Simone2's reads in 2016

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Simone2's reads in 2016

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1Simone2
Editado: Dic 30, 2016, 8:25 pm

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2Simone2
Editado: Dic 30, 2015, 2:23 am

Hi everybody,

My name is Barbara, I live in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) with my family. I am a mother of two (15 and 12 years) and work more or less fulltime in my own communication and design agency.
I like to join this year's Club Read (my first) to set some goals for myself in reading my TBR pile.

I have defined the following monthly goals for myself:
- to read 4 books from the '1000 books to read before you die'-list
- to read 1 book that was nominated for or won the Booker Prize
- to read 2 books from non-English or American writers
- to read 1 book based on a review posted here by one of you
-to read 1 book just because I feel like it!

This may be rather ambitious, but what's wrong with a little ambition :-)?

I look forward to 2016 and reading your reviews.

3Simone2
Editado: Abr 9, 2016, 9:31 am

JANUARY-MARCH

JANUARY:
1 - Virgin Soil by Ivan Turgenev: 1001 | Russia
2 - Rabbit Redux by John Updike: 1001
3 - Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett: 1001
4 - Tono-Bungay by HG Wells: 1001
5 - Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse: 1001 | Germany
6 - Vrouw by Karl Ove Knausgard: Norway

FEBRUARY:
7 - The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis: 1001 | Booker
8 - The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind: 1001 | Germany
9 - Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters: 1001
10 - A World of Love by Elisabeth Bowen: 1001
11 - The Unnamable by Samuel Beckett: 1001
12 - Cold Earth by Sarah Moss: Recommended
13 - The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell: 1001
14 - Schuld by Walter van den Berg: Dutch
15 - All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy: 1001

MARCH:
16 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff: Recommended
17 - Lives of girls and women by Alice Munro: 1001
18 - Onderworpen by Michel Houellebecq: French
19 - The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch: 1001 | Booker
20 - Broer by Esther Gerritsen: Dutch
21 - Harriet Hume by Rebecca West: 1001
22 - Nora Webster by Colm Toibin
23 - Crossfire by Miyuki Miyabe: 1001 | Japan
24 - As in tas by Jelle Brandt Corstius: Dutch
25 - Merciless Gods by Christos Tsiolkas

4Simone2
Editado: Jun 27, 2016, 2:41 am

APRIL-JUNE

APRIL
26 - Contact by Carl Sagan: 1001
27 - Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham: 1001
28 - The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford: 1001
29 - The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart: Booker
30 - Judas by Amos Oz: Israel
31 - The untouchable by John Banville: 1001

MAY
32 - The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway: 1001
33 - Mislaid by Nell Sink: Recommended
34 - H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald: Recommended
35 - Mr Mercedes by Stephen King: Recommended
36 - Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado: 1001 | Brazilian
37 - De andere stem by Ramsey Nasr: Dutch
38 - Rabbit is Rich by John Updike: 1001
39 - The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore: Indian | 1001
40 - Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell
41 - The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch: 1001 | Booker

JUNE
42 - The House with the Blind Glass Windows by Herbjorg Wassmo: Norwegian | 1001
43 - The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
44 - The Vegetarian by Han Kang: Korean | Booker
45 - Santa Evita by Tomás Eloy Martínez: 1001 | Argentinian
46 - The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer
47 - Leven tot elke prijs by Kristina Sandberg: Swedish
48 - The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin: 1001
49 - Nobody is ever missing by Catherine Lacey

5Simone2
Editado: Jul 16, 2020, 3:28 am

JULY-SEPTEMBER

JULY
50 - Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey: Booker
51 - The Garden of de Finzi-Contini's by Giorgio Bassani: Italian, 1001
52 - My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: Italian
53 - Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor: 1001
54 - Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
55 - The Dinner by Herman Koch: Dutch
56 - Neuromancer by William Gibson: 1001
57 - The Girls by Emma Cline
58 - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: 1001
59 - Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami: Early Reviewers, Japan
60 - Ulysses by James Joyce: 1001
61 - Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane: recommended
62 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker: 1001
63 - Station Eleven by Emily St.John Mandel: recommended

AUGUST
64 - The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver
65 - My name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout: Booker
66 - The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati: 1001, Italian
67 - We by Yevgeny Zamjatin: 1001, Russian
68 - Hot Milk by Deborah Levy: Booker
69 - Love's Work by Gillian Rose: 1001
70 - Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves: Booker
71 - The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: 1001
72 - The Sellout by Paul Beatty: Booker
73 - Transit by Anna Seghers: 1001 | German

SEPTEMBER
74 - The Many by Wyl Menmuir: Booker
75 - The Music of Chance by Paul Auster: 1001
76 - Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh: Booker
77 - The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene: 1001
78 - Coda by Geert Bleeksma
79 - His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet: Booker

6Simone2
Editado: Dic 31, 2016, 5:39 pm

OCTOBER-DECEMBER

OCTOBER
80 - The Master of Petersburg by JM Coetzee: 1001
81 - All That Man Is by David Szalay: Booker
82 - Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos: 1001
83 - Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien: Booker
84 - Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett: recommended
85 - The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing: recommended
86 - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead: recommended
87 - Slade House by David Mitchell: recommended
88 - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: recommended
89 - Havinck by Marja Brouwers: Dutch

NOVEMBER
90 - Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth: 1001
91 - The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
92 - The coma by Alex Garland
93 - Kirstin Lavransdochter by Sigrid Undset: 1001 | Norway
94 - Anna in kaart gebracht by Marek Sindelka: Czech

DECEMBER
95 - The Mulberry Empire by Philip Hensher: Booker
96 - Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer: Recommended
97 - Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor: 1001
98 - Looking for a Possible Dance by AL Kennedy: 1001
99 - Sterven in de lente by Ralf Rothmann: German
100 - The Green Hat by Michael Arlen: 1001
101 - Hemel en hel by Jon Kalman Stefansson: Icelandic
102 - Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante: Italian
103 - The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

7NanaCC
Dic 30, 2015, 10:18 am

Your plans sound very ambitious, Barbara, but as you said, there is nothing wrong with that. I look forward to seeing your progress.

8Simone2
Editado: Ene 7, 2016, 4:24 pm

>7 NanaCC: Thank you!

So let's get started with the first book I finished this year. And a chunkster it is with 1080 pages!

1. Vrouw by Karl Ove Knausgard

Part 6 of his autobiographical My Struggle series and a worthy last one. Knausgard describes the time when the first part is being published and the effect it has on himself, his family and the people he writes about. It is worse than he could have imagined, but in the meantime he keeps thinking of part 2, that will also be published soon. Part 2, in which he writes about his wife Linda and their being parents of little children. Linda is so vulnerable and he knows how much he is going to hurt her when she'll read the manuscript. However, his guilt has never stopped him.

What an amazing series, what a story. All of it true, a lot recognizable. A human. Whether you like him or not, I think you cannot not respect him. Despite all his mistakes and egocentrism. I certainly do.

4,5*

9AlisonY
Ene 11, 2016, 5:15 pm

>8 Simone2: so glad the last one in the series wasn't a weak link!

And Updike too! Loved the Rabbit series - one of my favourite authors.

10Simone2
Editado: Ene 12, 2016, 4:20 am

>9 AlisonY: Good to hear that you loved the Rabbit series. I do like Updike a lot, but wasn't sure about the Rabbit series after the first one. I am giving it another try right now and so far so good!

11Simone2
Editado: Ene 12, 2016, 4:20 am

2 - Virgin Soil by Ivan Turgenev

According to Google, a 'Virgin soil epidemic' is an epidemic 'in which the populations at risk have had no previous contact with the diseases that strike them and are therefore immunologically almost defenseless.'

This definition must have been based on Turgenev's novel!

Anyhow, he is a very readable Russian, this Turgenev! In this book he writes an interesting story about Russia before the revolution. Ruled by czars and aristocrats, the country looks just like other European countries, in with the rich live their lives in a similar way as when I read a 19th century English novel. People speaking French, dining out, travelling in carriages in beautiful dresses, etc.

The story is about Nezhdanov, a young man with a Cause: to create awareness among the population that they are being exploited by the aristocrats and thus realize a revolution. He shares this idea with some other people. Although he is some kind of leader in the group and people admire him, deep down he starts realizing that he is not made for the Cause and its implications. Sure, he wants another world but he is uncertain what kind of. Instead of a revolutionair he is more of an idealist and a poet.
His struggle is moving, as are the people surroundig him: everyone has a different attitude towards the Cause and that makes Turgenev's story really believable.

4*

12baswood
Ene 12, 2016, 10:33 am

Enjoyed your review of Virgin Soil which is not one of Turgenev's best loved books and so it was good to see a review of it

13AlisonY
Ene 12, 2016, 1:39 pm

>11 Simone2: interesting review - I've not read any Turgenev. Is this a good starting point? For some reason I feel a bit daunted by him.

Re. the Rabbit books, I think the first one was ultimately my favourite, and Rabbit Redux was possibly my least favourite, although I still enjoyed it. A few months ago I read Licks of Love, which is a collection of short stories by Updike which has a novella sequel to the Rabbit books. I also enjoyed that - gotta love Harry Angstrom!

14theaelizabet
Ene 12, 2016, 11:06 pm

I don't believe I've ever read Turgenev! Would you mind me asking who translated Virgin Soil? Did you like the translation?

15dchaikin
Ene 13, 2016, 9:10 pm

>11 Simone2: Barbara, I enjoyed your review of Virgin Soil.

16Simone2
Editado: Ene 14, 2016, 2:24 am

>14 theaelizabet: The translator is RS Townsend. I think he did a good job although I also think Turgenev is one of the more readable Russian writers. His Fathers and Sons is an easy read as well. You should try!

>13 AlisonY: Alison, I think this is a good one to start with, as is Fathers and Sons. Both give a an interesting point of view of the Russian society.

>15 dchaikin: Thank you!

17Simone2
Editado: Ene 17, 2016, 7:20 am

3. Rabbit Redux by John Updike

More than a year after the first of the series, I read this second part. It didn't matter much, I recognized Harry Angstrom immediately. You have to like him, even though he is disgusting at times. In this novel he is a lousy father, starts with a very conservative political view, is horrible towards Jill, the 18-years old runaway who comes to live with him, lets her be abused by Skeeder etc. And still... He has his good sides as well.

Updike gives us a perfect insight into the US in the sixties (I think), his dialogues are great. He is really a great writer, even though I don't appreciate the Rabbit's as much as I did some of his other novels.

3,5*

18AlisonY
Ene 17, 2016, 2:17 pm

>17 Simone2: Harry Angstrom is such a great character - so weak, yet as you say so shamefully likeable at the same time.

How was your Knausgaard event?

19The_Hibernator
Ene 18, 2016, 12:51 am

>8 Simone2: I keep hearing about this series. It must be pretty amazing.

You have some pretty ambitious plans for the year. Good luck! :)

20Simone2
Editado: Ene 19, 2016, 4:07 pm

>18 AlisonY: My Knausgard event (why is his name spelled with one a in Norwegian and Dutch and two a's in English?) was very special. It is quite strange to meet someone you don't know while having the feeling you know all about him. And to know he knows you know everything!

He was quite relaxed and charming, and spoke about his books, his marriage, Hitler, David Bowie, identity, shame and his future. His struggle is not over yet, although he won't write about himself anymore. He is not a real fan of fiction (as you can read in My Struggle),but he will keep to fiction himself in the future. This year two new works will be published, one about friendship and soccer.
He also read two passages of Vrouw in Norwegian (which were translated on big screens in English and Dutch). This was quite impressive, I thought.

His favourite read of the past years has been The Flame Alphabet. I had never heard of that but have immediately added it to my TBR!

21kidzdoc
Editado: Ene 18, 2016, 6:18 am

Great description of the Knausgaard talk, Simone.

why is his name spelled with one a in Norwegian and Dutch and two a's in English?

I've seen his name spelled two ways: Knausgård in Norwegian, and Knausgaard in English. From what I read "å" is a longer "a" sound, and since there was no "å" letter on standard typewriters it was written as "aa" instead.

ETA: There is an interesting page on Wikipedia about "å", which is an unfamiliar letter to native English speakers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Å

22Simone2
Ene 18, 2016, 3:51 pm

>21 kidzdoc: Thank you, that's a clear explanation!

23Simone2
Editado: Ene 19, 2016, 4:06 pm

4 Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett

A Beckett I actually finished!
I can't say I understood all of it but it read like a kind of delirium and I liked that and admire Beckett for being able to write this way. Someone told me once that Beckett was hiding from the nazi's writing this story, maybe that has something to do with it. The waiting, the urgency to write... Maybe.

Malone is dying in his bed in a place unknown to him where he gets food and where someone empties his chamberpot. He has a stick with which he is able to reach all objects in the room, because he can't leave his bed.

