Smiler's 11 in 11. Second Thread.

Hi! My name is Smiler aka Ilana. I love lists almost as much as I love challenges... almost as much as I love categories. I just post a small fraction of my reviews in 11/11, so if you want to read about all the other books I read too, visit my 75ers thread. And hey, don't by shy to give me a thumbs up if you get the notion to... seeing one of my reviews on the "Hot" spot really makes my day! :-)

Category #1: English Language Classics 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #2: Classic French Authors 8/11
Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #4: Visual Arts 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #5: Books Published Since 2009 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #6: New To Me Authors 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #9: En Français 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions 11/11 COMPLETED
Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better 11/11 COMPLETED

3 books to go




My rating system:
★ - hated it (suffered through 100+ pages & listing it for the trouble)
★★ - it was just ok
★★★ - enjoyed it (good)
★★★★ - loved it! (very good)
★★★★★ - all-time favourite (blew me away—will read again)

♫ = audiobook

Category #1: English Language Classics - COMPLETED!

1. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen ★★★ (review)
2. ♫ Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens ★★★ (review)
3. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe ★★★½ (review)
4. The Turn of the Screw and the Aspern Papers by Henry James ★★★★ (review)
5. ♫ The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton ★★★★ (review)
6. ♫ Animal Farm by George Orwell (review)
7. ♫ Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller ★★★½ (review)
8. ♫ Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson ★★★ (review)
9. ♫ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens ★★★½ (review)
10. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton ★★★★ (review)
11. ♫ The Bluest Eye by Tony Morrison ★★★★½ (review)

Category #2: Classic French Authors

1. La Fortune des Rougons (The Fortune of the Rougons) ★★★★ (review)
2. La Curée (The Kill) ★★★★ (review)
3. Le Ventre de Paris (The Belly of Paris) ★★★★⅓ (review)
4. La Conquête de Plassans (The Conquest of Plassans) ★★★★⅓ (review)
5. La faute de l'abbé Mouret (The Sin of Father Mouret) by Émile Zola ★★⅞ (review)
6. ♫ Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant ★★★★½ (review)
7. ♫ Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac ★★★★ (review)
8. ♫ Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert ★★★⅔ (review)

Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction - COMPLETED!

1. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane ★★★ (review)
2. Doors Open by Ian Rankin ★★★ (review)
3. Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon ★★★ (review)
4. ♫ The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie ★★★ (review)
5. ♫ The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey ★★★★ (review)
6. ♫ Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris ★★★★ (review)
7. ♫ Still Life by Louise Penny ★★★ (review)
8. ♫ The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey ★★★½ (review)
9. ♫ Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ★★★¾ (review)
10. ♫ Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh ★★★ (review)
11. ♫ Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie ★★★ (review)

Photo from Kitsune Noir

Category #4: Visual Arts - COMPLETED!

1. Sanderson: The Essence of English Decoration by Mary Schoeser ★★★★½ (review)
2. Egon Schiele: The Leopold Collection by Rudolf Leopold ★★★½ (review)
3. The Arrival by Shaun Tan ★★★★★ (review)
4. Blanche Neige by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★¾ (review)
5. Le Carnet Rouge by Benjamin Lacombe illustrated by Agata Kawa ★★★★¾ (review)
6. Un Lion à Paris by Beatrice Alemagna ★★★★★ (review)
7. Tristan et Iseult by Béatrice Fontanel, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★★ (review)
8. Alexey Brodovitch by Kerry William Purcell ★★★★ (review)
9. Vermeer: The Complete Works by Arthur K. Wheelock ★★★½ (review)
10. Madlenka by Peter Sís ★★★★½ (review)
11. The Three Golden Keys by Peter Sís ★★★★½ (review)

Category #5: Books Published Since 2009 - COMPLETED!

1. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart ★★★ (review)
2. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom ★★★★ (review)
3. ♫ The Help by Kathryn Stockett ★★★★⅓ (review)
4. The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton ★★½ (review)
5. Mockingjay (Hunger Games 3) by Suzanne Collins ★★★★ (review)
6. ♫ The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht ★★★★★ (review)
7. ♫ An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin ★★★★⅓ (review)
8. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan ★★★★ (review)
9. ♫ Rules of Civility by Amor Towles ★★★ (review)
10. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt ★★★★½ (review)
11. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★ (review)

Category #6: New To Me Authors - COMPLETED!

1. Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler ★★★★ (review)
2. The Bells by Richard Harvell ★★★★ (review)
3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - (review)
4. ♫ The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ★★★★⅓ (review)
5. Already Dead by Charlie Huston ★★★¾ (review)
6. ♫ Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn ★★★★⅓ (review)
7. In Search of Klingsor by Jorge Volpi ★★½ (review)
8. ♫ The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell ★★★¾ (review)
9. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ★★★★★ (review)
10. From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus ★★★★★ (review)
11. Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz ★★★★ (review)

"Mediterranean Café" by Joel Beckwith

Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages - COMPLETED!

1. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt (624 pages) ★★★★ (review)
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (576 pages) ★★★★ (review)
3. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (487 pages) ★★★★⅝ (review)
4. Apollo's Angels : A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans (672 pages) ★★★★½ (review)
5. The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin (465 pages) ★★★★(review)
6. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (544 pages) ★★★★⅓ (review)
7. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (720 pages) ★★★★½ (review)
8. ♫ Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (688 pages) ★★★★½ (review)
9. Black and Blue by Ian Rankin ★★½ (review)
10. Three Seconds by Anders Roslund ★★★ (review)
11. ♫ American Gods by Neil Gaiman ★★½ (review)

Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between - COMPLETED!

1. Regeneration by Pat Barker ★★★★★ (review)
2. ♫ The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West ★★★★½ (review)
3. The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker ★★★★ (review)
4. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ★★★★ (review)
5. ♫ Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh - (review) ★★★★
6. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain ★★★★ (review)
7. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo ★★★★★ (review)
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★★★★ (review) (review)
9. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo ★★★★★ (review) (review)
10. ♫ Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear ★★★¼ (review) (review)
11. ♫ Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers ★★★★ (review)

Category #9: En Français - COMPLETED!

1. La Belle au Bois Dormant by Tahar Ben Jelloun ★★★★ (review)
2. La forme de l'eau (The Shape of Water) by Andrea Camilleri ★★★½ (review)
3. ♫ Gros-Câlin by Romain Gary (writing as Émile Ajar) ★★★★⅓ (review)
4. ♫ La petite fille de monsieur Linh (Monsieur Linh and His Child) by Philippe Claudel ★★★★½ (review)
5. ♫ Les âmes grises (By a Slow River) by Philippe Claudel ★★★★½ (review)
6. L'art et la manière d'aborder son chef de service pour lui demander un augmentation (The Art of Asking Your Boss for a Raise) by Georges Perec ★★★ (review)
7. L'argent facile (Translated to French from the Swedish Snabba cash) - Stockholm Noir 1, by Jens Lapidus ★½ (review)
8. L'Enfant sans âge (aka The Old Child translated from the German Geschichte vom alten Kind) by Jenny Erpenbeck ★★★½ (review)
9. Le bois de Klara (aka Visitation translated from the German Heimsuchung) by Jenny Erpenbeck ★★★½ (review)
10. Chien de faïence (The Terracotta Dog) by Andrea Camilleri ★★★⅓ (review)

Photo credits are here.

Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions - COMPLETED!

1. ♫ The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson ★★★★ (review)
2. ♫ A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon ★★★★ (review)
3. ♫ Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney ★★★★ (review)
4. ♫ Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood ★★★⅘ (review)
5. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman ★★★¾ (review)
6. ♫ The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman ★★★★⅓ (review)
7. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) by Philip Pullman ★★★★½ (review)
8. ♫ The Hunter: A Parker Novel by Richard Stark ★★★★ (review)
9. ♫ The White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull ★★★⅞ (review)
10. ♫ Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck ★★★★½ (review)
11. ♫ Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell ★★★★⅞ (review)

Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better - COMPLETED!

1. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman ★★★★★ (review)
2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (review)
3. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James ★★★★½ (review)
4. ♫ Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain ★★★★ (review)
5. ♫ Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson ★★★★⅞ (review)
6. ♫ Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ★★★★⅞ (review)
7. ♫ The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection by Roald Dahl ★★★★⅓ (review)
8. ♫ Brokeback Mountain by E. Annie Proulx ★★★★½ (review)
9. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling ★★★¼ (review)
10. ♫ Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey ★★★¾ (review)
11. ♫ Brighton Rock by Graham Greene ★★★★¾ (review)

Category #5: Books Published Since 2009

The Tiger : A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant ★★★★
(Read for TIOLI: Read a non-fiction book if you read mostly fiction (or vice-versa) & 11 in 11: Books Published Since 2009)

A Siberian tiger in the heart of the Primorye Territory, in Russia's far Eastern wilderness known as the Taiga, has done the unthinkable: it has attacked and devoured, nay, annihilated not one, but two men in succession, probably poachers, as they were out in the frigid and snow-bound woodlands, which generations of "European" Russians, and the native tribes before them, have relied upon to feed themselves and their families. Yuri Trush, the leader of the local outfit in charge of inspecting forest crimes, has been called in to investigate the killings and track the "cannibal" tiger, which is apparently on a mission of vengeance and more than likely to take more human lives.





Part mystery, part suspense story, part historical and socio-economic treatise, A True Story of Vengeance is also a fascinating discourse on nature conservation which explains how one of the best equipped predators in the world, the Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur, Altaic, Korean, North Chinese or Ussuri tiger, has become such an endangered species today.

As I pored over this book, I often had to remind myself that this was not a work of fiction, but a well researched document based on true facts and interviews with those who were directly involved in the ordeals described. Of greatest personal interest to me however, was just how fine the line between fact and myth really is when it comes to the Amur Tigers, who are quite literally revered as Gods by those who live alongside them. In addition to the lore surrounding these tigers, as Vaillant himself points out, the Russian notions of "truth" and "fact" are sketchy at best, and as I plodded along this fascinating true-life story, I amused myself with comparisons to The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht, a novel which I immensely enjoyed not long ago and came away feeling that in the end, both works probably had much more in common than one might at first suppose, an especially amusing thought to me as both works could not have taken more different approaches.


Photo: Joel Sartore / National Geographic

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Oooohhhh..... pretty kitty! Found your new thread and as you may have already guessed, LOVE the tiger pics!

Such beautiful creatures... I couldn't resist posting pictures along with the review of course!

Beautiful animals, aren't they!! The books sounds fascinating - definitely thumbs-up!

Thanks Eva! It always makes my day seeing one of my reviews among the "Hot" writeups! The book inspired me to finally join WWF, since I've always supported nature conservation anyway. With only about 3200 of those felines left in the world, prospects for their future are quite bleak if nothing is done to help them survive...

Category #6: New To Me Authors

♫ The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell ★★★¾
(Group Read, also read for TIOLI: Name starting with the letter 'Z' in the title)

I had no idea what to expect from this novel, the first David Mitchell I've read so far. I'd heard quite a bit about Cloud Atlas from other LT reviewers and knew that the author had taken a novel approach which offered plenty of mental stimulation and unusual twists. Since I participated in a group read, I saw several comments on the discussion thread to the effect of "so far, it's reading like straight historical fiction, but I bet you Mitchell's got something up his sleeve." I didn't pay too much attention, but I couldn't help waiting for some kind of big twist, a slight of hand which would suddenly transform the world which Mitchell so meticulously created for us.

The story begins in 1799 at the Dutch East Indies Company trading post Dejima, in the harbor of Nagasaki, Japan. The Japanese are't allowed to travel outside of Japan, and very few Europeans are tolerated on Japanese soil for fear the Europeans might 'contaminate' Japan with their culture and beliefs. The book is divided in three parts, in the first, we are introduced to a huge cast of characters, too many to remember in fact, who inhabit Dejima, from the sailors and officers to the surgeon Dr Mariner, and the ubiquitous Japanese interpreters (who sometimes double as spies) and of course, our hero, Jacob de Zoet. Although Jacob has promised a young woman back home in Holland that he will return as a rich man and marry her, our young man falls hopelessly in love with a young female student of doctor Mariner's, Orito, a midwife who's appearance is marred by a burn scar which covers one half of her face. Suddenly, shortly after her father dies, Orito is taken away to a mysterious abbey far away in the mountains, and things take a fascinating turn.

Parts of this book were tremendously enjoyable, with bits of prose which shone like little jewels. The second part of the story held me captive throughout, much like Orito and the other freakish nuns she was expected to share the next twenty years of her life with. Indeed, taken in separate parts, one could say that Mitchell created a most convincing picture, rich with detail, intriguing characters and mysterious motivations. But taken as a whole, the novel didn't quite hang together properly. More editing would probably have been a good idea for starters, but the third part of the novel told me that the author never quite found his focal point, other than Jacob de Zoet who in the end failed to hold one's interest for long. So, a work of genius? I wouldn't say so, no. But a very well written historical novel which is well worth discovering as long as expectations are kept in check.

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Category #2: Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart Series

The Conquest of Plassans (La Conquête de Plassans) by Émile Zola (Les Rougon-Macquart, book 4) ★★★★⅓
(Also read for TIOLI: Even number of letters)

Zola's ability to spin stories that seem completely true to life and at the same time are filled wall-to-wall with drama, no matter what the subject at hand is, always amazes me. Book 4 of the Rougon-Macquart cycle introduces us to the cozy bourgeois household of François Mouret and his wife Marthe (née Rougon, she is also his first cousin) in Plassans. The couple have an almost idyllic life, wanting for nothing. François contentedly looks after his garden and lettuces, making the occasional business deals which keep the coffers well stocked, while Marthe looks after their three almost grown children, Octave, Serge (who plays a small part here but is the protagonist of the next book, The Sin of Father Mouret) and the mentally handicapped Désiree. When they decide to rent the upper floor of their house to an abbot, the severe Faujas and his mother, their whole world is transformed beyond recognition. Marthe, who until then has never been interested in religion becomes so fervently passionate about her renewed Catholic faith that the abbot starts fearing for her mental wellbeing, and for good reason. Soon enough, Faujas' sister and her husband, who are both a questionable lot, move into the house as well, and they all joyfully and quite horribly abuse Marthe's exaggerated sense of generosity, while Faujas turns a blind eye, intent as he is on bigger plans of his own. While at first he is treated with disdain and suspicion, he means to put the whole of Plassans in his pocket by first ingratiating himself to those who can help him land in a position of power and ultimately devising sinister political schemes.

I have no interest whatsoever in politics, which do play a large part in this novel, but this hardly mattered. The evolution of the family and their home life, from a quietly contended and orderly nucleus to an insane den of vice, religious paroxysm and murderous passions—which end up literally tearing the house itself apart—had me enthralled until the spectacular ending. Recommended? I would say so, yes.

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Category #9: En Français

The Art of Asking Your Boss for a Raise (L'art et la manière d'aborder son chef de service pour lui demander un augmentation) by Georges Perec ★★★
(Also read for TIOLI: Low Books)

A funny little book recommended by Darryl (kidzdoc) in which Perec set out to write an "unreadable" circuitous text which is free of punctuation and based on a flow chart that describes the almost insurmountable challenge that an employee faces when attempting to ask for a raise from his superior. Perec attempts to present every possibility demonstrated in the flow chart: You go to see your boss, Mr. X in his office. Is he there? No. You stop by the PA, Miss Y's desk for a chat. Is she in a good mood? No. Too bad, you walk around the office for a while and try again. Is Mr. X There this time? No. You try Miss Y again: is she in a good mood now? Yes. Good, you chat with her for a bit until Mr. X arrives. Does he invite you into his office? No. He tells you to come back later. Only later, he might be felled by an attack of measles, and you'll have to attempt the circuit one more time when he's recovered. This time trying to overcome the possibility of your boss suffering from food poisoning, sending you to another irrelevant department, or maybe not one but two of Mr. X's daughters having caught the measles, with risk of contamination, and so on. The book is only 100 pages long, and what makes it amusing is the repetition of the same actions over and over again, into which Perec introduces tiny variations for great comic effect. I liked it a lot, though I made the mistake of putting it down about halfway through and when I picked it up again on a different day and in a different mood, I must say I couldn't help but ask myself why I was even bothering. Recommended if you're into experimental and quirky. If you're curious, the interactive flow chart is right here: http://www.theartofaskingyourbossforaraise.com

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Category #4: Visual Arts

Blanche Neige by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★¾
(Also read for TIOLI: Children's Fantasy)

We all know the story of Snow White, but what makes this picture book truly exceptional is the originality and quality of Benjamin Lacombe's illustrations, most of which are full page colour images (sometimes double page), with some excellent pencil drawings as well. His style might seem at first glance to be geared toward children, but part of what makes Lacombe's work original is the macabre quality of his style which is sometimes seen in the concept of the image itself, but often worked in to the incredible detailing, which makes one want to spend a long time observing each illustration. Add to this the fact that this large book is very well printed on quality paper, and you have yourself a truly special experience. It is as yet not available in English, but I would still urge you to pick up a copy wherever possible. The only reason I did not award this book a full five stars is that I would have liked to see the story end on another big and beautiful full page colour treat, and was left wanting at the last page. Call me spoiled.

