TOP TEN TUESDAY: Top Ten Books I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks

This week at The Broke and the Bookish, the Top Ten list is books that would make great book club reads. I've never been in a book club (other than the Ramona book club, and that had different criteria), so I'm not sure what makes good book club books, other than you want to talk about them. So, here is a list of book I've wanted to discuss after reading:

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Nature? Nurture? Was she a terrible mother? Was he a terrible kid? The opinions would be varied, and vocal.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
A haunted house? End of the war, clash of the classes.

The Bone People by Keri Hulme
Were they better together? Were they all awful people?

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Great ending, and the idea of memories and families would keep a group talking.

The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly
Myanmar (Burma) and the essense of evil, and passive resistance.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
What the heck happened there?

Unless by Carol Shields
Can a woman ever write a great novel? Are women diminished in society? What does it mean to be 'good'? What did all those chapter titles mean?

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
Will the future be that bad? Envirionmentalism?

The Unnamed  and Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Is this author the next big thing? How can he write two such different and yet amazing books?

What great books has your book club discussed?

BOOK: House of Orphans by Helen Dunmore

House of Orphans by Helen Dunmore, 329 pages

Orange January: Longlist 2006; 2nds Reading Challenge

Setting: Finland, the Grand Duchy of Finland under Russian rule, 1901. The first half of the book was in the northern countryside; the second half in the bustling, volatile Helsinki

Characters: Thomas, widowed country doctor; Eeva, the orphaned daughter of a revolutionist/communist; Lauri, Eeva's childhood friend, still idealistic; Lotta, old friend of Thomas, married but unhappy; Sashi, Russian rabble-rouser

What I Liked: The characters were complex and likable. Eeva was a child who had a bad experience being sent to the orphanage, but recognized her true self, and wouldn't compromise. Really, a modern confident woman of uncompromising principles. Thomas was very sad, but also very kind, trying to find some happiness but no clue how to get there. In situations of unrest, people can often take advantage, and I expected terrible things to happen, but Thomas and Eeva never did. Some of the minor characters, like Lotta and Sashi made sketchier choices.
The Historical Context at the end was very helpful to understanding what Dunmore was writing about, and why.
The food was also well described, and the nature and traditions. The sense of Finland really came through.

What I Didn't Like: the ending! After developing all these characters, describing the history of 1900s Finland and the conditions leading up to the Russian revolution and the Finnish civil war, the ending was way too vague. Ninety percent of the book was clear and so well done, but I would have liked a more explicit ending.

Would I Recommend It? I think so, especially if you are okay with endings that are more up in the air. I did enjoy the whole bit, up to the 'ending'.

BOOK: Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan

Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan, 308 pages

Canadian Book Challenge 5; Giller Prize Winner 2011; Man Booker Shortlist 2011

Esi Edugyan has been aptly recognized for her wonderful book, Half Blood Blues. The way she strings together the phrases and descriptions of music was wondrous. The slang of an American blues man living in Germany in the early 1940s was smooth, all those janes and jacks and licorice sticks. Here she has Sid Griffiths, the narrator, describe Delilah as she sings:

She swung the thick, strong rope of her voice round the words, coming down hard on them, cinching them together. Then she flung the notes bold up in the air, high and horn-like. But her voice was at its core a sailor's voice, rough and mannish. Her notes bitter croaks, filled with muddy regret. p 122

Made me want to listen to some blues music.

There are several sections to this novel, both past and present. There's late 1930s Germany (grim) and then the escape to Paris by most of the members of a blues band, including Hiero 'The Kid' Falk, the genius black German trumpeter. Time in occupied Paris is told forward and back, and in some ways reminded me of Suite Francaise, it felt so real. Sid is not the genius musician that Hiero, or even Chip, his buddy, which leads to some jealousy and decisions that Sid must look back on. He's telling his story sixty years later, through older eyes.

A well-written collection of characters set during a fractious time.

TA Publishers left me a link to a discussion, and a playlist picked out by Esi Edugyan

CHALLENGE: New Authors 2012

I like to keep a list of new authors each year. Literary Escapism is hosting again - here's the info page and sign-up link.

The challenge will run from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.



Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels. Anthologies are a great way to try someone new, but only a third of your new authors can be from anthologies.

I want this to be an easy challenge, so you can pick to do either 15, 25 or 50 new authors.
After reading your new author, write your review and then come back here and add your link to Mr. Linky.
 
Here's the  NEW authors I read:
1. Hilary Mantel (The Giant, O'Brien)
2. Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers)
3. Esi Edugyan (Half-Blood Blues)
4. Stef Penney (Tenderness of the Wolves)
5.
 
 
Debut Authors (no other books to read!)
1.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books I've Read But Never Wrote a Review For

It's a freebie week, so I looked at some past topics and decided to list ten books I've read but never wrote a review for. I'm sure this was meant to be about books that were read BB (before blogging) but I've got a bunch from last year that I never wrote a review for, mostly because I decided I wasn't going to feel like I had to write reviews for every book I read, just ones I felt like. No guilt.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, 150 pages

Man Booker Challenge; winner 2011

I got in line quickly at the library, and I know I read it quickly, but all I can remember is that a guy is remembering some event, there's another couple, something to do with the woman, and he never understood really what was going on.
Yeah, that's pretty vague, so I guess it didn't stick with me.

