Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2011
>
Susan & Raven's 2011 Reading List
message 1:
by
Susan
(new)
Jan 01, 2011 06:27AM
I have decided to give my dog Raven the credit that is due her, since she reads every book with me.
reply
|
flag
1. The Solitude of Thomas Cave: A Novel by Georgina Harding **** Beautiful book about a whaler who accepts a wager to spend the winter by himself in Greenland in the 1600's. This is a book I read as part of my personal theme that I started last year of people confronting the wilderness.237 pages
Susan wrote: "I have decided to give my dog Raven the credit that is due her, since she reads every book with me."It's good to have a reading buddy.
Totally get that - I used to have a malamute who thought she was a lap dog.
2. Shannon: A Novel by Frank Delaney (audiobook)*** I enjoy listening to Frank Delaney's beautiful Irish accent, since he narrates his own novels. 14.5 hours
3. Trespass by Rose Tremain ***** I love Rose Tremain's writing style; it pulled me into this book. Two sets of siblings, bother and sister, damaged by negligent or abusive parents, trespass upon one another's property, lifestyles, relationships, bodies, hearts and minds. 253 pagesTOTAL: 490 pages
......14.5 hours
4. The Final Solution: A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon (audiobook) **** A parrot stolen in Sussex from a young refugee from Nazi Germany comes to the attention of a person identified only as "the old man" -- a former detective, now bee-keeper. Very clever, thought grimly so, right from the beginning, when one remembers The Seven-percent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, MD by Nicholar Meyer. I listened to the audio version read by Michael York, and his honeyed voice certainly added to the experience. Ahhhh. (Excuse me, but Michael York and I were young together, albeit on different continents).
TOTAL: 490 pages
3 hours, 21 mins = TOTAL 17 hours, 51 mins
Young Micheal York, ahhhhh.... and now I'm having a Three Musketeers flashback, thanks.
5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (audiobook) **** What is with Jonathan Safran Foer? This is the second book of his that I have read (I read Everything Is Illuminated a few years ago), and I just don't get it. Foer has the ability to create the most lovable, real, charming characters (Oskar in this book, Ales in EII) who you just want to invite into your life. Then he interweaves their stories with the most ridiculous, unreadable, unbelievable and, what is worse, BORING, backstory, sidestory . . . whatever. At least the one in ELAIC has some bearing on the main story (Other than dragging it down), which is more than I can say for the backstory, sidestory . . . whatever, in EII. I listened to this on an audiobook, and the reader (Jeff Woodman) makes the intelligent and precocious Oskar come to life. Everytime the readers for the parts of the grandmother and the grandfather came on, my heart sank. The grandmother, in present time, was a lovely woman, but I could not understand why she cared whether the grandfather was around or not. I HATED the grandfather, both the character and the way his part was written. At one point he is leaving . . . and leaving . . . and leaving, I wanted to scream (I think I actually may have), "So, go, all ready. I've hated you from the beginning." I gave this book four stars, because I really, really, really liked Oskar and his story, and have chosen to ignore the grandparents' story.TOTAL: 490 pages
11 hours = TOTAL 28 hours, 51 mins
I'm so glad to read that you hated the grandfather as well! It wasm't just me. ;) What was the point of his story? What a selfish, annoying character! Did not get the grandmother's motive for wanting that horrible man in her life except maybe as a connection to her sister. I had such a hard time rating the book because I really enjoyed the other parts of the book. Did you say his other book is similar in the way it's written, lovely story with an equally horrible story thrown in there?
Susan wrote: "5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (audiobook) **** What is with Jonathan Safran Foer? This is the second book of his that I have read (I read [book:Every..."
