Rebeki's 2011 Reading

I've spent the last three years over in the 50 Book Challenge, though I've never yet managed to read 50 books in a year. Although quality has always been more important to me than quantity, last year I found myself avoiding longer books in the hope of reaching the magic number.

This year I'd like to read some of the longer books I have on my shelves (of which War and Peace is one!) and not even think about the numbers.

Like so many other LTers, my main goal is to reduce my TBR pile by reading mostly from my shelves and resisting the lure of bookshops. I'd also like to focus this year on what should have been a category in my 1010 Challenge: Russian fiction and non-fiction relating to Russia. And, as always, I'd like to keep up my French and German by reading some books in those languages.

I'm looking forward to an excellent year of reading in Club Read!

January:

Boule de suif by Guy de Maupassant (in French, message 18)
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes (message 19)
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (message 25)
Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia by Roberto Saviano (abandoned two-thirds of the way through, message 26)

February:

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (message 32)
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (message 35)

March:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (message 39)
Bluebird by Vesna Maric (message 40)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (message 41)
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (message 42)

April:

The Angel of Grozny by Åsne Seierstad (message 43)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (message 45)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (in French, message 59)

May:

A Russian Diary by Anna Politkovskaya (message 64)
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (message 74)

June:

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (message 78)
Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (re-read, message 82)
Le visiteur du sud, Tome 1 by Oh Yeong Jin (in French, message 83)

July:

The Boy with the Topknot: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton by Sathnam Sanghera (message 87)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (message 94)
Just Kids by Patti Smith (message 102)

August:

One Day by David Nicholls (message 108)
The Sweet Dove Died by Barbara Pym (message 108)
Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink (in German, message 108)
Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School by Frank Richards (message 108)
Billy Bunter's Double by Frank Richards (message 108)

September:

Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières (message 113)
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (message 114)
When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant (message 116)

October:

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (message 123)
The Bridge Over The Drina by Ivo Andrić (message 126)
The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst (message 131)
Meine freie deutsche Jugend by Claudia Rusch (in German, message 132)

November:

Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym (message 135)
Thank You for Not Reading by Dubravka Ugrešić (message 136)
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (message 138)
The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant (message 138)

December:

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah (message 138)
Persuasion by Jane Austen (message 138)

I'm saving myself hassle by not using touchstones in this master list, but you can find them, where available, in the respective messages indicated.

I'm currently about halfway through Boule de suif by Guy de Maupassant. I read the title story way back in October for my real-life reading group, but have only just begun to tackle the remaining stories.

I'm not really a fan of short stories (I like something I can get my teeth into), but they have their advantages when you're reading in a foreign language!

Links to my 2010 threads, in case anyone's interested:
50 Book Challenge
1010 Challenge

Happy 2011!

I know what you mean about quality v. quantity. I do find myself making a conscious effort to include different lengths, languages and difficulty. The number is just an interesting tracker.

hi rebecca, great to see you here...welcome!

Welcome, Rebeki. It looks as though you had an interesting reading year in 2010. I'm with you on the numbers game. I envy those who can read 75 plus books. Occasionally I despair when I realize how few books I will read in my lifetime. There's simply no time to read them all!

Wie geht's? ;-) I'm going to be reading some books in German this year too, though not quite at the same level as you. I'm going to be reading Winnie-the-Pooh and am going to have my iPad set up along side so that I don't have to translate every other word.

I prefer novels over short stories for the same reason you do, but may go that route too when my German gets better. (It's been 40+ years since I've had a class.)

Welcome! Looking forward to having you with us this year.

#6 Hi ljbwell, happy 2011 to you too! I love keeping track and am missing having a ticker this year, for instance, but I wasn't ever so successful at doing what you describe last year. I'm glad you have more resolve!

#7 Thanks, deebee! I know you were very busy last year, but will you be keeping a thread this year? I do enjoy following your reading.

#8 Hi theaelizabet, yes I'm envious too! However, my husband and I recently got talking to a couple at the theatre about reading (probably because my husband reached for his book as soon as the interval began!) and the man was telling us about a speed reading course he did and how much more he reads now. It sounded interesting, but made me realise that I like the relatively slow pace at which I read. I just wish I had more time for it!

#9 Gut danke, Bonnie. Und dir? You should know that I studied German at university and have used it in my job ever since and have only recently overcome a mental block about reading books in German! So I have great admiration for what you're doing. (And am now wondering what the German for "tiddly pom" is!)

#10 Thanks, Jane! What a friendly group this is!

Je Suis Le Champignon!!

#12 For finding my 2011 thread? Yes, you are!

11: Ha! Ha! I'll come tell you when I get there. I'm going to try to get on a schedule of reading German or I won't do it. Maybe Mondays, because I don't have students on that day. What do you do that you use German in your work?

#14 Bonnie, I admire your discipline!

I'm a freelance translator, mainly translating EU documents - minutes, reports etc. I enjoy my work (and occasionally have something exceptionally interesting to translate), but it doesn't really expose me to the same sort of language found in literature. I also used to suffer from the need to understand every single word when reading a work in a foreign language, while having an understandable reluctance to interrupt my reading and reach for the dictionary (though I can now reach for my ipod if need be). I've got over this to some extent, especially after realising that I often come across unfamiliar words when reading in English without that spoiling my reading enjoyment.

In reading news, I'm still slowly making my way through Boule de suif, but have also started Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano. I've had it for a couple of years, but the film was shown on TV here over Christmas, so I've decided that now's the time to read it. I have the film recorded and will watch it once I'm done with the book. I've read comments to the effect that the film version is better...

you're having great start in the reading year, rebecca. i very much enjoyed Boule de Suif (which i read of course in English :-)) and hope you're liking it too. looking forward to your thoughts on Gomorrah...it has piqued my interest.

Boule de suif by Guy de Maupassant

As I mentioned above, I read the title story back in October, but didn't manage to pick up this book again until the end of December. I really enjoyed the title story, by far the longest of the stories in this edition - I thought it was a wonderful depiction of the times (late 19th-century France) and I loved Maupassant's seemingly effortless style of writing.

The same effortless and vivid style continues throughout the rest of the stories, but reading this collection by an author considered to be a master of short-story writing has confirmed to me that it's not really the format for me. I like to become absorbed in a story and when I know that it's only a few pages long I can't help but remain detached.

That said, I particularly enjoyed La Dot (The Dowry), Rose, La Parure (The Diamond Necklace), Le Bonheur (Happiness), Un Duel (A Duel) and Première Neige (The First Snowfall).

And now that I know I enjoy Maupassant's writing style, I look forward to tackling Bel Ami, which has been on my shelves for some time.

Ghost World by Daniel Clowes

I have also finished my first ever graphic novel. It's not a genre I've considered reading before, but I was at the library with my husband (who does enjoy graphic novels) and ended up borrowing this, based on the fact that I loved the film.

Ghost World is a collection of loosely connected stories featuring Enid and Rebecca, two intelligent, cynical and bored 18-year-olds inhabiting an eerie suburban world. It was interesting to see where the film had remained faithful to the book and where it had taken a departure, and I enjoyed the graphic novel, though I usually prefer to read something more substantial.

I may try other some other graphic novels in future, provided that, like this one, they concern a slightly twisted reality rather than superheroes or anything supernatural.

I recently read Black Hole by Charles Burns, which certainly is about a twisted reality (teens are developing a mysterious disease and no-one really understands why/how).

Two of my favourite graphic novels are memoirs - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - I would recommend both of them to any reader.

One of my top reads last year was also a graphic novel, the exuberant Alice In Sunderland by Bryan Talbot, which is uncategorisable but brilliant.

I'm also relatively new to graphic novels (i.e., I've come to them as an adult after not reading - or being interested in - them as a kid). I've heard a lot about wandering_star's Alice in Sunderland recommendation - actually a reminder to me to add it to my own list!

I just read I Kill Giants, which would seem to fit your bill. Maus is a classic and is a WWII memoir.

#20 Thanks, wandering_star, I've made a note of those. I'm not sure how I could forget Persepolis though - that's another film I really enjoyed.

#21 And thanks, ljbwell, for your recommendations - you've reminded me that I actually bought Maus for my husband a few years ago, so that would be a good place to start!

Found you! I'm really glad you've decided to come over here this year - it'll be much easier to keep an eye on each other!

I second wandering_star's recommendation of Persepolis. It was the first graphic novel I ever read and I loved it. Maus I nearly bought yesterday but then I decided I didn't want it in French so I bought the Korean graphic novel you already know about from my thread (and what a good decision that was!)

Hi Rachel, thanks for visiting!

After pondering the options of amazon.fr/one of the foreign-language bookshops in London/seeking the help of a friend in Brussels, I found that the Le Visiteur du sud and the complete Persepolis in French cost considerably fewer GBP on UK Amazon than EUR on the French site. Hurrah for non-rip-off Britain! Once I've read a few more books off my shelves, I think I'll treat myself...

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

I'm still plugging away at Gomorrah, but in the mean time I've read this book for my reading group.

I had only previously read Rebecca by du Maurier and the general impression seems to be that the rest of her body of work is far inferior to her most famous novel, so my expectations were not too high. That said, I knew that I enjoyed du Maurier's suspenseful writing, so was eager to read another of her books.

