Kathy's 2015 KISS Categories

Yep. In 2015, it's ♥KISS♥--Keep It Simple, Stupid. Too much structure and I don't get anything done.

I'm working on 4 categories with 15 books each, for a total of 60 books, with an emphasis on TBRs on my shelf as of January 1, 2015. And the categories are:

I. American Authors Challenge PLUS 3 I'll do (most of) the 12 here http://www.librarything.com/topic/185195, plus 3 American authors of my own choosing, fiction or non-fiction.
II. British Authors Challenge PLUS 3 I'll do (most of) the 12 here http://www.librarything.com/topic/182914, plus 3 British authors of my own choosing, fiction or non-fiction.
III. Tomes Those BIG books cluttering my shelves: finish the Pallisers by Trollope (b. 1815), Jane Austen Group Reads (http://www.librarything.com/topic/182664), some Dickens, and a few others thrown in.
IV. Up for Grabs! My catch-all category--usually holds a lot of non-fiction that I've picked up at the library, or recommendations.

BONUS category: V. Audiobooks. These are in a class by themselves this year, just to keep track, and because I feel listening takes a different kind of concentration (and time) as opposed to reading. No goals here--just enjoy!

I. American Authors Challenge PLUS 3

1. JAN: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, McCullers--finished Jan 2015
2. FEB:
3. MAR:
4. APR: Original Fire, Erdrich (poems)--finished Dec 2015
5. MAY: Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis--finished May 2015
6. JUN: Joe Hill, Stegner--finished July 2015
7. JUL: A Wizard of Earthsea, LeGuin--finished Aug 2015
8. AUG:
9. SEP: 7 stories form The Complete Stories, O'Connor--finished Dec 2015
10. OCT: Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury--finished Dec 2015
11. NOV:
12. DEC: Ragtime, Doctorow--finished Aug 2015 (for Book Club)
13. Plus 1: A Lesson Before Dying, Gaines--finished Jan 2015 (re-read) (for Book Club)
14. Plus 2: The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway--finished May 2015 (for Book Club)
15. Plus 3: The Member of the Wedding, McCullers--finished May 2015
16. Plus 4: The Thurber Carnival, Thurber--finished July 2015 (for Book Club)
17. Plus 5: This is How You Lose Her, Diaz--finished Aug 2015

II. British Authors Challenge PLUS 3

1. JAN: A Pale View of Hills, Ishiguro--finished Jan 2015
2. FEB: A Handful of Dust, Waugh--finished Mar 2015
3. MAR: Rebecca, du Maurier--finished Apr 2015
4. APR: The Painted Veil, Maugham--finished Apr 2015
5. MAY: Jerusalem the Golden, Drabble--finished May 2015
6. JUN: Friends and Relations, Bowen--finished July 2015
7. JUL:
8. AUG: Jackson's Dilemma, Murdoch--finished Dec 2015
9. SEP:
10. OCT:
11. NOV:
12. DEC: Quick Service, Wodehouse--finished Dec 2015
13. Plus 1: Silas Marner, Eliot--finished Jun 2015 (for Book Club)
14. Plus 2: Ross Poldark, Graham--finished Jun 2015
15. Plus 3: And Then There Were None, Christie--finished Aug 2015

III. Tomes and almost tomes

1. The Eustace Diamonds, Trollope--finished Feb 2015
2. Kristin Lavransdatter, Book 1, "The Wreath", Undset--finished Feb 2015 (for Book Club)
3. The Annotated Pride and Prejudice, Austen, annotated by David Shapard--finished Mar 2015
4. Mansfield Park, Austen--finished Mar 2015
5. Lady Anna, Trollope--finished May 2015
6. Phineas Redux, Trollope--finished Oct 2015
7. Cecilia, Burney--finished Dec 2015
8.
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10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

IV. Up for Grabs!

1. Ticket to Childhood, Nguyen--finished Jan 2015
2. Grain Brain, Perlmutter--finished Jan 2015
3. Sigrid Undset, Bayerschmidt--finished Feb 2015
4. Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others, Horn--finished Mar 2015
5. The Importance of Being Earnest and other plays, Wilde--finished Mar 2015 for Book Club
6. The Jane Austen Rules, Murphy--finished Apr 2015
7. The Great Western Beach, Smith--finished Apr 2015
8. The Sense of Style, Pinker--finished Apr 2015
9. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Chast--finished May 2015
10. So You Think You Know Jane Austen?, Sutherland--finished May 2015
11. Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?, Sutherland--finished May 2015
12. Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?, Sutherland--finished May 2015
13. Castle Rackrent, Edgeworth--finished May 2015
14. Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers, McCall Smith--finished June 2015
15. Portuguese Irregular Verbs, McCall Smith--finished July 2015
16. The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, McCall Smith--finished July 2015
17. At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances, McCall Smith--finished July 2015
18. The Road to Character, Brooks--finished July 2015
19. From Time to Time, Tillich--finished July 2015
20. Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite, Trollope--finished August 2015
21. The Rising Tide, Farrell--finished August 2015
22. The Little Free Library Book, Aldrich--finished August 2015
23. The Complete Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure Naturally, Mitchell--finished Sep 2015
24. Round About a Pound a Week, Reeves--finished Sep 2015
25. This is How You Lose Her, Diaz--finished Sep 2015
26. "The Blithedale Romance", Hawthorne--finished Oct 2015
27. Women in Trollope's Palliser Novels, Morse--mostly finished Oct 2015
28. The Prince and the Pauper, Twain--finished Oct 2015
29. Go Set a Watchman, Lee--finished Nov 2015 (for Book Club 2016)
30. Emma: a Modern Retelling, McCall Smith--finished Nov 2015
31. Hamlet, Shakespeare--finished Nov 2015 (for Book Club)
32. Two Worlds: An Edinburgh Jewish Childhood, Daiches--finished Nov 2015
33. Fifty Children, Pressman--finished Nov 2015
34. The Cricket on the Hearth, Dickens--finished Dec 2015 (for Book Club)
35. The Novel Habits of Happiness, McCall Smith--finished Dec 2015
36. Pockets Buildings, Wilkinson--finished Dec 2015

BONUS category: V. Audiobooks

1. Phineas Finn, Trollope, read by Simon Vance--finished Jan 2015
2. Truman, McCullough, read by the author--finished Feb 2015
3. 1776, McCullough, read by the author--finished Mar 2015
4. The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, McCullough, read by Edward Herrmann--finished Mar 2015
5. A Crack in the Edge of the World, Winchester, read by Simon Winchester--finished Apr 2015
6. King Lear, Shakespeare--finished May 2015
7. Silas Marner, Eliot, read by Margaret Hilton--finished June 2015
8. Middlemarch, Eliot, read by Juliet Stevenson--finished Sep 2015
9. Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Larson--finished Sep 2015 (for Book Club)
10. The Eustace Diamonds, Trollope--finished Nov 2015
11. Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond--finished Nov 2015
12. The Cricket on the Hearth, Dickens, read by Ruth Golding--finished Dec 2015

For the 2015 American Authors Challenge (AAC) (http://www.librarything.com/topic/185195), I have 8 out of the 12 authors from the list sitting on my shelves right now. For the 4 remaining, I will substitute different American authors who are on my TBR shelves. Since I didn't participate last year, I'll add Edith Wharton from last year's challenge. I feel the original list lacks ethnic diversity this year, so I'll add an African-American and a Latina: Alice Walker and Sandra Cisneros. My current planned reading picks are:

Jan: McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ✔ Jan 2015
Feb: James, The Ambassadors
Mar: Richard Ford Wharton, The Custom of the Country
Apr: Erdrich, The Plague of Doves
May: Lewis, Babbitt ✔ May 2015
Jun: Stegner, Joe Hill ✔ Jul 2015
Jul: Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea ✔ Jul 2015
Aug: McMurtry, Alice Walker or Sandra Cisneros
Sep: O'Connor, a selection of stories from The Complete Stories
Oct: Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 ✔ Dec 2015
Nov: Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer or The Lacuna
Dec: Doctorow, Ragtime ✔ Jul 2015

Several of these titles have been on my shelves for many, many years, so I look forward to this challenge.

And I plan to add 3 Americans of my own choosing to round out to 15.

For the 2015 British Authors Challenge (http://www.librarything.com/topic/182914), I'm only choosing 1 author per month (instead of the listed 2). I'm also taking advantage of the "13th" month substitution, Huxley, and have chosen 1 (Elizabeth Bowen), from my TBR shelves. My "subs" are in bold:

Jan: Ishiguro, A Pale View of Hills ✔ Jan 2015
Feb: Waugh, A Handful of Dust ✔ Mar 2015
Mar: DuMaurier, Rebecca ✔ APR 2015
Apr: Maugham, The Painted Veil ✔ Apr 2015
May: Drabble, Jerusalem the Golden✔ May 2015
Jun: Bowen, Friends and Relations ✔ Jul 2015
Jul: Woolf Huxley, Brave New World
Aug: Murdoch, Jackson's Dilemma, Dec 2015
Sep: Levy, Small Island
Oct: Mitchell, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
Nov: Spark, Memento Mori
Dec: Wodehouse, Quick Service ✔ Dec 2015

And I plan to add 3 Brits of my own choosing to round out to 15

January line-up:

A Pale View of Hills (BAC)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (AAC)
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice (for JA Group Read Jan-Feb) (Tome)
A Lesson Before Dying (re-read for Book Club) (Grabs)

and hope to start:

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset (first book of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy for February Book Club) (Tome)
The Eustace Diamonds (Tome)

Sounds like an interesting challenge. I will be watching to see what you read.

Ha, it has been a while since I have last seen that acronym in use. Good choice for a category challenge theme! I am looking forward to following your 2015 reading, and possibly comparing notes on some of the AAC and BAC reads.

Welcome and good luck! I saw the title and thought this challenge would be about the "Rock and Roll All Nite" band, but keeping it simple works, too ;) Enjoy your challenge.

Great set-up! Looking forward to seeing what you read.

>7 lkernagh: I'm so honored you've stopped by, Lori...I've been following your threads this year (made the cheddar cheese scones and they were a great hit!) and love the new art theme--wish I were that creative. My favorite realism painting is "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper. And I also spent many years in fear of War and Peace; it was a group read on LT a few years back that got me to read it, and it wasn't that bad, as long as you keep a "scorecard" of the names in front of you. Only at the very end did it get a bit tedious.

