PBT Reading in Memory of Denizen

[Jason]

Booknblues, very nice review. I am glad you loved the book and really liked your review. Very well written.

[Charlie]

Does anyone know if there are there any orphan books on the list that no one has spoken for, as I'd like to read more to help finish the list.

[Idit]

I’m currently reading Everything Flows from this list in Denizen’s memory. About 1/3 way through

[annapi]

I'm currently reading Before the Fall

[LibraryCin]

Charlie wrote: "Does anyone know if there are there any orphan books on the list that no one has spoken for, as I'd like to read more to help finish the list."

I don't think the spreadsheet (link in the first post of this thread) includes what people have said they wanted to read, but it includes all the books on the list, so you might have to use that (maybe print it out?) and check off the ones people have said they'd read? It means a bit of work for you, but good for you for being willing to take something that hasn't yet been spoken for!

I haven't yet gotten to the one I said I would, but I still want to! I will, at some point. Maybe July is a good month with my holidays from work.

[JoLene]

The spreadsheet has all the books, but I only mark the books that have reviews on the thread. There are definitely ones that have not been mentioned by anyone.

[Rachel N.]

I also plan on reading Foreign Affairs. I have my own spreadsheet where I have been keeping track of what people have said they would read and what books we've completed. There are definitely several still unclaimed.

[annapi]

Rachel N. wrote: "I also plan on reading Foreign Affairs. I have my own spreadsheet where I have been keeping track of what people have said they would read and what books we've completed. There are de..."

Rachel, any chance you can share that spreadsheet here? I also don't want to double up on someone else's book if I can help it.

[Charlie]

My unofficial tally shows the following books have not yet been mentioned by anyone in prior posts:

Gun, With Occasional Music
Company of Liars
Through Black Spruce
Black Swan Green
A Strangeness in My Mind
The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter
The Dog Master: A Novel of the First Dog
The Fox Was Ever the Hunter
The Bridge of Beyond
A Place Called Winter
The Hollow Ground
The Blind Man's Garden
Galore
The Sound of One Hand Clapping
An Unnecessary Woman
Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak
Kissing the Virgin's Mouth

Note: There are some books (not listed above) that were mentioned in posts as potential options but not necessarily committed to, so the above list is definitely incomplete.

I am adding A Strangeness in My Mind to my list to read.

[Amy]

I still have a fine balance out from the library. I’ve been really slow this month, but I’ll get to it

[Rachel N.]

Charlie wrote: "My unofficial tally shows the following books have not yet been mentioned by anyone in prior posts:

Gun, With Occasional Music
Company of Liars
[book:Through Black Spru..."

Thanks Charlie. I was going to type the unclaimed books in now that I'm back from running errands but you saved me the trouble. There are a few people who listed several possible books to read so like Charlie I wouldn't include them on the totally unclaimed list.

[Barbara M]

I just finished reading The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. I'm not the first of our group to read this and, like everyone else (I think), I enjoyed it very much.

See my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Barbara M]

Amy wrote: "I already have Jason, Anita, and Tracy telling me it’s a must. Not to mention Denise. I’m gonna try to get to it as soon as I can. Which made me in July but it’s going to happen sooner than it woul..."

The audio on A Fine Balance is quite good.

[[deleted user]]

I'm working my way through The Three-Body Problem. I've got several hospital appointments this week and just under 2 and a 1/2 hours to go on it, so should have a review up by the weekend.

[Karin]

I have started my book, Lilac Girls, and while it's not brilliant so far, I like it. However, I have two other books to finish before I get back to it (one is very quick and the other I have only 5 percent left out of 700 pages).

[Joanne]

I am tip-toeing throughThe Kept. It is a little out of my wheel house, but very good. Should be done with it in a week or two

[Susie]

I was about to say that I will read The Sound of One Hand Clapping and then realised I already have!! Ha!

[[deleted user]]

The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu - 4 stars

Blurb: THE HUGO AWARD WINNER.

1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China's Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind.

Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides. Wang's investigation will lead him to a mysterious online game and immerse him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredicatable interaction of its three suns.

This is the Three-Body Problem and it is the key to everything: the key to the scientists' deaths, the key to a conspiracy that spans light-years and the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces.

