Krista’s
Comments
(group member since Jul 24, 2010)
Krista’s
comments
from the Reading with Style group.
Showing 281-300 of 1,037
10.10 Group ReadsToo Much Happiness by Alice Munro
Review:
This is the first book by Alice Munro that I've read -- but it won't be my last. Her short stories, which were set mainly in rural Canada, were varied in setting and plotline. I found them all very engaging. There wasn't a clunker in the bunch.
My favorite was probably the final story, which is also the title of the book. The story, ‘Too Much Happiness’ was a historical fiction piece about Sofia Kovalevsky who was a novelist and mathematician who lived during the last half of the 19th century. The story moves throughout Europe as we learn about Sophia’s life, work and loves. It’s an amazing story about a real woman who was a renowned mathematician in a time when women were rarely permitted to work in that field.
This book won the 2009 Man Booker International Prize, and I think that award was well-deserved.
(And as an added bonus, I already had this book on my bookshelf! Yay, one down 499 to go.)
Rating: 4 stars
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.9, 20.9 born 1931)
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 760
20.4 1001Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
Review:
I originally gave this book a 4 star rating, but after waiting about six weeks to write the review, I've upped it to 5 stars. The story is just so endearing. It's witty, and captures the language and mores of the fast living social set of London circa 1938.
I listened to this in audiobook format. It was narrated by Frances McDormand who played Miss Pettigrew in the 2008 film. She captured the voices and the essence of the book perfectly. I don't know if I would have liked the book so well if I'd read it in print format. Miss Pettigrew (unbeknownst to herself) makes all the right responses to the various social dilemmas posed to her throughout the day. Her down-to-earth perspective is just what the group of self-centered folks she encounters needs to help set their worlds straight. In the process, she manages to set her own world straight too. I found it to be a delightful read. It's another wonderful book re-issued by Persephone Books.
Rating: 5 stars
+20 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.4 England, 20.1 publ 1938, 20.2, 20.9 - 97 years old)
+10 Style - Oldies
Task Total = 60
Grand Total = 730
20.2 Persephone Cheerful Weather For The Wedding by Julia Strachey
Review:
This little book, re-issued by Persephone Books, was originally published in 1932. It's basically a slice-of-life sketch of the folks (an overbearing mother, family members, an ex-boyfriend, clergy, servants etc.) involved in, or getting in the way of, the preparations for Dolly and Owen's wedding day. Some of the scenes are perfectly pitched. I liked how the author captured the younger boy's bickering back and forth throughout the day. Some of the scenes weren't quite as successful.
But all in all I enjoyed stepping into the midst of the chaos for a few hours. The spring weather is blustery and changeable just like it appears Dolly's future may be. You’ll have to read this book yourself to see if Dolly’s former boyfriend can screw up enough courage to declare himself before the wedding. Sorry, no spoilers here.
Rating: 3 stars
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.4 - England, 20.1 Publ 1932)
+10 Style - Oldies
Task Total = 50
Grand Total = 670
10.2 NutcrackerCity of Thieves by David Benioff
Review:
I listened to this in audiobook format during part of the time that I was reading Doris Lessing’s, The Grass is Singing. The contrast of the climates, and story pacing was shocking. Going from the bitter Russian winter in and around Leningrad to the oppressive African heat of Zimbabwe sometimes took a little time to make the mental transition. Maybe I’ve read too much WWII fiction lately, but this book just left me a little (ahem) cold.
I liked the audiobook format narrated by Ron Perlman. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was good. The story, set during a week of the Nazi siege of Leningrad, was just a little bleak for me right now. The book centers around two ‘thieves’ who are ordered on a quest by a high-ranking German official who needs a dozen eggs so that his daughter can have cake at her wedding. 17-year-old Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. To avoid the prospect of execution, they set out find the dozen eggs. Their journey takes them through beleaguered, starving Leningrad and out into the frozen countryside surrounding Leningrad.
