What I'm Reading NOVEMBER 2015

[John]

I'm a huge fan of Camilleri's series feauring Salvo Montalbano (my library has them all as audiobooks).

Dropped by to highly recommend Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta if anyone's looking for a solid non-fiction title.

[Portia]

I've started A Brief History of Seven Killings. James casts a broad net at the start, giving readers a new character with a different dialect in each of the early chapters. Fortunately, he includes a character list at the beginning of the book for ease of flipping. I've gotten to the point where the relationships are becoming clear.

[Gina]

I just finished The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht. It was haunting with memories, life, and attitudes toward death. I really enjoyed all the tangents but they were sometimes confusing, so I felt like I didn't "get" everything. But I was very happy I read it. It's amazing that Tea Obreht is in her mid-twenties.

[Larry]

Quanjun wrote: "Larry, thanks so much for the story! I'm from Malaysia! ..."

Quanjun, one year I was lucky enough to spend about six weeks in Malaysia, with five separate trips: one to Penang, one to Kuantan, one to Kuching, and two to KL. Every trip was great (the Kuching trip was especially special ... magical in terms of seeing a world that unfortunately is rapidly disappearing). And needless to say I got a lot of reading done on those long flights from Washington, DC to Tokyo ... and then to Singapore .. before that last short flight to Malaysia. I always felt sorry for people who didn't like to read on those flights.

[Ann D]

Quanjun,
I was also fortunate enough to visit Malaysia, on a vacation from Japan where I was teaching in the mid-70's. Such a beautiful, fascinating place! I loved it all, except for the heat. We were there in April, which I think may be the hottest part of the year.

[Lyn]

I had read a few chapters of John Irving's Avenue of Mysteries and picked it up to continue this morning, but I had had an experience last night that made me realize more deeply that even if I lived a long, long time, it was limited, and so I let go of my famous persistence and decided that I would not read things that really did not speak to me or interest me - and this book just did not. Of course I spent a few minutes flipping to the end to see if there was something good there, but was just as bored by that, so yay, time freed!

I turned to An Unnecessary Woman, which gripped me from its first sentence (to be honest, though, I was first gripped by the title; it just also has a great first sentence), so I'm now eagerly reading that one. I am realizing the importance of voice to a novel, for it is the majority of what makes this book so appealing and the Irving book not so much to me.

[Tonya]

I nominated An Unnecessary Woman for the January - June 2016 Reading List, and it won. I hope you will want to discuss it whenever it comes up in the schedule!

[Ellen]

Sorry I've been hiding out and been so quiet lately. The fibromyalgia has been keeping me down.

Back to the topic: I've finished reading "The Girl on the Train", by Paula Hawkins, which turned out to be a rather good thriller, although the plot was fairly transparent. Hawkins employed a technique that involved having each chapter told in the first person by each of the main characters; that was fine except when one's in pain and unable to focus clearly. I read the book in less than 10 hours.

I've also finished "All the Light We Cannot See". Enjoyed that one very much - Doerr's prose is lovely and the story is nicely told.

I've returned to my longstanding interest in Jewish spirituality and mysticism, and so am now reading a couple of nonfiction books on that topic. Lots of fun!

Thanks for reading along, everyone!

[Mary]

Daniel Silva's The Fallen Angel. I love the Gabriel Allon character who stars in Silva's stories of Israeli security thriller stories. This one did not disappoint.

[Donna]

This month and next are so busy, I know I will be reading in short snatches here and there so I felt lighter reading was in order. I pulled from the library the first book in several series that have been on my radar for a while:

Still Life (Inspector Gamache)
Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency)
The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike)
The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon)
A Great Deliverance (Thomas Lynley) I started with this one and I'm loving it so far.

I think I have some fun reading ahead.

[Sheila]

Portia wrote: "The Moor's Account. Ms. Lalami begins with the fact that there was a black man among the company of Spaniards who came to claim Florida. She fills in his story from being a free chi..."
Portia, This is on my TBR list since it got listed for the Booker this year. I read her Secret Son sometime back and really liked it.

[Sheila]

Mary wrote: "Ann, the idea of plural marriage in The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is not what led me to wonder about its realism and then understand that I don't know enough about Nigeria to form an opinio..."
Mary, I got the book which I lived in Abuja, Nigeria. and read it just after my return home. I found the depiction of Nigeria in the book quite realistic. especially the Nigeria of the North. It would be interesting to know which part your artist friend comes from, they vary immmensely.

[Sheila]

Donna wrote: "This month and next are so busy, I know I will be reading in short snatches here and there so I felt lighter reading was in order. I pulled from the library the first book in several series that ha..."
I loved the Gabriel Allon books...I read about 9 of them in a suite pretty much all at one go about 4-5 years ago now I think, I really should pick up another!....a good Bond replacement, I think.

[Nicole]

I just finished my third book by Angus Wilson. I think he used to be much better known, but has fallen out of favor and out of the spotlight. It's a shame, because he's actually quite good. His writing reminds me a little of Iris Murdoch, particularly in the descriptions and the treatment of the characters, though I think he is much less detached, and has a very sharp side (though he can also be much more empathetic than Murdoch, which is I guess the flip side of less detachment).

In any case, I recommend looking him up for those who like that sort of thing. If you're particularly lucky, you'll find an old orange penguin edition which will make reading him an extra delight.

[Kat]

Nicole wrote: "I just finished my third book by Angus Wilson. I think he used to be much better known, but has fallen out of favor and out of the spotlight. It's a shame, because he's actually quit..."

I've never read him but he sounds like my cup of tea. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Mary]

Sheila, the Nigerian artist I met is from Nsukka. He teaches at the university there.

[John]

For a non-fiction book on Nigeria, I can recommend: Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria. Author has about the strongest Nigerian background "cred" one can have, but was raised in Britain, so day-to-day life in the country was a challenge at times.

[Ruth]

Speaking of Nigeria, I have very much enjoyed the books of Chris Abani

[Mary]

Ruth, thank you for recommending Chris Abani. I've just put several of his books on my TBR list. I look forward to exploring his work.

[Mary]

John, I've also added Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria to my TBR list. It looks very interesting.

[Mary]

James Patterson's Alex Cross, Run. A quick-reading page turner. Enjoyed it but saw the end coming very early in the book. Alex Cross is another character I like to touch base with occasionally when I'm in the mood for light reading.

[Book Concierge]

Aloft by Chang-rae Lee – 4*
Jerry Battle is the narrator of this character-driven novel. It is his unavailability – emotionally and physically – that colors all the relationships he has. My reactions to Jerry were as puzzling as his own reactions to what’s going on around him – I was angry, confused, frustrated, ready to give up, wanted to go on, and ultimately loved him and his family.
Full Review HERE

[Sara]

Donna wrote: "This month and next are so busy, I know I will be reading in short snatches here and there so I felt lighter reading was in order. I pulled from the library the first book in several series that ha..."

Gamache & Strike are just *excellent* series (I've read all published so far). Enjoy!

[Elaine]

i have enjoyed all the recommentions from others authors never heard of so this time am reading "Beautiful Child".by ToryHayden

[Ann D]

BC,
I really like author Chang-rae Lee.

[Mary]

Second Variety by Philip K. Dick. I've been reading some of his short stories and novellas. Because they're older science fiction, it's been very interesting to get a perspective on where SF writers thought technology was heading and what we've actually achieved thus far. He also wrote within the context of the the Cold War and often envisioned it becoming hot. Second Variety is one of those fantasies. I enjoyed it.

[Gina]

Finished The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea. It was based on stories in the Urrea family of Teresita, a "saint" in Mexico. The book was violent and raw, but what a great story. Loved it.

[Mary Anne]

I'm reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, which was mentioned here a month or so ago. I'm also reading 1776 by David McCullough, which has been on my shelf for a while. A friend said how much she liked it, and I decided to make it part of my challenge to read my already-owned books.

[Cateline]

I've finished John LeCarre's Karla Trilogy, what wonderful characterizations! LeCarre certainly can weave a complicated tale.

Also just finished The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. The polar opposite to previous read, and truly exquisite.
My thumbnail review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Funny thing is, I read the latter in error. :). Meant to read The Door.........

[Book Concierge]

Gina wrote: "Finished The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea. It was based on stories in the Urrea family of Teresita, a "saint" in Mexico. The book was violent and raw, bu..."

I loved that book. There's a sequel; Queen of America

[Ruth]

Mary Anne wrote: "I'm reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, which was mentioned here a month or so ago. I'm also reading 1776 by David McCullough, which has been on my shelf for a while. A friend said how much she ..."

Cannery Row is an all time favorite of mine.

[Geoff]

Sheila Heti's How Should a Person Be? is really good through the first 100 pages. First thing I've read by her.

[Donna]

I managed to steal away some time from my Thanksgiving house guests to finishA Great Deliverance over the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-written, although somewhat dated (published in 1988) psychological thriller. I enjoyed the literary references and the main characters but found a few secondary characters over the top. It's a series I will continue with.

Next up for me is The Cuckoo's Calling, a contemporary mystery by J.K. Rowling. I'm already enjoying her writing style.

[Mary]

Double Star by Robert A Heinlein. This book has been on my TBR for years and years but I'd been unable to find a copy of it. Then last week it showed up on BookBub or Early Bird Books. It is a delightful Sci Fi and I feel a real sense of satisfaction moving it from my TBR to my Fiction-Read list.

[Larry]

Mary wrote: "Double Star by Robert A Heinlein. This book has been on my TBR for years and years but I'd been unable to find a copy of it. Then last week it showed up on BookBub or Early Bird Books. It is a deli..."

I love going back to the middle Heinlein novels like Double Star. They never get old for me.