>8 rabbitprincess: Being an old over-the-hill folkie myself, it never would have occurred to me that there would be another interpretation of KISS. Thanks for stopping by. I am hoping I've made it simple enough.

>9 -Eva-: Thanks, Eva. I'm halfway through Little Women right now, which I haven't read since I was in elementary school. I'm hoping to finish it before the new year begins, and then dive into the new reads.

>8 rabbitprincess: Haha, I had the same thought. I was like, "A challenge about the band KISS? That is amazing!" But keeping it simple is also a very good plan. :)

Love the keeping it simple idea - good luck!

>10 kac522: - I completely forgot about the 'late night diner' scene of Hopper's painting! That is a good one. I am glad to see that the cheese scones worked out for you. I do try to make my other half the guinea pig for my baking adventures before I subject my LT friends to the recipes and I am long over due for another batch of those scones. I will admit to being rather relieved that the planned group read of War and Peace has been postponed for 12 months.... that gives me another 12 months to come to terms with my barriers in completing that tome!

You certainly have fallen in with our mission to keep things fun and workable. I'll be following your reading with interest. I just recently finished the McCullers book and I hope you like it.

>13 lkernagh: Lori, if you search for images of "Nighthawks" you'll find the original and zillions of take-offs, like this one:



The tiny script underneath says "You said they'd be open."

>14 mamzel: Thanks. I tried reading the McCullers book last year, but couldn't finish it...I think some personal stuff made it too difficult to concentrate on the story at that time. I'll be reading the Ishiguro (BAC challenge) book first and then McCullers.

Looking back at 2014, my top fiction books (in no particular order) were:

One of Ours, Willa Cather
All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather

I also enjoyed the memoir, Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (non-fiction) made me think, HARD!

And I loved every word read by Juliet Stevenson of Jane Austen's novels that I listened to this year. I bought the complete Naxos set, and it was well worth it. So now to 2015....

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro. I loved the writing, but the story had me constantly in dread, and I'm not sure of what. I hope I can re-read it sometime, and, knowing how it ends, read it calmly. In some ways it is like life---always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and yet when it happens we handle it (eventually) and move on.

Hi Kathy, I am also planning on participating in the BAC and the AAC and look forward to hearing about your choices for these chalenges.

Ticket to Childhood by Nguyen Nhat Anh. Very short little book about thinking from a child's point of view. The author relates (or makes up?) some situations from childhood and how he felt at the time, and how it differs from an adult perspective. Supposedly a best-seller in VietNam--it was on the "new books" shelf at the library. Sweet, but not particularly revealing.

Grain Brain by David Perlmutter. Interesting ideas; I read it because my son is trying to remove gluten from his diet, and he found this book helpful. Not sure how accurate the science is, but it certainly does make you feel guilty about having a slice of bread.

Listened to Phineas Finn, read by Robert Whitfield, aka Simon Vance. I read it last year, but listened to it now to kick off this "Trollope" centennial year, and in preparation for the next month's read of the next Palliser novel, The Eustace Diamonds.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I read this for the American Authors Challenge. Everyone seems to have loved this book, but it didn't resonate with me as much. The writing was good, the ideas were complex, the feeling of place was so tangible that it was almost oppressive; yet this book didn't come together for me. I only felt her true voice in Mick, the young girl, and her young friend Harry. And I felt like it didn't end properly; I wasn't satisfied. I had to push myself to complete it, although I'm not sorry I read it. I do think McCullers was way ahead of her time (and her age) with her insights, but the story wasn't tight enough for me.

I see what you mean about the story not being tight enough. It came across as a collection of related stories to me. Some of the characters, like Biff, were harder for me to figure out.

I totally didn't get Biff. I have to say of the characters, besides Mick and Harry, I only liked Mr. Singer and Portia, I think because they were consistent in how they responded. The other characters left me scratching my head.

6. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. I read this last year for a Southern Lit class, and re-read it now for my book club. It was not an easy read last year; this time I was able to read it more quickly, knowing the story line. Set in Louisiana, a young black man is sentenced to death, and the town's young male schoolteacher attempts to "reach" him while he waits on death row. The first reading was very powerful; this second reading was less so, but I noticed more how he used language (and changed usage) throughout the text. He particularly uses repetition, which is what we do in real-life speech, and it does make an impact. It's extremely important for me to be reminded of how African-Americans were treated and had to constantly be on their guard in every mannerism and interaction with whites. Sadly, it's still happening in some places today, and it was a constant oppressive reality not that many years ago for many still alive today (like Mr. Gaines).

January re-cap:

A Pale View of Hills (BAC) COMPLETED
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (AAC) COMPLETED
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice (for JA Group Read Jan-Feb) (Tome)
A Lesson Before Dying (re-read for Book Club) (Grabs)COMPLETED

and hope to start:

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset (first book of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy for February Book Club) (Tome)
The Eustace Diamonds (Tome) COMPLETED

plus completed 2 additional books:
Ticket to Childhood and
Grain Brain

and one audiobook:
Phineas Finn

I'm not disappointed with my progress...4 of the books were ROOTS...hope I can keep up in February.

February line-up:

Group reads:

The Eustace Diamonds--currently reading for Group Read
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice (for JA Group Read Jan-Feb) (Tome)

Book Club:

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset (first book of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy for February Book Club) (Tome)

Challenges:

The Ambassadors, James, for AAC Challenge
Brave New World, Huxley, for BAC Challenge

Audiobook:

Truman, McCullough, read by David McCullough (currently listening)

All of these selections are ROOTS, too.

Listened to Truman by David McCullough. Audiobook read by David McCullough. The only thing wrong with this is that it was abridged. Excellent reading by McCullough and a wonderful book. How little I knew about Harry Truman, and what a great man he really was.

The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope. This will not be one my favorite Trollopes. It is dark, sarcastic, and there are very few likable characters. He seems to be poking fun at romanticism, and yet his prior books are so unrealistically romantic that I had a hard time with this portrayal. Lady Eustace is despicable, really, and she does indeed remind one of Becky Sharpe, although at least here the author admits up front that his "heroine" is not a good person. The only character that seems to grow or change is Frank Greystock, and even he does so just a little. Also troubling is the blatant anti-Semitism, which I hadn't encountered in Trollope previously. Perhaps Trollope was becoming weary of the shallowness of society. This was a thought-provoking, but not necessarily enjoyable, read.

Kristin Lavransdatter, Book 1, "The Wreath" by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally. I've decided to break this large book into 3 separate books here, because I'll probably take a break between books. I read the entire trilogy 30 years ago, and it always had a fond place in my heart. This re-reading of the first book, "The Wreath", did not disappoint. There are many wonderful reviews on LT, so I won't go into that here, but I did have some reactions this time.

I had completely forgotten most of the religious and "fairy-tale" significance (I was much more involved in the story on my first reading). I was impressed with how Undset weaves both Christianity and folklore into the lives of these people. I'm still amazed at how much the book kept my interest, even though I am not at all interested in the Middle Ages or Norway or the beginnings of Christianity. There's something about Undset's ease of including all of her knowledge and research on the subject, without it being tedious. And I was blown away by the physical descriptions of place (especially in the middle of this harsh 2015 winter in the USA).

This time I'm preparing the book for my Book Club discussion, and read more about Sigrid Undset (whose life not unlike her heroine, Kristin), and who was an amazing person on her own. I look forward to Books 2 (The Wife) and 3 (The Cross).All in all, if you want a book that takes you to a very far away time and place, but gets to the very heart of the human soul, Kristin Lavransdatter will take you there. (And be sure you read the Nunnally translation).

Sigrid Undset by Carl Frank Bayerschmidt. Literary analysis of Undset's life and work. A bit dry, but the author did a nice job of interweaving her personal life with her writing. Undset led an interesting life, and her works reflect aspects of her life experience. I was more comfortable with her early works, and less so with her later works, which have a heavy Catholic theme. This book also emphasizes the amount of primary research that Undset did for her medieval works (Kristin Lavransdatter and The Master of Hestviken). It helped me to better understand many aspects of Kristin Lavransdatter.

I also read parts of Sigrid Undset: Chronicler of Norway by Mitzi Brunsdale, which I found a more scholarsly and sympthetic analysis. She emphasized Undset's morality and humanity, and stressed less the pure religious aspects of her works. Brunsdale also placed her within the context of a woman writer, which Bayerschmidt does not. She also acknowledged Undset's weaker areas, while still celebrating her accomplishments. It was good to have the two points of view. Both authors had consulted relatives of Undset in writing their analyses, which gave some authenticity to their points of view.

I'm leading our book club discussion tomorrow of the first book of Kristin Lavransdatter:"The Wreath." As the leader, I have to talk a little bit about the author's life and the writing of the work, and then ask the discussion questions. I'm sort of stuck on the questions, but our little group is pretty good, and they'll carry on with or without me! I know that everyone that comes will have finished it, at least.

1776 by David McCullough. I love McCullough. He tells a good story, and he lets us meet the characters of history. And he reads, well, too. I wasn't quite as engaged with this book as I was with Truman, but it was still good, and it gave me a much better sense of the character of George Washington.

An interesting range of books there. A lot of them I've read and enjoyed. You must have good taste!

>33 pamelad: Likewise :) Great minds think alike, right?

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, annotated by David Shapard. This took much longer to read than I anticipated. For every page of text, Shapard has a facing page of notes, which are thorough, but then required me to re-read what I'd just read to fully absorb the meaning. And there are LOTS of notes--for example, the chapter of Elizabeth's first visit to Pemberley has 90 footnotes!

He has some very good observations, especially about the plot development, character study, and Austen's style. He shows how Austen uses dialogue to reveal character, and how the characters remain consistent to their natures throughout the book. There are many notes on typical 18th century daily life: meal times, etiquette, protocol, servants, transportation, social status, etc. There's even a chronology of the book's plot; Shapard has much of the book down to exact dates (the book takes place chiefly over a year's time--September through the following September/October).

This is NOT for someone reading P&P for the first time, as he has many notes that would be considered spoilers. But he does this in order to explain how Austen has "set up" our expectations and to show contrasts with later passages. If you love Austen, this book is a must. If you are new to Austen, skip this edition for now...and come back when you're ready to dive into a very detailed read.

