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What I'm Reading - June 2012
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John
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Jun 23, 2012 06:51AM
If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, similar to Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life - the books complement each other nicely.
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Reading Frankenstein for the 3rd or 4th time; will be using it in my Eng V-AP class this year.
Just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean. I loved this book. I like the way it weaves past and present, all curled around with the fantasies of dementia. Having written my own (unpublished) novel about dementia, I can see how much better Dean represents it than I did. I gobbled this one down.
Ruth wrote: "Just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean. I loved this book...."Totally agree ... I loved this book, also.
Book Concierge wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean. I loved this book...."Totally agree ... I loved this book, also."
Were you the one who recommended it? If so, thank you.
I read "Travels With Charlie" twice, about a decade apart, and I still remember how much I hated to leave that world when the story was over. Both times.
I can't remember a prequel ever becoming my favorite story in a series, but that's the case with the one I've just finished: Lee Child's "The Affair," about why Jack Reacher left the Army in 1997. Just astoundingly good. I was bummed to read that the first movie version of a Reacher novel will star Tom Cruise. I have a gnawing feeling that Reacher's character is too much larger than life, and the plots too preposterous to work onscreen, but if it somehow did it would require a character like Matt Damon, who's done such a great job as an Everyman in the Jason Bourne series.
Dale wrote: "I read "Travels With Charlie" twice, about a decade apart, and I still remember how much I hated to leave that world when the story was over. Both times."I've read it four or five times, the first when I was ten and had been making up stories in my own head for about five years--TWC made me realize that wanting to become a writer was possible. Last time was a couple of years ago when I listened to an audiobook (not the Sinese version) which was just as good. Scary that a lot of it is still true 50+ years later.
Gee, I think it's time for me to reread, too.
Wingshooters – Nina Revoyr
4****
I have heard this book compared to To Kill a Mockingbird; I think that comparisons holds up pretty well.
Michelle LeBeau has a white father and a Japanese mother, but lives with her grandparents in Deerhorn, Wisconsin, where she is the only “colored” person in town. Her grandfather, Charlie LeBeau, is one of the town’s most respected men. A bigot who strongly disapproves of his son’s interracial marriage, he nevertheless dotes on his only grandchild. Everything changes in the summer of 1974 when the local clinic expands, resulting in the arrival of Mr and Mrs Garrett – a young black couple from Chicago. Charlie and his friends are incensed and voice their prejudice at every opportunity. Mikey is uniquely able to understand the isolation the Garretts feel, and is drawn to them.
The beauty of this novel is that while it deals with tragedy, Revoyr also is writing about a young child who feels loved and protected by her grandparents, a child who enjoys the outdoors and the freedom to explore the sights, sounds and smells of the country. Michelle has a front-row seat to the happenings in town, and observes the people she knows and loves as their darkest faults come to light. She also begins to recognize what true courage looks like, and the reader can only hope that she will chose carefully which traits to emulate.
Revoyr mines her own childhood for this exploration of family values as much as it is of racism in America. Clearly the isolation her character feels is what Revoyr herself felt in the few years she spent in central Wisconsin as a child (See this story – http://scottkennethnoble.blogspot.com...)
Marjorie wrote: "I re-read Steinbeck's Travels with Charley not long ago. Love his sense of humor. Followed him with a map on his travels across the United States. Loved his musings about what he sees and hears ..."I had the great honor of doing the last poetry reading at Canio's Books before it closed; that was the book store in Sag Harbor, NY, where Steinbeck made his home. Canio spoke warmly of him as a writer but somehow less warmly of Steinbeck the customer, morose I believe was the word he used. Anyway, it was from Sag Harbor, I believe, that he left on the great trip to explore America and perhaps get a little happier.
TWC is on my TBR pile - reading all the great reviews here is making me want to get to it sooner. Just finished The Mosquito Coast in prep for discussion. Reading Before They Are Hanged, the second book of Joe Abercrombie's First Law fantasy trilogy. Also listening to audio version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Greer: I look forward to the Mosquito Coast discussion. It's been a while, but I think it's still the most captivating adventure story I've ever read.
Kenneth: What? An aging, male writer "morose"? (I said, with tongue firmly in morose cheek.)Speaking of which, I did a reading once at a military PX and they had just been visited the day before by author W.E.B. Griffith. The staff was still a little spooked, and apparently did not look forward to a re-match.
Finished Lively's FAMILY ALBUM. She explores some interesting things about family identity, but the ending seemed a little pat. Now reading THE MOSQUITO COAST, very strong portrait of the dad but I feel a little daunted by the idea of spending the whole novel with him! Also am reading Hilary Mantel's novel FLUDD, very different from WOLF HALL, short and hilarious.
