and Others" was my favorite part. i just finished reading The True Deceiver which was also lovely, but in a stark way.
I have The Winter Book saved for a planned challenge in 2016. I hope I can hold off reading it until then.
Have you read her Moomin Troll books? I haven't. I never even heard of them until I joined LT.

160japaul22
sep 27, 2013, 9:16 am

Eva - I like The Likeness much better as well! Glad to know someone else noticed the similarities.

Violetbramble - The Summer Book was my first foray into Jansson's work. I have a 3.5 year old boy, though, who is just starting to read chapter books with me so I purchased Comet in Moominland. It looks like it might be a little complex for him this year, but it looks really cute and I think he'll like it.

161japaul22
sep 30, 2013, 1:17 pm

For my 1001 books category, I read To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
This is a fantastic book. Woolf is a master at making every word count and setting a mood. This book is in three parts. The first is part of a day at a large family's summer home, told from the point of view of Mrs. Ramsey - the beautiful mother of eight children. As I read this section, I was struck by how good Woolf is at fully fleshing out her characters with very little plot or action for them to react to. Instead, the smallest daily events and their reactions show who these people are. It's pretty amazing. The short middle section lets us know what happens to the characters over the next decade or so. The end section cycles back to the summer house where loose ends are tied up - a painting is redone and the trip to the lighthouse that never happened in the first section is completed.

5 stars

162japaul22
okt 3, 2013, 12:29 pm

For my prize winners category, I read The Hours by Michael Cunningham
I liked but didn't love this Pulitzer Prize winning novel told from the perspective of 3 different women living in different time periods. There is Virginia Woolf while she's writing Mrs. Dalloway, a mother in the 1950s reading Mrs. Dalloway, and a woman in her 60s living in the present day with the nickname of Mrs. Dalloway. These women end up connected in many ways - both through actual life events and through their thoughts and musings. This book is very clever, but I wanted a little bit more from it. It may be one that I come back to in a few years.

3.5 stars

163japaul22
okt 7, 2013, 10:33 am

For my group reads category, I read The Bell by Iris murdoch.
This was a book that I read with a LT group read. I've never heard of the author or book and had no expectations going in. The beginning of the book struck me as kind of creepy and I thought it might go a bit gothic. The set up is a young woman, Dora, in a stifling marriage. She leaves her husband but decides to go back to him after 6 months. At that point he is living and working (seems to be some sort of historian) with a small religious community attached to a convent. She goes there to be with him and we meet the other people living there and learn about the myth of the old bell that was lost during the dissolution of the abbey in the 1300s. After a while, I figured out that the book wasn't really going the gothic direction and it ended up being more of a relationship study. The interesting thing is that some of the characters are homosexual and I thought that, especially considering this was written in the 1950s, this was written with a lot of understanding and lack of prejudice.

murdoch has quite a few books on the 1001 books to read before you die list, and I'm looking forward to reading more of them.

3.5 stars

164japaul22
okt 9, 2013, 1:28 pm

For my nonfiction category, I read Virginia Woolf by Alexandra Harris.
It is safe to say that I am hooked. This short and focused biography has gotten me so excited to keep delving into Woolf's works and life. The tight writing of this biography means that you don't get in depth about every friendship or movement that Woolf is associated with, but Harris does a great job of introducing the reader to the Woolf's growth as a writer and her processes of writing. I'm fascinated by how different the form is of all of her books and I want to struggle through them all eventually. I'm sure it will be a long process and not always easy or fun, but I'm looking forward to the challenge!

4.5 stars

165mathgirl40
okt 9, 2013, 10:18 pm

I enjoyed your review of To the Lighthouse. I'd read this in an English lit course decades ago and remember being very impressed by it. It is probably time for a reread, and Woolf's biography sounds like a worthwhile read also.

