Tad's Books in 2009

As last year's Challenge wound down, I felt like I should have spent a little more time with my nose out of a book. So I'm targeting 125-150 for this year, including any re-reads I may do. If it goes higher...it goes higher.

In 2008, I diversified the types of books I read; now I want to bump up the international variety, so I'll keep my own "Countries Covered" list here.

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Ratings refer to my experience reading the book, not to any judgment about literary merit.

= I can't believe anyone liked this.
to = Disliked, ranging from "didn't finish" to "may have skimmed some"
to = Neutral, ranging from "just fair" to "passed an afternoon"
to = Recommended, ranging from "mildly" to "strongly"
to = Favorites

2008 Final Four Fiction
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Random Harvest by John Hilton
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

2008 Final Four Non-fiction
The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
Night by Elie Wiesel
Prospero's Cell by Lawrence Durrell
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

Recommendations from 2008 still remaining to be tried
alcottacre: The Small Woman
avaland: On the Overgrown Path
bnbooklady: 84, Charing Cross Road
daddygoth: Vertical Run
deebee1: NW15: The Anthology of New Writing
dihiba: Forty Words for Sorrow, Gallows View
drneutron: Empires of the Word, A Drink Before the War
FlossieT: The Wasted Vigil
hemlokgang: The Seasons of Beento Blackbird
MusicMom41: A Pirate of Exquisite Mind, Come Tell Me How You Live
Prop2gether: The Swallow and the Tom Cat
sgtbigg: The Whiskey Rebellion
Whisper1: Zarafa

Recommendations from 2009
alcottacre: Plainsong
blackdogbooks: The Virginian, Joker One
dcozy: The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll
deebee1: Relations by Zsigmond Moricz
digifish_books: Nell's Last War
Joycepa: Mistress of the Art of Death, The Impending Crisis
kidzdoc: Mishima's Sword
kiwidoc: Le Grand Meaulnes
laytonwoman3rd & Joycepa: In the Bleak Midwinter
Prop2gether: Jakob the Liar
Talbin: People of the Book
Whisper1: Kipling's Choice

that looks well organised Tad, I might borrow this from you :-)

Bummer, I didn't make TadAd's list of recommenders.....note to self, twist Tad's arm on some book this year!

>4 blackdogbooks:: Never fear. There were several you read which would have become recommendations if I didn't already have them on the TBR pile, e.g. All Quiet on the Western Front and Night.

That's a good idea. I always write down the recommendation without noting who or where I got it from.

#4 BDB: You did not make the list and I am surprised! I am also surprised that I did, lol.

: Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg

Mystery, RtW
453 pages

My reactions to this book need to be divided into two parts: the first two-thirds of the story and the last third. I would have given the first part 4½ stars; I would give the last part only 2 or, at most, 2½. In the end, I would recommend reading this book in order to experience the former, but it could have been so much more.

The first part of the book is beautifully written—nominally a mystery, it felt more like a literary work. Within a couple of pages I was completely involved with the main character, Smilla Jaspersen: brilliant, lonely, isolated because she exists neither in the upper-crust Danish society of her father nor the Greenlander Inuit existence that was her mother’s. Setting her in Copenhagen, Høeg portrays the familiar story of problems caused with the Western "civilization" of native peoples, and the resulting alienation felt by the Greenlanders in the society that supposedly embraces them.

A mystery is used as a vehicle for the story. Examining the snow tracks of a boy who police believe fell accidentally off a roof, Smilla realizes the real story must be quite different and proceeds to pull at the loose ends to find out what happened. It is well-written and the author manages to build a good feeling of suspense, using the first-person narrative of Smilla’s thoughts and her stubborn refusal to be stopped by the roadblocks put in her way by all around her to tell his larger story.

The last third relocates to a ship heading to Greenland and then Greenland, itself. At this point, the book changes from an exceptionally well-written mystery to a plot treatment for a Hollywood summer blockbuster. It’s as if Clive Cussler stepped in and took over as the author. The writing switches from a literary focus on the characters to a thriller focus on the action and violence. It’s disconcerting and disappointing. It even treads the line of bizarre in explaining the real goals of the villains though, thankfully, it backs away at the last moment, leaving some explanations firmly set in ambiguity. By the last page, we are expecting a fireworks ending, but it fails to materialize as the book suddenly attempts a return to subtlety. Unfortunately, the reader is now firmly in thriller mode and this comes across as anticlimactic, weak and even more unsatisfying.

If the world worked the way I’d like, Mr. Høeg would throw away everything from page 255 onward and finish the story in the same way he started it: beautiful, atmospheric and rich. I’d recommend a try just to experience the first part of the novel; skim the last third if you must.

I don't recall having the same reaction to the latter third of the book, but I do recall enjoying the writing a great deal, as you did. And, the movie is worth watching, though the last part of the movie does have that feel to it that you describe from the book. I have a collection of his short stories that I haven''t tried yet. I'll let you know if I read them this year.

BTW, All Quiet on the Western Front was encouraged to be read by TrishNYC. We all pass these titles along, don't we.

Happy New Year and I'm honored to have made your list!

IMHO, the movie Smilla's Sense of Snow was far better. I read the book long ago because I was captivated by the beautiful imagery of the title. It has a certain ring to it eh?

*** SPOILER ***

>9 blackdogbooks:: BDB - I just couldn't reconcile the quiet and introspective tone of the first part, which I found so thoughtful with the shoot-outs in the ice cave, the fear of total world destruction from the mutated parasites, etc. I managed to somehow block all thinking about the possibility of a meteor that was alive...no, no, no, he didn't raise that possiblity! In a Dirk Pitt novel, this would have been all part of the fun; in this book, it felt like the author just copped out.

*** END SPOILER ***

>10 Whisper1:: Linda, I agree. That title is wonderful.

: Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
465 pages

This reinterpretation of the Canterbury Tales follows a group of nine individuals, each with a secret they are trying desperately to conceal, as they travel across the England of 1348 in an effort to avoid the Plague. Elements of magical realism color both the characters and the stories they tell as they head to fates they cannot avoid.

I didn't really dislike the characters, except Zophiel, but neither was the author able to make me really like or care about them. I found the ending unsettling and unfulfilling.

The best I can say is that it passed the morning.

Oh, that's too bad about Company of Liars - the premise sounds really cool. Sigh.

Smila's Sense of Snow is another book that has occupied Continent TBR for a while now. When I finally get to read it, I may just skip the end 1/3, though. Sounds terrible.

>14 alcottacre:: Stasia, the book is subdivided into three, uneven sections. The first one, "The City", is the good one. If you decide not to finish the book, anyone who has read it can tell you what the resolution of the mystery was.

Thanks for the heads up. I may just read the first section and the final chapter or ask you 'Who Dun It?', lol.

: Roads of Destiny by O. Henry

Fiction, Short Stories
376 pages

A re-read, but just what was needed on this rather cold, very dark morning when the dogs woke me hours too early. No matter how many times I go through his works, they always make me feel good.

Sounds like another good one I need to look for. On to the Continent it goes!

I love O. Henry also. I have his complete works in one volume--could never use it for a "challenge" but I love dipping into it when I need a short, relaxing read.

>19 MusicMom41:: I have two copies: a two-volume "Complete" as well as a collection of the individual volumes. The latter are sized just right for a few hours of reading.

Edit: I swear I can't write the simplest post without a typo

#20 Tad

Well, my Hubby always accuses me of "not noticing" and I just proved him right again. I keep my O. Henry volume up here at our "home away from home" so I went to check it. It's arranged as a collection of individual volumes. So I could put a volume of O. Henry in somewhere--and now I'm motivated to do it. Thanks!

: Robin Hood by Paul Creswick

Adventure, Young Adult
362 pages

Another Christmas present. I read the Pyle version 40 years ago and McKinley's version 20 years ago, but I have always wanted to read this one for the beautiful Wyeth illustrations.

It's a very good telling of the story; I'll have to re-read the Pyle one to see if this is my favorite. Certainly, it has the best artwork!

Recommended.

Unfortunately, I fear my reading is going to seem very one-dimensional for a bit. I had 93 books on my Christmas List and ended up receiving 12—pretty much all mysteries, science fiction or fantasy, though they were less than half the list. Go figure... I guess those were just the easiest to find. I swear there will be some variety soon. :-)

: Princep's Fury by Jim Butcher

Fantasy
400 pages

This is another outstanding episode in the Codex Alera series. The author kept three distinct story lines going and, each time he switched between them, I was so engrossed I wanted to yell, "No, I need to know what happens next!" Very different than his Dresden books (a single story arc, not set in our world, etc.), this story feels very fresh and the quality is consistent across the volumes.

I’m really looking forward to the next installment. Butcher continues to be one of the most consistent fantasy writers going for me.

Message #12
TadAd,
This book reminds me of The Decameron

Here is a link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decameron

Also, here is a link of a J.W. Waterhouse painting depicting this

http://www.johnwilliamwaterhouse.com/pictures/tale-decameron-1916/

Hi and happy new year! Was interested to see that your reaction to Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow was pretty much identical to mine when I read it. Such a let down at the end!

*23: Hey, TadAD, how does this compare for you to Martin's song of Fire and Ice series?

>26 Joycepa:: Joycepa

Hmmm, it won't be very coherent, but here are my thoughts. See if you can glean anything useful from them. ;-)

These are my two favorite "epic sweep" works going.

Martin is the better writer, in my opinion. There's a brutality and gritty realism to his story that feels very realistic—this is the Middle Ages, or the early 17th Century Europe, or any other time when every petty princeling is unleashing the horror of war on the commoners in a quest for power. Butcher tells a good story, you get hooked on the characters, there's plenty of excitement, but his books have less of the three-dimensional detail and clarity at which Martin excels.

On the other hand, if extreme length bothers you, Butcher is going to be better. Martin set himself up for the extreme long haul (currently, 7 loooonnnggg books planned). This means that hints and problems might not be addressed or resolved for, literally, thousands of pages. Butcher's book is not short (probably about six volumes), but it moves much more quickly and he doesn't keep you hanging on anything across several volumes.

Butcher is truer to the fantasy genre. Martin's books are basically European "alternate history" with a small dose of magic thrown in. Butcher has managed to put together a world where the magic is important to the story line, and his concept is actually fairly fresh and non-Tolkien-derivative.

In fairness, I have only read the first three of Martin's books and rumor has it that the fourth slows down a bit. I cannot comment, but I'm not dissuaded until I see for myself. I've stopped because he's taken 12 years to produce four, and the fifth one is two years late. So, I've decided to let him finish the story and then I'll re-read and finish. The books are too complex for me to hold them in my mind over multi-year waits. This may be a factor if waiting year after year is not your bag—Butcher puts them out fairly promptly.

Bottom line: Martin is grander and more literary; Butcher is lighter and a bit more "fun". Both are recommended...if you can only choose one and don't mind the waiting, choose Martin.

I hate to rain on your parade (now, does that date me or what) but I have to agree with everyone else on the 4th book--it does slow down. but all things are relative--the pace was utterly blistering.

I've only read the first of Butcher's Codex series, and was not that overly impressed. But now that you've brought it up, you're right--no Tolkien, which is a definite plus. What I found tiring, however, was the coming of age bit. Seems like there's too much of that hanging around. But then I'm not a big fan of the fantasy genre.

I completely agree with you about martin's realism, which is a big reason, I suppose, that I prefer that series--it has very little of the fantasy aspect in it. I'm sure you're right about the problem with the long wait--since I just found out about the series last year and consumed the first 4 books like they were ice cream, I have yet to be frustrated by hanging around.

What I really liked about Martin is that his characters are all very distinct, very believable. I am anxious to find out what crazy twists he has in mind next. Best soap opera I know of.

Great summary--thanks!

>28 Joycepa:: Joyce

I read A Game of Thrones in early 97...long wait. :-(

If you didn't like Furies of Calderon, then I probably wouldn't go on. The coming of age aspect diminishes because, well, Tavi comes of age. However, the writing style doesn't change that much. I am a reasonable fan of the fantasy genre, so it appeals to me, but I know it's not for everyone. All my reviews should probably start: "Assuming you like these types of books..." *smile*

If Martin finishes...and, if he finishes in the same style...I think he'll end up one of the top three or four of the last 50 years. We'll see.

re 12: I'm intrigued enough to try Company of Liars. I love Canterbury Tales and am always looking for reinterpretations. Worst case it will help me pass the time in the waiting room.

Company of Liars is on my wishlist. My library doesn't have it, so I think I'll push is down further on the list. That's why these groups are so great, helps me prioritize the chaos of TBR and wishlists.

: This Day All Gods Die: The Gap Into Ruin by Stephen R. Donaldson

Science Fiction
564 pages

This final volume in the The Gap Quintet finally draws this extended series to a close. I'd summarize the quality of the series by saying it has a very weak start in The Real Story, manages to get on its feet in Forbidden Knowledge, provides some exciting rides in A Dark and Hungry God Arises and Chaos and Order, before coming to a very predictable ending in this volume.

The series was too long by about 40% of its text. Most of that extra text was constant re-summarization of what had happened before, repeats of character analyses, and what one friend described as scenery-bashing. Characters have just a touch of the cardboard in their makeup, substituting emoting, angst and a good wallow in self-loathing for depth of character. A character like Nick just doesn't convey a sense of reality to me. The only exception was Angus...easily the most enjoyable (though not likable!) person in all five books.

Donaldson does manage to convey the grand scale of events in this story. There is something that feels a bit epic about the whole thing. The writing is readable—consistent with what I’ve found in his other works. The only exception I can think of are the horribly trite and overblown speeches made by the government at the end; even politicians don’t speak like that.

I would have liked to have seen (along with a page reduction) just a little bit of tension, just a dash of something not turning out in the predictable way. Along the way of this story we have clashes of civilizations, war, political machinations, betrayals, piracy and a lot of action—unfortunately, you realize after a while that you can call the results without a crystal ball.

If you enjoy galactic-scale science fiction and read a lot of it, you might want to try this series. If you pick and choose, I don't think this is a first-class example.

For this volume:
For the series: or if you're a strong science fiction fan

On the Codex Alera books - there's more than 5? No! Ah, I should have guessed it....sigh...just checked the website for the title...(I'm up to number 3 myself, waiting for them to be released here in mmp first).

I like them in some ways - I really like the characters, a lot. And the general storyline too. However, all that action leaves me cold. The chapters and chapters and chapters of endless action. Not my kind of fantasy, and it's frustrating because its mixed in with these great characters and story. I found myself skipping at the end of each book. 'Yes, yes, you're fighting a cane.' 'Yes, yes, you're fighting 60,000 canes which you will no doubt come out of unscathed and be heralded as miraculous for doing so.'

Tavi is beginning to annoy me with all of his brilliance, heh. Still, I want to see what happens.

>33 Severn:: Ah, Severn, I fear I must inform you that Tavi saves the day in the latest, also, though there is very little fighting, and Tavi only occupies a third of the book. The other two thirds are given over to story lines of his relatives who aren't physically with him.

I don't really mind the fighting. I'm a boy, what do you expect?

My best guesstimate is that there will be six books. Princeps' ends with what looks like everything drawing together for the big denouement.

I hope he does end it there. I think there's a strong incentive for authors to decide, "Hey, look, I can prolong this unnaturally and make some more money." Hopefully, Butcher has enough other ideas that he can just end this one and move on.

TadAD
Six books thus far!!! To reach the 75 challenge goal we need to read 6.25 books per month...It looks like you will soon surpass the needed amount for January...
Congrats...
You are off to a great start.

#32 Tad: I tried one of Donaldson's books several years ago and just could not get into it. Do you have a recommended starting point for him? Are his books really even worth it?

>35 Whisper1:: Thanks, Whisper. Things will slow way down now that vacation is over, I promise you. I read pretty much non-stop once the Christmas guests left.

>36 alcottacre:: Stasia, it's hard to answer that...are you a fantasy or science fiction fan? My take is this:

* The Thomas Covenant books (fantasy) are his most famous, but I find them only fair and I don't recommend them when people ask me for suggestions.

* My opinion of the Gap books (science fiction) is shown above.

* The two volumes of the Mordant books (fantasy) are his best work, imo, and I would recommend them to anyone who likes fantasy.

However, if fantasy really isn't your bag, then don't bother.

ETA: If you do decide to try them, the two Mordant books are The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through.