Here is a small preview:

Category #1: The Classics

♫ Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller ★★★½
Narrated by Scott Campbell
(Also read for TIOLI: even number of letters)

It's a good thing I'd read some Henry Miller and already knew what a horny toad he was before attacking this novel, so the general crudeness, irreverence and cynicism didn't exactly come as a shock. I do not know whether I could have appreciated this book had I read it at another time. It is bleak. It oozes sweat and blood and s**t. It forces us to face things we'd probably rather put aside, ignore, pass by without looking back. That Tropic of Cancer was banned and was the cause for an obscenity trial when it was originally published in the United States in 1961 is hardly surprising. Aside from all that, I was amused with Miller's description of his first years in Paris as a struggling writer so poor, he never knew how he'd come by his next meal, yet somehow always had a little bit of change to have a go with whatever prostitute was at hand. Is it an autobiography? Not exactly. It it fiction? Sometimes. It is a stream of consciousness set free of any possible inhibition. It sometimes veers toward the big philosophical questions of man and the world we live in. Of more interest to me were the stories and anecdotes that 'he', or the writer who narrates the story, has experienced with various people he has come across. A few friends. Various employers. Countless prostitutes. Several generous hosts. There is nothing comforting to be found here. Women, which are often mentioned, are systematically referred to as c*nts. Our writer seems to have nothing but contempt for his friends and benefactors. But there is truth. Unvarnished, unadulterated, often very ugly, but absolute and complete candour of the kind that, even by today's standards shakes us out of any kind of complacency. One of my favourite parts of the book comes at the very beginning, when he gives us a general idea about what kind of experience we, the readers, are in for:

"It is now the fall of my second year in Paris. I was sent here for a reason I have not yet been able to fathom. I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive. A year ago, six months ago, I thought that I was an artist. I no longer think about it. I am. Everything that was literature has fallen from me. There are no more books to be written, thank God. This then, this is not a book. This is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is not a book in the ordinary sense of the word. No, this is a prolonged insult. A gob of spit in the face of art. A kick in the pants to God, man, destiny, time, love, beauty. What you will. I am going to sing for you, a little off key perhaps, but I will sing. I will sing while you croak. I will dance over your dirty corpse.*

There were times when I found Miller's conceit absolutely hilarious. There were times when I couldn't wait for him to move on to the next thing, or maybe do so myself. But I must say that what got me through it all was Campbell Scott's excellent narration. He is impassive, neutral, with a gentle voice that helps smooth over some of the harshness. This was a most welcome quality in the parts where the filth of the places, people, faces, language, seemed to latch onto me too. I couldn't say I exactly loved this book, but I certainly see why it's considered such an important work of literature. Recommended? Yes. But you've been given fair warning.

* This excerpt transcribed from the audiobook version and likely contains many inaccuracies, especially in the punctuation.

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Love-love-love those drawings - shouldn't have given up on my French.... :)

Seriously Eva, this book is worth getting for the illustrations alone. But I do hope they eventually come out with an English version so it can be appreciated by a greater public.

Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin (465 pages) ★★★★
(Also read for TIOLI: country in adjectival form)

There was a crash from the kitchen behind and the hummingbirds stirred, their short futile flights disturbing the air like sighs.
'What colour are they this time?' asked Bertha, welcoming the distraction.
'I was told to make 'em all gold. Wasn't easy. Hummingbirds don't like to be painted; some of 'em just give up, just lay themselves down and don't fly no more.'
Bertha knelt down and lifted up the cloth. She could see flickers of brightness moving in the darkness. When all the guests sat down for supper at midnight they would be released into the winter garden like a shower of gold. They would be the talking point of the room for maybe a whole ten minutes; the young men would try and catch them as favours for the girls they were flirting with. The other hostesses would think a touch grimly that Nancy Cash would stop at nothing to impress, and in the morning the maids would sweep the tiny golden bodies into a surrendered heap.

The Almighty Mrs. Cash prides herself as being the most elegant hostess in Newport and Fifth Avenue, and there is little she isn't willing to sacrifice for appearance's sake, as we find out in the first chapters of the novel. Mrs. Cash always has her way, even with her headstrong daughter, the regrettably named Cora Cash, and she is determined that Corra must marry a titled heir; preferably a prince, though a duke might do. As the heiress to the largest fortune in America and a beautiful young woman with a winning figure to boot, Cora has little doubt that she will find a suitable prospect with ancient and noble lineage and a desperate need for cold hard cash. But she intends to marry for love as well. And as in a fairy tale crossed with a page from a Jane Austen novel, she meets cute with just the right sort of fellow in the form of Lord Ivo Maltravers, a handsome Byronic young Duke with a penchant for Brahms and Schubert, who falls in love with her right on cue, and soon the couple have the most celebrated marriage of their time, with droves of fans come to admire Cora's superlative wedding gown.

But once ensconced at Lulworth, Lord Ivo's family domain since the 13th century, the spirited young woman finds herself at odds with the expectations that are placed on her as the lady of an ancient estate. With her American optimism and can do approach, she does her best to make her new home more habitable and happily throws money toward improvements which, instead of earning her the favour of her noble husband, seem to backfire and garner his wrath instead. And then there is Lady Charlotte, who has contrived to introduce our young Lady to the celebrated artist Louvain who insists he must paint her portrait as his inspiration dictates.

I signed up for this Early Reviewers book when I saw this emerging author described as a "glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the traditions of Edith Wharton and Jane Austen", which was hard to resist. I received the novel against great odds, and immediately decided I wouldn't like it, having reverted to my inherent distrust of marketing stratagems. There was not much to like about any of the characters. The story itself felt familiar, and didn't present many real surprises, but I found I could only put down this novel with great difficulty and was drawn to this Upstairs Downstairs world which forever fascinates. Does this debut novel compare to Wharton and Austen? One sees it has been strongly inspired by their influences, but I have not read enough of either to consider myself an authority on the subject. Recommended? Why not? It's pure fun and filled with enough melodrama to offer the perfect kind of light entertainment. I probably liked it more than I will willingly admit.

Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo ★★★★★

Joey remembers with terror the day that when he "was not yet six month old, a gangling, leggy colt who had never been farther than a few feet from [his] mother" was taken to a horse sale to be purchased by a mean old drunken farmer who had made a bet. But when he meets the farmer's son Albert, things take an altogether pleasant turn, as the boy takes an immediately liking for our equine narrator and the two become fast friends. But the Great War is looming, and Albert's father, who is running out of cash, is forced to sell Joey to the army to keep the farm afloat one day, which is how Joey suddenly becomes a war horse. He is trained and prepared for combat and then thrown into the most wretched battle sites, with machine guns and giant craters felling almost everything in sight, the cold and mud weakening men and horses alike, and his riders falling one by one. Soon Joey is taken on by the medical unit to help carry the countless dead, dying and wounded. Through it all, Joey encounters all the many facets of humans in the most inhumane of circumstances. But Joey is a very special horse, and there are plenty of men and children alike who are willing to go to great lengths to ensure his wellbeing.

I found it impossible to put this little 165 page book down and read right through to the incredibly touching ending, which had me reaching for tissues to wipe the tears away. This book probably owes a lot to it's forebearer Black Beauty, but here the narrative seems much tighter and more intimate somehow. This is a novel that should not be missed for the great message of hope against all the odds and ugliness of war it conveys. Morpurgo says he was inspired to write this story because of an old dusty portrait of a horse which has always hung on the wall of the village hall. On the picture's bronze frame are the following words: "Joey. Painted by Captain James Nicholls, Autumn 1914."

Many thanks to Kerry (avatiakh) for recommending it.

Category #4: Visual Arts

Le Carnet Rouge by Benjamin Lacombe illustrated by Agata Kawa ★★★★¾
Also read for TIOLI: Read a book by a "hot" author

Who better than Benjamin Lacombe himself to talk about the genesis of this book—which he explains on his blog (in French and English too!)—for which he put aside his paintbrushes and picked up a pen because he wanted to give illustrator Agata Kawa a project to showcase her personal style. In his own words:

"I really wanted [this project] to be made for Agata so she could fully express her talent and love of nature, of the Arts & Crafts movement, patterns, etc. The original idea (Agata’s) was to work on the Arts & Crafts movement and its creator, the emblematic William Morris. So I made up a story which is a kind of imaginary (though well-documented) portrait of this pope of modern design. [...] Indeed, rather than just pilling up dates and facts, the point was to focus on what made William Morris an artist: his background, his love of nature and shapes. It’s a book about the mystery of drawing, of creation."

Click on the images to view them larger (including cover)









All images © Agata Kawa

eta: I should mention that I borrowed this book from the public library, but now see myself in the obligation to obtain my very own copy so I can pore over it at leisure whenever the mood strikes, as I am not only a newly minted fan of Agata Kawa's thanks to Lacombe (you will have understood by now that I am a HUGE fan of this young man already), but have always held a fascination for the Arts & Crafts (also known as Art Nouveau), the Pre-Raphaëlites, and William Morris in particular.

This post from Lacombe's blog features a good sampling of Agata Kawa's range.

More stunning pics! Might actually be a good thing (for my wallet) that I left my French behind... :)

All of these amazing illustrated books you are reading makes me wish my French language comprehension was better than it is! Beautiful!

I'm writing a message to Benjamin Lacombe on his blog as we speak to let him know he's got lots of English speaking fans and he needs to get his books printed in English!

@ 27 -- Wow, those illustrations are gorgeous! Count me in as a fan!

#31 I saw that Agata Kawa has worked on one more book (in French), which they have at the library and reserved it immediately. Great talent like that is so inspiring isn't it?

I've been completely neglecting this thread, and realized just now as I was looking over my 75er threads that I'd completely forgotten to post some relevant reviews here. So here goes.





Category #5: Books Published Since 2009

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan ★★★★

Somehow, I don't think saying that this book is about the music industry is doing it any justice, because is seems to be about so much more than that. But then, it's as much about music as anything else that is about time and voice and melody.

We meet Sasha in the first chapter when she steps into the women's restroom at a hotel and is taken by the urge to steal the wallet from the handbag of an occupant of one of the stalls. We learn this incident took place on a date with a young man she met via the internet as she is retelling the incident to her therapist, who is trying to help her come to grips with her compulsion to steal things. We also learn that she used to be the assistant of one Bennie Salazar, a big player in the music industry. In the next chapter, we meet Bennie who is working through a series of shameful memories. He's sitting in a meeting, when his assistant Sasha appears and hands him a cup of coffee into which he mixes some gold flakes, an Aztec concoction to ensure sexual potency. "So this is going to be a story about this Sasha and this Bennie characters working through their issues", I think. Then by chapter three, we move to a first person narrative. This part of the story takes place in 1979. Our narrator is a teenager called Rhea, and she and a bunch of friends are part of a punk rock band trying to make it on the music scene; other than her there's also Scottie, Jocelyn, Alice, and a young Bennie Salazar, who Rhea happens to have a crush on. Her best friend Jocelyn is having an affair with a fortysomething year-old called Lou, which all makes for plenty of sex, drugs and rock'n roll. "We've got multiple points of view and we keep going back in time", I now think. By chapter 12, which is told by one Alison Blake via powerpoint slides sometime in the future, I think: "multiple perspectives through time with characters related by causality. An interesting exploration into storytelling approaches." Then, with the thirteenth and last chapter I think—not for the first time—that this novel is just too gimmicky for me and that those Pulitzer prize people really are off on a very high literary cloud that most regular folk can never hope to come close to, including me. But then, something happens because I haven't quite gotten to the end yet, and I catch myself wishing I wasn't so overbooked again this month, because I really wouldn't mind reading this one all over again, maybe a couple of times even, to figure out just what it is that Egan has done to somehow get this strange brew to actually work the way it does. So she must have done something right, right?

Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction

♫ Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris ★★★★ (Edgar Nominee 2007)
(Also read for TIOLI: Read an Edgar Nominated novel from between the years 2002 and 2011 in honor of Edgar the cat)
Narrated by Steven Pacey
Publisher: Harper Audio

A fun and clever thriller set at St. Oswald's, a venerable exclusive private school for boys with a long history and a solid reputation. There are two narrators relating the story, the first being Roy Straitley, the Classics teacher with the heart of gold who is looking forward to his "century", i.e. his 100th term at the school, and the second by the now grown child of the school's former caretaker who had developed an unhealthy fixation on the institution and one of it's students in pre-pubescence, and is now out to bring down St. Oswald's in a chaos of carefully orchestrated scandals and meticulously planned murders. We know from the very beginning that people will get killed, though we don't know who, why, how nor when, nor whether Straitley will end up as the hero who saves the day, or as one of the killer's victims, or possibly both?

Loved Steven Pacey's performance and will be on the lookout for more audiobooks narrated by him.

Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better

♫ The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection by Roald Dahl ★★★★⅓
(Also read for Children's & YA July & TIOLI: Read a fantasy book for Juvenile and Young Adult month)

Another great collection, this time narrated by the author which includes
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
James and the Giant Peach
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Enormous Crocodile
The Magic Finger

Hearing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reminded me how much I had enjoyed this book when I first read it as a child. When the movie version with Johnny Depp came out in the cinema I rushed out to see it and was very disappointed to find it didn't at all fit with my fond memories of the story. So it felt like an extra treat to find this tale was just as I'd remembered it, with the chocolates concoctions which had made me salivate when I'd read about them originally, and all about those golden tickets and the wicked children who had won them, which later made the horrible fates the children eventually met with seem wholly justified.

Another reviewer here on LT said that she found Dahl's gruesome sense of humour disturbing, and I suppose it was, but I find that's part of what makes Dahl's stories so unique and enduring, aside from which, what he inflicts on some of his characters is no worse than the horrors that were met by countless protagonists in the fairytale stories we were told as children, which again, is part of the reason they stayed so long in the collective consciousness before Disney and political correctness changed them beyond recognition.

Loved loved loved The Magic Finger too, which taught a family unforgettable lessons about the evils of hunting in a terrifying, yet (to this animal lover) absolutely delightful way.

Category #1: The Classics

♫ Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson ★★★
(Also read for Children's & YA July and TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a fantasy book for Juvenile and Young Adult month)
Narrated by Alfred Molina
Published by Listening Library

I should say straight away that I'm not a big fan of buccaneering adventures and that I mostly listened to this audiobook because Treasure Island has been so influential and has been adapted and copied in so many ways that I wanted to know what the original was like. It's a great adventure, and probably the kind of fantasy many boys have growing up. Alfred Molina is an excellent narrator. In the end, I enjoyed, but no more.

Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (544 pages) ★★★★⅓
(Also read for Children's & YA July and TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a fantasy book for Juvenile and Young Adult month)

The conclusion of the His Dark Materials Trilogy is filled with unexpected twists and turns. We find Lyra and Will joining forces to find their way into the world of the dead, and Dr Mary Malone, the scientist Lyra meets in book 2, somehow ends up in a world where the creatures have evolved to transport themselves on wheels, which somehow contribute to increasing their self-awareness. Here I finally understood why the trilogy created such a scandal in religious circles because Pullman brings the battle between those who defend Dust and those who would eradicated it (aka the Authority, aka God) to a violent conclusion. In the end, what I liked most in this three-part story is the relationship that people from Lyra's world have with their daemons, which are their souls embodied as the animals who resemble them most.

Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★★★★
Also Read for Children's & YA July... in August & TIOLI Challenge #1: book found under a 'w' adjective tag (white)

What more could I possibly say about this novel that hasn't been said before? That it's brilliant? Check. That it surpassed my expectations? Check. That Harper Lee's insight and keen observations on human nature can be both sublime and painful to read? Check, I'm sure. So I'll just share a couple of quotes. The first stood out to me because it was so simply expressed, but in that simplicity, all the tension of the moment had great immediacy. It almost felt like a scene from a classic Western movie, as the two opposing factions are about to face off. The second scene, featuring some brilliant dialogue was—on the surface anyway—very funny to me. But I felt I also shared Scout's bewilderment to be listening to this most Christian of ladies speak so patronizingly of the blacks of Africa and Maycomb alike:

"Nothing is more deadly than a deserted, waiting street. The trees were still, the mockingbirds were silent, the carpenters at Miss Maudie's house had vanished. I heard Mr. Tate sniff, then blow his nose. I saw him shift his gun to the crook of his arm. I saw Miss Stephanie Crawford's face framed in the glass window of her front door. Miss Maudie appeared and stood beside her. Atticus put his foot on the rung of a chair and rubbed his hand slowly down the side of his thigh."

"What did you all study this afternoon?" I asked.
"Oh child, those poor Mrunas," she said, and was off. Few other questions would be necessary.
Mrs. Merriweather's large brown eyes always filled with tears when she considered the oppressed. "Living in that jungle with nobody but J. Grimes Everett," she said. "Not a white person'll go near 'em but that saintly J. Grimes Everett."
Mrs. Merriweather played her voice like an organ; every word she said received its full measure: "The poverty...the darkness...the immorality—nobody but J. Grimes Everett knows. You know, when the church gave me that trip to the camp grounds J. Grimes Everett said to me—"
"Was he there, ma'am I thought—"
"Home on leave. J. Grimes Everett said to me, he said, 'Mrs. Merriweather, you have no conception, no conception of what we are fighting over there.' That's what he said to me. "
"Yes ma'am."
"I said to him, 'Mr. Everett,' I said, 'the ladies of the Maycomb Alabama Methodist Episcopal Church South are behind you one hundred per cent.' That's what I said to him. And you know, right then and there I made a pledge in my heart. I said to myself, when I go home I'm going to give a course on the Mrunas and bring J. Grimes Everett's message to Maycomb and that's just what I'm doing."
"Yes ma'am."
When Mrs. Merriweather shook her head, her black curls jiggled. "Jean Louise," she said, "you are a fortunate girl. You live in a Christian home with Christian folks in a Christian town. Out there in J. Grimes Everett's land there's nothing but sin and squalor."
"Yes ma'am."