Review: I enjoyed this book although the physics bits went over my head. It's a very interesting idea, and as a fan of Doctor Who, provides a convincing back story to what would be a very scary episode.

I am glad I read this in memory of Denizen and I will definitely buy the next in the series when they become cheaper.

[JoLene]

Jenny wrote: "The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu - 4 stars


I've heard good things about this. I will tell my husband and it sounds like a series he might really enjoy!

[Karin]

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

3.5 stars (rounded down)

Another novel about World War II, this one containing two characters who lived in real life and another two based on two real women. This one centres around the "rabbit women" of Ravensbrück--mostly Polish women who were brutally experimented on, leaving those who survived with permanent disfigurement and problems.

The three POVS are the real life Caroline Ferriday, a former Broadway actress who was then a phillanthropist, the based-on-a-real-person Kasia, a teen who was arrested along with her mother and others for aiding the resistance and who became one of the rabbit women, and the real-life German Dr. Herta Oberheuser who worked at Ravensbrück. While Kelly has worked at making different POVs, they are not all fully three dimensional. Oberheuser is very poorly developed and two dimensional. Of course we're not supposed to like her, or at least not for long, but making the antagonist, however nefarious, two dimensional does not make for good writing. The other two were somewhat better, but not as riveing as I'd have liked, but of course the actual story itself is given that it happened.

That said, I think Martha Hall Kelly is a shows promise and I do hope she develops her ability to fully develop more three dimensional characters, both POVs and secondary ones.

[Jgrace]

The Namesake - Lahiri
Audio performance by Sarita Choudhury
4.5 stars

Poor Gogol Ganguli. He just can’t seem to get it right, from the moment of his birth when the wrong name is placed on his birth certificate. It’s tough for him, being the American born child of Bengali parents. He grows up between cultures, never quite finding the right balance that will allow him to embrace both. I feel a bit guilty to say that I enjoyed his story, since the poor guy was so unhappy much of the time. But I did enjoy this book very much. All of the characters came alive for me. I’m still hoping that life will get better for Gogol. I will definitely read more of Lahiri’s writing.

[Joanne]

The Kept

3.5 Stars

I will start out with: This was an extremely hard book to finish...

The story begins as the protagonist, Elsbeth a midwife, is returning home from one her long absences. She carries gifts for her children. However, she needs to always look at the list, she also carries, so as not to forget their names and ages. As she sees the isolated farmstead, dark and smokeless, she knows something terrible has happened.

Only her 12 year old son Caleb, has survived. Together they begin a journey of revenge that will lead to the unraveling of the many sins of Elsbeth.

The story started out so easy, the writing captivating. But as I got deeper into the book something happened and I was avoiding picking it up. I plowed my way through anticipating an ending that would wrap it all up. The author left me wondering "What the heck just happened"!

I don't know, did I miss something? Totally possible, so if anyone has read this, please I would appreciate your comments

[Charlie]

Joanne wrote: "The Kept

3.5 Stars

I will start out with: This was an extremely hard book to finish...

The story begins as the protagonist, Elsbeth a midwife, is returning home from one her long..."

Hmmmmmm.....I have not read this book but would like to know to see if I can help. May be a couple of months before I do but I will and will eventually come back and share my thoughts.

[Joanne]

Charlie wrote: "Joanne wrote: "The Kept

3.5 Stars

I will start out with: This was an extremely hard book to finish...

The story begins as the protagonist, Elsbeth a midwife, is returning home fr..."

Would appreciate it Charlie! He is a gifted writer!

[Nicole]

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
5 Stars.

Harry August, and a number of other individuals, relive their lives over and over again while retaining the memories of their previous lives. Passed back from generation to generation, Harry receives the message that the world is ending ... at an accelerated rate.

It’s hard not to direction compare this to Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. Personally, I enjoyed this story more. Was it as eloquently written? Probably not. But more enjoyable non-the-less. For me, there was a much stronger story line which made it an engaging and fast paced read. Also, I find the idea of remembering your previous lives much more interesting then not (in the case of Life After Life). Highly suggested for a light hearted and fun read.