Well, my books this month seemed to take longer than I expected, so I'm quite a bit behind "schedule":

February recap:

Group reads:

The Eustace Diamonds COMPLETED
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice COMPLETED in March

Book Club:

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset COMPLETED

Additional book read, not on my original plan:
Sigrid Undset by Carl Bayerschmidt

Challenges--here's where I fell down!

The Ambassadors, James, for AAC Challenge--moved to March
Brave New World, Huxley, for BAC Challenge--changed & moved to March (see below)

Finished 2 audiobooks:

Truman, McCullough
1776, McCullogh

March line-up:

Hopefully I can now catch up on my challenges:

AAC February challenge: The Ambassadors by Henry James
AAC March challenge: I'm skipping Ford and reading Edith Wharton's Custom of the Country

BAC February challenge: I found a Waugh book on my shelf, so I'll use the "Huxley" wildcard later. I'll be reading either A Handful of Dust or Decline and Fall or maybe both--I've got them in one volume.
BAC March challenge: DuMaurier's Rebecca I read it many, many years ago--probably college--so I'll re-read this classic

Book Club:

The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde--short!!

Group Reads:

Hope to catch up with the Mansfield Park tutored read.

If I get all that done, I may add one of these:
The Monuments Men, Edsel
The Story of American Freedom, Foner
Spinoza: A Life, Nadler

Audiobook this month:

David McCullough's The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris

>37 kac522: Oh, I love The Importance of Being Earnest! A Handful of Dust is also well worth reading.

>38 christina_reads: Yes, the Wilde is a great selection for our book club--I think we'll have fun with it. Now you've helped me with my Waugh choice. Thanks!

>35 kac522:
I have that one waiting for me on Mt. TBR - sounds fascinating.

>40 -Eva-: Just be prepared for how long it takes you to read it--it took me forever.

>41 kac522:
Good to know - I've read P&P, so I can take my time with the details.

Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others by Stacy Horn. I'm not sure this warranted an entire book, but much of what Ms. Horn relates about choral singing resonated with me. I enjoyed especially the details of singing in a choir rehearsal. And it was interesting to explore the backgrounds of some of the pieces that her group performed. But the chapters were loosely connected, and some were obviously just filler. Still, it was a quick read, and reminds me why I've been in choirs almost all of my life and the true joy of singing.

This book was not on my "March" list because my husband gave to me as a gift on International Women's Day, March 8. It was a good break from all the other "challenges", and now I'm off to find Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium" somewhere on youtube--Horn has a long discussion of the work and the composer.

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. I'm sure I'm against the grain here, but this novel just made me angry and disgusted. There was not a single character to like, let alone feel sorry for. And certainly not a single female character with any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Even little children are annoying here. I suppose that was the point, but if you dislike people so much, there isn't much point to life, is there? The only saving part of the book was some of the descriptive passages in Brazil. Some years ago I read Brideshead Revisited, which was merely boring. After this second novel I now know that Waugh is not for me.

The Importance of Being Earnest and other plays by Oscar Wilde. Read The Importance of Being Earnest for Book Club, and it was many times better than the other 2 plays in this collection (Lady Windemere's Fan and An Ideal Husband). Very, very funny but also silly. So many quotable lines, I won't start here. I also rented 2 versions (an old BBC version & the 2002 with Colin Firth), and they come off well. The other 2 plays are so-so--a little too "earnest" for me. but enjoyable as quick reads.

David Suchet (aka Poirot) is going to be Lady Bracknell in a new West End production of Earnest, which would be a hoot. Will have to read the play sometime -- glad to hear it's fun to read as well as watch!

In our discussion, it was mentioned that Lady Bracknell is often played by a man. I wonder how that tradition started....Both filmed versions I saw had women, and I particularly liked Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell. But David Suchet would definitely be memorable!

I love The Importance of Being Earnest! As you say, tons of quotable lines. My favorite is, "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."

I was not expecting to enjoy the play as much as I did. Within a couple of days I read it once & watched it twice, and each time it was better than the last.

Love, love, love The Importance of Being Earnest.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. This is an umpteenth re-read for me, to go along with the tutored read. But I flew ahead and finished tonight. On this reading I paid more attention to the character of Sir Thomas, and how he changes through the novel. I was also struck by how little Fanny actually speaks, and how we learn about her from her thoughts and how others treat her and talk about her. My third-favorite Austen, after Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. Plus I love this little Collector's Library edition.

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough, read by Edward Hermann. This is such an interesting group of characters--many names I was only vaguely familiar with, some not at all. It has sparked my interest in Elihu Washburne, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and so many more. I would have preferred to list to McCullough (he only reads the first chapter), but Hermann's French is far superior. I now have the printed version, to browse the pictures and read again about the people I enjoyed.

March re-cap:

AAC February challenge: The Ambassadors by Henry James-- moved (again) to April
AAC March challenge: I'm skipping Ford and reading Edith Wharton's Custom of the Country-- moved (again) to April

BAC February challenge: A Handful of Dust, Waugh--COMPLETED
BAC March challenge: DuMaurier's Rebecca--currently reading

Book Club:

The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde--COMPLETED

Group Reads:

Mansfield Park tutored read--COMPLETED

Miscellaneous and from the library:

Imperfect Harmony, Horn--COMPLETED
The Monuments Men, Edsel --not now....
The Story of American Freedom, Foner--currently reading
Spinoza: A Life, Nadler--moved to April??

Audiobook this month:

David McCullough's The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris--COMPLETED

OK, so I'm WAY behind in my AAC and BAC challenges....hope to at least get up to speed with the BAC authors, and slowly make my way through the Americans.

April Line-up:

AAC February challenge: James, The Ambassadors--another try at this
AAC March challenge: Wharton, Custom of the Country-- maybe this is the month! (substituting for Ford)
AAC April challenge: Erdrich, The Plague of Doves

BAC March challenge: DuMaurier, Rebecca--COMPLETED
BAC April challenge: Maugham, The Painted Veil--COMPLETED

Margaret Atwood in April:

Lady Oracle or Edible Woman or Bodily Harm--Atwoods on my TBR shelf.

Book Club:

Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf--a re-read from some years ago

and for non-fiction:

The Story of American Freedom, Foner--currently reading
Spinoza: A Life, Nadler

Audiobook:

A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester--COMPLETED

If I finish even half of these, I'll feel lucky.

>54 kac522: Oh, I LOVED The Painted Veil! Hope you enjoy it too!

The Jane Austen Rules: a Classic Guide to Modern Love by Sinead Murphy. Saw this on the library's "new book" shelf and picked it up since it said "Jane Austen" and it was short. Bad move, dear reader. This is set up like a dating self-help book, and purports to find rationale in Austen's works for these "rules." Even if you can get past every sentence with at least one word in italics and every other sentence ending in an exclamation point (yes! really!), the wit and wisdom herein are slim pickings. For those who haven't read a lot of analysis of the novels, Ms. Murphy may give some insight, but there was nothing new here for me, and in fact, much I found downright annoying. She ends the book by telling us all to get married, and somehow is able to finagle a rationale as to why Jane herself didn't get married, in order that the rest of us can marry---huh???? Anyhow, in my mind, Jane Austen does "Rule", but this book doesn't. If you see it on your library shelf, skip it.

>56 kac522:
Ouch! Staying well away.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. This was entertaining, suspenseful writing. I especially marveled how Du Maurier kept us inside the narrator's head--how she rambled, speculated, day-dreamed her way through events, pulling herself back to reality.

Starting to slowly catch-up on the BAC challenge.

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. This is my first Maugham. I absolutely loved the writing. I was intrigued by the setting. The story kept me turning pages, although it got a bit melodramatic at the end--it felt very much like a 1930s movie. I found the lesser characters more realistic than the main ones. And I can't say that I found Kitty's 180-degree character transformation believable.

It's interesting the similarities between this book, written in 1925, and Kristin Lavransdatter, written a few years earlier. Both have women who struggle with their sexuality and their morality; both heroines somehow find themselves in convents; both strive to find peace in their lives through spirituality. I found Kristin's change more realistic, only because it is slower, and perhaps because in a much longer work Undset can give more of the interior of the character. Kitty's was a complete turn-around in too quick a space.

Finally up-to-date with the BAC Challenge--now back to the Americans...or maybe an Atwood in April....

Oh, I loved The Painted Veil! Glad you enjoyed it too.

ETA: Just realized I posted almost this identical comment earlier in the thread… :) But darn it, it's still true!

That's OK--when you love a book, you can't say it enough :)

I loved the writing, and the sense of place, and how easily Maugham gets "inside" of the characters' heads. I just found that complete change of character a bit unbelievable, but I am definitely going to read more Maugham. I think he's written some short stories--I would bet those are very good--he seems to get to the "heart" of things quickly.

The Great Western Beach by Emma Smith. This was a very enjoyable memoir about life between the Wars in Cornwall. Since I'm a big "Doc Martin" fan, it was fun to read a book set in Cornwall. I envy those people who can remember so much in detail from their childhood--mine is just a blur. There is much to delight in here, and some that is sad, especially Smith's parents and her older brother. I did a bit of research and found that she published this book after all of her siblings had died (2008), so she couldn't get anyone to counter her take on what happened!

The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker. Not as easy to use as Strunk & White, but a whole lot funnier. After reading this book, I'm hesitant to post any more comments here or write anything anywhere, for fear of making some huge mistake in grammar, style, punctuation or usage (or all of the above). I admit I did not understand much of the "tree" chapter, where Pinker provides a new sort of diagramming sentences. But I liked the last chapter the best, because it had charts of what's OK and what's not OK.

I have pretty much fallen off the April bandwagon with my reading. I tried reading The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich, but it's too intense for me right now, which is why I read Pinker's book (above). Now I've moved to Lady Anna by Anthony Trollope, in honor of Trollope's 200th birthday on April 24. I've also got a big pile from the library, including Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?: Further Puzzles in Classic Fiction by John Sutherland; Spinoza: A Life by Steven Nadler; and Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast. Then there's the American Authors challenge--Erdrich (April), Wharton (March sub) and Henry James (February). Oh yeah, and Atwood April--Lady Oracle.