The book is narrated by Philip Ashley, a young man who leads a blessed and cloistered existence in remote Cornwall, brought up by his much older cousin, Ambrose, until a distant cousin, the eponymous Rachel, enters first Ambrose's, then Philip's, life, seemingly bringing misfortune with her.

The plot seems to move forward fairly slowly, yet at no point did my interest wane. Du Maurier is wonderful at creating an atmosphere of psychological suspense, aided by the descriptions of the beautiful but eerily isolated setting. Meanwhile Philip, by turns naive, arrogant, well-meaning and infuriating, is a great unreliable narrator, whose perception of Rachel wavers as does the reader's, without necessarily coinciding.

I went to my reading group meeting with a vague idea of how I felt about Rachel, but came away with no clear idea at all (apparently, du Maurier herself wasn't sure!). The book made for great discussion though, and while, for me, My Cousin Rachel doesn't match up to du Maurier's masterpiece, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by her in the near future (not least because I bought a "collection" of nine of her books a couple of years ago that I have completely neglected!).

Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia by Roberto Saviano

I'm afraid I've abandoned this 200 pages (of 300) in.

I acquired this book, as did many others, I imagine, after first hearing of it through the news stories about the death threats Saviano received following his exposé of the Camorra, the Neapolitan equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia.

Hailing from Camorra territory, Saviano goes undercover working for the organisation and brings us this account of their activities and the stranglehold they have on life in the Naples area. The subject matter is fascinating. Before reading the news stories surrounding this book, I had no idea Italy had other organisations similar to the Sicilian Mafia (the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta and Apulian Sacra Corona Unita are also mentioned). While organised crime exists everywhere, it is horrifying to think how, in a Western European country, criminal organisations can be so powerful, an open "secret" rather than operating deep underground. Saviano does a good job of describing the poverty and desperation of residents of the Naples area, who have the choice of working for the Camorra, however indirectly, for a comparatively decent wage or struggling to live on the pittance they earn from honest work.

My problem was the book's lack of structure and what I felt was excessive detail in some areas and omission in other areas.

The book seems to be organised by theme rather than chronologically, but without any rhyme or reason as to the order. Many pages are given over to the history of the clan wars, but to the uninitiated this just feels like a list of names - a record of who shot whom when - which is rather dry and confusing. Two whole pages are even dedicated to listing the nicknames given to some of the clan leaders and the not very interesting reasons behind those nicknames. I'm not sure why the reader needs this information! The book is much more enjoyable and effective when it concentrates on the Camorra's lowlier employees and the reality of their life.

Also, 200 pages in, it's hard to see what Saviano's role is. At the beginning of the book, we see him given the job of loading and unloading wares - working for the Camorra in order to understand better how it operates. But he soon recedes to a mere observer, leaving the reader unclear as to how he's obtained his exhaustive knowledge of the organisation. I would have been much more engaged if he had featured more firmly, if we had seen events more explicitly from his viewpoint.

I'm glad I've read a good chunk of this book. I've certainly learnt something, but I don't see the point in persevering. However, what I've read so far is adding to my enjoyment of the film, which succeeds where the book fails, as it is unable to present the dry history of the clan wars and concentrates instead on how the Camorra's presence affects the day-to-day life of the impoverished communities north of Naples.

I've now started the rather more engaging Wolf Hall. I've read only the first 50 pages, but am loving it so far!

My Cousin Rachel sounds like a fun book.... Rebecca is my only du Maurier as well, but I recall enjoying it very much. I'll have to look into this one as well.

Hi pammab, yes it's perfect for curling up with on a rainy afternoon, I'd say. I plan to read Jamaica Inn as my next du Maurier book...

I think I started My Cousin Rachel a couple of years ago but could not finish - just ran out of steam, I think. A DuMaurier book I really like (other than Rebecca, of course) is The Scapegoat.

Thanks for the recommendation, Fourpawz2 - I'm not sure I'd heard of the The Scapegoat before, but it's got some good reviews on LT. For me, the suspense in My Cousin Rachel came more from the characterisation and general atmosphere than from the plot, so I can see how it might seem rather slow.

I started Wolf Hall and Brighton Rock a few weeks ago and then hit a reading slump, connected with overwork rather than in any way reflecting my enjoyment of these two books. However, both of them are quite dense reads (by which I mean that I feel the need to savour every word), so, happily, a lighter book came along in the mean time...

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant

This was the February choice for our reading group and one I initially approached with trepidation. The setting is a Benedictine convent in the Italian city of Ferrara in 1570 and, in theory at least, I'm not too fond of religious settings. However, it actually proved fascinating learning about convent life in 16th century Italy, at a time when many women were forced to take their vows because their families couldn't afford the dowry required for them to make a "decent" marriage.

The main plot concerns Serafina, a rebellious and lively 16-year-old forced to enter the convent of Santa Caterina for the above reason, but who also has a whiff of scandal about her. For me, though, the most interesting character is the older Sister Zuana, from whose viewpoint the story is mainly told. As the dispensary mistress who, in this century, would have become a doctor, she is illustrative of the freedoms convent life could bring women while denying them access to the outside world.

Some in the reading group found the pace of the book rather slow and, while I can see their point, I enjoyed its descriptive aspect and found it well written enough to maintain my interest throughout. It provided me with the same sort of pleasure, though rather less guilty, as Philippa Gregory's historical fiction.

I know what you mean about a slump. Hope it is going better now - a decent, quick, enjoyable read can definitely help.

Hi ljbwell, yes, Sacred Hearts was quite the palate cleanser and the slump is over now, thanks! I'm still working too hard though, so don't have as much time as I'd like for reading...

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

I read this book in preparation for seeing the latest film adaptation. I've pretty much missed that boat (sigh), so will have to wait to see it on DVD/TV, although I'm wondering whether I wouldn't be better off seeing the original...

In fact, finally reading this famous book made me a little reluctant to pay £10+ to see the recent film, as I'm afraid I'll only be disappointed. Greene creates such an atmosphere of menace, despair and tawdriness in this tale of the pre-war Brighton underworld and the fate of the despicable baby-faced gangster Pinkie that I fear it cannot be replicated as effectively on screen. I'm sure that, in this case, words paint the more vivid picture.

Hi Rebeki,

I think I have read Brighton Rock a long time ago. You seem to have been impressed with it. I have recently read Greene's Monsignor Quixote which I thoroughly enjoyed and have got on my to read shelf The comediansand Confidential agent. It looks like it's going to be a sort of Graham Greene year.

I want to read both My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca as I can't remember which one was the one that led me to reading a whole slew of these classic romance-mysteries while in my teens.

I've been away from LT for a while, but thanks, baswood and Bonnie, for dropping by my thread! In case you haven't given up on it by now:

#36 Yes, I was impressed with it, though I felt uneasy the entire time I was reading it. I'd only previously read Travels with my Aunt, which is much more of a comic novel. I also have The Comedians at home and, I think, The Power and the Glory. I've never heard of Monsignor Quixote. I suppose it's necessary to have read Don Quixote for full enjoyment? In which case, I may never get round to it!

#37 It's funny because I hadn't really thought of either My Cousin Rachel or Rebecca as romances, but then I didn't read them in my teens (a fact that has also coloured my reading of Wuthering Heights, which I read for the first time last month). However, I recently finished Jamaica Inn and that felt very much like a romance and quite different from the other two du Maurier books I've read.

Reviews to follow soon!

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

I find it difficult to review much acclaimed books and it's a month since I finished Wolf Hall so it's not as fresh in my mind as it could be, but here goes:

It's fair to say that I'm a fan of this book and think that the hype surrounding this fictionalised account of the rise of Thomas Cromwell is entirely deserved. I'm in awe at the research Mantel put into constructing the story of this perhaps shadowy figure of Henry VIII's reign and found her writing wonderfully measured and evocative. At times I felt an exhilaration I haven't felt since reading Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin - I'm talking here about the exhilaration of reading a really good book rather than that arising from the plot itself.

However, I'm annoyed that work and other commitments meant that I was unable to enjoy this book over a more concentrated period - it really is a book to immerse yourself in, and reading it in fits and starts meant that I often lost the thread somewhat. I'm looking forward to reading about the second half of Cromwell's life in the next book and will make sure to take it on holiday or only start it when I know I have enough free time to do it justice.

Bluebird by Vesna Maric

Again, it's a while since I finished this book, so I'm unable to review it properly.

This slim book is Maric's account of her departure from Bosnia as a 16-year-old refugee in 1992 and her adjustment to life in the UK. The short chapters deal with episodes from her day-to-day life and the experiences of other Bosnian refugees. The book is highly readable and this fact, combined with the brevity of the chapters, made it seem rather insubstantial at first. However, I then came to see that this was down to Maric's deftness of touch in describing what must have been a very traumatic period of her life, and that the individual parts create a more powerful whole. Recommended.

Continuing with long overdue reviews:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

I was very grateful that this classic was chosen as my reading group's March selection, as - shockingly enough - I'd never read it. I did approach it with some trepidation, however. I'd always found the melodramatic title offputting and had heard that this is a book best read as a teenager.