Lying there waiting for death he writes down the story of Sapo, later Macmann, who seems to be Malone himself. Macmann also ends in bed and is fighting about a stick. In his delirium he even changes between the first and third person.

A strange story in which I (sentimentalist) liked the short love affair with Molly best, especially the poems Malone writes for her.

3*

24AlisonY
Ene 19, 2016, 12:40 pm

>20 Simone2: sounds like a great event. Most envious!!

25theaelizabet
Ene 21, 2016, 9:57 pm

I'm impressed. For all that I've read of his plays, I've never read his novels. Will you continue to read the others?

26edwinbcn
Ene 23, 2016, 9:42 am

Interesting reading here. Will follow closely.

Nine books a month should be fine. Not overly ambitious, I would think.

27Simone2
Ene 24, 2016, 7:37 am

>25 theaelizabet: To ever finish the '1001 books you should read before you die', I'll have to... I have to admit though I didn't finish Molloy...

>26 edwinbcn: Thank you!

28Simone2
Ene 25, 2016, 3:45 pm

5. Tono-Bungay by HG Wells

I don't know what to make of this book. It started out well and I liked the idea of a handful of nothing (Tono-Bungay) turned in a commercial success.
Then however many more storylines were introduced, a lot of which I did not understand or were not interested in. I wish HG Wells would have sticked to the trade-aspect and well, the love stories were not bad either, but I ended up being utterly not interested.

So much for my introduction in the works of Wells!

2*

29NanaCC
Ene 25, 2016, 6:04 pm

I read one of Wells books for the Virago WWI theme in 2014. It was called Mr Britling Sees it Through. I gave that one four stars. I had always associated him with scifi, and I'm afraid I tend to steer away from that. So if you aren't a fan of scifi, but would like to give him another chance, that might be the one to try. There are reviews on the work page that might sway you one way or the other.

30Simone2
Ene 26, 2016, 2:10 am

>29 NanaCC: Thanks, I'll check that page. I am not too fond of scifi either, but I never read any by Wells yet. I think I'll have to try that as well. He's so famous for it...

31Simone2
Ene 28, 2016, 4:56 pm

6 - Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse

I feel so not connected to Hesse's characters that his books are always a hard read for me - with the exception of Narciss and Goldmund that I read and loved as a student, but that was a long time ago.

I didn't finish Demian when I tried reading it, I was not very interested in Siddharta and now I read about Harry Haller; half man, half steppenwolf, as he reads in a tractate given to him by the man of the magical theatre. Conscious of what he is reading he realizes suicide can be a way out of his struggle between his very varying moods. Then he meets Hermine, and their relationship is very healing to him. Hesse himself assures us in his afterword that Harry is being cured.
I don't know what to believe. I don't know what's real in the story and what's not.
Despite some very good scenes and thoughts, Hesse lost me once again along the way.

2,5*

32rachbxl
Ene 29, 2016, 6:56 am

I enjoyed your review of the Turgenev. I'd like to read more Russian literature; he might be one to try.

33Simone2
Ene 29, 2016, 9:31 am

>32 rachbxl: Thank you, he is indeed quite readable!

34Simone2
Feb 2, 2016, 3:41 am

My wrap up of January is not too positive: I read 6 books, 5 of which were 1001 books, among them some non English or American writers.
Right now I am reading a Booker winner, The Old Devils, so that category will be save for February. Also I can't wait to start one of the novels recommended here, but there are always 1001 books waiting for me.

35Simone2
Feb 2, 2016, 9:27 am

Planned reads for february:
The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis
The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Judas by Amos Oz
The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf
A World of Love by Elisabeth Bowen
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

36ELiz_M
Editado: Feb 2, 2016, 11:20 am

>34 Simone2: I read 6 books, 5 of which were 1001 books

I would call this positive (as I failed to met my 70% goal for 1001-books)!

37reva8
Feb 2, 2016, 12:51 pm

>11 Simone2: I enjoyed your review of Turgenev: I haven't read that one.

38AlisonY
Feb 2, 2016, 1:15 pm

Nice next up list for February...

39Simone2
Editado: Feb 3, 2016, 3:35 pm

7 - The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis

What a disappointment. A long, long time ago I read Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis and I remember it as the funniest book I had read until then. So I looked forward to this novel, that was supposed to be funny too. Well, maybe it was... for aging Welshmen in the 80s perhaps. For me now it did do little. I sometimes smiled, but overall I was mostly irritated by all the booze all of those 'devils' are drinking continually. Some conversations were spot-on however, probably because drunken men always tell the truth. Those conversations (about aging, Wales, careers, marriage and adultery) were the few pearls which convinced me to give the book another half star.

2,5*

40Simone2
Feb 4, 2016, 4:23 am

8 - The Pigeon

I liked this one! Maybe partly due to its timing (I read mostly Literature with a capital L lately) I really enjoyed this novella about Jonathan, who lives his monotone life perfectly happy. After his childhood in WWII Germany with all its horrors, he grows up in France. His adult life he spends in a small room with a shared toilet in Paris. By day he works as a security guard at a bank. Every day is exactly the same and he is perfectly happy, because everything unexpected and out of the ordinary tends to get him off balance. So does the presence of a pigeon in the corridor of his house. Someone has opened the window, which is against the house rules! Those little things, I love them! Reading about Jonathan trying to keep up all that forms his identity despite the pigeon is heartbreaking.

4,5*

41dchaikin
Feb 5, 2016, 10:40 pm

Enjoyed these last two reviews. Too bad the Amis didn't work for you. I'm looking forward to your response to the Amos Oz, assuming you get there.

42baswood
Feb 6, 2016, 3:08 am

>39 Simone2: Perhaps you have moved on and Kingsly Amis hadn't

43edwinbcn
Feb 6, 2016, 10:04 am

Kingsley Amis won't be going anywhere, either.

44Simone2
Feb 9, 2016, 2:57 am

9 - Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

Why, I learned something. Who would have imagined what the title meant? I didn't for sure :-)

I know Sarah Waters can read about history, but in this case the historical context was completely irrelevant to the main theme: the lesbian love, or rather, lesbian sex. Written about in a way that did not exactly arouse me, to say the least.
Reading this novel felt like one of the cheap romance novels I bought in the supermarket when I was in my teens. The ones in which you keep asking yourself whether the meant to be lovers will find each other and be happy after all. Still, just as then, I kept on reading and finished the book in a weekend. An easy read, but not one I should recommend.

3*

45Simone2
Feb 14, 2016, 3:07 am

10 - A World of Love by Elisabeth Bowen

Disappointed. I had been looking forward to reading Bowen, of whom I read some great reviews.
I obviously started with the wrong one (at least I hope), because I didn't enjoy it at all. A lousy plot, interesting characters but not well worked out and long sentences with nothing of interest in them.
Maybe I'll be more nuanced later on, but for now I am mostly disappointed.

2*

46edwinbcn
Feb 14, 2016, 5:55 am

I do not give much for ratings by members, but I must say that if the average rating on LibraryThing for a book is below 4 stars, those books are usually disappointing....

(which does not always deter me from reading them).

47Linda92007
Feb 14, 2016, 9:48 am

>8 Simone2: >11 Simone2: Barbara, I enjoyed your reviews of Virgin Soil and Vrouw. I'm another one that has yet to read Turgenev. And I have the first two books in the My Struggle series waiting. It's hard to sustain the strength of a series this long, so it's great to hear that Knausgard manages to do that.

48The_Hibernator
Feb 15, 2016, 12:09 am

Happy Valentine's Day!

49Simone2
Feb 15, 2016, 4:10 pm

>48 The_Hibernator: How kind! Thank you!

50Simone2
Feb 15, 2016, 4:17 pm

11 - The Unnamable

I'm sorry. I gave up. I reminded myself that reading should be something to enjoy, to look forward to etc. I have so many books waiting for me, I don't have to spend so much time with another monologue by a dying man, a monologue which I don't understand and frankly am not interested in at the moment.

51AlisonY
Feb 16, 2016, 3:56 pm

>50 Simone2: we always applaud the courage of a quitter when it comes to books that just don't make the grade. Good for you.

52Simone2
Feb 20, 2016, 4:12 am

12 - Cold Earth by Sarah Moss

Intrigued by the reviews here I had such high expectations that it is perhaps not so strange that I ended up a bit disappointed. An amusing read, sure, a lot of questions without answers (what I like), the eternal judgements between Americans and Europeans, but beside these strong points a little too thin for me.

3*

53NanaCC
Feb 20, 2016, 11:39 am

I'm sorry that you seem to have hit a disappointing streak in your reading. Hopefully the next book will be a winner.

54Simone2
Feb 28, 2016, 6:42 pm

13 - The Ragged Trousered Philantropists

A pleasant surprise this big novel about socialism in early 20th century England. The story is about a bunch of workmen who are working under inhuman circumstances. They have to work very hard without any assurance of keeping their job the next day. As soon as the job stops, starvation threatens them and their families.
One of the workmen is a socialist and tries to convince the others of the inequalities between the workers and the capitalist bosses. Some of them recognize what he says but to actually do something about it is a bridge too far. Change comes slowly and in the mean time poverty strikes.
An important book for its time I think, with a good vision on inequality.

55NanaCC
Feb 28, 2016, 8:04 pm

>54 Simone2: I have this book on my Kindle, I think. I've seen several reviews that are telling me I'd like it.

56Simone2
Feb 29, 2016, 8:48 am

14 - Schuld by Walter van den Berg

A novel about the lives of a father and his son in Amsterdam. The father is always saving women, getting himself in a lot of trouble in the mean time. His son is the victim, but remains loyal towards his father. Both are on the brink of illegal lives, both are poor, both know better. A sad story about guild and loyalty.

3,5*

57Simone2
Feb 29, 2016, 8:52 am

>55 NanaCC: I think you will Colleen. It is a quite surprising and very readable, regarding the heavy subject.

58Simone2
Mar 1, 2016, 11:02 am

15 - All the pretty horses by Cormac McCarthy

A real Western. Real men, few words, horses, bullets and prison. The description of the Mexican prairies is so real I can visualize all of it. Still it's a western and I am just not too fond of the genre, even though it is beautifully written. My fault, not McCarthy's.

3*

59Simone2
Mar 1, 2016, 11:09 am

In February I reached my goal by reading 4 books from the 1001 list, 1 Booker, 2 non-English, 1 recommended in the Group Read and 1 just because I felt like it!

March is starting with me in sunny Curacao, so I'll start with an easy one (I think), recommended here: Fates and Furies. A holiday-read, I hope!

60NanaCC
Mar 1, 2016, 3:41 pm

>59 Simone2: Fates and Furies sounds like a good holiday read to me, Barbara. I thought it was quite good. Enjoy!

61Simone2
Mar 4, 2016, 8:21 am

16 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

The perfect holiday read indeed. A page turner which kept surprising me. Both Lotto and Mathilde are so well worked out by Groff. I don't know any people like them but feel like I do now. The comedy/tragedy motive of the book I liked a lot, as well as the subtile ways in which both partners look at all the little things (events, conversations) which colour their marriage.
I wonder if her other novels are just as good?

4*

62Simone2
Mar 5, 2016, 7:59 am

17 - Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro

How well she writes. The most difficult circumstances and feelings Munro is able to translate into fluent, easy proze with as little words as necessary. I admire this immensely although I thought the story less than The Beggar Maid, her other book on the 1001-list.

This is the coming of age of Del in a small Canadian city. Her father is a farmer, who lives partly (more and more) separated from her mother. Morher is kind of a feminist, who tries to give Del a good education and some wisdom on the subject of being a woman.
Del herself in the mean time, discovers sex, literature and men.

Will she be ready to create the future we as readers wish for her?

3,5*

63Simone2
Editado: Mar 6, 2016, 7:16 am

18 - Submission by Michel Houellebecq

Original novel about the near future of France, in which the Muslim Brotherhood wins the elections. The islam takes over and everybody seems happy.
However, this is Houellebecq, the enfant terrible of French literature, and famous for his islamofobia. He was on the cover of Charlie Hebdo the day of the attacks on the publisher.
This is the story of Francois, teacher at the Sorbonne, unhappy with his career, his love live etc. He follows the political developments without judging, he seems not very interested. Then his jewish girlfriend emigrates to Israël, the University turns islamic by capital of the Saudis, the EU becomes a Mediterenean union, women are less being seen in public life and Francois is without work but with a good income.
Although Houellebecq describes a situation in which France thrives and men enjoy a light version of the sharia (with polygamy and alcohol), we know how the author thinks about islam. We know he describes a Trojan horse.

4*

64baswood
Mar 6, 2016, 6:53 pm

Interesting stuff about Michael Houellebecq and his Islamofobia

65AlisonY
Mar 7, 2016, 3:57 am

Interesting reviews. I really need to read an Alice Munro soon and stop putting it off. Enjoy your holidays.