How many days left in April???? :(

Audiobook: A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester. I learned so much from listening to this book--I only wished I could have had a graphical presentation of what's happening in an earthquake. Winchester is his best when talking about the geological aspects; he tends to wander all over the place with the social, political, and historical sides. He follows interesting leads, but they are patched together, and not always easy to follow. Winchester was also the narrator of this audiobook, and his enthusiasm for his subject comes across in the narration. Still, I am very glad I listened to this book, even when it was above my head. The geology was all new to me, and something I feel like I should have known. And with the current earthquake in Nepal, it was very timely.

Good news is April is almost over.... maybe you can convince yourself that May reading can commence. ;-)

I hear you on the April bandwagon! I've had a hard time settling on books for very long this month and have jettisoned perfectly good books that just weren't working for me right now. I hope your May reading goes well!

And also I am glad to hear your thoughts on The Sense of Style, which is inching its way slowly up the library holds list toward me. Looking forward to it!

>66 lkernagh: & >67 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the May encouragements! Now if I could only stay away from library used book sales....

I was laughing so hard at some points in The Sense of Style, I'm sure my family didn't suspect I was reading a book about grammar. One word of caution: I downloaded this one from the library. I tried reading it on my Nook, which messed up the formatting (he has some diagrams, several charts and occasional cartoons). I also tried it on OverDrive on my tablet, which was better, but some lines got cut off, and I couldn't adjust text size. I'm considering (*gasp*) investing in the actual hardcover edition for reference.

A funny style guide??? Is that even possible? It's a BB for sure!

Lady Anna by Anthony Trollope. This was a pleasant break from other reading. Trollope sets this novel in the 1830s, and it starts out almost like a fable or fairy-tale. It is a story of rank vs. love, but also the story of a woman obsessed with one idea that eventually takes over her life. It reminds me of He Knew He Was Right. I love the way Trollope portrays his characters consistently--they stay true to their original characters.

I began reading this book on the 200th anniversary of Trollope's birth (24 Apr), and I think it was a good choice--it was the essence of Trollope, and it was a quick read.

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast. This graphic memoir was something completely different from any memoir I've ever read. I finished it in one sitting. Chast tells the story of her elderly parents' last years, with a little background about her life growing up. It is honest and moving, funny and sad. Her drawings of her mother's last months are especially poignant. Well worth the months on the library's waiting list.

April Recap:

AAC Challenges--FAILED!

BAC March challenge: DuMaurier, Rebecca--COMPLETED
BAC April challenge: Maugham, The Painted Veil--COMPLETED

Margaret Atwood in April--FAILED!

Book Club:Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf--Took a pass

Non-fiction:

The Story of American Freedom, Foner--Making progress, but not done
Spinoza: A Life, Nadler--moving to May

Not in my original plans, but completed in April were:

The Jane Austen Rules, Murphy COMPLETED
The Great Western Beach, Emma Smith COMPLETED
The Sense of Style, Steven Pinker COMPLETED

Audiobook:

A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester--COMPLETED

So now we turn to May....

May Reading Line-up:

On this first day of May I finished Lady Anna by Trollope and read Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Chast. So May is blasting off.

Legend has it that Daniel Burnham, the great city planner, said: "Make no little plans."

Well, despite this month's great start, my April reading plans were beyond my reach. I am now 3 months behind in the AAC challenge...and I make no plans, big or little, to read them in May. At this point, I'm hoping for:

May AAC Challenge--Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis.
May BAC Challenge--The Radiant Way, Drabble
Book Club--The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway

Group Read: Castle Rackrent, Edgeworth

Non-fiction:

One more stab at Spinoza by Steven Nadler
and finally finish The Story of American Freedom

and I hope to start the month with this left-over April read: Lady Oracle, Atwood.

I was just checking to see which of Lewis' books we have in my library. Babbitt looks interesting but so does Elmer Gantry. Decisions, decisions...

I've only read Main Street which I enjoyed, so I look forward to Babbitt.

Three literary quiz books by John Sutherland:
So You Think You Know Jane Austen?
Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?
Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?

These were all fun, and quick diversions while I was recuperating from a cold. Sutherland poses interesting puzzles/inconsistencies in literary masterpieces, and then tries to solve them for us.

So You Think You Know Jane Austen? is limited to Austen's 6 novels, and there are 4 "levels" of questions and answers. I liked this book the best, although Sutherland does do some speculation beyond the texts.

Can Jane Eyre Be Happy? and Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet cover multiple works of literature, mostly English & mostly 19th century. Some of the puzzles are interesting and Sutherland brings in outside information that a 19th century reader would deduce, that we would not. But I did have to differ with his conclusions to the 2 title pieces. Sutherland thinks Jane Eyre is crazy for going back and living with Rochester, a man who (clearly in Sutherland's mind) is a murderer. And he's convinced that Elizabeth Bennet has been betrayed to Lady Catherine (with malicious intent) by Charlotte Lucas. I can't go along with either of these, but his arguments might convince others.

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth. A curious little tale by an author that influenced Jane Austen. Told from the point of view of a loyal Irish servant, this is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, especially with Edgeworth's explanatory notes at the end. Interesting for me was the description of the traditional Irish wake (circa 1800). Last week's episode of "Call the Midwife" included a piece on an Irish gypsy family in London that burnt the caravan of an elderly woman of the tribe, after she had died in the caravan. I had never seen anything like this before. Edgeworth describes this ritual of burning the bed of a deceased person, which was completely new to me, but apparently carried down through the ages to 1960s London.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Read for Book Club. This is The Great Gatsby moved to Europe, communicated via telegram, instead of complete sentences. From the beginning this book was sexist, racist and just not nice, although Hemingway must have used the word "nice" about a hundred times in this book. Women are stereotypes and men that aren't American white Anglo-Saxon males are derided. He doesn't leave anybody out--women, Jews, African-Americans, British, French, Germans, even his beloved Spaniards are sometimes not to be trusted. The whole drinking thing gets very tiring. Not a single character is likeable. The writing is repetitive and the dialogue is insulting. The only saving part was some of the long descriptive passages (the fishing scenes, the fiesta scenes, the traveling scenes, the streets of Paris) where Hemingway does capture the essence of a place. The only good thing about the book is that it doesn't take long to read--it's like breezing through a newspaper article. Perhaps he's making it all pointless on purpose, but I don't think so. Given that this is based on his real life, there is hardly anything here to admire.

I am not a Hemingway fan and never saw the appeal. Glad to see I'm not the only one.

>78 kac522: Oh no, I liked The Sun Also Rises -- but I totally get what you mean about the terrible depictions of characters who are not white American males!

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. This book took longer to read than I anticipated. It was not a page-turner, but I still found it an interesting view of life in America in the 1920s (and much that Lewis observes could apply to today). Lewis lets us know that the suburban middle-class lifestyle of the 1920s is not all it's cracked up to be. Babbitt attempts to find meaning in life and to challenge "conformity", but ultimately settles for his family life in the fictional mid-sized town of Zenith. I found it interesting to contrast this depiction of post-WWI life with Hemingway's in The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway's characters were drifting and lost, with no moral anchor. Lewis lets us know that he's being satirical, that he has a moral point of view, and his characters have complex motivations and feelings while traveling on and off the same roads. Hemingway's book was a much faster read--a page turner, but bereft of any kindness or decency. Lewis's book shows the struggles of average people. Babbitt was a more ponderous read, but ultimately a more satisfying one for me.

I'm afraid I won't be able to get to a Sinclair book this month. May is pretty busy for me at work and my reading suffers.

Jerusalem the Golden by Margaret Drabble. Read for the BAC challenge. One of Drabble's earliest novels took me right back to the 1960s--very much the angst and tenor of college students of the times. Might be hard for those who didn't experience that era to relate to the internal deliberations of these characters, but it was relevant for an aging boomer like me.

Listened to King Lear with David Tennant and Samantha Bond. Great reading, although the fighting scenes are a bit weird on audiobook.

>84 kac522: Ooh, the Tenth Doctor and Moneypenny? I am intrigued!

It's the "Arkangel Shakespeare" production of King Lear; also with Trevor Peacock. I picked it up at a library book sale.

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers. I read the play, not the novel. Although the dialogue was wonderful, I think much of the meaning was lost in this abbreviated version of the novel. It (briefly) raises questions of race, gender, alienation and coming-of-age. I couldn't quite make out the significance of being set in August, 1945, but there must have been something. Poignant, but puzzling.

"the fighting scenes are a bit weird on audiobook"
Haha! I can only imagine. :)

>88 -Eva-: I listened to King Lear in my car, and a couple of times there was so much clanking of swords, I nearly pulled over to see if something was wrong under the hood!

Haha! That's hilarious!

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers (the play). Wonderful regional language, especially Berenice, the black cook. The play raises issues of race, gender and belonging, but doesn't resolve any of these, or point us in any direction. I didn't understand why the play was set in August 1945--there must have been a significance, but the play doesn't help us figure it out. Since this is a play based on a novel, I can only assume that these ideas and themes were expanded and more accessible in the novel.

Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith. From the 44 Scotland Street series. McCall Smith is my "one" weakness, my one guilty pleasure. In between the goofy plots that don't seem to go anywhere (and are often unbelievable), McCall Smith scatters thoughts on life, love, history, art, music and Scotland. This book even had a passage on Edinburgh architecture. These books are my way of calming down, escaping the everyday craziness and leave me with a smile on my face.

Audiobook: Listened to Silas Marner by George Eliot, narrated by Margaret Hilton. Wonderful narration, especially the rural English dialects.

May was a GREAT reading month--didn't necessarily make all my goals, but read a lot.

May AAC Challenge--Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis FINISHED
May BAC Challenge--The Radiant Way, Drabble FINISHED
Book Club--The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway FINISHED

Group Read: Castle Rackrent, Edgeworth Finished

Non-fiction:

One more stab at Spinoza by Steven Nadler still in-progress
and finally finish The Story of American Freedom still in progress

and I hope to start the month with this left-over April read: Lady Oracle, Atwood--postponed

And I also completed:
Lady Anna, Trollope
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant, Chast
So You Think You Know Jane Austen?, Sutherland
Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?, Sutherland
Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?, Sutherland
The Member of the Wedding, McCullers
Audiobook: King Lear

So a good reading month! Onward to June...