Hi Ilana - Nice reviews! I particularly love your review for A Visit From the Goon Squad - I wasn't overly fascinated with the book description and you review has convinced me that I can safely avoid this one as something I won't enjoy.

I have To Kill A Mockingbird as one of the books I will be getting to in the next couple of weeks as a long overdue reread - it fits my What is Stephen Harper Reading category!

Lori, it was seriously high time I update this thread! Glad to have helped you decide you don't want to read Goon Squad! Lol.

While I was reading Mockinbird, I kept saying over on my 75ers thread that I can't wait to get to read it again. I'm sure it's one of those books that just keeps getting better with every re-read.

I'm a huge Roald Dahl fan and have been since I was a child - I do believe the gruesome humor was the part that appealed to me the most! The Witches is my favorite of his and it's quite grisly! :)

I read Mockingbird for the first time this year as well and can't for the life of me understand why I haven't read it before - it's masterful.

Eva, I agree with you that a huge part of the appeal of Roald Dahl is the dark humour. Thanks for recommending The Witches, I've added to my libraries' wish list for a future loan. I also look forward to reading The Best of Roald Dahl a collection of short stories for adults, which I got at a used bookstore last year I believe.

Mockingbird: the only reason I regret not reading it before is because I won't have had all those years to let the story grow inside me. But it will keep doing so from now on, I'm sure. I've already borrowed and copied the audiobook version performed by Sissy Spacek from the library so it's all lined up for my next re-read!

Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better

♫ Brokeback Mountain by E. Annie Proulx ★★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI #13: Read a Western)

I listened to the audio version of this short novel, which took me through a walk with my dog and the preparation of a simple dinner—just one hour, but that hour was filled to the brim with emotion and gorgeous prose and imagery so vivid that I'm sure I would have imagined a movie in my head even had I not seen the film adaptation already. This story of two young men who let time and circumstance steal by and who never get a chance to fully express their love for one another is incredibly poignant, and speaks to all of us who've experienced loss and missed connections. Great narration by Campbell Scott.

Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo ★★★★★
(Also read for Children's & YA July...in August and TIOLI #16: equal syllables)

They've gone now, and I'm alone at last. I have the whole night ahead of me, and I won't waste a single moment of it. I shan't sleep it away. I won't dream it away either. I mustn't, because every moment of it will be far too precious.

I want to try to remember everything, just as it was, just as it happened. I've had nearly eighteen years of yesterdays and tomorrows, and tonight I must remember as many of them as I can. I want tonight to be long, as long as my life, not filled with fleeting dreams that rush me on towards dawn.

Tonight, more than any other night of my life, I want to feel alive.

Thus begins young Tommo Peaceful's narration of his short life story, which he tells us in several segments throughout the night. It isn't quite clear what dawn will bring, but we know he's racing against the clock—actually, not a clock, but a watch that his beloved older brother Charlie has given him. As Thomas Peaceful recounts their childhood growing up in wretched poverty after the loss of their father, in a small town run by a cruel and egomaniac Colonel, but with the joy of a special friendship with a girl who is close to both brothers, with the relative freedom allowed in a rural setting, we are made all too aware that Tommo is writing his tale while he is in the midst or World War I, which he and Charlie have so far spent fighting in Yprès amid the gruel trench warfare that senselessly took countless lives. Another short but powerful novel by Murporgo, who's War Horse I recently read, this one has been nominated for and won a slew of awards, and they are well deserved. Haunting.

->43 Smiler69:
Although that particular story isn't a favorite of mine, there's no denying Proulx's beautiful writing. I've found that audioversions of her books work fantastically well (provided the reader is OK, obviously) - probably a good idea never to read any of them, but just listen! :)

I have to say I haven't read much by her yet, until now, the only other novel I'd read was The Shipping News which I liked quite a lot. I'm wondering why you say it's probably a better idea to just listen?

Only because the flow of the language gets so much more obvious when it's heard spoken. I noticed it when I was reading The Shipping News and found that I would read parts of it out loud to myself, so I went and got the audioversion and it was so enjoyable that I actually prefered it to reading myself! :)

You make a good point. That must be why I enjoy audiobooks so much in general. It's such a different experience hearing them spoken out loud than 'hearing' them in one's head. Plus, I don't 'do' voice in my head with any great imagination, so in some cases it's like the difference between hearing tinny radio music from the next apartment and sitting in front of a live orchestra. Don't get me wrong though, I still very much enjoy the act of reading, but now that I've gone the way of audiobooks, I don't think I'd want to go without anymore.

Category #2: Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart Series

La faute de l'abbé Mouret / The Sin of Father Mouret by Émile Zola ★★⅞
(Also read for TIOLI: Originally published in French)

When we meet Serge Mouret at the beginning of the novel, he has just recently been ordained as a priest after spending many years, from adolescence until now at the age of twenty-five, on his religious studies. So enraptured is he with his religion and the many rites that his Catholic faith demands of him, that we soon learn that he was very pleased with being sent to this tiny village, Artaud, where the locals are all related by blood and scorn religion, because he sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate his undying devotion to the church, against all odds. But when we learn that he is most passionate about the Virgin Mary and the extent to which he is obsessed with her, we are made aware of two things: that he has inherited the mental instability of his grandmother Tante Dide, and that he's being set up for a fall. His uncle, the doctor Pascal invites him to accompany him to Le Paradou, and old domain which has been left practically abandoned, save for the old man who looks after the place. The old man's niece Albine is a beautiful and wild girl of sixteen, and soon after his visit, Serge has a complete mental breakdown when he realizes he is attracted to her. Suffering from amnesia following his meltdown, his uncle Pascal decides the best cure for him is to send him to Le Paradou, where he believes daily contact with nature will restore the young man to his health. Albine and Serge spend their days roaming the vast gardens, fields and orchards of the property and over time fall deeply in love with each other, though of course that state of affairs cannot last.

So far, this fifth book in the series is my least favourite. The theme of religion and of Catholic rites is one that doesn't particularly interest me, and I knew before reading the novel that there would be extensive descriptions of those rites and of Serge's battle with temptation. The romantic meanderings of the two young people in what seems like the Garden of Eden (Zola obviously intended to make that comparison by naming the place Le Paradou, a name so close to Paradis, or Paradise) was probably my favourite part, but there were many sections where the only thing keeping me going was the goal I've set myself of reading the whole series. The ending was predictable to a certain degree, though in all fairness, it was probably considered original in Zola's time. I would definitely NOT recommend to make this your first book by Zola, unless you happen to have a great interest in the themes explored here.

Category #4: Visual Arts

Un Lion à Paris by Beatrice Alemagna ★★★★★
(Also read for Children's & YA July...in August & TIOLI Challenge #23: Originally published in French)

One day a lion, bored of his native savannah decides to take a train to Paris. When he arrives and starts touring the city, on foot and via the métro he is surprised and disappointed to discover that nobody seems to notice him. He visits some of the most popular spots of the city, from the Café de Flore in St-Germain to the pont des Arts, centre Pompidou, the Louvre, Sacré-Coeur and the Eiffel tower, and finally discovers a structure which seems to be awaiting his arrival, so he climbs on the base and decides to stay once he sees that the Parisians are cheered to see him there.

Alemagna created this story based on the real life statue of the lion at Denfert-Rochereau, which is much loved by Parisians. This large book opens up vertically with imaginative illustrations that combine a mixture of collage elements from magazines from the 50s with her own fresh and spontaneous drawings for a truly unexpected result which encourages the reader to pore over the illustrations. I fell in love with this book and was tempted to buy my own copy until I saw the price and decided I'd just hold on to my library loan for a while. A truly inspiring book and a fun and lighthearted way to visit or re-visit Paris. (click on cover and images to view larger)





To see more work by Beatrice Alemagna, visit her site: http://www.beatricealemagna.com

Category #4: Visual Arts

Tristan et Iseult by Béatrice Fontanel, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★★
(Also read for Children's & YA July...in August, TIOLI Challenge #23: Originally published in French)

The classic and tragic tale of Tristan and Isolde, about a young man who slays a dragon and a giant and falls in love with Isolde, a beautiful young woman who happens to be the giant's niece, that he is meant to bring to his king as a bride, here told in a more simplified manner and accompanied with gorgeous illustrations by Fronty. According to wikipedia: the legend of Tristan and Iseult "is an influential romance and tragedy, retold in numerous sources with as many variations. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan (Tristram) and the Irish princess Iseult (Isolde, Yseult, etc.). The narrative predates and most likely influenced the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, and has had a substantial impact on Western art, the idea of romantic love and literature since it first appeared in the 12th century. While the details of the story differ from one author to another, the overall plot structure remains much the same". Click on cover and images to view larger.







To see more work by Aurélia Fronty, visit her site: http://www.aureliafronty.com

Let's Play!

Lots of us are already thinking of our categories for the 12/12 challenge, and I saw that Anders, aka GingerBreadMan, had a really fun idea for one of his categories, which was to get LT members to randomly pick books from his shelves. I'd like to do something similar, and I'll be calling that category "Picked by LT Friends". I plan on reading 12 books in that category, but by all means recommend more as I'll just list the extras in other categories, as I want to read a much off the shelf as possible next year.

As of today, there are 460 books in my "To Read" collection, so I suggest you pick a number from 1-460, and to add a bit more randomness, specify whether my books should be organized by Title, Author, Tags or Collection when I pick them, so that book #127 when my books are sorted by title won't be the same as book #127 when sorted by author, for example.

There are a few exceptions: if the selection is part of a series, I'll choose the book from that series I'd be up to read next. If I've read the book in the last 5 years, I'll ask you to choose another one (I re-list books as "to read" because I want to read them again, why else?). I'll also ask you to pick again if the book is already on my "TRRS Pile" collection (TRSS = To Read Real Soon, which means I intend to read it... Real Soon, i.e. in 2011).

Because I go through them real fast, if you pick and audiobook, you can get a bonus round and pick another random book among my audio selections. Just pick a number between 1 and 61, again specifying in what order. If you want to see what you picked, just do the same as before, but when you're in the "To Read" collection, also type in "audiobook" (singular) in the "search this library" box (make sure you select the 'tags' option in the pull-down menu). Again, the book shouldn't be in my TRRS Pile collection or already been picked for 12/12 (I've tagged all the books that were chosen already as such).

Can't wait to see what you guys end up choosing for me... I hope I explained it all clearly!

Didn't look in your collection (that'd be cheating...!), but I'll pick 13 sorted by title - hope it's good! :)

How about #261 sorted by author?

I am going to say sort by title and read whatever the very last title is. This is fun!

Oh fun! ..... I pick #184 sorted by title.

#53 Eva, I got The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) which is very cool since I just got that one from a library book sale last week! Thanks for playing!

#54 Hi Christina, I got Fatal Remedies (Commissario Brunetti 8), so what I'll do is I'll just pick up at whatever book comes up next in that series next year (no worries, there's no risk of me finishing that series before then!)

#55 I'm not sure how this happened, but normally, if the titles were ordered alphabetically, as they're supposed to be, I would have landed on Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind Shunryu Suzuki, a title I've had in my collection for countless ages, but for some reason, the last title is actually the audiobook of Études de Femmes or Study of a Woman by Honoré de Balzac... go figure!

#56 Lori, I got The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling, which is actually on my TRSS Pile collection, so you get to pick again!

So here are the books that were chosen so far (by author). This went pretty fast since I also posted about this on my 75ers thread. If anyone feels they really would have liked to play along and just missed the chance, I'll still accept a few titles, since I'm sure I'll be able to fit them into one of my other 11 categories.

Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood (Picked by MickyFine)
♫ Études de Femmes / Study of a Woman by Honoré de Balzac (Picked by bucketyell)
♫ Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (Picked by avatiakh)
♫ The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré (Picked by casvelyn)
Arabian Nights: Four Tales from a Thousand and One Nights by Marc Chagall (Picked by Donna828)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Picked by DragonFreak)
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod (Picked by KiwiNyx)
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (Picked by DeltaQueen50)
♫ Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (Picked by Deern)
Blindness by Jose Saramago (Picked by Whisper1)
The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) (Picked by bookoholic13)
Native Son by Richard Wright (Picked by EBT1002)

There will be a few more titles added to that list, as I've asked the choosers to pick again. Someone chose The Koran for me, and I'm not saying I won't read it, but I think I'd like to have an alternate option since I'm not sure I'll be up to it (no offence). The other book chosen was already on my TRRS Pile collection, and someone on the other thread forgot to specify how I need to choose my book.

This is perfect, as I really want to be reading more selections off the shelf in 2012 and of course I would not necessarily have picked these myself. I'll pick 12 of these to go into the "Picked by LT Friends" category and the others will find a place among my other categories, one of which will of course be... "Selections from my shelves".

I am going to mix it up a bit and go for book #287 sorted by collection. Not sure how to do that so if that is a no-go, let me know!

->58 Smiler69:
Excellent! I've been interested in that one myself, so I'm looking forward to hearing what you think!

#59 Lori, you're right, somehow sorting by collection doesn't work! My fault, sorry for suggesting it!

#60 It's a new series to me Eva, but apparently it's quite popular here on LT, as I found out after I got the book.

Category #5: Books Published Since 2009

♫ Rules of Civility by Amor Towles ★★★
(Also read for TIOLI #4: Three words with 'of' in the middle)

When Katey Kontent and her roommate Eve decide to spend New Year's Eve in a Greenwich Village jazz bar to ring in 1938 away from the well-heeled crowd, the two good looking girls aren't expecting to meet any up and coming young men, until Tinker Grey walks in wearing a 'thousand dollar cashmere coat' and an irresistible smile. After they've shared a drink and a bit of chat, neither girl expects to hear from Tinker again, being as he is a handsome banker living at a luxury building on Central Park West—something he let slip in conversation. But they do, and the three soon engage in harmless flirting, which quickly turns to envy, until a serious accident changes the dynamic in the threesome and suddenly Evelyn seems poised to take advantage of the cards she's been dealt, while Katey, as her surname predestines her, contentedly looks on and refuses to judge her best friend as others are wont to do. But we know from the first pages of the book that Tinker somehow ended up losing everything just a couple of years later, so it follows that we'll find out just how he fell from grace. Could it be because he's decided to put aside the rules mentioned in the title, which is based on a heavily underlined book Katie finds in Tinker's library: George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation?

Admittedly, this was an entertaining novel. I happen to like reading about the period between the world wars, and I knew for certain I'd enjoy Rules of Civility after reading Liesl Schillinger's take on it in The New York Times Book Review: "With this snappy period piece, Towles resurrects the cinematic black-and-white Manhattan of the golden age of screwball comedy, gal-pal camaraderie and romantic mischief. With Katey, we travel by cab and watch Broadway “slipping by the windows like a string of lights being pulled off a Christmas tree,” or see limousines idling in front of the 21 Club, smoke spiraling from their tailpipes “like genies from a bottle.” These pages prompt recollections of movie scenes stamped so deeply on the psyche that they feel remembered: elevated trains, Carole Lombard and Jimmy Stewart, smoky jazz clubs and men in fedoras."

All the same, I came away quite annoyed with this novel, and this for two reason, though the first might seem ill-founded: it just seemed too obvious that it had been written to appeal to a mass audience. But then, at no point does the book try to be anything else than a best-selling page turner, so I can hardly fault it for not having had more depth or for being so blatantly commercial. My second problem with the book, which in retrospect may be tied in with my first issue with it, was that the whole turning point of the story, which marks our heroine's sudden realization that things are not *gasp* as they appeared to be, was based on a plot twist that was so predictable, that I felt that my intelligence was being insulted. I guess I found the novel to be so clever that I expected it to be insightful as well. Which was obviously my mistake, because who ever said screwball romantic comedies were ever meant to be all that intelligent to begin with?

Thanks for your review of Rules of Civility! I was torn about whether to buy it or not, because it looked like a fun period piece...but now I think I'll try to find it at the library instead.

I purchased the audiobook from Audible, which is ok because I just spent a credit on it. I don't like buying newly published books because you never know if you'll like them and they're so costly as hardcovers too. The library is probably a good way to go. Plus, that way you'll probably have less expectations and end up enjoying it more.

Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (720 pages) ★★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #4: a three-word title, with the middle word being "of")

This first volume in the epic A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series has all the elements to hold my attention: adventure, intrigue, murder, romance, dark omens, battles, charming young rulers, wizened old men, shifty advisors, otherworldly creatures only glimpsed at, beautiful selfish young damsels, vile, brutal young lords, countless lies, plots, counterplots, plenty of mystery, and of course, the Seven Kingdoms, for which many men and women will die in the quest to take over the Steel Throne, made of the melted swords of conquered enemies ...what more could I ask for? This saga tells the story through several protagonists and alternates from chapter to chapter to tell a portion of the story through the points of view of Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell, who becomes hand to the King; his wife Lady Catelyn Stark, who sets out to avenge their son Bran's attempted murder; the aforementioned Bran Stark, who watches his older brother Rob lead his troupes to war while he comes to terms with his crippled state; their eldest daughter Sansa Stark, who is promised to the King's eldest son; their young daughter Aria Stark, a tomboy seeking adventure; Jon Snow, the bastard son of Eddard, who joins the Night's Watch, a brotherhood of men dedicated to defend the realm against as yet obscure evil forces that reside in the winterland; Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf and brother to Queen Cercei and her twin brother, Jaime, who are the children of the powerful Tywin Lanister, and last but not least, Princess Daenerys Targaryen, of the last survivors of ancient House Targaryen who is poised to claim the Throne which was stolen from her murdered father, the Mad King. I'll leave it to others to explain the complex plot, which unravels bit by bit, and leaves the reader wanting more and more. I finished this novel and two days later, ordered the second volume, A Clash of Kings, which I look forward to with much anticipation. Highly satisfying brain candy.