Wuthering Heights is melodramatic, yes, but I don't think the last statement is true. I think it is a book that will be read differently at different stages of life. In order to appreciate the "love story", perhaps it helps to be a teenager (although it seems unkind to teenagers to generalise in that way!). The copy I had was unfortunately a "teen edition", proclaiming on its cover that this was the "greatest love story ever told" and, even more infuriatingly, that it was "Bella and Edward's favourite book". I'm too old and uninterested in vampires to succumb to Twilight mania, but you can't help but pick up some details on the way and this had me raging. First of all, this reference seems to imply a comparison between a great work of literature and a series that, while popular, probably couldn't be described as such. Secondly, I'm not very comfortable with the idea of Wuthering Heights being marketed as a love story.

To me, it was more of a horror story. Catherine Earnshaw is decidedly unlikeable, but Heathcliff is just horrible and, for me, not at all the "romantic hero" he seems to have been painted in popular culture. Though, interestingly enough, the women in my reading group (yes, we're all women) who'd first read Wuthering Heights at an impressionable age were markedly more sympathetic to him.

In any case, he is undoubtedly among the literary characters with the greatest presence and I confess to devouring Wuthering Heights as some might devour The Twilight Saga. I started off irritated by most of the characters, but the book is beautifully written and the story a truly gripping one. I just had to know what happened next. Wuthering Heights is worthy of its reputation as a masterpiece and deserves better than to be missold as a love story.

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

The selection of Wuthering Heights as the reading group's March book was prompted by one member's observation that our January book, My Cousin Rachel, was reminisicent of it. I'm not sure about that, but since Jamaica Inn is explicitly compared to Wuthering Heights on the cover of the copy I own, I thought I'd read it next.

Jamaica Inn is the tale of Mary Yellan, who travels, following her mother's death, to live with her aunt and uncle in a remote part of Cornwall, only to discover that her brutish uncle is mixed up in some unsavoury business. It's an enjoyable enough yarn, but certainly not in the league of Wuthering Heights and, for me, doesn't match up to the other, more psychologically intriguing, books I've read by du Maurier - Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. While they seem to be written for adults, Jamaica Inn might be more suited to a younger audience in want of an adventure story.

The Angel of Grozny by Åsne Seierstad

I don't think I've been this shocked by a book since I read Nothing To Envy last summer. In this case, the setting is, of course, Chechnya.

Seierstad first travels to the region in 1994 to cover the first invasion by Russian troops. She returns in 2006 and 2007, by which time Chechnya is the "most peaceful place on Earth". In order to enter the republic, she disguises herself as a Chechen woman and travels on a forged passport. This allows her to meet ordinary Chechens whose lives have been affected by two wars of the 1990s and the ongoing violence. Later on, Seierstad re-enters Chechnya in her official capacity as a journalist and, aided, perhaps, by her good looks, is granted an audience with the incumbent President, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Her official and unofficial interviews make for fascinating reading. I was shocked by the brutality and dishonesty of the Chechen regime, the contradiction between the intolerance of "Wahhabism" and the adoption of increasingly extreme rules of conduct in the name of Islam (women are appallingly treated) and Russia's role as puppetmaster.

I'm now reading The Poisonwood Bible for my reading group. I'm about 80 pages in and wouldn't say I've really got into it yet. I hope I can manage to read the remaining 500+ pages by Thursday!

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

So I did manage to read the remaining 500+ pages in time for last night's meeting, or rather I read another 400ish and skimmed the last 100.

Before I started this book, I was aware that some readers had felt dissatisfied with the turn it took beyond a certain point and I can't help but agree with them.

For anyone that doesn't know (The Poisonwood Bible seems to be much acclaimed and widely read), this is the tale of the Prices, an American family, who, at the father's bidding, go to live in the Belgian Congo at the turn of the 1960s in order to carry out missionary work. The father is an awful and compelling presence throughout the book, but the story is told chiefly from the point of view of the four Price daughters, who all have very different personalities.

It was almost 200 pages before I felt really carried away by the story (I struggled in places with Kingsolver's self-consciously literary style), but found it truly absorbing for the next 250 or so. I could see, hear, smell and taste the village of Kilanga and enjoyed reading about (some of) the characters' engagement with their neighbours and with the Congolese ways. I also learnt something about the country's struggle for independence and the aftermath, while being aware that this is a work of fiction.

However, for me, this book ceases to be a novel somewhere between pages 450 and 470 and it was at that point that I lost interest. Thus far, Kingsolver had very effectively highlighted the corruption of the West and its despicable meddling in the Congo's affairs but within the framework of the story. Beyond this point, she seems to lose control and veer off into political commentary. The character of Rachel begins to seem nothing more than a caricature, while Leah becomes plain tedious.

If Kingsolver's aim was to bring home to me the awfulness of colonialism, then she has succeeded, and I'm keen now to seek out some non-fiction on the Congo and learn more. If her aim was to write a good novel, then her success is only partial and tarnished by the self-indulgence of the later sections.

I'm really enjoying your thread, especially your comments on Wuthering Heights, which is one of my favourite novels. Like you noted, I was a teen the first time I read it, and I am definitely sympathetic to Heathcliff. I find that while both he and Catherine are horrible, their love for each other somehow makes them bearable. Her comments to Nelly on differences between her love for Edgar and her love for Heathcliff soften my heart every time.

41 – I find it interesting how often it’s said that reading Wuthering Heights at a young age makes it seem more romantic. I read it in high school and absolutely hated it and couldn’t understand why everyone was swooning over it. I think it’s time for a reread.

#46 Cait, I just paid a visit to your thread and see you had a very interesting conversation about Wuthering Heights over there. It's a book I can imagine re-reading periodically and, while my view of Heathcliff seems much more black and white than yours, I wonder if it might blur a little on the next reading...

#47 Jane, the theory seemed to hold true in our reading group. However, I can't imagine my teenage self swooning over the story either - I was much too puritanical and dismissive of boys! It might be worth a re-read though. The woman in our reading group who chose it says she reads it every few years and finds it a different book each time.

>45 Rebeki: - I've read a couple of Kingsolver's books, including The Poisonwood Bible, and they both had the same problem. She obviously wants to be taken seriously as a novelist, choosing big issues to write about but she lacks the technical ability to combine the dramatic and political leaving her characters and plot as mere ciphers to put forward her argument.

>45 Rebeki:/49 - I don't recommend Ayn Rand to either of you based on your views on Kingsolver.

>41 Rebeki: - I think this 'hits the nail on the head' in terms of why I didn't like Wuthering Heights, so many people (including the cover of the book itself) prattle on about how fantastic a 'love story' it is. However, you are right, the story is very engaging and I think I rated it too harshly on the basis that it was something completely different to what I had been told it would be. Maybe I'm due for a reread to re-evaluate my rating.

I think seeing it as a love story is probably the most naiive reading of the text. I think this flows into the addage about liking it when you're younger (when you're more likely to take a more naiive interpretation) but not liking it so much as a more mature reader, simply because many of the things you've heard about it are wrong.

>50 TineOliver: - I think the idea of Wuthering Heights as a classic love story owes as much to the film/television adaptations (and Kate Bush) than the book. The classic film with Laurence Oliver and Merle Oberon ends with the ghosts of Heathcliffe and Cathy walking hand-in-hand over the moor. This image and the idea of a love so passionate that it survives death has now been accepted into the culture as heart of the novel.

Darn, I double-posted--haven't done that in a long time. Hmmm...what can I comment on. I would agree, Rebecca, that My Cousin Rachel isn't a romance novel, although it did make me think about love and trust, and how people can be tricked by their romantic longings. I remember it as more of a mystery.

Well, I obviously agree with y'all about Poisonwood Bible, and I would still recommend the World Book Tour interview.

#49 - Jargoneer, yes, I completely agree. I may still give The Lacuna a go, out of curiosity at least.

#50 - Hi Christine - nothing I've heard about Ayn Rand makes me think her books are for me! Yes, it's a shame that this view of WH is so prevalent and prevents people from reading it with an open mind.

#51 - Again, I think you're right. Fortunately I'd not seen any film/TV adaptations beforehand. I rather like the Kate Bush song and think it conveys the darkness of the relationship quite well!

I was amused to read this story about our former PM Gordon Brown, which appears to have passed me by at the time. I suppose he's dark and brooding, at least...

#52, #53 - I hate it when that happens, but you've made good use of your extra message! I plan to listen to that interview today while tackling a pile of ironing!

>54 Rebeki: - he's definitely more Heathcliff than Cliff Richard. Then again they could have been talking about Heathcliff the cat - that may make more sense.

>54 Rebeki: Ha ha! I love those quotes at the end about Heathcliff coming down from "dithering heights" and "coming home".

Oh, you're making me feel all teenager-ish and hopelessly romantic again - I read Wuthering Heights aged 14 (loved it; you're making me think I should read it again to see how I react now), and followed it soon after with a hefty dose of Daphne du Maurier - I read the three you've just read plus Frenchman's Creek. I still remember the heady feeling of being lost in my own little world of mystery, romance, smuggling, Cornish coves...wonderful stuff.

Rachel, you'd probably find it a little different now, but still a great book, I'm sure.

I'm not sure Frenchman's Creek is going to be for me - a woman in my reading group was quite enthusiastic about it, but I realise now that she's much more of a romantic than I am...

I don't think I was much of a romantic as a teenager either. I admired the forbearance of Charlotte Brontë's heroines Jane Eyre and Lucy Snowe (I must re-read Jane Eyre and Villette) - what a dull teenager I was!

57 - I was the same as a teenager, not that I've become any more interesting or romantic as an adult. :)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Following a discussion upthread about graphic novels, I decided to buy Persepolis (in four volumes, in French). It was a low-risk purchase, since I'd really enjoyed the film, but I think I enjoyed the books even more, as I had time to reflect upon Satrapi's tales of growing up in an increasingly totalitarian Iran.

I still find it hard to review graphic novels, but the autobiographical nature of Persepolis and serious subject matter allowed me to connect emotionally in a way that I didn't with Ghost World. And, yet, Satrapi as she portays herself here is wonderfully irreverent and honest and her story is as personal as it is political and as funny as it is horrifying.

I'm currently halfway through A Russian Diary by Anna Politkovskaya as a follow-up read to The Angel of Grozny, but I'm also about to embark on War and Peace - yikes! There are other books I'll need/want to read alongside it, so I'm feeling slightly daunted, but I promised myself I'd start it at the beginning of May. I hope I can cope with the book-juggling...

Oh, don't worry! I've been "reading" War and Peace for 18 months now and I still intend to finish it. Part of the reason it's taking me so long is the size, but I've just dealt with that by buying it for my new Kindle, the same translation (which one are you going to read? I've got the Pevear/Volokhonsky). No more excuses! I've really, really enjoyed what I've read and it's always been with great reluctance that I've had to leave the book at home and take something smaller with me.

I bought my copy second-hand and have the Rosemary Edmonds translation, though I might have gone for the Pevear/Volokhonsky version if I'd bought it new, since people seem to rate it so highly. I also had the choice in the shop between buying it in one or two volumes. The cheaper option was to buy the one-volume copy, but it does mean I'll have the same problem you had. I don't have a Kindle (I've yet to come round to the idea of e-readers!), so will just have to make sure I set aside plenty of reading time at home!

I'm only about 40 pages in, but so far so gripping! How far have you got? I was tempted to join in the 75 Book Challenge group read, but wasn't mentally prepared at the time and now it's pretty much over.

If you are still interested in Mansfield Park, here is the non-spoiler thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/115689#

A spoiler thread will be set up on May 15. Enjoy :)

A Russian Diary by Anna Politkovskaya

This was quite a tough book to read. Firstly, because I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of Russian politics or the key political players (although it seems there's only really one of those). And, secondly, because it's incredibly depressing!

The reader is aided in the first respect by the glossary of Russian figures and organisations and important events at the back of the book and the fact that Politkovskaya writes in a very straightforward, almost blunt manner. However, nothing can be done about the second problem.

This "diary" is a chronicle of events from the Russian parliamentary elections of December 2003 until August 2005, and completed by Politkovskaya not long before her assassination. It focuses on the lack of strong political opposition to Putin (no longer President, of course, but still very much at the helm), partly as a result of a degree of spinelessness among opposition politicians and partly because of the machinations of the Presidential administration. The troubled North Caucasus, in particular Chechnya, also features prominently.

I was horrified by the level of corruption, cynicism, censorship, deception and brutality to which Politkovskaya points. The treatment of the presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin was particularly shocking, but that is perhaps nothing compared to the Russian administration's seeming contempt for its own people, particularly its armed forces, who are sent into dangerous areas badly equipped and exposed to the bullying rife within their own ranks and who, if they return home alive, often come back severely maimed or injured, or at least psychologically damaged, but receive little or no support from the state in whose name they've been serving.

Reading this book, it felt obvious that Politkovskaya's days were numbered and I'm sure she knew that too. Her courage to continue speaking out on behalf of democracy and the downtrodden is truly admirable.

In War and Peace news, I've just finished volume 1, part 1 and am enjoying it immensely so far. However, I'll need to set it aside for a while to read The God of Small Things for my reading group.

# 64 hi rebecca, nice review about a book by this very courageous woman. if you'd like to know more about about her work and her last days, i recommend you to look for the 2008 film documentary by the Swiss director, Erik Bergkraut, "Letter to Anna." it's not an easy film to watch, but it offers a glimpse of politics in russia that we, outsiders, know very little about.

#64 - Rebecca - I'm very happy to have read your review, this is an important book.

Hi Rebecca,

I've just found your thread and library and wish I'd been here sooner!

Very keen to see what you read in German - I'm trying to do the same but English books are so much more relaxing. Plus, W&P has been hovering for so long that I've been going for shorter and easier books alongside it.

I'm going to add The Angel of Grozny to my wishlist. I've read nothing about Chechnya.

#66 - Thanks, deebee. And that recommendation has gone straight onto my Amazon wishlist - here's hoping my husband notices!

#67 - Thanks, dchaikin! I'm very glad to have read it. Amazingly, I found it in a discount bookshop 90% of whose stock was trashy novels, so it really leapt out at me.

#68 - Hi Cushla, I see from your profile that you're in Switzerland, so you have added encouragement to read in German, although I agree that to do so while reading War and Peace is possibly a bit much! For that same reason, I probably won't get round to reading anything in German in the very near future. I tend not to read anything too long or difficult. My favourite German read of last year was probably Herr Lehmann by Sven Regener. And I started off by reading books by Wladimir Kaminer, as he writes in very straightforward way, with short chapters! I've particularly enjoyed Russendisko, Militärmusik and Die Reise nach Trulala by him.

I was quite ignorant/confused about the situation in Chechnya until I read The Angel of Grozny, so it's a good place to start!

ETA: Sorry - not all the touchstones are working properly.

Curious to see what you say about God of Small Things - I have a copy and it's still sitting unread on the shelf.

I'm curious too! I don't think it's a book I'd have been in a hurry to pick up had it not been a reading group choice, mainly because I'm not very good at reading outside Europe and North America. I'm liking it a lot so far, but I'm not very far in and am afraid the spell will wear off! The reviews on LT are quite mixed (though a lot of people have given it five stars) and Wikipedia tells me that it wasn't all that well received by critics in the UK, which I find interesting. I remember it winning the Booker Prize, but not much else.

I loved The God of Small Things, it was my first five star read of 2011 and I wrote about it on my thread. The setting for the book is Kerala India a place I have visited and I thought that Roy captures the atmosphere of the place superbly in her novel. Her use of language is lyrical as well as being very Anglo-Indian. Hope you enjoy it.

Hi baswood, yes I remember reading your enthusiastic review and must say that I'm still really enjoying The God of Small Things, although I'm only a quarter of the way through. With some authors/books, I struggle with more creative, lyrical language, but Roy's metaphors really work for me - I feel I'm there in the book, in spite of never having been to India.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

I was excited to be reading this book for my reading group, but concerned I would find it a bit of slog (I think this is down to a memory of a housemate at university whose mother would send her "worthy" books to read spending Saturday mornings struggling through these duty reads, one of which was The God of Small Things). I'm happy to report that that was far from the case!

This book, set in Kerala, southern India, tells the story of a middle-class family that gradually falls apart. We see events primarily from the point of view of twins Rahel and Estha, as children in the late 60s and as adults in the early 1990s. The story switches between these time periods, as well as going back further in time to allow us a glimpse into the backgrounds of Rahel and Estha's older relatives that explains why these (for the most part) embittered characters are the way they are.

Having read other LTers' reviews and heard what my fellow reading-group members had to say, I realise that some people had a problem with the non-sequential storytelling, but I personally enjoyed piecing together the various fragments that made up the very rich whole. I also felt that Roy's use of language was very helpful in this regard. The book was beautifully written throughout, but the sections seen through Rahel and Estha's young eyes were wonderfully playful in style, compared with a slightly more sober (but still lyrical) recounting of the adult characters' thoughts and deeds.

From the very beginning, the reader is aware that things will not end well and certain events are clearly foreshadowed. This didn't bother me, as it helped me to cope with what is ultimately a very depressing book and I was more interested in the journey towards the devastating conclusion. For me, the strong characterisation, evocative descriptions and masterful use of language really made this book.

I'm now hoping to finish volume 1 of War and Peace this weekend, before getting started on Mansfield Park for the Austenauthon over in the 75 Book Challenge group.

Hi Rebecca, this is a great review of The God of Small Things. I read it last year and really enjoyed it, mainly (as you are writing) for the poetic quality of the language and the insight into the minds of the children.

I noticed we share a lot of books, I read some your tbrs and vice versa. I just recently finished Bel Ami as my first Maupassant and I am eager to read more by him, and a few weeks ago I finally read Rebecca and now your reviews make me interested in her other books as well.

I read Wuthering Heights as a teenager (then in a German translation) and was simply overwhelmed by the power of Emily Bronte's writing - and due to my age I found it all terribly romantic. I read it again a few years ago, and although the romance had lost some of its appeal I didn't like the book any less. I think it works for all ages.

Looking forward to your next comments on the W&P threads.

Hi Nathalie, yes we do have a lot of reading in common - I've found and starred your threads and will make sure to keep up with what you're reading. I wish I could read as quickly as you!

I didn't get as far with W&P over the weekend as I'd hoped, but I did finish volume 1, part 2, so will be putting my (not very incisive) comments on the relevant thread shortly.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

I've finally finished another book!

This is the fifth of Austen's major novels that I've read (I still have Persuasion to go) and I really appreciated the fact that I had no prior knowledge of the plot. (Well, OK, I had fairly good idea that marriage would play a prominent part!) All I knew was that the heroine was one Fanny Price, who seems often to be considered a bit of a drip, and that Mansfield Park generally seems to be less well-loved by Austen fans.