Well, I must say I've been convinced to finally take down that copy of 'A Game of Thrones' from my shelf and add it to this year's TBR pile... it's only been sitting up there, alone and forlorn, for about 7 or 8 years now... haha.

#37: I tried reading the first Covenant book (I couldn't think of what it was called until you mentioned it), and did not care for it. I think this author is one I will be passing by, with the possible exception of the Mordant books. I may give them a look. Thanks for the info, Tad!

>22 TadAD: Tad, I bought Robin Hood in the Readers's Digest Greatest Books series late last year. I am glad you like it - it is not on my list for 2009 but I might add it for a fun read!

- TT

Tadad & dk_phoenix

I am currently reading A Game of Thrones, and its very different from the other fantasy novels I have read, I think I would like it.

>41 PiyushC: It's good; it's dark, but it's good. (gets darker as it goes on, but stays good.)

Tad, love your first post. I'm bummed that Princeps isn't in paperback and that it isn't the last one. You guys should put bookstores and libraries on your things-to-be- grateful-for list.

Hopefully next time I get here there won't be 40 messages to read!

Suslyn, it already is darker than almot any fantasy book I have read, I am 2/3rd done with not a ray of light, am enjoying it just for the sake of something totally new, the storyline is very decent besides.

>42 suslyn:: Susan, if we ever come to Romania, I will bring a huge pile of reading that will "accidentally" get left behind.

>43 PiyushC:: Piyush, trust her...the darkness ain't anywhere near complete, yet.

: The Antipope by Robert Rankin

Contemporary Fantasy
283 pages

I had very high hopes for this. In fact, it was the Christmas book I was most looking forward to reading for a little bizarre humor. I had read his The Hollow Chocolate Easter Bunnies of the Apocalypse and found it amusing, and been told The Brentford Trilogy was his magnum opus. In my opinion: no.

I found it very slow to get started—two-thirds of the book is devoted just to setting up the characters and the real story of long-deceased Borgia Pope Alexander VI rising from the dead as the semi-ultimate evil is jammed into the final 100 pages. There is little excitement, no tension, and the much of the humor is forced. Most of the scenes in the book...e.g., Cowboy Night at the bar with one character in a PVC cowboy suit...struck me as random, pointless events that did nothing for the plot, little to illuminate the characters, and which were glued together awkwardly with little regard for story flow.

About the only thing I enjoyed were the two main characters, Pooley and Omally. I can see that they would be hysterically funny people to know. However, they find themselves in a story bereft of plot and it makes it hard for them to shine.

I've heard Rankin called another Pratchett...not even close if this is what he writes. Does it get better in the now-7-book "Trilogy"? I don't think I'll find out.

Good Evening TadAD
Sorry your hopes were dashed. After reading your review, I won't add this one to the TBR pile. But, I am sure there will be many others than I'll heap on the mountain after reading your reviews.

#45: Well there's one book in the fantasy genre that I will not be reading. Better luck with your next read, Tad.

So, Tad, when are you coming over? ;->

. . . and can I hitch a ride when you do?

: The Chapel of Princeton University by Richard Stillwell

Non-fiction, Architecture
105 pages (actually 129, but I didn't read all the Memorial Gifts at the end)

A very well-done book that walks you through the structure explaining the history and symbolism of the windows, panels, sculptures and other components of this very peaceful building.

It really has only one glaring flaw in that it is a black-and-white book. The windows cry out for color photographs. This keeps it from getting more than a simple 'Recommended' rating.

Obviously, this a book that isn't likely to be of general interest, so take my recommendation in the proper spirit.



Let me digress for one anecdote. My mother admitted that it is entirely apocryphal and just "campus lore".

She was an alumna of Duke University, which has a chapel extremely similar to that at Princeton. She loved to tell the story of how the Duke family (heavily associated with New Jersey) offered a large gift of money to Princeton if it would rename its chapel to The Duke Chapel. Princeton declined and the money went to Trinity College, with which the Dukes were also associated, and which went on to become Duke University. However, James Duke loved the Chapel at Princeton and, a little irritated, he stipulated that the chapel at Duke must follow the same pattern but "be larger." It did and it is, so my mother always twitted me that Duke had the "improved version."

Tad
The Chapel of Princeton University has been added to my TBR ever growing pile. Years ago I attended a wonderful Paul Winter Consort concert there. It was softly snowing as I walked into the incredibly beautiful chapel.. The notes of the music seemed to gently soar right up to the tippy top of the ceiling.

Lehigh University (where I work) has a stunning chapel as well.

By the way, have you ever seen the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NY City? It is a site to behold!

>52 Whisper1:: Linda, yes, I have and I agree with you. I'm a sucker for cathedrals. When my first two children were 8 and 10, we took a trip to Washington DC. My son kept wanting to return to the Aerospace Museum, my daughter kept wanting to return to the Natural History exhibits and I kept wanting to return to the National Cathedral. :-)

I've never been to Lehigh. Perhaps a road trip will take me out that way at some point, or in 4 years when my son starts looking.

I think this is the type of book where a return visit is in order to fully appreciate it since there's a lot of text that isn't associated with a picture (e.g., "the lower panel above the door is such and such"). I was in the chapel a lot and remember it reasonably well, but I'm going to drive down one of these weekends (it's about 50 minutes away) with the book in hand.

Tad -- the Lehigh Valley is one of my favorite spots on earth! Go to the park in Allentown, bring a picnic and plan on a wonderful day (take your camera and some good walking shoes :)

And, with my last day of vacation drawing to a close, a re-read to refresh my memory...a kickoff of focusing on Africa and South America for this year's foreign authors.

: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Literary Fiction
296 pages

I enjoyed this even more than the first time I read it. I'd like to read more of Achebe some day, but it will be a while with the TBR pile I have right now.



And now, to finish up my reading for the Highly Rated Book Club (still 40 pages to go) before the day is done...

Edit to spell the author's name correctly. Doh!

well ,when you do i highly recommend no longer at ease if you haven't read it already. it's excellent!

>56 browngirl:: Thanks, browngirl; I haven't read it...Things Fall Apart is the only one I've read by him.

Tad - Things Fall Apart was one of my good finds at the used bookstore near my office. I'm moving it higher on the TBR pile based on your review. Thanks!

This summer I was backpacking through Europe, and books were the topic du jour very frequently at the hostels where I stayed. Of the dozens of people I met, almost all of them recommended Things Fall Apart - apparently it is a popular read all around the world! On the list it goes!

I'm glad to see you enjoyed the re-read of Things Fall Apart. My book club picked it for our February selection, and I read it about 5 years ago so I was going to skip it, but maybe I'll go ahead and read it again with the group.

I read it several years ago, but I am thinking I should pick it up again for a re-read. Thanks for the review (as always) and reminder, TadAD!

I hope you enjoyed your vacation!

Tad, I'd also recommend Anthills of the Savannah and A Man of the People, but Things Fall Apart is the best book of these three, IMO.

Things Fall Apart is on my TBR list for this year, would be interested to know how did you guys like it, depending on which I would prioritize it in my reading slot.

I was very tempted to buy a copy of Things Fall Apart while I was over in Vietnam but ended up getting The Shadow Of The Wind instead. I'll have to be on the lookout, now.

Also, where did you get the lovely graphics you're using for this thread, Tad?

Hey Tad,

I checked out your map -- pretty cool. During this holiday I watched an absolutely wonderful speech at some book award deal. The speaker sold me on her biographies -- what a powerful story. Here's her link (sans the practical html) http://www.librarything.com/author/ilibagizaimmaculee.

So there's my recommendation for covering more of your map, Left to Tell and its sequel Led by Faith. Amazing lady.

>64 mattplozza:: Drew them. ;-)

Well, to be honest, it depends on which graphics you're discussing. The ticker is just done by stretching a couple bitmaps I drew by hand. The stars I drew in Photoshop; I tried to make them look like the LT stars only a bit bigger and, of course, variously colored—Tim should get the credit for the look. The numbers I did by typing them in Word with a font I liked, took a screenshot, and then tweaked the anti-aliasing a bit. If you went over to the Reading the World page, the map is a stock map of the world that I did some cleanup on the borders and then re-colored.

Edit: I do know how to spell, really!

>64 mattplozza:: Susan, I might give one of those a try since I don't have anything for Rwanda, yet. I've bookmarked that link and will do some reading about those books.

My TBR pile for Reading the World is quite large given that it's not the only reading I'll do this year. It's kind of an ongoing project along with my Read All Shakespeare and the like. I'm in the middle of a South America book right now, but work starts today and the commute will be long (ice storm last night) so I don't know how long this one will take me.

The 2008 75er group really bumped my TBR pile. I'm not like Stasia in keeping thousands of books on it (I usually keep it to about 6 months of reading, pushing some stuff off as I stuff I think I'll like better comes on), but it definitely grew last year.

#67: I do read the stuff on Continent TBR, Tad. Sometimes it just takes me a while to get to it. My problem is I add things faster than I can read (and sometimes acquire) them, lol.

>68 alcottacre:: I never suggested you didn't!

However, I wouldn't. Once the incoming exceeds the outgoing, some would never get read, so I just dump them off my list. Pre-LT, I realized that a half-year was about a good buffer...anything not read at the end of that period was eventually going to hit the wastecan due to newer, better incoming.

Now, I'm not quite sure what to do. I guess my triage standards will have to get tougher.

I have just faced up to the fact that no matter how many I read, I am never going to get as many read in my lifetime as I would like, so if they sound interesting I put them on the list in the (futile in some cases) hope that I will eventually get to them. It also gives me a wide variety of choices and genres to chose from, especially since I am a very moody and streaky reader.

Edited because at least one, and very possibly all, of my sentences did not make sense.

If you'd just sleep every third day Stasia instead of once a week, it might help. :-)

I find that keeping an extensive set of Wish Lists on amazon really serves me well, because when I go to make another order, I can choose books that serve my present mood AND take advantage of, say, 4-for-3 deals or book bargains or whatever to make up enough for free shipping to Miami. Since I never know when I'm going to order next, keeping a large TBR shelf really helps, because it allows me again to play to my moods. anything less than 60 unread books here makes me sort of nervous--and prompts the next orgy of buying, if I already haven't had an excuse before that (or no excuse at all).

#71: Just so you know, Joyce, I try to sleep every day, it just doesn't work sometimes, lol.

Anything less than about 90 books home from the library makes me nervous, so I completely understand. Unfortunately, having that many home from the library still does not keep me from having book buying sprees. I wish it did.

>71 Joycepa:: I just went over and counted and I have 43 here in the house TBR pile, 102 on my Amazon Wish List, and 18 bookmarked in my browser for "further investigation".

I had never paid attention to the Amazon Bargain Books, but I was just ordering something and it came up as $23 marked down to $4.99. That got my attention, so I started looking at the Bargain lists and ended up buying 5 books for $25, all hard-backs or trade paperbacks. I'm definitely keeping my eye on that for the future!

There's enough variety in those lists that I can usually find something I want to read. About the only thing I run dry on is science fiction. I've become pickier and pickier over the years and there are times...usually in the summer...when my mind says it wants one and I have nothing on hand or on the list. Unfortunately, a larger TBR wouldn't help because, knowing this, I'm already putting every SF recommendation I consider noteworthy onto it.

#73: Just went and checked myself! On my 11 Amazon Wish Lists, I have 173 titles--BUT let's say 10% include some books on their way, a few that made it on to two lists, and a few I'll probably never buy--make that 15% all together. At home, I have ~83 on the TBR shelves, which is probably about right for my nervous system. Maybe 6-8 on the way? Haven't checked lately.

Since I intend to slow down my book buying for a few months, anyway, I'll no doubt run through the mystery/police procedural group and concentrate more on the others. I've picked up on my Civil War reading again, and that will definitely slow me down.

One of the advantages of living in India is the ridiculously low prices of books (Hard back new classics cost somewhere between $3 and $5)! Thus even as a student, I have been able to start on my personal collection.

>69 TadAD: Re: "I guess my triage standards will have to get tougher."

Love that phrase...I just call the bottom of my literal TBR stack "the graveyard." I never even thought of letting go of these books, but there are probably some that will never get read -- by me, anyway.

#75: A civilized country, definitely!

Here in Panama as well as in Brasil, the only two Latin American countries about which I can speak with knowledge, books are not cheap--in Brasil, they are ridiculously expensive, over twice the cost and sometimes more than in the US. Panama has a very high literacy rate, as high a or higher than the US. Problem here is poverty and the lack of a public library system that caters to more than just schoolchildren.

Brasil's literacy rate depends on location--it's maybe about 50% in the northeast, again depending on area. there is no public library system, really--certainly none in the interior areas. Even newspapers ar not cheap. Brasilians get their information from TV--which is very, very good--and not from printed material.

Given teh terrible poverty of places like Haiti and honduras, what has happened in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador, I can not imagine that books are any cheaper or as available as here. Panama has thte advantage of being dollarized and with historic close ties with th US--and now a large gringo population--so you can buy books here but the availability of titles is extremely limited. One of the better book stores in the province, which has been open for only two years, I think, just recently folded--couldn't make it because of the need to cater to vastly different tastes.

I buy books in Spanish--and even then, it's astounding what you can NOT get here--and almost none in English, except a beautiful bird identification book. mary can get some plant books here, but she's now forced to order from the US as well.

amazon should make us partners, the amount of money we both spend.

One of the finest policies to which the US ever committed was the system of public libraries.

The lack of libraries or even decent book stores is the single biggest disadvantage of living here.

I'm with Joycepa -- In Romania there are bookstores with English books, usually between $10-30 (paperback), but the same paltry selection is in all the stores. And, after 1.5 years there, the selection is basically the same. Piyush!! I envy your prices and selection!! Tad, I'm with you on the sci-fi, even though I prefer fantasy. Here I am in the States (we fly out this afternoon), and I saw little to tempt me... However, we hope to take a small detour on the way to the airport to my used bookstore here that has a pretty good selection, so we'll see. See you guys later.

Availability of libraries in India is a function of the state, there are libraries for eg. in Kerala (which boasts a literacy rate >90 Whisper1:% vis-a-vis a lowly 61% for India) on every street, but as you move north, the number comes down very fast, metros and Tier-I cities being exceptions and not all of them are well stocked.

Cheaper prices are a definite relief! That is why BookMooch isn't a hit given the big size of the country and $1-$2 second hand books.

There are very decent bookstores too, a chain called Crossword, of which I am a member of, has branches in all major cities and delivers books to home the ones which aren't available with them.

>73 TadAD:. Check out bookcloseouts.com. I've gotten a bunch of hughly discounted books from them.

I'm in agreement with you sgtbigg...I get incredible bargains with bookcloseouts.com. Actually, I believe this month they have a buy one/get one free deal.

#55 re Things Fall Apart

I'm way behind on the threads--hence this is late. But I'm glad you liked Things Fall Apart--it's a great book. It's part of a trilogy -- No Longer at Ease and Arrow of God are the others. I also enjoyed Arrow of God, which I read many years ago, but haven't read the 2nd one yet. I sort of read them out of order but I don't think it matters.

#80, #81: Thanks for the tip on bookcloseouts.com--definitely something for me to check out.

#83: Another bookseller being raved about in some of the threads currently is The Book Depository. Free world wide shipping is offered. Their website is here: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/homepage.php if you are interested.

Bookcloseouts offers specials on a regular basis, Joyce, and usually sends a bookmark with each order with a coupon code on the back. The only trouble I have with them is that they tend (at least for me) to be slow.

#84: Free world wide shipping??? They may get a majority of my business!! At the moment, depending on what crazy way Amazon decides to ship to me, I either pay $3.50 or up to $12 per book to get it from Miami to this part of Panamá!

I have the site bookmarked and will check it out later. Many, many thanks for the lead.

Slow is not too much of a problem for me. Once anything gets to the courier service in Miami, depending on the shipping cycle (even by air freight) and how long it takes to clear Customs, etc., it can take anywhere from 8 days (shortest time) to two weeks to get to me. So I'm used to waiting.

#85: Glad I could help, but the only reason I knew about it was because I had seen The Book Depository touted on another thread. I just placed my first order through them myself, so I am anxiously awaiting to see how it turns out.

#84 Thanks Stasia -- I'm going to check it out too!

#85 Joyce, I wrote The Book Depository to see if they ship to Panama and Romania. Will advise when/if I get a reply. Our countries are not on the list.