The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjowall, Per Wahloo, 183 pages

Mystery and Suspense Challenge; (book 2 of 10 in Martin Beck series)

I enjoy this series, especially as it reminds me so much of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series that I read back in the 1980s. Set in Sweden, with a devoted cop, this series is considered the beginning of crime writing. Very gritty, but I don't remember details of the crime from books I read. I tend to remember what is going on in the cops' lives. In this one, the cop's family goes on vacation without him, and his wife is not impressed that he went back to the city, and then Turkey,  for a job. Their marriage is teetering.

The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives by Cheryl Jarvis, 210 pages

One of the few non-fiction books I read last year. A number of women decide to buy, and share, a diamond necklace. Apparently the necklace was gorgeous, as everyone swooned when they saw it and was transformed when they wore it. Each woman brought a different life experience and expectation, and there were conflicts, but they mostly got along. My biggest problem was that I didn't identify as much with the women, mostly because they were all in their fifties, and just at a different life stage. I was surprised at that, but I guess my fifties will be different from my forties. It was an enjoyable read, but I didn't get the uplifting feeling that the author was trying for, even as she explained it as more than a piece of jewellry.

The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri, 270 pages

This is the thirteenth book I've read in the series. Clearly I like them, and how many times can I mention how enjoyable this series is? The food, the comical cop, the excellent endnotes by the translator, Montalbano and his existential angst at aging, what ever the mystery it - it's all good, and I want to go to Sicily.

Einstein for Beginners by Joseph Schwartz, Michael McGuinness, 169 pages

Science Book Challenge; Graphic Novels

This was good, I put it in my classroom, tells the story of Einstein in a comic/graphic novel format. I remembering liking it, but that there were weird shifts in perspective in the writing that accompanied pictures.

Mothers and Sons by Colm Toibin, 309 pages

Ireland Reading Challenge

After reading Brooklyn two years ago, I liked Toibin's writing style enough to keep him on my 'read another one' list of authors. The Ireland Reading Challenge was just the push I needed to start that Toibin book, Mothers and Sons,  I had picked up.  That's what I like about reading challenges - they remind me of books or authors I've wanted to read.

Very Irish, if your Irish stories are a little bleak, but literary. Toibin writes in a very easy manner, so that I easily got into the stories. In each story is a mother and son, none in a great relationship.

also reviewed: lizzysiddal at lizzy's literary life;

What I Was by Meg Rosoff, 209 pages

A bit of a Seperate Peace story, British boarding school gone bad. There was a really creepy vibe throughout, and I do remember the big reveal at the end, which I was pretty sure about, but it was still good. One of those books where the children are living pretty much adult free somehow and setting up there own life. Great setting along the Eastern sea in the 1960s.

A Window in Copacabana by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, 242 pages

an Inspector Espinosa Mystery (book 4 of 7); Global Reading Challenge

I enjoy spending time in the Copacabana neighbourhood of Rio with Inspector Espinosa. He's a reader of mysteries, and a thinker, one of those cops much like Inspector Montalbano with no family but loyal cops. As usual, I can't remember the mystery, but I liked the book.

Children of the Street by Kwei Quartey, 335 pages

2nds Challenge; Global Reading Challenge: Ghana

Ghana is the setting for the second Darko Dawson mystery. Still good, still modern with old customs. A colleague of mine did a student teaching session in Ghana, so we've been sharing this series. When she returned the book, she included some Ghanian proverbs, from the proverb book mentioned in the mystery.

1. Madness is supernatural but stupidity depends on you.
2. If you don't have a leg to stand on, you can't put your foot down.
3. Better alone than in ill company.
Those are pretty awesome, and so is the series. Can't wait for the next book!
also reviewed by Joy of thoughts of joy


A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore, 312 pages

Orange July (winner 1996); Gothic Reading Challenge

Another one I liked but have vague memories of. Britain, orphaned children or at the very least ignored, strange relationship between siblings, creepy castle. I wish I remembered more.

also reviewed: carrie at nomadreader; jessica at park benches and bookends; laura at musings by laura;

LIST: More books and authors I Can't Tell Apart

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, by Ann Weisgarber










The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart

I think the titles are far too similar!

The Bastard of Istanbul, by Elif Shafak
The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer


It doesn't help that both books are listed together on the Orange longlist of 2008 so I always read their titles at the same time, they also both conjure images of the Middle East.

 

 












The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
The Sentimentalists by  Johanna Skidsrud

Both were award winning books (Giller Prize Winner for Skidrud and NY Times Notable List and Giller longlist for Rachman) and have the same type of title.


What about you? Do you confuse these pairs of books? Are there others that you confuse? It is actually really hard to come up with these, because you don't realize that they are two different books!

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read Mysteries

The subject this week over at The Broke and the Bookish is the top ten books you'd recommend to someone who doesn't read stuff in your genre. My favorite genre would be mysteries, so here are my amazon reccommendations. As in, if you've read this book, why not try this book?


1. If you liked Eat Pray Love, try:

The Number One Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
For readers who like meditative books; for readers who like travel books (it's set in Botswana)


2. If you liked Bell Canto by Ann Patchett, try:

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
For readers who like character-driven literature; fans of British books; for psychologists who study how present behaviour is dependent on past events


3. If you liked The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, try:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
Millions of readers can't be wrong!; for readers who like intrigue; for readers who like to be in on the latest trends (Scandinavian crime is all the rage)


4. If you liked Bridget Jones' Diary try:

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
For readers of humor; for readers of chick-lit (Spellman keeps a diary)


5. If you liked Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, try:

Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey
For sociologists and anthropologists (Detective Darko Dawson has to blend the traditions of Ghana with modern society); fans of African literature


6. If you liked Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, try:

Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters
For readers of historical books; (it's set in 1140s England);


7. If you liked  Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, try:

Callender Square by Anne Perry
For readers of Victorian literature


8. If you liked Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, try:

A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
readers who like to improve their vocabulary; readers who aren't afraid of an epic novel and series; fans of British peerage


9. If you liked Independent People by Haldor Laxness, try:

Tainted Blood by Arnaldur Indridason
readers who are intrigued by modern day Iceland; 


10. If you have never read any mysteries, this is the one to start with:


Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Classic mystery by the master; for fans of trains

BOOK: The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, 326 pages

Canadian Book Challenge 5; Giller Prize Shortlist 2012; Man Booker Shortlist 2012

Really liked it. Very funny in a dark way. Eli and Charlie Sister are hitmen in the 1840s. It's a western, during the California Goldrush, must be 1849 - thanks football Forty-Niners!