JUNE plans:

Already finished:
Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers, McCall Smith
Audiobook: Silas Marner, Eliot, read by Margaret Hilton

Up & coming:

AAC Challenge: Joe Hill, Stegner
BAC Challenge: Friends and Relations, Bowen (I don't have a Burgess or Bainbridge on my shelf, and I'm trying to read books I already own for these challenges. So I've picked a Bowen, which has been on my shelf for several years.

Book Club: Silas Marner, Eliot -- listened to the audiobook, but now I want to re-read the text.

Group Read: The Annotated Sense & Sensibility, Austen, annotated by Patricia Meyer Spacks (I love Spacks analyses)

Other fiction:
Ross Poldark, Graham -- want to start reading the series before it's on PBS
Paper Lantern: Love Stories by Stuart Dybek, a local Chicago author

MAYBE actually get to those nonfiction books: Spinoza and The Story of American Freedom. I've also ordered from the library David Brooks' new book, The Road to Character. There's a section on George Eliot that would be useful for the Silas Marner discussion.

Hope you like Ross Poldark! I just finished it last week and quite enjoyed it. Looking forward to the TV series :)

Yeah, I may need to "bump it up" in priority over the Challenges. Gosh darn. :)

Silas Marner by George Eliot. Listening to the book these last few weeks enhanced my actual reading (which was, in fact, a re-reading from 2005). Eliot has packed a lot of meaning in this short novel--every line has a purpose. It reads like a fairy tale/myth in a place/people of far gone times, which makes unbelievable parts of the story easier to take. Also the morals of the story (home/family/love over money; truth/honesty are rewarded). An interesting perception on Christianity, and how different interpretations of the Bible influence society. Good does triumph over evil; a simple life and an honest character are more desirable over the life of the "gentry."

>98 kac522: - I think I read that in high school and loved it. Thank you for reminding me about the book. Definitely time for a reread.

Ross Poldark: a Novel of Cornwall by Winston Graham. This book didn't blow me away like it does for so many others. It wasn't a bad book, but it just didn't grab me. Perhaps it would have more meaning if I was familiar with Cornwall (besides what I see on Doc Martin). It certainly is good story-telling and a page-turner. The one scene in the book I especially liked was the description of the mass fishing scene. I probably won't be reading the rest of the series, but now I'm familiar with the characters so that I can better understand the TV series.

Speaking of the TV series, so far it's OK (gorgeous setting and photography, for sure), but I'm actually enjoying the acting and story line of the other new Masterpiece series, "The Crimson Fields", a lot more.

>100 kac522: I had similar feelings to Ross Poldark; I liked it fine but didn't LOVE it the way so many do. I also liked the first episode of "Poldark" but wasn't blown away. I'll continue to watch it, though!

Took a break from Wallace Stegner's Joe Hill, which seems to be crawling, and read:

Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith. I picked up the 3rd book in the series recently, which, of course, requires me to read Books 1 & 2 first. It's a series of short pieces/stories in the life of Professor Dr. von Igelfeld, each with a small moral at the end. As the book cover says, it's an "Entertainment." Now back to the poor migrant workers' camps of Joe Hill.
ETA:

Continued with the series with The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs and hope to wind it up this weekend with At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances

JUNE Recap:

AAC Challenge: Joe Hill, Stegner Still working on it....
BAC Challenge: Friends and Relations, Bowen -- Never got to it....

Book Club: Silas Marner, Eliot -- listened to the audiobook, but now I want to re-read the text. COMPLETED

Group Read: The Annotated Sense & Sensibility, Austen, annotated by Patricia Meyer Spacks (I love Spacks analyses) Didn't get to this either...

Other fiction:
Ross Poldark, Graham -- want to start reading the series before it's on PBS COMPLETED
Paper Lantern: Love Stories by Stuart Dybek, a local Chicago author Haven't even opened the cover.....

MAYBE actually get to those nonfiction books: Spinoza and The Story of American Freedom. I've also ordered from the library David Brooks' new book, The Road to Character. There's a section on George Eliot that would be useful for the Silas Marner discussion.
Nothing done here.....

So....not so good....

JULY plans...although I'm not sure why I'm planning anything, but...

June AAC: Finish Joe Hill by Stegner COMPLETED--FINALLY!
June BAC: Friends and Relations by Bowen COMPLETED but now I've discovered she was born & buried in Ireland! Considered "Anglo-Irish"--spent most of her life in England, so I hope it counts :)
July AAC: Carmelo by Sandra Cisneros I've decided to stick with Ursula LeGuin. I'm going to read her YA book A Wizard of Earthsea.
July BAC: Orlando, Woolf....we'll see...

BOOK CLUB: The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber. I'm leading this month, so I HAVE to finish this.

The Annotated Sense & Sensibility--YES I'm doing that this month.

I make no other physical reading plans, although there are all kinds of piles from the library around here......

I do have one Audiobook in progress: Middlemarch by George Eliot, read by Juliet Stevenson--about 30% through this and it is WONDERFUL, although I mostly listen in the car.

I see my "Up for grabs" category is nicely complete at the halfway point of the year, but all the others are woefully lacking. *sigh*

Joe Hill by Wallace Stegner, read for the AAC Challenge.

This seemed to take forever to finish. Stegner makes a point in the introduction to let us know that this is FICTION, and completely made up in his head. And yet, he did research on Hill, so there are some basic facts in the book. Stegner presents us with Joe Hillstrom, the Swedish immigrant, vs Joe Hill the IWW legend. I don't think Stegner likes Joe Hill and in the end it feels like he finds him guilty. What salvaged the book for me was the portrayal of the terrible working conditions for migrant and temporary workers that Hill was fighting, and the discussions between the activists about how best to further their causes.

Friends and Relations by Elizabeth Bowen. Not much happens in this book--there's a love affair between in-laws that doesn't really happen. It's not easy to read Bowen--each sentence makes you stop and ponder what it all means. She uses language in a different way--reminds me somewhat of Zusak in The Book Thief, with original combinations of words. It seemed easier to follow in the last quarter of the book, but overall this was not very accessible, and I'm not sure I knew (or cared) about the characters at the end.

My big mistake was that I thought Bowen was an English writer, and I'm using her as a substitute in the BAC Challenge for the other 2 "B" authors in June (Bainbridge & Burgess) because this book has been on my shelf for a couple of years. After reading her biography, she's called "Anglo-Irish", because she was born in Ireland and is buried there but lived most of her life in England. This book was set in England. Oh well...

The Road to Character by David Brooks. I enjoyed the portraits of individuals much more than the introduction & conclusion. I would have liked more tie-ins between his points about character (at the end) and how those portrayed exemplified these characteristics. The portrayal of St. Augustine was way over the top for me, and I'm not sure what his pre-occupation with sin is. But I enjoyed George Eliot, Samuel Johnson and Montaigne. I felt these portrayals were coming right from his own experience and heart.

Made a great haul at the 31st Annual Newberry Library book sale today, and only made it to a couple of rooms (there are 6)! I had to stop--it was all I could carry home on the L Train. Somebody knew I was coming, because there was a lot of Trollope. Here's what I got today:

The Trollopes--most in Dover editions:
The American Senator
An Eye for an Eye
The Fixed Period
Kept in the Dark
The Macdermots of Ballycloran
Ralph the Heir
Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite
The Struggles of Brown, Jones, and Robinson
The Three Clerks

And the others:

To the North, Elizabeth Bowen
Lucy Gayheart, Willa Cather
The Book of Daniel, E. L. Doctorow
The Count of Monte Cristo, A. Dumas (Modern Library unabridged paperback in excellent shape!)
Felix Holt, George Eliot
Where You Once Belonged, Kent Haruf
The Land of Green Ginger Winifred Holtby (a Virago Modern Classic)
At Mrs Lippincote's, Elizabeth Taylor (another Virago)

...and not the least, a spiral-bound resource, made as accompanying material to a Newberry Library Genealogy course: "It Didn't All Go Up in Flames: Exploring Pre-Fire Chicago at the Newberry." I had wanted to attend this seminar, but didn't make it, so this 100+ page resource is a great find.

Never made it to most of the rooms, so I guess I'll just HAVE to go back before Sunday...

Looks like a good haul from the book sale!

The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber. These stories were great fun. This collection is the "best" of Thurber from about 1931-1943. Some are outright funny; others are almost cruel. I love the way Thurber can get right into the heart of the story within the first couple of paragraphs. And how he brings in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio in almost every piece that has himself as narrator.

>108 kac522:
Wow, nice haul - sounds like a dangerous place, that sale!

I've been putting off recording my last few books because, frankly, I didn't like them. I feel like I should have liked them. Two I persevered and completed; the last I've completely abandoned.

From Time to Time by Hannah Tillich. I had picked this up at last year's Newberry book sale, and I was determined to read at least 1 of the books I bought last year before I bought more this year. This was a slow, selfish, self-absorbed memoir. Hannah Tillich was the wife of philosopher Paul Tillich, and mostly she tells us about their failed relationship, and her own insecurities. Not pleasant, entertaining or even enlightening. She provides only the slightest insight into the flight from Europe, nothing about the war years, and only the vaguest idea of the post-war years. Plus she hated Chicago, which didn't go over with me very well. It was an effort to finish.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin. I wanted to love this book. I had read 2 other books by LeGuin, and mostly enjoyed them, but they weren't sci-fi/fantasy. I could not get into this tale and pushed myself to finish. The writing was good, consistent and showed insight into young people, but my mind would wander through all the various strange names, places and things. I found myself reading the words on the page, but thinking about something else. This is not my genre. It did pick up a little toward the end, making it easier to finish.

Next I had picked up a library book based on rave reviews on my library's website: The Folded Clock: a Diary by Heidi Julavits. I've never read anything by Julavits, so I was going completely by the recommendation. It's written in the form of a diary, and she tells you it's over 2 years' time, but the dates are all mixed up (an entry for July will be followed by an entry for March, followed by an entry for September, followed by an entry in June.) It made no sense. I made it through 120 pages, and finally had to stop with the entry that detailed an episode of the TV show the Bachelorette. Enough. This girl is smug, selfish, smart-aleck and not worth my time. She's the 2015 version of Hannah Tillich above; at least Tillich had her interesting life and times going for her. This chick has none of that, and seems to have no ethic, no moral sense. The more I read her diary, the more I disliked her. Plus most of it sounds made-up to me; I would imagine there's only a little bit of truth in it. It's been a long time since I didn't finish a book I started, but this has no value for me.

