What I'm Reading - February 2012

[Barbara]

John wrote: "Last night, I accidentally* opened Charles Dickens' Pictures from Italy, decided "What the heck!" and started reading - at around 100 pages, I convinced myself to put it down and go to ..."

Oh, I'm glad you are liking Pictures from Italy as much as I did, John. It was a nice surprise for me when I read it.

[John]

I've only read Custom of the Country from that list, and while I appreciated the writing, it was one long book! I gave up early on The Age of Innocence I'm afraid.

[Gina]

John wrote: "Last night, I started listening to The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, thinking it'd only be for a few minutes "just to see if I could get into it"..."

I loved this story and wanted everyone to succeed. It added to my knowledge of the struggles of the migration and how enormous it was. I assumed everything went well after the characters left the south but that was not so. What a great book.

[Bernadette]

Finally began to read Sebastian Barry’s On Canaan’s Side. This beautifully signed hardback has been waiting since I bought after hearing Sebastian Barry at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

A real treat to myself because I’m up to date with manuscripts at the moment. Not that I dislike reading manuscripts, there is nothing more exciting than finding a new voice in literature.

Established voices are exciting as well and I will keep you informed on how I get on.

[TheGirlBytheSeaofCortez]

Bernadette wrote: "Finally began to read Sebastian Barry’s On Canaan’s Side. This beautifully signed hardback has been waiting since I bought after hearing Sebastian Barry at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

A real trea..."

I'm reading On Canaan's Side now, too, Bernadette, and I think it's the most beautifully written book I've ever read. I love all Sebastian Barry's work.

Edit: Finished On Canaan's Side. It is one of the few books that moved me to tears.

[Sarah]

I recently finished Rules of Civility and did not have your negative reaction, Ruth. I truly enjoyed Katey's wit and Towles' ability to turn a phrase. However, the enjoyment was rather surface. I'm not sure I could come up with any themes or points to the novel--and that is a bit disturbing. Now, it's possible that they're there, but just too subtle for my reading. It is true that I'm a bit distracted by real life these days, and am not as careful a reader as I used to be. Whether there was substance there or not, I did find it an entertaining read. Now I'm into I Capture the Castle and thinking about started Reamde on the Kindle. I was mistaken--I thought I had the Patchett on my shelf, but I don't. I'd be 43 in line at the library, so I'll read that another time.

[Jane]

finished 4 seasons in Rome in the middle of the night. inability to sleep has its pluses. The beauty of doerr's writing moved me to tears. thanks to the person who suggested it.

[Carol]

The Idiot is on the back burner again. (sigh I can't get into it)In the mean time I read The Crow Eaters: A Novel, delightful book, now I have started theThe Lotus Eaters. Looks like I am on a eater's kick. LOL

[Ellen]

I just finished The Art of Fielding which I really enjoyed.

I've also downloaded The Sisters Brothers from my library. It was short-listed for the Man Booker so I'm looking forward to a good read.

I'm also trying to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the side. :)

[Carol]

I ordered The Sister's Brothers , but it is on back order.

[Ruth]

I finished State of Wonder in time for the discussion, plowed through several NYers-in-waiting and am now well into Joan Didion's Blue Nights I can't put it down.

[Sue]

I've finished Poisonwood Bible---loved it, and now I'll finish State of Wonder so I can join the discussion.

[Kat]

Have read 3 out of the 4, Tom, and I agree about the great lines. Thought terrifying was an interesting word choice, though. In what way?

[Bernadette]

I’m definitely enjoy reading On Canaan’s Side and like you I enjoy Sebastian Barry’s work, it captures the Irish voice so beautifully. Actually I first came across his plays in particular his wonderful The Steward of Christendom and Our Lady of Sligo.

[Jennifer]

So I had about 7 books going and wasn't making significant progress anywhere. Finished two, most of the way through most of the others, zeroed in last couple days on two of them: Bad Luck And Trouble on audio and The Tin Roof Blowdown. Enjoying both but The Tin Roof Blowdown-- well, first of all it's set right after Katrina which is horrific. Second, I recently read a book several books farther in in this series, one in which the main character never once mentioned his daughter- who has always been a main focus. So for him to NEVER mention her makes me think something awful happened. Now I'm reading one of the in-between books I missed- The Tin Roof Blowdown-- and reading every page with my heart in my throat, because the daughter is a character in this one and a psychopath has met her.....