I learned about The Book Depository from the debate threads on the Man Booker Prize web site last year, as several participants on this side of the pond (US and Canada) used this site to purchase longlisted books that hadn't been published in the US yet. My best friend's wife, who lived in London before she moved to the US, found a number of books on TBD that were unavailable here.

I've ordered a dozen or more books over the past year, and all of the books arrived new and in excellent condition, sent via Royal Mail.

As akeela told me last year, TBD doesn't ship to all countries. According to the web site, free shipping is available to the UK, the US & Canada, and Western Europe and "other" countries:

"Western Europe" includes the following countries: AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, CYPRUS, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, ICELAND, IRELAND, ITALY, LUXEMBOURG, MALTA, NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, VATICAN CITY, LIECHTENSTEIN.

"Other" includes the following countries: AUSTRALIA, HONG KONG(CHINA), ISRAEL, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, PUERTO RICO, SOUTH KOREA, SINGAPORE, BAHAMAS, BARBADOS, ANTIGUA & BARBUDA, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO.

message #84
I agree, Bookcloseouts.com tends to be slow..much slower than Amazon. But, the price of their books is so incredibly cheap, that I usually don't mind the wait.

Stasia, I ordered Hawthorne in Concord based on your recommendation. It took three weeks to arrive, but when it did, I was so pleased with the quality.

#90: Good deal! Glad that you were pleased with it.

re: The Book Depository.

I wrote:

To: steve@bookdepository.co.uk
Subject: your countries list
Dear Steve,

I was looking for a general info email but didn't see it. Pls forward this as is appropriate.

The question: Does the Book Depository ship to Romania and/or Panama? I didn't see them on the list, but hoped that perhaps the page needed updating :)

Susan, a hopeful potential customer

They wrote:
Dear Susan,

Thank you for your enquiry.

We are just in the process of updating our site and I am pleased to say that we will be including Romania in our free shipping model in the very near future. We hope to add Romania in late January / early February – so I would ask you to look at the site again at this time.

I’m afraid that we won’t be shipping to Panama.

Kind regards
Steve
---------
Sorry Joyce!

Thanks, Susan. Disappointing but hardly surprising.

Rats, Joyce, I was hoping that one would work out for you. Sorry.

Ah well, if it solved my book problem, then I would be forced to consider life here as Paradise, and that would lead to complacency which would lead to....

Nope, best to have the challenge.

: Juan de la Rosa: Memoirs of the Last Soldier of the Independence Movement by Nataniel Aguirre

Historical Fiction, RtW
329 pages

This novel tells a portion of the story of the South American wars for independence from Spanish rule in the first part of the 19th century. It takes place in Bolivia, focusing on the events around Cochabamba, and it takes the form of a memoir, written by a man who became one of the leaders of struggle looking back on his childhood during the early, disastrous years of the war. The novel is heavy on the historical events (if you don't enjoy history books, this novel won't appeal to you), told with a fair amount of drama mixed with dashes of a dry humor. Aguirre lived and wrote in the 19th century, in the same period as he sets the protagonist's older self, and you can feel the passions and fervor that infused the young nation at this time.

The translation is well-done, though it does not read as colloquial English; there is a slightly stilted quality to it that reflects the original Spanish. I have only one real objection to the effort: there are a substantial number of Spanish, Quechua and Latin words and phrases that are not translated and they are all end-noted instead of footnoted. This means the reader must continually flip to the end of the book instead of glancing at the bottom of the page.

This book attracted my attention as a start of focusing this year's Reading the World effort on more Latin American and African authors because I lived for a year and half in Bolivia. I found a few nostalgic moments in the place names, the food and the descriptions of the people, and this may have colored my views more than a bit, but I enjoyed the book. I'd give it a mild recommendation.

#96:Sounds like a good read--one for the list.

Two things struck me while reading this book. The first was how much I've come to equate the term "American" with the definition "from the United States of America". The rebels continually refer to themselves as Americans, they talk about the American revolutions (small 'R') and, every time, there was a mental *thunk* as my mind interpreted it one way and then had to say, "No, no, this book isn't about U.S.A."

The other concerns revolutions. I'm a northerner from the U.S. Since victors write history, I realized that I have an implicit mindset that "we" were right to secede from England and that the South was wrong to try to secede from us. As the characters in this book talked about the reasons that impelled them to separate from Spain, the reasons were very similar to those forming the basis of the American Revolution. However, I wasn't able to articulate whether the South had similar reasons...and, therefore, were justified...in separating from the Union.

This intrigues me. I need to do some more reading about the Civil War to try to understand the South's perspective. It sticks in my mind that a college professor once stated that it was an important distinction that the 1861 conflict was not The Civil War, it was the War Between the States. Hmmm.

#98: When I'm talking with panamanians, I NEVER use "American" to talk about US people. I usually say 'from the US"(de lost Estados Unidos) or the Spanish noun estadounidiense. Most use americano but not all. our gardner uses norteamericano, which s also not correct because it includes Canadians, but many Panamnians can't tell the difference--to most, all who speak english are gringos, which is usually not a perjorative term here. Not the majority, but certainly a good many panamanians, if they've gotten beyond the courtesy and let's-see-how-much-we-can-take-them-for stage, will tell you quietly that THEY are Americans, too. this ws especially notable in Brasil among the educated people there, where hostility towards the US was on the rise shortly after I started visiting there. No one who has not spent time--not tourist time, but real time--in Brasil and other latin American countries can really understand the damage the last 8 years has done in that area towards the US.

As far as the American civil Wr is concerned: one of the best books I know of that deals with the causes of the conflict is The impending crisis by David Potter.
I think that most scholars would agree that the root of the split was slavery. Reading Potter's book--and others--that talk about th political situation beofre teh war,slavery was at the heart of it. However, it is true that that each side had differeing notions of whether or not there could be secession. If you look at it from ONLY that point of view, the South certainly had talking points. but the only reason the south even wanted ttalking points was due to slavery.

There was a lot of denial going around at the time--and even ow you can read it--that slavery would have died of its own accord without federal intervention. No one can know for certain, naturally, but root cause of conflict was the bitter fight over extending slavery into the so-called Territories and elsewhere. The cotton gin, ironically enough, had made slavery profitable, and men were eager to introduce slavery into potentially very rich cotton-growing areas.
Also, I don't know of any country where slavery died of its own accord. in all those I know about, slavery was abolished by a central government.

since I've had to write this over a period of time, forgive me if it's no longer relevant.

>99 Joycepa:: Those are the points I'd like to learn more about.

Here's the thing: from my perspective, the war is easily justified simply from a moral stance about slavery...but...wars are very, very rarely fought for moral reasons. Was this one of those few times, or was the contest over slavery founded on other drives? Consider that the Emancipation Proclamation did not abolish slavery; it weakens the argument that this was a "war of morality." On the other hand, if the South was only fighting to be able to expand slavery, then it also weakens the argument on their side that this was a war about preserving their way of life from a government that no longer represented them, i.e., another American Revolution.

I think I shall try The Impending Crisis on your recommendation. I'd like to understand more about what really went down—did the right thing happen for (perhaps) the wrong reasons? From my relatively-uneducated viewpoint, one could argue that the United States that we know was more defined by 1865 than by 1776 and, so, I find this all very fascinating.

#100: Cynic that I am, I agree with you about the origins of war--I find them based on power.

In trying to keep things short, I may have oversimplified the slavery issue. for many, many in the North, it WAS a moral issue, which was why the whole thing came to a head in the first place--the Abolitionists kept pushing the issue. But definitely for the South it was economic. After the confederacy was established, the leaders even had dreams of empire, wanting to push slavery into Central american and cuba. Oh, yes, "annexing" Cuba was definitely on the agenda. And there is a notorious figure in Central American history, a southerner, who tried to conquer nicaragua and when President there, tried to re-establish slavery--after Nicaragua had formally abolished it. he didn't last long.

The problem with trying to divorce slavery from theoretical and constitutional questions is that for the South, those didn't exist--they were too tied up. Plus the power issue--I've forgotten how many, but the majority of Presidents to that time were from the south, and they were afraid of growing Northern power.

As far as your " relatively unecuated" viewpoint: one of the best scholars of the war, Shelby Foote, was emphatic that this was so. he believed that before the war, there was no real sense of national identity; that only occurred after the war. He cites the language of the times. Before the war: "The United States are" whereas after the war "The United States is". Language is always a powerful indicator.

I'm sure there are other good books on the topic, but Potter's is considered a classic in the field for the way he covers that decade. it's an utterly fascinating book. After reading it, i felt I never really understood the war itself before that time, since I had never had a clear grasp of what went on in the decade previous.

I'm now starting to collect books on Reconstruction.

I forgot to comment abut Lincoln: it's very clear from his writings pre-1860 that Lincoln detested slavery and said several times that the declaration of Freedom meant everyone, not just whites. But he ws also very clear in his writings--and he was a constitutional laweyr--that he wasn't certain that The Constituion gave the Federal gov't the power to abolish slavery in the individual states. The Emancipation Proclamation, which was limited in scope and designed in part not to drive away the slave states that had not joined the confederacy, was done from what he considered his war powers. which he thought were considerable, since he did away with habeus corpus early on in the war and jailed thousands without recourse.

Joyce, thanks for taking the time to comment and thanks, again, for the recommendation.

It's good to talk about books.

Edit: Removing a comment about the volume of posts in the forum; it's been said elsewhere.

I apologize for the typos and errors--even I remember that it's the Declaration of Independence!--but I'm having severe computer problems, and it's a great excuse. :-)

Irrespective of typos, this has been a fascinating discussion!

#99 Joycepa

Interesting post. I don't know to what it was supposed to be relevant it stands well on it's own. One thing about LT--I'm becoming very conscious that I must refer to my country as US, not America, because many may be offended if I don't and others just confused. Many of us are not so much "arrogant" but just not sensitive to nuances.

I'm still searching for Impending Crisis. I'm a slow reader and I think I will need to own it to do it justice.

(de lost Estados Unidos)

Freudian slip or prophecy?

Tad,
I so enjoy your thread. Just as in 2008, your 2009 posts elicit such wonderful, lively and intelligent comments and opinions.

#100 Tad

I remember from my American history (that's USA!) course that the South also had an issue with "state's rights." They did not want a strong central government and preferred a "federation" type of government with the individual states having more authority over their own affairs--including I suppose, whether or not to have slaves. I'm hoping after I finish reading in my 999 American Civil War category I will have a better grasp on all these issues as well as learning about the war itself.

#106: Oh, how funny! I blame everything, of course, on mu current computer problems but I think I'd have to cop to a Freudian slip there!

I think that the majority of Americans are really ignorant, in the non-perjorative sense of the word. The country is huge and most people don't really venture much beyond the borders--maybe Canada, and to the resentment of many Canadians I know, those estadounidienses who do travel to Canada, because of similarities in language and many commonalities, more or less treat Canada like a part of the US. At its best, it's a form of innocence, of naiveté, that you don' find elsewhere in the world because other countries have had to deal with different cultures, wars, languages, etc.

But believe me, the Ugly American is alive and well. It's unfortunate and causes problems here.

#108: One of the great ironies is that the Confederacy had the worst of both worlds. Because of the nature of the war, it was forced to act more like a centralized gov't than a loose confederation of states--the first conscription law was passed by the Confederacy in 1862. but some governors of the states withheld resources from the war effort in order to protect their own states, as an example of the problems a Confederacy of states faced.

The war is fascinating but so are the political and social conditions both before and during the war. I think that you'll really like The Impending Crisis and don't worry about being a slow reader. There's plenty to think about in that book.

As some people on LT know, I'm an enthusiastic reader in the war and am now sort of branching out to ancillary areas. It's easy to get me going, too easy! Plus I type fast, and therein lies long, long posts on the subject. :-)

General chatter about it in a couple of LT groups lead me to read...

: The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin

Mystery, Thriller
244 pages

Global conspiracy novels are a dime-a-dozen these days. However, Boris Akunin has managed to put together one that is different enough to be quite enjoyable to read. Set in 19th century Russia, The Winter Queen chronicles the first adventure of Moscow policeman Erast Fandorin as he moves from trying to understand the illogical suicide of a wealthy student to unraveling the tentacles of a mysterious, and murderous, international organization.

Wisely, the focus of the book is not on this secret organization (which would be more than a little ho-hum), but on the character of Fandorin as he starts to mature from a novice police clerk into an investigator of a bit of skill and a greater amount of intuition. The villains of the piece are not hard for the reader to deduce. However, true to his tyro status, Fandorin is not able to spot them quickly enough, and the reader is taken along a fast-paced and light-hearted ride of adventures and betrayals until the final climax.

The closest analogy I can find for this novel is in Fleming's character, James Bond: the same recklessness and bravado, the same lone-agent-against-the-super-villain literary format. It turns out that this works well, even set almost a century earlier in history.

The ending of the book, also surprisingly Bondian, changes the whole tone of the story and, I think, augurs well for a series that will keep its spark.



Edit: spelling...the ending foretells (augurs) well rather than drilling (augers) well...I should never be allowed to proof-read my own stuff

Hmmmm. It's now on my list. Sounds great!

>111 drneutron:: drneutron, I just went over to Wikipedia to learn a bit about Akunin.

One thing that caught my attention: he has decided that there are 16 types of mystery stories. Each volume in the Fandorin series will follow one of those 16 formats. The Winter Queen was a "conspiracy" novel. The second, The Turkish Gambit, is a "spy" novel; the fourth, Murder on the Leviathan is an "Agatha-Christie type" novel; etc.

This sounds like fun! I'm definitely going along for the ride.

>112 TadAD: That does sound interesting!

>110 TadAD: Hmm - sounds good. I love historical novels, and I read mystery/thrillers as escapist fare, so The Winter Queen seems like it fits perfectly on Mount TBR.

Second Tad's opinion of The Winter Queen. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Throwing The Winter Queen on top of the TBR pile.

I read both Murder on the Leviathan and The Death of Achilles by Akunin last year and found them to be very good. Unfortunately, that was all my local library had, but if the rest of his books prove to be as good as those two, I am going to have to track them down.

Part of my goal to read two Austens a year until I'm through her novels...

: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Literary Fiction
384 pages

I didn't find Elinor Dashwood quite as appealing as Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) or as funny as Emma Woodhouse (Emma) and would have to say, therefore, that I liked this book a bit less than those two. On the other hand, Austen's tongue in cheek comments about the unpleasant characters in the novel were delicious. This is a personal challenge that is proving quite enjoyable.

Another recommended read.

Elinor is too introverted to enjoy her in the same way as the other two, but she is wonderful. I did really like Emma Thompson's portrayal of her.

I spent most of this weekend sitting on bleacher seats waiting for stuff to happen, and a kid had it lying in the car, so I reread...

: Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
241 pages

This is still my favorite book by this author: funny, an interesting plot concept, hugely appealing characters. Jones' story of young Howard Sykes coming home to find a rather large man sitting in his kitchen, refusing to leave until Howard's father pays his taxes of 2000 written words, and the subsequent adventures with the seven siblings who farm (magically control) the entire town is just as much fun on subsequent readings.

Although Dark Lord of Derkholm is now my favorite book by Diana Wynne Jones, Archer's Goon is definitely one of her most entertaining stories. So glad you were able to put your bleacher sitting to good use!

I am currently reading a couple of them, Emma and Northanger Abbey, my first two Jane Austen books. They are quite different compared to anything else I have read so far with the possible exception of Little Women and Good Wives and are thus refreshing in that sense.

Another African author for Reading the World is...

: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Non-fiction, Memoir
226 pages

A Long Way Gone is the story of young boy caught up in the civil war in Sierra Leone who, at the age of 12, is forced to become a soldier fighting against the Revolutionary United Front forces. The book chronicles the period from just before the rebels wiped out his village through the time when, successfully rehabilitated, he fled the country and made his way to the United States.

The story is very fast-paced. In a sort of collapsed–time manner we watch Beah move from being trapped in a village where the outnumbered adult soldiers force the children into combat to avoid being slaughtered, to becoming a drug-addicted, casual killer who is not averse to torturing enemies who annoy him.

This fast pace is, in a sense, the major flaw of the book. There is a lack of depth to the two most important portions of the book: the descent from a scared child to a being fundamentally no different from those he was fighting, and the recovery in which he comes to terms with what he had done and learns to function as a part of society again. Despite a significant amount of detail in many other aspects of the narrative, we learn little of his thoughts and feelings as he learned not only to kill, but to kill easily and nonchalantly. In fact, the soldiering period of his life only occupies 30 pages in the middle of the book, plus another 10 or so in some flashbacks later. We also get no real sense of what he struggles with now, 16 years later. This emotional distance that pervades the book might be understandable given that it's what he learned during his time in the wars, but it causes the book to lose its depth and immediacy.

