What I'm Reading MARCH 2015

[Elaine]

Jodi Picoult "nineteen miutes. A pageturner

[Cateline]

Larry, I've read the first Lancet and enjoyed it, I have the second one on kindle as well. :)

Re: 2666 mentioned above. I could never go more than halfway through the book. It depressed and appalled me so, and put me in an upset mood for days.

[Book Concierge]

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein – 4****
American ATA pilot Rose Justice is captured by the Nazis and sent to the concentration camp at Ravensbruck, where she meets an unforgettable group of women. I liked how Wein showed the women banding together and forming “families” who looked out for one another. Make no mistake, however, there are horrific scenes in this book, albeit this is a young adult novel and not as graphic as an adult novel might be. The audiobook is capably performed by Sasha Pick.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ann D]

I'm reading Wallace Stegner'sCrossing to Safety. This is a reread and I am embarrassed to say that I remember almost nothing from the first read many years ago except I liked it a lot. I very seldom reread books because there are so many on my TBR list. However, if this experience turns out to be typical, I could reread my whole library and it will all be new again!

[Ann D]

I just found the old CR discussion of Crossing to Safety on http://constantreader.com/. Thank you Sherry for preserving these old discussions. This one was excellent. There is no year with the date. Does anyone remember when this discussion took place?

[Frank]

I've started reading The Worlds Strongest Librarian and I hope to find time to write a few comments about The Paying Guests which I just finished.

[Lyn]

I just quickly read Mink River for an in person book club. Has anyone else read this one? I wanted to like it more than I did, although I did enjoy several parts of it. Ultimately I think the author's voice just didn't sit in a groove for me, or maybe sat in the same groove too long.

[Mary]

Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice. The NY Times, I believe, described this book as a theological ghost story. It is, and I enjoyed it. The plot held my attention. The concept underlying the premise of this series is intriguing. The historical context invites further study. The theology gets a little too heavy-handed for me from time to time.

[Book Concierge]

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez – 4****
The residents of one Delaware apartment building have different backgrounds but a common goal: a better life in America. The narration switches among various characters from chapter to chapter, sometimes exploring the same situation from a different perspective. The central focus is on the two teenagers – Mirabel and Mayor – and their families. I found myself so caught up in these characters’ dreams that when tragedy struck I was as stunned as they. Still, there is hope at the end. I’ll be thinking about these “unknown Americans” for a long time.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Gina]

Book Concierge wrote: " The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez – 4****
The residents of one Delaware apartment building have different backgrounds but a co..."

It sounds like a great book. I'll have to put it on my TBR list. Thanks BC.

[Jane]

Schubert's Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession by Ian Bostridge, the Lieder singer.

Winterreise, the song cycle, by Schubert,

[Book Concierge]

The 13 Clocks by James Thurber – 3***
Elements of a fairy tale: A princess trapped in a cold castle by her uncle, an evil Duke; a prince disguised as a troubadour; a mysterious / magical helper; an impossible task to complete. Thurber has crafted a magically fun story, wonderfully illustrated by Marc Simont. Children of all ages will delight in this story of Zorn from Zorna and the Princess Saralinda.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lyn]

Just finished Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free. This book is most fascinating for all that it reveals about the human condition and how it varied, when the men were trapped and thought they would likely die, when a hole was drilled and there was communication but rescue took a long time after that, and finally how the men dealt with the short burst of media, fame, and money afterwards.

[Book Concierge]

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – 4****
This novel is based on a true incident in history. In January 1830 Agnes Magnusdottir became the last person to be executed in Iceland. Kent imagines the interactions Agnes had with the farm family that housed her prior to her execution. I loved the way that these relationships slowly thawed while the landscape slowly froze, and liked the way Kent began each chapter with either some historical document of the period or a poem or excerpt from a saga. The ending, however inevitable, is written in a way that still builds suspense and left me breathless. Audio capably performed by Morven Christie.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Gina]

Book Concierge wrote: " Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – 4****
This novel is based on a true incident in history. In January 1830 Agnes Magnusdottir became the last person to be executed ..."

I also thought this was a fascinating and heart-wrenching novel.

[Mary Anne]

Lyn wrote: "Just finished Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free. This book is most fascinating for all that it reveals about ..."

Lyn, I also recently read this book and found it very well written.

[Ellen]

Just finished the powerful (but sad) story, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League. Am now reading The Girl on the Train which is ok so far but still too early to say much.

[Kat]

Ellie wrote: "Just finished the powerful (but sad) story, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League.