166lkernagh
okt 10, 2013, 8:49 pm

Getting caught up here. I have only read two Woolf books so far - Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse. While I preferred Mrs. Dalloway, I do enjoy Woolf's writing style. Mrs. Dalloway was my first Woolf book and, for me anyways, the stream of consciousness writing style really made it easy for me to visualize the story. I own a copy of Cunningham's The Hours. It is still waiting for me to get around to reading it and it will probably have to wait until 2014 or later.

The Woolf biography looks good. I usually avoid biographies because they tend to meander into and focus on topics I don't care about, but the Harris book sounds like it doesn't do that.

167japaul22
okt 11, 2013, 4:45 pm

For my TBR category, I read Silas Marner by George Eliot
This is a short novel that was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I think because the title sounds so drab, this has been sitting on my shelf for years. I love Middlemarch though, so I decided it was time and I wasn't disappointed. This novel has a fable-like feel to it and is very plot driven. Silas Marner is a weaver who is exiled from his first home after being betrayed by a friend. He moves to a new town where he work and hoards gold, living a solitary life. His gold is stolen and instead a young, golden-haired girl whose mother has died wanders into his life. There is more to this story that I won't go into, but suffice to say I enjoyed the book. It's short and worthwhile to get to.

4 stars

168japaul22
okt 11, 2013, 4:50 pm

mathgirl - To the Lighthouse is definitely a book worth rereading!

lkeragh - Those are the two Woolf books I've read too. I find it so interesting that she writes in different formats for each of her novels. The Harris biography is extremely focused and reads quickly. I found it a great intro.

169aliciamay
okt 11, 2013, 5:27 pm

I really liked Silas Marner too. I'm not one to normally recommend a movie because someone liked the book, but in the 90s there was a movie based on Silas Marner set in modern times staring Steve Martin (but not a comedy of course) and some other big names. It's called A Simple Twist of Fate and worth a watch if you ever see it around.

And really glad to see a five star rating for To the Lighthouse, that's my next Woolf to read!

170japaul22
okt 15, 2013, 8:41 pm

aliciamay - I will keep my eyes out for that movie. I can see how that could really work. Also will be keeping an eye out for your To the Lighthouse review!

171japaul22
okt 15, 2013, 8:42 pm

For my prize winners category, I read There but for the by Ali Smith which was longlisted for the 2012 Orange Prize.

This book didn't really work for me. It's the story of a man who goes to a dinner party as the guest of an invitee and ends up locking himself in the host's guest bedroom for months. The reader only finds out bits and pieces about this man through 4 people loosely connected to him. For me, the problem was that, although I'll admit the book was clever, it relied too heavily on the clever form and puns/word usage and never really got me engaged with the characters or had enough direction for me. It also left way too many loose ends in everyone's stories for my taste.

2.5 stars

172japaul22
okt 16, 2013, 11:12 am

For my nonfiction category, I read Benjamin Britten: A Life for Music by Neil Powell.
This is a book that I received through the Early Reviewers program.

I was not impressed with this biography of the British composer and musician Benjamin Britten. This biography is by a non-musician and it shows. The book relies too heavily on the words of others and has too little fresh analysis as a result. Powell goes through Britten's diaries, including large excerpts in the book, and doesn't draw conclusions. The musical analysis, which I would consider a necessary part of a musician's biography, is virtually nonexistent. Instead, Powell uses the words of others, choosing to include the contemporary reviews of music critics instead of analyzing it himself with a fresh eye. I think one of the author's intents was to bring new light to the relationship between Britten and the tenor Peter Pears, but even here I found the writing relied too heavily on diary entries and letters and too little on extrapolating ideas from those primary sources.

Overall, this was a disappointing biography of an interesting and influential 20th century composer.

2 stars

173japaul22
okt 19, 2013, 8:38 pm

For my children's books category, I read Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne.
This is the second chapter book that I've read with my almost 4 year old son. He loves the Winnie the Pooh movies so he was already familiar with the characters and I think that helped a lot. When we started reading, I thought he wasn't going to like it. There are some big words and the plot kind of meanders around in each chapter (each chapter is kind of a story in itself). He actually really liked it though and wants to read more Winnie the Pooh. Fine by me, because I think the stories are very sweet and pretty interesting for me to read as well.