[Rusty]

Reading Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, The Scottish Prisoner, a mystery, and a medieval collection of romance stories.

[Sue]

Jennifer wrote: "So I had about 7 books going and wasn't making significant progress anywhere. Finished two, most of the way through most of the others, zeroed in last couple days on two of them: [book:Bad Luck And..."

I love this series. All the characters are so real. Should note I'm referring to James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series.

[Aoibhínn]

I've started reading Songs Of The Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult.

[Ruth]

Finished Blue Nights Here's my review.

As usual, Didion's writing is so fascinating it's hard to put down. She and I are almost exactly the same age. This book made me grateful that I have not (so far) had to suffer as she has. Still, dare I say that the book seemed to be a bit self-indulgent?

[Lyn]

After blessedly finishing the boring beyond belief The Stranger's Child, I read The Talk-Funny Girl: A Novel, lapping that one up quickly as it was engaging and hard to put down.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Too bad about The Stranger's Child. It's coming up on our list. I hope I like it better than you did.

[TheGirlBytheSeaofCortez]

Lyn wrote: "After blessedly finishing the boring beyond belief The Stranger's Child, I read The Talk-Funny Girl: A Novel, lapping that one up quickly as it was engaging and hard ..."

I didn't like The Stranger's Child, either. I thought it was boring, too.

I'm now reading Donna Tartt's The Little Friend. I'm aware that a lot of people did not like the ending, but I enjoy reading it well enough to put up with that.

[Sue]

I'm taking a break from all serious reading tonight (partly due to a stubborn headache) and reading Agatha Christie's
Murder at the Vicarage on my new Kindle Fire. Love the nice sepia page background. I'm discovering all the hidden secrets of the device gradually. Just bought it.

[Book Concierge]

Sue wrote: "I'm taking a break from all serious reading tonight (partly due to a stubborn headache) and reading Agatha Christie's
Murder at the Vicarage on my new Kindle Fire. Love the nice sepia..."

Great minds think alike! I just picked this up from the library yesterday!

[Book Concierge]

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
2.5**

Oskar Schell is trying to make sense of his dad’s death in the World Trade Towers on 9/11. He comes across a key inside a vase on the top shelf of his father’s closet and is convinced that if he can find the lock that the key fits he’ll find out something important about his father. So without telling his mother, or anyone else for that matter, he begins to search the boroughs of New York for the answer.

This is a great premise and I really wanted to like this book. I loved Oskar and the parts of the book written in his voice were the ones with which I most easily connected. But Foer is also telling the story of Oskar’s grandparents and includes chapters from both his grandmother’s and grandfather’s perspectives. These quickly become disjointed. Then there are the illustrations and photos interspersed throughout the book, as well as the red-ink editing notations (something Oskar’s father would do with the Sunday NY Times). These “interesting” typefaces, coupled with the occasional sudden changes in narrative voice, were just distracting to me. They seemed to be screaming “Look how clever I am!” rather than actually adding anything of value to the narrative. The title is, therefore, perfect. Foer’s effort is “extremely loud and incredibly close” … but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, not in literature.

[Jane]

I'm dipping into 2011 Best American Short Stories. Several people on GR have commented on one of the stories--" Foster" by Claire Keegan. It's an amazing and heartbreaking story. Love several of the stories I've read. A Bridge Under Water, Housewifely Arts. Recommend this collection highly for those who love short stories.

[Dottie]

Ruth wrote: "Finished Blue Nights Here's my review.

As usual, Didion's writing is so fascinating it's hard to put down. She and I are almost exactly the same age. This book made me grateful th..."

She frequently comes off as being so and yet -- I cannot give up reading her books -- I let her self-indulgence if that is truly what it is just be there and enjoy the rest of it. Why is it I can do that for her and in other cases I will throw in the towel? Strange quirky reader person here.