Eli narrates, and is having some existential issues with being a pyschopathic killer. Charlie is not so keen on getting out of the business. Eli has a sad horse, having gotten the bad end of the deal when they picked up some horses, probably after the brothers killed the owners. Eli figures this is his last job for the Commodore, their shadowy boss.

People who make their livings double-crossing other people have a hard time doing anything other than killing everyone around them, since they fear they will be double-crossed as well. That made the brother relationship all the more powerful. Lots of violence, lots of killing - it is a western after all, not that I've read many westerns. But what I liked about the book was that the western aspect was just the parameters to examine the relationship between the brothers; it could just as easily been modern day, like Pulp Fiction. Not a bad comparison.

The trappers, meanwhile, were unhappy we had usurped their glory with the she-bear and were, I felt, preparing to exhibit rudeness. To thwart this I introduced Charlie and myself, our full names, which silenced them. Now they will hate us ever more virulently, but secretly, I thought. Charlie found these men amusing, and could not help but make a comment. ‘It seems you four are involved in a kind of contest to become totally circular, is that it?

Other than two brief intermissions that seemed like dreams (I never like dreams in books) the book was a quick enjoyable read with lots to recommend. I don't even know what made it so good, I just know when I like a book.

BOOK: Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen, 377 pages

Orange January (1998 Longlist); 2nds Challenge (Every Last One)

The first line of the book lets you know what this book is going to be about, "The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old." Francie Bennedetto has finally made the decision to leave her abusive husband, and is given a new life and name by a woman's network. Francie and her son relocate to Florida, but the specter of her New York City cop husband hangs over them. You know he will track them down. And the first part of this Orange nominated novel felt very predictable. I kept feeling like I had read this before. But at some point that fell away, and I enjoyed the book more than I originally expected.

Quindlen writes her characters very well, and Francie's evolution and growth felt natural. She protects her son, makes some new friends, and comes to terms with her decision. I can't imagine what it would be like, or how awful it must be, to live in fear. Francie was willing to give up her own family and job and name in order to protect her son and try to let him live a safer life.

This was an Oprah pick in 1998, and it feels like it. Empowering woman, rising above, taking your life back. There is a woman's fiction (whatever that might be!) feel to the book. Quindlen's care for her characters and unwillingness to write the spectacular dramatic ending, keeps this book from falling into Danielle Steele territory. The ending was good, even satisfying because I couldn't tell for sure how it would go, and it made sense, and wasn't completely happy. Like life can be.

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY: Interview, Part 2

But enough about interviewing other people. It’s time I interviewed YOU.

1. What’s your favorite time of day to read?
In bed at night, or on a summer afternoon on the deck swing

2. Do you read during breakfast? (Assuming you eat breakfast.)
I have been known to read the paper or the cereal box during breakfast.

3. What’s your favorite breakfast food? (Noting that breakfast foods can be eaten any time of day.)
Eggs Benedict if I'm at a restaurant; Captain Crunch for cereal, but I love breakfast food all around. (eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, toast, bagels, french toast, etc)

4. How many hours a day would you say you read?
Depends what day it is, but half hour to one hour sounds about right.

5. Do you read more or less now than you did, say, 10 years ago?
I have read more since I started blogging.

6. Do you consider yourself a speed reader?
I read pretty fast.


7. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I tell my physics classes I would like "diffraction eyes", (the ability to see around corners, like sound diffracts around objects) but that is more about making the point about how and which waves diffract.

8. Do you carry a book with you everywhere you go?
I do indeed.

9. What KIND of book?
Whatever book I'm reading right now. Unless it's a super large book, in which case I'll look for an easy to carry paperback.

10. How old were you when you got your first library card?
I can't remember

11. What’s the oldest book you have in your collection? (Oldest physical copy? Longest in the collection? Oldest copyright?)
I've got a box of books from elementary school, plus a really old Rainbow Valley by LM Montgomery.

12. Do you read in bed?
 I do!

13. Do you write in your books?
I don't!

14. If you had one piece of advice to a new reader, what would it be?
 Well, since a new reader should be about six years old, I'd suggest trying a Junie B Jones book.

15. What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask? (Actually, leave the answer to this one in the comments on this post, huh? So I can find them when I need inspiration!)
 

LIST: Top Ten Tuesday: Write Another One Already!

It's my first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday. I quite enjoy reading the lists that people put together. Lists are the best. The topic this week:  Write Another One Already!

1. Maeve Binchy - I remember reading that she was retiring, but then Minding Frankie came out. So, she has hinted at retirement, but hopefully she has a few more books in her. I've read everything already, and her books and characters are like comfort food.

2. Brian Selznick - I loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret, scooped up Wonderstruck as soon as it was released. We're waiting for another blend of prose and illustrations.