The book has an undeniable impact, dutifully evoking horror over the war and sympathy for its victims. However, I suspect that, were I to read more stories about child soldiers, this particular one might fade into the background in comparison.

>123 TadAD:
I have been seeing this book around but had not heard from anyone who actually read it. It sounds like it so frustratingly could have been great. I bet you're right about the author dulling his emotions due to trauma. Do you know if he had a ghost writer? I wonder if a professional author/journalist could have pulled some of that introspection out of him. I'll keep this book in mind for a library read, but don't think I'll buy it. Thank you for the great review!

>124 profilerSR:: He says in his Afterward that he wrote the book himself and I think that's probably the case.

I will say, however, that I do think a bit of artistic/editorial license was taken with the story. On one hand, he says that he went days without sleep, was high on cocaine and amphetamines almost every waking moment, smoked marijuana continuously, was in a daze a lot—yet, he presents all the conversations from that period as being verbatim, recounts details of all of his dreams, etc. I don't doubt that his story is true in the big picture, but I think it was "punched up" a bit for impact.

TadAD

I'm spending this evening catching up--

Winter Queen is definitely going on my list of books to read this year. Boris Akunin is a new author for me and this sounds like it will be a great series. You make such good suggestions I'm sure i will like it.

I agree with your take on Sense and Sensibility although since I give P&P and Emma 5 stars I think S&S should get 4 stars from me--it's still a great comedy of manners. My biggest problem was Marianne--sometimes I just wanted to shake her!

You made it seem so appealing I think I will look for Archer's Goon even though I read YA books only occasionally.

Also appreciated your review of A Long Way Gone--I have an Africa category this year but I think I will pass this one by--I have several others that seem more compelling.

As always, I enjoy reading your reviews and getting ideas. Thanks.

>126 MusicMom41: MusicMom41

So long as you realize that Archer's Goon is really just mind-candy and not the great American novel we're good. :-)

Re: S & S

*** SPOILER ***

Yes, Marianne was definitely trying. I could understand her being taken in by Willoughby. I could understand her working very hard to invent a rationale for him not returning her letters or calling. Once, however, his abandonment of the pregnant Eliza Smith was known, and even more once it was known he was marrying Sophia Grey for her money, the fact that she still tried to find excuses for him...well, even 17-year-olds aren't usually that idiotic.

However, my problems really lay with Elinor and Edward. The novel just wasn't successful in making me believe them as a couple in the beginning of the book. In P&P, Austen really lets you see the attraction between Elizabeth and Darcy. In contrast, this novel just told you they were in love but didn't do much to show it.

I also found it incomprehensible that a woman as principled as Elinor forgave Willoughby even a single iota just because he said he was sorry and had been attracted to Marianne.

However, these are all minor quibbles and, as you say, it's still a great comedy of manners.

Edit for spelling

#123 Hi TadAD, A couple of years ago I listened to the audio version of A Long Way Gone read by the author. I'm not a great fan of audio but Beah's voice really touched me. With that in mind his story will be with me for a very long time. Give it a listen when you have the time.

>128 Carmenere:: Hi Carmenere. *sigh* My audio book backlog for my commute is about 20 books at this time. However, since this is a fairly short book, perhaps I will. Thanks.

I've just finished reading Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (your first book) and agree totally with your thoughts on it. I loved the first part of the book, but once she boarded that ship for Greenland, it was completely different. I don't think that part of it worked as a thriller at all, and it lost the literary merits the earlier part had.

Having pushed it on several people here at LT, and having found it in on the top of stack of books being packed up to the third floor, an early-morning-hours reread of...

: Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook

Fantasy, Noir, Humor
320 pages

I'm a Glen Cook fan—not all of his stuff, but most of it. The first set of Black Company books were excellent dark fantasy (OK, the later books maybe not so much); his current Tyranny of the Night series a very good, almost Alternate History fantasy series; even his few forays into science fiction (e.g. The Dragon Never Sleeps) were very good.

His Garrett, P.I. series are no exception. A mishmash of noir detective with humor with fantasy. Riffs on Rex Stout, Raymond Chandler, etc. result in books that, twelve volumes into the series, I'm still buying right as they are published.

No pretensions toward great literature or deep plots, just some light-hearted fun.



Edit: LT ate most of the first attempt at this post

lol -- you cruel man! I didn't know you had it in you.

>132 suslyn: Susan, if you are referring to Tad, I think she is a lady person! (I hope!)

- TT

>132 suslyn:: Oh, Susan, I definitely have it in me...but it was unintentional this time! ;-)

>133 TheTortoise:: Nope. Definitely a Y chromosome here. Are my posts somehow very girly? Hmmm, maybe I should go watch some Rambo movies. *grin*

Edit to correct the post numbers

>134 TadAD: Tad sounds very masculine but I must have thought I saw mention of your gender as being of the feminine persuasion. It must have been somebody else! :)

- TT

Hmmm maybe I caught you mid post. When I posted >132 suslyn:, your post in 131 ended with 'an early-morning-hours reread of...' Oh, I see, blame it on LT ;>}

127 TadAD

re S&S

You are right about Elinor & Edward--I'm sure that is why S&S if not as popular as P&P. And not as popular with me--especially when i first read them--P&P when I was 13 and S&S at 15. I read P&P many times in the following years. I didn't reread S&S until I was a mature adult and a book group selected it. By then I could appreciate it for what it was. BTW I still reread P&P on a fairly regular basis. :-) The humor in that book as well as the romance make it stand out above all the rest.

Tad - Thanks for the review of A Long Way Gone. I recently borrowed a copy from a friend after finally seeing the film "Blood Diamond", set against the backdrop of Sierra Leone's civil war. It was reasonably high in the TBR pile, but it might have just dropped a couple of places :)

137:
I keep wondering if I should re-read Sense & Sensibility. I too read it when I was fairly young, and didn't much appreciate it. In fact, I think I failed to finish it. But Emma *still* makes me want to hit her with a nice hard clue-by-four, so maybe being older won't help. :)

In 2008, a couple of LTers recommended J. V. Jones' works to me since I like fantasy...

: The Barbed Coil by J. V. Jones

Fantasy, Awful Cover Art Award
612 pages

For me, this book was certainly readable, but nothing special. I felt that it had a couple of novel and interesting fantasy ideas embedded in a fairly cliché plot structure with fairly stereotypical characters. The writing style was fine—I didn't have any urge to put the book down—but, when all was done, I wasn't left with any real affection for the book or sense that I had read something really good.

When the device of transporting a person from our world to the fantasy world is an essential element woven through the plot, it can work well. When it's done so that the author can explain the world out loud to the reader, it's disappointing. That was the case here; Tessa's "our world" origin serves absolutely no purpose in the story and is quickly forgotten. In fact, she suffers almost no culture shock in her transition from the 20th century to something like the 17th. The book would have been stronger with a local heroine, with the reader learning about the world simply by becoming enmeshed in the story.

My main object is that the character roles were annoyingly "stock". Retiring, handicapped Tessa becomes the beautiful and powerful heroine. Ravis is the dashing man with a mysterious past, the consummate fighter, who starts off as the bad guy but secretly has a warm heart and is really the good guy. The heir-who-doesn't-know-he-is-the-heir must fight for his throne. Good guys don't die: despite taking enough pounding to kill five or six people, they're hopping around a few pages later. The bad guys are unrelentingly evil or venal or both. In the end, everyone pairs up and lives happily ever after…except the bad guys, who are all dead. There's even a rather odd couple of paragraphs that show you bad guys who have been out of the story since the middle of book getting their just desserts in a too-neatly packaged ending.

On the positive side, the whole concept behind the story was interesting. I would have loved more depth to her ideas of Ephemera and Illumination, for they showed originality. For my tastes, she could easily have removed a hundred or so pages of other filler and drawn those elements more heavily into the story.

Though the characters may have been stereotypical rather than deep in character, they were well-drawn and the reader is drawn along easily. Interestingly, I found the minor characters the most fun: Mother Emith, Missis Wicks, Gerta.

I don't rule out the possibility of ever reading another Jones novel, but she's certainly not an author I'm hungering to read again.

Finally, after a couple of months, I've finished...

: Defining the World: the extraordinary story of Dr. Johnson's dictionary by Henry Hitchings

Non-fiction, Lexicography
259 pages

I think the subtitle of this book indulges in a bit of hyperbole, confusing an extraordinary volume with an extraordinary story about that volume. Though Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language was a monumental effort requiring nine years of work and which, in many ways, became the standard against which all other English dictionaries were compared or contrasted, the story of its production is rather ordinary. Johnson set out to define the entire English language as it was actually used; he was not wealthy and had to find sponsors; he worked hard for nine years; the dictionary was finally published and successful.

This is the difficulty against which Hitchings has to struggle—how to keep interest alive in the reader through 259 pages. He manages, for the most part, by discussing the dictionary, itself, rather than the story of the dictionary. He shows how the definitions help the reader understand 18th century Britain. He talks about how Johnson's personal beliefs about Church and State color how he presents words. He shows how Johnson exacted revenge against those he disliked in his definitions of words like "patron". He even illustrates the relevance of the dictionary to our times, recounting that the Supreme Court has referenced it in the last decade in order to understand the Framers' intentions when they chose words for the U.S. Constitution.

At times he fails to maintain the interest. Mr. Hitchings does not yet (this is his first effort) have that gift of making even mundane history come alive. It is always informative. It is often slyly humorous. However, it is often very dry and a trifle repetitive. Many sections of the book are simply lists of words illustrating his point. The first two or three might be interesting, but then my eyes would begin to glaze over and I was anxious for him to move on to his next topic.

If you are keenly interested in lexicography, this volume may have a great deal of appeal for you. If, as I am, you are merely interested in a wide variety of subjects, this may prove to be a bit less enjoyable than one might hope.



For amusement, here is the word currently considered the "Hardest to Define Succintly":

mamihlapinatapai n. : Two people looking at each other without speaking; each hoping that the other will offer to do something which both parties desire but neither is willing to do.

Edit: spelling

Sorry the Barbed Coil didn't live up to expectations!

I love mamihlapinatapai! Such a great word! Surely he made it up?!

...or maybe you made it up?! ;)

>142 suslyn:: No worries, Susan, if we all liked exactly the same things, these threads would get very boring.

>143 flissp:/144: Nope. Page 92 of the trade paperback version. Also cited in some edition of Guinness Book of Records according to Hitchings.

The thing about that word is that everyone knows exactly that feeling.

I think that's my favourite word of the year so far! Going to have to try to use it this year (if I can work out how on earth you pronounce it)!

oop, crossover there - yep, that's what i like about it. Like Douglas Adams made up word 'Abilene' (descriptive of the pleasing coolness on the reverse side of the pillow).

Mamihlapinatapai may just become my new favorite word. I'm off to try it out on my boyfriend and enjoy the look on his face as he tries to puzzle it out. (We're big fans of words. I scored points the other night for using 'vitriolic' in casual after-dinner conversation.) Maybe I'll pick up Defining the World and have a glance through it.

Except that the word "Abilene" was the name of a province in Luke in the New Testament, and the name of two fairly prominent towns in the US, in one of which I was born and grew up. So there is a conflict of meaning there.

>150 ronincats:: there is a marvellous pair of Douglas Adams books, called The Meaning of Liff and The Deeper Meaning of Liff, in which Adams (and a collaborator I think, although I now can't remember who... shows how much I've retained from that biog I just finished!) set out to assign words to feelings, events, sensations and so on, which were commonly experienced but for which no individual term existed. Many of the words he used (if not all?) were placenames. It's a fun read, both for that "ah!" moment of recognition and also for the joy of looking up places you know well and seeing what definition has been assigned to it.

Thanks for that, Flossie. So that means he set up that cognitive dissonance apurpose!

#150 & 151: The collaborator was John Lloyd (...not quite a H2G2 conference goer yet FlossieT ;) ). But yes, all the words in both books are from places - The Meaning of Liff from the UK and The Deeper Meaning of Liff from Europe (Abilene is also in Suffolk, UK)...

There are some great place names in Suffolk... and East Anglia in general... Six Mile Bottom, for example, which I always take great pleasure in driving through ;)

Edited to add that you can actually find an online version of The Meaning of Liff here

#141 Tad

Good review--and thanks for saving me from buying it--I love those kinds of books, but i want them to be entertaining. I'm an Amateur--not a lexicologist, so I read them for love not "duty.!"

"mamihlapinatapai n. :Two people looking at each other without speaking; each hoping that the other will offer to do something which both parties desire but neither is willing to do."

Love the word. The meaning is clear. Been in that situation a lot, so I could use it. How the heck do you pronounce it!

>153 flissp:: nope, no conventions for me :) I had a copy of The Meaning of Liff once but can't find it.... and of course remembered it was John Lloyd as soon as I hit 'submit' (but thank you for stepping into the breach!!).

According to Wikipedia on mamihlapinatapai: "It is also the title of a song by the American singer-songwriter Ronny Cox."

#153 flissp

Thanks for the link--great site. Now someone should make a project of writing sentences demonstrating the meaning of each word! It would make the work even more useful.

The boss said, "You guys are right, we need to get that done. Who will stay late to make it happen?"

The ensuing mamihlapinatapai was very awkward.

Outstanding sentence demonstrating the use of the word! Now, please read it aloud so I can learn to pronounce it. :-)

And really, #141 (and subsequent definition notes), mamilhapinatapai sounds an awful lot like the one-word definition for the mice in the story about "belling the cat."

Wow, you're just blowing through books this year! Keep it up!

I see you are unimpressed with Robert Rankin. I read the first two in the Brentford "trilogy" last year and greatly enjoyed them both.

It's fun to see what people do and don't like.

>161 alaskabookworm:: I did like his Hollow Chocolate Easter Bunnies but, you're right, the first book of Brentford left me a bit cold.

How can one resist titles like Rankin's, though? That's how I got started on him. The sequel to Hollow Bunnies is The Toyminator. Are you interested in that one?

>164 TadAD:: I didn't know about it; Rankin isn't an author I stalk like some others. Yes, I am interested and I will give it a try at some point, perhaps later this year.

I notice you are avidly dodging the suggestion that you read aloud your new pet word, Tad!

>159 MusicMom41: & 165: We have a bunch of smarty-pants here, don't we?

OK, assuming a Web site got the IPA symbols right, here's yours truly: hear it.

So there! :P

Well, all I heard was M . . . after the initial M sound, it was like mumbling . . . of course, the word could just sound like mumbling . . . who would know?

And you are just now finding out we are a bunch of smarty pants?

>167 alcottacre:: No, I just clicked the link and hear the word clearly. I tried it with both IE and Firefox. Not sure what's up with it playing on your machine, but I guess it's not really a big deal.

I heard it okay.

>141 TadAD: Tad ~ I read Defining the World last month and quite enjoyed it. I had always wanted to learn more about Dr Johnson ever since I saw the Blackadder episode on TV (in which Baldrick sets fire to the manuscript ;) Agree with you that the book meandered a little through the middle sections. I have another of Hitchings' books on my library request list - "How to Really Talk About Books You Haven't Read".

I've never seen the Blackadder shows. They're on my list (along with Fawlty Towers, etc.) of episodes I'll get around to some day. I'll be interested to see what you think of another of his books.

#166 TadAD

Okay! Now I am impressed. Thank you (I really did want to know!)

I do have a question: it sounded like you said: mami sa pina ta pai (or mommy saw peena tuh pie) Does the hl make an s sound or did I mishear? should it be "mami la pina ta pai"?

(What can I say? I'm serious about words!)

What language are we talking here? Until I read Carolyn's post, I thought the cold has affected my hearing too!

>172 MusicMom41:: MM - Well, it's not quite an 'S'.

I saw a couple of IPA orthographies for it. Most seemed to use the unvoiced 'L' of Welsh (ɬ) or the 'LL' of some Spanish speakers exposed to Quechua (ʎ). Though I learned my Spanish from Spanish speakers who also spoke Quechua and I was more confident of that, the former pronunciation was listed more often, so I used it.

If you look up explanations of that sound, it is sometimes described as trying to pronounce 'L' and 'SH' or 'L' and 'TH' simultaneously. I'm not saying that is correct...just that hearing an 'S' component isn't completely off base. One pronunciation noted that it is sometimes written mamislapinatapai for just that reason.

