japaul22's mini-challenge for Oct-Dec

Hi everyone! I completed my 11 in 11 challenge (http://www.librarything.com/topic/105744) a couple months ago and I miss the challenge so I thought I'd do a mini-challenge of 2 books per category to keep me motivated through the end of the year. Because I'm working with a short amount of time, I'm going to do something I don't normally do and count any book over 500 pages long as 2 books. This is partially so that I don't avoid reading some longer books I'm intending to read in favor of reading short books to finish the challenge. Here are my categories - tailored to fit in the books I'm planning to get to anyway. Wish me luck!

1) Books off the shelf - non-fiction - COMPLETE
Summer Light: A Walk Across Norway by Andrew Stevenson
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Possible: Bringing up Boys or A Brief History of Time

2) Books off the shelf - fiction - COMPLETE
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Home: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson
Possible: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, Home by Marilynne Robinson

3) Re-reads - COMPLETE
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (617 pgs, counts as 2 books)

4) Books I intended to read for my first challenge - COMPLETE
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

5) Biographies - COMPLETE
Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow (906 pgs, counts as 2 books)

6) Mysteries - COMPLETE
Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron
Possible: Detective Inspector Irene Huss, the Stephanie Barron Jane Austen mysteries

7) Children's Books - COMPLETE
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Possible: Little House on the Prairie books, A Wrinkle in Time

8) Modern Fiction - COMPLETE
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Room by Emma Donaghue
Possible: Room, The White Tiger, Small Island

9) Classics/1001 Books - COMPLETE
Journey to the End of the Night by Celine
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Possible: The Princess of Cleves, A Dance to the Music of Time, Journey to the End of the Night, The House of Mirth, Cold Comfort Farm

10) Historical Fiction - COMPLETE
Elizabeth I: A Novel by Margaret George (671 pages, counts as 2 books)

11) Anything Goes - COMPLETE
The Winds of War by Hermann Wouk (886 pages, counts as 2 books)

For my modern fiction category, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. This is a book I heard about on LT and I'm sure I would not have read it if it hadn't gotten such good reviews here. This book is about Major Pettigrew, who is a retired Major from the British Army, and the small English town that he resides in. The book delves into his love life and his relationship with his adult son. I have to admit that I usually steer clear of books/movies about older people. It sounds terrible, but I usually get pretty turned off by the themes of death, nostalgia, loneliness, that often go along with the topic. But Simonson does a great job of creating this character and dealing with topics that go along with aging without getting overly sentimental or dark. I LOVE Major Pettigrew. He has a fantastic sarcasm and I loved reading his thoughts. My favorite relationship in the book was between Major Pettigrew and his adult son, Roger. It was so amusing to read about the relationship of father and son after they are both adults from the parent's perspective. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

For my re-reads category, I read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins with the October group read. I found this book highly entertaining. It's one of the first mysteries ever written and is a real page turner. It's mainly plot driven, but there are some interesting characters - my favorite being Count Fosco. It's easy to feel like some aspects are kind of predictable, but I kept reminding myself that if it felt predictable it was because others had copied it - it's the prototype. However, the book also reminded me of the one gothic novel I attempted, Mysteries of Udolpho. It has a lot of the drama and flowery language that you read there.

If you like mysteries, you should definitely give this early attempt a chance.

For my "books I intended to read for my first challenge" category, I read Beloved by Toni Morrison.

SPOILER ALERT, I really can't give my thoughts on this book without giving away some of the plot.

How do I describe this book? For those who don't know, the book explores the lives of slaves, both during captivity and after they escape to freedom. In particular, it tells the life of Sethe and her family, including the slaves she worked with. After Sethe escapes to free Ohio, her former owner catches up with her to bring her and her children back to Kentucky. Instead of allowing this to happen, Sethe tries to kill her children and herself, succeeding in killing one daughter, Beloved. Beloved comes back as a ghost, first haunting the house as in a typical ghost story and then coming back in bodily form. There are many different options that Morrison offers for understanding the ghost, from believing it really is the dead child to assuming the woman is escaped from a cabin where a man had been holding her captive for years.