Well, I really liked Miss Price and thought her a strong and principled character, if rather lacking in confidence, though it is her circumstances that have made her that way. I can see why the keenest devotees of Pride and Prejudice might not like this novel. There's no Lizzie and Mr Darcy here, and the sense of romance is more far more muted. However, there's an interesting array of characters and I found myself galloping through the last few chapters, so intrigued was I to find out their respective fates.

Progress with War and Peace will continue to be slow, as I now have to do a quick re-read of Nothing to Envy, one of my favourite books from last year, for my reading group. It's my choice and I'm a little nervous as to how it'll go down. I think it's fascinating and highly readable, but we tend to stick to fiction and I imagine the subject matter won't be for everyone...

I still haven't read Nothing to Envy, and I have yet to hear anything bad about it! Good to hear you like it too.

We wrote on each other's threads at the same time - freaky! No, I haven't heard anything bad about Nothing to Envy either, but I suppose only people interested in learning about North Korea tend to pick it up. Given that North Korea is probably the strangest and most isolated country in the world, I think the subject matter's fascinating, but we have one quite... er... vocal member, who I imagine won't be a fan!

ETA: I think you'd like it a lot though!

Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

A re-read of one of my favourite books from last year for my reading group. I found it as gripping as the first time, in spite of knowing the outcome of each person's story in advance, and as shocking. I'm happy to say that this book met with the unanimous approval of my fellow reading group members - a rare occurrence - so the worry was for nothing!

Le visiteur du sud, Tome 1 by Oh Yeong Jin

This, my third graphic novel of the year (and of my life!), was a recommendation from rachbxl's thread and the perfect follow-on from Nothing to Envy.

Unlike Persepolis, it doesn't offer a story as such, but the reflections of the author, a South Korean construction employee seconded north of the border, on life in the DPRK. This is done through a series of humorous unconnected sketches of aspects of everyday life, interspersed with more serious written sections providing some historical and political context.

It is fascinating to see a South Korean's reactions to life in the North. You have the sense the author is trying to be as fair- and open-minded as possible, yet he clearly feels like a foreigner. It hadn't really occurred to me before, but the different paths the two Koreas have taken inevitably means that something of a language barrier has developed alongside the cultural barrier.

Of course, I'll now have to buy the second volume! Again, in French, as no English translation seems to be available...

#78 Hi Rebeki, re: Mansfield Park: I'm also a Fanny Price fan...and I just think Mary Crawford is the character I love to hate! She's sneaky and two-faced and seems only out for herself in the long run. And her brother Henry isn't any better. I admire Fanny's character, and I also like the way Austen portrays her faults, too.

You have a great pleasure ahead of you in Persuasion...I like it the best after Pride and Prejudice. And I think it's the shortest of the novels.

Keep up the good work on War and Peace--the group read really helped me get through it. I did take a break in the middle of Volume III, but found the last Volume to go quickly.

>83 Rebeki: Glad you liked Le visiteur du sud!

#84 - Hi kac522, I think it will be interesting for me to re-read Mansfield Park in a few years, as I imagine I'll view the characters - particularly the Crawfords - differently in hindsight.

Yes, I'm looking forward to Persuasion very much. And I hope that its brevity will mean that I can join in the group read a little sooner, rather than finishing quite a bit later than most others!

Talking of which, the group read of War and Peace is helping me a lot, though I haven't added any comments for a while. I'm about to start on volume 3, part 2 (the longest section, I think) and seem to have built up some momentum now - even the war parts are grabbing my interest!

#85 - There's no way I would ever have come across this book if it weren't for you, so thanks! I'm contemplating trying Guy Delisle's Pyongyang once I've read the second volume of Le visiteur du sud, although that probably won't be any time soon - I fell off the non-book-buying wagon the other day and need to reduce my TBR pile a bit first.

The Boy with the Topknot: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton by Sathnam Sanghera

I confess that I was drawn to this book by the mention of Wolverhampton, the city my father and his family hail from and, for the benefit of non-UK LTers, a place with a reputation as an unattractive and unglamorous destination nobody could want to visit (it's not as unattractive as its reputation suggests, but there's probably no compelling reason to go there).

However, in this memoir, journalist Sathnam Sanghera really concerns himself with two issues: his relatively traditional Sikh upbringing by parents who, in spite of arriving in the UK from the Punjab in the 1960s, speak no English and remain isolated from many aspects of British culture; and the discovery that his father and eldest sister have long been beset by mental health problems.

This may sound rather bleak, but Sanghera himself admits to being no fan of misery memoirs and has produced a humorous and touching account of his childhood and his attempts, as an adult, to piece together his family's story. He may poke fun at Wolverhampton and some Sikh traditions, but he is equally happy to ridicule his metrosexual London lifestyle. And, at just a few years younger than Sanghera, I enjoyed his reminiscences about growing up in the 80s and could identify, though to much a lesser extent, with the seeming gulf between the life we carve out for ourselves and the one we live with our parents.

There's probably no reason for many readers to pick up a book whose chief subjects are mental illness, Sikhism and Wolverhampton, but I'm so very glad I did!

Ooooh, Le visiteur sounds really interesting!

Because everyone else is doing it:

Favourite childhood book? The Witches or Matilda by Roald Dahl

What are you reading right now? War and Peace! I've been reading it for the last couple of months and hope to finish it today!

Bad book habit? Continuing to buy books when I have so many I haven't read and am not the quickest of readers...

Do you have an e-reader? No, I've yet to be converted and hope I won't be!

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once? Ideally, one at a time, but if I've been reading a book for a while, I can't help opening another one. I've read several books alongside War and Peace.

Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Since posting on LT, I've paid more attention to the quality of my reading and have widened its scope.

Least favourite book you read this year (so far)? Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia by Roberto Saviano: fascinating subject, but poorly written.

Favourite book you’ve read this year? I've read some good books so far this year, but am not sure I have an absolute favourite. War and Peace is a very rewarding read. The last book I read, The Boy with the Topknot, was very enjoyable. I re-read Nothing to Envy, but since that was a favourite for last year, I'm not inclined to count it for this year.

How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Since my comfort zone is relatively large, there's rarely a compelling reason to venture outside it. I did branch out into graphic novels this year though. I avoid chick lit, most sci-fi and fantasy and "James Patterson"-style thrillers, but I do like to challenge myself every now and then with books about history and politics.

What is your reading comfort zone? Literary fiction, classics, non-fiction relating to Central and Eastern Europe, autobiography/biography.

Can you read on the bus? Yes, as long as I hold the book high up in front of me - I feel sick if I look down for too long.

Favourite place to read? At home in/on the bed. I get distracted if I'm out and about.

What is your policy on book lending? I try to lend to trusted friends only. I've lost a couple of books to people who didn't understand that I wanted them back again!

Do you ever dog-ear books? Not deliberately, but I carry a book with me everywhere I go, so it can happen.

Do you ever write in the margins of your books? No! Why do people do that???

What is your favourite language to read in? English, followed by French, then German.

What makes you love a book? Good characterisation, observations that resonate, writing that seems effortlessly to create pictures in my mind.

What will inspire you to recommend a book? I'm more likely to recommend non-fiction, as I think people respond to fiction more emotionally and subjectively. If I consider that a book deals with an interesting subject in a compelling way, I'm likely to recommend it. The last book I encouraged others to read was Nothing to Envy.

Favourite genre? Literary fiction

Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)? Poetry

Favourite biography? A little-read book called The Art of Acquiring: A Portrait of Etta and Claribel Cone by Mary Gabriel. I saw a documentary about the Cone sisters, unlikely art collectors who were particularly interested in Matisse and Picasso, and was inspired to seek out this gem of a book.

Have you ever read a self-help book? Yes, but never to the end or in a particularly focused way - perhaps I need a book to help me do that!

Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? Perhaps War and Peace - I know Tolstoy's philosophising can get a bit much, but all that rumination on how to lead a good and fulfilling life appeals to the puritan in me.

Favourite reading snack? Chocolate or biscuits, preferably with a cup of milky coffee.

How often do you agree with critics about a book? I don't pay that much attention to reviews.

How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I have no problem with it at all!

If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Russian. I've been slowly learning Russian over the last few years, but am nowhere near the standard required to read in it. In theory, I can read Spanish, but my vocabulary isn't yet wide enough for me to do so comfortably and I wish it were!

Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West

Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? I'm not counting things like Ulysses, which I have no intention of reading. Intimidating books on my shelves include The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Man Without Qualities, Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Favourite Poet? Sylvia Plath, perhaps, but I haven't read much poetry. I have a feeling I may like T.S. Eliot.

Favourite fictional character? Uncle Matthew in Nancy Mitford's novels and Charles Ryder's father in Brideshead Revisited make me laugh...

Favorite fictional villain? No one's springing to mind. I tend not to like villainous characters, though I suppose Uncle Matthew is a bit of a villain...

Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Either books that relate to my holiday destination (fiction or non-fiction) or literary fiction that I feel sure I'm going to enjoy.

The longest I’ve gone without reading I found it hard to read much when I was at university - there were too many other things going on.

Name a book that you could/would not finish Just one? I tried to read Ferdydurke by Witold Gombrowicz a couple of years ago. I really want to like it/be able to finish it, but I don't think I'm clever enough to "get" it. I'm holding on to it so that I can try again when I'm older and wiser!