3. Bernice Morgan - One of my favorite authors, she wrote the iconic series Random Passage and Waiting for Time, and then another historical Newfoundland book, Cloud of Bone. Marvelous reads!

4. Hugh Laurie - Has anyone else read The Gun Seller? It's very funny, and involved, an espionage thriller with a dash of humor. Classic Laurie. But I think it's the only novel he's written, which is too bad.

5. Tracey Chevalier - I've really liked all her historical novels, and with only two left (Remarkable Creatures and Burning Bright), I'd like there to be a few more waiting for me.

6. Josh Brazzell (Beat the Reaper) There must be more adventures of this doctor in the witness protection program, the potential is too great to stop at one. Brazell is a doctor with a wicked sense of humor

7. Joshua Ferris (Then We Came to the End, The Unnamed) - I've really enjoyed his first two books; they were very different in style and characters, so I'd love to see his next effort.

8. Andrew Davidson (The Gargoyle) I was leery of picking this one up, but I fell on the love-it side of the argument. The ambition of this book, and the love stories. I'd love to read what else Davidson could write.

9. Arnaldur Indridason (the Reyjevik mysteries) - It might not be Indridason I'm impatient about. I'm pretty sure there are a few more already written in Icelandic - it's the translator that needs to hurry up. The last we heard of Erlunder, he was off in the country, as he wasn't even in the last book, so hurry up!

10. Helen Simonson (Major Pettigrew's Last Stand) How have we only enjoyed one of her books? Major Pettigrew was such a wonderful character, and the book was so charming, I'd love to read another one.

Bonus:  Carol Shields Obviously, it would be great to have another book written by Carol. Her death in 2003 left a huge hole in literature. I wish I had read her books before this past year.

What authors would you put on your list? Head on over to The Broke and the Bookish to link up and to see what everyone else is saying!

BOOK: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson, 724 pages

2nds Reading Challenge

I read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo over a year ago (eep!) almost two years ago and I bought this one to read soon after. Of course, once I had it, it looked so huge that I kept putting it off. I had forgotten how page-turnable the series is, because once I actually started this on New Year's Day, I flew through the seven hundred pages. I actually liked this second book better than the first one.

The first book introduced Mikael Blomvist and Lisbeth Salander, the reporter and the angry girl. The case that brought them together was sadistic and violent and pretty terrible. The original title of the first book was Men Who Hate Women, which pretty much is a good summary of the second book as well. I really liked the structure of this book as well. The first part reintroduces Lisbeth, and she becomes a fairly sympathetic character. She's anti-social, and can be very violent, but she has a strict moral code of her own, and she develops very deep attachments with a few people. Blomvist is now a more famous journalist, and is working with a couple to investigate sex crimes in Sweden. When a murder occurs, and Lisbeth appears to be the main suspect, the chase is on. The police, the journalists, and some of Lisbeth's friends all try to solve the crime, while Lisbeth is on the loose.

I could not put this down, and the reveals are spaced just far enough apart to keep the pages turning. Other than a slightly unbelievable event at the end, Lisbeth was an amazingly smart protagonist. I liked how Larsson paced the book, and I can see how the three books work as a series. I think the third book will now try to solve the whole case, drawing us more into Lisbeth and Mikael's world. Will Lisbeth let people help her? Can Mikael solve the crime?  Can't wait!

CHALLENGE: The Heroine's Bookshelf Challenge

The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder by Erin Blakemore, 197 pages

Remember all those great books you read when you were younger? Anne of Green Gables? Little House on the Prairie? Little Women? What did they all have in common - strong heroines, and strong woman authors. Erin Blakemore has gathered these ladies, plus nine more famous books, with female authors and heroines, and written a tribute - to the characters, the authors, and the trait that she identified with each. Then, each book gets a recommended 'literary sister' and an offer of when to read each book. For example, Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, is in a chapter about "Compassion". Read it when you get tired of being yelled at by cable news or with your own little girl. Scout's literary sisters include Lily Owens from The Secret Life of Bees or Meg Murray from A Wrinkle in Time.

I liked everything about this book. I thought it would be more about the books and characters, but the biographies of the authors where often more fascinating. None of them had an easy life, what with being women authors and artists. Even women today don't have an easy time of it - think of the Jonathan Frazen debates, or the Carol Shields' novel, Unless. Having read a majority of the books, I enjoyed reading the most about the author, and the lessons learned in each book. Granted, everyone will get their own lessons from each book, but the ideas Blakemore wrote about, for example - Self (Lizzy Bennett), Dignity (Celie in The Color Purple) or Steadfastness (Jane Eyre) made a lot of sense. It makes you want to re-read all these great books, and search out the literary sisters, because the ones I'd already read seemed like perfect matches. More strong heroines by female authors.

Bibliophibian hosted this last year, but I got the book for this Christmas, and now I have some more books I want to read because of it. Most of these are ones that I've wanted to read at some point, and then having them recc'd in this wonderful book might be the tipping point. Let's call this a long-term project.

1. Emma by Jane Austen (Lizzy's literary sister)
2. The Wreath by Sigrid Undset (Janie's (Their Eyes Were Watching God) literary sister)
3. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibson (Anne's literary sister)
4. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Francie's (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) literary sister)
5. Claudine by Colette
6. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (Claudine's literary sister)
7. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
8. All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor (Laura's literary sister)
9. Rebecca by Daphne DeMaurier (Jane Eyre's literary sister)
10.The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E Lockhart (Jo's literary sister)
11. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (Mary's  (The Secret Garden) literary sister)

CHALLENGE: Random Reader Challenge 2012

Lindsay (of Random House) posted about this new challenge to her blog:

The premise behind the challenge is that RHC will be hosting reading challenges over the year. The first challenge is to read one of the following Historical Fiction books:

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak
The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich
The Salt Road by Jane Johnson
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
Anything in the Outlander or Lord John series by Diana Gabaldon

You’ll have until February 29th to read the books listed above. Once you’ve finished the book, go to the Random House Blog Challenge Post and submit the link to your review and you could win a really great prize that you can read about here!