66Simone2
Mar 14, 2016, 5:34 am

19 - The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch

This Iris Murdoch novel, where I was looking forward to so much after reading The Sea, the Sea, was a bit over the top to my tase. Too many characters, too little worked out, too many storylines, too many (sexual!) relationships. I certainly enjoyed reading it and am still a fan of the Murdoch style and humour, but the end left me wondering what exactly she wanted to tell with this novel.

3,5*

67Simone2
Mar 14, 2016, 5:45 am

20 - Broer (no touchstones) by Esther Gerritsen

In the Netherlands we celebrate every year 'the week of the Dutch book'. When buying a novel during this week, you receive a novella for free, written by a reknown Dutch writer.

Esther Gerritsen's novel tells the story of Olivia, who is called by her brother Marcus (just when she has to hurry to an important shareholders meeting), that he is in hospital and his leg will be amputated later that day.
Oliva is a rational cool woman with a carreer and doesn't have time for this. For this leg or for her brother himself, who is a bit of a loser and she hasn't seen much for the last couple of years. He has always been a bit strange and too emotional in her opinion.
However, something breaks within her during the shareholder meeting and she rushes to the hospital and promises her brother he can revalidate in her house, with her family.
What follows is a big confrontation with herself, her youth, her marriage and her ability to connect to others. This all in 90 pages. Quite special.

4,5*

68Simone2
Mar 18, 2016, 1:56 am

21 - Harriet Hume

Rebecca West shows us a man who thinks highly of himself but by kowing his thoughts we know he is actually rather stupid and one-dimensional. Because Harriet can read his thoughts she also knows, while at the same time she knows he's thinking the same of her.

I like this construction and have the feeling Harriet and we as readers make fun of Arnold. However, with 300 pages and long monologues it felt a bit too long to my taste.

2,5*

69Simone2
Mar 22, 2016, 6:41 am

22 - Nora Webster

So far, my favourite read this year. It's the subdued story of Nora Webster after the death of her husband Maurice. She is weighed down with a grief that she doesn't know how to deal with. Neither does she know how to behave towards her children and other people around her. She is critical, contemplative and thinks carefully about how to live and how to move forward.
Because there is less money coming in, she decides on a whim to sell the cottage by the sea. A second decision is to return to work. Slowly but surely you see how Nora creates space for other things in life, like a new hairstyle, tentative friendships, music and being able to form her own opinion on the political situation in the country (Ireland in the 1960s).
Despite these positive changes, there is the permanent change in family life and the way her children cope with the loss of their father. Nora constantly explores how she should behave towards them, what for other members of the family seems so easy. Thinking, remembering, doubting, deciding and moving forward step by step: that is how Nora deals with her ‘new’ life. Again, very subdued, without drama and because of that deeply touching.

4,5*

70baswood
Mar 22, 2016, 8:15 pm

Colm Toíbin does subdued very well. nice review.

71AlisonY
Mar 23, 2016, 6:42 am

>69 Simone2: sounds like another great Toibin read. On the list it goes.

72NanaCC
Mar 23, 2016, 8:19 am

>69 Simone2: Another book for my wishlist.

73Simone2
Mar 26, 2016, 6:30 am

23 - Crossfire

A real good read during my holiday time. Pageturning and all about life in Tokyo, which I visited last year and am really fascinated by.
I don't know why it made it to the 1000 list, but I certainly enjoyed reading this story about Junko Aoki who, with her power of pyrokinesis, takes justice in her own hands and sets fire to people getting away with murder. Detectives are following the trails she leaves behind, although no one is sure of the murder weapon. It is more than a mystery story however, more than a detective. It is the story of a lonely woman and real human detectives and other characters, each with their own history weaknesses. This leads to many twists and to me, a lot of suspense.

4*

74Simone2
Editado: Mar 26, 2016, 3:48 pm

24 - As in tas by Jelle Brandt Corstius

This is the autobiographical story of Jelle cycling from Amsterdam to the Mediterrenean to drop the ashes of his father there. His eccentric father, with whom he cycled as well, and of whom he has so many memories. Crossing the Ardennes and France all by himself, he endures all challenges of an untrained cyclist and makes the reader laugh while also telling a touching story of this special relation between father and son.

4*

75Simone2
Mar 28, 2016, 3:15 am

25 - Merciless Gods by Christos Tsiolkas

Just as in The Slap, Tsiolkas is a master in working out the effect of something happening on the people involved.
These short stories are about human relationships (mostly gay), and interpreting eachothers thoughts, and what's happening. Sometimes recognizable, sometimes absolutely not but still believable and fascinating.
Last but not least, the stories give a good description of life in urban Australia.

4*

76cabegley
Mar 31, 2016, 4:03 pm

>69 Simone2: I've been eyeing Nora Webster for a bit now. I think it's time to make the leap.

77Simone2
Abr 1, 2016, 4:29 am

>76 cabegley: You should! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

78Simone2
Editado: Abr 10, 2016, 12:45 am

26 - Contact by Carl Sagan

This is the story of Ellie, a scientist specialized in astronomy. The institute she is director of, is able to receive signals from Vega, a system 25 light years away. After a lot of science stuff, followed by religious stuff, a team of astronomers from around the world build a machine (based on a instructions from Vega) to travel towards this planet.
I did want to find out what was going to happen with the Machine. When it happened and what happened afterwards I did enjoy and thought rather plausible. Then I drowned again in an essay on 'pi' and the book ended with something happening in Ellie's personal life, something unexpected of which I am not sure what it meant or how it added to the story as a whole.

Well, in the end I am just glad I finished it. I don't think I'll go watch the movie. On to the next!

2*

79Simone2
Editado: Abr 14, 2016, 12:43 am

27 - Of Human Bondage

I enjoyed very much reading of Philip Carey's coming to age. I loved the humor, I loved the British-ness.
I loved the storyline and the ending. Perfectly satisfying!

4*

80Simone2
Abr 19, 2016, 4:46 pm

28 - The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

This book tells the story of the Radlett family, and primarily one of the daughters Linda. Told through the eyes of her cousin Fanny, Linda embarks on a search for love.

Linda seems to have no thought whatsoever for anybody's feelings except her own, falling in love at first sight and abandoning her daughter because she thinks her boring. No one criticizes her, which bewildered me a little. Everyone adores her.
I read somewhere that her character is based on Nancy Mitford herself, which does explain it, but doesn't make me sympathize.

I did like Mitford's humor though. She is quite sharp and funny. All in all an entertaining read.

3,5*

81Simone2
Editado: Abr 24, 2016, 1:17 pm

29 - The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart

Years and years ago I read The Underpainter by the Canadian writer Jane Urquhart and was enormously impressed by it. Although I don't remember anymore what it was about exactly, I do recall that she wrote a lovestory that touched me deeply.

She did that again in The Stone Carvers, a book based around the building of the monument to Canadian war dead at Vimy Ridge in France.

In her youth Klara lives in Ontario and loses her brother (who disappears one day when she is young) and her lover Eamon (to a war far from home, WWI). After this, she stays alone, keeps to herself and tries to forget about her feelings.

I cannot tell you how she ends up as a stone carver in France without giving away too much of the story, but it is a moving story, beautifully written and one to cherish.

This book was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001, the reason why I read it.

4*

82Simone2
Abr 28, 2016, 1:33 am

30 - Judas by Amos Oz

Interesting read of a theory in which Judas was not a betrayer but the only true Christian and the effect this would have had on Judaism, Christianity and the relationship between both religions.

Also a nice commentary on the origin of the current relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

All themes described within the context of a typical Amos Oz novel about a young man, temporarily lost in life, who starts working for an old man and the beautiful woman who lives with him.

4*

83deebee1
Abr 28, 2016, 6:48 am

I very much like Amos Oz but have not come across this book. Interesting take about Judas. I read something similar in A Time of Miracles by Serbian author Borislav Pekić, an excellent re-telling of Jesus Christ's miracles.

84kidzdoc
Abr 28, 2016, 9:16 pm

I hadn't heard of Judas either, and I'm also a fan of Amos Oz. Thanks, Barbara; I'll keep my eye out for it.

85Simone2
mayo 1, 2016, 7:29 am

31 - The Untouchable by John Banville

Intriguing novel about an Irish man, living in England and spying for the Russians in and after WWII.
Banville draw me in immediately with his beautiful sentences which are so spot-on.
However, the story about espionage and a decadent life with a lot of booze and sex, couldn't hold my attention for 400 pages, despite the jewels of sentences now and then.
I think I must read another book by John Banville soon, because I do like his writing style a lot.

3,5*

86Simone2
Editado: mayo 3, 2016, 3:09 am

32 - The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway certainly knows how to bring a lot of variety in the themes he tackles and the books he writes.

On the surface The Sun also Rises is a book about a couple of young, rich, bored people who travel through Europe in search of something they don't find. They are drunk all the time and all in love with the beautiful Brett, who falls for (the image of) the bullfighter Romero.

However, there is more than the surface. I have to admit Shmoop pointed this out. These people lived through WWI, which shook up the world in such a manner that everyone walked out of the trenches and into a collective loss of innocence. Then the book makes a lot of sense.

4*

87Simone2
Editado: mayo 5, 2016, 2:12 am

33 - Mislaid by Nell Zink

This is a feel good story about a dysfunctional family. Race, homosexuality, poverty, poetry, sex and drugs: all come together in the story of Peggy, Lee and their children Mireille and Byrdi, set in Virginia.
Written so vividly and without drama I really enjoyed this novel and will check out Zink's other books.

3,5*

88Simone2
Editado: mayo 7, 2016, 1:05 am

34 - H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

Without getting sentimental Macdonalds writes in this autobiographical story one of the best books about grief that I have ever read.
She is able to do this because instead of giving in to her loss and sorrow, she focusses on training a goshawk. She knows all about these birds, has been reading about them all her life, and is convinced - shortly after her fathers death - this is the time to tame one herself.
The training and her attitude towards Mabel, the goshawk, show a lot of parallels with her grieving process and bring back memories of her father.

The way Macdonald writes about both subjects (the hawk and her loss) is superb.
Until reading this book I knew nothing of falconry and author TH White (whose biography and falconry had a big influence on Macdonald). However, I became eager to know more about both while reading the book.
The memories of her father are tender, her grief is raw, very raw. The way she deals with it is admirable and painful at the same time. The way she describes it all is very impressive.

4,5*

89AlisonY
mayo 7, 2016, 5:43 am

>88 Simone2: very interested in this review. This is one of those books I still can't decide if I'll utterly love or hate. I'm putting it on the wish list nonetheless.

90Simone2
mayo 10, 2016, 4:53 pm

35 - Mr Mercedes by Stephen King

Between all those 1001 heavyweights a read like this one is oh so welcome.
Once I started I could not put it down. Cliché, I know, but true. An old school thriller in a modern setting (a retired detective plays cat and mouse with a lone wolf).
In the end the story fell a bit apart I thought (for the ones who have read it: the Holly-part didn't add much imo). That didn't matter however, I really enjoyed the hours spent with Mr King! Thanks NanaCC, for the recommendation!

Just one more thing: did you know that Under Debbie's Blue Umbrella really exists and that you can actually log-in as Kermit?!

4*

91NanaCC
mayo 10, 2016, 5:02 pm

>90 Simone2: I'm glad you enjoyed Mr Mercedes, Barbara. I didn't know about the website. Did you actually log in?

92Simone2
mayo 11, 2016, 12:39 am

>91 NanaCC: Yes, it shows their first messages.

93ursula
mayo 13, 2016, 5:43 am

>90 Simone2: I enjoyed that one a lot, too. I didn't think to check on the website but it's cool when a book or movie goes to the effort to have those things actually exist.

94Simone2
Editado: mayo 16, 2016, 2:46 am

36 - Gabriela, Cinnamon and Clove by Jorge Amado

It is a men's world, at least in Jorge Amado's Brazil.
Gabriela is one of the many characters who live in Ilheus, a coast town which develops quickly. The men in town are divided in their opinion regarding the future. Some are very conservative, for others the changes can't go fast enough. The political developments form a mayor part of the book.

When it comes to women however, all men in Ilheus think alike; 'machismo' is flourishing. In a nutshell: women must be obedient and faithful, men can do as they please.

I even suspect Amado himself of machismo-behaviour: the Gabriela he describes is, imo, not a real woman. She is a man's fantasy.
But maybe it is exactly that which Amado intended and which makes this books stand out.