What distracts you easily when you’re reading? When I'm out, just about anything! If I'm reading on public transport, other people's conversations/music/mobile phones are a nuisance.

Favourite film adaptation of a novel? My favourite film is Breakfast At Tiffany's, but I'd say that has little to do with the novel, so Howards End, which I consider to be a faithful adaptation of Forster's novel.

Most disappointing film adaptation? I'm not sure. I tend to avoid adaptations I suspect will be disappointing.

The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? In an actual physical bookshop, probably no more than £40 - I go most overboard in second-hand bookshops/charity shops, so while I feel guilty for the number of books I buy, it isn't really the money that concerns me.

How often do you skim a book before reading it? Very often! One of my pleasures is browsing my bookshelves at home and flicking through books I've yet to read.

Do you like to keep your books organized? Yes! We don't have enough storage space currently for that to be possible, but we're working on it - and then I shall unleash my inner librarian!

Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? Unless I feel sure I'm never going to re-read them, I keep them. I like having books around and ones I've read and enjoyed are like old friends.

Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? The intimidating ones listed above!

Name a book that made you angry Wuthering Heights, because I found Heathcliff such a repulsive character and was frustrated that the other characters didn't stand up to him more.

A book you didn’t expect to like but did? Again, Wuthering Heights, because I thought it would be too melodramatic, but the writing was excellent and the story truly gripping.

A book that you expected to like but didn’t? Save Me The Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald. I love reading about the dissolute lifestyle of "Lost Generation" Americans in Europe, but this book was practically unreadable.

Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading? Well, everything I read is "guilt-free" and much of it purely for pleasure, but something along the lines of The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford - reading about the lives of the English aristocracy in a bygone era is probably the ultimate in comfort reading for me.

Hi Rebeki, I like your meme! You reminded me I have a small book of Sylvia Plath poems on my shelf which I really should read soon.

About the intimidating books: there are currently two group reads of One Hundred Years of Solitude. So far they are quite spoiler-free, you might find them helpful (also if you don't want to join them this month):
1001: http://www.librarything.com/topic/119867
Club Read: http://www.librarything.com/topic/119806

You're about to finish War and Peace? Congratulations!!!

And just to show the power of LT, The Boy with a Topknot sounds like I'd enjoy it and I've just checked and Wellington library has got a copy! (Not that I'm nearby for 5 more months but...)

#90 - Nathalie, I've replied to your post on your thread, but I finished War and Peace a few hours ago and feel quite mentally exhausted, so I think One Hundred Years of Solitude will have to wait! However, I'll definitely consult the threads you link to when I do get round to it.

#91 Yes, Cushla, I've finished! Actually, I cheated a bit at the end and stopped halfway through the second part of the epilogue - life really is too short! I got so carried away with reading W&P though that I failed to keep up with the group read threads. I intend to do that now though (or this weekend), so that I can take stock a little and see what others thought.

I'm impressed that The Boy with the Topknot is available at your (local?) library and hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

Congratulations on finishing War and Peace!! :-)

Take your time with "One Hundred Years", it is (for me at least) quite an intense read, although it is short compared to W&P.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I can't really believe I've finally read and finished this mammoth book. While its sheer length made it a daunting read, it was, for the most part, absorbing and enjoyable.

I fell in love with the Rostovs, Pierre and Prince Andrei and enjoyed following their development against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. I was really very ignorant about this period, so appreciated Tolstoy's history lesson, although more so through his descriptions of the competing military commanders and the experiences of ordinary troops than through the more abstract ruminations of the kind seen in the second part of the epilogue (which I had to abandon). I particularly enjoyed the constrasting leadership styles of the "characters" of Napoleon and Kutuzov.

In some ways, I'd have been happy for the book to end with the French exodus in 1812 and dispense with the epilogue altogether, but I won't begrudge Tolstoy those 100 extra pages!

I must tackle this some time. Well done Rebeki now you can say that you have read War and Peace.

The catch phrase "well it's not war and peace" will take on a whole new meaning for you.

Congratulations! You started it well after me but I'm nowhere near finishing, not because I'm not enjoying it though - other things just keep getting in the way (and now I suspect the Polish Presidency will keep me from it till the end of the year, unfortunately).

Thanks, Barry and Rachel!

Barry, happily, the only daunting thing about W&P is its size (and the second part of the epilogue!).

Rachel, I had a particular reason for getting on with it - I was actually six months pregnant when I started it and was very keen to finish before life got a whole lot busier. If it weren't for "maternity leave", I'd never have got through it that quickly!

I had a little boy on 14 July and, while he's certainly keeping me busy, I'm relieved to discover I'm still capable of reading! However, I imagine I'll be reading much lighter fare - English-language fiction, for the most part - for the rest of the year...

Congratulations Rebeki

Wow, that's some news, Rebeki - Congratulations!! :-))

Congratulations Rebeki, I had to read your message twice to make sure I was reading correctly!! Fantastic news.

Thanks, Barry, Nathalie and Cushla! I didn't like to mention anything before the event in case I jinxed things...

Just Kids by Patti Smith

After reading a favourable review of this memoir in Q Magazine and seeing it highly praised around LT, in particular by rebeccanyc and cait86, I decided I had to read it, in spite of knowing very little about Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe or late 60s/70s New York. I own the album Horses and was aware of Smith's iconic status, but that's about it. I had no idea, for instance, that she started out as an aspiring artist and a poet before turning her hand to music.

Robert Mapplethorpe holds less interest for me, but I enjoyed reading about how their lifelong friendship began, how they inspired each other and, very importantly, how they decorated their various dwelling places! The references to figures such as Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were also interesting, and Smith's reverence for Arthur Rimbaud (and France in general) has made me keen to find out about him and his work. I confess to getting slightly bogged down by some of the name-dropping, as the names in question were often unfamiliar to me, but I would like to find out more about this chapter in New York's cultural history and will use this book as a reference.

Mostly I was struck by how likeable and unconceited Smith seems, in spite of her success - perhaps because of the years of struggling to get by that preceded this success - and how beautifully she writes.

Good review of Just kids Rebeki. It's sitting fairly high up on my TBR pile. When I read it I will have an excuse to post some of Mapplethorpe's photographs. He was an extraordinary photographer. You will be pleased to know I have resisted putting them on your thread.

I'm glad you enjoyed Just Kids, Rebeki. I agree that it is so full of references that it is a jumping-off point for a lot of other reading. I know nothing about Arthur Rimbaud either.

Just catching up and wanted to say congratulations!

Delurking to say congratulations on the baby, and on finishing War and Peace!

Well, I've been absent a long time. It's not so much that I no longer have time to read, more that I don't switch the computer on as often these days.

Anyway, catching up:

#103 Hi Barry, I er "look forward" to seeing some of Mapplethorpe's work on your thread. Actually, I think there was a small exhibition of his work in London earlier this year, which I contemplated going to in preparation for reading Just Kids but never got round to seeing. I've noticed that since being pregnant/having a baby I've become (even more) squeamish and reading Smith's descriptions of some of Mapplethorpe's pictures (in hospital, having just given birth) was pretty hardgoing!

#105, #106: Thanks, both!

I've left it too long to be able to write proper reviews, but here's a summary of my August reading:

One Day by David Nicholls

The funny and touching tale of Emma and Dexter, university acquaintances whom readers are introduced to on 15 July 1988 and reunited with every year subsequently, allowing us to follow their changing fortunes and relationship. I read and loved Starter For Ten a couple of years ago and this was just as enjoyable and somehow "meatier".

The Sweet Dove Died by Barbara Pym

My first book by Pym and, according to other LT-ers, apparently not her best. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this humorous and unsentimentally told story of an uncle and nephew and their friendship with the wonderfully selfish Leonora. Very English in a comforting sort of way and a quick read. I look forward to reading more by Pym. I have Jane and Prudence on my shelves, though I understand that Excellent Women is considered to be her best work.

Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink

This was our reading group's book for July and although I was unable to attend the meeting I was still keen to read it. Though slight in size, this novel packs a punch. I was interested to note how my opinion of Hanna changed quite dramatically as I learnt more about her. The book provides plenty of food for thought and is beautifully written. I'm now intrigued to know how it translated to screen.

Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School by Frank Richards
Billy Bunter's Double by Frank Richards

These school stories, which my father enjoyed as a boy, were the perfect comfort reading. However, I was disappointed to see that the second of the books, originally published in the 1950s, I think, had been updated in the 1980s. This updating seems to have involved not only making the original material more politically correct, which ruins the flavour of it for me, but also simplifying Richards's style and vocabulary, which is plain ridiculous and unnecessary. I read two of my Dad's books (i.e. in their original form) as a child in the early 90s and loved Richards's old-fashioned style and the flowery language - I learnt many a new word from them, which was a source of pleasure. Fortunately, I've discovered this site: http://www.friardale.co.uk/Cassell/Cassell.htm and hope to read the rest of the books as they were originally published.

In August, I also abandoned The Girl at the Lion D'Or by Sebastian Faulks, that month's reading group book, halfway through.

I thought Birdsong was absorbing, if tough going at times, and was truly gripped by Engleby, but found this novel utterly unaffecting. The characters were two-dimensional and I simply didn't care what happened to them. Also, I felt that Faulks was trying hard to write a very French novel, which extended to making the dialogue read like a literal translation from the French. While this stylistic device may have worked for some, it simply irritated me. Faulks is great at vivid description, but that wasn't enough to sustain me through this admittedly short book.