Until I meet someone from Tierra del Fuego, I guess that's as close as I can get.

Too much info?

ETA: If you gave it the ʎ pronunciation, there would be the kind of sound you hear in this pronunciation of alla (the Spanish word for 'there'): alla.

#174 TadAD

No, Little Bear--it was just right! Thank you. I even understood most of it! ;-)

I am now practicing saying it with a soft sth sort of sound and I think I've got it. Now I just need an opportunity to use it!

>166 TadAD: "mommy some me of t'at pie"

TadAD, have you ever appeared on Jeopardy?

>177 blackdogbooks:: LOL, no, though I play along at home at lot.

Eighteenth time is the charm! I have absolutely no doubt that this will be a contender for one of my favorite reads for the year...

: Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

Fiction
351 pages

In 1919, a Cree-Ojibwa woman, Niska, travels out of the bush and picks up her nephew, Xavier, a recently demobilized sniper in World War I. Xavier has lost a leg, is addicted to morphine and Niska realizes that he lost himself in the war and has returned home to die. This is the opening of a novel about the next three days of their journey back to the bush, told in perspectives alternating between the two.

Niska, trying to draw Xavier back into living, begins to tell the stories of her life as a medicine woman of the tribe who refused to assimilate in the white man’s world. Xavier's story of the war from the time he left the bush with his best friend, Elijah, to the time he comes home alone, is told as a series of feverish flashbacks.

These two story lines are interwoven beautifully, each reinforcing the other. At times a brutal story of madness and loss of innocence that strips all pretense of glory from the war, at others a story of hope, love and friendship, this novel gripped me from its opening pages through the very end.

I highly recommend this and cannot wait to see what Boyden produces next.

Hmm! Great review, Tad. Onto the wish list it goes; I wonder if Amazon limits the number of books you can put on a wish list...

#179 TadAD

re Book 18

That one sounds like a great read. Why don't you suggest it for the next group read--although you've already read it, unfortunately.

Book 18 sounds excellent!

TadAD
WOW...You have read quite a few books this month!
I'll catch up on your posts tomorrow but for now wanted to say, I am VERY impressed.

Warning -SPOILERS ahead**

Three Day Road is such a good book. I read it a few years ago. The WWI sections were fascinating, esp as Elijah seems to lose touch with reality (?becomes a windigo) (I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly) Xaviers story is actually based on the real story of an Ojibwa man, Francis Pegahmagabow, who was the most decorated sniper in the Canadian military in WWI.

sorry Tad

#179: Well there goes the Continent, sinking a bit lower into the water . . . great review, Tad!

Tad, really impressed here. 18 books in the same number of days! u make the rest of us (except stasia of course) such laggards! :-)

this last one has been added to my list...

A few were books that were started in 2008 and finished this year. I just count books whenever they're finished...it will average out over the years.

These months are also the time where I spend hours every weekend in gyms waiting for my daughters' competitions. I always have a book for those.

>184 VioletBramble:: VioletBramble...can you put a SPOILER note in your post, please? I don't mind them in the thread, but I really hate for a reader to find out something here that they'd prefer to find out by reading.

Actually, Pegahmagabow is in the story. He's Peggy.

I find it interesting that snipers like Hathcock from the Viet Nam war become the stuff of Hollywood with 93 kills (the backstory of the book Point of Impact and the movie "Sniper" were loosely based upon his exploits), yet Pegahmagabow had 378 confirmed and the Finn, Simo Häyhä, had 542 in the Winter War.

ETA: As a side note, Pegahmagabow was from Parry Sound, Ontario. We got through there every year. I'll have to check if there's a museum or something.

I was reading this in installments for the Highly-Rated Book Group but got interested enough to finish...

: The Coffee Trader by David Liss

Historical Fiction
384 pages

Liss' novel about machinations and manipulations on the Amsterdam commodities exchange was an interesting story. He has obviously done his homework, creating a vivid picture of the city in 1659. Over this he laid a well-crafted knot of schemes and counter-schemes as the main character, Miguel, strives to drag himself out of economic ruin in the face of an unscrupulous enemy who wants to destroy him. The story also provides an interesting perspective into the lives of the Jewish minority in the city, particularly the Conversos fleeing from the Inquisition.

I enjoyed the story overall. The characters are well and richly drawn. It is difficult to like any of them unreservedly as their faults are just as apparent to the reader as their virtues—this makes them seem much more human. The strong point of this novel is Liss' ability to keep the reader guessing about who is playing whom. As Miguel tries to unravel the motivations of those around him, the reader is entertained with deciphering the shifting and sliding alliances.

This is worth a read.

BTW, I am a little envious of your library space after seeing the picture......I am happy with our bookshelves but don't have a dedictaed room like you do.....sigh!

#190: I, on the other hand have a dedicated room with no shelves, lol.

As we start a new presidential cycle, something fun...

: A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson

Fiction, Humor
202 pages

Many have said, "Oh, if you like Alexander McCall Smith, then you'll like this book because it's really similar." Actually, other than both having a setting in Africa, they are not very much alike. However, I did enjoy this book.

Set in Kenya, this is the story of a bet between two men, the kind and gentle Mr. Malik and the dashing Harry Khan, about who should have the privilege of issuing an invitation to Rose Mbikwa for the Hunt Ball. To win the bet, one of them must spot and identify more native birds than the other. Along the way, we learn a bit about Kenya's problems with crime, political corruption and AIDS, all told with a good dollop of warm and irreverent humor.

A light plot, delightful characters and some nice verbal landscapes of Kenya make this a fun book to toss off when you're in the mood for something slim.



Edit: spelling

>192 TadAD: Sounds interesting... I shall request it from my library. Thanks for the review!

I don't suppose you were saying that there was some connection between the new president and the birds of East Africa?????:)

> 192

I like the sound of book #20. As a keen birdwatcher myself, and with grandparents who spent many years living and birdwatching in Kenya (late 1940s - early 1960s), I have grown up with stories of Kenya that might make this book an especially interesting read.

Last year I read a series of books on birdwatching and "big counts", such as The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmasick, and Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder by Kenn Kaufman. Both are highly recommended as quick and entertaining travelogues for those who lean toward birds of the feathered variety.

I swear I've come across Three Day Road before, Tad. Hm, don't know why but I'm puzzling as to why it is I don't own it yet hehe.

I think that #20's going to have to have to go on my wishlist!

#196 Severn: That's another one that Amazon has in their Bargain bin.

No no no you cannot do this to me!

Hahahaha.....

*looks at Visa card and looks away*

Must not. Cannot. Must not.

#199: I showed no such restraint and ordered them both along with 3 others!

Hehe...jealous!

I truly am. If I'm not careful I'll do bad things and buy books despite my resolve.

: The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn

Memoir
274 pages

There are two types of books I’m well disposed to like: travel memoirs and cooking memoirs. Laid off from her job while on vacation, Kathleen Flinn decides to take a shot at one of her dreams and enrolls in Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. This memoir recounts her time spent there as she attempts not only to complete the entire course, but to pass the tests to be awarded the institute's diploma.

The resulting memoir is mostly of the cooking sort, focusing mainly on her cooking lessons and her love life (she married during this time). It flows along well enough, and you do get some interesting recipes along the way, though the story was seasoned with too little in the way of interesting events in the cooking school and with too much sugary romance. If I overcome my biases in favor of this type of book, I have to say that it passed the time but was only average. Try Buford's Heat or Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential if you want something that's a bit more satisfying.

Oh, boo. I was hoping for a glowing review of this one, as it's been stuck in my head ever since it caught my eye in a bookstore -- it was living right next to Waiter Rant, which I'd also like to pick up, as I did my own time as a server. Being female, I wonder if the the romance bits will bother me as much as it may have bothered you, though the extraneous everything did bother me about Julie and Julia. I'm still going to look forward to this one, though, especially if it has interesting recipes. Thanks for the review!

>203 ladydzura:: alynnk, it's not just the romance. The stories about life in the school really didn't have a lot of meat (no pun intended) to them. Still, if you like this type of book, it's not a bad read...just nothing special. Buford's book is still the best I've read of this type.

Another commuting book finished today...

: The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian

Historical Fiction
Narrated by: Simon Vance
348 pages in hardback

Another good episode in the Aubrey/Maturin series. This one focuses almost entirely on sea adventures; the ongoing drama with Diana Villiers is deferred for now. I still enjoy these a lot and will start Desolation Island either next or after I knock off another Richard Sharpe volume.

re Smilla's Sense of Snow (I know, your first read of the year, I'm dragging you backwards, sorry) I just finished it recently and kept expecting a really bad last part, but I must say I didn't really think it was that bad! I posted a review of it here (and mentioned yours as well, hope you don't mind). Happy reading, you're doing great with your challenge!

P.S. You guys here on 75 challenge ALWAYS have better conversations than us over at 50. Not fair. Might join you next year, but I'm afraid I'm too slow.

#205: What is great about those two series--looks like you're alternating land and sea--is that they give a very complementary view of the Napoleonic Wars. I don't know how many times I've read the Aubry/Maturin series, I still love them all. Such a fan, I have harbors and High Seas and A Sea of Words, both of which I highly recommend as companion books for the O'Brian series.

>206 girlunderglass:: I don't mind...fair use.

A decent number of people here don't read 75. This group wasn't about the numbers last year and probably won't be this year.

#202 TadAD

I also liked Bourdain's The Nasty Bits. A couple of years ago he was a speaker for a lecture series I belong to and I was very surprised at how personable he was. In person is he not nearly as arrogant as he seems on some of his TV shows and in some of his books. I was not surprised that he was an excellent speaker and thoroughly entertaining! He did state rather emphatically that had he had it to do over again, he would not have written Kitchen Confidential. I believe is exact words were--"I'll never live it down and that's not really me--at least not now."

>209 MusicMom41:: MM, I enjoy The Nasty Bits also. A Cook's Tour was only OK. I haven't read anything else by him, yet, though I did get his Les Halles Cookbook for Christmas.

I suspect the "that's not me...at least not now" is correct, but it may have been him before. Over the years of watching him on TV, he seems to have mellowed a bit from the brash and arrogant fellow he was.

I find him very funny.

> 210

Have you read The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater by (surprise, surprise) Nigel Slater! It's a great marriage between memoir and cookbook.

And, did I hear someone mention Richard Sharpe? I have all 21 books in the series (so far) tucked away somewhere. I have been planning to read them in the order suggested on Cornwell's website, rather than in the order of publication.

I also recently picked up a copy of Cornwell's latest offering Azincourt, and was given a complete set of his "Saxon" series.

I will read them all - I just don't know when! Probably not this year.

#210 Tad

I also have A Cooks tour but haven't read it yet. I guess I'll save it for sometime when I have nothing else to read. :-D

Message 209...
"The Nasty Bits" has a certain ring to it.
Perhaps I can secretly call some of the students "nasty bits.." hummmm...let me think about that...

"nasty bits.." "nasty snits" .... oh, I'm simply tired after a very long week in the begging of the semester.

#211: Read them in the historical order, as suggested on the Web site or Amazon, not the published order. His first 7 published books are sort of in the middle of the series, and he wrote all the others after.

They are a terrific series--not one is a dud. What to me was fascinating was the last book, which takes place in Chile--comparing it with its exact equivalent in the Aubrey/Maturin series--Cornwell's, what was happening on land, O'Brian's what was happening at sea.

I was certain, after reading Cornwell's penultimate book on Waterloo, that the last book would be a let down. Not so!

I really want to get his Saxon series.

#214 ah, i've been thinking about reading these for some time now (love the Sean Bean series for swashbuckle fun, but was a bit worried that for me, it would be more about the visual action) - maybe i'll give the first one a go. can you tell me which is the first historically?

#215: The first one historically is Sharpe's Tiger. I am reading the books in the order Cornwell has them listed on his website.

Frustratingly, my local library has some of the books, but not the others. They had the first 2 books in the series, but not number 3. I finally got my own copy of that one this past week so that I can continue on with the series.

> 214

Follow this link...

http://www.bernardcornwell.net/index2.cfm?page=1&seriesid=1

...for the complete suggested reading order for the Sharpe novels.

>211 petermc: & ff: I'm going through the Sharpe in historical order rather than published order. I've only read the first two so far. The third, Sharpe's Fortress, is proving a problem. I listen to these as audio books as I commute and the only recording of this one I can find is by a reader I don't care for.

Maybe I'll just skip to the fourth, Sharpe's Trafalgar, though that offends my OCD. While I figure it out, I started the 5th Aubrey/Maturin, Desolation Island.

#215: I bought almost all of the Sean Bean TV series, and can tell you that IMO the books are much better. There is one episode, a really ugly one, that has no basis in the Cornwall books and is so terrible that you wonder how anyone had the nerve to produce it. Most of the episodes are pretty good; some are more faithful to the books than others. I thought Sharpe's Regiment was the most faithful to the book and therefore the best of all the ones (13) I've watched so far.

We have one more to go

>213 Whisper1:: Whisper, there's something Freudian in "...in the begging of the semester"

#219 Yep, watched all the Sharpe series as they came on TV - which also means I have no idea which is which as they all have similar names - I did think that the one before last (the last one being on around Christmas) was absolutely dire - and there was another dreadful one somewhere in the middle - I wonder if this was the one you mention? I've always kind of assumed that they didn't represent the books too faithfully but they're fun anyway!

#216 & 217 thank you!

Tad, sorry for waylaying the thread!

>221 flissp:: Why be sorry? We're discussing books. That's the point of these things. :-)

#221: I can't remember exactly where--late beginning or middle--the truly awful one was, but it was about some Spanish remnants of Aztecs who somehow made it over to Spain and kept up the human sacrifice thing. The writer and producers ought to be penalized to do 10,000 hours apiece of community service in libraries for that piece of trash.

>211 petermc:: No, I haven't read The Kitchen Diaries. I've looked at it on Amazon a couple of times, but I keep seeing the reviews that say that much of the humor will bypass Americans, so I move onto something else.

I can recommend Rebel by Cornwell. The first in the Starbuck series. Excellent. I have the other three to read.

- TT

Smilla's Sense of Snow added to the appearing to be insurmountable pile of books to read.......So little time...So little time!!!!

#225: Thanks, TT--I'd been wondering about the Starbuck series. I've been lost without my Cornwell fix! :-)

well, tadAD you've convinced me - I've joined. here's
my thread. Thanks for the encouragement!

>214 Joycepa: - I've enjoyed the Saxon series thus far, if only Cornwell would write faster.

I read most of Sharpe in historical order, except for the last two which were published after I finished it.

If you are listening to an audio book of Sharpe or Aubrey/Maturin look for ones narrated by Patrick Tull. He did all of the Sharpe books except for the last and I think he did all of the Aubrey/Maturin books as well. He passed away a year or two ago and I very much missed him on the last Sharpe audio.

>229 sgtbigg:: Patrick Tull is sort of my "back up". While I like his voices, I find his pacing a trifle slow.

I really like Simon Vance as a narrator and am listening to the Aubrey/Maturin books with him. I did have to do Post Captain with Patrick Tull because the library's copy with Vance as the reader was damaged.

For the Sharpe books, I started with Frederick Davidson and really enjoy him as a reader. However, he hasn't finished the whole series as far as I can tell, so I'll probably have to do some with Patrick Tull.

>229 sgtbigg:: Btw, I found this thread a couple days ago. I think I'll find it useful if/when I venture into some other books that aren't read by narrators I know.

It's hard to know how people judge a reader but, if I find someone who likes my favorites (Frederick Davidson/David Case, Simon Vance, Nadia May, Flo Gibson), then I figure I might trust their other favorites.

I'm just catching up here, and I'm going backwards to the food discussion. Give My Life In France by Julia Child a try. She describes her time at Le Cordon Bleu in post-WWII France, and you learn about how she learned about food. I read The Sharper Your Knife after My Life In France, but I think they're interesting companion books - Le Cordon Bleu doesn't seem to have changed much over the past 50 years.

And I agree, Heat by Bill Buford is one of the best in this genre. Even my husband, who normally wouldn't read a food book, really enjoyed it.

Wow, just read all 232 posts. Been a bit behind due to work and travel, and also a bit intimidated - you are a prodigious reader and poster (I see your posts everywhere!). But finally cracked your thread, and enjoyed it immensely.