Lillie -- Foer's other book, Everything Is Illuminated, is about a young American named Jonathan Safran Foer who goes to Russia to find his family's roots. (The use of his own name as the character makes me think that there is some truth to the story). Young Foer hires a cocky Russian teenager named Alex as an interpreter, and, since Alex has no car, he brings along his grandfather as a driver, who brings along the family dog. Already the stage is set for some comedy. But, Alex, who thinks he is an expert on America and its language, uses many of the words wrong and comes out with hysterical malaprops. This part of the story is told in Alex's voice. As the story progesses the reader learns of the tender side of the cocky teenager and the reader's heart melts. Unfortunately, intertwined with this humorous and touching story, is the story that JSF is writing about his grandfather's home town. It starts out like a fairy tale, but gets progressively more ridiculous. The grandfather's (in ELAIC) losing his ability to talk, and the "something and nothing" parts of the apartment remind me very much of the story in AII, so you can imagine what it is like. It is very difficult to know whether to recommend this book, whether someone else would like it or if they would throw it at your head. BTY, did you realize that JSF's wife is Nicole Krauss who wrote The History of Love, which you may have read or heard of. Susan
Everything Is Illuminated sounds like a book that would probably evoke, in me, similar feelings as Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close did. I think it will have to stay on the back burner for a while. What is it about this author that has him writing about older men who have gone intentionally mute?I read The History of Love and I loved it! When I got to the end of the book I wanted to flip it over and start again. Now, my sister's reaction was different. She liked it but wanted it wrapped up in a pretty bow.
Susan wrote: "Lillie -- Foer's other book, Everything Is Illuminated, is about a young American named Jonathan Safran Foer who goes to Russia to find his family's roots. (The use of his own name a..."
I read The History of Love a while ago, and I liked it. But I remember being disappointed at the end. I was reading it with my book class, I remember questioning the fact that the old man and the girl found each other, but so what? What was the point? And someone said, that finding each other was the point. But, somehow I missed it. It's funny, but now I remember the Foer books much more clearly than Kraus's book, and I generally I liked hers better.
6. The Mark of the Angel by Nancy Huston. I read this for my French in Translation course and we will be discussing it in February. I will be withholding my opinion until we discuss it, because I often change my mind after a good discussion. 222 pagesTOTAL: 490 + 222 = 712 pages
TOTAL: 28 hours, 51 mins.
7. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent (audiobook) ***. I listened to this audiobook for my Contemporary Literature class that begins in March. The theme this coming semester is religion, and this is the story of the Salem Witch Trials as seen through the eyes of the daughter of one of the women charged with witchcraft. Actually, there is very little emphasis on religion itself in the book; it more like superstition. 10 hours.TOTAL: 712 pages
TOTAL: 10 hours + 28 hours, 51 mins. = 38 hours, 51 mins.
8. Fault Lines by Nancy Huston ***** An excellently conceived and well crafted novel tracing a family back four generations, with a member of each generation telling his or her story in the first person at the age of six. We see what is passed down through the generations in the physical and the emotional realms, and the disturbing concept that a child shielded from evil will seek it out. 305 pages.TOTAL: 712 pages + 305 pages = 1,017 pages.
TOTAL: 38 hours, 51 mins.
9. Little Bee by Chris Cleave **** Read for my@ offline book club. Very well written. 288 pages.TOTAL: 1,017 pages + 288 pages - 1,305 pages
TOTAL: 38 hours, 51 minutes
My local book club did not like Little Bee--way too unrealistic.Rose
Interesting. I'll let you know what the consensus is from my club next week.
Obsessedreader wrote: "My local book club did not like Little Bee--way too unrealistic.Rose"
Had my book club meeting on Little Bee the other night. Everyone seemed to like it, and affection for the Little Bee character overcame any feelings of unrealism. It was not a very in depth discussion, however, due to many dogs and cats demanding attention.
Wow, I've got too many books going and none of them finished. But, finally, here is number:10. Instruments of darkness by Nancy Huston. ***** Nancy Huston's novels are like elaborate puzzles, with everything intertwined and finally fitting with amazing precision. In this novel, a writer, with help of her personal daemon, is writing a story about the middle ages, and at the same time writing down her own memories of a dead twin, her parents' disastrous marriage, her lost child, and her own failed relationships. The two stories alternate exposing the writer's own demons. A beautiful book with so much to it, it deserves several readings. I read this with a continuing educations class, and I am so pleased that I was introduced to a new author, who has now become one of my favorites.