I attempted to read this book for the first time about 12 years ago while in college, and I just couldn't commit to it. I gave up after about 50 pages. I couldn't believe in the ghost and fighting against the thought really consumed my reading. This time though, it just made sense. I was able to just accept the story and appreciate the telling. In fact, I didn't want to believe the common sense version that this ghost was actually a real woman who escaped a horrible life. Morrison's writing is genius. I don't think there is anyone else out there who has her gift for words and imagery. This is the kind of book where you want to highlight every single sentence. I love her pacing, as well. The story unfolds so beautifully, giving you bits of the story as you go. The subject matter is so painful that I don't think a reader could handle it any other way.

I look forward to reading this book again 12 years from now. I think it will mean something different to me every time I read it.

The subject matter is so painful that I don't think a reader could handle it any other way.
I agree. Very interesting comments about the ghost, and how you reacted to the ghost 12 years ago. Morrison is amazing. & thanks for dropping by my thread. I don't think I would have found your mini-challenge if you hadn't. I'm still working on The Woman in White and am annoyed at how little reading time I've been able to carve away for it. I want to know what happens NOW!

Just finished Elizabeth I: A Novel by Margaret George for my historical fiction category. I've had the historical fiction of Margaret George on my TBR pile for quite a while now. I was not disappointed by this book, though I was not blown away either. This book focuses on the end of Elizabeth I's reign. It roughly starts with the 1588 Spanish Armada victory and goes through the end of her reign. There is a lot of death in this book, as Queen Elizabeth's trusted advisers pass away from old age and she lives on. This was an interesting view and one that I haven't often seen explored in her reign. The book was obviously well-researched and the writing was good, though it didn't grab me the same way that Sharon Kay Penman's books do. One thing that I found lacking was that there were no maps or family trees. I usually find those helpful in books involving royalty.

Overall, I would give her books another chance (I'm particularly interested in Helen of Troy), but I won't be running to check it out from the library.

This was yet another LT recommendation that I very much enjoyed. I recently participated in the 11 in 11 group read of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, and Fingersmith was recommend as a modern version of a victorian novel. Since Fingersmith has been on my TBR list for ages, I decided to finally read it. Waters definitely takes some ideas from The Woman in White, including certain plot twists (I won't give any surprises away) and the shifting first person narrators. The plot in this book has many victorian elements: mistaken identities, hidden wills, the creepy old uncle, and plot twists galore. To me, the plot got a bit convoluted, and made me like the book a little less, but Part 1 of this book, narrated by Susan Trinder, is genius. I absolutely loved this character - brilliantly written.

Oh my! Mr. Fairlie reappears in Fingersmith? Ah, and it isn't neo-Victorian unless the plot is convoluted. Is there also a villain that won't shut up?

No, there's no one who measures up to Count Fosco, and the "Mr. Fairlie" is much darker, but the book definitely takes elements of The Woman in White. You should try it - I'd be interested to hear what you think!

For my books of the shelf non-fiction category, I read Summer Light: A Walk Across Norway by Andrew Stevenson. This is a travel book about the author's trip hiking across the mountains, fjords, and valleys of Norway. He walks (mainly) from Oslo to Bergen with his girlfriend. Interspersed with vivid descriptions of the scenery are details of Norway's history, culture, and politics. This was a pretty book to read, but would be prettier as a documentary. I wanted so badly to actually see the scenery he was depicting. I read this book because my mom lent it to me. Her grandfather and grandmother emigrated to America from Norway and we still have family there that we keep in touch with. I also got to go there with my family when I was 18 - still my favorite trip. Can't wait to take my own family there one day.

It is a shame that no photographs were included. Maybe you can find a book at your public library that includes photos of some of the places mentioned.

For my biographies category, I finally finished the very long Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. This is an exhaustive biography of George Washington, covering EVERYTHING from his birth to his death. Chernow obviously is a thorough researcher and is able to keep a focus on Washington while also describing the times and people that inevitably influence his life. Washington is a difficult person to read about because he was so adept at constructing a public image. He was able to internalize his public persona to the point where it really became him on a personal level as well. There are very few examples of Washington showing his true emotion or losing his temper, focus, etc. Because of this, it was a little difficult to relate to him and some of the book read very slowly for me.

Chernow did his job as I walked away from this book feeling that I know Washington as well as possible, but this wasn't always the most enjoyable book to read.

Interesting person though, if you can see a deliberately constructed persona in contrast to the "real" person. & think about how much more public people are now. - I'm not sure I have the patience for everything though.

