Talbin in 2010

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Talbin in 2010

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1Talbin
Editado: Ene 9, 2011, 4:17 pm

Hi, I'm Tracy, and welcome to my 2010 reading log. I enjoy literary fiction, the classics, mysteries and historical fiction, with some non-fiction thrown in when I'm in the mood. Please feel free to comment on my reading, your reading, or anything else that strikes your fancy!

My 1010 Category Challenge (something new for 2010). Unceremoniously abandoned.

Books Read in 2009

Pages Read in 2010: 27,804

Books Read in 2010

1. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, 1,463 pages. 1.5/5. Review. Finished 1/23/2010.
2. Bad to the Bone: Memoirs of a Rebel Doggie Blogger by Bo Hoefinger, 272 pages. 2.5/5. Review. Finished 1/2/2010.
3. The Defector by Daniel Silva, 480 pages. 3.5/5. Review. Finished 1/7/2010.
4. Heresy by S.J. Parris, 355 pages. 3.5/5. Review. Finished 1/25/2010.
5. Snow Angels by James Thompson, 263 pages. 3/5. Review. Finished 1/29/2010.
6. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, 578 pages. 4/5. Review. Finished 1/31/2010.
7. In the Woods by Tana French, 428 pages. 4/5. Review. Finished 2/6/2010.
8. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, 284 pages. 3/5. Review. Finished 2/8/2010.
9. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, 370 pages. 4.5/5. Review. Finished 2/12/2010.
10. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George, 4/5. 432 pages. Finished Feb 16, 2010.
11. Payment In Blood by Elizabeth George, 413 pages. 3/5. Finished Feb 20, 2010.
12. StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, 3/5. 192 pages. Finished Feb 20, 2010.
13. Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George, 414 pages. 3/5. Finished Feb 25, 2010.
14. A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George, 449 pages. 2.5/5. Finished Mar 1, 2010.
15. For the Sake of Elena by Elizabeth George, 442 pages. 2/5. Finished Mar 6, 2010.
16. Divine Justice by David Baldacci, 326 pages. 2.5/5. Finished Mar 14, 2010.
17. Missing Joseph by Elizabeth George, 592 pages. 1/5. Finished Mar 17, 2010.
18. Master and Commander by Patrick, 411 pages. 4/5. Finished O'Brian Mar 22, 2010.
19. Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian, 496 pages. 3.5/5. Finished Apr 1, 2010.
20. Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon, 336 pages. 2/5. Finished Apr 23, 2010.
21. H. M. S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian, 384 pages. 4/5. Finished May 7, 2010.
22. The Mauritius Command by Patrick, 365 pages. 4/5. Finished O'Brian May 25, 2010.
23. Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian, 352 pages. 3.5/5. Finished May 31, 2010.
24. The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian, 336 pages. 3.5/5. Finished Jun 2, 2010.
25. The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian, 382 pages. 4/5. Finished Jun 4, 2010.
26. The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian, 367 pages. 3.5/5 Finished Jun 7, 2010.
27. Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian, 368 pages. 3/5. Finished Jun 9, 2010.
28. The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian, 368 pages. 3/5. Finished Jun 12, 2010.
29. The Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O'Brian, 288 pages. 3.5/5. Finished Jun 14, 2010.
30. The Gastronomical Me by M. F. K. Fisher. 1.5/5. Review. Abandoned Jun 17, 2010.
31. The Letter of Marque by Patrick O'Brian, 336 pages. 4/5. Finished Jun 20, 2010.
32. The Thirteen Gun Salute by Patrick O'Brian, 336 pages. 4/5. Finished Jun 22, 2010.
33. The Nutmeg of Consolation by Patrick O'Brian, 384 pages. 4/5. Finished Jun 25, 2010.
34. Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin, 368 pages, 3.5/5. Finished June 27, 2010.
35. The Truelove by Patrick O'Brian, 304 pages. 3/5. Finished Jun 30, 2010.
36. The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian, 352 pages. 3/5. Finished Jul 3, 2010.
37. The Commodore by Patrick O'Brian, 352 pages. 3.5/5. Finished Jul 10, 2010.
38. The Yellow Admiral by Patrick O'Brian, 262 pages. 3.5/5. Finished Jul 11, 2010.
39. The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian, 281 pages. 3/5. Finished Jul 13, 2010.
40. Blue at the Mizzen by Patrick O'Brian, 262 pages. 4/5. Finished Jul 17, 2010.
41. 21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey by Patrick O'Brian, 144 pages. 3.5/5 Finished Jul 31, 2010.
42. A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates, 176 pages. 4/5. Finished Aug 2, 2010.
43. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, 672 pages. 4/5. Finished Aug 5, 2010.
44. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson, 752 pages. 4/5. Finished Aug 8, 2010.
45. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, 528 pages. 2.5/5. Finished Aug 17, 2010.
46. Killing Floor by Lee Child, 544 pages. 2.5/5. Finished Aug 22, 2010.
47. Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Michael Perry, 368 pages. 3.5/5. Review. Finished Aug 24, 2010.
48. Still Life by Louise Penny, 212 pages. 4/5. Finished August 30, 2010.
49. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny, 334 pages. 3.5/5. Finished September 2, 2010.
50. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny, 384 pages. 4/5. Finished September 7, 2010.
51. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, 352 pages. 4/5. Finished September 11, 2010.
52. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny, 384 pages. 4/5. Finished September 14, 2010.
53. Die Trying by Lee Child, 552 pages. 3/5. Finished September 16, 2010.
54. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, 372 pages. 4/5. Finished September 25, 2010.
55. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham, 272 pages. 3.5/5. Finished October 9, 2010.
56. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, 576 pages. 3.5/5. Finished October 16, 2010.
57. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell, 288 pages. 3.5/5. Finished October 23, 2010.
58. Welcome to My Planet by Shannon Olson, 304 pages. 2/5. Finished October 28, 2010.
59. The Garden Primer: Second Edition by Barbara Damrosch, 832 pages. 5/5. Finished October 29, 2010.
60. The Children of God Go Bowling by Shannon Olson, 304 pages. 3.5/5. Finished October 31, 2010.
61. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, 493 pages. 4.5/5. Finished November 3, 2010.
62. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, 444 pages. 3.5/5. Finished November 9, 2010.
63. Fannie's Last Supper: Re-creating One Amazing Meal from Fannie Farmer's 1896 Cookbook by Christopher Kimball, 250 pages. 3/5. Finished November 11, 2010.
64. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, 361 pages. 4/5. Finished November 21, 2010.
65. The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva, 484 pages. 3.5/5. Finished December 1, 2010.
66. Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz, 217 pages. 4/5. Finished December 2, 2010.
67. Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz, 384 pages. 4/5. Finished December 6, 2010.
68. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, 384 pages. 4.5/5. Finished December 7, 2010.
69. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, 384 pages. 4.5/5. Finished December 17, 2010.
70. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, 431 pages. 4/5. Finished December 24, 2010.
71. Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott, 349 pages. 3/5. Finished December 31, 2010.