4 stars

174RidgewayGirl
okt 20, 2013, 7:27 am

I didn't mind reading the Pooh books aloud at all, which can't be said for much of the reading I did with my children before they got older and smelly and prefer to read on their own. And we read those two books several times as well as the poetry (we like Alexander the beetle).

175japaul22
okt 20, 2013, 9:16 pm

RG - I bought a set of Winnie the Pooh books, so I think we'll get to all of them eventually. We are very early in chapter book reading since I think my son's still a little young for it, but we're just reading whatever he things is fun right now. I'm always open to any suggestions for first chapter books!

176japaul22
okt 20, 2013, 9:16 pm

For my 1001 books category, I read Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
What a beautiful book and how sad that it wasn't finished. This unfinished novel was published in 2006 but was written by Nemirovsky during WWII. Nemirovsky was a Russian Jew who had converted to Catholicism and lived her whole adult life in France after her family fled the Bolshevik revolution. She was arrested and ended up being taken to Auschwitz and killed there. The manuscript for this book was saved by her daughter who was hidden by family friends during the war. The book is two complete parts of a novel that was intended to be 4 or 5 parts in total.

I was afraid that the back story of this novel would overshadow any merits of the writing, but I didn't find this to be the case. I really loved the characters, writing, and description of events. The first part is about the arrival of the Germans in France and the fleeing of the French. The second part explores the occupation and relationships between the French and the German soldiers in one small country village. Unfortunately, the two sections deal mainly with a different set of characters that are only partially connected. You can see how she intended to draw them all together, but it is in no way a completed work. This 369 page book should be a highly readable 1000 page novel. I thought is was pretty amazing that she was writing this as events were unfolding. When you read her diary entries that are included in an appendix, they drive home the point that this woman didn't know how the war would end while she was writing the book. It's hard to remember that since we know Germany lost in the end, but when she was writing this living in occupied France, that must have seemed hard to imagine.

4.5 stars

177japaul22
okt 23, 2013, 9:18 pm

For my Prize winners category, I read Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro.

I picked this book up when I heard that Munro had won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Munro is mainly known for her short stories and I think this is considered her only novel, though some of her short story collections are linked stories and might be considered a novel. This is a coming of age story about Del, a girl living in the small town of Jubilee, Canada. Each chapter has an episodic feel and I liked some sections more than others. Munro is great at tricking you into thinking a story is straightforward and simple and all of a sudden you realize that dark, depressing, or deep events are being revealed. I appreciate her writing a lot, but it isn't always comfortable.

People's lives, in Jubilee as elsewhere, were dull, simple, amazing, and unfathomable - deep caves paved with kitchen linoleum.

If you change "people's lives" to "Munro's writing", that sentence pretty much sums up how I feel about Munro's writing in her own words.

I'm not generally a short story fan, but I'd consider making an exception to read more Munro.

4 stars

178aliciamay
okt 25, 2013, 1:17 pm

Nice review of Lives of Girls and Women. I just finished Dear Life and was wondering what book of hers I should pick up next - question answered! She is a really great short story writer; my only quibble with Dear Life was that towards the end some of the short stories seemed too similar and it was hard to separate the characters. So a novel would certainly solve this problem.

179japaul22
nov 1, 2013, 1:18 pm

For my library finds category, I read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I've checked this out several times and finally got around to reading it.

This is one of those books that I've avoided for years simply because everyone was reading it (including the Oprah book club) and I tend to avoid books that are too popular, thinking they may also be too simple. Not the case in this instance. I absolutely loved this book.