More "new" books from library sales: (Arlington Heights last week & Oak Park tonight):

Fairy & Folk Tales of Ireland, edited by W. B. Yeats
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
The Song of the Lark, Willa Cather
The Professor, Charlotte Bronte
Mozart's Women, Jane Glover (she's the director of Chicago's Music of the Baroque)
South Riding, Winifred Holtby (Virago)
Mary O'Grady, Mary Lavin (Virago)
The Female Quixote, Charlotte Lennox
Beauvallet, Georgette Heyer
Plainsong, Kent Haruf
Beethoven: His Life, Work and World, H. C. Robbins Landon--won in a silent auction, along with CD set of 7 of the 9 symphonies.
Emmeline, Charlotte Smith
An Irish Country Girl, Patrick Taylor -- although realized after I got home that this is 4th in a series, and I haven't read the others....hmmm....need to hit some more library sales. :)

Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite by Anthony Trollope. So good to read a novel with a point of view, a moral, an abhorrence for lying. So different from the 2 memoirs I've just read. And I love the way Trollope takes a problem (girl loves blackguard; parents don't approve) and looks at it from all angles. The conversations between Emily and her parents could almost be from today. Emily is a bit of a prig, her mother is almost non-existent, and from the beginning there is a feeling of a sad outcome. But I still liked this book. Sir Harry goes through some serious changes by the end, and we've examined Cousin George (the blackguard) from every point of view.

>113 kac522: Great haul! Hope you like South Riding. It is becoming one of my favourites.

>115 rabbitprincess: I loved the South Riding mini-series with Anna Maxwell Martin, so I'm looking forward to the book. I didn't realize it was a book until I had finished watching the series.

>116 kac522: That was a great miniseries! Once I've finished reading the book again I want to re-watch it (especially for Robert Carne).

>117 rabbitprincess: It was great. I love Anna Maxwell Martin (remember her in Bleak House?), David Morrissey is great, and Andrew Davies wrote the script (he wrote the script for the 1995 Pride & Prejudice with Ehle & Firth). Yes, I think I'll have to watch it again, too, after I read it.

>118 kac522: Bleak House was fantastic! A really good line-up all around. That's another one I need to watch again. Couldn't finish the book, but the miniseries really held my attention.

I also like Andrew Davies' adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, with David Morrissey as Colonel Brandon.

>119 rabbitprincess: Yep--just found that S&S DVD at a library sale--saving it til after I read the annotated edition that I've been delaying for months--this should be the incentive I need.

The Rising Tide by M. J. Farrell (Molly Keane). This Virago press book was a great read about an Anglo-Irish family from 1900 until the mid-1920s. The first half was particularly good, with a satirical biting look at the lives of this aristocratic set. The last third was not as enjoyable, as it became sad and the end seemed a bit over the top to me. However, the characters are compelling and the writing is fantastic. Keane can make us sympathize with a character, even though we don't like them all that well. As another reviewer pointed out, the family's house, Garonlea, becomes an important character in the book, too. And the clothes! Keane is at her best when describing in greatest detail what everyone is wearing--it's like reading a fashion magazine! I'm so glad I read this for All Virago/All August.

The Little Free Library Book by Margaret Aldrich. Lots of pictures of Little Free Libraries and stories by the libraries' "stewards." A fun book to page through, and excellently done for the type of book it is.

Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. This was my first ELD and I enjoyed it. Others have summarized the plot(s) and techniques, but I'll just say I loved the way he weaved the Pre-WWI era fact & fiction together, and how all the characters converge at the end. I think I read it too quickly to get to the story. It merits a re-reading, to soak in all the ideas.

This passage (about Henry Ford and the assembly line) from the end of Chapter 18, struck me hard:

By controlling the speed of the moving belts he could control the workers' rate of production. He did not want a worker to stoop over or to take more than one step from his work site. The worker must have every second necessary for his job but not a single unnecessary second. From these principles Ford established the final proposition of the theory of industrial manufacture--not only that the parts of the finished product be interchangeable, but that the men who build the products be themselves interchangeable parts.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I've got a bunch of Christies on my TBR shelf, so pulled one down for Agatha in August. Great fun.

Way overdue...hangs head to announce: JULY/AUGUST Recap:

I'm overdue because I'm way off the wagon--didn't read what I was supposed to read. So I'll just recap what I did read:

American Author Challenge:

Joe Hill, Stegner -- June
A Wizard of Earthsea, LeGuin -- July
Ragtime, Doctorow -- read for my Book Club, but also meets the December challenge (I'm ahead in something!)

British Author Challenge:

Friends and Relations, Bowen (replace whoever was in June)

For my book club:

The Thurber Carnival, Thurber
Ragtime, Doctorow

For All Virago/All August:

The Rising Tide, Farrell (Molly Keane)

For Agatha in August:

And Then There Were None, Christie

To Get Off My Shelf!
From Time to Time, Hannah Tillich

And for fun/library books/etc:

Portuguese Irregular Verbs, McCall Smith
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, McCall Smith
At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances, McCall Smith
The Road to Character, Brooks
Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite, Trollope
The Little Free Library Book, Aldrich

So the GOOD NEWS is that I've already finished all of these so far this month, and will post summaries later:

The Complete Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure Naturally, Mitchell
Round About a Pound a Week, Reeves
Audiobook: Middlemarch, Eliot, read by Juliet Stevenson--absolutely brilliant, although it took 3 months to finish (28 CDs)
This is How You Lose Her, Diaz

Reading plans for September (do I dare?)

Looking at >2 kac522: I've got some major gaps. Not sure I'll fill them all, but here's what's planned for September so far:

Unbroken, Hillenbrand (currently reading)--fits in the Tomes category
How To Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster (currently reading)
Phineas Redux, Trollope (currently reading--fits in my Tomes category, doing the group read AND qualifies for September Series & Sequels)
My Life in Middlemarch, Mead (currently reading--to follow-up my audiobook completion)

For my book club:

Audiobook of Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

September AAC challenge:

Some Flannery O'Connor stories I haven't read--I have the Complete Short Stories

September BAC challenge:

Small Island, Andrea Levy--I really want to read this--hope I get to it.

Absolutely no promises, but also sitting and staring at me are:

Lonesome Dove, McMurtry (AAC August book)
Spinoza, Nadler
Maisie Dobbs, Winspear

I still need to come up with a July BAC book (I'm not in the mood for Virginia Woolf--maybe I'll just throw in a Trollope--or Maisie Dobbs), and the AAC books that I missed from earlier months.

Forgot to mention--next week I'll participate in a year-long read of Moby Dick, led by the Evanston library. I think I can finish it in a year.....

The Complete Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure Naturally by Deborah Mitchell. Nice summary of everything I'm not doing that I SHOULD be doing (except taking my medication). *sigh*

Round About a Pound a Week by Maud Pember Reeves. I saw this on somebody's Virago list, although my copy is not a Virago. This is an amazing study, done in 1913, of a group of poor families in London, with every detail of the wife's daily schedule and expenses. How these women managed to feed their families on so little boggles the mind. The starkest observation was that the babies born during the study were all born at healthy weights, but by a year old most were underweight, sickly or not thriving (if not dead). The conclusion argues for a minimum livable wage (sound familiar?) and the responsibility of the state for its children.

Has inspired me to read some of Jane Addams' works, to see her point of view here in Chicago.

Audiobook: Middlemarch by George Eliot; read by Juliet Stevenson. I've read Middlemarch twice, and this 3rd listening/reading was over 3 months and 28 CDs. Absolutely brilliant. Stevenson has a different voice for every character, and just by listening I could usually tell who was speaking. I loved her Celia (Dorothea's common sense sister: "Dodo!") and Mr. Brooke, Dorothea's uncle ("and that sort of thing"). I was never tired of it, nor lost focus.

I'm sorry it's over, but now I've started reading My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead, to hold onto the feeling.

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz. Looking at the reviews, I didn't hate this as much, nor love this as much, as other reviewers have. I found it sort of a typical male point of view, written at least with some style and humor--a very authentic mix of English & Spanish that has a flavor all its own. These are a group of loosely connected stories centering around the main character, Yunior, who mostly tells these stories. They span his youth to his 40-something life. This is not a guy I would really want to hang out with much, but he can write.

>130 kac522: I really loved Middlemarch when I read it for a class...I should definitely reread it soon!

>132 christina_reads: The audiobook is just marvelous: the characters are brought to life, as if you were watching a film. I did read along sometimes with the audiobook, but mostly I listened. And Mead's book is very good, too--she intertwines the book, Eliot's life and her own life in a very thoughtful, reflective way.

>133 kac522: Good to know! I have My Life in Middlemarch on my TBR shelves already, but I'll have to get to it sooner rather than later!

Lovely to see what you have been reading. Like you, my reading derails, which is why my "catch all" category has more books read than any other category in my challenge. ;-)

>135 lkernagh: Thanks--yep, see message >2 kac522: -- 24 books in "Up for Grabs". But I'm happy that I will exceed my goal of 60 books for sure. Of course, this is due to the fact that my part-time job ended in June; now I'm truly "retired" and have plenty of time to keep myself out of the mall, the bookstores, meeting everybody I know for lunch (when my funds are now restricted), etc. So I'm taking Italian 101; a 2nd year Hebrew course; continue in choir; have a guitar on the way to learn to play (courtesy of my wonderful brother); and maybe I'll try to teach myself crochet or find a course somewhere. In between, read a ton of books.

>135 lkernagh: By the way, Lori, I love your trans-Canada walk idea. I should really get out and WALK but it's been so HOT here in Chicago, I have no enthusiasm for it. Supposed to ease off sometime next week, so I'm going to really put in an effort to get out. I have to drive about 8 miles in city traffic to the Lake Michigan shoreline, but I always feel better once I'm there. It's just getting UP & OUT.

Good for you on taking the courses and learning how to play the guitar! Thanks regarding my walking journey and you are right, the biggest challenge is to get up and out. My walking journey has helped motivate me to do things like walk to the grocery store and be lest tempted to ride the bus halfway into work (my walking commute is only 30 minutes). I am also thankful that where I work I have ready access to residential streets, a park and the waterfront as walking options during my lunch break. I can see how once you are at Lake Michigan, you feel better.

