Markon's Winter 2011 thread

Since November is Native American Heritage Month, I thought I'd display this photo of Ocmulgee National Monument near Macon, Georgia. This mound is one of several Mississippian mounds in Georgia, and according to the website was inhabited between 1350 & the early 1600s when the Creek Indians moved in and began trading with British settlers.

It doesn't feel like winter yet here in Georgia, but I think it's time to set up my last thread for the year. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is coming up. I'm looking forward to a visit from my sisters, and will probably not be posting here a lot until December.

Having said that, here are a couple of books I finished this weekend.

Though not dead by Dana Stabenow *** (mystery)

Galloping action and some satisfying backstory in the continuing saga of Kate Shugak and the rest of the park rats.

Ghatti's tale by Gayle Greeno ** 1/2 (fantasy)

Mind-reading cats bond with humans to become truth seekers. Who is killing them and stealing their brains?

The children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkien (audio) ** (fantasy)

I love the Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth, but as I've grown older I have less patience with the lack of strong female characters. Add knowing that this story is going to have a tragic ending, and it just wasn't much fun.

I have also started

The warmth of other suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The white woman on the green bicycle by Monique Roffey

will come back to finish this later . . .

Previous thread is here.

Gotcha! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. Drop us a line when you can.

Found you!

Books read this year:

List #1

1. Wandering Star by J.M.G LeClezio (fiction)
2. The monk downstairs by Tim Farrington. (fiction)
3. Phoenix Cafe by Gwyneth Jones (science fiction) ***
4. A Lonely Death by Charles Todd (mystery) ***
5. The lost gardens by Anthony Eglin (mystery) **
6. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater **1/2
7. Siberia by Ann Halam ***
8. Native Tongue by Suzanne Elgin ** (writing/chararcter development) ***1/2 (stimulating discussion - see the group read here)
9. Penterra by Judith Moffett ***
10. In the woods by Tana French ****
11. 84 Charing Cross Road ***
12. Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin ***
13. Body Work by Sara Paretsky ***
14. Blackout by Connie Willis ***
15. Alice I have been by Melanie Benjamin ***
16. Garnet Hill by Denise Mina ***1/2
17. Pegasus by Robin McKinley (YA) ****
18. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth***
19. The Devil's alphabet by Daryl Gregory ****
20. Hangman by Faye Kellerman ***1/2
21. Love songs from a shallow grave by Colin Cotterill ***3/4
22. The child goddess by Louise Marley ****
23. Crossing the wire by Will Hobbs***
24. The witch of Hebron by James Howard Kunstler ***
25. Sword of Orion ** by Lee
26. Fairie wars ** by Brennan
27. Darwin's Children by Greg Bear ***
28. The Gospel of Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago *****
29. Last light of the sun by Guy Gavriel Kay ***
30. Through black Spruce by Joseph Boyden ****
31. The sisters of Sinai by Janet Soskice *** 3/4
32. The crossing places by Elly Griffiths ***
33. Lives like loaded guns by Lyndall Gordon
34. The devil amongst the lawyers by Sharon McCrumb **3/4
35. Sky burial: an epic love story of Tibet by Xinran **1/2
36. Bards of bone plain by Patricia McKillip ****

List #2 (April - June)
37. Anil's ghost by Michael Ondaatje***** (thanks Lisa!)
38. Three day road***** by Joseph Boyden
39. Huey: spirit of the panther**1/2 by David Hillier
40. Oil on water by Helon Habila***
41. Heaven is High by Kate Wilhelm ***
42. Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory ****
43. Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold ***
44. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss ****
45. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by *** (audiobook)
46. The arrival by Shaun Tan **** (graphic novel)
47. Prayers for the dead by Faye Kellerman *** 1/2
48. Christmas mourning by Margaret Maron *** 1/2
49. The hammer by K. J. Parker ****
50. The likeness by Tana French ****
51. The invisible bridge by Julie Orringer *** 3/4
52. The daughter's walk by Jane Kirkpatrick ***
53. Hyperion by Dan Simmons ***
54. Ancient Shores by Jack McDevitt ***
55. Who fears death by Nnedi Okorafor***.75 (Hugo nominee)
56. www: watch by Robert J. Sawyer ***
57. Ruby slippers, golden tears, edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling ***
58. Cocaine blues by Kerry Greenwood **1/2
59. The looking glass wars by Frank Beddor *** 1/2