Most people who have heard of this book probably think of it as "the book about the hermaphrodite", and yes, the narrator is a hermaphrodite and it does sort of frame the book, but this is more a family epic than anything else. By tracing the gene mutation that results in Calliope's condition, Eugenides traces three generations of a Greek American family from Greece to Detroit. As with most books I love, the characters are the driving force to the book. Calliope, the narrator, is definitely well written, but Desdemona, the grandmother, is the unforgettable character in the book for me.

I loved this family epic with a twist.

4.5 stars

180japaul22
nov 2, 2013, 8:59 pm

For my 1001 books category, I read Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
On the most basic level, this is a book that imagines Marco Polo describing cities he has seen on his travels to Kublai Khan, but there is so much more to this book. Calvino makes every word count, describing each city with an element of the fantastic that makes you feel as though you might be reading poetry. It definitely doesn't read like a typical novel. Polo admits half way through that he is actually describing Venice when he describes each of these cities and that brings in the interesting thoughts of how alike are cities everywhere and how much does our idea of home influence our reactions to other places.

This is a book that may be short in page number, but is long in the amount of time you need to invest to make it pay off. I was intrigued by it.

4 stars

181LittleTaiko
nov 2, 2013, 10:14 pm

Read my first Calvino book this year - looking forward to more soon. Will have to make sure Invisible Cities is at the top of the list.

182japaul22
nov 9, 2013, 2:05 pm

For my miscellaneous category, I read Transatlantic by Colum McCann.

I didn't like this book as much as some others have around here. It's an interesting story - Part 1 following seemingly unconnected men traveling from the US to Ireland and part 2 connecting these stories through several generations of women. I think it was the writing style that rubbed me the wrong way. This book is full of short sentences and it kind of got on my nerves. For example:

The grass cool to the touch. The skyscrapers gray and huge against the trees. To be allowed to feel small again. To embrace that insignificance. The sun over the west side of Manhattan. Falling. The dark rolled backward.

There was just too much of that style for my personal taste. However, some of the reviewers I respect most around here (ridgewaygirl and cariola off the top of my head) loved this book, so take my tepidness with a grain of salt. It certainly has enough merit for me to recommend giving it a try, even though I personally didn't connect to it.

3 stars

183LittleTaiko
nov 10, 2013, 4:47 pm

I was one of those that absolutely loved Transatlantic primarily because of the writing style. For me it was such a nice change of pace from books that tend to be wordy. However, to each his or her own. Hope you enjoy your next book more!

184japaul22
nov 13, 2013, 1:34 pm

For my author theme reads category, I read Germinal by Emile Zola.
Forget Stephen King, I think it's safe to say this was the most brutal, horrifying book I've ever read. Zola doesn't shirk from describing the bleak lives and dangerous work of coal miners in mid-19th century France. Unlike other books I've read about the lower economic classes in this era, there are no sweet love stories, moves to a higher economic class, or even the relief of exploring some good in the upper classes (there's honestly not even much good in the miners he describes) to lighten the mood here. Normally, I would detest a book like this, but I was absolutely fascinated by this book. There are scenes that I will NEVER forget.

At the end of the book, when Chaval's body is knocking up against Etienne and Catherine's feet over and over was particularly gruesome to me.

5 stars

185japaul22
nov 17, 2013, 2:36 pm

For my prize winners category, I read Harvest by Jim Crace
This book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize this year and I can see why. It is set in a farming village in an unspecified time period, but seemed to be 1800s or before based on the technology they used. It's a first person narrative by one of the workers who arrived a couple of decades ago with the current owner. He is still viewed in many ways as a outsider and this "otherness" is a theme in the book as 3 strangers arrive in the community at the opening of the novel. The novel also explores the deterioration of this community as a new owner arrives and takes over the farm, basically destroying the community and their way of life in one short week.

I thought the themes and writing in this book were very interesting and well done, however I thought the last quarter of the book kind of lost its way. I would have preferred a little more tying up of loose ends. I also felt that, though the theme of destruction may have been the reason for this, the absolute chaos at the end was a little too implausible for me.

Overall, an interesting book and well worth the time to read it.