For my "anything goes" category, I read The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. This is the first book of two detailing WWII through the lives of a military family, the Henrys. The book is supposedly very thoroughly researched and historically accurate. I wanted to read this book for two reasons: I plan to read the follow up book, War and Remembrance, next year as part of my 12 in 12 category of books published in 1978, and because there are a couple of non-fiction books that I'd like to read about WWII and I find that sometimes reading historical fiction first helps me.

This is a long book, almost 900 pages, but is very readable. Unlike most wartime historical fiction I've read, I enjoyed the parts about the war more than the characters in the book. I think the fictional writing definitely took a backseat to the war history and the characters aren't particularly deep or captivating. But the situations they are in, though crafted to put forth the war events, are definitely gripping.

Long story short, I enjoyed this and will look forward to reading the follow up book next year.

Ooohh... I remember watching and really enjoying the miniseries for The Winds of War back in the 1980's. Haven't read the book yet and enough time has passed since watching the miniseries the plot won't be fresh in my mind.

For my mystery category I read Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten. This is another of those Swedish mystery series that have become so popular. I really liked this one. The main character is Irene Huss and she has a supportive husband, teenage twins, and a much more balanced life than most of the detectives in this kind of series (thinking of Wallender or Harry Hole). She gets into some life-threatening situations and actually takes the time afterward to work through it. She also doesn't totally ignore her family for her job and is still a dedicated detective. It was really refreshing. The plot was fast-paced and interesting. All around I really liked it and would like to read more from the series. My only reservation was that I didn't particularly like the translation. I looked up the later books, though, and there is a new translator for subsequent books. I was happy to see that and will be reading them as well.

Side note: What's with all of these swedish books and drinking "light beer" or "strong beer"? They seem to imply different alcohol content. In the US, light beer is fewer calories, but not less alcoholic. I'm confused.

Good review - Tursten is definitely on my to-read list (but luckily not in translation). I just finished, and can recommend, Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir which also has a female lead with kids and family situations along with the mystery.

And, yes, we do separate our beer into light and strong according to alcohol level, not calories - Wikipedia to the rescue. :)

Thanks, bookoholic! I will look into Last Rituals.
And so interesting about the beer - another mystery cleared up! In the US, you only have to specify alcohol content of beer if it's over something like 5% alcohol. I had been assuming it was just some sort of lost in translation misunderstanding.

For my chidren's books category, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
I've been feeling lately like re-reading some of my childhood favorites and this was always one of them. I enjoyed it as much as an adult as I did as a child. I was surprised at how deep some of the themes are in the book. This book is 50 years old in 2012, and the sci-fi aspect has held up pretty well. Lots of fun to re-visit.

For my mysteries category, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron.
This is a mystery told through Jane Austen's diary and letters. Basically, she goes to a recently married friend's house, new husband is murdered, friend is suspected, Jane saves the day. It was kind of cute because there are lots of little references worked in to characters or situations that Jane will supposedly create later in her books. Overall though, not much positive to say except it was a good diversion. I wouldn't seek it out and most likely won't read any of the rest of the series.

For my non-fiction off the shelf category, I finally read A Brief History of Time by Stephan Hawking.

My main reaction is . . . Huh???!!!! My background in science ended in my undergrad with a course in physics. This was easy physics though and most of what I remember was the study of acoustics (probably since I'm a musician). Currently most of my scientific knowledge comes from Science Friday on NPR. So this was a stretch for me. But, this book was fascinating. I can't pretend I understood most of it, but it really is very readable and well-explained with nice pictures and graphs and amusing anecdotes. I recently heard an interview on NPR with a nobel prize winning scientist who talked about how you have to enjoy having your mind boggled to enjoy physics and mathematics today. I tried to keep that in mind while reading this!

One side note. I have a good friend who lives in NYC and is friends with some very smart people - mathematicians, physicists, etc. You know what they are doing now? Working on Wall Street making lots of money figuring out complex ways to make money off the stock market. That's sad. I hope they make their money and then turn to studying the universe so that we continue to learn about it. I think it's fascinating, but don't have the brain power to do it myself.

For my modern fiction category, I read Room by Emma Donaghue.