I was in my favorite bookstore Saturday and overheard one of the knowledgeable staff explaining the merits of A Game of Thrones to another book patron in search of a new series to start. I have seen some traffic here on LT and it is nice to see it also gets a good nod from you as well. Something to keep in mind when I want to immerse myself in a story.

Oh yes, do keep in mind. I was somewhat skeptical at first, especially since my exposure to fantasy has been somewhat limited over the years, but I'm completely hooked. Great characters, great villains, plenty of protagonists to root for, full of surprises, strange unexplained events... it's good stuff! :-)

Category #1: The Classics

♫ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens ★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI #3: tagged with a word which brings to mind "school")

"My father's family name being Pirrip, and my christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip." — First words, Chapter I

"My sister, Mrs Joe Gargery, was more than twenty years older than I, and had established a great reputation with herself and the neighbors because she had brought me up "by hand." Having at that time to find out for myself what the expression meant, and knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me, I supposed that Joe Gargery and I were both brought up by hand.

She was not a good-looking woman, my sister; and I had a general impression that she must have made Joe Gargery marry her by hand. Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites. He was a mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow,—a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness." — Chapter II

In this great classic of English literature, our boy Pip tells the tale of how he came to have "Great Expectations" from what appears to be a series of most unlikely circumstances. One late afternoon on Christmas eve, as he is visiting the graves of his mother, father and five little brothers, a dangerous escaped convict appears on the scene and bullies our boy into promising he'll come back the next morning to bring 'wittles'—or food to eat—and a file so he can free himself of his leg irons, on the threat that if Pip doesn't do as he's told, an associate, much crueller than he will stalk him down and get at his heart and liver. Scared out of his wits, Pip complies by stealing food from his sister "Mrs Joe"'s pantry. The convict is satisfied with the offerings and lets him go, though Pip is weighed down by a heavy conscience. Not very long after in chapter seven, Pip is summoned to Miss Havisham's, a rich and eccentric old recluse, to play with her niece Estella who is close to Pip's age, a haughty girl, though very pretty. The old lady encourages her charge to become a heartbreaker and even as the girl mocks Pip, calling him "a common, labouring boy" and making fun of his lack of refinement and general appearance "He calls the knaves Jacks, this boy! And what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots!" the old woman prods Pip repeatedly to find out what he thinks of Estella. Pip can't help himself from falling hopelessly in love with her and from that moment on, becomes more disdainful than ever of his unrefined background and of Joe in particular, a blacksmith to whom Pip is fated to be indentured as an apprentice.

By chapter eighteen, Pip is in the fourth year of his apprenticeship to Joe when they are both approached at the local pub by Mr Jaggers, a lawyer who tells Joe he has an offer to make which will greatly benefit the boy, and asks the blacksmith if he is willing to release Pip of his indenture for "the communication I have got to make is, that he has Great Expectations. I am instructed to communicate to him, that he will come into a handsome property. Further, that it is the desire of the present possessor of that property, that he be immediately removed from his present sphere of life and from this place, and be brought up as a gentleman,—in a word, as a young fellow of great expectations." The only condition being that he must always keep his name, Pip, and that his benefactor's name is to remain a secret until that person chooses to reveal it. Once he has been properly outfitted with new clothes, Pip then moves to London and is taught how to behave like a gentleman. Throughout, even as Pip gains a whole new circle of friends and acquaintances, misbehaves and accumulates enormous debt which even his steady large income can't cover, Estella is never far from our boy's mind. He assumes his benefactor to be Miss Havisham and that she has in mind to mould him into an acceptable husband for the love of his life. But as we are only at chapter 34 at that point (out of 59) and that Dickens wouldn't be Dickens if his stories were anything less than epic sagas, and that his fiction, in imitation of life thrives on many twists of fate, it's fair to assume that things are unlikely to turn out as Pip's—or the reader’s—imagination would have it.

I can't help myself from making a bad play on the title, so I'll go ahead and say that I had Great Expectations about this novel, and that as these things go, I was not wholly satisfied on that count. Although Pip goes through inevitable transformations as he grows up, for the better part of the novel he is a proud boy who thinks himself better than most, and certainly than the people he has been brought up with On of his greatest offences to my mind is the shame and abhorrence in which he holds Joe once he has come in contact with Miss Havisham and Estella. Joe is one of my favourite characters in the story; he's a good man of great simplicity with a big heart, and is probably one of Pip's moth dedicated friends, yet Pip feels ashamed of him and neglects him completely over the years even though he knows better. I thought his supposed great love for Estella was puerile, acceptable when he is a child and is more or less manipulated into it, but the fact that he then uses his unrequited love for her as a reason to remake himself in an image he thinks she will approve of, when he knows her own character is wanting, was truly sad and pathetic to me. Because most of Dickens' novels were first published in serialized form (probably one chapter at a time) the author had good reason to keep the story going for as long as was decently possible. Even though I kept this firmly in mind, there were many times while I listened to the audiobook version (very well narrated by Simon Vance) that I grew impatient with the lengths and detours through which Dickens takes us. I was unfortunately all too often reminded of an obnoxious relative who liked hearing the sound of his own voice—and any opportunity to expound on his apparently limitless fount of knowledge—so much that he could and did keep an uninterruptible flow of words going for several hours at a time, while the poor unadvised interlocutor could rarely put in more than a nod and the briefest expressions of acquiescence and was not given the least opportunity to get away. There were quite a few moments like that, but also moments when I was completely taken with Dickens' great skill as a storyteller and his fine observation of human nature which are always accompanied by a fine and subtle irony and humour. All in all it was a jolly good yarn, though I am considering doing the unthinkable and going for the abridged versions of the rest of the great Chuck D's works, though I should hope common decency will prevent me from committing such a travesty.

->65 Smiler69:
I have that one in the stacks, but haven't started yet as I'm afraid I'll want to mow through all of them immediately (well, the ones published so far). Probably wait for a long weekend or holiday, just in case. :)

Eva, knowing how you've gone about mowing through the Rebus series, I see it is likely you would do the same with the Game of Thrones series as well. Though of course they demand a little bit more time investment. But they're so addictive that even I wonder whether I'll be able to read just one or two a year so that hopefully the next installation will be out by the time I'm done... very likely I'll just want to go from one to the next, but probably go about the actual reading at a slow rate. We shall see!

In any case, there's a good chance I'll be creating a Fantasy category for 12/12 :-)

Yes, I do get a bit obsessed at times... At least I'm aware of my illness. :) It's just so much fun to get completely immersed in a group of characters! Looking forward to setting aside time for the Game of Thrones series.

As far as obsessions go... I'd say it's a pretty healthy one, so go ahead and indulge, you have my blessing. ;-)

Oh ... my ... goodness, this thread is dangerous! Book Bullets are flying everywhere and I keep on taking direct hits! Aside from your excellent reviews, I really like all of the pictures you have for each category. You are *starred*, my dear, and I'll be sure to keep up with you from now on!

I'll check your most recent 75 thread as well, but do you need anyone to choose another book for your "LT Friends" 1212 challenge? I'll be doing the same category too, once I get my thread set up for next year.

Hi Laura, I'm so pleased that you've found books that appeal to you here. You do wonders for my battered ego this weekend. :-)

I'll be happy to have you select another book for my 1212 challenge. Just pick a number between 1 and 463, and let me know how I should pick it (by Author or Title or Collection). Since there have been several picks made already, it's possible that you might hit on a books that's been chosen, in which case I'll just ask you to try again. I'll be happy to pick for you too once you're ready!

Category #6: New To Me Authors

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ★★★★★
(Also read for TIOLI #12: title with a word appearing on wikipedia page about Mid-Autumn Festival)

"And what will we do with a pretty woman? We must have a woman who will tend the house and bear children as she works in the fields, and will a pretty woman do these things? She will be forever thinking about clothes to go with her face! No, not a pretty woman in our house. We are farmers. Moreover, who has heard of a pretty slave who was virgin in a wealthy house? All the young lords have had their fill of her. It is better to be first with an ugly woman than the hundredth with a beauty."

When we meet Wang Lung, he is a poor farmer taking care of his elderly father. On this day he is preparing for a special event: today is the day he will go get himself a wife, and he looks forward to his new life, when he will no longer have to boil the water for his father to drink in the morning, nor have to prepare food, nor clean house, as there will finally be a woman by his side to take care of all these things. Wang Lung feels in a celebratory mood, so he puts a few tea leaves in his father's water and goes as far as taking a bath, even as his father objects to such waste and luxury. Indeed, what if the new wife comes to expect these things? All the same, Wang Lung has in mind to have a feast that night and works out that with his few coins, he might be able to afford some meat and even perhaps to get a shave from a barber. He makes his way to the town, and eventually presents himself to the great House of Hwang, which is owned by a wealthy family, and where even the man who guards the gate makes him feel inferior. Wang Lung is there to collect O Lan, the woman who is to be his wife. O Lan has been a slave in the kitchens of this house for the better part of her life, which is all a man in Wang Lungs's position can expect for a wife. O Lan will sacrifice herself completely for her husband and the family she gives him, as is expected of a woman in China in these pre-revolutionary days. And so we follow this family and the great saga that unfolds in clear and simple prose that belies the complexity of human relations, the great struggles and changes, and the timeless themes explored in this novel which well deserves to be regarded as a masterpiece of the twentieth century. Pearl S. Buck said she only wrote about what she knew, and that China was all she knew about, and part of her genius is in creating a story set in a China known to few people in the West, with it's people and customs and values so very foreign and strange to a modern Western reader, yet exploring universal themes which make us empathize with the characters and live through their struggles right alongside them. A thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, this novel deserves to be read at least once.

Then how about author sort, #371? I'll let you know as soon as I've got myself ready and I'll reserve a spot for you to choose. Looking forward to seeing which one I picked for you!

75 - I read The Good Earth last month and while I enjoyed the writing style tremendously, by the end, I was so angry at Wang and the way he treated the women in his life that I immediately donated the book. An over-reaction for sure but wow, its been a long time so I hated a character so much! He was a horribly insecure man who lived in constant fear of losing everything and he treated his ever patient wife in an appalling way. I think what upset me the most is the fact that this was a pretty accurate portayal of family life during this time and it made me sad to think about the great women who were subjected to the same treatment or worse.

#76 Laura, your pick is a French book called Le Grand livre de la tendresse by Jacques Salomé, who is a well known French psychologist/sociologist who has published countless books. This one translates to "The Big Book of Tenderness" and it's an advance copy I had gotten at work many years ago that I never got around to, so I'll look forward to it!

#77 I won't say that I liked Wang Lung much for the reasons you point out, but it's a fact that women in those days weren't treated with much respect, be it in China or anywhere else. Also, I have to say that by the end of the book, I was surprised to find how much sympathy I had for Wang Lung in comparison to those sons of his. And yet, for all that, I still would like to continue reading on with Sons, the next book of the trilogy. I just find that Buck's writing is so good and that she portrays human weaknesses with such skill that it doesn't seem to matter whether I like the characters or not.

I hope you like the book, Ilana. I've just posted by blindfold category on my 11-11 thread, if you want to stop by and choose - one is saved for you!

Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction

♫ Still Life by Louise Penny ★★★
(Read for Series & Sequels September, TIOLI #13: set in the region where I was born)

When 76 year-old artist Jane Neal is found dead in the woods surrounding the small town of Three Pines in the province of Québec, none of the locals even imagines it could have been anything but a hunting accident. But when Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team from Montreal become convinced her killing was deliberate and probably perpetrated by someone close to Jane, her friends band together and decide to have a close look at her house. Shortly before dying, Jane, who had until then never let them see her home beyond the kitchen, had invited all her friends into her inner sanctum for a special occasion. If these walls could talk, might they reveal who the killer is?

I wasn't sure I'd like this series set near my hometown. For one thing, I've read less than a handful of books set in my region, with which I've always had a love/hate relationship, and for another, I had the impression this mystery might be a little too much on the "cozy" side for my tastes. The story made for a pleasant listening experience with Ralph Cosham as the audiobook narrator, but it wasn't until I got to halfway through that I even became curious to find out who the killer was; the people and the place seemed a little too quaint and as a local, I wasn't thrilled to hear the inevitable references made about the friction between Anglo and Francophone cultures, something that has always bothered me as a local, but which needed to be broached at least in the first book in the series, as it's very much an ongoing issue in these parts. But after being assured the series only keeps getting better as it goes on, and then getting discouraged when it seemed the second book was nowhere to be found at the library, where it was listed under a different title, I realized I probably enjoyed the first book more than I realized after all. And since I really want to read Bury Your Dead, book #6, which seems to be an all around favourite without skipping ahead, I'm willing to settle back and try to read on with the fresh and less jaded perspective of a visitor to my home region.

*****

As an aside, I thought I'd mention that Louise Penny will be at the Chapter's store on Set-Catherine street on Sunday the 18th at 2 p.m. to sign her latest book for any of her fans who live nearby or are thinking of visiting in the coming days.

->80 Smiler69:
That series is on my eventually-I-will-get-to-this list. :) I also think it may be too much cozy for me, but I'm intrigued since so many of our fellow LT-ers love it.

#81 Judging by your tastes Eva, I'd say you probably would find it too cozy, but the books does have enough merits that I still recommend it. However, I'll be in a better position to judge the series when I've gotten the book #6, as mentioned above.

Category #5: Books Published Since 2009

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt ★★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI #6: cover in one of the 3 prime colours)

Hired by the powerful Commodore to kill a man by the name of Hermann Kermit Warm in the mid-19th century, brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters embark on a road trip from their home in Oregon City to the California of the Gold Rush frenzy to find their mark. As Eli, who tells us the story from his own perspective informs us, there is a lot of bickering and arguing between the brothers. There is the matter of their horses to start with. After their last assignment in which their steeds were immolated, Charlie got first pick among two other mounts and got the aptly named "Nimble", while Eli, who had loved his previous horse and still has nightmares about the horrible way in which he died, got stuck with "Tub", who is as quick and lithe as his name implies. Though Tub poses a very real threat as an impediment to their next assignment, Charlie won't hear of replacing him before they're done with the job, for which he informs his younger brother that he has been chosen as the lead by Commodore and will therefore also earn more money. Eli is already ambivalent about what they do to earn a living—and well he should be as the sensitive and poetic soul he is—and he can't help but view his brother with a measure of contempt, quick as Charlie is to anger and given his brutal ways and hard drinking. But for all that, there is no denying the brothers make for a formidable and fearsome team, and as they make their way to California and to H. K. Warm, they find plenty of opportunities to stay on top of their game when it comes to killing, maiming and stealing as they encounter various individuals en route. It seems a sure bet that Hermann K. Warm doesn't stand a chance against this duo, and though the brothers have proved time and again that (almost) nothing can stand in their way, they are completely unprepared for what awaits them when they finally find him.

What is often a brutal story filled with violence and plenty of grizzly details is handled with so much skill and sensitivity by Patrick deWitt, that I found myself by turns laughing and sighing sadly, often within the same short paragraph. My only regret is that I didn't take note of the countless quotable sections I came across as I was reading the book, but scanning quickly through again to find those bits, I realized that much of the humour was very much contextual and that taken in isolation, bits that made me chuckle out loud like "I do not know what it was about that boy but just looking at him, even I wanted to clout him on the head" won't come off right until there's been some buildup to that moment (though I doubt anyone will find my comment to be a spoiler). Did this novel deserve to be picked for the Booker Prize Longlist? I couldn't say because I haven't read any other contenders. Did it deserve to be picked for the Shortlist and should it win? I'd say probably not, because while there is plenty to reflect upon in this story, I wouldn't define this as a particularly profound novel, if only because it does too much of a darn good job at entertaining us. But I certainly won't fault it for that. Much recommended, but animal lovers beware that there are some harsh scenes ahead.

♫ The Hunter: A Parker Novel by Richard Stark ★★★★
(Also read for September Series & Sequels & TIOLI #6: cover in one of the 3 prime colours)

Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions

In the first of the Parker series by Richard Stark—one of prodigiously prolific Donald E. Westlake's many pen names—Parker appears seemingly out of nowhere and makes his way to Manhattan to take his revenge on those who left him for dead after a heist in which some of his partners got too greedy. Originally published in 1962, Westlake clearly redefined the hardboiled genre popularized by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler with the creation of Parker, a hard-hitting, cold-blooded murdering anti-hero who makes us believe he's serious when he says he's sworn off love for good. No detective he, but a professional thief—one of the best in the business who lets nothing stand in his way. In this case, the plan being to reclaim the money that was stolen from him by "The Outfit", the organized crime gang he takes on singlehandedly so he can secure his future. The bad guys are really creepy and the good guys just don't exist. Fast moving, violent and addictive stuff.


⬇ Bonus Review!