3,5*

95Simone2
Editado: mayo 18, 2016, 2:49 am

37 - De andere stem by Ramsey Nasr

In 1930 Jean Cocteau wrote La Voix Humaine, a monologue by a woman, left by her man.
We only hear her side of the story and are tempted to judge the absent man.
Ramsey Nasr, Dutch poet, writer and actor, now has written De andere stem, 'The other voice' in English.
Now we here the story of a man, on the telephone with the woman he left.
They have tried to break up before. They make eachother unhappy. He has got a new girlfriend but thr question remains if he will be able to live without his ex, while they are hurting eachother immensely during this phone call. Very painful and impressive.

4*

96Simone2
mayo 22, 2016, 5:50 am

38 - Rabbit is Rich by John Updike

A four star read. Why? Because Updike writes so good. So vividly. He really gets to me. Not always in a positive way but he always does.
You simple have to care for Harry Angstrom although he remains an egoistic man, always thinking of sex, un-healthy, too harsh towards his son etc.
He is so unmistakably human - and American.
I feel like I really know him, though he is the kind of man I probably wouldn't have known in real life.
Updike does that. And I like that a lot.

4*

97Simone2
mayo 23, 2016, 10:41 am

39 - The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore

This is a novel about India's struggle for independence, shown to the reader by two of the three main characters: Nikhil (the conservative and good meaning) and Sandip (the artist, the revolutionary-thinking). The struggle takes place in the home of Nikhil and his wife Bimala.
Bimala is torn between the traditional culture she was raised in and a future, shown to her by Sandip, who teaches her about the Swadeshi-movement. This movement is aimed at reachting self-sufficiency for India and thus being independent of Europe.

The book is written so that in each chapter, all three of them give an account of the story from their differing points of view. It makes Bimala, Sandip, and Nikhil unique and realistic, although not really likeable.

3,5*

98baswood
mayo 23, 2016, 11:55 am

Enjoyed reading your comments on Rabbit is Rich which is my favourite of the Rabbit books.

99AlisonY
mayo 23, 2016, 2:39 pm

>96 Simone2: love the Rabbit books so much. That one was a goody.

100Simone2
mayo 26, 2016, 4:31 pm

40 - Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell

Mrs Bridge is a wife, a mother of three, well-to-do (thanks to her ever hard working husband) and living in Kansas City.

In 71 beautiful short chapters her life is recorded. All chapters mainly consist of her contacts with others - and the value these have for her. Her husband, her children, her neighbours. She doesn't judge others but is hard on herself. In 71 chapters we see her aging and become a lonely, tough woman, with her children far away and her husband still always working.

Without ever getting enotional, the book touched me deeply. Read it slowly but do read it!

4,5*

101AlisonY
mayo 27, 2016, 2:43 am

>100 Simone2: ooh, that sounds right up my street. On the wish list!

102Simone2
Jun 1, 2016, 2:44 pm

41 - The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch

While I write the title above I wonder what it actually means. It doesn't relate at all to the story I just read, or does it?
Just one more question added to the many others Murdoch leaves me with after finishing this brilliant novel.
I really loved this one. On forehand I had no idea what it was about, I just dived in and only came back to the surface after the last page.
And now I want to start all over again, because of all the twists. This book is a mind f***, I have no clue what happened and what didn't. Fiction at its best I think!
My favourite Murdoch so far, I liked it even better than The Sea, the Sea!

4,5*

103Simone2
Jun 4, 2016, 1:46 am

42 - The House with the Blind Glass Windows by Herbjorg Wassmo

This is the story of Tora, a 11-years old girl living on a Norwegian island in the aftermath of WWII. She is a social outcast because her father was a German soldier. Beside she is being abused by her stepfather and not able to connect with her mother.

Despite all those heartbreaking facts it is also a story about strenght and hope, love and dreams, female solidarity.

Amongst all tragedy Tora keeps searching for the light and I think she will succeed, as the niece of her independent aunt Rakel.

An impressive read.

4*

104Simone2
Jun 5, 2016, 5:00 pm

43 - The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

Quite a good start, but then the book couldn't live up to my expectations.
It is a postmodern novel about loss and language. With a lot of conceptual sharks and a lovestory.
In its form it reminded me a bit of House of Leaves by Danielewsky, but that was much better.
A quick-read, I wanted to know how it would finish, but I was also sure I would be a bit disappointed.

3*

105Simone2
Jun 7, 2016, 11:09 am

44 - The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Really weird story about a woman who tries to get rid of her demons by becoming vegetarian and, finally, refuses to eat at all.
She is diagnosed as mentally ill but the strength of the story is that it is told by members of her family, never by herself. So we keep wondering what is true, who she really is and if she is mad at all. Fascinating read and yes, erotic as well :-)

4*

106Simone2
Jun 12, 2016, 9:39 am

45 - Santa Evita by Tomas Eloy Martinez

Quite surprising story about Eva Peron and especially what happened with her body after she died.
It is a story of truths and lies, of trust and deceit, of three replicas and the mummified body, all travelling around the world. After reading it, you still don't know what is true and what is not. I guess that is exactly how the Argentinian people felt after her death. And it all adds to the mythe she was and maybe still is.

4*

107SassyLassy
Jun 13, 2016, 8:58 am

>106 Simone2: Martinez was interviewed on a wonderful CBC radio programme, leading me to read this book due to his intriguing discussions of some of the background. I would agree with your four stars. Here is the interview (a repeat broadcast):

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/writersandcompany/provocative-argentinian-novelist-tomá...

108Simone2
Jun 13, 2016, 1:46 pm

>107 SassyLassy: O wow, thank you. That sounds interesting.

109Simone2
Editado: Jun 15, 2016, 12:59 am

46 The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer

A woman gets depressed because het husband is unfaithful, all of her children get older and she won't have any other. She feels she is not needed anymore and has to face life as it is.
I do like the theme but I could not relate to the woman. All those nameless children, her distance to them all. Very good writing, I cannot even describe why it didn't hit me like I thought it would.

3*

110AlisonY
Jun 15, 2016, 6:40 am

Some excellent reads! Noting in particular the Eva Peron book and also the Norwegian one. Onto the wish list they go.

111AlisonY
Jun 15, 2016, 6:43 am

... oh, and The Black Prince too - sounds like a great read.

112Simone2
Jun 15, 2016, 7:25 am

>110 AlisonY: Yes I had some really good reads lately, I hope you'll enjoy them when you get to them!

113Simone2
Editado: Jun 20, 2016, 12:43 am

47 Leven tot elke prijs by Kristina Sandberg

A Swedish novel, translated in Dutch but not yet in English I guess.
Another one on motherhood, by coincidence. This is the story of Maj, a housewife in the fifties of the twentieth century, who takes care of her husband and children. Just as in The Pumpkin Eater, which I read before this one, she is not really needed anymore and finds it hard to cope with that reality. To keep busy and because it has been a cure for everything all her live, she turns to cooking and cleaning. So she is able to suppress all unwelcome thoughts. It makes her hard though. She is not able to connect with her family on an enotional level. She just cooks and cleans for them to show them she cares. Her children prefer their father, who has not been a real good husband. But Maj copes, and manages to keep her home intact despite the rapidly changing world of the sixties around her.

4*.

114AlisonY
Jun 21, 2016, 4:53 pm

>113 Simone2: you are not helping my wish list. Probably fortunate this one has not been translated yet, or it would be going on it too!

115Simone2
Jun 25, 2016, 2:13 am

48 - The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin

I recently read Nora Webster and loved it. So I was looking forward to another Toibin.
I enjoyed this one very much too. He writes so honest, his personages are so real. Nothing much happens, it is just those people and the way they think and act. Not too nice, not too perfect, just very very human.
This is the story of an Irish judge, a very introvert man, who doesn't really realize he needs other people until it is too late. Or almost.
A quiet novel with beautiful descriptions of the Irish coast.

4*

116dchaikin
Jun 25, 2016, 9:13 am

Just dropping in to say I've enjoyed your posts. The Toibin sounds good. I'm looking forward to any posts on Ulysses.

117NanaCC
Jun 25, 2016, 11:53 am

Im going to add The Heather Blazing to my wishlist. I really like his writing.

118Simone2
Jun 25, 2016, 2:59 pm

>116 dchaikin: Thank you Daniel!

119Simone2
Jun 29, 2016, 12:04 am

49 - Nobody is ever missing by Catherine Lacey

This book starts strong: one day a young woman leaves her husband and all she has behind and flees for New Zealand. Hitchhiking through the country she thinks about her marriage, her family and the 'wildebeest within her'. A lot has happened and the woman hopes to be able to cope with this by finding solitud.
Lacey writes very well and the way the woman talks about her husband and the reason they married are very touching. You know while reading that the woman is not very stable. Still, the story became a bit boring after a while. At least that is what I thought. I can still recommend it though.

3,5*

120arubabookwoman
Jul 3, 2016, 8:42 pm

>100 Simone2: Did you know that there is a companion novel to Mrs. Bridge? It's by the same author and is called Mr. Bridge. It tells basically the same story, but from the point of view of the husband. I loved both books.

121Simone2
Jul 4, 2016, 3:21 pm

>120 arubabookwoman: That sounds great. I'll go and look for that one immediately. Thank you!

122Simone2
Jul 8, 2016, 4:24 pm

50 - Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey

Although I enjoyed it at some parts, I kept wondering what this book was all about. It is the story of the aristocrat Olivier (based on Alexis de Toqueville, who I don't know and am not really interested in) and his servant, Parrot, a man with a wild past. They despise eachother at first but get closer when they arrive in the States.
A lot happens, but I couldn't really care. Nor for me, this one.

2*

123AlisonY
Jul 10, 2016, 4:31 pm

I have Mrs Bridge on loan from the library at the moment. Looking forward to getting to it in the next few weeks.

124Simone2
Jul 11, 2016, 6:06 am

>123 AlisonY: Keep me posted on how you think of it, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. There is a Mr Bridge as well, as Arubabookwoman mentioned. I am really looking forward to reading that one

125Simone2
Editado: Jul 12, 2016, 11:13 pm

51 - The Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani

The garden of the family Finzi-Contini, where young jewish adults play tennis while Hitler's star is rising, forms the background of the lovestory between two young adults. His love is not returned, in this book he remembers those days with melancholy. Those days on the eve of WWII, that would kill his beloved Micol.

3,5*

126Simone2
Editado: Jul 18, 2016, 1:22 am

52 - My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

I read two other books by the mysterious Ferrante that I didn't like very much do I doubted whether I would start this Neapolitan Novels.
I am glad I did. Although I have the feeling Ferrante is still warming up in this first part, the end forms a cliffhanger which makes me want to read the second part immediately. Ferrante must be a woman, she knows in detail to write about friendship between girls and their uncertainties. Also this novel gives a vivid image of growing up in poor Naples.

3,5*

127Simone2
Jul 19, 2016, 2:52 am

53 - Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor

I enjoyed reading this book of Amy, who loses her husband and grieves, accompanied by her butler, the family doctor, her son and this strange American woman who is interested in the English way of life. Many storylines in this short novel and I am afraid
I didn't get the point of some of them. What was it really about? What did Taylor want to tell with this novel she was writing while dying herself?

3,5*

128Simone2
Editado: Jul 19, 2016, 12:57 pm

54 - Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift

A very charming novella of the Romance between a gentleman about to marry and the maid of one of the other households in the neighbourhoods. She tells the story of their last time together, and describes the context of England after WWI and the unpredictability of life. Beautifully written, as Swift knows how to.

4*

129AlisonY
Jul 20, 2016, 4:03 am

>127 Simone2: have skirted around Blaming for a while now wondering whether to read it or not. I think you're convincing me.

130Simone2
Jul 21, 2016, 12:32 am

55 - The Dinner by Herman Koch

This is the story of how far parents will go to protect their children. Four - in my opinion - horrible people are having dinner in a fancy restaurant to deceide how to react to a crime their 15 year old sons committed.
The story went a bit over the top in the end, but it does make you wonder how you would react yourself.

4*

131AlisonY
Jul 21, 2016, 6:30 am

>130 Simone2: so intrigued by this from the comments on my thread. It arrived in the post a few days ago, so hope to get to it in the next couple of months.

132japaul22
Jul 21, 2016, 10:20 am

>130 Simone2:, >131 AlisonY: I was intrigued by comments about The Dinner as well. I see that my library has an ebook copy available without a wait and I'm considering it soon.

133Simone2
Jul 21, 2016, 10:43 am

>131 AlisonY: >132 japaul22: I am sailing in Croatia at the moment and it is perfectly suited as a quick holiday read. I finished it in a day, so this is the time!

134AlisonY
Jul 21, 2016, 12:10 pm

>133 Simone2: just back from there 2 weeks ago. Hope you are enjoying the beautiful scenery.

135Simone2
Jul 21, 2016, 5:28 pm

>134 AlisonY: I am enjoying it very much. Beautiful country, interesting people and of course its history.
Were you here on holidays as well? Where did you go?