[John]

I find her incredibly self-indulgent, although Blue Nights was a bit easier than The Year of Magical Thinking for me. A couple of weeks ago, I read her essay collection from the 60s/70s The White Album - my library had a queue for it, and after finishing the book, I could see why as the pieces are timeless, then-cultural references notwithstanding.

[Carol]

Finishing up The Lotus Eaters. I was not too impressed with it. I will startThe Sisters Brothers sometime in the next few days.

[Barbara]

I started The Marriage Plot on my Kindle and State of Wonder in audio. The Marriage Plot had me riveted in my chair all day yesterday. I gulped down 1/3 of it and now think maybe I should slow down a bit so I'm finishing it closer to the discussion date.

Before this, I finished Breakdown by Sara Paretsky. V.I. Warshawski is my favorite literary detective (I know, I know, there are many who vie for that honor, but I like V.I). The last few books in this series have not been quite up to the quality of the first ones, but Breakdown was back to form -- except for the ending which I didn't quite buy.

And, Saturday, I found a used bookstore in Ferndale, Michigan called The Library. It had the best selection (for Constant Readers anyway) and the best prices I've seen in a bricks and mortar used bookstore in a long time. Peggy, if you're reading this, it's as good as the one that closed in Farmington. I picked up three short story collections:
God's Gym: Stories by John Edgar Wideman, Sugar and Other Stories by A.S. Byatt and Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories by Tobias Wolff. Can you tell I'm on vacation?

[Barbara]

I forgot to say that I also finished Nothing Like an Ocean: Stories by Jim Tomlinson. That's ok though because it deserves its own note. I loved his first collection, Things Kept, Things Left Behind which won the 2006 Iowa Short Fiction award and he just gets even better in this one. He can tell a story from the point of view of old, young, male and female characters and each voice rings true.

[Anne]

I finished The Marriage Plot yesterday. Looking forward to the discussion.

[Bernadette]

On Canaan’s Side is another moving novel told in Barry’s lilting Irish voice. I was particularly taken with his passages about Irish and American identity.

It also describes a bit of a generation gap I think, nowadays we are far more keen and able to manipulate our own destiny, in a way that would have never occurred to Lily but it did to her son and grandson.

I was also very much reminded of his great stage plays, The Steward of Christendom and Our Lady of Sligo, and wondered if this could not equally well work as a play.

The ending is very sad, not in the least because of what transpires about Mr Nolan, her son and grandson, but especially because Lilly doesn’t quite realize the amount of love she gave but also received and it’s quite devastating to find out she is contemplating not to live out her life. ‘What remains of us is love.’

In short it’s a novel about where we from, why we are here and where we are going to, the three big questions in life, though Lily’s contemplation of what to present at St Peter’s gate will certainly annoy Richard Dawkins, and rightly so.

[Sylvia]

I finished Rules of Civility today and liked it a lot. The major point out of the book is stated by Kate very near the end (I listened to an audio version so I don't hae the quote), but essentially it is that life is constantly moving and people are constatnly moving through our lives and the split second decisions we make so determine if they will be in our life next week/next month/next year. Life is constantly changing-as are the people in our lives. The part I loved was that as much as we want to go back and re-capture those friendships, we can't b/c life has kept moving for all of us and it just can't work. This book hit home with me b/c I moved to a new town almost 4 years ago and when I think about my many friends from 4 years ago and try to maintain those connections I realize how different we all are and the different circles we travel in-and it isn't so much b/c I moved-b/c the friends still there have changed and have different connections too. I think Rules of Civility was certainly worth the read and highly recommend it. I really liked Kate-for me she was so real. I think I saw a post on here that someone said they didn't feel she was (not sure), but for me she felt real. I felt like I could have/probably would have done some of the same things/made some of the same mistakes, etc. she did.

[Mary Anne]

I went to St. Thomas for a week, and got a lot of reading done, while taking in the 80 degree paradise:

John recommended The Traveller's Tree: A Journey Through the Caribbean Islands, and since I was heading in that direction, I thought it was apropos. I liked it, but was reminded that I am not much of a fan of travelogues.