I've added several books and authors to the pile: Archer's Goon, Defining the World, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, Boris Akunin and Glen Cook. Also, I have the first 2 Gap books (unread), and I think I will go ahead and get the last 2 and run right through them.

And love the mamihlapinatapai discussion and your pronunciation guide. Showed my husband, and we have been staring at each other, then saying, "OK, I'll do the laundry," or "OK, I'll feed the cats." And then repeating the word over and over and laughing uproariously. Thanks for 'the best medicine'!

Ok, first I played a really bad joke on myself...

: An Amber Anthology by Carrie Snodgrass (no touchstones)

I was trying out an eBook on my iPhone to see if it was usable. Somehow...in a moment of utter imbecility...I conceived the notion that this was an anthology of short stories set in Roger Zelazny's world of Amber. I don't know why, the download blurb actually doesn't say anything about the content of the books...but somehow I got that impression.

It's actually a collection of paranormal romance short stories. The first one was so bad that I cannot conceive of anyone enjoying it...there was certainly a horror element, but it was in my reaction, not the plot line. I read the first couple pages of the second, it was infinitesimally better. Relegated to the (electronic) trash can.

#234: Ouch! I hope you did not have to pay for it.

LOL -- sounds like something I'd do. Sorry. Hope it turns out better next time.

234> Aww com'on TadAD you mean to tell me there are bad stories out there?

Sorry about your snafu, Tad. However, how did you create the "X" through the number 23? Very cool!

...then I read something, but it disappointed me...

: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Science Fiction
1168 pages

I have to say I was little disappointed in this book. I enjoyed it, but I expected to love it. This one, I felt, needed some editing.

The plot structure jumps between two distinct stories, one set in the World War II, one in the immediate future. The "past" stories deal with breaking Nazi codes and the efforts to disguise the success of this effort from them. They read a bit like a thriller...a thriller with a lot of techno-speak in it...and I enjoyed them, though I wouldn't have minded an editor cutting down the page count in the beginning parts.

The "future" stories, though occasionally leavened with a bit of humor, were less interesting to me. There just wasn't enough meat in the story and the characters were two-dimensional. The ending of the book is abrupt and disappointingly trite and here the wished-for editor would have asked Stephenson to flesh it out a bit more.

This is not a cyberpunk novel like Snow Crash (or even a borderline cyberpunk novel like The Diamond Age), nor is it a novel that rests its weight on plot and characterization. This is a novel where the main elements are the ideas and response of cultures to those ideas. It's arguably not even a science fiction story, though the focus on ideas and culture shock is a theme of cyberpunk and its derivatives.

Over the years, I've heard this book described as the perfect book for the 15-year-old, nerdy male who is going to find the technology cool, Randy Waterhouse's obsession with sex titillating, and the hacking exciting. Now that I've read it, I think that statement is pretty accurate.

My recommendation for this book really depends on what type of reader you are.

If the technology of encryption and computer security isn't terribly interesting to you, or if intricate plots or deep characters are critical for you, you might want to pass this by—there might not be enough other stuff there to warrant the 1100+ page effort.

On the other hand, if you're the type of person who enjoys technically-oriented stories, or are interested in cryptography or modern computer security, are not dismayed by a lot of technical content, generally like all genres of science fiction, this is probably worth the read.

Since I am interested in cryptography, mildly conversant with computer security, enjoy science fiction, and was once a 15-year-old male, my reaction is a recommendation.



Edit: typos

>238 kidzdoc:: kidzdoc, I took a screenshot of the numbers, drew an X over them with a paint program, uploaded that image to use.

>235 alcottacre:: No, Stasia, it was free. I hit a couple of ebook sites and downloaded things I thought looked interesting. Obviously, I made at least one mistake! :-)

However, I also got a couple by known authors...I'll read them if stuck without a physical book.

>233 LisaMorr:: Lisa, glad you stopped by; I hope you like some of those.

>232 Talbin:: Talbin, that book sounds interesting. I'll give it a try at some point.

WOW..23 books read this month. Tad, you are simply amazing!

Excellent review of Cryptonomicon--I read it last year and liked it, but had the same reservations you did. I've also read Snow Crash and Quicksilver and it seems to me that enjoyment of a Neal Stephenson novel (i.e., one's ability to overlook the somewhat amateurish writing and, as you say, apparent lack of editor) greatly depends on the reader's interest in the main subject of the novel. I'm interested in WWII cryptography so I liked Cryptonomicon, I'm indifferent to 18th century history so I was unimpressed with Quicksilver, and...well, Snow Crash was just bad.

re Cryptonomicon

Thanks for the review. This book was recommended to me by my Scifi son and I was considering it.

I'm about a third of the way through The Diamond Age. I found the beginning tough going because of all the techno stuff (and Bud was not my favorite character!) but now I am enjoying the story and although the tech stuff slows me down because I do try to decipher it, it's not interfering with my pleasure. I admit I like what I call the "fantasy" aspects more than the tech jargon and it sounds like Cryptonomicon is heavy on what I don't like and doesn't have much of what I do like about Diamond Age, so I'll pass. Has he written anything else like DA?

Cryptonomicon is on my list to read this year, and despite reservations (I have never been a 15-year-old male, for instance) I am still going to have a go at it. I will probably struggle with the tech side of things, but I am hoping my interest in cryptography will make it worth the read.

>246 MusicMom41:: MM. There's nothing exactly in the same slot as The Diamond Age. If you're not liking the technology/cyberpunk, Stephenson might not be for you. Snow Crash is heavier in that aspect than The Diamond Age. (By the way, ignore the recommendations of Gibson's Neuromancer if you're not liking the cyberpunk stuff...it's even more so.)

You might look at Zodiac in the library or book store to see if you'd care for it. It's early Stephenson...less technical, more thriller than science fiction. However, it's one of his first books and the writing is not as smooth.

I haven't read Quicksilver, so I have no opinion. It's about science, but I don't know whether he beats the reader with it, or not.

TadAD

Thanks for the overview. I'm now finding Diamond Age a gem (pun intended); I hope the ending is as good as the middle!

Maybe I'll see how Stasia likes Cryptonomicon--I'm interested in cryptography so that my be another one to try, after all.

Our grade school has a program where parents can volunteer to read aloud to a class of ESL children. The books are chosen by the teacher and are usually patriotic in theme. I've completed my recent turn and we read...

: Dwight D. Eisenhower by Malcolm Charles Moos

Biography, Young Adult
175 pages

This was a fairly pleasant book to read aloud, written at just the right level for its purpose: a fairly superficial biography of the 34th president, aimed at introducing school children to him rather than any kind of analysis of his military or presidential record.

The obvious Cold War influence (it was written in the 1960s) made me smile at times, but the author was not heavy-handed and it didn't detract from the book.

In summary, fine for its intended purpose but nothing earth-shaking.



Edit: typos

What a marvelous thing you are doing Tad! Thx for sharing.

A hearty echo to suslyn's congratulations and kudos. That is a great cause and it not only serves to help kids learn English but it promotes literacy. Twist your arm to the point of breaking and pat yourself on the back repeatedly for me!

Thanks to MusicMom41 for recommending this...

: Playing the Piano for Pleasure by Charles Cooke

Non-fiction
182 pages

Aimed at the amateur who wants to play the piano seriously, but for pleasure, the book has a cheerful "you can do this if you follow my advice" attitude without being patronizing. It provides some simple guidance on how to structure your learning, as well as some specific advice on certain pieces. Perhaps one of the best parts of the book is that Mr. Cooke's enthusiasm sparks a (hopefully long-term) similar enthusiasm in the reader.

I liked the fact that the book made specific suggestions on pieces for a variety of player levels. It was gratifying that a couple of the pieces I'm currently wading my way through appear in there, giving me some idea of relative difficulty levels. I should note that Mr. Cooke uses terms like "beginner" and "easy" but one should not interpret this to mean he is talking about an actual beginner. He appears to be using the term to mean "beginning intermediate player."

I think this is a book that I will end up re-reading several times, especially the latter half. Part of this is because it contains a lot of material about pieces I am not able to attempt right now. It is also because the advice is cumulative: learn this and then try this.

It was a delightful book that I'm sure I'll pick up again.



Edit: typos

>253 TadAD: That looks good indeed. What a resource!

Tad,
One question. You seem to be reading (on average) one book every 25 hours, how then are you going to find time to learn how to play the piano?

>255 Ti99er:: I practice almost every day. If you look, some books are audio books during the commute, one of the last ones was read during school (time off from work) hours, plus some of the early books were started at the end 2008. It's not as much reading as it seems.

>249 MusicMom41: Certainly give Cryptonomicon a try! It's long and dense and it took me a couple of tries to work my way though (the first time I tried to read it, I borrowed a copy from the library and kept it so long that I accumulated a $12 fine) but it's become one of my favorite books. I especially loved how there are so many threads in the book that all tie together.

#257alynnk

"Tie together" sounds good. Right now in Diamond Age I'm trying to keep track of so many threads that my head starts to spin! If they are weaving a "beautiful tapestry" so far I'm only seeing the underside! I'm already thinking that I will need to reread this one in the not too distant future. I know I won't get it all this first time through!

Hey TadAD, I am going to ask for your opinion on some books. I think I will also ask Ronincats and the doc also. I just watched the Russian made films of Night Watch and Day Watch. I really enjoyed them but they gave me the impression that the books would be even better. Have you read them? If so, ....................?

I also watched and liked the two movies last year, didn't know they were based on books, if so, I would also be interested in knowing about them.

I haven't seen the movies, but I loved the books. By the way, there's a total of four books - Twilight Watch and The Last Watch are the other two.

I didn't have time to get to your thread yet, doc!! Thanks for the recommendation on the books. The movies were stylistic and crazy and a good deal of fun to watch!! On the lookout for the books now.

Totally concur with Mac on the movies, they were also very different than any of the Hollywood movies churned out on this topic including the Blade Trilogy and family. The books should be a good addition to the pile, now with these 4 books, and the score of Stephen King ones, this genre seems pretty well covered!

I'm simply stopping by to say hello to you Tad.
I hope you are well.

I was noticing, too, Linda, that we haven't heard from Tad for over three days, which is very unusual. I hope he is just having a long weekend somewhere fun.

>259 blackdogbooks:: Hey, Mac,

Sorry for the delay. I was away this weekend for my daughters' activities and Web access wa pretty limited.

I got Night Watch for Christmas, but haven't read it, yet. Sorry I couldn't help. I'm glad to hear drneutron say they're worth it.

Two books over the weekend...

: Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian

Historical Fiction
Narrated by Patrick Tull
325 pages in hardback

This wasn't my favorite of the Aubrey/Maturin stories. O'Brian managed to put a great deal of excitement and tension into the Leopard's flight from the Waakzaamheid and the race to find shelter in the sinking ship. However, Maturin's counter-espionage games with Louisa Wogan and Michael Herapath didn't interest me as much.

However, it's still an excellently-written naval adventure and I'm looking forward to The Fortune of War.

I'm used to Simon Vance as a reader of these books and prefer him to Patrick Tull.

---

: Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto

Fiction, Reading the World
256 pages

An old man, Tuahir, is traveling through war-torn Mozambique with young boy, Muidinga, who is recently recovered from some kind of sickness or trauma. They take shelter in a bombed out bus, where they find a set of journals on the body of a dead boy, Kindzu. The chapters of the novel alternate between readings of the stories in the journal and recounting the experiences of Tuahir and Muidinga during their time spent in and around the bus.

I had a lot of trouble with this book. The language, though spare, is very evocative and compelling. There was no difficulty in feeling the the sorrows of the war, the frustrations at government corruption, the racial tensions of the land. The book leans heavily toward magical realism but does so in a way that conveys the sense of a dream rather than a jarring departure from reality.

However, the story is filled to the brim with symbolism and I found myself wandering through it, feeling like I never quite understood the full significance of most of the magical events. I felt that i was missing many of the points the author was trying to make.

If I were conversant enough with the history and culture of Mozambique, I think I would find this a marvelous book. As it was, I found that I was almost sleepwalking through parts of it (yes, pun intended).

> 267

I must admit I am a huge fan of Simon Vance. I especially loved his reading of Market Forces and Black Man (US Title - "Thirteen"), both written by one of my favourite authors, Richard K. Morgan.

I currently have Morgan's The Steel Remains, also read by Vance, but while I love 'hard' sci-fi, fantasy leaves me cold; so I'm approaching that one with caution. I also have Vance reading, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - in reserve for a long road trip.

As for Patrick Tull, I've quite enjoyed him on the few occasions I've listened to one of his readings.

>268 petermc:: Tull has become my "backup" narrator. I prefer Vance for the O'Brian books and Frederick Davidson (aka David Case) for the Sharpe books. Tull has done both series, but I find his pacing a bit slow and his expression sometimes a bit odd...enjoyable, but not as much as the other two.

Simon Vance doing J. Maarten Troost is hysterical.

#269: Tad, the version of Don Quixote that I am listening to is narrated by David Case and I am really enjoying his narration.

> 269

Simon Vance doing J. Maarten Troost is hysterical

Wouldn't you know it, but I actually have the audiobook of Troost's Lost on Planet China. After your last comment I just have to give it a listen.

On the topic of audiobook readers, I'm going to send out some love to Scott Brick (Great stuff on the Cussler series - perfect drive time listening when I'm heading out of Tokyo to one of Japan's mountain hotspring resorts), and Todd McLaren (Love his work on Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs series - he even makes crowded Tokyo subway lines seem bearable).

>271 petermc:: Lost on Planet China is very enjoyable. However, Troost was actually trying to be (slightly!) more serious in that book. If you like it, you should definitely try The Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages—particularly the first is quite funny in an appalling, "I can't believe he went through that" sort of way.

Interesting your comments on Scott Brick: I had vowed never to get another one of his narrations after the awful experience of Brett Battles' The Cleaner. Somehow I decided that the reading made the book seem horrible. Perhaps it was the other way around, the horrible book couldn't be enlivened by the reader. I've read all of Cussler's books already but, if another story comes along with Brick as the reader, perhaps I won't rule it out automatically.

I enjoyed the first Takeshi Kovacs book (paper, not audio book). However, the next two disappointed me a bit. This was a series I really wanted to like...but the sequels failed to deliver the fundamental premise of the book, imo: the author kept telling us Kovacs was a bad-ass, that Envoys were feared by the known galaxy. However, Kovacs actually seemed more and more lightweight as the series progressed.

I'll probably try another Morgan sometime this year, but I don't know if I'll continue with any future Kovacs books.

> 272

"...the author kept telling us Kovacs was a bad-ass, that Envoys were feared by the known galaxy. However, Kovacs actually seemed more and more lightweight as the series progressed."

I agree he changed, but unlike you I was not disappointed. I think we see two things happening -

1) Morgan develops as a writer during this series - Altered Carbon was published in 2002 and was his first novel; and Woken Furies, his fourth, was published in 2005; but more importantly...

2) Takeshi Kovacs is on a journey of self-discovery, and develops as a character marked by time, experience and circumstance. The first novel finds him at a cross-roads in his life and angry with everyone and everything. The second novel finds him slightly disillusioned with life as an envoy and discovering a more human side to his character. In the last novel Kovacs discovers that fundamentally he is, as one reviewer has put it, "a romantic". And, the battle between the old and young Kovacs only accentuates how he has changed over the course of his life.

These are just my humble opinions. I don't know if we'll see any more of Kovacs. Perhaps he finally found peace in the last novel. Morgan has now turned to fantasy and looks to be publishing the second novel, "The Cold Commands" in his "A Land Fit For Heroes" series, in September 2009.

>273 petermc::

I don't disagree with your analysis. I wasn't disappointed by his changing into a more human character. I can't really express it—I guess the closest I can come is that, when he was in a situation where Envoy skills would be appropriate (e.g., battle between old and young), I didn't really get a sense that those skills were present.

Oh well, I'm fine to agree to disagree on this. As I said, I'll try another Morgan at some point.

> 274

As Envoy skills are largely dependent on neurochemicals, without them they are little more than elite, highly trained soldiers. I found Kovacs vulnerability was always proportional to the state of these neurochemicals. Hence Morgan created a very effective means of developing the plot.

However, I'm more than happy to agree to disagree :)

Hey Tad. I'm still reading this, just haven't had much to say ... Hope your next read is fantastic!

Hey Tad, finally got my set-up cleaned up (thanks Abby!!) and caught up on your thread. Thanks for the Stephenson review--it's on my list for this year, but I hadn't found anything that actually talked about the book from this perspective. Thanks--I'll move it up the list.