136Simone2
Jul 22, 2016, 1:24 am

56 - Neuromancer by William Gibson

Four stars on LT, a huge influence on Orwell and Huxley and the inventor of the word 'cyberspace': I couldn't finish it though. I haven't got a clue what it's about or what's happening.
Partly I due that to the fact that there are many, many words I don't understand (I read English books all the time and normally don't even notice that I am not reading in my own language) and partly because I am just not interested enough, I guess.
I am on holidays, sailing in Croatia, with a bag full of books I have been looking forward to. I don't have the patiente for this struggle and will settle for one of the others that has been calling me from out of this bag!

1*

137dchaikin
Jul 22, 2016, 8:22 am

As I mentioned on the WAYRN thread, interesting about Gibson. Also, sorry it didn't work out for you.

138Simone2
Editado: Jul 23, 2016, 12:10 pm

57 - The Girls by Emma Cline

What a stupid, childish book. I don't understand the raving reviews, it was just a simple story based on the Manson Family. I once read Schervengericht by A.F.Th van der Heijden on the same theme, which was much, much better. This one however, read like a YA book. At least it was a quick read but I would not recommend it.

1,5*

139Simone2
Jul 25, 2016, 7:10 am

58 - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Wow, this for sure is one of my favourite reads this year, and of the 1001 list as well probably.
Of course I knew what it was about, the brute murder in 1959 of a whole family by two men who at last are sentenced to death. The fact that Capone was obsessed by the story and the murderers make this book fascinating research journalism (I now know all about the lives and motives of the murderers) as well as a page turner. It kept me reading and googling most of the night and gives me something to think of for some time to come.

4,5*

140dchaikin
Jul 25, 2016, 7:39 am

>139 Simone2: A fun book on this 1001 list - well, not sure I should use the word "fun". I remember gawking through this back when I was in high school (it was not an assigned book).

141Simone2
Jul 26, 2016, 11:30 am

59 - Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami

I am a sucker for Japan, so I looked forward to reading these short stories about all kind of people, living in Tokyo. However, it went as all Ryu Murakami's books do: over the top.
I did not read about different people, I read about men doing drugs and having sex. Even when the characters in the story were female, they still thought and behaved like men. Like men, regarding to Murakami.
Still however, he can write. Most storylines were promising, some endings lived up to these expectations.

3*

142AlisonY
Jul 26, 2016, 2:18 pm

Eek - sounds like your bag of holiday books is letting you down somewhat. I have In Cold Blood on my wish list, so great to read your enthusiastic review. Must move it up a notch.

Enjoy the rest of your hols.

143Simone2
Jul 26, 2016, 3:01 pm

>142 AlisonY: Yes, this one and The Girls. The rest were good reads, so far, with one more week to go.

144Simone2
Editado: Jul 26, 2016, 4:01 pm

60 - Ulysses by James Joyce

Well, I finished it, helped by various websites and a very good group discussion on Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/257698?group_id=19860

I am impressed by the different styles Joyce uses, the connection with the Oddysey and the readability of it, sometimes. I liked the parts that exist of Bloom's thoughts during the day (He is a working man, but man, I am glad he is no collegae of mine, he hardly does anything, except for walking through Dublin). I can imagine how new this way of writing must have been at the time. For example, Bloom often doesn't finish his thoughts, is distracted by trivial stuff as food, women etc. It makes him quite real and likeable. However, in other episodes other people make fun of him and what to think of the moment he masturbates while watching a girl on the beach - who is aware of that? All these different points of view give a complete description of Bloom and make Ulysses a worthy read in itself. I can imagine its influence on readers and other writers.

The above is what I got out of the book, but a lot of it went over my head. The parts about Dedalus for example, who is philosophing all day, first sober, later drunk.
Also some episodes were written in old-English, in one long sentence (when Molly speaks) etc. I admit I sometimes skipped parts or read them diagonally.

Still, I am glad I read it - and finished it. The 3 stars are due to my incapability to understand all.

3*

145AlisonY
Jul 26, 2016, 5:48 pm

>144 Simone2: Fair play for undertaking that as a holiday read! I remain daunted by it, but encouraged by any CR reads that it may still cross my path some day.

146dchaikin
Jul 26, 2016, 10:29 pm

congrats on making it through Ulysses.

147Simone2
Jul 27, 2016, 1:25 am

>145 AlisonY: >146 dchaikin: Thank you. It took me about a month: I started it at home and read an episode after every other book I read. That made it do-able!

148Simone2
Jul 28, 2016, 2:49 am

61 - Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

A perfect holiday read. I had never heard of this book (or the movie) so I was in for a surprise.
US Marshal Teddy Daniels and his collegae Chunk arrive on Shutter Island, the place of a mental institute that houses criminals with serious psychiatric problems. One of them, Rachel Solano, has escaped, and the Marshalls are sent in to find her.
What follows is a hardcore psychological mystery novel with superb plot twists. Recommended!

4*

149Simone2
Jul 29, 2016, 2:28 am

62 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I am probably the last one in this group who read the book, so I don't need to tell you what it is about.
Despite Celie's hard times, it was a real feel good book, with the unevitable happy ending that brought tears in my eyes.

3,5*

150dchaikin
Jul 29, 2016, 7:24 am

>149 Simone2: - you're not the last...but I did see the movie.

151AlisonY
Jul 29, 2016, 8:47 am

>149 Simone2: another one who hasn't read it. Your review sounded like you liked it, but lukewarm in terms of stars?

152Simone2
Jul 29, 2016, 10:17 am

>150 dchaikin: I saw the movie as well. A long time ago but I dare say the book is better. More nuances.

>151 AlisonY: A good read, but one to be forgotten about any time soon. Your know what I mean?

153AlisonY
Jul 29, 2016, 10:24 am

154valkyrdeath
Jul 30, 2016, 1:44 pm

>148 Simone2: I never even knew Shutter Island was a book when I saw the film. That was great but I'm not sure how much the book will be worth reading now I know what happens, though I may have forgotten enough by now.

155Simone2
Jul 31, 2016, 12:36 pm

>154 valkyrdeath: I read the final scene in the film is just a bit different from that in the book. The discussion about it on the internet and the implications of this other sentence, is interesting.

156valkyrdeath
Jul 31, 2016, 12:41 pm

>155 Simone2: That certainly makes it sound more interesting to read. I'm adding it to the list!

157Simone2
Jul 31, 2016, 12:47 pm

63 -Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

Another excellent holiday read. I love dystopia novels and the apocalyps causing this one is so realistic, it frightened me a little.
The novel exists of various storylines before and after the Georgian Flu, that meant 'the end of the world as we know it'. Both have in common the death of movie star Arthur Leander, hours before the virus takes over.

What I liked are the ways in which the storylines intertwine, and how in the end they just fail to come together. St John Mandel brings every character to life, likeable or not, and the way they react to what happens, suits them perfectly I think.
Also I do like one of the last scenes, which shows just a little bit of hope for the future.

4*

158Simone2
Ago 4, 2016, 2:59 am

64 - The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

The last easy holiday read, because I am back home and driving again into the 1001 list and the Booker longlist.

A great read however, about a serial killer in NYC. A lot of forensics, a lot of disgusting crimes and a good storyline make this a real pageturner.

4*

159AlisonY
Ago 4, 2016, 3:28 am

>157 Simone2: I am so torn on this book. The dystopia setting puts me off as it's not my thing, but then again I really enjoyed The Road. You and I normally like a lot of similar books, so maybe I would enjoy it if I gave it a go.

160NanaCC
Ago 4, 2016, 3:07 pm

I'm just catching up after vacation, and I see that you've read a lot of books that are waiting on my Kindle or bookshelf. The Girls is not for me, and although I have Station Eleven, I haven't felt compelled to read it because of the dystopian element. Reviews, however, tell me I should rethink that. I loved In Cold Blood when I read it many years ago. It's one I have thought about rereading.

161Simone2
Ago 4, 2016, 3:57 pm

>159 AlisonY: I think you probably would. It is a kind of dystopia which seems plausible. As is The Road, if I remember well. That what makes it so scary.
On the other hand, I do like most dystopia. The Handmaid's Tale and Never Let Me Go belong to my favourite reads. So maybe I am not that critical.

162Simone2
Ago 4, 2016, 4:00 pm

>160 NanaCC: Welcome back Colleen! I would indeed not recommend The Girls and I can imagine myself rereading In Cold Blood one day too.

163Simone2
Editado: Ago 6, 2016, 3:07 am

65 - My name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

My first read of the Booker longlist and I absolutely loved it. Also my first 5 star read this year.

This is the story of Lucy Barton, hospitalized for a long time in which her mother comes and stays with her because her husband doesn't like hospitals.
Lucy has not seen her mother for years since she escaped the poor, abusive environment she grew up in.

In the five days her mother sits beside her bed, they talk. Very cautiously. With so much meaning.
When they don't talk Lucy thinks of her youth, her marriage, her daughters and friends and NYC.

She is such an admirable person. So sensible, so honest and empathic. Driven by the wish to try to understand people, even if she can’t stand them (based on how she was treated by others as a poor white girl, I think), she comes to such beautiful thoughts. I envy her for being able to live that way and think that way.

And then there is the storyline in which Lucy looks back on her time in hospital and tells how she became a writer. In this process she meets another author who has a big influence on her. When she meets her during a workshop and they discuss Lucy's notes on her stay in hospital, they have such a wonderful conversation as well. The dialogues in this book are absolutely great.

There is also a scene in which Lucy describes a statue in The Met of some children, clung to the legs of their father. 'He knows', she thinks upon seeing this.

And that's what I think of Elizabeth Strout after reading this book. She knows.

5*

164japaul22
Ago 6, 2016, 8:22 am

I have this on hold at the library, but wasn't sure I'd actually read it when it's my turn. Your review makes me think I will. I didn't really like Olive Kitteredge, so I wasn't sure.

165dchaikin
Ago 6, 2016, 8:42 am

I didn't like Olive K either, but this is a really nice and encouraging review.

166Simone2
Ago 6, 2016, 1:18 pm

>164 japaul22: >165 dchaikin: I haven't read that one, but I did read Amy and Isabelle, of which I don't remember a thing. So, don't let earlier experiences get in the way of Lucy Barton :-)!

167baswood
Ago 7, 2016, 6:17 pm

Enjoying your reviews Simone2 and congratulations for taking on Ulysses. I bet you are glad to have gotten that one out of the way.

168Simone2
Editado: Ago 8, 2016, 12:46 am

>167 baswood: Thank you and yes I am!

169Simone2
Ago 8, 2016, 2:02 am

66 - The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati

This is the story of Giovanni Drogo, who goes as a lieutenant to a fortress in the desolate mountains, where the military have been waiting for centuries to protect the country from the Tartar. No one has ever seen them, nor is there any way they could have attacked the fortress by surprise because there are no roads at all. Only mountains and steppe.

With little to do, Drogo decides to leave as soon as possible. He stays however for more than forty years and watches his life going by in an endless daily routine.

Desolation and resignation (hopefully the right words to express what I mean) are everywhere, Giovanni becomes one with his surroundings, which is very depressing and also imaginable somehow.

When the Tartar finally do arrive, Giovanni can not even be excited about it. All this waiting, and then the deception.

3*

170Simone2
Ago 10, 2016, 5:29 pm

67 - We by Yevgeny Zamiyatin

Strong beginning, with a fascinating description of a totalitarian world, completely based on sense and order. There is no room for emotions in this dystopian world, however D-503, whose diary we are reading, falls in love with I-330. She is very critical of the system.

Ingredients for a great novel but unfortunately it gets very hysteric and vague. I lost my interest and had to struggle to finish it.

2*

171Simone2
Ago 14, 2016, 3:17 am

68 - Hot Milk by Deborah Levy

The storyline of this book isn't half as interesting as it could have been (a mother who remortgaged her flat to come to a Spanish clinic to be treated for the mysterious paralysis that confines her to a wheelchair and binds her daughter Sofia to her with chains of control and dependency. Sofia divides her time between taking care of her mother and exploring the coastal town of Almería with or without some new friends, as eccentric as herself. The book is Sofia's story).

What made this book so good to me that I didn't even care much about the plot, is Sofia's inner life.
Hot Milk is a tale of how she understands her life and her relationships and of how she begins to repair things that are holding her back. She learns to stand up for herself, to take risks.
Levy catches Sofia's thoughts into the most beautiful sentences, associations and reflections on what happens around her, what people say and do and what it means to live in the 21th century.

4,5*

172AlisonY
Ago 14, 2016, 7:31 am

>171 Simone2: this seems to be getting pretty good reviews generally. Sounds like my kind of read - onto the list....

173Simone2
Editado: Ago 14, 2016, 11:34 am

69 - Love's Work by Gillian Rose

I felt very uncomfortable reading this book. In 144 pages Rose confronts us with all possible kinds of death; AIDS, Auschwitz and she herself, dying of cancer when she writes the book.