That's a great list of books! I've seen nothing but raves about Madame Tussaud, The Virgin Cure, and The Paris Wife. Remember also, that there is Venice in February, which makes the Midwife of Venice look intriguing. I'm not sure what book I'll read, but there are lots of options.

I like the idea of reading just one book, but having two months to read it. I also like the list of books to pick from. What a great idea for a challenge! I can't wait to see what the next Random Reader Challenge will be.

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY: Best of 2011

What were your favorite books of 2011?
I found this meme that has been making the rounds, but here's a list of the top rated books I read this year. Ask me tomorrow, and it might change.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Light Lifting - Alexander MacLeod
Henrietta's War - Joyce Dennys
The Tales of Beedle the Bard - JK Rowling
The Redbreast - Jo Nesbo
The Lover's Dictionary - David Levithan
Annabel - Kathleen Winter
The Wife's Tale - Lori Lansens
Coventry - Helen Humphreys
Trackers - Deon Meyer
How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming - Mike Brown
Heads You Lose - Lisa Lutz and David Hayward
Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King
Moonlight Sketches - Gerard Collins
Falling Angels - Tracy Chevalier

And now, the meme:

Best Book:
Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward
This had humor, a mystery, and a concept that was so meta I wanted more. As the authors kept killing each others characters, and their relationship disintegrated, I couldn't stop laughing.

Worst Book:
In a Strange Room: Three Journeys by Damon Galgut (Booker Shortlist 2010)
I don't even know what this book was about. There were parts I kind of liked, but mostly, confused and bored.

Most Disappointing Book:
The Reinvention of Love by Helen Humphreys
After loving Coventry, I was not a fan of the characters or setting of Reinvention of Love

Most Surprising Book: 
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King.
King took a revenge aspect and let (some) of the characters come out on top, without being destroyed. I was only surprised in that King's stories are as good as ever, and he hasn't lost his story-telling touch (and dash of gross) after all these years.

The Book Most Recommended to Others:
Pomegranate Soup by  Marsha Mehran. It was a nice, light book, about sisters in Ireland who came from Iran. I offered this most to my real-life friends, and for fans of Sarah Addison Allen.

Best Series Discovered:
The Janie Quartet by Caroline B Cooney (The Face on the Milk Carton, Whatever Happened to Janie, The Voice on the Radio, What Janie Found)
Once I started reading this young adult dramatics during the summer, I couldn't stop til it ended.

New Mystery Series:
Jo Nesbo's series starring Harry Hole. I only read one, The Redbreast, but as soon as I get a couple other series up to date and under control, I'm diving in to the rest of this great Scandinavian series.

Favorite New Authors Discovered (have to have written more than one book): 
Tana French, Helen Humphreys,

Most Hilarious Read:
Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward


Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book:
Trackers by Deon Meyer
An African thriller with several diverse threads that tied up wonderfully in the end

Most Anticipated Book:  
I seldom buy new books but these are two I bought as soon as they came out: 
Children of the Street by Kwei Quartey - second in the Ghanian Darko Dawson mystery series
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick - beautiful blending of illustrations and story

Favorite Cover:Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. And the story was pretty cute too.


Most Memorable Character:
Mary Gooch in The Wife's Tale. Her life was falling apart, and she found the strength to turn it around and accept herself.

Most Beautifully-Written Book:
Alexander MacLeod's Light Lifting was a wonderfully written collection of short stories.



Book you Can't Believe you Waited Until 2011 to Read:
I didn't read much in the line of classics this year, so Patrick Taylor's Irish Country series has been given great reviews on the blogs for several years now, and I finally read a few.

Favorite Review You Wrote:
The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Best Book Event You Participated in During 2011:
Orange January/July
Jill does such a great job using Facebook and Librarything to connect all the readers. It's almost time for the next one.

Are any of my memorable books from your lists of this year? What were your favorites?

BOOK: Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier

Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier, 402 pages

What a great book to read over the holidays! I flew through this in one day, which shouldn't surprise me, as I have enjoyed all of Tracy Chevalier's books. Girl With the Pearl Earring, The Lady and the Unicorn, and Virgin Blue all were great historical reads, and all very different. I'm a little disappointed that I only have two more of her books to read - Burning Bright and Remarkable Creatures.

Falling Angels was set during the Edwardian period, and chronicles the ten year events of two families, middle-class, dealing with the rapidly changing times. The idea of mourning - the book begins with Victoria's death,  is throughout, and not even just because much of the action takes place in a cemetery. By the time the book ends, mourning periods are not taken quite so seriously. The other aspect of the story was the suffragette movement. One of the mothers was not happy, very stifled, and very lost. She finds her purpose when she gets involved with the suffragettes.

Falling Angels was an easy, engaging novel that transported me to another time and place, and one I like to visit - England. Watching the two girls age from five to fifteen, and seeing the changes that occurred as they grew up was a nice history lesson.

BOOK: A More Perfect Heaven by Dava Sobel

A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos by Dava Sobel, 240 pages

Science Book Challenge

It's good to see Copernicus getting the headline over Galileo, as most people (based on my exposure to high school physics students) are not aware that it was Copernicus who first proposed the heliocentric theory of the planets. His book, On the Revolutions, was not published until he was on his deathbed, and Galileo took most of the heat, and thus fame, for promoting the idea.

Dava Sobel has a good writing style, and I've enjoyed all her books- Planets, Longitude, Galileo's Daughter. A More Perfect Heaven is divided into three sections - the history and biography of Nicholas Copernicus, then a play dramatizing the writing of his book, and finally, the aftermath of his book being published. The history and biography contained a lot of names and facts of life and politics in late 1500s Poland and Europe. As historic and accurate as it was, it was needed to set the characters for the play, "And the Sun Stood Still." The play was a great addition, and while dramatizing nonfiction and putting words in real people that cannot be known is often frowned upon, it makes history come alive, and the facts of the characters were established in part one.

After the play, it was the later chapters that I really enjoyed. That is probably because I teach about Kepler, Brahe, and Galileo in physics, so I was already familiar with much of their stories. Sobel includes many pictures and diagrams from the era, and the sense of life in Europe was conveyed well, including the font chosen for titles.

In Copernicus's day, astrology and astronomy were closed linked and Copernicus tried to separate the prediction stuff out of his planets. I also learned that Copernicus and his star measurements helped to realign the calendar, due to his precise measurements, which was also why his controversial book was never actually banned, because the data was too valuable. Great historical and scientific book.

I won this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer Program.

BOOK: The Canterbury Trail by Angie Abdou

The Canterbury Trail by Angie Abdou, 275 pages

Canadian Book Challenge 5; 2nds Challenge

 I've never read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, although I believe we studied The Miller's poem in grade twelve, so I had to look it up a little bit, just to get all the references in Angie Abou's novel. Set in the ski town of Coalton, BC, a merry band of ski-bums, hippies, and red-necks pilgrimage to the back woods for the last week-end of skiing for the year.

The story is told with a cast of characters, and an introduction, with alternating characters the focus. At times, the characters started to blend on me, but the list at the beginning helped. I'm not sure why they blended, because there were all pretty distinct - skiing realtor, pregnant wife, hippie and her girlfriend, the ski-bums, but the snowmobiling red-necks were the ones I had the hardest time keeping straight. All the characters end up at a cabin that is free for anyone, and spend a crazy night together, dealing with their stereotypes and past relationships. And the drugs.

But in the end, Janet did nothing. She simply tried her best to ignore the whole drugged and horny reality that had enveloped Camelot. It all left Janet happy for her age and her traditional marriage, p237

As I was reading, I kept thinking how I just don't get the drug culture. I must be too old! One of the activities the campers try is to have a story telling contest, which is the point of original Canterbury Tales. Chaucer also used the Tales to comment on the class system, and Abdou has the ski-town classes conflicting here - the locals, the developer, the trustafarian, the working class. The plot meanders and is not linear, like the skiers ascending the mountain top, doubling back and taking different routes. Considering I'm not a skier, not a drug-taker, and never really lived my wild, partying twenties, I did enjoy the book. It's a world I know exists, but like Janet in the quote above, happy for my own reality.

Abdou's book, The Bone Cage was a Canada Reads nominee last year, and widely read (in Canada) but I liked this one better, both for its actual story, and for the literary parallels to its famous original.

Canterbury Tales picture above, and information about the story taken from wikipedia.

CHALLENGE: Series Goals or The Ones I'm Targeting in 2012

Suziqoregon at Whimpulsive is a great blogger and she is always reminding me how much I like series by posting about her serial reading.  Now she is setting her goals for next year, and I am shamelessly copying her and her picture above. Thanks Suzi q!

I've got a few series I'd like to get up to date on, and a few I'd like to make a dent in their list.

Inspector Armand Gamauche by Louise Penny
The most recent release was in September, and I'd like to get up to date before the next one comes out.
Trick of Light

The Number One Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
I made a good effort this year, and it should be no trouble to finish up the last three books in this series. And now I see another will be released!
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
The Double Comfort Safari Club
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (2012?)







Darko Dawson/ Inspector Montalbano/ Detective Erlendur
I'm up to date on my three favorite series, but if they release books, as I expect them to, I'm reading them!
Murder at Cape Three Points (Darko Dawson) by Kwei Quartey
The Age of Doubts (Inspector Montalbano) by Andrea Camilleri

The Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French
Faithful Place
Broken Harbour (in 2012?)

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
Revenge of the Spellmans
The Spellmans Strike Again
The Trial of the Spellmans (2012?)









Inspector Espinosa by Luis Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Only one of these that I have left to read may be available at my library.
Pursuit 
Blackout

Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall
I really liked the first book in this ongoing series, so let's stay on top of this one!

The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing
The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken (2012?)







This next set of series will not get caught up, but I hope to make an effort in reading several in each.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Pardonable Lies
Messenger of Truth
An Incomplete Revenge
Among the Mad
The Mapping of Love and Death

Phrynne Fisher by Kerry Greenwood
There's no way I'll get caught up, but I'd like to read another four or five from this quick moving series
Blood And Circuses
Ruddy Gore
Urn Burial
Raisins and Almonds
Death before wicket
Murder in Montparnasse
there's still another six!