***spoiler alert - can't discuss without giving a few things away***

Wow. I was completely blown away by this book. This is a story of 5 year old Jack and his Mom told through Jack's voice. His Mom was abducted at 19 and kept in an 11 by 11 foot room where she gave birth to Jack. I found the whole thing fascinating - seeing how she structures their lives in the Room and tries to make things the best they can be for Jack. And then seeing them try to adapt to the Outside in the second half of the book was so interesting too. I think I really identified with it because I also have a son. This is definitely a book that meant something different to me as a mother than it would have 5 years ago. I thought that using Jack's perspective was very effective and kept the book tightly focused. This was probably the most unforgettable book I've read all year.

For my classics/1001 books category, I read Journey to the End of the Night by Celine.
This novel was written in 1932 and was very popular with the French public and also the critics. It is the story of Bardamu and is told kind of like an autobiography. Bardamu is a soldier in WWI when he is 20 and his experience there shapes his life dramatically. He struggles with mental problems from the war and travels from place to place (West Africa, New York, Detroit, Paris, Southern France, etc.) without making any real connections to anyone. The writing in this novel is really interesting and kind of saved this book for me. Bardamu is dark - he's pessimistic and makes horrible decisions. There are no characters in this book that really have any redeeming qualities, but Celine's writing is so stark and there's something so electric about it that the novel still works.

I have been meaning to read A Wrinkle in Time ever since I read Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me. Maybe next year. Room was a good read and thank you for the review of Journey to the End of the Night. I am off to see if I can track down a copy of that one to read as my local library only has the original French version, not an English translation.

Just so you know, I think there are several translations of Journey to the End of the Night. I read a translation by Ralph Manheim, and I thought it was fantastic. I could see how a bad translation would really hurt the book, though, since the writing style is so important.

Thanks for your comments!

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder for my Children's Books category.

Well now I want to read this entire series again. I know these are intended for children in that the language is simple and they are told from a child's point of view, but this book holds up well for an adult too. I found the descriptions of life on the prairie to be very interesting and the interactions of the settlers and the Indians to be handled with much more compassion than I expected considering the time period. I see myself reading the whole series over the next year. I picked this up on a whim at the library, forgetting that Little House in the Big Woods is actually the first in the series. Guess I'll go back before going on. I loved these books so much as a child and I'm happy to find that I also love them as an adult.

As a side note, this was a really nice 75th anniversary edition (turned 75 in 2010) with very nice illustrations by Garth Williams. It would be a nice book to own.

For my 1001 books category, I read Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.
This book has been so highly recommended on LT that I think I had expectations that were a little too high. It's a pleasant, amusing, well-written parody of authors such as Thomas Hardy and D.H. Lawrence. Maybe I haven't read enough of Hardy and Lawrence to get all of the little jokes. It was fun to read, but not earth-shattering.

For my fiction off the shelf category, I read Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.
Meh. I didn't like Glass Castle and I didn't like this book either. This is a "true life novel", based on the life of Lily Casey Smith, Walls's grandmother. She rode horses, taught in one-roomed schoolhouses, lived on ranches, etc. This book just didn't grip me, though you'd think it would be exciting from the description. For some reason, it was on the NY Times best 10 books of 2009, but if you want my opinion, I'd say skip it.

To finish this challenge, I read Home: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson for my fiction off the shelf challenge.

I think I waited too long after reading Gilead to read this companion novel. Gilead sucked me in from the moment I picked it up. The writing felt so new and so old at the same time. Home took me longer to give in to. Part of it may have been the closed circle of characters and the sadness, regret, and misunderstanding that permeates the entire novel. This novel views most of the same events as in Gilead, but from the Boughton's perspective, specifically Glory, Jack (the prodigal son), and their father. I found Jack just so sad and it made me so mad that he was so polite and passive and always apologizing and laughing nervously when I felt that though he had failed his family, they had failed him as well. The vision of him as a little boy, sitting up in the tree or out in the barn, listening to his family living their lives inside, and knowing that they were thinking he was off causing serious trouble somewhere - it's heartbreaking.

Again, I love Robinson's writing, it's just beautiful and really sucks you in. And she's amazing at developing characters without letting you know she's doing it. Things like, regarding Jack, And his head fell, and it was real regret. He was so tired of himself. Overall, I loved this book though not quite as deeply as I loved Gilead. Some day I'll read them again back to back to see if I feel differently.

Favorite reads from this mini-challenge:
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Room by Emma Donaghue
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
Beloved by Toni Morrison

Least favorite:
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron