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What I'm Reading - January/February 2018
I've started my reread of Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett, and it's still as good as I remember it. I urge you all to read it for our discussion starting on the 15th of January.
Born a Crime – Trevor Noah – 4****
Trevor Noah had a white Swiss German father, and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a relationship was punishable by up to five years in prison. This is his memoir of growing up under Apartheid and the years as it was being dismantled in South Africa. Honest and interesting.
LINK to my review
Isabel Allende’s THE JAPANESE LOVER, beautifully narrated by Joanna Gleason. What a lovely, romantic story! For the last several days I have listened to this story which is at its heart a meditation on old age, the end of life, and the meaning of love and relationships. It’s far from perfect; it really includes too many social issues as if Ms. Allende had a bucket list of topics she had not yet dealt with and wanted to make sure she got them all in before the end of her own life. But despite its flaws, the book kept me enthralled to the very end.
I finished Fredrik Backman's novella And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer yesterday. (Backman is the author of A Man Called Ove) The novella is about a man who is dying and coming to terms with a son and grandson and more. It's beautiful and moving, and I'll go back and read it again soon. I also think that the novella length is just right for this story.
I listened to The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Little bits of stories told about growing up Latino in Chicago, being very poor, and wanting to belong - economically and to rightfully have a place in her world. I rated it 4****.
Gina, I liked House on Mango Street so much when I read it last year that I recently decided to,try another - Caramelo. I had a really hard time getting into it so I’ve put it aside to try again later. It could be the audio format I tried with this book that is getting in my way. When I read House on Mango Street, I did it in small chunks, which for me seems to work better with her story-telling style. When I read via audio format, I tend to listen for 1-1/2 to 2 hours at a time because it’s my walking or exercising or driving companion and hence, Caramelo seemed very disconnected to me. Ms. Cisneros also did her own narration for Caramelo and I found her voice tone distracting and sometimes irritating to my ear. Did you have any of those reactions listening to House on Mango Street?
Mary wrote: "Isabel Allende’s THE JAPANESE LOVER, beautifully narrated by Joanna Gleason. What a lovely, romantic story! For the last several days I have listened to this story which is at its heart a meditatio..."I also listened to the audio of this book. My F2F book club has a great discussion. Really liked how she treated the different generations.
The Birchbark House – Louise Erdrich – 4****
What Laura Ingalls Wilder did for the pioneer families in 19th century plains states, Erdrich has done for the Native Americans in this same time period. Omakayas is a seven-year-old Ojibwa girl living on Lake Superior’s Madeline Island. The novel covers the four seasons of 1847. I was fascinated by this story of the life of the Native Americans during this time period.
LINK to my review
The Shape of Water – Andrea Camilleri – 3.5***
Book number one in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series, set in Sicily is an absolute delight! Montalbano is a wonderful character. He deals with the worst of human situations and yet still finds humor in his life. Camilleri’s writing is very atmospheric. I almost felt as if I were visiting Sicily. I look forward to reading more of this series.
LINK to my review
Daniel Silva’s HOUSE OF SPIES, another in the Gabriel Allon series, narrated by George Guidall. It was somewhat slow moving. Perhaps that was intentional since there’s a line in the book commenting on the impatience of Americans who want things to happen fast and get resolved quickly. This one left me feeling gloomy and pessimistic about the state of the world.
Happy reading! I just started "Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life" by Ruth Franklin. I'm doing the For Reading Addicts 2018 challenge (with different topics each month) and this is for January's them which is memoir/biography.As far as light reading, I've got "Paradise Valley" by C.J. Box.
Mary wrote: "Isabel Allende’s THE JAPANESE LOVER, beautifully narrated by Joanna Gleason. What a lovely, romantic story! For the last several days I have listened to this story which is at its heart a meditatio..."I listened to this book as well. I only gave it 3 stars, but I did enjoy the audio. Allende's other novels are highly praised...this one, not so much.
I am reading for one of my book group Welcome to Lagos.by Chibundu Onuzo. In my other book group I am reading A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline. I am also reading for my personal read World Without End the second book in a trilogy by Ken Follet.
Catch Me If You Can – Frank Abagnale – 4****
Subtitle depends on the edition: The Amazing True Story of the Most Extraordinary Liar in the History of Fun and Profit! -or- The True Story Of a Real Fake. Frank Abagnale began his career as a forger, check-kiter and con-man when he was just sixteen years old. It’s a fascinating memoir of his years of crime, full of daring escapades, humorous situations, and outlandish lies.
LINK to my review
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The Turn of the Screw – Henry James – 3.5***
A ghost story and psychological thriller. A young woman is hired to be governess to two young children, Miles and Flora. The governess is certain that some malevolent entity is intent on capturing the children in her care, and she is determined to prevent it from doing so. All the uncertainty and secrecy serve to increase the emotional tension in the story. It is dark, and puzzling, and disturbing.
LINK to my review
Kate Atkinson writes about about both WW1 and WW2 and times before during and after in Behind the Scenes at the Museum. It's a story of a (mostly) English family, extended family, would-be family (failed suitors), births, deaths and marriages (and extra-curricular activity). A busy book by an excellent writer!
4★ Link to my review
Linda wrote: "I am reading for one of my book group Welcome to Lagos.by Chibundu Onuzo. In my other book group I am reading A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline. I am also reading for my personal read W..."Wow. You're tackling a lot of great books at one time.
"Linda wrote: "I am reading for one of my book group Welcome to Lagos.by Chibundu Onuzo. In my other book group I am reading A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline. I am also reading for my p..."Linda, do let us know how it goes with reading Chibundu Onuzo's Welcome to Lagos. I have her The Spider King's Daughter tagged as to be read.
Just finished The Son by Philipp Meyer. An epic multi-generational story, The Son covers Texas history from the Indians to families of poor Mexican ranchers going against the biggest landowner, Eli McCullough. Great book.
gosh I am realising just how long my waiting to be read list is Gina glad to hear Meyer’s The Son is worth keeping on there.
I am reading Imagine Me Gone, our discussion book for January. It grabbed me from the start. The actual discussion starts January 15.
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky – Heidi W Durrow – 4****
Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I., becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy after a fateful morning on a Chicago rooftop. I found the book in turns horrifying, moving, disturbing, riveting, and confusing. The story moves back and forth in time, and with multiple narrators. I was moved by Rachel’s predicament. And empathized with her struggles to come to terms with what had happened to her, and to those she loved. All told, this is a great debut, and I look forward to reading future works by Durrow.
LINK to my review
I'm currently reading:Yuval Noah Harari's Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano
Philip K. Dick's Ubik , and enjoying all 3!
Ann D wrote: "I am reading Imagine Me Gone, our discussion book for January. It grabbed me from the start. The actual discussion starts January 15."I just finished that, Ann. Recommended, everyone!!
Barbara wrote: "Ann D wrote: "I am reading Imagine Me Gone, our discussion book for January. It grabbed me from the start. The actual discussion starts January 15."I just finished that, Ann. Reco..."
I've almost finished my reread of Imagine Me Gone. I think I'm even more impressed with it this time around. Please everyone, join us in the discussion. I bet it will be a good one.
I am reading Alexander Hamilton, by Rob Chernow. I don’t read a lot of nonfiction (I do enough of that for work), but I try to read a biography or two every year. I am normally a fast reader and gosh, this is taking me a long time to finish! But it is an engaging read nonetheless.
Sherry wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Ann D wrote: "I am reading Imagine Me Gone, our discussion book for January. It grabbed me from the start. The actual discussion starts January 15."I just finished..."
I may have to have a quick re-read myself, Sherry. I really enjoyed (not quite the right word) this book when I first read it. Well-written and thought-provoking for sure.
Just read Wildest of All by P.K. Lynch, who played Lizzie in the film Trainspotting. Turns out she’s a pretty good writer, too.
3.5★ My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sheila wrote: "gosh I am realising just how long my waiting to be read list is Gina glad to hear Meyer’s The Son is worth keeping on there."Sheila, I need to reach my 135th birthday if I'm to finish my TBR list. But if I add anything else to the list, I may need to extend by dead-by-then date.
Our House in the Last World – Oscar Hijuelos – 3.5***
Hijuelos’ debut novel spans five decades, telling the story of the Santinio family from 1929 in Cuba to 1975 in New York. Alejo is a man who has never met a stranger. He is exuberant and generous. Mercedes is a woman who lives in the past. She cannot let go of past glories of life in Cuba as a girl. She loves Alejo, but the man he has become is a stranger to her. Hijuelos’s writing is vivid and passionate, with scenes that are ethereal and full of mysticism contrasted with scenes of brutal reality. People yell in anger, whoop in celebration, and cry in despair.
LINK to my review
Gina wrote: "Sheila, I need to reach my 135th birthday if I'm to finish my TBR list. But if I add anything else to the list, I may need to extend by dead-by-then date. ..."LOL .... my tbr is my plan for immortality!
Gina wrote: "Sheila wrote: "gosh I am realising just how long my waiting to be read list is Gina glad to hear Meyer’s The Son is worth keeping on there."Sheila, I need to reach my 135th birthday if I'm to fin..."
The struggle is real :)
I just finished the moving and life-cherishing novel A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, by Anthony Marra. It's set in Chechnya during their recent wars and has unforgettable characters. I gave it 5 stars. Heads up: some passages are hard to read due to the horrors of war.
Tim Weiner’s ENEMIES: A HISTORY OF THE FBI. Very interesting and informative. Often disturbing and even alarming. It was published in 2012 but I didn’t read it until Dec 2017 into Jan 2018. Serendipitously, the final few chapters are about the FBI under Djrector Louis J. Freeh and subsequent Director Robert Mueller, who had dealings with eventual Director James Comey when he was deputy Attorney General in the early 2000’s. Considering, current events, I found these chapters intriguing. The book ends on a guardedly positive note and the author clearly has a lot of respect for Mueller.
Iain Pears’ ARCADIA. Beautifully narrated by John Lee and Jayne Entwistle. It is a book of fantasy, science fiction, philosophical meanderings and metaphysical musings on the current state and future of our world, of humanity. I loved it! It made me think of a Rubik’s cube - chunks of character and plot that Pears twists and turns in and around and through time. I as a reader would get glimpses of the whole from time to time - at least its general shape - with more and more clarity as I listened to the story and then finally ta-dah! There it was in all its brilliance. Pears is not for everyone but if you’ve enjoyed his work before, I’m confident you would enjoy this one too. And if this book would be your first exploration of the labyrinth of his mind, have fun - you are in for an adventure.
I was intrigued by this titleDinner at the Homesick Restaurant. It is turning out to be an interesting book.
Carol - Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant was my first Anne Tyler book. I read it when it was first published more than 35 years ago. While I don't remember the story or the family, I remember loving it and deciding if Anne Tyler wrote any more novels I would read them all. That didn't happen. At least I haven't read ALL that she has written up to now, but I have read all that has appealed based on reviews. This amounts to about half of Tyler's works; 10/21 published novels. Have you read Tyler's Accidental Tourist? It is probably her most
well-known novel. It was adapted into a movie of the same name. A truly unforgettable character, Muriel Pritchett, was played by Geena Davis, who won an Academy Award for best-supporting-actress. I recommend both Accidental Tourist and another novel, Ladder of Years if you think you may be a fan.
Ann wrote: "Carol - Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant was my first Anne Tyler book. I read it when it was first published more than 35 years ago. While I don't remember the story or the family, I remember lovi..."Yes I have and loved it.
I've been reading a few children's picture books lately, and this is one I'd like to see promoted to introduce little kids to some basic earth science. Seed School: Growing Up Amazing by Joan Holub has attractive illustrations by Sakshi Mangal, useful information, and activities to boot!
5★ Link to my review
I'm reading Magnificence, it's my first Lydia Millet. I'm absolutely fascinated, in spite of the less than sympathetic main character.
Thanks for the info on Seed School, Patty. Children's books were always one of my favorite parts of being an early childhood educator. Now that I'm retired, I take them with me when I substitute teach and also read them to my grandchildren. This looks like a find.
Killers of the Flower Moon – David Grann – 4****
Wow. I am ashamed to say that I knew nothing of this shameful episode of American history. Grann did a marvelous job researching and reporting his findings. He did more than simply report what the FBI managed to uncover, and that only emphasizes how institutionalized the racist attitudes were.
LINK to my review
I am reading
Days Without End. It is gut wrenching. It too is about the eradication of Indians across the Western Frontier as told by a Calvary recruit.
I loved Tim Winton's book, The Boy Behind the Curtain: Notes From an Australian Life. It's a collection of articles and reminiscences - a memoir of growing up in regional Western Australia to become one of our finest authors. 
5★ My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finishedCommonwealth. 50 years or so in the lives of two families torn by a love affair, divorce and blended families. It was a satisfying book. Now I have startedAugustown. Excited about this one. It looked really interesting, and right up my alley.
Well, Carol - great minds "read" alike!
Commonwealth – Ann Patchett – 4****
The novel follows the four parents and six children of the Cousins and Keating families over five decades. As children, the six kids are frequently left to their own devices, the adults in their lives too busy with their own drama to focus on the children. How the adult siblings each interpret and remember what has happened, and how they manage the guilt or shame is the main focus. Patchett really shines when exploring human relationships. She slowly reveals secrets, hopes, and fears until the reader feels she truly knows these people. Little by little events are revealed, and characters are fully realized. Like her other works, this would be a great choice for a book club discussion.
LINK to my review
Book Concierge wrote: "Well, Carol - great minds "read" alike!Commonwealth
– Ann Patchett – 4****
The novel follows the four parents and six children of the Cousins and Keating fam..."
I also gave Commonwealth four stars. I thought it was very well done.
Kat wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Well, Carol - great minds "read" alike!Commonwealth
– Ann Patchett – 4****
The novel follows the four parents and six children of the C..."
I very much liked Commonwealth as well.
I've just started a novel but am trying it out before I commit to it and put it in my Currently Reading. It's called The Weight of Ink. Like Byatt's Posession, it alternates between a story of researchers in the present day and a story set in the last years of the Interregnum and the first years of the reign of Charles II (a time of particular interest to me). It deals with the fragile Jewish community in London, just establishing itself after Cromwell invited Jews to come to England, from which they had been banned for centuries. These themes are of great interest to me, but the writing so far is very basic and I'm not sure I want to spend over 500 pages with it! So far I can't make up my mind either to commit to it or to pitch it.
Ive just finished listening to Louise Erdrich’s narration of her novel FUTURE HOME OF THE LIVING GOD. It is unlike any of her other works, and I’ve read most if not all of them. This dystopian novel, a meditation on climate change and its potential changes to our environment, societal changes that mix failing government with repression and religion, and some of the conservative attitudes towards women already present in our society, is deeply disturbing. It will haunt me for a long time.
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I am reading The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows by Brian Castner. As you can guess from the title, it's a tough book to read. It's been made into an opera, which will be premiered in Pittsburgh later this month.