I also finished The Tiger's Wife, Poor Miss Finch, and A Wrinkle in Time. Of the lot, the L'Engle was my favorite. I can't believe I waited so long to read this classic.

Now I'm picking up Blue Nights. I have a signed copy, which was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law.

[John]

Re: Poor Miss Finch -- after reading that one, I read Oliver Sacks' reports of folks gaining sight after a lifetime of blindness, and it seems Collins got it pretty much spot on with Lucilla's experience!

[TheGirlBytheSeaofCortez]

Bernadette wrote: "On Canaan’s Side is another moving novel told in Barry’s lilting Irish voice. I was particularly taken with his passages about Irish and American identity.

It also describes a bit of a generation ..."

So far, On Canaan's Side is my favorite book in a long time.

I gave up with Donna Tartt's The Little Friend. After I passed page 100 and the story had not begun yet, I lost trust in the author.

Now I'm back reading Elizabeth George's Believing the Lie. It's not her best "Inspector Lynley" book, but at least there's a story there.

[Bernadette]

G wrote: I gave up with Donna Tartt's The Little Friend. After I passed page 100 and the story had not begun yet, I lost trust in the author.

Ah, yes, you need to persevere to get on with Donna Tartt’s books. I think 100 pages is not enough to get into the book but it does become rewarding, not necessarily enjoyable, when you get really into the book.

[TheGirlBytheSeaofCortez]

Thank you for the information on The Little Friend, Bernadette.

I might pick it up again some day, but for now, probably not. I did like the characters a lot, though. I enjoyed their eccentricities and Harriet's precociousness and boldness. I'll see how I feel when I finish the Elizabeth George.

Thank you again.

[Collene]

I am reading Bring on the Blessings and Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

[Carol]

Collene wrote: "I am reading Bring on the Blessings and Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman"

I have been looking at Catherine the Great, let me know if it is worth reading.

Another book I have been interested in is Lady Almina And The Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy Of Highclere Castle. I know several people have been watching Masterpiece theater, and this might be interesting.

[Sarah]

MAP, I still love Wrinkle in Time after 30-some years. I'm getting ready to read it to the girls after we finish Treasure Island. They're hanging in there gamely, but there's a bit too much sailing description for them, I think.

[Sarah]

I'm in the middle of Ready, Player One. I found out about this book on Powells.com; it was mentioned by several of the staff as a favorite read of 2011. I can't say it's good writing, but the story is engaging enough to keep me reading, and the numerous cultural references to the 80s are sort of fun. A very quick, entertaining read.

[Gina]

Book Concierge wrote: "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
2.5**

I thought the book was wonderfully written. However, I love the way Jonathan Safran Foer writes - (Everything is Illuminated and his non-fiction Eating Animals). I loved Oskar's personality as he tries to make sense of his father's death. This is one of my favorites.

[Ruth]

Sarah wrote: "MAP, I still love Wrinkle in Time after 30-some years. I'm getting ready to read it to the girls after we finish Treasure Island. They're hanging in there gamely, but there's a bit too much saili..."

My kids were wild about Wrinkle in Time. I read it aloud to them and I was taken with it, too.

[Ruth]

I just finished Penelope Lively's How it All Began Here's my review: 4 stars

Penelope is always a Lively read, and this book is no exception. Gracefully written. An exploration of the interconnectedness of us all. Nothing momentous happens, but I was glued to the page and finished the book in two days.

[Sarah]

Hee hee, Ruth. I haven't read Penelope in years; maybe I'll pick that one up. I really loved The Road to Lichfield.

[Sue]

Just picked up The Big Sleep from the library. That should make some comparison to Christie's Murder at the Vicarage.

Ruth, I've never read anything by Lively...this one looks good.

[Mary Anne]

Sarah and Ruth, as I read Wrinkle, I was imagining myself reading it to my grandkids, who are now 7 and 5. Maybe in a couple of years. What do you think?

[Sarah]

I've been waiting a bit, as I think it's a complicated story and there's a fair amount of psychological concept "stuff" going on. I think my 10 and 8 year olds are good for it, but I think 7 and 5 are a bit young. What have you read them so far in terms of chapter books? Their "listening experience level" also makes a difference, in my opinion.