How to Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. Very entertaining book about how to interpret symbols, plots, stories, references to mythology, etc. Foster includes lots of examples, and has a good sense of humor. I believe it was originally intended for college and/or advanced high school students, but it doesn't come off preachy or teachy. I took this out of the library, but I intend to purchase my own copy for reference.

Audiobook: Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. This historical narrative about the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 took a while for me to feel engaged in the story. Larson does a lot of "set up" work in the beginning of the book, describing the two ship captains (the German and British), several passengers, President Wilson, Winston Churchill, and the general state of the War in 1915. The book took off for me on the day of the sinking, and never stopped until the end. I particularly liked Larson's ability to bring us completely into the times and his portraits of the two Captains.

However, I have a lot of problems with the book--no pictures, no maps, no list of passengers, no diagram of the ship, no account of what the current state of recovery of the ship & its contents. All of these would have enhanced my reading. The passengers he profiles are all affluent passengers who survived the disaster, because these are the primary materials he had for research. I wish there had been at least some mention, or at least a composite profile, of all those poor souls in 3rd class, who probably didn't survive, or if they did, weren't wealthy enough to donate their papers to a major archive. I also felt his profile of President Wilson's romance with Edith Galt added nothing to the story of the Lusitania. Although I did get the book from the library, I mostly listened to the audio version read by Scott Brick, which I felt was too slow and heavy in presentation.

Overall, I did learn a lot about this disaster, about World War I, and about submarine warfare in general in an entertaining way. It's worth reading, but the reader should be aware of gaps in Larson's presentation.

59. Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope. Not my favorite Trollope, but certainly brings in a lot of political issues of the day. His exasperation with the political process and the loyalty to parties still resonates today. I think I liked Phineas Finn better than this book, but I this was better than The Eustace Diamonds. I am with Trollope that the 2 Phineas books are really one novel, and am sorry I didn't read them consecutively. I am also troubled by Trollope's apparent anti-Semitism in this book.

September Recap:

The Complete Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure Naturally, Mitchell
Round About a Pound a Week, Reeves
Audiobook: Middlemarch, Eliot, read by Juliet Stevenson
This is How You Lose Her, Diaz
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster
Audiobook: Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Larson
Phineas Redux, Trollope--OK, technically finished in October, but I read the vast majority in September.

October Reading Plans:

for Book Club: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving
for class: The Blithedale Romance, Hawthorne and The Prince and the Pauper, Twain
for AAC challenge: Dandelion Wine or Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury
for BAC challenge: undecided

Other reading goals:

Maisie Dobbs, Winspear
My Life in Middlemarch, Mead (currently reading)
and a pile of books from the library--we'll see what I get to.

PLUS--I'm participating in "Mission: Impossible" at the Evanston Public Library. This is a reading/book club program, where the library hosts a year-long reading of a large (and/or difficult) work of literature. Last year was Middlemarch; other years have included Joyce's Ulysses and War and Peace. Readers are in discussion groups (lead by a librarian) of about 30, and meet every 2 months as they progress in the book.

This year's selection is Moby Dick by Melville, and there were over 100 people at the "kick-off" lecture by a Northwestern University literature professor. October's reading assignment is to read the first 18 chapters by the group discussion date of October 22. I've purchased a wonderful edition of the book, with illustrations by Rockwell Kent done in the 1930s. I don't think I would have read Moby Dick on my own, so this is perfect for me. I only wish I had known about the program back when they did Ulysses.

>142 kac522: The Mission Impossible program sounds like an excellent idea! Great way to encourage people to tackle those intimidating-looking tomes :)

It is an excellent idea, and I can't believe how popular it is! There are 8 discussion groups, with about 25-30 people in each. Imagine 200+ people all reading Moby Dick at the same time, from the same area! (don't tell anybody, but I'm "crashing"--I'm actually a Chicago resident--but Evanston allows reciprocal borrowing with Chicago residents, so I guess I'm semi-legal).

I agree - that sounds like a great program, especially that kick-off lecture is a brilliant idea to give everyone a boost.

>145 -Eva-: I'm looking forward to the first discussion on Oct. 22--we're to read the first 18 chapters, which is about 120 pages. So not bad at all.

"The Blithedale Romance" from Collected Novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne. (I couldn't find the right touchstone). This novel started out good, but as the story moved along it seemed to lose momentum and my interest. It's loosely based on Hawthorne's experience at Brook Farm, Hawthorne spins a tale about the personalities and conflicts in a utopian community. Seemed a bit melodramatic by the end. This "Literary Classics of the United States" edition is a quality book that I borrowed from the library, and includes "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of Seven Gables." It felt good to hold and turn pages--I am seriously considering buying books from this series to replace some of my beat-up paperback American classics.

Well, the good news is that I have met my overall goal of 60 books for the year and it's only October.

The bad news is that I am way behind in all my challenges and I'm currently in the middle of 6(!) books and 2 more due soon, which is not like me at all. I rarely read more than 2 at once, but there you are.

I've started:

1) Women in Trollope's Palliser Novels--I know I won't read the last 2 chapters, because they are about the last 2 books in the Palliser series (The Prime Minister and The Duke's Children), which I haven't read yet. But so far this book has shed a lot of light on Trollope and his attitude toward women.

2) Maisie Dobbs by Winspear--about 50 pages in

3) Unbroken by Hillenbrand--about 100 pages in

4) The Prince and the Pauper by Twain--about 30 pages in, for my class next Tuesday

5) My Life in Middlemarch--about 40 pages in

6) Moby Dick for a year-long discussion "Mission: Impossible" book group--first meeting tomorrow--I've completed the first assigned reading of chapters 1-18, and will report on my observations and group discussion tomorrow. So I'm actually "up-to-date" with this book.

And haven't started but DUE SOON:

7) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for my monthly book club meeting next Wednesday

8) Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee--have been waiting since July for this library book, and have to read it before it's due--at one time I was number 475 on the wait-list.

NOT SURE WHICH TO READ NEXT!!! Sort of has put me in paralysis, kind of like those ancient days of college finals, and not being able to decide which paper to work on next.

and, oh yeah, there's the book I'm listening to:

9) The Eustace Diamonds by Trollope. Makes my long commute to work seem a bit shorter.

As I mentioned above, I've completed my first assignment in Moby Dick. It's got a wry humor which I was not expecting. It also has a fairly flippant view of organized religion and a more tolerant view of "the noble savage" than I expected. Of course, I might be confusing our narrator Ishmael's view with Melville's, but still it is keeping my interest. There are biblical references on almost every page, and I'm constantly looking up names and places. I love my paperback edition with illustrations from the 1930's by Rockwell Kent. The woodcuts make the book go faster, at least for me.

Tomorrow is the first discussion session, so I'm eager to see how others feel about the book.

Sounds like you have been busy reading what you want to read, not necessarily books that fit you challenges. ;-) I have been the same this year. I am still working on my challenge even though I have read about 20 books more than would have been needed to complete my challenge if I had stayed focused. It is nice to read what you want and congrats on already having reached your 60 books read total!

I hate that feeling of having books stacked up against me. At some point I just let some go and realize I can't read everything right now. When I relieve some stress I can appreciate the ones left.

>150 lkernagh: and >151 mamzel: Yep, just returned a couple to the library that I've been renewing and renewing and renewing....thanks for the encouragement!

Women in Trollope's Palliser Novels by Deborah Denenholz Morse. This literary criticism deals with 5 of the 6 Pallisers--the author didn't include The Eustace Diamonds in her analysis. She spends significant time on the personalities of the main female characters in the books, especially Glencora and Alice (Can You Forgive Her?) and Lady Laura, Phineas' wife Mary Flood Jones, and Madame Max Goesler (The Phineas Books). One interesting comment she makes is that Madame Max personifies Trollope's idea of the perfect gentleman. She contrasts the opposite characters Lady Laura and Mary. I didn't read the 2 chapters on The Prime Minister and The Duke's Children, because I haven't read those books yet. Some interesting observations overall, although sometimes I think she takes certain analogies a little far. But I came away having a greater appreciation for Trollope's sympathetic views toward women.

I went to my first discussion of Moby Dick. Our assignment was the first 18 Chapters (about 125 pages). The leader is a young male librarian, and he seems enthusiastic and is reading it for the first time. The group is about 20 people, and most seem 65+; there might have been 1 or 2 in their 50s; overwhelmingly female (4 men), and everyone has an opinion! About a third had read it before, but most many years ago.

Of the group, I think only 1 woman said she was so-so about the book so far; everyone else was enjoying it, especially the humor (unexpected!) and the language. Those of us without a good biblical background are feeling a bit lost about all the references. Lots of good discussion, although you can feel some people are very set in their ideas. A couple are trying to understand the larger picture and pull back from the details. So a good experience so far. Our next meeting is in December, and we need to read to Chapter 41.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I have mixed reactions to this book. The writing is uneven--the parts looking back to Scout's childhood are better than the present. Some of the attitudes in the present seem not from the 1950s--they seem post-Civil Rights era. Racial issues are sometimes hit straight-on, and other times deftly side-stepped. It's both a defense of the Old South and a raging indictment. Left me unsettled.

Audiobook: The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope, read by Simon Vance. I read this book earlier this year. Listening to the book I caught more nuances, more humor and it seemed less dark than when I first read it. Trollope has so much dialogue in his works that these audiobooks by talented actors are a completely different experience from straight silent reading.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. An interesting perspective on class and wealth. Twain's observations on justice couldn't have been done in a contemporary setting--it had to be done set in the 16th century.

It is now December 3, and I am (as always) way behind in my reading goals for this year. I've been challenging myself the last couple of years, and I somehow fall down every time. I read a lot of books--just not what I "ought." I may pick up a few AAC and BAC books this month, but I know the Tome category may only pick up 1 more (if I finish Burney's Cecilia before the end of the month.)

I'm also behind in recording November books here, which I hope to remedy in the next few days.

I've got 6 TBRs to read this month to meet my ROOTs goal, and I am determined to complete that goal (hopefully with a few AAC and BAC titles).

Thinking ahead to 2016, I've decided I'm going to make it even easier on myself. I'm going to have several broad categories of books, and then choose WHATEVER I LIKE from those categories each month. I'm also going to do the BingoPUP card (woman theme)--I checked the card the other day and even with this year's reading I could knock off 15 out of 25 squares, without even trying. So that's the challenge for me!