Listening is an Act of Love – Dave Isay
4*****
I am a fan of NPR’s StoryCorps Project. Simply put, “StoryCorps began with the idea that everyone has an important story to tell.”
In this book, editor Dave Isay compiles some of the more memorable stories recorded in the early years of the project. They are moving, horrific, tender, funny, beautifully simple, incredibly complex, inspiring and loving. The stories are divided into five major sections: Home & Family, Work & Dedication, Journeys, History & Struggle, and Fire & Water. In relating their memories, hopes, fears, joys, disappointments and dreams those who have recorded their stories are leaving a legacy for generations to come.
Frequently this type of collection is best read a little at a time. Certainly that was my intention when I opened it up. I was half-way through another book and thought I’d read a story or two of this one each day until I finished. But I was so mesmerized by these vivid yet simply told stories that I had to tear myself away. I finished it in two sessions. I want more.
Book Concierge wrote: "[bookcover:Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project]Listening is an Act of Love – Dave Isay
4*****
I am a fan of NPR’s StoryCorps Project. Simply p..."
I just got this recently. Glad to know how much you enjoyed it.
Book Concierge wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean. I loved this book...."Totally agree ... I loved this book, also."
Someone had nominated this book as one to be a group read during one of the voting rounds. Even though it did not win, I had been intrigued enough to download a sample to my kindle. I read it toward the beginning of this month and then posted about it in this discussion thread. I’d like to also thank whoever originally nominated it.
A while back I also read , Still Alice another novel with a main character dealing with the progression of Alzheimer’s. That was a good book as well but this one had the added benefit of incorporating wartime suffering in Russia and the Hermitage’s efforts to protect their artistic masterpieces.
Jane wrote: "I just finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It's by a woman who hiked much of the Pacific Crest Trail, solo. She's a good writer and she weaves her personal story, what led her to take on a challenge s..."I'm new to this group, but just had to chime in here. I just finished Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail as well, and though I haven't done any backpacking for the past decade (though not the PCT and never alone!), this book made me want to head back into the trails again. I loved her honesty, her spirit, and her writing. Great book.
I'm also reading The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East. I'm only at the beginning, but so far it's a wonderful read. I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it.
And because it's summer, and I'm also in a group that did Beach Reads, earlier this month I read Tomato Rhapsody: A Novel of Love, Lust, and Forbidden Fruit and Death Comes to Pemberley
Sharon wrote: "Jane wrote: "I just finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It's by a woman who hiked much of the Pacific Crest Trail, solo. She's a good writer and she weaves her personal story, what led her to take on ..."Hi Sharon,
I would love to hear what you thought of Death Comes to Pemberley. I generally don't like to read books that try to continue the story of a classic, or take it in a direction very different from what the original author intended, but I really like P.D. James. I'm probably going to go ahead and read the book eventually, but I'm just a little nervous about what it will do to the Pride and Prejudice I have in my head, if you know what I mean.
Anita wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Jane wrote: "I just finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It's by a woman who hiked much of the Pacific Crest Trail, solo. She's a good writer and she weaves her personal story, what led ..."I have mixed feelings about James's book. If you go in expecting some of the same language and writing style of Pride and Prejudice, you'll do okay. But, if you expect Austen's wit and humour, you'll be disappointed. James's novel is, of course, far more dark and foreboding both in terms of atmosphere and character.
I really had to realign expectations at the beginning: I loved how she revisited and incorporated Austen's works, but this is not a continuation of P&P. It's more the creation of a murder mystery in the context of Austen's universe. I can't say I always liked what James added to the original stories and characters, but I appreciated why she was doing it.
In short, I find James to be a strong writer, so I enjoyed it once I got over my unconscious expectation that this would be P&P II. I'll be intrigued to hear what you think of it!
Kat wrote: "Finished Lively's FAMILY ALBUM. She explores some interesting things about family identity, but the ending seemed a little pat. Now reading THE MOSQUITO COAST, very strong portrait of the dad but I..."Since you already read Wolff Hall, maybe you'll be interested in this:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archi...
I just started my first Hilary Mantel novel - A Place of Greater Safety.
Ana-Maria wrote: "Since you already read Wolf Hall"Hmmm, this one does sound promising. I was not particularly fond of Wolf Hall
Anyone read Absalom, Absalom! recently? I remember loving it as an undergrad, but it's bugging the heck out of me on this go round.
Sharon wrote: "Anita wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Jane wrote: "I just finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It's by a woman who hiked much of the Pacific Crest Trail, solo. She's a good writer and she weaves her personal st..."Thanks, Sharon! That sounds pretty much like what I would expect from James. She and Austen don't seem like a natural combination to me. I'll probably go ahead and take the plunge and see how it goes, though. I'll let you know what I think when I read it!