TOTAL READ: 1,305 + 316 = 1,621
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 38 hours, 51 minutes
Susan wrote: "Wow, I've got too many books going and none of them finished. ..."Thank God it's not just me!!
11. Just Fine by France Daigle ** Read for my french in translation class. My teacher assured us that there was a "gem on every page," but although I found a few gems here and there, I was left generally unsatisfied. Perhaps she will convince me otherwise at class today.P.S. I just realized I was the first one on Goodreads to record that I read this book!
After class: well, I don't think I missed that much, but just didn't think it was as great as most of the others did.
TOTAL READ: 1,621 + 148 = 1,769
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 38 hours, 51 minutes
12. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (audiobook) **** Extremely well written, since the author kept my attention on a subject that would normally have my eyes glaze over with boredom, and kept my sympathies with the family despite the fact that I periodically found myself disliking or losing patience with some of them.TOTAL READ: 1,769 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 38 hours, 51 minutes + 12 hours, 30 minutes = 51 hours, 21 minutes
13. A Fine Passage by France Daigle **** I found this second in a series of three books (See Just Fine by the same author, my book No. 11, message 27) delightful. It follows some of the characters from the first book on a trip to France, and concentrates more on the characters than on the author's random (okay, not so random, my classmates assure me, but seemingly random) thoughts. But, why does Hans go to Baltimore? Nancy will tell me.TOTAL READ: 1,769 pages + 114 pages = 1,883 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 51 hours, 21 minutes
14. The Roots of Obama's Rage by Dinesh D'Souza. **** Excellently written theory.TOTAL READ: 1,883 pages + 256 pages = 2,139 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 51 hours, 21 minutes
15. Room by Emma Donoghue (audiobook) **** I had a lovely experience with this book, but I must admit that this experience was chiefly due to the fact that I listened to it in audiobook form. The book is told from the point of a 5-year-old boy, and Michal Friedman, the woman who acts his voice, is phenomenal! The voice is, lets face it, so darn cute, and makes the character's the observations interesting and enlightening. The rest of the cast is also very good; my one complaint being that the voice of the mother is a bit too sophisticated sounding. I know that many readers have expressed the opinion that reading a book in the voice of a 5-year-old became tedious, and I can see that had I not had the child's actual voice in my ear, I could have felt the same way. The story is about, of course, a child who is born to a woman who has been kidnapped and imprisoned by a sexual predator. The child has lived his whole life in an 11' x 11' room, not knowing that anything else exists. When the two escape the room, the child's introduction to the world and the people in it is humorous(and sooo politically correct), and, I believe, too easy. Again, I think this problem was glossed over by the cuteness of the voice. I would have given 5 stars to the audiobook for the enjoyment of the experience, but I must be strict with myself. Last year I totally trashed Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman for being unrealistically simplistic in its solution to problems, and I must take away one star from Room for having the same fault. Ms. Donoghue has a great imagination for being able to picture how a child would perceive things when placed in this situation.TOTAL READ: 1,883 pages + 256 pages = 2,139 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 51 hours, 21 minutes + 10 hours, 48 minutes = 62 hours, 9 minutes
16. Skylark by Dezső Kosztolányi *** It was a bit hard to read because of the difficulty of the Hungarian names. A middle aged couple's adult daughter goes away for a week, and suddenly the parents' life opens up. But, she comes home again. Are some people denied joy; and do they leach joy from others?TOTAL READ: 2,139 pages + 220 = 2,359 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 51 hours, 21 minutes + 10 hours, 48 minutes = 62 hours, 9 minutes
Skylark sounds interesting, but it made me think of our family joke: My parents couldn't get any of us to move out of the house, so they did.
Donna wrote: "Skylark sounds interesting, but it made me think of our family joke: My parents couldn't get any of us to move out of the house, so they did."Hah! I had a couple siblings like that.
17. A Separate Country by Robert Hicks (audiobook) * I did not like this book. I was looking forward to it because I had reread his The Widow of the South not too long ago, and had really enjoyed it. The main character and his wife are real people, but the fictional characters around them were not interesting to me and I struggled through it.TOTAL READ: 2,139 pages + 220 = 2,359 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 62 hours, 9 minutes * 17 hours, 9 minutes = 79 hours, 18 minutes.
18. Life's Little Difficulties by France Daigle ** This third book in the trilogy I found to be very unsatisfying. Several people in my class found a lot more in it than I did, but I think it was just because nature abhors a vacuum and we had an hour and a half to talk about it.TOTAL READ: 2,359 pages + 154 pages = 2,413 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 79 hours, 18 minutes.
19. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid ***** Excellently conceived and written novel, even if the message is not what we want to hear. Read for my contemporary literature class, and had a wonderful discussion.20. The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller (audiobook) *** The playwright, an actor, and members of the audience react to the play's subject matter of losing a loved one. A nice, well-written read; nothing earthshattering.
TOTAL READ: 2,413 pages + 191 pages = 2,604
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 79 hours, 18 minutes + 9 hours, 21 minutes = 88 hours, 39 minutes
21. The Old Farmer's Almanac 2011 edited by Janice Stillman *** It seemed to be the appropriate reading for a few days snowbound on a Vermont mountain.TOTAL READ: 2,604 pages = 188 pages = 2,792 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 79 hours, 18 minutes + 9 hours, 21 minutes = 88 hours, 39 minutes
22. The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller (audiobook)**** Ha!TOTAL READ: 2,604 pages = 188 pages = 2,792 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 88 hours, 39 minutes + 10 hrs. 38 mins. = 99 hrs., 17 mins.
23. Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski **** I enjoyed this book about an anthropologist studying a tribe in Northern Thailand very much. It reminded me of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, only funnier.TOTAL READ: 2,792 pages + 336 pages = 3,128 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 88 hours, 39 minutes + 10 hrs. 38 mins. = 99 hrs., 17 mins.
24. Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller (audiobook) **** I really enjoy this author. She captures people and situations very well, and makes me think a good deal about the situations. In this particular book, I found myself wondering who was the central character of the novel. A man's death has a rippling affect on an extended "blended" family, and particularly on one of his stepdaughters. I finally decided that the central character was actually a relationship -- the relationship of the one daughter with both of her parents, with each of her divorced parents. A very complicated, complex and richly imagined story.TOTAL PAGES: 2,792 pages + 336 pages = 3,128 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 99 hrs., 17 mins + 8 hrs., 43 mins. = 108 hrs.
25. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman (audiobook) ** I thought I needed a little Alice Hoffman, with her touch of the magical, but I could not get into this book. It followed the denizens of a small town from its formation through to the present, and the people are mostly related to the iconic female founder of the town. I usually like this sort of story. However, the sections are short, and it did not give me time to get involved with each new set of characters. Their experiences seem repetitive, with mysterious strangers, beautiful or monstrous, passing through and impregnating or otherwise affecting the inhabitants. All in all, it was a disappointment.TOTAL PAGES: 2,792 pages + 336 pages = 3,128 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 108 hrs. & 7 hrs. = 115 hrs.
Oh, no. And she's my favorite! I've been saving this for patio reading this summer -if we ever get weather warm enough for patio sitting. Sounds like this might be just right for a chapter or so before the mesquitos come out.
26. The Breaking of Eggs: A Novel by Jim Powell ***** I reread this because it was my choice for my offline book club. We were supposed to discuss it tonight, but not enough members could come. So, the discussion has been postponed a few months. I found the second go-round with this book as engaging as the first, and I really wanted to know what the other members thought. Oh, well, it can wait.TOTAL PAGES: 3,128 pages + 352 pages = 3,480 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 108 hrs. & 7 hrs. = 115 hrs.
27. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer *** This is the last book read for my book class, the theme of this semester being True Believer. The story of the LDS Church, and its breakaway Fundamentalists,is harsh and brutal. I found it very interesting, but the way the book was written was very hard to follow. Krakauer introduces characters and situations, tells part of the story, and then switches back to another part of the epic. Once he goes back to comment or finish a story, it is difficult to remember who these people were and what their circumstances were. I guess it is not longer fashionable to start a story at the beginning, and follow it through to the end. But, had Krakauer done this, I think I would have found it easier to follow. As it was, about 3/4 of the way through it, my interest flagged. TOTAL PAGES: 3,480 pages + 400 pages = 3,880 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 108 hrs. & 7 hrs. = 115 hrs.
28. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (audiobook) **** This is an excellent portrayal of what it was like to be a German citizen during the Nazi regime. The reason I gave it only four stars is because it took me quite a while to think it was excellent. The main character was annoyingly naive and uninformed in the beginning.TOTAL PAGES: 3,480 pages + 400 pages = 3,880 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 115 hrs. + 16 hrs., 15 mins. = 131 hrs. 15 mins.
29. Tinkers by Paul Harding (audiobook) ** I'm sure there are many who find the language and imagery of this book wonderful. I am not one of them. There is just too much detail -- the complete layout of a room, including the description of the every object in a painting, the step-by-step description of the removal and return of a pair of scissors from a box, the lighting of a match. Too much for me. Nor do I personally enjoy reading descriptions of delusions or hallucinations, even at the time of death. The switches of narrative from one character to another (from George to Howard) are strange because we are supposedly attending the death George.TOTAL PAGES: 3,480 pages + 400 pages = 3,880 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 131 hrs. 15 mins + 4 hrs. 55 mins. =136 hrs., 10 mins.
30. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery *** I read this because I realized I never had. I have false memories of reading it, and remember different illustrations (!) I found parts of it tedious, but then I am a grownup. I cried at the end, though. How did he get from planet to planet? Like I said, I'm a grownup.TOTAL PAGES: 3,880 pages + 88 pgs. = 3,968 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 131 hrs. 15 mins + 4 hrs. 55 mins. =136 hrs., 10 mins.
31. The Metropolis Case by Michael Gallaway **** Four people, three of them opera singers, are connected across time. It brought the world of opera alive to me, even though I have little knowledge of opera. The plot went were I did not expect it to, but I was all right with that. There are several disturbing sexual aspects to the story.TOTAL PAGES: 3,968 pages + 372 pages = 4,340 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 136 hrs., 10 mins.
32. Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson **** Hmmm. My "Hmmm" is because of my contemplation of this being called a black or dark comedy. Now, I did not read it because I expected a humorous look at Jews hiding from the Nazis, because I certainly can't imagine any humor coming from that situation (okay, maybe if Colonel Klink were involved). I came across the book when looking for books about Germans and in this case the Dutch living under the Nazis. This book is about a young Dutch couple hiding a Jew in their house. I read it straight and it brought to light very practical aspects of hiding someone on a day to day basis in a time when the milkman and the fishmonger come by the house. Also, I thought that the wife's reasons for helping someone were insightful. Don't we all want to be perceived as heroes? Isn't a lot of charity done to make the give feel good? Maybe the humor was in that everyone was doing it. In that case it made me feel good. When suddenly the tables are turned and the protector becomes the prey, I thought it was also telling as to how hard it is for any of us to put ourselves in another person's shoes, even though we think we have been doing it. Maybe I don't know what black comedy is, or maybe I don't have a sense of humor. Anyway, this book gave me more food for thought on a subject which has always been in the forefront of my mind -- what would I do to help a stranger in trouble?TOTAL PAGES: 4,340 pages + 135 pages = 4,475 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 136 hrs., 10 mins.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (other topics)11/22/63 (other topics)
Becoming Jane Eyre (other topics)
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt (other topics)
Mr. Chartwell (other topics)
More...