3.5 stars

186japaul22
nov 26, 2013, 7:07 pm

For my 1001 books category, I read The Thinking Reed by Rebecca West
After loving Return of the Soldier I was very disappointed in this book. It could best be described as a lifestlyes of the rich and boring. The premise is a beautiful young American widow in France who escapes a disastrous relationship to find love with a wealthy but unattractive man. Most of the book describes their lifestyle and friends/acquaintances who are all horrible and boring people. The book is told from the point of view of Isabelle, the American widow, and she has a knowledge of her own motivations and the thoughts of others that I found unbelievable - no one is that self aware and still makes so many mistakes!

Unfortunately, the boring plot and unlikable characters are not the only problem with this book. The writing was also very wordy, with lots of words I'd never come across and even some that weren't in my kindle's dictionary. Plangency, inchoateness, erethic, lickerish (used twice!), inspissated, frangible, coprophilists were all used.

So I was obviously disappointed, but I'm still willing to try some of her other books since I loved The Return of the Soldier so much.

2 stars

187japaul22
dec 5, 2013, 7:48 pm

In my rereads category, I read The Annotated Emma by Jane Austen, annotated by David M. Shapard.

This was an annotated edition of Emma that was a lot of fun to read. The book is text on the left and notes, illustrations, etc. on the right side, basically doubling the length of the book. Some of the notes were really interesting, especially those describing customs of the time, dress, furniture, and modes of travel. Less inspiring were his definitions of words that are in different usage now, and his analysis of the text which I found completely obvious.

I love Emma, it's one of my favorite Austen novels (currently 3rd behind Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion), and this was a fun way to read it for the fourth time (I think - I can't quite remember how many times I've read it!).

3.5 stars (for the annotation)

188japaul22
dec 6, 2013, 11:39 am

Library Book Sale!!! For $25 I purchased:

The House of the Spirits by Allende
Slow Man by Coetzee
The New York Trilogy by Auster
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Winterson
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
The Gormenghast Trilogy by Peake
Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James
Half a Life by V.S. Naipaul
The Queen's Man and Cruel As the Grave by Sharon Kay Penman
Catch-22 by Heller
Around the World in 80 Days by Verne
On Chesil Beach by McEwan
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

As always, thanks to all of you for the reviews that make it possible for me to sort through the thousands of books and come away with some books that will hopefully be worth my time!

189mamzel
dec 6, 2013, 2:55 pm

Nice haul! My library's December sale starts tomorrow. I have to remember I'm supporting the library rather than adding to the piles of TBR. I'll go in the afternoon after all the vultures with their scanners are done.

190japaul22
dec 10, 2013, 6:29 pm

In my historical fiction category, I read The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton.

Upon finishing this 2013 Booker Prize winner, this is what I know. I was totally caught up in the story and intrigued by the writing. Catton sets this long, complex novel in the goldfields of New Zealand in the mid 1800s. There is an enormous cast of characters (somewhere around 15 pivotal characters) whose perspectives are all explored and lie or hold back information. At the heart of the novel is a love story between a prostitute and young man. But layered on top of that and clouding the view is a mystery involving stolen gold, missing people, stolen identities, opium addictions, a trial, and a shipwreck, just to name a few of the plot details. Even taken at the most basic level, on finishing the book I am still confused as to what actually happened to some of the characters, how they were related, and just how much gold there actually was. Add to that the fact that Catton uses an astrological chart to assign each of 12 primary characters to a sign and I got the drift that whoever's sign was "ascending" (is that the right word?) was the focus of that chapter. I knew that the astrological symbols must be important, but I didn't know enough about the subject to understand how. I also noticed that the chapters start out very long (almost 400 pages for the first) and end with a 2 page chapter.

So I was confused and intrigued enough to read some reviews. Apparently, the reviewers were pretty confused as well, though most seemed as engrossed as I was. I added to my knowledge that Catton did, in fact, use the actual astrological charts from the years and dates in the book to structure the story. I think that it added to my confusion that the charts dictated whose story was told when and therefore nothing was unfolded in a way that made sense. Also, each chapter/part is exactly half the length of the previous chapter.