[Charlotte]

I've finally started Andersonville but it's going to take a bit for me to finish... it's interesting but 747 pages. It'll probably be something that I read here and there among other things over the next couple of months.

[Sushicat]

I’m in the same boat with Perdido Street Station.

[Idit]

I read Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman

I read this book in memory of Denizen, which I did not know, having joined this group only lately. I have not heard of this book, or its author before, and would not have read it had she not added it to her list.
This is an unusual book. It sits on the cusp of fiction and non-fiction. While it has an ending, the author died before he finished it, so at the very least it’s unpolished.
We start the book on a train ride with few well-to-do russians in the 1950s. They all managed to thrive during Stalin’s years. We soon leave them together with the protagonist, who just came out of Siberia working camp where he was a prisoner for 30 years.
Through him we meet a scientist that managed to become a success - as everyone around him have been denounced / arrested / sidelined. He didn’t do anything, but had enjoyed the fruits of other people’s suffering.
We also meet someone who made his fortune denouncing people, including our protagonist and sending them to camps or death.
The story of Ivan Grigoryevich is a very loose structure for the novel. It is mainly a very deep look at the evils of Bolshevik Russia. From the people who watched others suffer, to Lenin and Stalin. (before it was trendy to criticize Lenin)
It looks at freedom, and hope, and staying (or not staying) human. What it means to be human…
At the horrifying famine in Ukraine, and the evils of the collectivisation
He has an interesting point that the communists kept the spirit of the tsarist russia - the spirit of enslavement

Vasily Grossman was a russian war journalist in WWII. and one of the first people to give witness about the holocaust. He later wrote a novel about the war and holocaust. That book was taken by the KGB and he was told it would never be shown. A copy given to a friend managed to reach the west luckily.
This book - Everything Flows - was written afterwords, in the late 50s and until his death in 1964. It is a condemnation of the communism, and of the bourgeoisie. The heroes are the true sufferers - the prisoners in the work camps and the peasants.

I found it hard but very very interesting. Both historically and as he looks at the human nature.
It made me wonder why we need to look for dystopian fiction… the real world is truly dystopian
Another point of interest to me: My mum’s family came from Russia to Israel (Palestine under British mandate). In the 30s one of my grandma’s brothers and his family was kicked out of israel by the British for being a communist. The next bit always confused me - When he reached USSR he was sent to Siberia and died there. I never understood - since he was a communist, why he was sent to Siberia. But reading this book, and chatting afterwords to my family - I’ve realized Stalin sent a lot of the old communists to work camps.

So thank you Denizen for the book choice, and for starting a conversation in my family about history. I think my aunt is writing some of the old stories (that no one else remembers) as we speak thanks to you

[Sushicat]

I’ve got Life and Fate on my shelf. That would be the one the KGB tried to suppress?

[Amy]

What a well written, moving, and interesting review! So pleased that you joined us Idit, and I look forward to continuing to get to know you. - Amy

[Jgrace]

It made me wonder why we need to look for dystopian fiction… the real world is truly dystopian

That's such a good point. I voted for this tag, but I've been having a hard time finding any enthusiasm for it. I think I'm getting enough dystopia from just reading the newspaper.

[[deleted user]]

Charlotte wrote: "I've finally started Andersonville but it's going to take a bit for me to finish... it's interesting but 747 pages. It'll probably be something that I read here and there among othe..."

Thats a lot of pages!! Hope you enjoy.

[[deleted user]]

Idit wrote: "I read Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman

I read this book in memory of Denizen, which I did not know, having joined this group only lately. I have not heard of thi..."

Wonderful review. This books sounds deeply interesting.

[Kelly]

This is a very nice idea.

[Idit]

Sushicat wrote: "I’ve got Life and Fate on my shelf. That would be the one the KGB tried to suppress?"

Yes, that's the one. I haven't read it, but it sounds very interesting - I think it's more of a novel. Everything Flows falls apart as a novel - I'm not sure if it's because he never finished it, or it was never meant to really be a fiction - he just had things he had to put out there in writing. But yeah, Life and Fate is suppose to be very good

[Idit]

Amy wrote: "What a well written, moving, and interesting review! So pleased that you joined us Idit, and I look forward to continuing to get to know you. - Amy"

thanks Amy (blushing here)
& it was a very thought provoking book

[Idit]

Rachel wrote: "Idit wrote: "I read Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman

Wonderful review. This books sounds deeply interesting.