My large "generic" challenge is going to include authors from the 2016 American Authors Challenge, British Authors Challenge, Canadian Authors Challenge, the Pulitzer Prize challenge and the Dewey Decimal challenge. I'm going to lay them all out, and choose at random each month to read at least 2 books from the large selection.

I do have one problem: I was quite disappointed with the announced authors for the American Authors Challenge. I've read at least one book of most of the authors, and none of those that I've read have me excited to read more. The only 2 authors I haven't read are Anne Tyler and Ivan Doig. (All right, I *should* read another Steinbeck, but he drives me nuts.)

The other thing about the AAC list was that it was all white authors (although a good mix of male and female). SO--I've decided to create my own AAC list, starting with Tyler and Doig (who I haven't read) and fill in with a more ethnically diverse group of authors. On my TBR right now are books by Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gish Jen, Amy Tan and Sandra Cisneros.

I'd appreciate any suggestions of American authors from different ethnic groups that you might recommend--especially ones that you feel don't get the attention they deserve. I'm hoping to have 16 authors to choose from (for 2016) although I probably won't read all 16.

Catching up on my November reading:

65. Emma: a Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith. This is part of "modern-day" update series of Jane Austen's novels, with each novel featuring a different author. Some were disappointed with McCall Smith's retelling of Emma. I liked the beginning with the back story of some of the minor characters (like Miss Taylor and Mr. Weston). Mr. Knightley didn't get his due, I think, and I missed the comic relief of Mrs. Elton. But a nice parallel to the original.

66. Hamlet by Shakespeare; Folger paperback edition. Not much to say except INTENSE. And that I should read more Shakespeare. And always amazes me how many little phrases I recognize--like "shreds and patches" in Hamlet, after which I had to listen to a recording of the Mikado (Nanki-Poo's solo: "a wandering minstrel, I, a thing of shreds and patches...") And of course had to re-watch Branagh's Hamlet. Billy Crystal made the film for me.

67. Gun, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond; abridged audiobook. I had a hard time being interested in this topic until the last 2 CDs, where Diamond actually got into gun, germs and steel. This latter part was a fascinating look at the progression of human technology and development, and how geography, climate and various peoples' natural progression as societies influenced how they developed over thousands of years. Why European/Asian peoples may have developed "faster" than others (east-west lay of the land as opposed to north-south of the Americas and Africa); why the Europeans brought disease to the natives of the Americas and Australia (and not the other way around), etc. We should have learned this stuff in school.

68. Two Worlds: an Edinburgh Jewish childhood by David Daiches. I found this book in a very round-about way: someone on LT had recommended Jenni Daiches Calder as a Scottish author, but then another discounted her because she was born in Chicago. Which intrigued me, because I've lived in Chicago all my life, and never heard of Jenni Daiches Calder. Which led to her biography, which led to her famous literature professor father, David Daiches, who was on the faculty of the University of Chicago when Jenni was born. Which led to his biography, which said he was the son of a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, and that he had written a memoir of his childhood--> thus to Two Worlds. I read it in 2 nights--very sweet, very comforting, yet he voices the angst of living in two worlds--Orthodox Judaism and 1930's Scotland, and the conflicts it brings. Most of the book was about Daiches' famous father, who was a leading rabbi in Edinburgh at this time. Well worth the time reading about & absorbing these worlds.

69. 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple's Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany Amazing story that was new to me. I first saw the film this past summer, and then picked up the book. This Philadelphia couple had such perseverance, but one must acknowledge that they couldn't have done it without being very wealthy. Plus, I have to suspect that Kraus paid off officials somewhere along the line, especially to get the passports. Still, great story--to think that almost 50 families were saved, since most of the parents eventually were able to escape, too.

70. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Conceptually, so interesting. The first two parts were exciting, the third part lagged for me, but was still thought-provoking. I am sorry that I didn't read this years ago.

December plans:

--Read the next 200 pages in Moby Dick for my library group-read.
--Finish Unbroken: a World War II story, Hillenbrand
--The Cricket on the Hearth, Dickens, for Book Club

And at least 5 ROOTS (acquired before 2015), to meet my 30 roots goal. Am hoping most of these will fit into the AAC & BAC authors still open in my challenge.

And maybe even finish Cecilia, Burney, before the new year begins...I'm half-way through the 900+ pages.

I love the Folger paperback editions of Shakespeare! I don't usually read the essays, but I do like how they put the notes on the left-hand side and the text on the right, and there aren't usually *too* many notes -- just enough to help you understand what's going on.

Good luck with your big group reads! :)

>161 rabbitprincess: Yes, Folger editions are so easy to use--you can ignore the notes if you want to, but if you want them, they're right there. And thanks for the encouragement--hope I can muddle through!

71. "The Cricket on the Hearth" by Charles Dickens. Overly sentimental (like The Old Curiosity Shop), but Dickens always tells a good story. One of the characters, Bertha, is a doll's dressmaker, like Jenny Wren in Our Mutual Friend; both with disabilities, but completely different characters, which I thought was interesting, or perhaps Jenny Wren shows a maturing in Dickens' development of character. This story was part of the Christmas Books, but there's nothing about Christmas in the story, except that, like Scrooge, the nasty character becomes "good" in the end....making it more a fairy tale.

The Novel Habits of Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith. Just love the musings, thoughts and remembrances of things past by McCall Smith, via Isabel Dalhousie. Not much happens, but it's like having a warm and meaningful conversation with an old friend.

Well, did not complete all my goals, but I'm trying to catch up in December. As I don't anticipate finishing any more for the AAC Challenge, here is my Final Completed Reads for the AAC Challenge:

Jan: McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ✔ Jan 2015
Feb:
Mar:
Apr: Erdrich, Original Fire (poems) ✔ Dec 2015
May: Lewis, Babbitt ✔ May 2015
Jun: Stegner, Joe Hill ✔ Jul 2015
Jul: Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea ✔ Jul 2015
Aug:
Sep: O'Connor, 7 stories from The Complete Stories ✔ Dec 2015
Oct: Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 ✔ Dec 2015
Nov:
Dec: Doctorow, Ragtime ✔ Jul 2015

I'm still working on my BAC reads, and will also post mini-reviews for all my books later.

Of this list, I would have to say that Ragtime and O'Connor's stories were the best of the lot, although Fahrenheit 451 was compelling.

Catching up on my reading in December:

Cecilia by Fanny Burney. Finished. Whew. This 900+ page 18th century novel just kept going on and on and on. I generally enjoyed it, but there were just too many twists and turns and spinning out of the plot that it started to get tiresome. Cecilia's madness at the end was a bit over the top for me, but certainly a nervous breakdown was not unbelievable. I was surprised how the final resolutions were not all happy and perfect--Burney was ahead of her time in many ways.

Quick Service by P. G. Wodehouse. This is a complete novel included in my book The Most of P. G. Wodehouse. I think it would have made an excellent radio play--lots of people going in & out, quick one-liners & general controlled chaos. Sort of the Marx Brothers meet Fawlty Towers. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the collections in this volume--they'll make great breaks between long serious tomes. For the BAC Challenge

Original Fire, poems by Louise Erdrich. I didn't understand a lot of these poems; surprisingly (to me, anyway), many were about God and saints. The last section was the most accessible for me, and my favorite from this group was "Little Blue Eyeglasses", about a pair of new glasses for her young daughter.

I intend to finish December with 3 ROOTs (2 for the BAC Challenge): Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Jackson's Dilemma by Iris Murdoch and one more yet to be determined.

Then I have to hit the ground running in 2016 with a bunch of library books that are due in January.

I'm still finishing up some books for the 2015 challenge, and will post a summary next weekend. My 2016 Challenge thread is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/209669

Happy Reading in 2016!

My final BAC books:

Jan: Ishiguro, A Pale View of Hills ✔ Jan 2015
Feb: Waugh, A Handful of Dust ✔ Mar 2015
Mar: DuMaurier, Rebecca ✔ APR 2015
Apr: Maugham, The Painted Veil ✔ Apr 2015
May: Drabble, Jerusalem the Golden✔ May 2015
Jun:
Jul:
Aug: Murdoch, Jackson's Dilemma, Dec 2015
Sep:
Oct:
Nov:
Dec: Wodehouse, Quick Service ✔ Dec 2015

I wish I had done better on this one. I still have Andrea Levy's Small Island and Huxley's Brave New World that I really want to get to. Plus a Muriel Spark. Maybe in 2016.

Good job on the BAC. I know i have gaps in all of my author challenge reading..... part of the problem for me is when I don't already own a book by the author, and then have to decide what I might want to read from the local library offerings. My 2016 author reading is going to follow the same pattern. ;-)

My last 2 books in 2015 were:

Jackson's Dilemma by Iris Murdoch. I liked Murdoch's writing, and where she went with the characters. But I found the long list of characters confusing, and I often got them mixed up along the way.

Pockets Buildings--a nice little introduction to architecture and its history, which I shall keep around for reference.

Overall, I am rather so-so about my reading this year.

On the one hand, I read more books in a year than have ever in my life: 77. And I was only 1 book away from my ROOTs goal: 29.

But I was disappointed with the AAC and BAC challenges--I think I could have buckled down and done better there.

As far as the reading goes, the audiobooks (on the whole) were outstanding. My best were:
--Middlemarch read by Juliet Stevenson--far and away the best audiobook I have ever listened to.
--The Eustace Diamonds read by Simon Vance--I had read the book first, which left me with a "meh." But the characterization and dialogue by Vance made the book shine.
--Loved McCullough reading Truman.
and constantly amazed by listening to Guns, Germs and Steel.

Actual reading was good, but it's hard to find a stand-out book. Some of the best were:
--Re-reading A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
--The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
--Re-reading Silas Marner by George Eliot--better every time I read it.
--The Great Western Beach by Emma Smith--a wonderful memoir of a Cornish childhood
--Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
--How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
--Two Worlds: an Edinburgh Jewish Childhood by David Daiches
--Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I enjoyed being introduced to these authors, and I hope to read more:

Kazuo Ishiguro: A Pale View of Hills
Molly Farrell: The Rising Tide
Fanny Burney: Cecilia
P. G. Wodehouse: Quick Service
Iris Murdoch: Jackson's Dilemma

Now on to 2016....