There was one particularly horrifying scene of torture (as least it was to me) that I would have skipped over had I been reading a printed copy of the book. As it was I listened to the whole thing. I’m sure it was in keeping with the types of things that were done during the war. I just wasn’t didn’t really want to listen to another atrocity. I’m giving this a 3 star rating, because the writing was good; the story moved along at a good pace; and I liked the two main characters. But eventually the bleakness of the whole situation and the unfair turns life sometimes takes was just a bit much for my reading psyche at the moment.
Rating: 3 stars
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 620
10.5 Author AchievementsThe Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
2001 Princess of Asturias Award Literarture (Letras)
Review:
I'm giving this 4 stars right now, but I suspect that I may move it up to 5 stars if the book's imagery lingers and the impact of the story strengthens. Right now I can still feel the oppressive African heat that Mary Turner's life is blighted by. (It's a cold rainy winter morning in Portland, Oregon.) But Mary's life was blighted before she agreed to marry Dick and move to his remote farm in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
This is Doris Lessing's debut book, and the quiet unfolding of the story while sometimes a bit plodding seems perfectly paced by the time the book ends. We follow Mary from childhood in rural African towns through her happy years working as a secretary in the city to her eventual marriage to Dick Turner and her move to his isolated farm. The book opens with Mary's violent death. The rest of the book describes the inexorable path to that death. We’re led down Mary’s spiral of depression and mental illness that is interlaced with racial tensions between the Turner’s and the black natives required to run their farm and household.
Rating: 4 stars
+10 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo (20.1 - publ. 1950, 20.4, 20.9 - 94 years)
+ 5 Oldies
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 600
10.7 Black HumorBeat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
(#31 on the list on 2/4/14)
Review:
This book appeared as one of the top 100 books on the Best Dark Humor Books list in Goodreads' Listopia. I thought I'd give it a shot since reading a book from this list was a required task for the Reading with Style Group’s Winter Challenge. I knew going into it, that this is not one of my favorite genres so perhaps I was already pre-disposed to dislike the book. But I REALLY disliked this book which surprised me since one of my friends who usually shares my reading tastes highly recommended it.
I suppose the ironic way in which the story was told by the main character could sometimes be humorous. The main character was a former mafia hit man who is now finishing up his medical training at an inner city New York hospital. But the mix of mafia entanglements and shenanigans coupled with the vagaries of life in a hospital just wasn't something I really wanted to read about. I didn't care about the characters that did really ugly violent things to themselves or to others. The heavy dose of cynicism and explicit descriptions of violence just left me cold. I guess I don’t really like reading about the underbelly of modern society.
Rating = 1 star
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 560
20.1 RwS AnniversaryA Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold
Book originally published in 1918
Review:
This debut book by Enid Bagnold was published in 1918. It really is a copy of her undated diary from the time spent working in a hospital in England during WWI. She worked as a nurse’s aide, and saw all sorts of things that disturbed her about the hospital; things over and above the wounds the soldiers had received in combat. She didn’t like the cavalier attitude a great many of the nurses (‘sisters’) had toward their patients. In her opinion they didn’t seem to care if the men were in great pain or not, etc.
Enid was a woman of independent means, so she could afford to have this work published because it didn’t matter to her if she were then black-listed from the health care field. In fact, she went on to write many more books. Her best known work is National Velvet.
The diary entries were interesting slice-of-life snapshots of the inner workings of a WWI era wartime hospital. You could tell that the author got attached to some patients, and they to her. There were also some very nicely written descriptions about the scenery on her walks home, and interactions with other folks outside of the hospital. I’m giving it a 3 star rating. I liked it for what it was, a book made up of short sketches.