Geoff wrote: "Anyone read Absalom, Absalom! recently? I remember loving it as an undergrad, but it's bugging the heck out of me on this go round."Hi Geoff,
That's my very favorite Faulkner, although I haven't read it for years (and I've read nowhere near all of his books!). I wonder if my reaction to it would be different if I read it now. What's bugging you about it?
Anita: like you, I would have described A,A as my favorite Faulkner--that was my memory of it. This time, it seems almost unbearably overwritten, way too tortured, maddeningly motionless, and some other mean things I could say. I now suspect that I liked it before because I felt flattered to be able to read and understand it, to follow its obfuscatory syntax. That kind of thing doesn't hold much appeal for me now.
I’ve just finished No Time Like the Present by Nadine Gordimer. I started just before I went to Cape Town and finished the few last pages after coming home. It certainly helped me to understand the rapidly changing South African Society much better. It’s what you expect from this writer and I enjoyed reading the book.Yet I think there is a new generation of South African writers begging for our attention. You can see why during the struggle against Apartheid, writers took a journalistic approach but now daring new writers let the novel speak for itself.
Karen Jennings in Finding Soutbek, her debut novel, is at the forefront of this new wave of authors who tell a different tale. Firmly embracing true fictional form (no hint of journalism) they are putting the present era on the map.
I love reading all the comments of what people are reading - I just added 5 books to my tbr pile. LOL! So I went to my IBS (Independent Book Seller) to order July's picks and ended up buying more books. My son is a bookworm too and picked up 2 as well. Just picked up Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams and Cold Quiet Country by Clayton Lindemuth (advanced reviewer for local independent bookstore). The first one is an "armchair travelogue" by an adventure writer who tries to recreate Hiram Bingham's "discovery" of Machu Picchu. The second is a good ol'fashioned murder mystery. Can't wait until 8pm when kids go to bed so I can start reading :)
Those who like Travels with Charley: In Search of America would probably appreciate Blue Highways as well. I haven't yet read (listened to) the latter's "sequel": Roads to Quoz: An American Mosey.
I'm reading The Concise Visitor's Guide to Yellowstone and trying to finish The Mosquito Coast in time for discussion.
Thanks, Ana-Marie. I'm looking forward to Bringing Up the Bodies, but it's a little further down the queue!
I've finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James earlier today and now I've started The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
I just finished Playing For Pizzaby John Grisham. I almost gave the book only one star but I ended up giving it two because I was interested at first. Even though I am not a football fan, I found the idea of playing football in Italy to be interesting. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the meals at the beginning. Grisham seemed to want to add pages to the book when he had the main character pick up a girlfriend who had to see every cathedral and museum in Italy. The last part of the book turned into lists of names of sites in Italy. I don't recommend this book.
Jane wrote: "I just finished Playing For Pizzaby John Grisham. I almost gave the book only one star but I ended up giving it two because I was interested at first. Even though I am not a football fan, I found..."My husband usually loves John Grisham. I'll make sure he stays away from this one ;). I liked his earlier stuff - a lot of suspense and character development. But some of his later ones seem less developed to me, or maybe my tastes have just changed a bit?
Geoff wrote: "Anita: like you, I would have described A,A as my favorite Faulkner--that was my memory of it. This time, it seems almost unbearably overwritten, way too tortured, maddeningly motionless, and some..."Wow, interesting, Geoff. You're making me really want to re-read it to see if my reaction would be similar. I do remember really loving the puzzle quality of it, so I wonder if it was just pleasing to my ego way back when, as you think it was to yours. Hmm.
Hello,I am 1/3 into The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta and what a gem of a novel that is. The story of Nnu Ego, the daughter of an Igbo chief and a mother who was something like a free-spirit, arrogant but with style :) .With the death of her father´s first wife also her slave girl is killed to serve her in the afterlife, and shortly after Nnu Ego is born and this dead slave girl is her ´chi´ , similar to a spirit even not exactly a well-minded one. Failing her first marriage, that is she was ´barren´ even she loved her husband, she was send back to her family and later married off to another man in Lagos whom she does not respect as she finds him physically repugnant. A servant in a white-man´s house washing panties and being proud of his work is not something she can understand either with all her traditional values. After her first son died she starts to get mental problems as being a mother is all she wants to be.
There is a great deal of information on the Igbo culture but one really need to look deeper in their traditions, in their attitudes towards women and sexuality especially to fully understand the context Emecheta has put the story into. Also influences of the British colonialism in a changing society is playing an important role and which one surely misses without any background knowledge.
But one gets also an intuitive feel for the characters, their motivations and influences. The information might be dense but the writing is not. Using ordinary language Buchi Emecheta is very much a storyteller and influenced by the oral tradition of her people so it feels more like a dialogue (call-and-response) in which she evokes emotions deeply felt.