I'm not sure what I think of all this except that I was totally sucked in to the story and can't stop trying to figure out the parts I still don't know the answers too. I think I'd have to read the whole 800+ page book again immediately to catch all the answers and I'm not planning to do that. I think it was wildly ambitious to try to organize the book in terms of the zodiac, but I'm not sure if it was really cool or just made the book more convoluted than necessary.

I do know that I'll be thinking about this for some time to come, hoping more people read it that I can discuss it with, and planning to read Catton's first book, The Rehearsal soon. Oh, and by that way, she's only 28.

4 stars???

191jfetting
dec 19, 2013, 4:17 pm

I'm still only about 200 pages in, so which young man is the prostitute in love with? She's associated with ALL of them so far.

I'm having a hard time getting into it, but I think that I'm struggling with any and all books right now. Reading slump. Send help.

192japaul22
dec 19, 2013, 7:06 pm

It is a confusing cast of characters, and I'm still confused about the plot. Maybe that means it wasn't such a great book after all . . .

And any time I'm in a reading slump I know it's time to reread some Austen!

193christina_reads
Redigeret: dec 20, 2013, 10:11 am

@ 192 -- Yesssssss.

194japaul22
dec 24, 2013, 8:43 am

I've been struggling to find the concentration to read Roots of Heaven by Romain Gary and to finish up Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 by Eric Foner. Even though the hectic Christmas season has not made these books very enjoyable for me, I've been determined to finish them. Well, Sunday night I and my entire family came down with a nasty stomach bug and I gave in. I downloaded Devil's Brood, Sharon Kay Penman's highly readable historical fiction and will finish the other two in January.

195paruline
dec 26, 2013, 9:49 am

The stomach bug seems to be making its round this year. We've also caught it over the weekend, everyone but the baby (thankfully!). Hope your family recovers soon so you can enjoy the Holiday season!

196japaul22
dec 26, 2013, 10:49 am

Sorry to hear you caught it too - it was just miserable! Luckily it was intense, but short-lived and we're all feeling better. Hope you're enjoying the holidays anyway!

197japaul22
dec 26, 2013, 10:57 am

Since I’m relatively certain that I won’t finish any other books this year, I’m ready to post my end of year reading roundup. There’s a slight possibility I will finish one more book, but I’ll just update my stats if need be.

I set up this category challenge to be very loose since I wasn't sure how much reading I'd be doing. I exceeded my goal of 39 books, but didn't keep my categories very even. Oh well, I had fun! Next year I'll try to be more committed to the category concept.

Overall, 2013 has been a much better reading year than I expected to have time for. My second son was born in February of 2013, and we were blessed with a good sleeper so I’ve actually had a decent amount of time and awake hours to read. I read 55 books - fewer than recent years, but still a decent amount - and discovered some new favorites. Here is the breakdown!

55 books by 51 different authors

29 women authors/22 male authors

4 nonfiction, 51 fiction

3 rereads

37 new-to-me authors

Favorites of 2013
Possession by A.S. Byatt
The Summer Book by Tove Jannson
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Germinal by Emile Zola

Almost favorites of 2013
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
Of Human Bondage by Maugham
A Room with a View by Forster
The Forsyte Saga by Galsworthy
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Silas Marner by George Eliot
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Least Favorite Books of 2013

Heart of Darkness by Conrad
A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor
Illuminations: a Novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharrat
A Passage to India by Forster
there but for the by Ali Smith
The Thinking Reed by Rebecca West

198rabbitprincess
dec 26, 2013, 1:13 pm

Looks like a good reading year! Glad to hear you are feeling better.

199japaul22
jan 1, 2014, 3:36 pm

Thanks for a great year everyone! In 2014 you can find me in Club Read here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/162263

and in the 2014 category challenge here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/159970