On the one hand I was not really interested in the lives (and deaths) of people she knew, they stay complete strangers to me, Rose seems to write purely for herself and is not interested at all in her readers.
Which can very well be true because she is dying and writing her memoirs. I am just not sure why they were published.

On the other hand, the one chapter about the cancer and the process she goes through chilled me to the bone. She writes it all down very clinically, but it is so very sad. Such a horrible disease.

3*

174dchaikin
Ago 14, 2016, 9:58 pm

Some great books you have been reading. You have me interested in Love's Work. But you got me to add The Tartart Steppe to my wishlist.

175Simone2
Ago 17, 2016, 2:13 pm

70 - Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves

This is the very sad story of Roscoe Martin who ends up in jail after a man is electrocuted partly by his responsibility.
Roscoe's time in jail, his dignity, his dreams and frustrations are being told so well, without being too sentimental, it really touched me.
The way the story is build up, the chapters and the storyline: all these aspects make this a really special read, which I won't easily forget.

4*

176kidzdoc
Ago 18, 2016, 8:36 am

You definitely liked My Name Is Lucy Barton and Hot Milk better than I did, Barbara! I hope that I like Work Like Any Other as much as you did.

177Simone2
Ago 19, 2016, 12:59 am

>176 kidzdoc: I noticed that as well. Perhaps they are typical women-books? I think you'll like Work Like Any Other better. My next one will probably be The Sellout. By what I read of it I guess that means the end of my raving about the Longlist!

178Simone2
Ago 21, 2016, 4:57 pm

71 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Finally I read this book of which I knew most of the story already. Still it was nice to read. The drama, the triangle between the beauty, the sufferer and the evil man. And the strange girl Pearl. I don't think Hawthorne knew many children himself. Anyhow, amusing. No more than that.

3*

179AlisonY
Ago 24, 2016, 3:50 am

Enjoyed your review of Work Like Any Other - onto List Mountain.

180Simone2
Ago 26, 2016, 12:52 am

72 - The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The narrator ('The Sellout') lives in Dickens, an LA suburb. As one day Dickens is not mentioned any longer on maps and road signs, he thinks of a way to give the ghetto back its identity. The solution, he thinks, is in bringing back segregation.
A lot of what he thinks and does goes way over my head. It is hard for me to relate to ghetto life and racial reality in the US. Beatty doesn't do introductions, for which I don't blame him. He throws us right in the middle of his reality and that is the book's strenght but I think I didn't get it all and frankly, I didn't mind too much.
I liked the concept and the satire, but that's about it.

3*

181Simone2
Ago 30, 2016, 3:36 am

73 - Transit by Anna Seghers

Another novel I am the 1001 list grateful for. I never would have read it otherwise.
This is the novel of a German refugee in WWII, who arrives in Marseilles. This city is full of refugees, (almost) all of them trying to get on a ship out of Europe.
The narrator is a young man, who arrives in Marseille from Paris with a manuscript of a German writer, who died and whose widow he is looking for. In Marseille, his identity accidentally gets mixed up with this of the writer. He fills his days with cruising the city, talking to all the waiting people and amusing himself with the way people try to get visas, which is a real Kafkaesk process.
At first he has no intention of leaving on a ship himself, but then he meets the widow and falls in love with her. She doesn’t know her husband has died, because she hears from the various consulates that the is alive and in town. Of course she doesn’t know about the mixed up identities of her husband and the narrator.
Read the book to see how their story continues. The best about it, in my opinion, is the fact that it sketches a situation in WWII that I didn’t know about. A situation that seems pretty comparable to that of all refugees in Europe right know. Waiting, not knowing, fear and boredom.

4*

182AlisonY
Ago 31, 2016, 4:14 pm

>73 Simone2: sounds like a good read. You are in danger of toppling my wish list mountain!

183Simone2
Sep 1, 2016, 2:40 am

>182 AlisonY: Haha! I feel the same when reading your reviews. We have a similar taste, most of the time (I am sorry for recommending Lucy Barton so highly, which you didn't like at all :-)

184AlisonY
Sep 1, 2016, 4:03 am

>183 Simone2: I haven't read Lucy Barton - you must be mixing me up with someone else on that one. i have it on my wish list too :)

185japaul22
Sep 1, 2016, 7:10 am

I was the one who didn't like Lucy Barton, though I usually do like the books you do. Loved Transit!

Can't like all the same books!

186Simone2
Sep 1, 2016, 10:08 am

>184 AlisonY: >185 japaul22: O you are right, it was Jennifer who didn't like Lucy Barton indeed! And yes, you are also one of the people who often has the same taste in books!
Well, Alison, I do am curious whether you'll like it!

187Simone2
Sep 1, 2016, 10:08 am

The Many by Wyl Menmuir

Well, in the end I haven't got a clue what this book was about.

It is the story of Timothy, who buys a house on the brink of an English fisherman's village. It has been left vacant for years. Ten years ago it was the home of Perran, the boy who died in the sea. His death is the beginning of the end of the village: the fishery comes to an end by pollution of the water and some mysterious container ships are permanently anchored near the coast. Ethan, who is still being tormented by Perran's death, is one of the fishermen who keeps fishing the polluted sea, despite the fact that he only catches deformed, translucent fishes. A woman in grey buys his fishes nevertheless and he and Timothy become sort of friends, although they hardly speak. Every question Timothy asks about the mysterious Perran is followed by hostility and silence.

I loved the prose, the setting and the lack of dialogues. The fact that I have so many questions after finishing it, could be intriguing and provoking as well, however there are too many.

SPOILER ALERT

I don't know what the title is about, I don't know what the link is between Perran the fisherboy and Perran the son, I don't know what the environmental storyline means, I don't know who the woman in grey is or why she is there, I don't know what happened to Perran and why people should be so hostile towards Timothy, I don't know what Lauren's got to do with it. In short, I am left with so many questions that in the end I am disappointed. Although it also intrigues me and I will try to find some answers.

3*

188ELiz_M
Sep 4, 2016, 3:10 pm

Continuing NYC talk from the What are you reading thread here.....

I hope the Rose Reading Room is re-opened by the time of your vists (currently closed for ceiling restoration). If not, there is also the very beautiful Morgan Library and Museum.

189Simone2
Editado: Ago 25, 2018, 7:34 am

75 - The Music of Chance by Paul Auster

Paul Auster at his best, I think. I always like his characters and his bizarre storylines.
This one is about Jim Nashe, who leaves everything behind when he inherits a lot of money. He drives through the country in his new Saab and enjoys this freedom until he runs almost out of money. Then he meets Pozzi, a hitchhiking poker player. Pozzi offers him a chance to make some money.

So far, so good. They have a poker appointment with two eccentric men. Then it becomes a real Auster-story, with all kinds of strange details (many quite symbolic), unrealistic situations and uncommon human relationships. Freedom and chance are the main themes.

I have read the book in one read just to know what on earth was happening and where it would end.
It ended as it should and it left me with a lot of questions as well - as Auster always does. Recommended!

4*

190Simone2
Editado: Sep 4, 2016, 4:30 pm

>188 ELiz_M: I read that the Rose Reading Room is under construction until fall, but I haven't managed to find out the exact date (I am arriving October 15). It is so good to know there is an alternative. I love visiting libraries and I didn't know the Morgan has one, so thanks for another valuable tip!

Both bookstores you mentioned are marked on my map-app already as well.

I am also into museums/exhibitions (I have read the entries on your thread on the subject with much pleasure) and restaurants, so if you have any other recommendations :-)

191ELiz_M
Sep 4, 2016, 7:06 pm

For museums, I think you may have to judge for yourself what you want to see -- there are so many choices!

I love Modern Art and thoroughly enjoy MoMA and the Guggenheim, but they are very expensive! Some lesser-known, highly regarded museums would be The Frick Collection, Neue Galerie (I have to admit I have only been to their cafe for an amazing piece of cake), Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Most kids (and adults) love the American Museum of Natural History. It tends to be insanely crowded on the weekends.

If you are on a budget, pay close attention to the admission language, The Met Museum (and many others) have a "suggested admission". If you are willing to wait in line for 10-15 minutes and buy your tickets at the museum, you can pay whatever you think is fair for your visit. (I never stay long enough to justify $25). Also, pay attention to the hours for late nights-- the Met Museum is open until 9 pm on Fri. & Sat. night and might be less crowded then. MoMA's late hours are when it is free to the public and, therefore, is even more crowded.

The Chelsea art galleries are free, maybe look at Artforum a week or two ahead of time to see if there is an artist you admire that is exhibiting. These galleries are all closed on Sunday (and probably other days). If you're in Chelsea, the High Line park is lovely and Chelsea Market can be a fun place for food (the Food Network has TV studios in the complex).

If you had time for an all-day trip and enjoy modern sculpture, I highly recommend Dia:Beacon. Metro north has a round-trip ticket/museum entry deal. It is an hour? 90 minute? gorgeous train ride along the Hudson River.

I was googling a Lower East Side food tour that I remember my mum enjoying, and while I can't find exactly what I wanted, I did find this. She also loved the Tenement Museum.

For free views, both the Staten Island Ferry (you do have to get off on Staten Island and re-board) and the Brooklyn Bridge are lovely. For the latter, definitely start from the Brooklyn side, and if you have time, maybe walk around DUMBO first. I am especially fond of the whoopie pies at One Girl Cookies and either frozen hot chocolate or wicked hot chocolate (depending on the weather) at Jacques Torres.

As for non-dessert food.....I mostly only know the very expensive restaurants or the places near work & home. Maybe do what many New Yorkers do and rely on Yelp and Open Table apps?

192Simone2
Editado: Sep 5, 2016, 2:57 pm

>191 ELiz_M: Many thanks again. The museum tips come in handy. Nice idea, this 'suggested admission' at the Met. I had never heard of it. I work for the Van Gogh Museum here in Amsterdam and there you have to wait in line much longer and still pay the full price.

I'd planned on visiting the Frick Collection but was thinking of visiting the Whitney (I am intrigued by Hopper), would you recommend that?

Brooklyn Bridge and the High Line seem great for my kids (12 and 16), as well as LES.

Yelp and Open Table are also good to know. I am not really on a budget and have been following NY Eater and Thrillist to get an idea of where to eat. There are so many good restaurants.... maybe those apps will be of help. Thank you so much again!

193ELiz_M
Sep 5, 2016, 6:45 pm

>192 Simone2: :O I've been to the Van Gogh museum! But, I don't remember it. I was only in Amsterdam for a few days and a couple of Americans at the hostel had convinced me to join them for a Heineken factory tour, at 10 am, which concluded with as much beer as you can drink in an hour with one caveat -- every person at the table had to finish their beer before the next round was served. So, by the time I got to the museum later that day (the only time I had for the visit), I was quite drunk.

I haven't been to the new Whitney building, again it is expensive, and I'm not that interested in their permanent collection.

I use Yelp all the time when I am in an unfamiliar neighborhood and need to find a quick snack -- it is great for location-based reviews/recommendations. Open Table is what I use to research high-end restaurants and make reservations without having to talk to snooty hostesses. Oh! If your kids are adventurous eaters, one of the most beautiful restaurants and most excellent meals I've had was at Hangawi, a vegetarian Korean restaurant near Madison Square Park.

194Simone2
Editado: Sep 6, 2016, 1:45 am

>193 ELiz_M: Haha, the Heineken Factory! I live around the corner but have never been there. I didn't know about the all you can drink-tour, but it explains a lot!

My kids are certainly adventurous eaters and I love vegetarian food so I'll make sure to visit Hangawi. The menu looks great.

195rachbxl
Sep 6, 2016, 9:57 am

I'm a bit late to the party, but did you know that The Tartar Steppe was made into a 1976 film, Le Désert des Tartares, with a wonderful cast including Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin and Max Von Sydow and a fabulous soundtrack by Ennio Morricone? It's my husband's favorite film, and he'd been telling me about it for years. When he finally got hold of it (not easy to find these days) and we watched it, I understood why it had made such an impact on him - haunting, disturbing, thought-provoking, and very beautiful.

196Simone2
Sep 6, 2016, 2:45 pm

>195 rachbxl: No I didn't know that, but I can imagine it to be one with an impact, I guess the landscapes played a big role in this? I'll see if I can find a copy somewhere, I would be interested to watch it.

197rachbxl
Sep 6, 2016, 5:10 pm

>196 Simone2: Yes, huge great expanses of desert and sky. Stunning.

198Simone2
Sep 9, 2016, 3:56 am

76 - Eileen

For the Booker Longlist I finished Eileen and dit not really like it. Perhaps that is exactly what Moshfegh meant with this book, but that sounds a bit contradictory of course.