I then started the acclaimed The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna and am enjoying it very much, but had to put it aside in order to start the mammoth Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières for this month's reading group meeting. I hope to finish both books within the next week.

I haven't been on LT for ages so I've only just seen your news - congratulations! And you've still managed to read far more than I have recently, even with a baby!

I will look forward to your review of Birds Without Wings, for now safely lodged on my tbr pile.

#110 Thanks, Rachel! I imagine you're very busy with work. As tiring as looking after a baby can be, I find I have more mental energy lef't for reading than when I was working. Plus, my life has inevitably become rather less exciting of late (and it wasn't that exciting to begin with!), so I need to read about other people's more interesting lives!

#111 Hi Edwin, nice to see you here. I hope to get round to my reviews shortly, although they're not what they used to be. I can tell you I found it very enjoyable, with some minor reservations.

Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières

Like Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, this sprawling novel is narrated from the viewpoint of a number of characters, this time the inhabitants of Eskibahçe, a fictional village located near Fethiye, Turkey. It tells how the lives of the Greek, Armenian and “Turkish” (i.e. Muslim) villagers are shaped by the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the First World War and the birth of the Turkish nation.

De Bernières is an excellent storyteller and has created memorable and colourful characters. As in his other books, moments of horror and an essentially sad story are balanced by humour and the conversational tone many of the characters adopt, preventing the book from becoming heavy going. My only real quibble is with the sections dealing with the rise of Atatürk, in which de Bernières has tried to cram too much historical detail for my liking.

The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna

I borrowed this book from the library after seeing so much praise for it on LT. Adrian, a British psychologist with an interest in post-traumatic stress disorder, has arrived in Sierra Leone in the aftermath of the civil war. At the hospital to which he is posted, he is befriended by Kai, a surgeon who is himself haunted by the war, and makes the acquaintance of Elias Cole, an elderly patient not long for this world, who appears to be haunted more by the life choices he has made.

I was reminded initially of Half of a Yellow Sun, which also combines three different viewpoints, including that of the (British) outsider, but I enjoyed this novel far more. From the first page, I felt involved with the characters and especially enjoyed the sections narrated by the morally dubious Cole. Forna manages to convey the horror of the war while writing quite sparingly about specific events, which somehow renders them all the more shocking. For me, each sentence flowed effortlessly and each word was perfectly judged. I’d be interested to read more by Forna, although it’s hard to believe that anything else she writes could live up to the standard she has produced here.

Great to see you're getting some books read. I've been eyeing The Memory of Love for ages because of the buzz on here, and have just found it available as an e-book from the library and downloaded it now. I have yet to see a bad review of it!

When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant

I continued my streak of good reads with this, another library book (which is doing nothing to reduce my TBR pile, although I suppose it’s better than buying books), and am surprised to find that it’s my favourite fiction read of the year so far.

It’s 1946 and Evelyn Sert, a young Jewish woman from London, is setting sail for Palestine to begin a new life in a new land. Her idealistic notions of what she will find there soon disappear as she struggles to adapt to life on a kibbutz, before moving to the shiny, new “white city” of Tel Aviv, where she falls in with the shady “Johnny”.

I’m ashamed to say I know very little about the history of Palestine and Israel and the long-running conflict, having never really known where to begin. However, this deceptively substantial work has at least given me some clues as to its origins and made me keen to learn more.

At the same time, there is nothing at all pedagogical about this book. It was entertaining and gripping from start to finish. Evelyn is an irresistible and engaging character, who appears candid and matter-of-fact, but whom we never really get to know. I also loved the descriptions of Tel Aviv and its many cafés and would love to visit what remains of the White City. Even now, a week after finishing the book, I’m still pondering the questions of morality and identity it raises. I think I may have to buy my own copy of When I Lived (sigh), as I know I will want to re-read it.

#115 Hi Cushla, yes, after hearing so many women say, "Oh, I couldn't concentrate on reading once the baby arrived", I'm very relieved to find that isn't true for me! Of course, there are things I should be doing round the house and I suppose I should be rushing out to socialise with other mothers, but reading seems more important and pleasurable than ever!

I'm sorry I haven't visited your thread in a while - I feel very rude. I'm struggling to keep up with my own at the moment and am neglecting everyone else's. In any case, I hope you enjoy The Memory of Love as much as the rest of us LTers!

I'm now reading The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, another library book and another tale of a young woman abroad, as well - shock, horror - as one of my own books, The Bridge over the Drina by Ivo Andrić , which I've been meaning to read for three years. I'm grateful to Birds Without Wings for giving me some introduction to the Ottoman Empire and inspiring me to get started on the Andrić book.

Glad to hear you like Birds without wings almost as much as Captain Corelli's mandolin. It was that latter which got me hooked on de Bernières, but was so disappointed with subsequent readings that I wondered whether he would ever achieve that level again.

After Captain Corelli's mandolin he wrote Red dog, which I would not recommend any one to read. It was clearly the work of an author astray. Then, I went back to the Latin American Trilogy, and read The war of Don Emmanuel's nether parts which I thoroughly disliked, and decided not to read any of the other "magical realism" book by him. (A promise to myself I will soon break, as I acquired a free copy of Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord.) Next, I bought and read A partisan's daughter, which, judged by the title, going for the word "partisan" I hoped would recapture the magic of Captain Corelli's mandolin. Alas, it was not to be. A partisan's daughter is also an extremely weak book.

So you can imagine how hesitant I am to pick up Birds without wings, even though I have already bought it.

I'm glad you liked The Memory of Love! Like you, I was drawn in right from the start. I just finished Ancestor Stones - she's an amazing story-teller.
I loved When I Lived in Modern Times when I read it several years ago. I was the same as you, knew shamefully little about Palestine when I started it - but sometimes I find I learn more from good fiction than I would from a history book.

I loved When I Lived in Modern Times too. And I have The Dud Avocado here - I started it a few months ago, but it got usurped by something better at the time. I must find it...

#119 - Edwin, I rather enjoyed de Bernières Latin American trilogy, but Birds Without Wings is far more in the vein of Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I remember the writing in the latter being slightly tighter though. I'm not sure Birds Without Wings needs to be as long as it is...

I have an interest in the former Yugoslavia, so am/was tempted by A Partisan's Daughter and will probably borrow it from the library at some point. I won't expect too much though!

#120 - Rachel, I shall have to look out for Ancestor Stones at the library.
"...sometimes I find I learn more from good fiction than I would from a history book" - this is precisely my feeling!

#121 - Cushla, I wasn't all that thrilled with The Dud Avocado until a couple of chapters in and then, suddenly, it became compulsive reading. Review to follow shortly!

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy

I first heard of this novel on LT and when I saw it in the library, I decided it looked like a fun read.

Initially, I found the narrator of this coming-of-age tale, the pink-haired Sally Jay Gorce, rather irritating and wasn’t sure I’d carry on reading, but something changed in the next couple of chapters and I was gripped.

Sally Jay has been given an allowance by a wealthy uncle, the idea being for her to live as she wishes and rid herself of her natural restlessness. Like many young Americans, she chooses to spend that time in Paris, having unsuitable love affairs, running around with a group of eccentric characters and attempting to establish an acting career. In the course of so doing, she finds herself involved in some rather unsavoury business...

My favourite thing about this novel was Sally Jay herself. She’s witty and entertaining and speaks of herself with a self-deprecating humour. I was less sure about the turn the plot took towards the end, but, overall, this was a highly enjoyable read.

Right, I'm going to give it another go then. I'm going to Paris on Friday morning and it might be a suitable train book!

Yes, I think it would help pass the time rather nicely. Have a wonderful time in Paris!

The Bridge Over The Drina by Ivo Andrić

I asked for this book for a birthday present three years ago and, after much procrastination, had it lined up for 2010 as part of my reading about the former Yugoslavia. Needless to say, that didn't happen either. I think I was intimidated by its reputation here on LT and wanted to enjoy it as much as others did. I also thought it would be a difficult read. (Life and Fate is another book in this category. I received it for Christmas seven years ago and still haven't got round to it. It's definitely on the cards for next year!)

Anyway, having read Birds Without Wings last month for my reading group, I felt the time was finally right! It certainly was a dense read, but not a difficult one, though I'm glad I waited until I was "ready", as I'm not sure otherwise whether I would have appreciated the beautiful writing to the same extent.

The bridge in question is in Višegrad, Bosnia, and this novel takes us from its construction in the 1570s to the outbreak of the First World War, from Ottoman to the beginning of the end of Austro-Hungarian rule. For most of the book, we catch just a passing glimpse of some of the town’s most interesting characters; the bridge is at the centre of this novel and it is almost as if we are viewing events from its perspective, with an individual human lifespan insignificant in comparison with its own. The pace slows as the 20th century approaches and the storm clouds of 1914 begin to gather.

The writing is descriptive and poetic without ever seeming heavy or dry (for which the translator, Lovett F. Edwards, must take some credit) and created a wonderfully vivid picture in my mind of Višegrad and its prized bridge and diverse townspeople.

I find myself wishing that Andrić were still alive today and could have continued the bridge’s story to take in and attempt to make sense of the devastation wrought during the Second World War and the wars at the end of the 20th century and to chronicle life in the town as part of the Kingdom and subsequently Republic of Yugoslavia and present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I'm now reading Meine freie deutsche Jugend by Claudia Rusch and The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst, which I was lucky enough to find just sitting on the library shelf.