Also, I know you're a huge O'Brien fan, and I haven't read his nautical stuff, but I whipped through all of Horatio Hornblower after watching the A&E presentations--which were and are marvelous!

Keep up the good work!

>277 Prop2gether:: Prop, I agree about the A&E presentations of the Hornblower stories. I liked them so much I'll probably grab them on DVD at some point. I had never seen Ioan Gruffudd in anything but thought he was just perfect for the role. I liked him better than Gregory Peck as Hornblower, and I'm a huge Gregory Peck fan.

I re-read all the Hornblower stories about a year and half ago and I still enjoy most of them though they are not quite as rich as O'Brian's stuff. You might also try Alexander Kent's stories about Richard Bolitho...same type of thing.

Many thanks to deebee1 for the recommendation of...

: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Fairy Tale
216 pages

I approached this with a bit of trepidation because the beginning of Rushdie's Midnight's Children did nothing for me last year. I ended up finding a story that has instantly became one of my favorites.

On one level it's a fairy tale about a young boy journeying to the land from whence stories flow in order to restore his father's ability to tell the tales that make everyone around him happy. On another, it's a contemplation of government, imagination, love, freedom and, above all, the role of stories in our lives. No matter how you read it, though, the book is written with imagination, affection and a super-sized dollop of humor.

As Butt the Hoopoe would say: delicious, delightful, delectable...read it again, no problem!

Highly recommended!

i'm soooo glad u liked it!

TadAd
I confess, I've never read any of rusdie's books. your latest read looks like a great place to start. Thanks.

>279 TadAD: Tad, my daughter gave me Haroun and the Sea of Stories and sat with me, forcing me to read on, as I came close to chucking it in the Pearl Rule 50pp. I am so glad I didn't! It really came alive when I began to see the subtext. Thanks for reminding me to a happy reading experience.

#279: Ha! I am reading that one in the next couple of days myself. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did, Tad.

My middle child and I are doing an odd sort of group read; we'll be reading on the same topic but not the same book. I'm starting Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day, but it's a bit too much for an 11-year old. So, I poked around and found one that will be fine for her.

: The Story of D-Day: June 6, 1944 by Bruce Bliven

History, Young Adult
173 pages

I loved the Random House Landmark Books series when I was a kid...this book would have been no exception. Aimed at the grade schooler, it provides a easily understood picture of the assault. Keeping in mind its target audience, it doesn't attempt to explain the larger context of the war or campaign strategies. Instead, it lays out the major events of the assault, gluing them together with colorful stories of individuals that will engage the reader's imagination and keep their attention.

The book treads lightly on the gore, merely noting, for example, that, "Omaha beach had cost a lot. Two thousand men were killed, wounded or missing." I'm sure the Ryan book—aimed at adults—will portray that side of things more fully. I stood in the German positions overlooking Omaha Beach many years ago and still cringe to think what it must have been like to slog through the water and up that unprotected sand.

A well-done book for a child to learn about that day.



Edit: typos

TadAd

I think it is simply so lovely that you are bonding with your children via book reading! It makes me smile when I read your posts about books you are sharing.

#284 re The Longest Day

I just bought a used copy of the HC 1959 edition of this book to add to the pile I'm collecting for Hubby to read when he retires this summer. Now I am looking at it and thinking maybe I will read it also! Hubby had an uncle who was one of the paratroopers dropped in the night before. (I think I got that right!) He survived but didn't like to talk about it. That was like my Dad, who was in the Pacific theater of the war.

#279: Re Haroun and the Sea of Stories - I loved it! It was one of those books that immediately went on my 'I have to buy this one' list.

Stasia..
Once again you are on my wavelength. I just returned from the library when I obtained a copy of Salaman Rushdie's book Haroun and the Sea Stories. I hope to start it tomorrow.

Both this book (Haroun and the Sea Stories) and Matilda are shown as being available at my neighborhood library. I will pick them up tomorrow when it has stopped raining.

ronincats, Matilda is a quick, breezy read.

I don't usually read children's literature actively (with the exception of a few books) but I think Haroun is on my list now!

*waves*

A LT Early Reviewer read...

: Elisha's Bones by Don Hoesel (touchstones broken)

Thriller, Early Reviewer
213 pages

I guess I'd sum up my reactions by saying the book is a good first effort...but it reads like just that, a first effort.

This is a thriller that is in the rough mold of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code: Professor Jack Hawthorne sets off on a hunt for the bones of the prophet, Elisha, that are reputed to be able to resurrect the dead. Gunfights erupt, exotic locales are visited, betrayals abound, and lots of people are killed as Jack and his erstwhile girlfriend, Espy, race around the world trying to beat others who want to beat them to the prize or stop them dead.

On the plus side, I liked the main character, just the right blend of ineptness and pluck. I especially liked Espy—she managed to come across as the feisty, "you're not getting off that easy" ex without being completely trite. The action is swift, though that is also a problem I note below. The potential for a preachy religious theme was very large and, thankfully, well avoided.

On the negative side, the book felt rushed at times. The action scenes were fine but there was very little backstory to help us get to know the characters; they'd appear, talk a short bit, and then disappear—often to the graveyard, so we know we’ll never get to know them. Unlike the best of thrillers, there was no sense of the reader being part of the action; too much information was hidden from us. The result of this was that the book felt flat, lacking the depth that would have made it a more involving read. The ending was predictable, but left too much unanswered (perhaps plans for a sequel?).

All in all, I just give this a "OK" rating; I can't recommend it. However, unlike Mr. Brown's work, I don’t rule out the prospect of trying something by this author at a later date once he's more practiced.

Just a note, a number of ratings here won't agree with those in my library for a while. I changed my rating system very slightly and haven't gone through the library to change everything, though this thread has been changed.

I don't know if it's me or not but Brown's book seemed to spark a firestorm of similar stories. Just last week I noticed y'all discussing Khoury's book which turned into a TV movie, pure dribble with Mira Sorvino riding a horse down NYC streets on holding a staff and wearing an evening dress and heels. I'm with you, TadAD.....no more Brown. The one was enough for me.

I read The DaVinci Code because a friend pressed a copy into my hands raving about it. I found it the most ADHD book I have ever read. 3 page chapters. Staccato prose. I had to read a chapter (all three pages), put the book down for a day, read another chapter, wait another day...you get the picture. Whether or not the STORY was any good or not is actually a moot point for me, the writing was so torturous. I would never have finished it on my own. So, BDB, one Brown was MORE than enough for me.

>293 TadAD: Tad, I like your new rating system much better! It's more detailed. I'll know that 2.5 means "passed an afternoon" and 3 means "mildly recommended" from now on :)

ronincats...
Whew...finally, I found someone who did not like The DaVinci Code. I read this when it first came out because all my friends were raving about it. They simply could not understand why I didn't like it. I remember telling them that I grew tired of all the illogical chase scenes and suspense that simply wasn't suspenseful.

Honestly, I still do not understand what is so worthy of this book that it was made into a movie.

Oh, I didn't like it either. It was, well, awful.

Another vote against The DaVinci Code. I liked the first half or so but it went straight down hill after that. My wife didn't like it either.

Wow, I am glad not to be alone. Look, I like the thriller for thrillers sake and the book that puts away reality on the first page so that you can mindlessly enjoy the ride. I just don't think that it is that easily done and usually find that there are a great many more books that miss the mark in this arena than hit it. That one, the book that shall not be named, is one that missed.

>297 Whisper1:: I loathed the Da Vinci Code too! Soooo badly written... one of those books that I read in a single sitting because I wanted to find out what happened, but also wanted it over as quickly as possible. One moment really sticks in my mind - when the beautiful French cryptographer Sophie "could not believe that she hadn't spotted the Fibonacci sequence". I couldn't believe it either - I have a degree in English lit and even I could spot that... pah. And all those movie-style jump-cuts.

I was not impressed with the Da Vinci Code either, but I know a lot of people who were.

#297 Whisper 1

Linda

I stopped "catching up" to make a bet that most of the following responses (#298 until this one) will be nearly unanimous in their dislike of DaVinci Code.

I had to read it because so many people in my area kept asking me my opinion of it--because I'm "the reader"--they wanted to know if all that was true!

BTW My son had read Angels and Demons earlier and warned me against Dan Brown--so it wasn't just this book.

Now, I'm going to see if I win the bet. :-)

Carolyn

ETA I win! Actually it was unanimous! So many people on this site have such good taste! ;-)

>297 Whisper1:/301: I couldn't stand the book, mostly because the "history" behind it was so wretchedly researched... Brown seemed to simply cut and paste (and add in some fiction) wherever he wanted. It was positively maddening! The height of the book's popularity came when I was still in my archaeology program at university, and there was more than one occasion where a number of us would spend our breaks discussing (ie. ranting and raving at) all the liberties Brown took (and various methods of destroying our copies, hah).

The last 10 pages or so also ruined the experience for me, after I decided to ignore his claims of "real history" and just read it as an adventure book... then he had to get all preachy at the end. Sigh. Waste of time. And the movie was sub-par to boot.

Re: the Davinci Code - I did not love it, I did not hate it, I was just kind of 'meh' about it. I never did understand what all the hullaballou about the book was and I certainly never understood why we had to have documentaries on the Discovery channel and its' pseudoscientists explaining a book to me that was fiction!

>303 MusicMom41:: Whisper1, Angels and Demons was worse than The DaVinci Code. I had tried it to see if my reaction to the latter was just an anomaly. Nope!

>305 alcottacre:: Stasia, I think it's simply that anytime you revise Christian history and include attacks upon it, you're going to get a firestorm. It doesn't really matter whether the thoughtful or ridiculous, the issue is so emotionally charged that it gets reactions. Unfortunately, that kind of controversy sells, so things like Brown's book or Gibson's movie become highly popular...spreading the controversy even further.

: Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz

Non-fiction, Memoir, Travel
432 pages

This is an account of Tony Horwitz's year-long exploration through the places where the U.S. Civil War was fought, starting in North Carolina and working his way downward. The book is not a history of the Civil War so much as a look at what the Civil War means in the minds of Southerners today.

Though he admits to having a fascination with the Civil War as a child, he brings to this an outsider's perspective: not well-informed about the events and, since his ancestors were post-war immigrants, with no familial ties to the conflict. Yet, this outsider status does not confer impartiality, nor does he attempt to conceal his personal views—he examines the people he meets through eyes that are clearly those of a liberal Northerner, one shaped and informed by the Civil Rights Movement.

The result works well. Though he rejects, even implicitly derides, some of the extreme Southern stances and revisionisms, you can sense that he comes to feel a certain sympathy for other aspects of the Southern cause, for the people who, as Shelby Foote said to him, put "one's people before one's principles."

Other discussions have made much of the time he spent with the hardcore re-enactors, the individuals who attempt to replicate, in every detail (except killing), the experiences of the soldiers. These discussions have said such things as, "you cannot help but find them absurd." Actually, I didn't find them absurd. While admitting that they derive their enjoyment from an extremism that I find unthinkable, their desire to understand what their ancestors endured, to come to grips with this quintessentially American conflict that created the modern United States is easily understood.

While there are many funny moments in the book, it is not one of unadulterated pleasure. We catch a glimpse of the fact that, despite the century from the Civil War to Civil Rights, the conflict is still being fought in many places, sometimes with guns. In fact, the book implies that it is getting worse and that, once again, the country is starting to consider whether it is really a single nation.

Pleasant at times, funny at times, thought-provoking at times, I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in the Civil War. Look at it as one piece of a jigsaw puzzle of opinions that are still very important to who we are.

Tad, since you liked Hortwitz' book (I admit he is a favorite of mine), you might give a couple of others of his a try. I recommend Blue Latitudes and Baghdad without a Map. I read his newest book, A Voyage Long and Strange earlier this year and did not enjoy it nearly as much as I have liked his others.

Stasia and Tad...
I've never read anything by Hortwitz. And, since I trust both of you in your reading recommendations, I'll try to read something of his soon. Which one would you recommend as the first to add to the ever growing tbr pile?

All of them!

Just kidding - it depends on where your interests lie: Blue Latitudes follows the voyages of Captain Cook; Baghdad without a Map is about Horwitz' travels throughout the Middle East and as you can see from Tad's review, Confederates in the Attic is about his attempts to understand the Civil War.

#307 Tad

What a great review! You really captured the essence of the book.

#309 Linda

I've only read one--Confederates in the Attic--but I highly recommend it. As you can see from Tad's review, that book tells us a little bit about "ourselves." It is especially revealing of some of the attitudes in the South--both negative and positive. Although I do have to add a caveat--I lived in the South for nearly 25 years and most of the more extreme attitudes, although they crop up from time to time, you do not encounter daily (unless you seek them out, of course!). I moved away just shortly before Horwitz started writing his book--so things my have changed somewhat. The hard core enacting seemed to start to flourish in the '90s and we left December of '94.

I have read the The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress by Dan Brown and believe me when I say that The Da Vinci Code was the best amongst the lot! I concur with the rest of you that he has a very torturous writing style and lack strongly in logic (in this respect too The Da Vinci Code was the best). His writing goes downhill in the order in which I have enlisted the books and he is one writer I would definitely advice everyone to avoid.

Confederates in the Attic has been added to the tbr pile. I'm heading in reverse in that each day I add five-six books and each week I may read one.

>313 Whisper1:: Like Carolyn, I've only read the one book by him, and you've added that to the pile...so I guess we're good. :-)

Another commuting book finished...

: Sharpe's Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwell

Historical Fiction
Narrated by Patrick Tull
304 pages in hard cover

I was somewhat curious to see how Richard Sharpe, ensign in His Majesty's Army, was going to figure into the great naval action of Trafalgar, but Cornwell does a very slick job of making it seem only mildly coincidental.

Aside from my enjoyment of the Sharpe series in general, this book was interesting in another way. Since the entire book is a naval adventure, it made it easy to compare it directly to the other series about the Napoleonic Wars to which I am listening during my commute: Patrick O'Brian's stories featuring Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.

They are quite distinct. Cornwell doesn't give much feel for the period beyond the obvious one of the novel's setting. This is something at which O'Brian excels; his books are full of the little details and glimpses of life that give the reader a excellent sense of the period. On the other hand, Cornwell's books are full of adventure and action. Though I enjoy them immensely, my attention can wander from an O'Brian book if I'm tired or distracted. No so one of Cornwell's—there is rarely a dull moment in them.

Another excellent adventure in the series. I recommend it to any who like historical military fiction or action stories.



Edit: typos

#315

I've been seeing a lot of good things about Bernard Cornwell; I think he must have written more than one series. I guess I should give him a try. What would you suggest I start with? He's written a lot of books!

BTW Stephen Maturin :-) I always remember that one because he spells Stephen the way my Dad spelled it.

>315 TadAD:: Yes, Stephen. I'm not sure why I brain-blipped there. Thanks.

I haven't read any of his other series, yet, though I've been given a couple of his Grail series. People seem to enjoy all of them—I love the Sharpe books.

I chose the Sharpe books by the following logic: I didn't really want to deal with Arthurian Britain (the Warlord series), Grail Quests (Grail series). The Saxon series is reportedly not finished, yet, and I didn't want to be waiting. That left the Sharpe and the Starbuck series. However, the two series have a tie-in with each other, with the Sharpe books coming first, so I started with them. :-)

ETA: The first Sharpe book is Sharpe's Tiger.

About Haroun and the Sea of Stories - I'm happy to read that other people had so similar reading experiences while reading this book :) I've got it by chance, I did not know if I really wanna read it, but I loved it. I gaved the borrowed one back, but already have my own copy ;)

Cornwell also has a few stand alone books - Redcoat, Gallows Thief, Stonehenge - as well as a Civil War Series that, as I understand it, is done. He's also written some thrillers, but I've never read them so I could not say anything about them recommendation-wise.

>319 Fourpawz2:: Isn't the Civil War series the Starbuck books?

Chiming in re. Haroun and The Sea of Stories, thank you Tad and Stasia for recommending this one. It is so incredibly creative and the images are vivid, yet dreamlike. I'm almost finished and hate to see it end.

Oh my, I rather enjoy Dan Brown's works because they are so illogical and really--rather a romp each time. I wouldn't re-read most of them, but they are a relief from some of the "classics" or best-sellers I've read over the years which bog down in slow rhapsodic prose.