Harry Hole by Jo Nesbo
Nemesis
The Devil's Star
The Redeemer
The Snowman
The Leopard





Martin Beck Crime series by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall
4. The Laughing Policeman
5. The Fire Engine That Disappeared
6. Murder at the Savoy
7.The Abominable Man
8. The Locked Room
9. Cop Killer
10. The Terrorists

Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter in the Dark
Dexter by Design
Dexter is Delicious
Double Dexter

BOOK: Christmas With Anne by LM Montgomery

Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories by LM Montgomery, 220 pages

Canadian Book Challenge; Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

LM Montgomery was a very prolific author. Twenty novels, and tons of short stories; there have been eleven collections of her short stories published. Many are themed, like this collection of Christmas tales. LM wrote for the masses, selling her short stories where she could, often at the magazines request including a moral or lesson in her holiday stories. This makes some of her stories a tad predictable or sentimental, but readers do like these themes in their Christmas stories (see The Christmas Shoes), so if you are looking for Christmas stories, you can't go wrong with LM and her optimistic view and outlook, amidst the sad and downtrodden.

Christmas with Anne doesn't disappoint, including "Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves", and "Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables," chapters from the Anne series. Both bring tears when fans of the series read them, knowing all the back stories of Anne. When Katherine complains to Anne that [Anne] couldn't know what it was like to not be wanted, as Anne is ensconced in Green Gables full of love, fans know that Anne could very easily have turned out to be like Katherine. And Matthew buying Anne the puffed sleeves? Well, every mention of Matthew and his adoration of Anne does me in.

The other stories vary in success, but as a whole, they work. Collected  together, plot themes develop - feuds forgiven after accidental apologies, and awareness of the blessings in your life.Other than the Anne stories, my favorite was "The Unforgotten One", about not judging what others are thinking or feeling, or who they might be missing.

All in all, they are perfect for Christmas. Short, fluffy, full of love and pathos and Christmas spirit.As an added bonus, my edition was lovely. Nice sizing, with a sturdy cover - a cross between a mass market paperback and a trade paperback. It will become a new Christmas tradition.

BOOK: An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor

An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor, 420 pages

Irish Reading Challenge; 2nds Challenge

I meant to read An Irish Country Christmas this month, but I like to read my series in order and this had to be read first. I read the first in the series, An Irish Country Doctor back in March, and was completely charmed. The second book was actually a little better, as the characters were already met and established. The book picks up just days after the last book, and only continues for the next few weeks, as Dr Barry Laverty is still getting established in Ballybucklebo.

Not much really happens, but it was an easy, light read, perfect for picking up during this busy season, or when standing in line at a checkout. I've actually discovered I don't mind waiting at checkouts if I have a book with me, because I'm not there, noticing the time, or the bad service. I'm where ever my book is taking me - the tiny village of Ballybucklebo in Northern Ireland, circa 1964. I even turned down the opportunity to move up in a line when I only had one item, because I knew I'd enjoy the time in the book.

This book reminds me of some other book, or television show, which I can't seem to remember. It get compared to James Herriot's vet series. It's funny, predictable, charming, and a wonderful way to spend a week reading. I may get to that next book sooner rather than later.

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY: character or plot?

Booking Through Thursday (BTT) asks:  "What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters?  Or an amazing, page-turning plot?  (Yes, I know, they are both important. But if you had to pick one as being more important than the other?)"

I'd have to say plot. Mysteries are my favorite genre, and they are all about the plot. Obviously, the best mysteries are character-strong as well, like in Trackers or continuing series like Inspector Montalbano of Sicily, but the plot gets the pages turning. Linwood Barclay writes terrific thrillers, with good characters, but the plot keeps going. The best example I can think of is The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. Nothing dramatic about the characters in that one, but the mystery and plot are what get you turning the page.

Snazzy new button for BTT!

CHALLENGES: 2nds Challenge 2012

Katy at afewmorechallenges is hosting the 2nds challenge again. I like to keep track of these. Either second in a series, or second book by the author that you have read. Keep track all year long.

• Just a spoonful - Read 3 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author. 
• A few more bites - Read 6 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
• A full plate - Read 12 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
• All you can eat - Read 20 books (or more) that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.

The Authors Who Should be Read Again:

Alan Bradley - The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag
Jo Nesbo - Nemesis
Qiu Xioalong - A Case of Two Cities
Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Played With Fire
Georgette Heyer - Cousin Kate
Jasper Fforde's second book in the Chromatica series
Tom Perrotta - The Abstinence Teacher
Ruth Rendell - The Water's Lovely
Marsha Mehran - Rosewater and Sodabread
Helen Dunmore - House of Orphans
Emma Donaghue - 

What I Read:

1. Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Played With Fire (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)
2. Anna Quindlen - Black and Blue (Every Last One)
3. Helen Dunmore - House of Orphans (The Spell of Winter)
4.

BOOK: Small Ceremonies by Carol Shields

Small Ceremonies by Carol Shields, 179 pages

Canadian Book Challenge

 This is the first of Carol Shields published books. Box Garden, her second, is a companion book, as each book is narrated by a sister. Here, Judith Gill is a biographer in Canada in the 1970s. Biographer is the key idea here - how do you ever know a subject? or even anyone else? Each person views the same event or life from their own perspective, so we all see everything differently. Even comparing the mother from both books is interesting, as Judith (Small Ceremonies)  and Charleen (Box Garden) see her from different views. Judith is writing about Susanna Moodie, the Canadian pioneer. (Note, Carol Shields went on to write a criticism on Moodie, Voice and Vision, in 1976. Did she write the Moodie book after doing research for this book, or did the research she did for the Moodie book give her background for this book?) Judith also tends to look at everyone, trying to find that biographer view of people.