I'm not reading The Name of the Rose, which is this month's reading group selection. I attempted it a few years ago and didn't get very far. This does not feel like the right time to make a second attempt, as reading is one of my few selfish pleasures at the moment (no holidays, fancy meals out or even dairy products right now and very limited alcohol intake) and I'm determined that it should be pleasurable! I know it's a highly regarded book and I'm looking forward to hearing what other reading group members make of it, but I'm not sure it'll ever be for me...

If you like Meine freie deutsche Jugend I think I'll add it to my wishlist. I'm good at buying German books, less good at reading them - because I'm slower than in English. And I can't remember if I said it on your thread already, but I loved the Stranger's Child and hope you are too! I also loved The Name of the Rose but you definitely need to be in the mood for it - although it was much easier than I'd been expecting. I'd put off reading it for years thinking it was going to be really dense, and it was ok.

I bought Life and Fate last year and have yet to give it a go - maybe 2012 will be the year!

I will be looking forward to your review of Meine freie deutsche Jugend. Now there are only two reviews in Swedish (?)

Rebeki - I don't know how you are awake enough to manage this much reading. Very impressed. I've added when I lived in modern times to my wish list and will consider reading it next year. Enjoyed your review of Andric, interesting book, that one.

The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst

Being a hardback, and not exactly short, this book was supposed to be my "at-home" reading, but I soon found myself lugging it around everywhere (pushchairs come in handy for this kind of thing!), so keen was I to read on.

This Booker-longlisted novel is split into five parts, set, respectively, in 1913, 1926, 1967, 1980 and 2008 (I think I got that right!). It begins with the visit by the aristocratic student and poet, Cecil Valance (a character based, in part, on Rupert Brooke), to the home of his friend and lover, George Sawle, who is from a more middle-class milieu. The visit causes great excitement at Two Acres, in particular for George's younger sister Daphne, who is something of a romantic. As time moves on, it is Daphne's fortunes we follow, but Cecil's presence continues to dominate, even beyond the grave (as I say, his character is based on Rupert Brooke, so I hope this won't be considered a spoiler).

The characterisation in this novel is excellent. I read an article in which comparisons are made with Howards End, and it is true that the strained relations between the sympathetic Sawles and the overbearing Valances are reminiscent of the contrast between the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes. I enjoyed the way Hollinghurst frequently switches perspective. This was particularly effective with the character of Paul Bryant, Cecil's biographer, who seems relatively likeable, if a little odd, when events are seen from his point of view, but at best tedious and at worst plain creepy in the eyes of others.

Hollinghurst writes elegantly and humorously, compelling you to read on. Coincidentally, The Line of Beauty is my reading group's choice for November and, on the basis of The Stranger's Child, I'm very much looking forward to it.

Meine freie deutsche Jugend by Claudia Rusch

Claudia Rusch was born in 1971, meaning that she was fortunate enough to come of age at a time when the opportunities long open to youngsters to the west of the Iron Curtain became a reality for her too.

This slim volume consists mainly, though not exclusively, of episodes prior to 1989, some of which are amusing, such as the time her family try lobster, a delicacy not available in the GDR, or the visit by a group of East German students to the south of France, while others are touching, such as Rusch's determined efforts to get a stamp in her passport before her country ceases to exist, or disturbing, such as the time she is followed by a Stasi officer as a small child.

Very readable and recommended to those with an interest in the GDR.

#128 - Cushla, it was after reading your review of The Stranger's Child on your thread that I became so keen to read it too, and I wasn't disappointed - thanks for drawing my attention to it!

Yes, I enjoyed Meine freie deutsche Jugend and it's definitely a quick, easy read. I bought Zonenkinder by Jana Hensel at the same time, which seems to be in a similar vein and which I expect to get to soon.

I think I remember reading on one of your threads that you're hoping to train as a maths teacher. I don't know whether it has any particular bearing, but one of the people in our reading group who most enjoyed The Name of the Rose is a retired maths teacher. Perhaps you both have the right sort of mind for it. I just don't think I'm intellectual enough!

#129 Edwin, those Swedish reviews seemed very enthusiastic (I used Google Translate). I wouldn't say I liked Meine freie deutsche Jugend to the same degree, but it's an interesting and diverting read.

#130 dchaikin, I have to say that reading's the only proper exercise my brain's getting these days! Plus, I'm fortunate enough to have a little boy who usually allows me to get a decent amount of sleep.

Yes, I'm very keen to read more by Andrić. Have you read anything else by him?

R - nope, only TBOtD.

Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym

My second Barbara Pym and, although I enjoyed The Sweet Dove Died, I found this book twice as good.

Jane and Prudence are friends who met at Oxford (the former having taught the latter). Jane is a wonderfully vague and impractical clergyman's wife, whose mind moves at extraordinary speed and follows it own impenetrable logic, stopping frequently to dwell on 17th-century poets, while beautiful, single Prudence, under-utilised in her office job, basks in the glory of her former love affairs. When Jane and her husband, the mild-mannered Nicholas, move to a village parish, Jane sees an opportunity to play matchmaker to her friend.

There are some great characters in this novel, including the village bachelor Mr Fabian Driver, Prudence's tiresome colleagues and, not least, Jane herself. I frequently found myself laughing aloud, especially at Nicholas's soap animals and the references to men's dietary needs (in the light of the post-war rationing).

I know Excellent Women is considered Pym's best novel and, if it's anywhere near as funny as Jane and Prudence, I can't wait to read it!

Thank You for Not Reading by Dubravka Ugrešić

Given that this is a book lamenting the literary world's emphasis on superficial concerns, Dubravka Ugrešić might be interested to know that it was the cover and title of this book of essays (and her eastern -European-sounding name) that attracted me. I'm not sure, otherwise, that I'd have asked for it as a present (or even known of its existence - it was being promoted in Waterstone's when I saw it).

In the event, I enjoyed reading her thoughts on how the situation has changed for writers from Europe's former Communist countries now that they are "competing" in the global marketplace and the nature of exile (she left her native Croatia in the early 1990s), amongst other issues.

However, I also frequently felt out of my depth and think that this book is better suited to those with a greater interest in and knowledge of the publishing "industry". I'd definitely like to try more of Ugrešić's fiction though (I've read only The Ministry of Pain so far).

>137 rachbxl: I recommend Baba Yaga Laid an Egg - I loved it. Much more humorous than The Ministry of Pain (which I enjoyed).

Thanks for the review of Meine freie deutsche Jugend a few weeks ago -- it's now on my list too. Sounds like a good read.

November and December always seem to be the most hectic and stressful months for me and it was no different in 2011. My reading and LT presence suffered as a result, but it's now time to round off my 2011 thread and start a shiny new one over in Club Read 2012.

I have four books left on which to comment. Rather than writing full reviews in which I give some idea of the plot, I'm going to stick to summarising my thoughts. I hope this won't be confusing to anyone still reading this thread. If the book sounds at all interesting, please check out other, better reviews!

The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst

The reading group selection for November. Initially, I wasn't sure. This book lacked the momentum of The Stranger's Child and all the "sex and snorting" (as one reviewer put it) became rather wearying.

However, I found the main character, Nick Guest, fascinating. I sympathised and could identify with him to a certain extent, but his snobbery was quite repellent, particularly where it was directed at his parents. I was also interested in how he could be so self-conscious in social situations, but completely lacking in self-awareness in certain respects. Hollinghurst is great at characterisation and there are some lovely scenes of social awkwardness.

This quote from the book (actually referring to a Henry James novel) sums it up for me (mild spoiler): "It's about someone who loves things more than people. And ends up with nothing, of course. I know it's bleak, but then I think it's probably a very bleak book, even though it's essentially a comedy."

The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant

Since I loved When I Lived in Modern Times, I thought I'd follow it up with this more recent novel. The story didn't grip me quite so much this time, possibly because I found the narrator, Vivien, more interesting than her Uncle Sándor, on whom the book really focuses. I enjoyed the 1970s London setting and am definitely a fan of Grant's writing and will look for more books by her.

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah

This biography was December's reading group book. Since it's subtitled "The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter", I was afraid it would be some sort of misery lit, but that wasn't really the case. It certainly wasn't pleasant reading about the mistreatment of young Adeline, but Yen Mah writes quite matter-of factly (and used her unhappy childhood to spur her on to a happy and successful adult life) and it was very interesting reading about Shanghai (and China) prior to Communism.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I was prompted by the Austenathon over in the 75 Book Challenge to pick up this, the final full novel by Austen I had yet to read. Although I subsequently failed to join in the discussion, I'm very glad to have finished the year with Persuasion. As always, I loved the characterisation, that of Anne Elliot's flawed family members in particular. I just wish the book were longer!

So, in 2011 I read a slightly irritating total of 39 books. I even started number 40 and would easily have finished it before the end of the year, had I not decided I wasn't enjoying it that much. (For the record, it was Moses Ascending by Sam Selvon. The Lonely Londoners was one of my favourite reads of 2010, but this later book with the same protagonist lacked the charm of the former.

Anyway, 39 isn't bad in a year in which I read War and Peace and had a baby. And I've read some very good books, making it hard for me to pick a stand-out favourite. For sheer enjoyment, I'd probably go for When I Lived in Modern Times...

New thread here.