Rating = 3 stars
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.4 England, 20.2 Persephone, 20.9 91 years old)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (Publ 1918)
Task Total = 55
+5 New Combo Points for All the Light We Cannot See added Combo with task 20.10. (My original post #124, Kate's update post #635)
Grand Total = 540
Rachel wrote: "Hello all! I'm really excited to join you guys. I recognize several folks from Bookish/Roundtable/1001 books group, nice to see familiar faces! I have a lot on my plate right now, but I've been ..."Hi Rachel:
Welcome! I live in Canby, and work in downtown Portland. It's nice to have a fellow Oregonian in the group.
Ed wrote: "Hi folks.... I just discovered the Reading with Style group in mid-December 2014. I thought I had a challenge on my hands when I was just doing the Author alphabetical challenge in the Classics Wi..."Welcome Ed! It's nice to have you join us.
Karen Michele wrote: "Congrats to all of you who have finished parts of the challenge and welcome to all newcomers! My reading is going fine, but I haven't been on here as much because my mother-in-law(90 yrs. old) had ..."Hi Karen: My thoughts are with you as you and your family continue to care for your mother-in-law. I'm sorry to hear about her recent decline.
I also draw solace from these reading groups, and reading in general. Hang in there!
Coralie wrote: "Krista wrote: "Coralie wrote: "20.10 Goodreads Feature :All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
How did you like it?"
I was very wary of it at the beginning. I don't..."
Thanks for the info!
Claire wrote: "Krista, did you happen to read Catherine the Great? I read this one in college and enjoyed it so much. Thanks for the reminder about non-fiction. I also realized last night that [au..."
Yes, I read the Catherine the Great title by [author:Henri Troyat|33200]. I think it was published in the 1970's. I enjoyed it!
Boy has book formatting changed for the better ( larger fonts and margins) from that day and age.
Coralie wrote: "20.10 Goodreads Feature :All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
+20 task (Thanks again Krista)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 1080"
You're welcome! How did you like it? I don't think I'll have time to work it in this season. :-(
Liz M wrote: "Krista wrote: "I should update the original points post for this book, right? ..."No, the score-keeper never goes back to check previous posts once they have been added to the database. If durin..."
Doh! I knew I didn't have something quite right.
Okay, I'll add a new post, reference my original post claiming points for All the Light We Cannot See, and add the additional 5 points in the new post.
Whew! Thanks for the info Liz.
I ended up reading a non-fiction history book about Catherine the Great of Russia who lived during this period.Non-fiction is another option.
Sam wrote: "Krista, I know you found another spot for it, but All the Light We Cannot See is on the list for The Goldfinch now!"Thanks! I stopped watching the Goldfinch list soon after Elizabeth (?) found it on the list for 20.3
I'll see how I scored it in my original post, and add the points if appropriate.
I should update the original points post for this book, right?
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "We're just a short month away from the end of the season. How is everyone doing?As usual, my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I have many more books I want to read that qualify than I'll be able ..."
This has been a good season for me so far. It's been fun for me to re-engage with the challenge. I think I might even be able to finish the whole she-bang this time! (For the first time in my reading history --- and probably for the last time too. LOL)
Where I'm falling behind is getting my updates posted. I'll work on that this weekend since I KNOW that the Completed Tasks thread will soon be flooded with posts, and it's really time-consuming to try to get all the points tallied at the end of the challenge.
I'm sending outa big 'Thanks' to all you active moderators that keep the Reading with Style Challenge chugging along. It's not a small task. I appreciate the time that you're willing to devote to this!
Task 10.9 EconomicalTrain Dreams by Denis Johnson
On the 2011 Economist list
Review:
I really enjoyed this novella written by Denis Johnson. It appeared on the “The Economist's Books of the Year” list for 2011 and I can see why. The book recounts the quiet unfolding of Robert Grainier’s life, starting in 1917. At that point he’s a young husband and father who is working and living in rural Idaho. The book traces the Robert’s life as he moves through life’s ups and downs. But for Robert, the ups are few and the downs are profound.
The book talks about a bygone era with insight, but the era is not viewed through rosy glasses. Robert is a great character that I learned to care about. I think he would be surprised that I cared since he lived such a self-contained life.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 430