Jolanta wrote: "Hello,I am 1/3 into The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta and what a gem of a novel that is. The story of Nnu Ego, the daughter of an Igbo chief and a mother who was something like a free-spir..."
Sounds like an interesting book. I did a sociological course in college that had a part where we studied the culture of the Igbo (and other African tribes). I'll have to add it to my tbr list :)
Elizabeth, I surely could need some help at times with the Igbo culture as my knowledge of them is non-existing, that is I am reading online now a bit to get a grip on their values :) I find also the changes in the attitudes and values fascinating when living in the city, how Nnu Ego sells cigarettes to help earning money (a woman *gasp* working, unheard of ^^) while she is in fact unable to face all those changes. It is fairly complex as there are many, many undercurrents in tone, hidden but influencing the single characters but also the society as a whole. Just the language, pretty much tongue-in-check and straight forward, makes the novel look much simpler as it really is, I think.
More than halfway through Keeping the House: A Novel, which has (mostly) held my attention, but the jury is still sequestered. Why do writers continue to believe that hop-skipping around in time and between characters and stories creates drama rather than frustration? Sometimes it works, but I'm still unsure in this case.Very much looking forward to my next:The Age of Miracles, which I used an Audible credit for this morning--getting absolutely stellar reviews and sounds wonderful.
Monkeewrench – P J Tracy
Audio book performed by Buck Shirner.
3.5***
On a particularly cold October morning a priest in a small Wisconsin town discovers his two most devoted parishioners have been murdered while in their pew. As the sheriff begins his investigation he soon discovers that they have a mysterious past, and were obviously afraid of someone or something. Meanwhile in Minneapolis / St Paul, a serial killer is recreating the scenes in a newly popular web-based game. The Monkeewrench crew – a group of high intelligent computer geeks who develop computer games – is first to recognize the connection, but as soon as they go to the police they find themselves considered suspects rather than potentially valuable allies in finding the killer.
The two cases are connected … but it will be awhile before the police (and the reader) discover how.
Tracy has crafted a good suspense thriller. The plot moves quickly, the clues are not obvious (but they are there), and there’s an undercurrent of sexual tension between a couple of characters that keeps things interesting. If I have a complaint it’s that the main female character – Grace McBride – is just a little too detached and weak-kneed., yet she ALWAYS carries her Sig and has her home and office made into veritable fortresses. Just doesn’t quite add up. In fact, most of the female characters were poorly written in comparison to the men.
Still, it kept me turning pages (or changing CDs as the case may be). I would definitely read another book by Tracy, but I’d much rather read about Halloran (the Wisconsin sheriff).
Buck Shirner does a respectable job of the audio version. His pace is good and his voice inflection lends the right tone of seriousness or levity as required. He’s not quite so skilled with the female characters, but I love his voice for the many male detectives (and suspects).
Reading Little Boy Blue: A Memoir in Verse by Grey Jacobik. Heart-breaking group of poems about her relationship with her estranged troubled son.
Just finished Love and Obstacles by Aleksander Hemon. Hemon writes beautifully. And to think that English is his second language. Amazes me. Still, there was a bit of a sameness to these stories, not so much in subject as in mood.
Jolanta wrote: "Elizabeth, I surely could need some help at times with the Igbo culture as my knowledge of them is non-existing, that is I am reading online now a bit to get a grip on their values :) I find also t..."Jolanta - we didn't go into much detail, but were studying the female roles in society (that was the whole course "Woman across a lifetime") We focused on the concept of motherhood and raising children in the African tribes. Igbo was one of 4 tribes we covered. All of what we read were scholarly journals (so glad to be back to novels and lay writing). I did get the impression things have changed a great deal from the colonial times, while they gained "emancipation" woman lost their political institutions that existed in traditional culture. Here's a link that gives an idea of how some are thinking today; still an emphasis on roles of wives and mothers. http://www.quodlibet.net/articles/ozu...
Just finished Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente. I enjoyed it quite a bit - her writing is beautiful. Deathless is a retelling of assorted Russian folktales, set against the backdrop of the early years of the Russian Revolution. I'm a big fan of folklore, and I always appreciate when an author can provide a fresh take on an old theme.
Peggy wrote: "Just finished Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente. I enjoyed it quite a bit - her writing is beautiful. Deathless is a retelling of assorted Russian folktales, set against the backdrop of the ear..."Peggy - thanks for that review. I am definately putting this one on my "next to read" pile. Sounds great!
Sort of, Lone ... If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home. I'm also listening to the first part of Jan Morris' "Pax Britannica", a history of the British Empire, as well.
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Constant Reader
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Buchi Emecheta (other topics)Desiree Finkbeiner (other topics)
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