♫ The Man with the Getaway Face by Richard Stark ★★★★
(Also read for September Series & Sequels & TIOLI #6: cover in one of the 3 prime colours)

In book 2 of the Parker series, our man gets a whole new face via plastic surgery to get away from "The Outfit" since the mob unsurprisingly has a target on his back. An old heisting buddy contacts him to put together an armoured truck robbery, but Parker doesn't trust his pal's dame, a waitress beyond her prime who takes herself for both Bonnie and Clide. Our man's quickly figured out all the angles for the robbery and the inevitable double-cross required to secure the goods, when the plastic surgeon's slap-happy driver and dysfunctional right-hand man appears on the scene with claims his boss has been murdered and intent on finding the killer, with threats to reveal Parker's identity. Things get messy. Then they get messier still. What more can a gal ask for?

>80 Smiler69: You really must read The Brutal Telling before Bury Your Dead in order to fully appreciate it.

Lori, thanks for the recommendation. I'll be sure to do that, as I want to read the whole series in order so I can see how Penny's developed things along the way.

Category #1: The Classics

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton ★★★★
(Also read for TIOLI #17: a book title with a character's full name)

"I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story. If you know Starkfield, Massachusetts, you know the post-office. If you know the post-office you must have seen Ethan Frome drive up to it, drop the reins on his hollow-back bay and drag himself across the brick pavement to the white colonnade; and you must have asked who he was. It was there that, several years ago, I saw him for the first time; and the sight pulled me up sharp. Even then he was the most striking figure in Starkfield, though he was but the ruin of a man. It was not so much his great height that marked him, for the "natives" were easily singled out by their lank longitude from the stockier foreign breed: it was the careless powerful look he had, in spite of a lameness checking each step like the jerk of a chain. There was something bleak and unapproachable in his face, and he was so stiffened and grizzled that I took him for an old man and was surprised to hear that he was no more than fifty-two."

The narrator goes on to tell us the story of Ethan Frome, who had great aspirations as a young man, with hopes of having a brilliant career and moving to a big city. But first with his sick parents, and then Zenobia, the woman who helped him care for them—whom he was trapped into marrying and who then went on to become a self-pitying and difficult invalid who sought expensive cures—Ethan had little hope of escaping the ancestral home and the poverty that his doomed farm and marriage constrained him to. When Zeena's cheerful first cousin Mattie comes to the farm to help with the household chores in the heart of a bitterly cold winter, Ethan can't help but bask in her warmth. He starts dreaming of a better life again, and together they share a brief and chaste romance which, in this puritanical place, is bound to spell disaster. This is great writing by Wharton, and though the story might be glum, the characters and their opposing motivations form an unforgettable love triangle in a human drama which I found almost comical for the extreme state of hopelessness into which the protagonists are plunged, seemingly for all eternity (but that's just me). The introduction by Elizabeth Ammons in the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition, which I read after taking in the novel, goes on to explain how it drew on Wharton's personal experiences, even though based on first impressions, one might think Ethan Frome was a complete departure from her writing about the cosseted upper classes she belonged to. For example, the mysterious ailments Zenobia suffers from appear to be derived directly from the author's own struggles with depression for which Wharton sought treatment in the mid-1890s:

"She suffered from nausea, weight loss, extreme fatigue, headaches, and profound despondency. At the time, the standard diagnosis for such symptoms was neurasthenia, sometimes called hysteria, and the treatment, as Wharton's contemporary Charlotte Perkins Gilman chronicled in her famous 1892 story, The Yellow Wallpaper, was known as the rest cure. The prescribe therapy involved total bed rest, preferably in a hospital, hotel, or sanitarium, where the patient was fed, bathed, given douches and enemas, massaged, and in every other way kept dependent and completely immobile for weeks or, if necessary, months. This program of rest required removal from all exciting or upsetting stimuli such as newspapers, magazines, books, letters, visitors, or any other activity requiring mental of physical exertions, no matter how mild, including writing, sewing, and drawing. The rest cure aimed to create a healing calm so that the patient could regain mental health. For Gilman, as her short story records, it was a recipe for insanity [and no wonder!]. But for Wharton, the regimen she experienced as an outpatient had a beneficial effect. In large part she recovered because he physician, unlike Gilman's, encouraged her to pursue her writing, which she avidly did."

It seems that the notion of infidelity was also drawn from personal experiences. As Wharton and her husband Teddy's unhappy marriage fell apart, each struggling with depression and with Teddy having several affairs, Edith Wharton also broke her marriage vows and "had a secret and passionate love affair with a slightly younger man, Morton Fullerton, from about 1907 to 1910. As she related it [in documents she explicitly left in a sealed packed labeled, in her own hand "For My Biographer], the affair exposed her for the first and only time in her life to intense, fulfilling, erotic passion, a realitiy that respectable late-era Victorian women such as Wharton, brought up to believe sex a necessary and unspeakable evil, where not supposed to experience. The affair ended in 1910. A year later she wrote Ethan Frome and in 1913 filed for divorce."

Love that book, but had no idea there was an autobiographical element to it. Thanks for the review!

Jennifer, I loved this novel too and would have been happy enough to take it at face value, but I thought the insights into some of Wharton's personal experiences added an interesting layer of meaning.

An excellent review, Ilana, and thanks for the Wharton information too! I read Ethan Frome back in college and had forgotten about this bit of info! It makes me want to read more of her right away - thankfully, Mark picked one of her books for me to read (Summer) this month!

Glad you liked the review Laura. I've only read EF and The House of Mirth by her so far, but definitely look forward to reading more by her. I got the audiobook of Summer during a sale on Audible, and also have had The Age of Innocence on my shelves for quite a while, though I'm sure I'll read much more than just those over the years. She's just a brilliant author isn't she?

She is, she's one of my favorites. Actually, The Age of Innocence is one of my favorite books, so I hope you like that one whatever year you get around to it. It's a classic, it'll always be there! I think I have 3 others by her sitting on my shelves, but I'm trying to parcel them out over the years so there's always something new to read.

I think 2012 will be the year for Age of Innocence. I really want to read The Custom of the Country too. The way I see it, there's no good reason to parcel it out, because when it comes to works of great literature, it often pays to revisit the novels more than once, which allows one to discover things about them we hadn't took notice of before.

Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions

♫ The White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull ★★★⅞
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #6: Cover in a primary colour)

Set in Kenia after WWI, we follow the progress of English colonizers, most of them wounded veterans who have come to Africa in hopes of starting over. Anton Rider was too young to fight in the war, but he embarks on a ship from England to a continent that will allow him the space to roam free and hunt in the wilderness. During the voyage, he takes notice of a beautiful young woman, Gwen, who is on her way to meet her husband, already stationed in Kenia where they will cultivate a plot of land won in a raffle. But there are also two Irish brothers, imposing and brutal escaped murderers there, one of which takes a liking to Gwen, who forces his way into her cabin and rapes her until young Anton Rider catches him in the act, and from then on the two become sworn enemies. Meanwhile, at the White Rhino Hotel, barman Olivio the dwarf is mixed up in many intrigues, one of which is providing sexual favours to the hotel owner's wife. All these characters will come together in what is the first instalment of a great saga. It is Bartle Bull's ode to Africa, it's native people and it's natural wildness, and the forces of hatred and loyalty, passion and cruelty, avarice and lust which come together to form a thrilling story which combines plenty of action with lyrical and evocative descriptions of the settings. I would have given this one a higher rating for general appreciation, but was quite bothered by an element of the story, which has Olivio take on a twelve year-old black girl as his servant and sexual plaything. While this is part of the customs of the natives, who marry off their girls at a very young age, and while the girl ends up having her way with him and all is well, I would have much preferred not being privy to their sexual explorations, an element I found very disturbing. All the same, I'll continue on with the trilogy, because there's too much good stuff here to sink one's teeth into.

Nice review of The White Rhino Hotel, DeltaQueen suggested it for one of my 12 in 12 categories, and after reading your review I think I'll have to find a copy.

Yes, Judy (DeltaQueen) is one of several LTers who convinced me that I had to start reading this series. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction

♫ The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey ★★★½

Right. I wasn't going to write a review for this one, as I feel like I'm not qualified to do so for reasons I shall explain shortly. Here is the book description from Amazon, since I don't think I could really improve upon it: "In Daughter of Time, Tey focuses on the legend of Richard III, the evil hunchback of British history accused of murdering his young nephews. While at a London hospital recuperating from a fall, Inspector Alan Grant becomes fascinated by a portrait of King Richard. A student of human faces, Grant cannot believe that the man in the picture would kill his own nephews. With an American researcher's help, Grant delves into his country's history to discover just what kind of man Richard Plantagenet was and who really killed the little princes."

Why can't I write a proper review? Because truth be told, probably 90% of the story went right over my head. But the 10% I did get, I absolutely loved. Well and truly. Having read one Josephine Tey novel before—The Franchise Affair—and tremendously enjoyed her unique style and amusing, snappy dialogue, I was looking forward to this one, which came highly recommended. I was hesitant to read it for the simple reason that I know... well, nothing about British history, and even less about it's monarchs, even though Queen Elizabeth II has graced most of our currency, including all our coins and our $20 (and former $2) bills for as far back as I can remember. But that was of no help whatsoever here—further proof that money is definitely not the solution to everything. I had asked, on one of the many mystery threads here on LT, whether one should have some historical background to enjoy this novel and was told 'absolutely not necessary'. Well. I beg to differ. So basically, all the bits describing the court intrigues during Richard III's reign, to me seemed to have altogether too many characters I wasn't even a little bit familiar with running around doing a lot of things I didn't understand involving the usual greed, envy, ambition, etc. But all the other bits were an absolute delight; here, a sample from the opening lines of the book as poorly copied by me from the audiobook version (punctuation my own, obviously):

Grant lay on his high, white cot and stared at the ceiling. Stared at it with loathing. He knew by heart every last minute crack on it's nice clean surface. He'd made maps of the ceiling and gone exploring on them; rivers, islands and continents. He'd made guessing games of it and discovered hidden objects; faces, birds and fishes. He had made mathematical calculations of it and rediscovered his childhood; theorems angles and triangles. There was practically nothing else he could do but look at it. He hated the sight of it. He had suggested to the midget that she might turn his bed around a little so he could have a new patch of ceiling to explore. But it seemed that that would spoil the symmetry of the room and in hospitals, symmetry ranks just a short head behind cleanliness and a whole length in front of godliness. Anything out of the parallel was hospital profanity. Why didn't he read? She asked, Why didn't he go on reading some of those expensive new novels that his friends kept on bringing him? "There are far too many people born in to the world, and far too many words written; millions and millions of them, pouring from the presses every minute; it's a horrible thought." "You sound constipated" said the midget. 'The Midget' was nurse Ingham, and she was in so per fact a very nice 5 feet 2 with everything in just proportion. Grant called her 'The Midget' to compensate himself for being bossed around by a piece of Dresden china which he could pick up in one hand. When he was on his feet, that is to say.

Add to this Sir Derek Jacobi's wonderfully expressive narration, and it's obvious why I couldn't let the simple matter of 'not being able to make out the better part of the novel' get in the way of me enjoying it till the very end. So really, it's completely unfair of me to give such a low rating to such an excellent and entertaining piece of literature, as I know it's entirely my fault that I didn't—at the very least—acquaint myself with the wikipedia page about Richard III. I hope I'll be forgiven by Tey's fans for this lack of consideration on my part, especially since you can now count me among her fans too.

Category #6: New To Me Authors

From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus ★★★★★
(Also read for September TIOLI #12: Title with a hyperlink word appearing on wikipedia page about Mid-Autumn Festival)

“She had married late, in June of 1943, after the American bombing of Cagliari, and in those days to be thirty and not yet settled was already to be something of an old maid. Not that she was ugly, or lacked suitors—on the contrary. But at a certain point the wooers called less frequently and then stopped, each time before they had officially asked my great-grandfather for her hand. Dear signorina, circumstances beyond my control prevent me from calling on you this Wednesday, and also next, which would be very enjoyable for me but, unfortunately, impossible. So grandmother waited for the third Wednesday, but a little girl, a pipiedda, always arrived with the letter that put off the visit again, and then there was nothing.”

This tiny little book of just 108 pages packs the rich history of the narrator's grandmother, who, growing up in a small Sardinian village and considered to be crazy, was the shame of her parents and sisters. When a man, very recently widowed by the aforementioned bombing offers to marry the inconvenient girl, her father accepts the proposal although she begs him to refuse; she does not love the man and neither does he love her, but marry they do, to everyone's relief. But nearly ten years later, the woman has had one miscarriage after another, even though she has made sure to meet her husband's every sexual demand, no matter how peculiar, to keep him away from the brothels, so she is sent off to be cured of kidney stones at a thermal bath station. There, she meets another patient, a war veteran, and for the very first time, experiences with him the love, passion and consideration she has always yearned for.

It's difficult for me to put into words why it is I fell in love with this little book. It's a story about ordinary people trying their best to get on with life and make do with what they have, while going to great lengths to fulfill their yearning and passion, in ways that some would call madness and others would consider to be artistic genius. Gorgeous. A must read.

Sorry you didn't like The Daughter of Time more! Count me as a big fan, though all I knew about the whole Richard III/ princes in the tower situation before reading it, I learned from a documentary on t.v. The Franchise Affair may be the only one from her that I haven't read yet.

Hi Jennifer, I'm so sorry, just realized I hadn't responded to your message! I certainly didn't mean to ignore you! I think that considering I didn't know what was going on so much of the time, I in fact enjoyed The Daughter of Time quite a lot! I look forward to my next Tey experience. Would definitely recommend you read The Franchise Affair, it's quite excellent.

Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between

♫ Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear ★★★¼
(Also read for TIOLI #21: Read a book set between 1910 and 1950)

It's 1929 and Maisie Dobbs is just starting up her one-woman detective agency. Her first customer is suspicious that his wife is having an affair, but from the first interview Maisie has with him, we are given strong indications that she has her very own investigative approach. When she follows the man's wife and discovers the woman has been visiting the grave of a man identified only by his given name, and then arranges to have a conversation with the woman, Maisie realizes that she has a much bigger case to investigate than a simple spousal misunderstanding. As she goes about uncovering secrets which may save the lives of several war veterans, we also revisit Maisie's past, from the moment she entered into service when a young girl as a 'downstairs' maid. Thanks to her uncommon intelligence and curiosity Maisie gained the respect of her employer who arranged for private tutoring, which eventually lead to Maisie being accepted at university. When WWI was declared, Maisie felt obligated to help in the war effort and became a nurse, found, and lost her first love, and her experiences of treating wounded soldiers gave her the necessary background which ultimately helps her crack her first important case as a detective.

The book delves on themes that I have great interest in, namely WWI and it's aftermath. I especially appreciated how the story referenced Craiglockhart Mental Hospital, which I first read about in Pat Barker's Regeneration. I also liked Dobbs' unique holistic approach in her dealings with people—an unusual MO for a detective, which was also problematic for me because it played into the cozier aspects of the novel which sometimes grated on me. The narrator in the audio version was good, but I also found her delivery cloying, which, again, overemphasized the sentimental aspects of the story. I'll probably seek out the next in series to see how things evolve, but will read it in print format next time.

Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling ★★★¼
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book by an author whose first and last names have the same number of letters & Nobel Prize Month)

I had come across references to The Jungle Book numerous times over the years, most recently in The Tiger's Wife, where it plays quite an important role, which convinced me it was time to acquaint myself with this classic of children's literature. I vaguely recall reading the abridged and illustrated Mowgli stories as a child, but was quite unprepared for what I found in this omnibus version containing both Jungle Books. The first thing that struck me was the level of sophistication of the stories, which seemed to be possibly too complex, in language at least, to be fully intelligible to children today. The second thing which surprised me was that other than the Mowgli stories—about a boy raised by wolves who becomes the king of the jungle, so to speak—none of the other short stories were set in the jungle, and in at least a couple of them, animals were secondary characters only. As is the case with most people, I enjoyed the Mowgli stories most, because of the jungle setting and the variety of wild animals who each in turn are given ample room to express themselves and display their anthropomorphized characters. I've always been fascinated by the notion that certain human beings have a gift for communicating with and understanding animals, and was well regaled here, albeit only in fantasy. It's impossible to read these stories and not be impressed by the unique mentalities and behaviour of the main characters; Akela the wolf, Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther, Kaa the snake and of course the lame tiger Shere Khan, have all become legendary because each has important life lessons to teach Mowgli and the reader, but more importantly because they become familiar to us as the stories progress while also retaining their mythical status.

Had I only rated the Mowgli stories as a whole, some favourites of which are Mowgli's Brothers, Kaa's Hunting, How Fear Came, Red Dog along with another great favourite, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi—about the eponymous mongoose who outwits a pair of dangerous snakes—I would probably have given the books four stars at least. But some of the other stories, such as Her Majesty's Servants, The Undertakers and Quiquern did not at all appeal to me and diluted the experience. Because of this, it is very likely that I will read my favourite selection from the Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book again sometime, and will likely appreciate those stories all the more as I revisit what will by then have become familiar and beloved characters.

#100 No worries! Everybody has times when they can't get to the computer and it looks like you've spent your time reading.

#103 Truth be told, I mostly tend to forget about this thread, since the 75 Books in 2011 group keeps me busy more or less full time! They're an awfully chatty bunch over there, but that's still no excuse for being rude. :-)

"none of the other short stories were set in the jungle, and in at least a couple of them, animals were secondary characters only"

That's a shame! It's on Mt. TBR, but I was looking forward to animal-stories. Good to know - forewarned is forearmed!! :)

Oh, please don't let my comment put you off Eva. There are plenty of animals in there and some of the non-jungle stories are quite wonderful too.