I've read about this book, and it makes me think of Man Gone Down, a novel by Michael Thomas which shows how much more complicated it is for an African-American man to get past his past than is often assumed. Gorgeously written, though not a speedy read.

[Ellen]

Kat wrote: "Ellie wrote: "Just finished the powerful (but sad) story, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League.

I've read about this ..."

Thanks-I have put that on my (endless!) TBR list.

[Frank]

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. Kind of surprised I ordered it but now that I started reading I'm also kind of glad I did. We shall see. 1. I don't choose murder mysteries and this is one. 2. And it appears to be a rendition of Peyton Place but set in Australia. Oh Lord. Well, let's see who plays the Allison MacKenzie character.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Ellie wrote: "Just finished the powerful (but sad) story, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League. Am now reading [book:The Girl on the..."

I just finished listening to the audiobook of The Girl on the Train. It was a very good book of its type, a kind of psychological mystery. I thought Hawkins did a good job getting the emotions and psychology right.

[Rebecca]

Book Concierge wrote: " Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – 4****
This novel is based on a true incident in history. In January 1830 Agnes Magnusdottir became the last person to be executed ..."

I loved this book and thought it brilliant by a first time author. Agnes still haunts me, poor woman.

[Tango]

Frank wrote: "Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. Kind of surprised I ordered it but now that I started reading I'm also kind of glad I did. We shall see. 1. I don't choose murder mysteries and this is one..."

I just finished this, not my usual fair, but very readable and entertaining.

[Ann D]

I recently finished Man at the Helm by British author Nina Stibbe. I found it very funny, although also poignant. It is told in the voice of Lizzie a feisty 10 year old girl, who, along with her 12 year old sister, is determined to find another partner for her ineffective and depressed divorced mother so that their family will gain acceptance in their conservative 1970's village. The list is wildly inappropriate and mayhem ensues.

[Kat]

Ann wrote: "I recently finished Man at the Helm by British author Nina Stibbe. I found it very funny, although also poignant. It is told in the voice of Lizzie a feisty 10 year..."

I read a review of this that made it sound hilarious.

I'm reading The Blazing World, by Siri Hustvedt, about a woman who foxes the art world by exhibiting her work under the names of young men. The style is documentary--the novel is a collection of diary entries and other "reports" from various characters, so there's no "present" in which things are happening, just various perspectives on the past. I think that's a challenging structure, but after the first mind-numbing academic introduction by the "editor" its been pretty lively and has held my interest so far.

[Lyn]

I just started All the Light We Cannot See, and have been softly but surely swept up in the story just like entering a river's current. I want to have a writing microscope to figure out how someone writes in a way that makes that happen. I was not particularly interested in the story from its description and only read it because the reviews were so good, so it has to be the writing that is pulling me along.

[Ann D]

I thought All the Light We Cannot See was wonderful, Lyn, and I was not initially attracted to it based on the subject matter in the reviews either.

[Nicole]

Kat wrote: "I'm reading The Blazing World, by Siri Hustvedt"

The library just acquired this and it's sitting on my shelf right now (I was unable to resist checking it out: impulse buy). It sounds like on the whole you're liking it, which bodes well.

[Ann D]

I finished A Constellation of Vital Phenomena byAnthony Marra.
This is a beautifully written book, and I gave it 5 stars. My only caveat is that it is set in the 1990's during the wars in Chechnya with the locals against the Russian state ("the Feds"). This was a period of hell on earth, and the brutality and destruction can be difficult to read about.

The main characters, including the "villain," are complex. Simple survival is at a premium, but at what cost?

[Ruth]

Ann wrote: "I finished A Constellation of Vital Phenomena byAnthony Marra.
This is a beautifully written book, and I gave it 5 stars. My only caveat is that it is set in the 1..."

I put it aside at the 2/3 mark. It was becoming a chore.

[Ann D]

Ruth,
I can understand that, but the author does a nice job of tying the various threads and characters together by the end.

[Ellen]

I just finished The End of Your Life Book Club which I found very touching and enjoyed very much. It was like spending time with the mother and son.

I am now focused on The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante. I loved My Brilliant Friend which was the first of the books in this trilogy so I'm hoping to enjoy this one (the second) as much.

[Kat]

Ellie wrote: "I am now focused on The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante. I loved My Brilliant Friend which was the first of the books in this trilogy so I'm hoping to enjoy this one (the second) as much.
"

I'm on the third novel of this series now. It continues to amaze me.