List #3

60. Blackveil byKristen Brittain *** 1/4
61. Union quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini ***1/2
62. Bury your dead by Louise Penny ****
63. Number the stars by Lois Lowry ***1/2
64. The $66 summer by John Armistead ***1/2
65. One crazy summer by Rita Williams-Garcia ****
66. Life on mars edited by Jonathan Strahan ***1/2
67. Guardian of the dead by Karen Healey ****
68. God went to beauty school by Cynthia Ryland **** (reread, poetry)
69. Crossing the seas: Americns form an empire 1890-1899 by Eric Schwartz ***
70. Huntress by Malinda Lo ***
71. Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl ****
72. The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Patton Walsh ***
73. Island beneath the sea by Isabel Allende **3/4
74. The Shadow seeker by Nnedi Okorofar ***
75. The blue hawk by Peter Dickinson ****
76. Beggars of Spain by Nancy Kress ***1/2
77. The Locus awards ed. by Charles N. Brown ***4/5
78. Entwined by Heather Dixon ***
79. Raven black by Ann Cleeves *** 3/4
80. Julie of the wolves by Jean Craighead George ****
81. The dead and gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer *** 3/4
82. Fortunate Sons by Liel Leibowitz & Matthew Miller
83. The dream of the unified field by Jorie Graham *** (poetry)
84. The butterfly's daughter by Mary Alice Monroe **
85. The storm at the door by Stefan Merriill Block ****
86. True Grit by Charles Portis (audiobook) ****
87. A live coal in the sea by Madeline L'Engle ***
88. Penny from heaven by Jennifer L. Holm ***
89. The shadow catcher by Marianne Wiggins****1/2
90. Judge by Karen Traviss***1/2
91. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson ***
92. Death along the spirit road by C.M. Wendboe ***
93. Deepsix by Jack McDevitt ***
94. Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory ***
95. The replacement by Brenna Yovanoff ***
96. The cat's table by Michael Ondaatje ***
97. Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness by Gary Schmidt *****
98. The good Muslim by Tahmima Anam ****
99. A golden age by Tahmima Anam ****
100. Kim by Rudyard Kipling ***
101. Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb ***

Books read in November

102. Though not dead by Dana Stabenow ***
103. Ghatti's tale by Gayle Greeno **
104. The children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkein **
105. The warmth of other suns by Isabel Wilkerson (non-fiction) ****
106. The white woman on the green bicycle *** 3/4
107. The book of night women by Marlon James ****
108. Midnight rising by Tony Horowitz ***

Books read in December

109. The sinner by Tess Gerritsen ***
110. Powder necklace by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond ***
111. The borrower by Rebecca Makkai **3/4
112. A million nightingales by Susan Straight ****
113. In War Times by Kathleen Ann Goonan ****
114. When the thrill is gone by Walter Mosley ***3/4
115. Cutting for stone by Abraham Verghese****
116. Obason by Joy Kogawa ****
117. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children ***1/2
118. Suddenly in the depths of the forest by Amos Oz ***1/4

Yikes! My sister called last night to tell me my mother broke her leg yesterday! She made it through surgery fine, so I hope she'll be in rehab in a few days. Wish I had the funds to change my Thanksgiving plans and fly up to see her.

I read this note on Stasia's thread, and came over here to offer your Mom best wishes. Lousy way to spend Thanksgiving (or any time, for that matter).

I see you've read further than I have in the Dana Stabenow series. I must catch up some time this winter when the weather up here in NY has a hint of Alaska in it.

Sorry to learn of your mother's broken leg. I hope she has a smooth recovery.

Thanks Judy & Terry. She seems to be doing alright, though at 79 a broken leg is nothing to sneeze at.

I am now battling a sinus infection, so my sisters may get to take care of me later this week.

Finished three interesting books this weekend while in bed with my big head/stuffy nose/sore throat (and tea and OJ and soup).