I do intend to look for Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Confederates in the Attic has been on my TBR list for a very long time. Sounds like I should read it sooner.

#317 Tad

Thanks for the information about the Cornwell books. I've put Sharpe's Tiger on my library list so i can get it when I have time to read it. I noticed that there is an unabridged CD in our library and i may try to get that this summer so Jim and I can both listen to it after he retires this summer. It sound like something he would enjoy. I'm doing the Patrick O'Brian series with him--I like to read and he'd rather listen (especially fiction)--but listening beats TV!

If the Starbuck series is Civil War and I like the author I will read them after the Sharpe series. By then I should know quite a bit about the Civil War and will really enjoy them!

#322 Prop2gether

It's okay to like Dan Brown--you have a lot of company. I'm sure most of us have some authors that we read just for the fun of it and because we find them mind candy. I certainly do--we can't be serious all the time! In fact I think I'm soon going to have a "mind candy" craving that will have to be indulged. My brain is starting to rebel! :-)

Carolyn

If you are hungry for "Mind Candy" may I suggest Roald Dahl. I'm currently reading Vile Verses. The silliness of this wonderful book is like chocolate -- you just can never get enough of it! The illustrations are like a box of round, square and flat or puffy truffles, each one filled with caramel, fudge or nuts.

#320 - yes, it is the Starbuck series, which shows you, I guess, how carefully I read. Not very.

: Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder

Non-fiction
331 pages

Tracy Kidder's book follows Chris Zajac, a fifth grade teacher in a poor, racially-mixed school, through a school year. The story is pleasant but, after reading his Mountains Beyond Mountains, I was expecting a bit more.

The whole thing felt a bit flat—there were a lot of events but the author did not manage to make the people particularly real. We hear Mrs. Zajac's epigrams repeated endlessly, but we don't really get to know much about her as a person. What glimpses the author does provide into her character seem a trifle too saintly.

I didn't mind reading it but I wouldn't bother to recommend this.

TadAd

Finally, a book you read that I do NOT have to add to my tbr pile.

I hope you are well.

Linda

>328 Whisper1:: LOL, Linda. You exaggerate...there have definitely been a few clunkers along the way. I'm too indiscriminate in what I pick up.

: Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz

Literary Fiction, Reading the World
286 pages

This book was my introduction to Egyptian writers in general, and Nobel Prize winner Mahfouz in specific. In this book, I found him a gifted story-teller to whom I will definitely return.

This novel is told as a series of interlocking stories that portray the lives of a small group of individuals over a short period of time during the waning days of World War II. The stories are set in Midaq Alley, a poor backstreet in Cairo. As the book unfolds, you realize that the alley is a small village within the city; its inhabitants live, socialize, work and marry largely within its confines. Some embrace this sense of community; some feel confined and struggle to escape. The alley, itself, might almost be considered the major character of the book. Mahfouz fills it with a character of its own: shabby, cynical, vibrant, faintly corpulent. It seems to sit there, observing the individuals that run about within it, loving them in its own distant way. This sense of intimacy made me feel that I was watching the events through the alley's eyes in an odd sort of first person narrative.

There is a vibrance to the human characters who populate this story. Each individual, major or minor, is drawn with a keen eye for detail, with affection for their strengths, humor for their foibles and a lack of judgment for their flaws. I felt I knew each of these characters intimately: the inconstant Hamida, ruthless in her desire for wealth and luxury; responsible and kind Abbas, content with his life in the alley but willing to give it up for love; Kirsha, owner of the café, married but with a predilection for young men; Saniya, the miserly landlord obsessed with finding a younger husband; Zaita, the cripple maker who feels nothing but contempt for all but Husniya, the baker who beats her husband.

The social changes as Egypt struggles with a modern era, the side-effects with Western cultural imperialism, the role of religious faith in life, all of these provide an unobtrusive background as Mahfouz circulates among his creations, advancing each of their stories bit by bit as the novel progresses. The inherent inter-connectedness of their lives causes their stories to brush against each other until he draws them together in an ending that, though containing sadness, was never bleak or unsatisfying.

Highly recommended.

YAY! A Mahfouzian is born!! Palace Walk, Palace of Desire and Sugar Street are wonderful books, too, called collectively "The Cairo Trilogy." I love them. I love him! I can't say enough about his writing, as translated ably by William Huthcins and Olive Kenny. Their artistry shouldn't go unnoticed.

Last year drneutron recommended I try...



: Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

Mystery, Western
294 pages

Gustav and Otto Amlingmeyer are a pair of Montana cowboys in 1893. Gustav has become enamored of the Sherlock Holmes stories being printed in Harper's Weekly. Thoughtful and observant, he is determined to try his hand at emulating his hero and making more of himself than a simple cow puncher. Otto, big, strong, loyal to a fault is...well...the perfect Watson stand in. The two are hired to work on a ranch run by secretive and harsh managers and, when bodies start showing up, Gustav finds the opportunity he desires…assuming they aren't killed first.

The blending of the detective and western genres works very well in Hockensmith's hands and the result is a fun, light-hearted and funny story that only aims to provide some entertainment, and succeeds.



Edit: typos

Tad, Thanks for the review of Midaq Alley. I do not know why I have not already read it--I love Mahfouz--but it is going to the top of the TBR pile. As Richard said, do get to The Cairo Trilogy. An earlier time in Egypt, but just as well written with fascinating characters.

Hi Tad
WOW..you are zipping along. 35 books to date. That is incredible!

#330 Loved your review of Midaq Alley - straight on my wishlist. Thank you.

>330 TadAD: sounds wonderful :)

Emmet Gowin: Changing the Earth by Jock Reynolds

Photography
164 pages

I would have loved to have put some of the images in this post, but was worried about copyright violation. So, I've just put links to a couple of images.

If you look at Emmet Gowin's landscapes of 30 years ago, such as the orchard in Siena, Italy, they have an almost abstract feel to them—the play of light and dark is as prominent as the subject itself.

Comparing his current images of the Earth, such as The Great Salt Lake or Savannah there is that same abstract element, but with a greater visceral punch. In some ways, they remind the viewer of a painting by Pollock or Kline in which the eye is not entirely sure what it's seeing, but an emotion is being conveyed. However, though many are beautiful, the emotion present is a forbidding one. Once you read the captions, you realize quite quickly why this is so. The images are all of man's incursions on the planet.

I'm not a big fan of Abstract Expressionist paintings, but these photographs had a big impact upon me. Perhaps this was because my eye was fooled and they are not abstract; they are literal records of what the surface looks like from the air.

The message of the book is fairly clear. Gowin expressed it fairly clearly in an interview he did, "I'm so conscious now that concern for the plight or the fate of the Earth is something that any grade-school child can tell you about…They sense at some deep level that something is happening, and that it can't go on this way forever."

I am in no way, shape or form a photographer, but I think even I would love to look at the photos in that book!

Tad
five stars is a very high rating. The book sounds fascinating!

>339 Whisper1:: I love black & white photography; I love Emmet Gowin's work; the "message" of the book is one that means a great deal to me...hence the five stars. I'm sure other people's mileage will vary since Art (capital 'A') is such a personal thing.

: Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough

Memoir
247 pages

Every once in a while I enjoy one of those memoirs from the middle of the last century, written with humor, nostalgia and an innocence that is somewhat lost these days. I had read Emily Kimbrough's Floating Island a couple of years ago and loved it, so when I encountered a copy of the memoir co-written with Cornelia Skinner, I gave it a try.

The book tells of the European tour the two girls took together in the early 1920s and could quite easily have been subtitled "Innocents Abroad" (with all apologies to Mr. Twain). From taking passage aboard a ship that promptly ran aground, to accidentally booking a room in a brothel, the trip is recounted with a good deal of charm and self-deprecation.

Ms. Skinner appears to have been the primary writer and I didn't find her voice quite as amusing as Ms. Kimbrough's, but the book was still enjoyable and I can see why it was such a popular book in the 40s and why Paramount had it made into a motion picture.

Tad
Where oh where do you find these interesting books?

Poking around second-hand book shops. :-)

Looks like you're finding some lovely things there :)

ok, then I need to poke around second hand book shops. This sounds like a fun thing to do.

it's one of my favorite things to do! :)

There is a wonderful second hand book shop near my house. I haven't been there in years. I'll be visited the shop on Saturday...coffee in hand.

I hadn't thought of your book no. 37 in ages. My grandparents were always trying to get me to read it whenever I was at their house and ran out of stuff to read and I always resisted. Guess I'm ready for it now. It sounds quite good. (Or else I've attained the same mindset as Grandpa and Granny! Nooooooooooo!) I think it's somewhere in my aunt's attic - will have to make my cousin ferret it out for me.

: Shyness and Dignity by Dag Solstad

Literary Fiction, Reading the World
150 pages

Elias Rukla, a high school literature teacher in Oslo, is a man who has spent his entire life unconnected, to one degree or another, to society around him. Now, in the single day covered by this novel, Rukla comes to understand how far this has come.

An epiphany about Ibsen's The Wild Duck—only to realize that he cannot make his students comprehend nor appreciate it...worse, that if he could connect with them enough to make them understand, it would destroy his very view of society—sends him from the school. A damaged umbrella sends him into an emotional breakdown and, when he comes to his senses minutes later, he realizes that he had been unable to recognize that he was surrounded by students when it happened, that he had verbally abused them without understanding what he was doing.

This sets him walking blindly through the streets of the city, his memory replaying the last couple decades of his life, reflecting on the inseparable friend who disappeared out of his life, wondering if his wife feels a truest kind of indifference about him. In these reflections, Solstad has managed to capture a world of middle-age regret, sadness and loneliness.

Solstad's writing style is dense, difficult at times, yet, in some way that I don't understand, it evoked a response that felt completely in keeping with the book. He does not use quotes, except when someone speaking in the book quotes someone else, and dialog is not separated into paragraphs. Phrases are reiterated hypnotically: a couple of words will be repeated five, ten, even fifteen times over a few sentences. A sentence will be interrupted with an opening parenthesis—you might read and read for two pages before its closing mate is finally encountered. The sentences, themselves, are often quite convoluted; here is one of many as an example of his monumental constructs:

But as [in his daydreams] he would have a chance to say exactly this, he would have hastened to add, But you must not attach great importance to that because when I express myself that way I speak like a limited person, like a captive of my own time; my statement betrays how easily my heart is moved by literature from my own century rather than how good my judgment is at rendering valid appraisals of our national literature in general, he would say if he had posed this question by a bright ,extremely eager eighteen-year-old, and by this reply he hoped he would have been able to convey an aspect of himself that the pupils might be surprised he had, for he could vividly imagine [he dreamed] that it would astonish his pupils that he too, after all, let himself be moved more easily by contemporary literature than by the literature of earlier periods—that was what he imaged they thought when he was giving a sincere answer to a question asked by a bright and interested hypothetical eighteen-year-old pupil, and then they would perhaps understand that when there was such a dearth of contemporary literature in his classes, it was not due to his personal taste, but to an overarching plan, the nature of which would not, right now, he thought as he was thinking about this hypothetical situation, dawn on them, like a sudden glimpse of something that was of greater importance than both they themselves, the pupils, and the one who was teaching them, the master.

The end result of this was to give the book a sense of separateness and obsession. I felt I was standing somewhere distant from Elias Rukla, peering into his mind as it made its self-absorbed way through events. Just as the world did not touch him, so I was an outsider.

Though this book won't be to everyone's taste, it was moving and powerful.

Re: Book #37 Our Hearts Were Young and Gay. We put on this play when I was in high school (many, many years ago), and like you, I found the book in a second-hand book shop. I need to pull it out and read it--I don't think that I ever did! Thanks for the reminder!

When I was a teenager I found an old copy of Our Hearts and it opened a whole new world of reading for me. That was my idea of "feminism!" :-)

It also led me to search out other "old" books such as Life with Father, My Friend Irma, The Egg and Iand Cheaper by the Dozen. But the Skinner book remained my favorite. Thanks for the memory!

: World War Z by Max Brooks

Thriller
342 pages

This book has been read and recommended so many times on LT that, though I'm not a big horror book fan, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. For those who haven't yet come across it, the book is an "oral history" of the human race's near destruction at the hands of the dead who are re-animated by a virus spread via bites.

What made this work for me is that the author didn't go the obvious route. There's nothing supernatural in the book. In fact, he wisely doesn't even explain the zombies beyond saying "a virus". The outbreak just happens and the entire book is about dealing with it. As such, it reads like a thriller and not at all like something from the horror genre.

It's told as a series of interviews with individuals from all over the world in the aftermath of the catastrophe. Each interview puts in place a small piece of the picture as humanity is first almost obliterated by hundreds of millions of infected creatures, then stabilizes in small pockets and finally begins to fight back. Along the way, Brooks comments on governments, the military, human nature, individual courage, ingenuity, savagery, man's best friend, the perils of technology and just about every other part of society.

I enjoyed the ride and can see why so many people are passing along the recommendation.

TadAD

Darn! I was happily ignoring all the "hype" about World War Z because I don't do horror. I don't even do a whole lotta of thriller. But your review makes this book sound like something I would really enjoy--and I don't even do much with politics, either! Onto the pile it goes. Wow, am I broadening my genre range in reading!

I did enjoy War of the Worlds years ago--this seem like it has a little of the same kind of "feel" to it.

I just finished World War Z this morning, and I agree, it's better than I would have expected and definitely worth a read.

I'm not a horror fan either, but I enjoyed World War Z when I read it last year.

Definitely not a horror fan, but World War Z was so different that it went on my top reads for 2008. I think its a really well done take on this kind of thing, and something more original than most of the zombie based stories out there.

#356: I think you give the reason I enjoyed it so much - it did not feel like a 'horror' novel to me - it felt like a war correspondent doing reports.

: Oedipus the King by Sophocles, translated by F. Storr

Drama
107 pages in eBook

Somehow I skipped having to read the Greek tragedies as a student; I missed a year of high school and perhaps that was when they came around on the curriculum.

Obviously, I'm no Greek scholar and I don't really feel qualified to comment much upon the quality of the play beyond saying that I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was interesting to watch the inexorable march toward the prophecy's fulfillment and to follow the various metaphors around "sight". I'm so used to prose that I found the verse difficult at the beginning, like picking up Shakespeare after a long absence, only more so. Still, by slowing down and reading each line at a deliberate pace, I found myself becoming immersed in it.

At first, my mind rebelled against what I expected to be a rather harsh fate laid upon Oedipus. I guess I was expecting the prophecy to be fulfilled due to gods interfering with mortals. As the play progressed, however, I realized that nothing was being forced upon him. Each action that occurred was the outcome of Oedipus' own choices. The results may seem somewhat overwhelming by modern standards of justice, but they were the natural consequences of his own actions.

I found myself wondering how the original audience would react to this play. The modern reader, simply through osmosis of a minor amount of literary history, is aware that Oedipus is doomed—that the very act of trying to avoid the Oracle's prophecy brings it to fruition. Was that in the "collective knowledge" of the time? Perhaps, once I've read a couple more of these plays, I'll add a book on the subject to the TBR pile.

I think I'll continue filling in this gap; perhaps "Antigone" will be next.

Great review, TadAD! Back in my twenties and early thirties I read as many of the Greek tragedies as I could lay my hands on and I still have my battered copies--those I was never tempted to give up. I'm glad you are enjoying them and I can see it seems to be time for me to start planning a reread.

In addition to them being great reads on their own, you will find that they will "inform" your reading of other literature once you are familiar with them. Antigone is wonderful and heart-breaking. It's the third play in the Oedipus cycle. I think the second is Oedipus at Colonus--they are the Theban Plays. Sophocles also wrote a play called Electra. It's not part of a series--I think I'm correct about that. It has been a long time.

When you have finished with Sophocles try Euripides--especially Medea. Then you can move on to The Orestia by Aeschylus--a trilogy. This gives another version of the Orestes/Electra story. As a fantasy reader you should be used to trilogies! :-)

BTW I do suggest you spread this "feast" over a period of time! The Greeks also wrote some fine comedies, but I think they really were best with their tragedies!

: The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian

Historical Fiction
329 pages in hard cover

Another excellent episode in this continuing story of Jack and Stephen. The War of 1812 becomes center stage and our heroes spend an involuntary sojourn in the United States, Diana Villiers returns to the stage, we have our expected naval battle at the end...all with O'Brian's wonderful writing.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/58358#1103278

Tad...are your ears burning?

This is now continued in Part 2.

.