Eileen is a very lonely and insecure girl with a monotonous life of working in a youth detention centre at day and taking care of her druk father at night. No one cares for her and she makes sure it stays that way by making herself as invisible as possible. She doesn't want anyone to pay attention to her because she feels ugly and unworthy. This is very sad, but Mosfhegh makes sure Eileen is not very likable, neither as a young woman and, nor as the old one who tells the story.

Eileen's life changes when Rebecca arrives, a new colleague who, with all her beauty and charisma, chooses Eileen to confide in. A sparkle of hope in Eileen's dull life, but this storyline doesn't work out very good in my opinion.

I think Moshfegh did a very good job in creating an atmosphere which leaves you uncomfortable, while reading and after finishing the book, because she is able to direct your feelings towards Eileen. Still, my not liking it predominates.

3*

199ELiz_M
Sep 13, 2016, 7:47 am

>190 Simone2: NYPL's Rose reading room is scheduled to re-open October 5th.

200Simone2
Sep 13, 2016, 1:56 pm

>199 ELiz_M: Wow, just in time. I am arriving the 15th! Thanks, I hadn't found that out yet!

201Simone2
Sep 17, 2016, 2:10 am

77 - The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

What a depressive read. Maybe it is my overall mood but I feel quite heavy after finishing it.
It is the story of Scoby, police officer in a unnamed West-African country, and one of the few who is not corrupt. Until he falls in love and commits adultery. Then all becomes a web of lies which consequences he did not foresee.

3,5*

202AlisonY
Sep 17, 2016, 1:22 pm

>201 Simone2: I have been meaning to get to my first Graham Greene novel for quite a while but haven't managed it yet. Have you read any of his other books?

203Simone2
Sep 17, 2016, 2:36 pm

>202 AlisonY: Yes, I have read some more books by Graham Greene. I liked The End of the Affair best. But you can start with any of them; he is very British and his stories are carefully written, small, and personal. I could certainly recommend reading him.

204AlisonY
Sep 18, 2016, 5:15 am

>203 Simone2: The End of the Affair is the one I've had on my wish list for ages, but I'm tempted by several others.

205.Monkey.
Sep 18, 2016, 5:36 am

>204 AlisonY: I'd suggest Brighton Rock to start with. I've read several of his (plus his complete short stories) and it was my favorite yet, it has a particular lightness to it that, in my experience, isn't so common in his work. As Simone said about Heart of the Matter, his work is generally rather ...melancholy? It's not light-hearted, that's for sure. But it is great. He's one of my favorites.

206AlisonY
Sep 18, 2016, 5:55 am

>205 .Monkey.: thanks - will take a look at that. I don't mind a bit of melancholy in my reads, so long as I read something a little lighter afterwards.

207Simone2
Sep 18, 2016, 9:39 am

>205 .Monkey.: I have a copy of Brighton Rock. Good to know that you think it his best! I'll read it soon.

208.Monkey.
Sep 18, 2016, 3:12 pm

I only read it back in July, I was sad when it was finished! Lol.

209avidmom
Sep 18, 2016, 5:35 pm

Your comments on The Color Purple and Capote's In Cold Blood are encouraging. They've been on my TBR list forever, but I have to admit shying away from both. I'm afraid Capote's book would give me nightmares!

210Simone2
Sep 23, 2016, 7:13 am

78 - Manuscript 'Matthias van de Velden'

For the first time in my life I have read a manuscript. The author is the husband of a friend of mine. He wanted me to read it because I am a fervent reader.
I was not disappointed. His is the story of a 24 years old man who want to become a conductor and has to do his examen at the Rotterdam Conservatory a week later. The novel describes the days until the exam and afterwards. The man is being tortured by his incertainty, his memories and his addiction to alcohol. On the other side, his passion for the music spats off every page and as a reader you know that he is a musician pur sang.
I was blown away by some parts or the story, although it went on a bit too long in other parts.
All in all however a very good read and written so well (it reminded me a bit of Thomas Bernhard).
I certainly hope that there will be a publisher that will publish this debut, so that other people also will be able to read it one day.

4*

211Simone2
Sep 30, 2016, 8:06 am

79 - His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

One day Roddy murders his neighbour. This book is about the events leading to this murder and the trial afterwards. The story is situated in a poor village in the highlands of Scotland.

During all of the story Roddy remains a mysterious boy. We read his own story, others opinion of him and a coverage of the trial itself. This arrangement of the book is very interesting. Moreover, the various perspectives on what happened, one of them very plausible as well, make this a real good read. Not worthy of the Booker Prize though.

3,5*

212Simone2
Oct 3, 2016, 6:05 am

80 - The Master of Petersburg by JM Coetzee

The Master of Petersburg describes two weeks in the life of Dostoyevsky in 1869. The writer, who lives in Germany during those years, returns briefly to Petersburg to take care of the possessions of his stepson Pavel, who has died under suspicious circumstances. He discovers that Pavel was not the person whom he loved; worse still, Dostoyevsky's love for him was anything but mutual. He also discovers that Pavel was close friends with the notorious Netsjajev, for whom Dostoevsky feels a deep disgust.

Coetzees story is both true and not true. Dostoyevsky for instance had indeed a stepson Pavel, but he did not die in 1869. And Netsjajev was a historical figure, but Dostoevsky never met him. Beside them Coetzees introduces characters in his story who appear to come right out of Dostoyevsky’s own novels. He combines, in short, facts from both Dostoyevski's life as from his books. This is a smart and original concept, however, as with many of Coetzee’s novels, I didn’t like reading it at all.

2*

213Simone2
Oct 7, 2016, 9:10 am

81 - All That Man Is by David Szalay

I liked this book a lot. It consists of nine short stories of nine man in different phases of their lives. There is a teenager Interrailing for example, a wealthy man on a superyacht and a man selling real estate in the French Alps. All are travelling through Europe, one way or another.

David Szalay is still young, but I am surprised at how well he can relate to men of all ages. Some stories are better than others, probably because I can relate more to some of them, but overall I was pleasantly surprised.

My personal favourites are the one about the journalist, chasing a scoop, and the last one, which is very sad. The narrator observes his own life, what has been and, especially, his expectation that he won't live anymore within another ten years since he has become an old man - something he has come ro realize recently. I can imagine that will be anyone's thoughts one day, but it depresses me immensely and I hope I won't be that way.

4*

214kidzdoc
Oct 8, 2016, 12:55 pm

>213 Simone2: I've finished three of the nine stories, and I'm enjoying All That Man Is as well. I should finish it this evening or tomorrow morning.

215Simone2
Oct 9, 2016, 9:14 am

82 - Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos

This is the story of New York City. Some persons are playing a role in its story, but most of all it is about the city becoming a major one. People from all over the world arrive by boat in search of a better life. Some succeed, the ones who see and grab opportunities, some don't. The city develops fast into a metropole and not all can keep up with it.
Good written story, but I got the picture halfway through and have to admit I only skimmed the second half, looking for chapters about the characters I was interested in.

2,5*

216Simone2
Oct 13, 2016, 10:20 am

83 - Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Call me blasé but I have already read so much about China under Mao that I am not really interested in yet another. Add the fact that this is a very densely told novel with many characters doesn't help in continuing this one.
Chances are high it'll win the Booker Prize next week, perhaps I'll give it another try then, but for now I give up the fight.

217Simone2
Oct 16, 2016, 8:42 pm

84 - Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett

Michael's life is a struggle, a fight. He is depressive, just as his father was. His mother, sister and brother are also fighting: for their brother, for their own happiness and for what has been. This is a powerful novel about family structures.

3,5*

218Simone2
Editado: Oct 17, 2016, 4:23 pm

85 - The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

Someone here reviewed this novelle and I wanted to read it immediately. Indeed it is a chilling story. David and Harriet buy a big house and want a big family with many kids and a house full of people and happiness. For a while their dreams seem to come true but then Ben is born.
Harriet really wants to love him and tries her best and exactly this is what's driving her away from the rest of her family.
An impressive read in just 150 pages.

4*

219Simone2
Oct 20, 2016, 8:08 am

86 - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

I am on holidays in NYC at the moment, have watched the presidential debate yesterday and read this book.
All kinds of aspects of US history and present are coming together here and overwhelming me.

The book is about Cora's, a slave who is able to escape the plantage she was held in in Georgia by the underground railroad. It is shocking to read about the white people in the various states she arrives in, how they are really able to become so inhumanly cruel. I knew, of course, what circumstances can do to human behaviour, but it is still so shocking.

And then there is the contrast with the ones who risk their lives 'running' the railway and who often have to pay for their courage.

A book such as this one deserves to be hyped and read to remind us of times we don't want to ever happen again. To let stupid sentiments not take over, but to keep our senses - right now here in the US but also in Europe with its current attitude towards muslims.

4*

220baswood
Oct 21, 2016, 2:08 pm

>219 Simone2: A book such as this one deserves to be hyped and read to remind us of times we don't want to ever happen again. To let stupid sentiments not take over, but to keep our senses - right now here in the US but also in Europe with its current attitude towards muslims.

Well said Simone2

221Simone2
Oct 23, 2016, 6:10 am

87 -Slade House by David Mitchell

Somehow I missed the publication of this book. I was still building up courage to start The Bone Clocks, which somehow doesn't appeal to me. My attitude towards Mitchell is the same as I have to McEwan, sometimes I love their books, sometimes I decide I have read enough by them, just to pick up another of their novels one day.

However, this one I really liked. The spooky 'Hotel California' concept, the different narrators, the build-up of the story, all were great and kept me going.
The end disappointed me a little, hence the four stars.

4*

222Simone2
Oct 24, 2016, 12:43 am

88 - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I have been so obsessed with the 1001 list that I haven't paid much attention to newer books for a while. This Group has changed that and recently I have been catching up on some recommendations made here.

The Girl on the Train turned out to be the perfect thriller to read with a jetlag during a sleepless night.
I think it is much better than Gone Girl, with which it is being compared often.

I liked the narrators, thought they were very believable, though unreliable. I liked that aspect.
Once I discovered 'who did it', at about 2/3 of the book, it gets a bit less interesting, but I still couldn't stop reading. I love it when books do that to me.

4*

223Simone2
Editado: Oct 30, 2016, 12:13 pm

89 - Havinck by Marja Brouwers

This is a Dutch book which was also made into a movie in the 80s. I saw the movie twice but never read the book.
A few weeks ago I remembered loving that movie but I could not remember what it was about. So I bought the book.

It is the story of a lawyer, Havinck, in the week after his wife committed suicide. Their marriage was sort of over, he spends more time with his girlfriend and her artistic friends, and he hardly knows his 14 year old daughter.

A depressive context indeed. He starts thinking a bit of the past and his marriage, but not really. He seems intouchable. His partner at the office dies within a week of his wife. He registers this but still he is not touched. Or is he? The book ends before I can figure it out.

I guess I'll have to see the movie again. What made this such a great movie for me as a young girl? In short, overall I am a bit at loss now :-)

3,5*

224AlisonY
Oct 30, 2016, 2:00 pm

Interesting thoughts on the David Mitchell book. I've ignored him as I decided long ago that Cloud Atlas was too futuristic for my tastes, but now reading your review of Slade House I see that his other books have been quite different.

One to look at again, I think. Slade House sounds like the perfect Hallowe'en read!

Also enjoyed Girl on the Train - just a good page turner.

225Simone2
Oct 30, 2016, 2:22 pm

>224 AlisonY: And it is thin! Perfect for Halloween indeed but also perfect after the big Irving and because you have so little me-time at the moment!

226AlisonY
Oct 30, 2016, 2:29 pm

>226 AlisonY: as I don't have time to get to the library at the moment I am working my way through my TBR which alas contains no thinnies! That would have been a good choice as a next up. Choosing a middle-sized 'easy read' by an author I'm increasingly enjoying Sadie Jones.

227Simone2
Oct 30, 2016, 3:25 pm

>226 AlisonY: That is good to know. I only read The Outcast by her, I'll look out for your review.

228Simone2
Nov 10, 2016, 11:41 am

90 - Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth

What a funny book, I had to laugh many, many times. His childhood memories are hilarious, the ones of 'The Monkey', his girlfriend with a mannequin's ass but who can't spell, as well.

Really sharp observations and thoughts make this an excellent read. Especially considering the rather serious subject Portnoy is talking about to his 'doctor' in his long monologue: the consequences of being Jewish in Newark in the 40s and 50s. He complains about his Jewish parents and their traditions and beliefs, he complains about religion in general, but as a grown up he discovers he cannot escape his own roots.

4*

229AlisonY
Nov 10, 2016, 3:01 pm

>228 Simone2: sounds good. I feel like I need some more lighthearted reading these days. On the list.