I was introduced to The warmth of other suns this fall when the author, Isabel Wilkerson, spoke at my congregation one Sunday. This book views the migration of African Americans from the southern US to northern US over several decades through the prism of three individuals: Ida Mae, who travels with her family from rural Mississippi to Wisconsin and ultimately Chicago; George, who flees the Florida orange groves for New York after attempts to obtain a fair wage get him in trouble, and Robert "Pershing," a Louisiana physician who can't obtain privileges to work in a local hospital and makes the long drive to California and moves his family there after he establishes himself.

I was really struck by the push/pull dynamic we talked about this summer in my immigration study - that there are forces pushing people to leave their homes (lynchings, unfair wages, inability to use skills and training) as well as forces attracting people to new places (the chance for better wages, education, respect).

The white woman on the green bicycle by Monique Roffey was an intriguing read set in Trinidad. Wish my head wasn't so stufffed up so I could think more clearly about the structure and voice of this novel.

Sabine is the white woman on the green bicycle, and it's her voice that comes through most clearly. She and her husband George come to Trinidad in 1957 from England (George is British, Sabine is French).

The novel covers the handover of Trinidad from a British protectorate to an independent state, and also covers the life of George's & Sabine's marriage. George & Sabine come to Trinidad for a temporary 3-year posting that turns into a much longer stay. George is happy in Trinidad, Sabine is not.

However, the first third of the book takes place in 2006, and begins with the thorough and intentional beating of the adult child of one of George's & Sabine's employees by the police, and George's & Sabine's inability to do anything constructive about the incident, let alone the police and governmental corruption endemic in Trinidad.

Part love story (George & Sabine, George and Trinidad, Sabine & PM), some insight into power and politics. This is a story of the immigration of white Europeans into a majority black Caribbean nation.

Nice review of The Warmth of Other Suns; I've put off reading it for far too long. The White Woman on the Green Bicycle was well done, and I probably need to bump up my rating of it by a half star.

The book of night women by Marlon James is set in Jamaica in the mid-to-late 17th century. It follows the life of the slave Lilith from adolescence through adulthood and a multi-plantation slave revolt. This is a multi-layered tale of the suffering slavery inflicts on humanity, and of the moral development of the protagonist, Lilith.

When Lilith actively and violently refuses the sexual advances of a johnny jump up (a crew boss), she is rescued from their revenge by Homer, the slave in charge of the plantation household. Why this "rescue" occurs doesn't become clear until much later in the book.

The night women refers, in part, to a group of slave women let by Homer who organize a slave revolt. Lilith is

Happy Thanksgiving, Ardene!

I hope your mother is fairing okay. Did you go up for Thanksgiving? Hope your sinuses are feeling better too.

What serendipity! Your review of Warmth of Other Suns comes just a couple days after hearing a podcast review that also recommends it. Is The Book of Night Women out yet? I see many people have tagged it as an ARC. Thanks for sharing your reviews despite not feeling well.

#15, 16: Thanks Darryl & Lisa. My sisters were here for Thanksgiving and we had a good time, despite Mom being in the hospital. She is on a rehab floor and getting 4 hours of physical therapy a day. I'm looking forward to hearing the result of a meeting of caregivers she, my dad & my brother participated in this morning.

My copy of The book of night women came from our library, so it must be out at this point in the US at least. I'm going to take a stab at finishing my review of it below.

The book of night women by Marlon James is set in Jamaica in the mid-to-late 17th century. It follows the life of the slave Lilith from adolescence through adulthood and a multi-plantation slave revolt. This is a multi-layered tale of the suffering slavery inflicts on humanity, and of the moral development of the protagonist, Lilith.

When Lilith actively and violently refuses the sexual advances of a johnny jump up (a crew boss), she is rescued from their revenge by Homer, the slave in charge of the plantation household. Why this "rescue" occurs doesn't become clear until much later in the book.

The night women refers, in part, to a group of slave women led by Homer who are organizing a slave revolt. Several of the women have green eyes like Lilith and she discovers that they have the same father - the white overseer displaced by Humphrey Wilson, the owner's son, and his friend Robert Quinn on their return to the island from England. It also refers to a woman who visits Lilith at night, and perhaps to a darkness within her.

Lilith develops a crush on her master, and after a disaster at a dinner party, is banished to the plantation of a woman who hopes to marry her master. This banishment for disciplinary purposes has disastrous consequences. Is Lilith good or evil? How about Homer, plotting insurrection? Or Robert Quinn who punishes slaves, but is gentle with Lilith?

Who will Lilith side with when the slaves rebel? Lilith must continually make choices about how to behave and who to trust with an imperfect understanding of the alliances and society around her.

I lost your thread for awhile, my apologies, but now you are found, so that is good. I'm so sorry about your mother breaking her leg.

I'm looking at that last Robin Hobb on yr. list, thinking, have I read this one?????

Nice review of The Book of Night Women, Ardene. I'm sorry to hear about your mother as well, and I hope that her recovery goes well.

Thanks, Lucy & Darryl. It's not been without bumps (pneumonia, collapsed lung), but she has been able to do her physical therapy in spite of other things, and she has a great attitude. The hardest part for me is being over 900 miles away. I do have plans to fly up later this month for the holidays, and I'm sure at some point we will have some conversation about whether it's time for she and Dad to move into an assisted living situation.

My siblings are closer than I so they're keeping on top of things.

I can't believe it, but the only book I've finished this week is Tess Gerritsen's The sinner. This is the first book I've read by her - I needed something light after a six-day work week which will be 9 days before I'm done. This fit the bill well - mystery, and a bit of character development as well.

I'm planning on reading along with Becky (labwriter) in Death comes for the Archbishop here.

Alright, add one more book: Powder necklace by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond. This first novel is set partly in London, partly in Ghana, and partly in the US. Lila is the daughter of immigrant parents from Ghana, living in London with her mother at the beginning of the novel. Her father is absent from her life except for infrequent phone calls. At age 12, Lila is sent by her mother to Ghana to her aunt's and then to boarding school "for her own good." Lila doesn't perceive this change as good, and throughout the novel, adults' decisions make no sense to her and seem to take no account of her wants or needs.

Why did Lila's parents divorce? Why isn't her father more present in her life? Since Lila thinks initially that she knows why her mother sends her away, she is reasonably angry when she returns home to find her mother has committed a variation of the "mistake" she thought Lila made. Where is home for Lila? Dislocation and identity are themes throughout the book, and I wish they had been explored in more depth.

I wanted to like this novel better than I did. Though many of the situations were believable, I found the ending of the novel too tidy and I didn't connect emotionally with Lila. Something about the writing kept her (and the rest of the characters) disconnected from me. This is a first novel, and I'm willing to check out a second one, but I hope the writing and characterization improve.

Hi Ardene, you've read some very interesting titles recently, I especially like the sound of The Book of Night Women. Hope your mum is okay and you can convince them to move to assisted living.

Video & musical score for Shaun Tan's Arrival here (via paper tigers blog)

Four hours of PT a day, wow. I have to do 1/2 hr twice a day and groan about that. I hope she is feeling better. Good luck with the assisted living talk.

I'll second, Lisa (the other Lisa), on her interest in The Book of Night Women. Nice review.

Mom is home from the hospital! My sister Karen is taking her to a doctor's appointment today, and she and Dad are learning about the care of feeding tubes. I'll be heading up next week, so I'll know more after the holidays.

Leonie & Lisa, I enjoyed The book of night women. Thanks in part to Amy Reads and The Real Help Project, I seem to be running across several novels whose protagonists are enslaved women. I've currently begun A million nightingales by Susan Straight set in Louisiana, and have All souls rising by Madison Smartt Bell on the horizon (about the revolts in Haiti). Maybe I'll get to it next year.

I'm glad to hear that your mother is out of the hospital, Ardene. I hope that you have a pleasant visit to see her next week.

Nice review of Powder Necklace; I'll avoid it based on your comments about it.

Thanks Daryl. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone next week.

Like I said, I wanted to like Powder Necklace more than I did. It had elements of a good story (dislocation, where is home, culture shock), but it just didn't come alive.

I'm happy to hear that your mom is home from the hospital. Best wishes to her!

What Terri said!