Like in Box Garden, the little things, the small ceremonies of day to day life, are the main story. I was thinking jokingly that Shields was the original Seinfeld, writing about nothing. It's just that her nothing is about everyone, which is what makes Shields, and Seinfeld, resonate. Instead of looking through the telescope to the wide open skies, she turns it around and details the tiny things in a life. And while the characters are going along, with not much happening, there are events in the book that are not clear, a bit of a mystery. Often, as in life, they are not a big deal, but you keep turning the pages. It's the writing - Shields didn't win the Pulitzer (and the Orange) for nothing.

The Staircase Letters: An Extraordinary Friendship at the End of Life by Arthur Motyer, with Elma Gerwin and Carol Shields
149 pages

Canadian Reading Challenge

Arthur Motyer was a professor of Elma Gerwin's, who was a friend of Carol Shields. They all share a love of literature, and all worked with writing all their lives. Elma discovered she was facing cancer, as she knew Carol was, and cc'd Arthur and Carol, thinking they would all share in the writing of emails during their mutual fight with, what would become, their terminal illness.

Motyer writes the in-between and fills in much of the background for the emails - they lived all across Canada. The book felt a little awkward to start, a little Arthur-centered, but that fell away gradually, and the dignity and strength of the two women takes over the book. It could have turned into a bit of watching a train-wreck, but Motyer wisely focuses on each person's (i,e, your own) view of death and dying, referencing many literary allusions and poems. Eventually, it is all about your own perspective of life, and death, and happiness, and sharing Elma and Carol's letters felt like being bestowed with a little bit of grace.

EVENT: 2011 Advent Tour

This is my fifth year participating in the Virtual Advent Blog Tour. Here's a little recap of my past editions:

In 2010, I took a humorous look at some local events on Prince Edward Island.
In 2009, we played 'guess the carol'
In 2008, I played a game of 'guess the movie', and my favorite Christmas picture ever.
In 2007, it was the original 'guess the carol' game, with your vocabulary tested, and my whipped shortbread cookie recipe.

Well, I guess I like some guessing games! I wasn't feeling as creative this year, so instead, I will offer a recipe for fruitcake. I find as I get older, I am enjoying fruitcake more. This one is very delicious!

My Grandmother's Fruitcake Recipe

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups dried fruit
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup brown sugar
• juice of one lemon
• 8 oz nuts
• 1 full bottle of Irish whiskey  (or Scotch if you really prefer)

1. Sample the whiskey to check for quality
2. Take a large bowl
3. Sample the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality
4. Pour 1 level cup and drink. Repeat
5. Turn on the electric mixer
6. Beat a cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl
7. Adda teaspoon of sugar and beat again
8. Make sure the whiskey is still OK
9. Cry another tup
10. Turn off the mixerer
11. Break two legs and add tot he bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit
12. Mix on the turnerer
13. If the fried druit gets stuck in the turnerers, pry it loose with a drewscriver
14. Try the whiskey again to check for tonsisticity
15. Next, sift two cups of salt or something
16. Who cares, check the whiskey, now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts
17. Add - One table - Spoon
18. Of sugar or something
19. Whatever you can find
20. Grease the oven
21. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees
22. Don't forget to beat off the turner
23. Throw the bowl out the window
24. Chick the whiskey again
25. Go to bed
26. Who likes fruitcake anyway

My grandmother actually sent me this recipe many years ago.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holiday! I hope you all find a lovely book to read under the tree.

( Please wait for the Intense debate comments - sometimes it takes a few seconds to load.)

BOOK: Tide Road by Valerie Compton

Tide Road by Valerie Compton, 230 pages

Canadian Book Challenge

He came through the door like a thunderclap, like a breeze. Hey! he yelled. Or, Hey, he said. He let the door slam. He eased it shut. 

Which way had it gone? She couldn't be sure.page9

The opening lines of this novel set on Prince Edward Island drew me into the story immediately. How do we remember things? Sonia struggles with the grief of her missing daughter, Stella all the way to the beginning of her missing - does she even remember that correctly? Stella goes missing (presumed drowned) in the winter of 1965, which sends Sonia reeling back in memories to 1941, the summer she worked alone at the lighthouse on Surplus Island. Sonia needs to come to terms with her life and the choices she made (or had made for her) before she can really deal with Stella's disappearance.

Part of the appeal to me is obviously the location. When Compton mentions places or things, they have a meaning for me living on Prince Edward Island. I remember Roger's Hardware, the Rollaway lounge; the road between Winsloe and Rustico is the road I lived when we were first married. The descriptions of the shore and the water continue the tradition of LM Montgomery and the connection to nature here on this island. The writing is poetic and wispy and full of images.This connects even more to the characters, as Sonia could be/was an artist, and Stella has vision issues.

There is a bit of a mystery as to what actually happened to Stella. Suspicion falls on Stella's husband, adding an extra layer to the family's grief and anger. Sonia's denial about this aspect of Stella's life make her believe that Stella has just run away and Sonia puts her energy into finding Stella instead of dealing with her grief.

The strength of the book is in the character of Sonia who was very real, a woman from the middle of the 1900s, with very few choices. She struggled to get by with a husband who was abusive, with children that kept coming, the hard, violent life on a farm, striving to discover her voice. The book and her grief are about her struggle to realize she even had a voice, a vision for herself.

Grief and memory are two common themes in literature. Two other books I read this year (that I never reviewed) also tackled these themes. February by Lisa Moore was also about grief, after the Ocean Ranger disaster in Newfoundland.  The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes was an old man remembering events from his past and his role in them. Tide Road was a blend of the best of both books. Sonia was dealing with her grief by looking to the past to make sense of her daughter's life. "You still have to solve your own life if you want to be of any help to [your children]" (from p 190) seems to be the advice that starts Sonia on her way.

I hope more people can discover this wonderful book.