[Tango]

Ann wrote: "I finished A Constellation of Vital Phenomena byAnthony Marra.
This is a beautifully written book, and I gave it 5 stars. My only caveat is that it is set in the 1..."

I'm with you on this one. The final scene was so incredibly powerful.

[Ellen]

Kat wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I am now focused on The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante. I loved My Brilliant Friend which was the first of the books in this trilogy so I'm hoping to enjoy this one (the second..."

Good to hear.

[K]

Ann wrote: "I finished A Constellation of Vital Phenomena byAnthony Marra.
This is a beautifully written book, and I gave it 5 stars. My only caveat is that it is set in the 1..."

I loved that book, Ann. I agree with Tango that the final paragraph was beautiful. For me, it was a 5 star book that made me question the 5 stars I gave other books.

I am a little over half-way through All the Light We Cannot See....I can tell it will be one of those 5 star books like A
Constellation of Vital Phenomena.

I am also reading What We Talk About When We Talk About
Love.

[Ann D]

Tango and Karen, I'm glad to hear that you also enjoyed A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.

Karen All the Light We Cannot See was also a 5 star exceptional book. I thought it was wonderful.

[Robert]

Needed a book yesterday to slip into my pocket and read during the long waiting times for our school's Walkathon. Found a small library hardbound of Clifford D. Simak's City on my shelves at school (I grabbed most of the school's SF collection when they stripped the library down to bare bones a few years ago). I'd read it many years ago, but I was struck by two things. One, the frame of the collection -- City is a series of linked future history stories -- is amusing, and quite satiric towards the longing for false interpretation. Two, the opening story, "City," is a perfect example of Simak's love of the rural over the urban, as well as his tremendous gifts for both extrapolation and the kind of calm, quiet Emersonian core of the American character. Nobody else in science fiction ever wrote like Simak, with a gentle sense of humor, a staunch feeling of character, and a persistent vision of what the future (and humanity) should be. I'm fairly sure Simak (like most of the Golden Age writers) is largely forgotten by anybody under 30 (40?) and that's a shame. He's a wonderful writer, and someone who could easily be a gateway for folks who claim they don't like science fiction into the field.

[Robert]

Reread Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood for the first time in thirty years. Still as brilliant, blasphemous, and intensely religious as ever. Starting in on her short stories next.

[Robert]

Also halfway through with G.K. Chesterton's complete collection of Father Brown stories -- well-written, completely different from other detective series (there isn't much detection at all, but rather, a focus on character and the unfolding of how Father Brown figured it out).

[Barbara]

Robert, we've been reading "A Late Encounter with the Enemy", an early story of Flannery O'Connor's, on the short story conference. It is wonderfully humorous, yet dark and complex. There's a link to an internet source for it there as well if you'd like to join in.

[Robert]

I'll read that this weekend -- be nice to talk about it :)

[Mary Anne]

I'm reading The Blazing World, by Siri Hustvedt, about a woman who foxes the art world by exhibiting her work under the names of young men.

I recently read this and really enjoyed it. I liked another book by Siri Hustvedt, What I Loved even more.

[Sheila]

Gina wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – 4****
This novel is based on a true incident in history. In January 1830 Agnes Magnusdottir became the last..."

Gina, I've been holding off reading this in an attempt to get my in person book group to read it.

I have just been reading Mourid Barghouti incredible account of his exile and return to Palestine after 30 years I Saw Ramallah. He is a poet and this shows in his writing on almost every page. It is a lyrical, sometime comical, always self searching by the author always thought provoking to the reader. An excellent read about exile and return. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Barbara]

Sheila, I have just discovered that my library owns I Saw Ramallah. Thanks for the review. I put it on my list there.

[Sheila]

Barbara wrote: "Sheila, I have just discovered that my library owns I Saw Ramallah. Thanks for the review. I put it on my list there."


If you find you like it, there's a follow up which I have on order
I Was Born There, I Was Born Here

[Bernadette]

I’ve just started The Last Word by Hanif Kureishi. I’m just three chapters in, but really enjoying it, probably because it is set in the publishing world, a world close to my heart.

[Barbara]

Sheila wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Sheila, I have just discovered that my library owns I Saw Ramallah. Thanks for the review. I put it on my list there."


If you find you like it, there's a follow up which I have ..."

Ok, thanks, Sheila. My library doesn't own that one but, if I like the first one enough, I would buy it.

[John]

Started Essays After Eighty, a memoir by poet Donald Hall. Constant Readers may appreciate this one, which I'm glad I got from library on impulse.

[Ruth]

It's on my TBR.