It's definitely on Mt. TBR, but it was good to be forewarned not to expect all Baloo and Bagheera or I would have been disappointed.

Right. I guess that's more or less what I was expecting myself. But then again, there were a couple of gems that were thrown in too. Of course, there's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, and you might find another story or two to your liking as well.

I just changed category #2 from "Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart Series" to "Classic French Authors". There's hardly any chance I could complete the former (didn't think I would from the start) and some chance I might complete the latter.

Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages

♫ Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (688 pages) ★★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a Characteristic Work of the 75 Book Challenge group)

From the distance of his fifty years, Marion Stone looks back on his personal history. First describing how his mother, a young nun and his surgeon father came to meet on an eventful boat voyage from to India to East Africa and how their unavowed love for each other led to the birth, seven years later in the 1950s, of identical twins, Marion and Shiva; an impossibly difficult delivery spelled doom for their mother and the disappearance of their father. Raised by two doctors who had been friends and co-workers of the biological parents, Marion goes on to describe growing up with a brother to whom he felt an almost spiritual connection, yet was as different in character as he was similar in appearance, and how a girl and a major breach of trust came to separate the two in their adolescence. Set against the very unique background of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, and great political turmoil, which eventually forces Marion to leave his loved ones behind and flee for his life, the novel travels from Addis Ababa to New York and Boston, and back again. While living in the States our narrator becomes a surgeon and eventually meets his father, who has become a prominent figure in the medical establishment. Following an unexpected meeting with a woman from his past, Marion falls critically ill and his family will rally around him in a desperate effort to save his life.

While I was immediately and irresistibly pulled into the story and fell in love with the beautiful writing, I balked at the frequent graphic descriptions of medical conditions and procedures, though could well understand how a novel with medicine and surgery as one of it's main themes must be so, and also came to see toward the end of the novel that these were essential in the telling of the story. I loved that the events were rooted in a solid historical, social and political context, and the perspective of a native Ethiopian describing both his own country and his perspective on life in America. I found the strong love and bond between the twins and their adoptive parents—who were both wonderfully well drawn and well-rounded characters—both moving and lovely to read about. The relationships seemed absolutely real, and were peppered with the kinds of unique moments a family shares and which could only be so well described by a very talented author. Surprisingly, the only character in the story that remained a mystery to me was that of Shiva, and while this was something I found fault with at first, thinking back on it, I came to understand that this was entirely in keeping with the mystery he constitutes even to his own twin, and made perfect sense when one considers all that he eventually comes to embody in this unforgettable novel. Definitely recommended. I listened to the audio version which is also excellently narrated by Sunil Malhotra.

Category #1: English Language Classics

♫ The Bluest Eye by Tony Morrison ★★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #18: A book that has been mentioned in 150 LT conversations or less)

Though Toni Morrison may have expressed dissatisfaction many years after the original publication in 1970 of this, her first novel, claiming in an afterword that "It required a sophistication unavailable to me", the very opposite though came to me as I was listening to her own excellent narration of the audiobook version. While even I managed to detect what others often claim to see and I do not, i.e. "problems with the writing" with varying voices telling the story, and in this case sometimes to confusing effect, the level of sophistication of the novel itself, of the ideas it presents, of the way in which the characters are drawn and interact, of the overall construction, and of course the language and beauty of the writing made me appreciate this novel best out of the three by Morrison I've read so far (the other two being Beloved and A Mercy). The introduction begins with Morrison's own interpretation of a 'Dick and Jane'-type story: "Here is the house. It is green and white. It has a red door. It is very pretty . . . Here comes a friend. The friend will play with Jane. They will play a good game. Play, Jane, play." This quaint little bit of school primer, with it's image of perfect simplicity and happiness, and not least of which, white children Dick and Jane who 'play and play', and which forms a motif throughout the novel, comes as an ominous sign that things will be far from simple fun and games for Pecola, the novel's 11-year-old black heroine, who is described as an ugly girl and who's greatest wish in life, in spite of the abject poverty she lives in, and the miserable family life, and the poor treatment she receives from nearly everybody she comes in contact to, is to have the 'bluest eyes'.

The first words of the novel may give us the whole story; it starts with the conclusion as it were, but as one coming freshly to this novel, not having read anything else beyond a short descriptive blurb about the subject matter, their meaning, was lost on me, though their poetry was not:

"Quiet as it's kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941. We thought, at the time, that it was because Pecola was having her father's baby that the marigolds did not grow. A little examination and much less melancholy would have proved to us that our seeds were not the only ones that did not sprout; nobody's did. Not even the gardens fronting the lake showed marigolds that year. But so deeply concerned were we with the health and safe delivery of Pecola's baby we could think of nothing but our own magic: if we planted the seeds, and said the right words over them, they would blossom, and everything would be alright. It was a long time before my sister and I admitted to ourselves that no green was going to spring from our seeds. Once we knew, our guilt was relieved only by fights and mutual accusations about who was to blame. For years I thought my sister was right: it was my fault. I had planted them too far down in the earth. It never occured to either one of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding. We had dropped our seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecola's father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair. What is clear now is that of all of that hope, fear, lust, love, and grief, nothing remains but Pecola and the unyielding earth. Cholly Breedlove is dead; our innocence too. The seeds shriveled and died; her baby too. There is really nothing more to say--except why. But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how."

The voices of various characters involved in Pecola's life from the little girls who's home Pecola is taken into, to her own mother and father, take over the narrative and give their points of view; describing the histories of their own lives, they give us a better understanding of the how things came to be the way they end up for poor Pecola. One of the great strengths of the novel is that although we know it is a story which will end badly, and although we also know that the protagonists are likely to have harsh realities to contend with, it never drags us down into bleakness and despair. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that Morrison's writing is never sentimental, but rather observant of the least detail that real life presents to us, and of how even when things are at their worst, there is always something interesting going on. We know of course that The Bluest Eye is a powerful commentary on racial hatred, but I would venture to guess that one of the reasons this novel has become a classic is because it carries a universal message. In describing how the beauty myth operates, she describes how humanity as a whole has sought escape from the harshness and vastly unfair playground that is life into this impossible ideal, which is bound to disappoint: "Along with the idea of romantic love, [Pecola] was introduced to another—physical beauty. Probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought. Both originated in envy, thrived in insecurity, and ended in disillusion."

Great review of the Verghese. It's been recommended to me by so many people, it should really go much higher on the wishlist!

Yes, I totally know what you mean Eva, it had been sitting in my audio library for quite a while too and I knew I should make room for it soon. I was turned off by the length of it, but once again, I found the experience very rewarding. Eventually I'll get over my reticence with big tomes. Maybe. :-)

Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction

♫ Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ★★★¾
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #17: Letter 'X' in the title)

While I'm sure I've already read this classic of classics among mystery novels, and seen several TV and movie versions of, somehow the ending came as a complete surprise. Sometimes, on very rare occasions, it is actually a blessing to have a poor memory. This audio version narrated by David Suchet was a joy to listen to, and helped me fully appreciate my renewed visit in AgathaChristieLand. The claustrophobic effect of the single carriage of the Orient Express in which all the protagonists of the story are ensconced is germane to the story and wonderfully played up. We are presented with a crime; a rich man has been stabbed twelve times while he was apparently asleep. Hercule Poirot, who also happens to be on board the Orient Express, proceeds to question all the other passengers, as it is clear that at least one of them is guilty of the murder. As the story progresses and the suspects are each interviewed twice over by Poirot, it is as if Christie is peeling each one of them like an onion, revealing their identities and secrets layer by layer, and of course, each one of the protagonists has something to hide. In my latest re-reads of the grand Dame of crime fiction, this one was definitely one of my favourites, though no doubt Suchet's excellent reading had something to do with it. To my great amusement, when Suchet was not beautifully imitating Poirot's Belgian accent when he is speaking English—as he famously did in his television role—and pronounced actual French words and sentences, it was clear to my fluent French ears that he speaks little or no French at all.

I've completed 2 categories today, Category #1, which I've modified slightly from just 'Classics' to 'English Language Classics', and Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction. Only 25 24 books to go! :-)

Hi Ilana - great set of reviews and congrats on the progress you have made with the challenge so far!

Hi Lori, thank you, glad you liked the reviews. 24 books seems like a high number, but I'm fairly confident that I'll finish most of my categories.

Beautiful and excellent review of Cutting for Stone. I love that book so much, but it is so complex -and you did a fabulous job of reviewing it!

Wow, thanks Deb! You seem to be everywhere! How on earth do you manage it? I have my days to myself, but can't seem to ever do everything I want to!

Suchet doing the narration sounds perfect! That's one of Christie's best.

And congrats on knocking out two categories in one day!

I have yet to try an audio of an Agatha Christie. I think her work would adapt well to that format, especially with some like David Suchet doing the vocal. I'm off to check my library and see which ones they offer in audio.

#120 Thank you. I've been resisting completing some of my 'easier' categories as didn't want to finish the challenge too soon, but when I realized I was still 20-something books shy of my goal, I figured it was time to get serious. :-)

#121 Judy, I've found that Agatha Christie translates very well to audio. I've listened to several of them this year and have found all the narrators satisfactory so far, though Suchet does a really great job. I have yet to listen to any Miss Marple, or other of her mysteries, but am almost sure I will get Why Didn't They Ask Evans? from the current Audible 50% sale (have to check if I like the narrator first). That one's been on my wishlist since I read your review of it. First thing I did when I joined the library was check what books on my wishlist were available on audio, and whatever Agatha Christie recordings they had were all on cassettes if you can believe it! Boo!

Keep checking with your library, Ilana. I think audio and e-read books are becoming so popular that libraries are rushing to update. Here in B.C. a lot of libraries have banded together to form a cyber library and that's where I go now for audio and e-read books. New books are coming available on a daily basis, it's convenient and easy, but I can't help but wonder if it's a glimpse of the future when we may not have actual walk-in branches anymore. Boo!

I downloaded Dead Man's Folly narrated by David Suchet today.

->123 DeltaQueen50:

Southern California libraries have done the same (although there aren't that many books in it yet apart from bestsellers) and I was really excited until I realized the same - does that mean we won't have any walk-in libraries in the future? Boo, indeed!!

#123 Judy, it seems the Montreal library system is lagging behind the times; no cyber-dowloads available yet, though I did check to see whether they've added any Agatha Christies to the audio offerings, as per your suggestion, and seems they did! They still have a couple cassette recordings, and have a dozen or so titles available in total, most of which are in abridged format, though—what's with that? So I've reserved the three unabridged titles they have for now: The pale horse narrated by Hugh Fraser, who seems to have only done Poirot recordings, and quite a lot of them, Nemesis, a Miss Marple mystery narrated by Rosalind Ayres (not familiar with her yet, but checked her out on Audible and she seems quite good) and The mysterious affair at Styles narrated by David Suchet.

As I was typing this, I checked their list again and saw that they have a BBC dramatization of A Caribbean Mystery, so decided to go for it. Why not, right?

#124 Eva, hopefully printed books will still be around for a few decades longer, same goes for walk-in libraries (fingers crossed).

Category #4: Visual Arts

Alexey Brodovitch by Kerry William Purcell ★★★★
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #3: A book about an artist for National Arts & Humanities Month)

Born in Russia in 1898 to an aristocratic and wealthy family, Alexey Brodovitch fled to Paris in 1920 as an exile, where he found himself in a community of russian artists. He was hired as a painter of stage sets for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, which in turn inspired him to work as a commercial artist. In 1930, Brodovitch moved to Philadelphia to take on a teaching position in advertising design at the Philadelphia college of Art. There he started the Design Laboratory, an experimental workshop for some of his more advanced students. Among the photographers who attended his classes were Diane Arbus, Eve Arnold, Richard Avedon, Lisette Model, and Garry Winogrand. Photographer Ralph Steiner who worked for Harper's Bazaar (which was owned by William Randolph Hearst) introduced him to Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of the magazine. Snow is credited with saying: “I saw a fresh, new conception of layout technique that struck me like a revelation: pages that "bled" beautifully cropped photographs, typography and design that were bold and arresting. Within ten minutes I had asked Brodovitch to have cocktails with me, and that evening I signed him to a provisional contract as art director.” During his 24-year reign from 1934 to 1958, Brodovitch created a unique look for Bazaar using avant-garde photography, typography and illustration. He was helped by old friends like Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, Raoul Dufy, Marc Chagall and A.M. Cassandre. One of his regular contributors was former student Richard Avedon, who became an iconic photographer in his own right (his obituary in The New York Times following his death in 2004 stated that, “his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century.”)

Among Brodovitch's countless innovations were the integration of image and text, cropping of photographs, use of white space, and the creation of dynamic double-page spreads, things every designer and reader takes for granted today. In fact, so many of Brodovitch's ideas became part of the design vernacular, that looking at this book—which gives a brief biography of the iconic art director followed by examples of his page layouts and covers—I had to think back to my own design student days, when I was hit full force by the freshness of his ideas given their historical context and looked to such material as a frequent source of inspiration. The reproduction quality leaves something to be desired, but then, printing standards were not what they are today and the layouts look exactly like the historical documents they have become in the 21st century.

         

Vintage HB covers are sooo pretty, but I never thought to look up the art director. Great review - thumbing!!

Yes, art directors are kind of like puppeteers, they pull the strings, but always work in the shadows and out of the public's mind. Thanks for the thumb! :-)

Ok. I've got over 20 books left to finish this challenge, and just now woke up to the fact that there are only two months left to go. I happen to have read quite a few books that would fit in various categories here, since I've gone through over 200 books this year, just didn't think to include them because didn't want to finish 'too early'. So I will go back and look through all my reviews and start posting those that count toward my challenges. That's not cheating, surely?

LOL! Not cheating at all - books read are books read. I have about 18 left in my challenge, but a few of those are quick reads (graphic novels), so I'm still on track, barring anything unforeseen, of course.

#131 Right, I'll have learned my lesson for next year: fill out the easy categories first, and THEN worry about the easy ones. I honestly thought I'd be reading a lot more French books for instance, which tells me I should probably keep a French category to force encourage me to read more in one of my two mother tongues.

Here's one of several I read some time ago; back in May actually (Eva, I do recall mentioning it to you back then though):



Category #9: En Français

L'argent facile (Translated to French from the Swedish Snabba cash) - Stockholm Noir 1, by Jens Lapidus ★½
(Also read for May Murder & Mayhem and TIOLI: Repeating Vowels)

JW: 20-something young student desperate to fit in with the young Stockholm elite of rich hard-partying kids who dress to impress, date all the beautiful girls, and are treated like royalty at the hippest night-clubs, when not hosting their own parties featuring strippers and mounds of coke. In other words, a really good kid. Not. He secretly drives cab at night to pay for his designer duds and clubbing, and has an older sister who mysteriously disappeared 4 years before and was never heard from again.

Jorge: known as Jorgelito and J-Boy, which are names he uses when talking to himself about himself and telling himself how clever he is. He's also a latino drug dealer who was caught and put in prison but has big escape plans. Has delusions of grandeur. Another adorable fellow.

Mrado: A giant thug, Serbian mafia member and juiced up bodybuilder who is used by the big boss to generally hurt and kill people. He's a nasty piece of work, but thinks he's the world's greatest dad. Surely he must be, since he gets all broken up about having to stand up his little girl for their bi-montly visits when he has to do last-minute torture and maiming jobs when his boss commands him to.

What do these three guys have in common? One word: Cocaine. Also, they have very few redeeming qualities and take turns occupying roughly one-third of the novel each. Of course, they all end up being inter-connected somehow, but it's going to take well over 500 pages of really badly translated Swedish to find out how that goes down. Why I wasted so many precious hours in hopes that I'd end up liking some part of this book is beyond me. I'm still trying to figure out what's supposed to makes this story Noir, but nope, I just don't see it. Some passages seemed to have been written by a guy who might have done too much coke himself and couldn't seem to get over how clever he was being. I was going to give this one two stars to be generous and because I figured I might as well since I did force myself to finish it, but that's just not fair to the books out there that deserve to be thought of as "just ok" when this one just deserves to be put out of it's misery. Nothing, and I mean nothing in this story seemed new or fresh in any way. But don't take my word for it! An English translation should be coming out soon enough.

Category #9: En Français

The Old Child (read in French as L'Enfant sans âge, translated from the German Geschichte vom alten Kind) by Jenny Erpenbeck ★★★½
(Originally read in July)

A young girl is found standing in the street holding an empty bucket. She is very fat. Huge, in fact. She does not remember her name, or her age, or where she came from, or anything about her life. She is a blank slate. The authorities put her in a reform school after evaluating she must be around fourteen years old, and the girl is delighted to find herself in a world made up of rules and regulations. The author gives us some insights into her mind, and we know for instance that the girl is quite happy to be the last in class, to be thought of as stupid by the teachers, to be despised by the other inmates. To her, this is a comfort zone which also seems to be the path of least resistance. She has no aspirations whatsoever. In fact, the thing she would like most would be to be forgotten in this place and left there forever. But of course, things begin to change, and since they can't get much worse, things start getting better, though the girl doesn't question these changes, going along with the flow, until her body starts to break down.

This is a poignant story, very simply told, but fraught with meaning, something which is especially clear when the reader gets to the end. It is apparently a commentary on life in East Germany pre-unification, and the tight rules, controls and scrutiny under which it's citizens had to live. Beyond that, I felt like I was being a voyeur who was given the ability to look into the mind of one who has every interest in wanting to be and remain mediocre and be completely forgettable. I was of course spurned on, trying to understand why she makes those choices, and though we are given a resolution in the end, I found we were left with more questions than answers.