Thanks Terri & Stasia! I'm glad she's home. We're starting to look at retirment homes & assisted living, and I'll know more about where we stand after the holidays. I am so glad my sisters have been able to take turn being with my parents while they adjust to the "new regime" of therapy & meds.

That is one of the many good things associated with large families.. yay for sisters.

I'm beginning to think about wrapping up this year of reading. I've gone back through my lists, and I've read a total of 4 books that I gave a 5-star rating. They are all fiction. They got a 5-star rating because both the story and the writing grabbed me and wouldn't let me go.

Anil's Ghost - Can one discover truth when to speak truth is to risk death?

The Gospel According to Jesus Christ - irreverent magical realism

Three Day Road - losing and finding oneself during war

Mara's Stories - bittersweet tales depicting Jewish reality in a concentration camp

ETA: I found Joseph Boyden's Three day road on my own, but the other three were recommended by 75ers.

Other highlights include discovering some authors I like a lot. These include Elly Griffiths (mystery), Tana French (mystery, but really character studies), Tahmima Anam (The good Muslim, A golden age, I can hardly wait until the final book in the trilogy comes out!), and Daryl Gregory (Pandemonium & The devil's alphabet - Raising Stony Mayhall not so much), and a first novel, Oil on water.

The borrower by Rebecca Makkai. ** 3/4

A child runs away to the public library, and the children's librarian takes him on a road trip. While this book was internally logical, I found the scenario implausible and the ending too pat. It was a fun read, but not a great one.

A million nightingales by Susan Straight ****

Set in Louisianna in first half of the nineteenth century, this is the story of Moinette, a slave mulatresse (half-white, half-black) and her search for freedom and love. Moinette is the daughter of a slave laundress who can remember crossing the ocean with her mother in a slave ship.

Moinette's mother tells her Moinette belongs to her, but in fact Moinette is sold and sent away around age 14 without a chance to say good-bye to her mother after the daughter of her owner dies (Moinette had served as her maid).

One of the things that interests me about this book is how in Moinette's view white women are only marginally better off than slave women. Cephaline, the daughter of the plantation, loves to learn, but is being prepared to marry someone wealthy in order to bring money into the family. Pelagie, another white woman she serves later in the book, is prevented from living the life she wishes to live as well. White women are sold into marriage.

Moinette tries to run back to the plantation where her mother lives, but doesn't succeed. She is raped twice in the book; the first rape results in a child, but her work takes precedence over childcare, and she doesn't get to spend much time with him. She is later sold again away from the plantation he lives on.

Her third owner, a white man from the northern US, treats her as a human being, and things start to look up. I was a bit afraid at one point that this story was going to have a happier ending than I thought was possible for the time and place, but I needn't have worried. Though the ending was a bit rushed, it did not "pretty up" slavery.

When the thrill is gone by Walter Mosley (mystery). Enjoyable for character development; the mystery was a bit thin on the ground.

In war times by Kathleen Ann Goonan (science fiction) I think I'm going to have to get hold of This shared dream which was published this year to find out what happens to the kids. Some history, some science, fun, but very US-centric.

I've read and enjoyed Queen City Jazz and The Bones of Time by Gounan, especially the latter, but haven't heard of these.

Merry Christmas/Happy Hannakuh, Ardene! Hope all is going well with your mom.

Thanks Roni! I got here Friday, and am getting indoctrinated in medication & feeding routines. My sisters and I are going to visit one retirment center today (Dad & Karen have been there once).

Hope you have a good holiday.

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah everyone!

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah to you, too!

Have a wonderful holiday, Ardene!

Merry Christmas, Ardene! Hopefully we can form an Atlanta area meet up in 2012.

Note to self: find out more about the neuro-entanglement conference at Georgia Tech in April that Kathleen Ann Goonan is kicking off!

If you all do an Atlanta area meet, let those of us in the greater Knoxville area know. It's only about 4 hours from my house!

Will do Lori!

I've finished a couple more books, but won't have time to write a summary until after New Year's. So, here is my 2012 thread.

Belated catching up with your old thread, and I notice that The Gospel According to Jesus Christ is one of your 5 star memorable reads for the year - I also read it in 2011 and gave it the same rating. It certainly stands out from many of the other things I've read this past year.