It is deeply interesting, but you have to come prepared. It's really not a novel. it's a lot of his thoughts - one what make regular people betray others, on russia's soul, on staying (or not staying) human in extreme situations, and descriptions of some of the horrors. and there's only a very loose story around it that he picks up and forgets at random times.

but it feels like some things need to be said, and need to be read. and a testimony of Russia of the first half of the 20th century is one of them

[Idit]

Jgrace wrote: " It made me wonder why we need to look for dystopian fiction… the real world is truly dystopian

That's such a good point. I voted for this tag, but I've been having a hard time finding any enthus..."

I feel the same a bit.
I also feel like I lost the taste for fictional horrors once I had my kids. It kinda breaks my heart.

[Kelly]

I will start with reading Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why

[Michael]

I've got ahold of Sound of One Hand and Galore and aim to do them. Otherwise there is a lot on her list that I've read. In some cases I think I inspired her making them TBR. Like Life and Fate, which I raved a lot about. Cool list overall.

The phrase with the 1001 book list includes "before you die". It will be sad how much I never read when my time comes. What gets to me more are the books that will not be written yet by favored authors. Mary Doria Russell is one I think that way.

[Anita]

I am starting The Association of Small Bombs.

[Anita]

Kelly wrote: "I will start with reading Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why"

Can't wait to hear what you think about this one . . .sounds up my alley.

[Robin]

Finally finished. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. I rated about 3.5. I did like the story, but sometimes found it difficult to follow the jumping around

[Pam]

Anita wrote: "I am starting The Association of Small Bombs."

I was taken with The Association of Small Bombs. It has an interesting narrative style.

[Amy]

I am three books away from a Fine Balance. My reading has been seriously slowed. But we will finish her list and I am pleased to be a part of that.

[LibraryCin]

Amy wrote: "I am three books away from a Fine Balance. My reading has been seriously slowed. But we will finish her list and I am pleased to be a part of that."

I am on holidays all of July. I have a couple other challenge books to read, plus the next Outlander book came in at the library for me, so I want to get through that, too.

THEN, I'm hoping to get to "Doomsday Book" for this. On holidays, so I'm hoping it's all do-able!

[Rachel N.]

Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie 3 stars

Vinnie Miner is a professor specializing in children's rhymes who has gotten a grant to live in England for 6 months while researching her book. Fred Turner is a professor at the same university specializing in John Gay who is also in England on a research grant. The book alternates chapters between the two perspectives. Both characters also become romantically involved while in London. I really liked Vinnie and her story but I couldn't stand Fred. Every time a Fred chapter came up I got bogged down because he was just so obnoxious and self centered. I would have rated the book much higher if it was just about Vinnie.

[LibraryCin]

Not book related... I had Denise as a friend on facebook.

I posted some photos today to some already existing photo albums, and when I got a notification that someone liked one of my photos, I opened it and saw her name! Bit of a shock! Initially wondered if someone (a relative?) was using her account, then after a couple minutes, realized it was an already-existing photo that I'd posted to that album. It's just that - now, adding more photos to those albums - one of my friends went through the older photos, as well! That's where the notification came from.

[Book Concierge]

Lilac Girls – Martha Hall Kelly – 3.5***
Using three different narrators, the novel tells the WW2 story of the women prisoners held at the notorious Nazi prison camp Ravensbrück. Kelly used two real-life women: Caroline Ferriday, a New York socialite and Broadway actress, and Dr. Herta Oberheuser, a German physician who became the only female surgeon operating at the prison camp. The third narrator is Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager who is sent to the camp along with her sister, whose story is loosely based on that of a pair of sisters who survived the operations they underwent at Ravensbrück. It’s good historical fiction and a decent debut. I look forward to reading Kelly’s next book.
LINK to my review

[Book Concierge]

LibraryCin wrote: "Not book related... I had Denise as a friend on facebook.

I posted some photos today to some already existing photo albums, and when I got a notification that someone liked one of my photos, I op..."

Oh, that would be a bit of a shock .... but maybe also a message from Denise that she's fine now.