230Simone2
Editado: Nov 21, 2016, 2:34 am

91 - The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

Part 2 of the Neapolitan novels follows Lila and Elena in their late teens/early twenties. Their paths in life grow very apart, though they keep colliding. I feel no sympathy for either of them and I can't imagine why Elena keeps being obsessed by Lila, still I want to read on and on. I am not sure whether I am reading chick-lit or literature, but the snob in me doesn't care and wants to read on. Still waiting for something to happen that is probably already woven through the storylines.

3,5*

231Simone2
Editado: Nov 23, 2016, 4:42 pm

92 - The Coma by Alex Garland

A nice designed book without page numbers but with lots of pictures, drawn by Nicholas Garland - family no doubt.

This is the short story of Carl, who gets into a coma after being beaten up by some men in the subway. After recovering and coming home strange things start to happen. Is it his memory? Is it his conscience? Or is he dreaming, still in a coma?

Nothing is what it seems, which make this book intriguing and absurd at the same time. Well written!

3*

232Simone2
Nov 25, 2016, 11:06 pm

93- Kirstin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

Set in medieval Norway, this is the story of Kristin and her family. It is utterly believable: the landscape, the way of life, the unquestionable presence of religion mixed up with superstition, the attitude towards death and so on.

It is so completely different from life in the 21th century: to travel for days to meet someone, to not know how someone is doing for months, to be able to travel as a woman by night and through desolate dark woods without any fear, and to put up with hard things in life without much complaining or a therapist, to name a few.

And then it is not so different after all: love and jealousy, lust and grieve, ambition and nonchalance are the same in medieval, cold Norway as they are nowadays. It is this setting, in combination with the perfectly worked out characters, that make this novel so special.

233SassyLassy
Nov 26, 2016, 1:38 pm

>232 Simone2: One of my all time favourites. Will you be reading the other two?

234Simone2
Editado: Nov 26, 2016, 3:17 pm

>233 SassyLassy: I've read all three. It was the trilogy, I should have mentioned that above.
I can imagine it being an all time favourite. Did you read it a long time ago?

235SassyLassy
Nov 26, 2016, 6:03 pm

>234 Simone2: About ten years ago I started buying the books wherever I could find them, but unfortunately they were in the earlier censored translation. I read them all the same, fearing I wouldn't find the Tiina Nunnally translations which were the ones I really wanted. Then, bit by bit I was able to acquire the three books in that translation, so read them all once again. What a world of difference and I was so glad I did. So, I've read them twice within the last decade. I think if I had discovered these books when I was in my early teens, I still would have loved them. They are the kind from which you get could get something different reading them each decade.

Last year I read Jenny, another of Undset's books, quite different kind from the trilogy, a much darker look at Norwegian culture.

236Simone2
Nov 27, 2016, 1:57 am

>235 SassyLassy: A censored translation? I hope I didn't read them. Mine are a Dutch translation and I can't find anything about it being censored. Do you remember any important difference between the two versions that might give me a clue?

And I make sure to look into Jenny, I would love to read more by Undset. Thank you for mentioning it.

237SassyLassy
Nov 27, 2016, 7:34 pm

I'm afraid I don't know anything about translations into Dutch. The year of the translation might give a clue as to whether or not it had been "edited". My earlier copies were from the 1920s translations of Charles Archer, from the days when translators weren't even credited. One of the differences is that the earlier translation uses "thou", "thee" and other forms of English which would now be considered archaic. I don't know if Dutch has such forms. Another clue would be the language around children of unmarried parents and other such matters that perhaps the translator felt uncomfortable with.

238Simone2
Editado: Nov 28, 2016, 2:09 am

>237 SassyLassy: Okay so it is just the language that differs, not parts of the story? I was afraid I missed some important scenes but I guess not. Thanks for clearing that up!

239Simone2
Editado: Nov 30, 2016, 1:42 am

94 - Anna in kaart gebracht by Marek Sindelka

This is the Dutch translation of a Czech bestseller. In short chapters we get to know Anna, as she is being described by various people who played a role in her life. She comes to life out of all these different fragments.
At the same time the novel is a portrait of the 21th century, in which everyone 'creates an avatar of theirselves on social media'.

The ingredients are great, the language is beautiful. I was just a bit too hasty to appreciate it as it probably should.

3,5*

240Simone2
Dic 2, 2016, 9:40 am

95 - The Mulberry Empire by Philip Hensher

After I finished this book I read online a few recensions who all mention that Philip Hensher’s novel with its characters and its style is relating to other authors, such as Byatt, Kipling and Ondaatje. Perhaps this gives the novel an extra layer, however I didn’t know it and still liked The Mulberry Empire.

The story is about the English presence in Afghanistan in the 19th century and the dubious role they play over there. Kabul is described vividly, as are all the English and Afghan characters who come to life in this novel. Each chapter is about another character, some of them keep returning, others do play just a small role in the book. Some are very interesting (Bella, Masson, the Afghan amir), others are in my opinion a bit boring.

Overall an enjoyable read, although I don’t think I would recommend it to my friends.

3*

241Simone2
Dic 10, 2016, 6:33 am

96 - Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer

I loved this book. 570 pages but I wouldn't have mind some hundreds more. It was so recognizable on the one hand and so completely not on the other.

Is is the story of Jacob, 40 plus and married to Julia. They have three really intelligent young sons and
everything could have been fine when things start collapsing: the marriage and the earth beneath Israel. Also his grandfather (who survived WWII) dies, his son Sam is on the verge of his bar-mitswa and his dog Argus should be put to sleep.

The book consists of Jacob's memories of his family life and fatherhood (which leads to some very, very beautiful descriptions), the end of his marriage (here are the sometimes painfully recognizable parts, although I am happy with my man; still it is confronting to read how relationships tend to change through the years) and his (Jewish) identity.

An earthquake in the Middle East threatens to lead to WWIII: I can't say too much about it but it makes Jacob and his cousin Tamir (who lives in Israel but is in the US for Sam's bar-mitswa) fully aware of who they are or not are. The many conversations between the cousins but also between Jacob and his father and, of course, Jacob's own thoughts, are fantastic. I am not Jewish and I don't live in the US, but I still could relate to many of Jacob's dilemma's. I loved the fact that there are so many points of view and no consensus. The speech of the rabbi during the funeral of Jacob's grandfather is heartbreaking and unbelievably good - IMO.

Foer has always known how to write dialogues, he just gets better in it, as do the questions he's wondering about. I guess it's the fact that he is my age and I can relate to many things he writes.

I could rattle on about this book for quite a while but I guess you should just read it for yourself - never mind the mixed reviews about it.

5*

242ELiz_M
Dic 10, 2016, 10:32 am

>241 Simone2: thank you for confirming this should go on my wishlist.

243Simone2
Editado: Dic 15, 2016, 3:29 pm

97 - Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

Hazel Motes, 24 years old, comes back from the war in Europe to the American South. His home is gone and so are his illusions. Having little left to believe in, he becomes a priest for the 'Church without Christ'. This is a rather unconventional message in the South and one hard to sell. What's more, all the people he meets seem to come out of a freak show. No love for Haze, no light, no luck. Just bitter humor.

2*

244dchaikin
Dic 11, 2016, 5:28 pm

>244 dchaikin: Great review. Reading through it I'm wondering if there are subtle Odyssey tie-ins. Maybe Israel as Ithaca.

245Simone2
Dic 12, 2016, 2:39 am

>244 dchaikin: So smart of you. I am sure you are right, Israel as Ithaca with its people as Penelope and jews worldwide as Odyssey, being called upon to 'come home'.
Nice detail: Jacob reads his sons from the Odyssey!

246dchaikin
Dic 12, 2016, 8:40 am

I'll keep this in mind, and it's yet another reason for me to read it. Sadly it was your mention of the old dog Argus - a parallel for Argos, the dog the recognized Odysseus in disguise, that got me thinking about the Odyssey.

247Simone2
Dic 12, 2016, 11:05 am

>246 dchaikin: You give me a new perspective on Argus as well by saying that. I can't explain without spoilers, however thank you, it makes the book even better!

248Simone2
Dic 15, 2016, 3:25 pm

98 - Looking for the Possible Dance by A.L. Kennedy

A lot of seemingly loose storylines and then in the end you realize it all makes sense.
This is the story of Margaret, who is raised by and very close to her father. He learns her lots of stuff but not how to live her life. This has its effects on her relationship with her boyfriend Colin, but also on her position as an employee. And perhaps even on the friendship between her and a handicapped boy in the train to London.
Intimate and weird this novel.

3*

249SassyLassy
Dic 16, 2016, 8:56 am

>248 Simone2: One of my very favourite authors, but I haven't seen this book. She certainly does Intimate and weird well, and always leaves you thinking.

250Simone2
Dic 17, 2016, 5:08 pm

99 - Sterven in de lente by Ralf Rothmann

This is a German novel that hasn't been translated in English yet. Its title means 'Dying in spring' and that is exactly what this book is about. It is 1945 and the German army is faced with massive losses. They need all young boys to come and help fight in the east. Walter and Fiete are 17 years old and working on a farm when they are recruited. Their story is about the craziness in Germany during these last months of WWII.
They are boys and no nazi's but find themselves suddenly in the Waffen SS. It is strange to read, they are German, they are the agressor, but still you feel sorry for them and realize they were victims as well.

3*

251Simone2
Dic 24, 2016, 2:36 am

100 - The Green Hat by Michael Arlen

While reading the first half of this book I kept wondering why there should be yet another novel on the 1001 Books list about wealthy people in London during the roaring twenties. I thought of A Dance to the Music of Time and The Forsyte Saga and, although set in America, The Great Gatsby. Which novel would be able to match those? A novel which I never even heard of before?
It couldn't match them, but the second half of the novel did make me forget the comparison. Iris Storm, the main character of the story, is a remarkable heroine, and the climax is built up carefully and unexpected.
So a three star read after all!

3*

252dchaikin
Dic 24, 2016, 8:51 am

Enjoyed your reviews of the Rothman novel and The Green Hat, which I had never heard if before.

253japaul22
Dic 24, 2016, 9:49 am

>251 Simone2: I do like those "between the wars" novels. I'll probably get to this one at some point, especially since it's on "the list"!

254Simone2
Dic 26, 2016, 5:51 am

101 - Hemel en Hel by Jon Kalman Stefansson

'Heaven and Hell' is an outstanding Icelandic novel and the first in a trilogy by Stefansson.
Bardur and 'the boy' are friends who work together as fishermen on a simple boat. Fishermen don't know how to swim, they trust in god. Bardur and the boy however, do believe in poetry above all.

The book yells the story of fishing, friendship, grief and poetry and is set in the ultimate Icelandic setting (I think, I have never been there). Little is said, but very much is told. Many, many sentences are unbelievably beautiful in its simpleness. Very touching and highly recommended.

4,5*

255Simone2
Editado: Dic 31, 2016, 7:54 am

102 - Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

Allright, I am hooked. It took me three books but now I want to know all about what happens to Elena, Lila, Nino, Pietro and all other characters of the Neapolitan novels.
Suddenly I get the feeling it is not fiction, it is really Elena writing about Lila and all the others. They can't be fiction, they are not likeable at all, they are so real!
Elena is 30 now, married, mother, writer and succesful. She keeps doubting almost anything, she is searching her way through life and through Italy. All is so vivid, so recognizable and now I can't let her go. So on to the fourth and last part of the series.

4*

256dchaikin
Dic 30, 2016, 10:29 pm

>255 Simone2: I'm falling farther behind you. (But I was hooked in book one. ) About 3/4 through book 2. Interesting you mention the nonfiction sense. I read this wondering how much is fictional and how much was actually the author's experience. Some aspects seem too real to be fiction.

257Simone2
Dic 31, 2016, 7:57 am

>256 dchaikin: Especially Elena's relationship with Lila, it feels so real, as if Elena Ferrante, by writing these books, fulfills the need of explaining to Lila and is hoping to gain her approval.

258dchaikin
Dic 31, 2016, 12:29 pm

That is the maybe the biggest question I have been wondering about while reading. Is Lila realistic, exaggerated, an alter-ego, and a fictionalized real person, a collage, a pure creation... ?

259Simone2
Dic 31, 2016, 3:16 pm

>258 dchaikin: Perhaps we'll know by the end of part 4...

260Simone2
Dic 31, 2016, 5:45 pm

103 - The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

On the brink of 2017 I read this little novel. Saw the movie years ago and when I came across the book in a second hand shop I had to buy it.
The concept is great: women turning into perfect housewives after moving to Stepford. Joanna wants to escape and researcher what role the Man's Association plays in this transformation.
Good storyline but I didn't like the end - perhaps I didn't get it. But it's almost twelve, I have to move on!

3,5*

261AlisonY
Ene 1, 2017, 3:22 pm

Thank you for the ridiculous amount of book bullets you have sent my way in 2016. Look forward to many more in 2017 (and thanks again for your tips with my holiday planning!).