I discovered Erpenbeck recently though Natalie's (Deern) thread, when she reviewed Erpenbeck's more recent book, titled Visitation in the English translation. I decided to start with The Old Child simply because it was the first book which got her on the map and also because I wanted to have something to compare Visitation to. I'll be reading that one very soon.

I found an excellent review of The Old Child here.

Yes, we talked about it - and the main part I liked about it is the way Lapidus handled the Swedish slang. Which, evidently didn't work in French! :)

Category #9: En Français

Le bois de Klara (aka Visitation translated from the German Heimsuchung) by Jenny Erpenbeck ★★★½
(Originally posted in July. Also read for TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book with a title that has 1 to 13 words)

Don't be fooled by the (small) size of this novel, because it certainly packs a punch. A piece of land by a lake in Germany is purchased by an architect who builds a beautiful home complete with quirky little touches to suit his wife's whimsy. The grounds are planned out by a landscaper (the architect's cousin) and tended daily by the gardener. Through the years, the house is occupied by different tenants. People come and go through the two world wars, through the occupation by the Russians and a stampede of horses, through the communist regime and the reunification. In alternating chapters, we are introduced to the successive residents of the house, the house which we soon discover is the main character in this story. The house and well-tended grounds that is, because the gardener is always there, tending the trees and rose bushes, going about his business and doing his best to care for a parcel of land that has a long history since times before the humans came and will probably go on being there long after we're all gone. Not a joyful read, as you can imagine, but one which enriches and opens doors we may not have suspected existed before.

#133 That's one of the many problems that arise when reading in translation. Vernacular and slang are impossible to find equivalents for. I'm having a similar difficulty, though to a lesser extent, with the Andrea Camilleri Montalbano series. I've been reading the first two in French, and they've tried to explain the difficulty in translating Sicilian idioms and done some strange things in French to sort-of-kind-of-but-not-really give an idea of what the original is like, though I find it more confusing than anything else. I'll try reading the English translation of the next book in the series to see if it's more to my liking.

Category #9: En Français

The Terracotta Dog (Read in French as Chien de faïence) by Andrea Camilleri ★★★⅓
(Also read for October TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book by an author whose first and/or last name begins and ends with a vowel)

In book 2 of the Montalbano series, we find our gourmet inspector involved with a curious incident which uncovers arms trafficking. But in the cave where the arms cache is found, the inspector also discovers the long dead, desiccated bodies of two lovers laying on a carpet and locked in an embrace. Arranged close by are a dish of old coins and a terracotta sculpture of a dog who is seemingly watching over the couple. Did the pair let themselves die of hunger? Were they murdered? And why is Montalbano so intent on solving a 50 year-old case that nobody other than him, including his superiors, sees the need to resolve?

The French version is awkward, as the translator has made an effort to give a feeling of some of the Sicilian vernacular which Camilleri's Italian readers have come to love and expect, but which makes for strange sentence structure and convoluted reading. I will try the English version for the next novel in series to see if it makes for more comfortable reading.

Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions

♫ Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck ★★★★½
(Also read for October TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book that has been mentioned in 150 conversations or less on the book's work page)

Pearl S. Buck's fictionalized account of the last Empress of China (1861-1908), who, first known as Orchid, went from being chosen at the age of seventeen to be one of hundreds of Imperial concubines living in the Forbidden City, to becoming the all-powerful Empress Cixi (or Tzu Hsi) is nothing less than gripping. While the this Nobel Prize-winning author first portrays Tzu Hsi as a beautiful young woman with huge ambition and an iron will who is convinced of having a great destiny, she also paints the picture of a woman at grips with doubt and real feelings. At the time of publication in 1956, this would have been at odds with the image historians portrayed of Empress Tzu Hsi as a tyrant responsible for the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Instead, Pearl S. Buck shows a woman intent on preserving the Chinese culture of her forefathers, and at grips with the bullying demands of foreign powers who will stop at nothing to invade China and impose Western ideas. As say in wikipedia, "in recent years other historians have suggested that she was a scapegoat for problems beyond her control, a leader no more ruthless than others, and even an effective if reluctant reformer in the last years of her life." That Peal S. Bucks portrayal of Empress Tzu Hsi from a Chinese perspective might have something to do with this reversal of public opinion is very probable. There is no doubt that Buck took great liberties here, even ascribing to the Empress a life-long love affair with one of her cousins who was head of the Imperial Guard, and whom the empress contrives to keep close to her into old age, this only adds spice and an all too human perspective on the life of an exceptional woman, who no doubt led a life filled with intrigue.

Category #6: New To Me Authors (completes this category!)

Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz ★★★★
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book originally written in a language that is NOT a lingua franca: Hebrew)

I took my time reading one short story from this book each day, and was able to savour the writing, well drawn characters and various other rich details, and ponder over each of these as I went along. Each story takes place in the same fictional village of Tel-Ilan in Israel, a place of great natural beauty, and a Jewish settlement of more than a hundred years old which, as such, pre-dates the foundation of the state of Israel. The title describes the approach of the author very well, with each tale narrating a different scene; each is set in a contemporary setting which features various inhabitants of the village and describes an incident, weaved in with their relations to one another, their history and their personal challenges and struggles. There is a woman in her forties living with her elderly father who needs constant looking after and who is convinced that he hears digging under the house in the middle of the night. There is the female village doctor who awaits her beloved nephew at the bus terminal and is distraught when he doesn't show up. There is a couple which tries to hold on to a full life after the suicide of their sixteen-year old son, and a houseguest who decides to investigate what lays behind closed doors. Some of the characters reappear in other stories, which creates a connection between the various parts of the book, as the stories are quite diverse and do not form a cohesive narrative taken as a whole. One thing they all seem to have in common is that they end on a note of suspense; pregnant moments filled with possibilities. Of course, this leaves much to the imagination, a devise which works well in the hands of this masterful and mature author, but at the same time made me wish Amos Oz had developed the stories beyond these small glimpses into these people's lives. As such, I was left feeling very much like a voyeur, looking through small windows at fleeting moments of his characters' lives—which he manages to make us believe in within the first few sentences of each story—at what feels beyond a doubt like a much bigger life experience. Much closer to the way we experience real life, in fact: through these various disconnected moments, as opposed to the long flowing narratives often found in novels which don't much resemble any living individual's personal experience.

There is a prevailing note of melancholy throughout, and the last story of the book, which takes us to an altogether different place at a different time, is truly dark in tone and imbued with a sense of hopelessness, which is an odd place to finish, but then again, as there is no beginning and no end to any of the stories, perhaps we're only meant to take this new element of the puzzle as a shift in paradigm. Overall I was quite impressed with this new-to-me author and will be interested to read some of his novels. I truly wish my Hebrew was good enough for me to read them in the original version, because with the little Hebrew that remains to me, I can't help but try to translate as I'm reading to get a better feeling for the tone and intention and the Israeli spirit and mentality which I grew up with as a child. It's all here in this strange little book, to be sure. Recommended, though do expect to be left in a ponderous state to figure out the full implications on your own.

Amos Oz and his Scenes from Village Life seems to be a hot commodity right now! This is already on the TRL (To Read Later) list as I was quite impressed with his book Rhyming Life and Death.

Nice review.

Lori, a bunch of us are reading it for the TIOLI challenge, and I believe it was just recently publish in English, if I'm no mistaken. I wouldn't know because I read the French translation, and those usually come out first. I've added Rhyming Life and Death to the wishilst—looked for a review by you but didn't see one, though your quick recommendation here is good enough for me. :-)

looked for a review by you but didn't see one

That would be because I read it back in 2009, before joining the challenge groups and before I got comfortable with posting reviews as opposed to just jotting down quick one sentence thoughts. My one sentence thought on Rhyming Life and Death was that it is an interesting story and a quick read - I seem to remember reading it in one sitting.

I know what you mean about working up to a comfort lever with reviewing. I didn't post that many reviews prior to 2010 and really only took off with them when I joined the 75ers this year. Now I wouldn't even think of NOT writing a review for anything I read. I like going through the exercise as I find it adds to my reading experience; to sort of mull over what I've read so I can come up with my own summary of it helps me ingest the material and is also helpful when I look back on what I've read, since I have such a poor memory. I also find that other people's reviews are really helpful when deciding whether to get a particular book or not.

Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better

♫ Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey ★★★¾
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #3: a book title found by mashing 2 tags; one seldom-used, one much-used: twins, mystery)

The Ashby family, now composed of aunt Bee and the four remaining children of her deceased brother Bill, has known it's share of drama. First, with both the children's parents dying in a plane crash eight years ago, then with the presumed suicide of firstborn son Patrick, who has disappeared one year later leaving behind a cryptic suicide note. The Ashbys are the owners of Latchetts, a centuries-old family estate in the fictional village of Clare, near the south coast of England, and have been breeding and selling horses for generations. Things have been difficult financially for aunt Bee and the children since the parents have been gone, but Patrick's twin brother Simon, who's twenty-first birthday is imminent, is soon to inherit Latchetts and a large trust fund left by his mother. Meanwhile, young Brat Farrar is approached on a London street by Alec Loding, an unsuccessful actor and a rogue who happens to be very intimate with the Ashby family. Brat is a dead ringer for the presumably deceased Patrick Ashby, and Loding sees an opportunity to make a fortune by recruiting Brat to pass off as Patrick, by claiming that he had run away for all those years and has now decided to return to the fold. He trains the young man thoroughly, teaching him about every detail that he should know about to pass himself off successfully and come into the inheritance. Brat is then sent off to integrate the Ashby family, with the instruction that he should simply act as himself. A compelling and riveting story which holds the reader captive and wondering all along at what moment Brat might slip up and reveal himself and as impostor. But the real treat is that Brat is in for a surprise which no training could have prepared him for. I found one section about horse racing too lengthy and detailed for my liking, but otherwise much recommended for Tey's wonderful writing and dialogue, and a really good yarn.

I really liked that one when I read it with the group last year. Tey is a wonderful writer.

Yeah, I just discovered her this year thanks to a bunch of LTers who had nothing but good things to say about her. Brat Farrar is the third book I've read by her so far. Next up will be Miss Pym Disposes, which I ordered and received early this week, and then I have several other of her books on the good ol' wishlist. Have you read anything else by her Jennifer?

Yes, I've read Miss Pym Disposes, an unusual mystery in that it's also a character study. I found it so absorbing just to read about Miss Pym's thoughts. My favorite so far has been The Daughter of Time and I've also read The Man in the Queue, which I think may have been her first. Oh, and The Singing Sands was excellent with her detective Alan Grant in Scotland.

I have a hard time getting myself to read short stories, but I'll make an exception for Oz - thumbing!

#146 I don't know if The Man in the Queue was her first novel, but it is the first Alan Grant mystery. The Singing Sands was the only book in that series that wasn't yet on my wishlist yet, so I've gone and rectified that just now and made a note that you had recommended it.

#147 Eva, I'm not big on short stories myself, mostly I guess because it takes me a while to get into the swing of things usually and I don't enjoy being thrown from one unknown world to another too quickly. But what was nice here was that the stories were all based in the same town and there was a continuity in that sense. It was a great introduction to Oz's work too.

Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction

♫ Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh ★★★
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a mystery published before you were born; 1938)

My first Ngaio Marsh experience overall went well. It's they 6th of the Roderick Alleyn series and I liked the Scotland Yard inspector quite well. He meets artist Agatha Troy (called Troy), makes what seems like a knowledgeable comment on the painting she got underway, and becomes quite taken by her. Unfortunately for the would-be couple, not very long after, he's called in for a murder that's taken place at her home, which she runs as an artist colony. The studio model has died following a stabbing that occurred when she was taking the awkward pose that was required of her. It seems the knife was inserted through the base of the podium at precisely the right spot to enter her heart. All the artists present are suspects, especially since, artists being artist, there is plenty of drama and strife in the air, and more than a little sexual tension too. I did find certain parts dragged on a little, which was too bad, especially since I had mistakenly gotten the abridged version of this novel on audio. Still, I enjoyed Marsh's approach, which seemed to me a little bit darker and more gritty than Agatha Christie's. I'll be revisiting her and Alleyn in future.






Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between

♫ Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers ★★★★
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a mystery published before you were born; 1923)

It's a month of firsts for me, and here I started with the first in new-to-me Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey series. Gentlemen of his class aren't expected to take up employment, and some view his involvement with crime of bad taste, but he can't help getting wrapped up in a good case of murder. This one is a doozy: a man is found laying in the bath at an architect's home completely naked, save for the presence of a pince-nez perched on his nose. The architect can't have committed the murder and the body strangely resembles Sir Reuben Levy, a powerful banker who has disappeared overnight. I liked the ongoing construction of the Lord Wimsey character and the many incongruous elements of the story that Sayers weaved in for us were very entertaining.

Category #9: En Français

La femme au miroir by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt ★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #8: an author I've only read ONE book from)

Three different women, three different time periods and destinies, but what if they are one and the same? This is what we are meant to reflect upon as we read the alternating narratives, which start with beautiful Anne, in Bruges, sometime in the 16th century. She is getting ready for her wedding day, and everyone envies Anne her gorgeous fiancé, especially her cousin Ida, who envies her beyond all common sense. But Anne is more interested in staring at butterflies and the way a ray of sun spreads across the room, and soon she is running away to freedom and nature to hide in the woods and commune with an ancient tree. Some think she has the makings of a saint. Others think she is in league with the devil.

Hanna is living in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century. She has just married into one of the wealthiest and most prestigious families of the upper classes. Her husband adores her and desires her constantly; every night she goes to concerts and performances of the highest caliber, when she's not invited to elegant dinner parties; she wears to most up-to-date fashions, and her private fortune can afford her every luxury, yet she is unhappy and deeply neurotic. A relative introduces her to a strange new fad called psychoanalysis. She can't be seen by Freud himself because he is a Jew and good families don't mix with those people, but things are arranged for her to meet with one of his disciples.

Then there is Anny. She's the hottest commodity in Hollywood and her favourite pastime is drinking, taking drugs, and sleeping with every man she can get her hands on. Things quickly get out of control and an accident lands her in hospital where she meets Ethan, a male nurse who wants to help her get healthy, but will her publicist let her make the right choices?

I have mixed feelings about this book. One the one hand, I was captivated with the stories of both Anne of Bruges and Hanna in 20th century Vienna. All three women have independent spirits and are at odds with what society expects of them. Or at least, Anna and Hanna are, but Anny seemed like too much of a cliché of the kind we see in tabloids every day, and I couldn't stop the image of Lindsay Lohan forming in my mind every time her turn came around. But Schmitt writes beautifully and since his Mr. Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran—the only other book I've read by him so far—he can do no wrong in my eyes. This is his latest venture and a hot commodity on the French market. It should make it's way to the English world before too long. I'd be surprised if it didn’t: it's got too much bestseller potential not to.

I just completed two categories with these latest books. So far, I've completed four categories, I have 5 categories that are on the verge of completion, and two categories that need a little bit of work still. 13 books to go. I wonder if I'll get there? I'll try. I've got several books completed that just need to be written up, so maybe I will. If not, there's always next year.

I've just come by to cheer you on, Ilana. Glad to see you enjoyed Whose Body, I've become quite a fan of Lord Peter - of course, I'd dump him tomorrow if his excellent valet would give me the time of day.

I have a couple of Ngaio Marsh Omnibus in my TBR and I had hoped to read some of her this year, but I don't think I am going to be able to fit her in, maybe next year.

>#149 I have both of those waiting on the shelf and your reviews make me want to grab them. I've only read one from Marsh, Overture To Death, and it was a good one.

#152 Hi Judy, thanks for the encouragement! Your comment about Lord Peter makes me smile. I believe the problem with society today is that nobody has personal valets anymore. And if they do, they call them "personal assistants" which isn't quite the same, is it? ;-)

#153 I'm glad you mention enjoying Overture to Death Jennifer, because that happens to be in my audio library as well (unabridged, this time, as it should be!)

Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better - completes category!

♫ Brighton Rock by Graham Greene ★★★★¾
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #3: found by mashing 2 tags—one seldom-used, one much-used; Brighton, England)

"Fred" Hale is about to lose his life, and he knows it. He tries to put off the inevitable murder he knows he's brought on himself by befriending Ida, a curvy broad he's just met at a bar, and asking her to tag along for the day. But the second she's got her back turned, "Fred" disappears for good. Pinkie, a young sociopath barely out of his teens is the new gang boss, and one little murder is no skin off his nose, but he wants to make sure he's got his tracks covered, so he romances Rose, waitress and just a kid, as she'd seen Fred that fateful day, and the last thing Pinkie needs is a witness. Rose falls head over heels for Pinkie's rough ways, so now Pinkie must decide between committing another murder or marrying the girl. But marriage is forever, isn't it? And with Ida sniffing around and asking lots of questions, things get harder and harder to keep under wraps.

An excellent novel by a writer who quickly became one of my all-time favourites, this story boasts a cast of wonderfully flawed characters, and the gripping tension doesn't let you go from beginning to end as the protagonists try to make the choices between what they think to be right or wrong according to their own priorities, even as they fear the wrath of a God they're not sure how to serve. The audiobook version narrated by actor Samuel West is a treat not to be missed.

I'm sad to admit that I've only read 2 of Graham Greene's books so far but Brighton Rock is one of them and I'm glad you enjoyed it too. Despite Pinkie not being the most likeable character, his fate really grips hold of you until the end.

#156 I've only read one more than you so far, though I have three more to read in my library currently, and many more on my wishlist. I'd heard many good things about this one, without really having any clear idea of what it's about, and have to say that despite the dark subject matter and that vile Pinkie I was completely taken with it.

That sounds really good, and though I've read lots and lots of books set in England, I don't think I've read one set in Brighton. Good review and it's going on the list.

I think if you've going to read one book by Graham Greene, then this is a good one to go with. As for me, I'll try to read everything by him I can get my hands on!

Isn't it a nice boost of encouragement when you complete a category.... You are making good progress Ilana!

Thank you Lori! One very likely scenario is that I'll be completing some categories before posting my reviews as I'm always at least 10 days to a couple of weeks behind on those. I think I'll complete them all save one, but we'll see.

Category #2: Classic French Authors

♫ Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac ★★★★
(Also read for November TIOLI Challenge #3: tagmash; 19th c, poverty)

When an elegant Monsieur Goriot first moves into Mamade Vauquer's shabby boarding house, the middle-aged woman is impressed with his expensive clothes, and the costly furniture and accessories he has brought with him to his ample rooms, which are among the best her humble lodgings have to offer. She considers he might be a good prospect for her, but in very little time, Goriot is visibly reduced, has moved into her cheapest quarters and sold off all his silverware, and she, along with the other lodgers take to making fun of the old man to his face, and accusing him of seeing prostitutes when two elegant ladies come to visit him on occasion. The truth is that the old man has given away all his worldly possessions so that his two grown daughters could have the best of everything and be important members of the Parisian high society of the early 19th century. Only one of Old Goritot's fellow lodgers, Eugene de Rastignac, a young law student, takes a real interest in the old man, and before long, the ambitious youth finds himself wrapped up in Goriot's family drama. A searing criticism about a society more interested in appearances than in individual wellbeing, and a moving portrayal of the lengths to which a father will go out of love for his daughters.

Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages - completes category!

♫ American Gods by Neil Gaiman ★★½
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #3: found by mashing 2 tags; one seldom-used, one much-used)

I consider myself a Neil Gaiman fan, but not all his material appeals to me, and this is one book that I won't likely be revisiting. The very idea of reviewing it and having to say that a man named Shadow comes out of prison a day early when his wife is murdered to be approached by a man named Wednesday who seems to know everything about him and hires him as his sidekick, and then turns out to be a god involved in a battle between the gods of old and the new gods (of drugs, internet, etc) is just... *ugh*. Sorry, can't do it. Two-and-a-half stars, because there were lots of brilliant flashes, but on the whole, I dreaded and couldn't wait for the end. The fact that the tenth anniversary edition I listened to on audio was supplemented with 12,000 words that were cut out from the original edition probably didn't help much.






Category #5: Books Published Since 2009 - completes category!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★
(Group read, also read for November TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book with an animal mentioned on page 50)

A very appealing story set in the late 19th century, about two young magicians who are pitted against each other in a contest which was imposed on them in childhood and to which they don't know the rules nor how the winner will be chosen. The characters are engaging and the descriptions of Le Cirque de Rêves, which is the venue in which both magicians can show off their talents truly is enchanting. One wishes one could climb into the pages of the book and explore it for oneself. For all that, I found there were aspects of this novel which prevented me from being fully engaged. A certain superficiality perhaps. I kept seeing the circus in my mind's eye, and the story unfolded as if in a movie, which is a good quality, but somehow it failed to touch my soul. All the same, a greatly entertaining read and I wouldn't be surprised to see the film version before long.

I definitely read Pappa Goriot in Swedish at Uni and remember absolutely nothing! Due for a reread.

I loved American Gods when I read it a long-long time ago, but it too is on the reread list - I won't be going for the new (12,000-extra-words) version, though.

I had a similar experience of The Night Circus - I thought it was absolutely beautiful, but I only accepted being so "removed" from the characters because the narrator addresses me in the beginning as a circus-visitor. I hope she doesn't use that particular function for her next book. And, yes, the movie may be absolutely fantastic! :)

>163 Smiler69: I thought pretty much the same about American Gods. It's interesting to me that you've liked other works of Gaiman's. American Gods was my first trial of his books, and based on it, I haven't been inclined to try others. Do you have a recommendation?

I guess I'm going to have to try The Night Circus. It still doesn't sound appealing to me, but it's certainly getting good reviews!

#164 Eva, I'll never know whether I would have enjoyed American Gods more if I'd read the original, shorter version as I don't think I'll ever want to revisit that book again, but "never say never" I guess.

Interesting observation about The Night Circus. I felt it was very fun but also rather shallow, but then I guess as a visitor, one wouldn't be exposed to the deeper aspects of things. I still enjoyed it a lot, but more depth would have made it a truly exceptional read for me. Then again, some books are meant to just be light and fun reading.

#165 My first Neil Gaiman experience was with The Graveyard Book, which I heartily recommend. I followed that up with Neverwhere, which I also liked, but the former was a five-star read for me, a rating I'm very stingy about bestowing. But I understand your reticence. I've commented on my other thread that had I started with American Gods, I too wouldn't have been tempted to discover his other work.

The Night Circus is good fun. I don't know that I'd say it's a 'must read', but it's a good one. It answers the question 'what if magic were real?' in a very appealing way and presents a wonderful fantasy. But don't feel bad if it ends up not being your thing. I think it's a good thing that not everybody agrees on any one book.

Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions - Completes Category!

♫ Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell ★★★★⅞
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book for your 11 in 11 challenge)

This was a re-read for me, and last time I read the novel and saw the movie was, fittingly enough, back in 1984 during my high-school days. Thanks to my faulty memory and the accumulation of years, I remembered virtually nothing of the story, save for a few crucial and indelible parts, so it was like discovering a new novel all over again. What amazed us then and continues to amaze now is how much foresight Orwell had. Big Brother might not have the same face as that displayed in the ubiquitous posters in the story, but he is among us and rules our world. Or that's how I feel about it when in a more cynical mood. In other ways, one can't help but feel relieved that there is a thing such as the "free world" which none of us should take for granted.

The story itself seems very basic. A man called Winston Smith is an intellectual working for the Party in the land of Oceania. Life is strictly regimented for Party members with tv screens everywhere observing their every move and seemingly able to read their very thoughts as well. Winston remembers a time in childhood before the Party had taken over, but this is his damnation. Because in the current world of Big Brother, the past is continually being edited and re-edited to fit the latest ideology embraced by the Party, and Big Brother must always be made to look as though his foresight is infallible, hence, a full-time job re-writing newspaper articles and entire books and changing photos and burning any evidence which might prove that the Party isn't all that it claims to be. Enter Julia, a woman whom Winston first thinks might be spying on him. In this world, children are raised to spy on their parents and deliver them to the hands of the Though Police if they are found to deviate in any way from the Party line. But Julia ends up being opposed to the party, a subversive who takes chances yet embodies all that the Party most prizes: complete adherence to it's principles, wherein only the Party must dominate and the individual be quashed to fit into a militaristic mould, in a world wherein the reigning slogans are WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Winston and Julia become lovers, which in and of itself is a subversive act, because in Oceania, sex is not something to be enjoyed, but endured for the sake of bringing new Party members into the world. It is self-evident that things must turn out badly for the pair, and they do, though they both know from the beginning that the Ministry of Love, which is in charge of torturing dissidents to death, will catch them them sooner or later.

The concepts and terms in this book are difficult to describe and explain neatly in a short review. Even for those who have never been exposed to this work before, there are many notions which are familiar, because they have become part of the vernacular since the publication of the novel in 1949, such as Big Brother, Doublethink, Thoughtcrime and Newspeak. There is no question that Orwell's ideas were informed by the Soviet and Nazi totalitarian regimes of his time, and yet he clearly understood that all such regimes share common belief systems at the core.

I loved the fist three quarters of the novel, which took us into Winston's mind, his workplace and routines and describe this bleak world he is an observer and unwilling participant of. The final part of the novel, which takes us into the nightmarish edifice of the Ministry of Love, and describes the inhumane treatment Winston is subjected to in order to "rehabilitate" him, is hard to witness, especially when one knows that similar treatment has, and continues to take place in many parts of the world, so that I was quite anxious for the suffering to end. All the same, this is an excellent novel, and a very important one which should be required reading for everyone as an effective argument for why freedom of speech and thought and movement are things none of us should take for granted and must seek to defend at all cost.

The audio version narrated by Samuel West is highly recommended.

Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction - Completes Category!

♫ Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie ★★★
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book for your 11 in 11 challenge)

This Agatha Christie novel came highly recommended, and I must admit that the appeal of reading and AC novel which DOESN'T feature either Poirot or Miss Marple was appealing, since I'd never indulged in any of those before. When a man is discovered at the bottom of a cliff in the last minutes before his death, the only clue to his demise are his last words: "Why didn't they ask Evans?". Bobby and Francis, two young inhabitants of the village where the presumed accident has taken place, can't resist the opportunity to uncover what aristocratic and thrill-seeking Francis hopes is a vile crime, and together they set about getting involved in what is a highly convoluted, yet satisfying plot, involving a young woman who's picture is found in the victim's pocket, and a suspicious temperamental doctor who runs a clinic for drug addicts. I would have given this mystery novel a higher rating were it not for the dialogue, which I found painfully bad. This was probably emphasized by the fact that I took in the audiobook version, but is in no way attributable to the narrator, who did a very competent job. Definitely recommended for Agatha Christie fans. Less so for newcomers.

Only 7 books left if I'm to complete all my categories with 11 books, but this is looking less and less likely. The biggest surprise for me is that I haven't completed the Visual Arts category—I felt sure that one would be done with first, who knew?

Two more categories completed and with only 7 books left I would say you are on the home stretch for your challenge Ilana! As for the Visual Arts category, maybe you were saving the 'best for last'???

I need to read 1984 as well! How many of those should-reads are there in the world? An infinite amount, it seems. :)

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is one of my favorite Christies - sorry you didn't enjoy the dialogue. It's not something I remember from reading it, but, like you say, any flaw in dialogue will be so much more obvious in audio format.

#170 You might be right Lori, but somehow I doubt I'll manage to make time for all the visual arts books I had in mind for this month. Oh well, there's always next year, right? ;-)

#171 An infinite amount is right Eva! Every time I manage to strike one off the list, it seems that a least two dozen more crop up. Isn't it wonderful?

I used to be a big Christie fan in my teens, and now I mostly enjoy her as comfort reading and don't expect too many surprises from her, but I may yet be surprised on that count.

I've spent this past year reading Christie with a book group, one a month in order of publication, something which will take about another two years to finish.
I did like Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, especially the ending, but I'm finding that for every two great books from her, there's one that's a clunker for me. Still, when she was good, she was very, very good.

>132 Smiler69: (yes, I am THAT behind!) Wow, haven't thought about The old child in probably ten years, but your review stirs up vivid memories of it that I didn't even know I had. Pretty cool when that happens! (Which is part of why I keep a reader's journal, and review on LT. A few lines can jot a memory pretty impressively!)

#173 I was a huge Agatha Christie fan as a teenager and though I didn't read ALL her books, did get through quite a lot of them. I can't say I get the same enjoyment out of them these days, though I've been discovering a few other classic female authors from her period. Generally, I like these kinds of light murder mysteries as a sort of palate cleanser between more demanding novels.

#174 No worries about being behind Anders, I'm just happy that you've dropped by at all. I have a hard time keeping up with everyone, especially as I'm active on the 75 Book Challenge group which takes up a lot of my time. I decided to write reviews for everything I read for the same reasons you do, because if I don't, they just get lost in a blur of faded memories.

Category #4: Visual Arts

Vermeer: The Complete Works by Arthur K. Wheelock ★★★½
(Also read for TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book with 5 or fewer reviews)

An overview of all the known works by the 17th century Dutch artist with short descriptive texts accompanying each painting, which explain some of the highlights to look out for. This large-format volume includes a short biography of Vermeer at the beginning and the reproductions are beautifully reproduced in large full colour plates.

*****

How it's possible that I haven't completed the visual arts category so far, I really don't know. I'll try to fit in one or two more before year's end. Not sure if I'll manage to actually read them (i.e. not cheat), but wish me luck! :-)

Ilana,

A very Merry Christmas to you, my talented Canadian friend!

I hope you found a couple picture books to finish that category - there must be books with no text at all. LOL! Hope you have a great new years!!

#177 Laura, a very belated thank you. I'll pass by your thread soon to wish you happy new year.

#178 Eva, I decided that not finishing all the categories wasn't such a big deal. After all, when I started I hadn't determined a specific amount of books (or maybe it was just 5 I think), so by that standard, I've done a great job! :-)

eta: what am I saying?! I have read more than enough books to complete the visual arts category! Will post reviews now.

Category #2: Classic French Authors

♫ Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert ★★★⅔

Three short stories by Flaubert, each with very different themes, were a very good introduction to the scope of this giant of French literature. Un cœur simple or Le perroquet, known as A Simple Heart in English, narrates the life story of a servant called Félicité, who, having experienced a great romantic deception in her youth, devotes her life to her employer Mme Aubain and her children. When she inherits a live parrot, the animal becomes the recipient of all Félicité's love and passion, even once it passes away, when Félicité has him sent to a taxidermist so she can keep the bird by her side until her dying days. An interesting story about selfless love and devotion. ★★★★

The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier tells the story of how a young man who loved to kill animals for pleasure eventually became a saint. After having killed a mouse as a child, Julian, the son of noble parents develops a taste for killing and takes to hunting with a vengeance. He loves to massacre large quantities of animals without a shadow of remorse. One day, after an especially bloody carnage wherein he massacres an entire valley of deer, he starts having qualms about his favourite hobby, but his reservations dissipate instantly when he spies a family of deer and can't resist killing off the fawn and his mother. When he fails to kill the stag, the animal curses him with the promise that Julian will end up killing both his mother and father. Terrorized that the curse might come true, Julian flees from the parental home, but will he manage to escape his destiny? A great story about redemption, but for animal lovers like me, the scenes of carnage were difficult to stomach, though in retrospect, necessary to tell the story. ★★★★

Hérodias is the retelling of the beheading of St-John the Baptist. I wasn't particularly fond of the religious aspects of the story, but as a historical piece is was interesting, especially with the description of the party Hérodias holds for her new husband Herod Antipas, when guests make themselves vomit between courses so they can continue stuffing their faces; leave it to the Romans to benefit from all the advantages of bulimia without the guilt. Then Salomé arrives on the scene and uses her charms to have John's head served on a platter. Lovely. Very well told, but not my favourite story. ★★★




I've got one more review to write and post for Balzac's Lily in the Valley, which I completed yesterday. But I'll still be short two books in this category.

Category #4: Visual Arts - Completes Category!

Two by Peter Sís
It's hard to describe just how beautiful, richly detailed and meticulously crafted this Czech author/illustrator's style is with screen shots that don't do his work justice, but it's safe to say that I've discovered one of my all-time favourite illustrators in Peter Sís, and that I'll be looking for his work wherever I can find it. Lucky for me, he's been quite prolific in his career and they have quite a few books displaying his work at the library.






Madlenka by Peter Sís ★★★★½

The cover art and short synopsis in no way prepared me for the astounding quality of the work found in this book. Madlenka is a little girl living in the heart of New York City, and one of her teeth is coming loose. She's so excited about this sign of her growing to be a big girl that she rushes out to inform all the various shopkeepers around her block of the exciting news. These shopkeepers are from all corners of the world, from the French pâtissier, to the Italian ice-cream truck man, to the Indian newsstand vendor and so on. As she meets with each of the shopkeepers, she learns about their different cultures. There are two illustration styles, with Madlenka rendered in pastel colours in what appears to also be a pastel medium, and each of the double page illustrations describing what each culture has to offer in a richly detailed and gorgeously deeply coloured etching approach. Which makes for quite an astounding contrast and shows a high level of sophistication. There are two more books in this collection; Madlenka's Dog, and Madlenka Soccer Star both of which are available at my library to my immense satisfaction... though I wouldn't hesitate to purchase either, or all three books to keep and revisit at leisure.










The Three Golden Keys by Peter Sís ★★★★½

This book, written when Sís's daughter was a mere toddler is dedicated to her so that she can look back on part of the rich heritage that he has transmitted to her. Peter Sís was born in Czechoslovakia and was forced to leave his beloved city of Prague when the communists took over in 1968. Here he tells the tale of a man in a balloon, who lands in the middle of the city and sets out to find his childhood home. When he finds it, there are three padlocks keeping the front doors locked. A cat greets him and encourages him to follow her as she takes him to three important landmarks, where the man is handed a scroll and a golden key. Each of the scrolls contains a legend taken from the rich cultural history of Prague. The illustrations, once again, are simply gorgeous, and this books was especially meaningful to me since I visited Prague in the late 90s and was forever transformed by this trip; the book brought me right back to this beautiful and unique place, and I can attest that it is an excellent way to discover Prague right from your living room.

Where do you find all these beautifully illustrated books?! Love the art in both of those!

Great way to finish your Visual Arts category.

#182 Eva, I owe it all to Kerry. She mentions all the fantastic books on her thread and then I don't even bother putting them on my wishlist but just go right ahead and reserve them at the library!

#183 Yes indeed Kerry! I was thinking I couldn't complete this category when I realized, OF COURSE if these books don't count then what does?

Ack! I've just made a list of 8 Peter Sis books to pick up when I'm next at the library!

#185 Heh he! I know, I'll be borrowing more too no later than this week if they make them available to me. He's just awesome.