2Talbin
Editado: Feb 7, 2010, 11:10 am

I already have some reading planned for the beginning of 2010. I am usually not so organized, and sometimes rebel against planned reading (even if I've planned it myself!) so we'll see if I read all of these when I say I will, or if I go off on a tangent or two.

January
Finish Les Miserables for Le Salon (started in 2009). DONE
Light in August for Le Salon du Faulkner CANCEL
Tess of the D'Ubervilles for the Monthly Author Reads group CANCEL
Inheritance of Loss or The Lovely Bones for Orange January (sponsored by Girlybooks) CANCEL
Paradise Lost for Le Salon Litteraire

February

2666 for the Group Reads - Literature group
My Name is Red for Le Salon
The Monthly Author Reads group has chosen Dickens for February - I may or may not participate . . . we'll see.

Plus . . . I also have a few Early Reviewers books to read. One or more of these may be finished before the end of 2009, depending on my mood. Otherwise, I'll be reading them in January and February.

Bad to the Bone: Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger (October - just arrived) DONE
Snow Angels (a mystery, from November) DONE
Heresy (another mystery, from December) DONE
(I've been very lucky with the ER program lately.)

3Medellia
Dic 31, 2009, 11:10 am

I'm interested to see how you all get on with Paradise Lost next month. Wish I could join in but January's out of the question for me. Be sure and give me some good guidance for when I finally pick it up. :)

I didn't see that Monthly Author Reads was doing Dickens for Feb. I might join in if life has calmed down by then. I haven't read any Dickens since high school and have been meaning to do so. (Haven't been putting him off because I didn't like him, but on the contrary, because I loved A Tale of Two Cities so much that I've been afraid of spoiling that perfect experience ever since then.)

4Talbin
Dic 31, 2009, 11:33 am

I'm really looking forward to re-reading Paradise Lost. I took a Milton/Spenser class back in college, and I just loved PL (and The Faerie Queen, too, for that matter). It sounds like your January will be quite hectic, so keep up with the Wodehouse for your comfort and joy. :-)

I've been going back and forth on Dickens in February. Quite honestly, I've never been a big fan, even though I've read 5-6 of his novels. I keep thinking I should like him and I should try him out again (it's been 20 years), but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it - yet. These may be fighting words for some hard-core Dickens fans out there - I'll have to duck and hide if they find me!

But I also know what you mean about reading one book by an author that you love so much that you worry about ruining the experience. Right now I feel that way about Elizabeth von Arnim (although I've read two of hers, but The Enchanted April was just so perfect for what it was that I've been hesitant to try anything else.

5LisaCurcio
Dic 31, 2009, 11:48 am

I am a Dickens fan, (not hard-core), but I came to like him much later in life--after 50! So maybe 20 years hiatus will have changed your perspective. If A Tale of Two Cities is not one of the books you read, I would recommend it. Certainly different from Great Expectations or David Copperfield. It would be an interesting juxtaposition with Les Misérables, too.

6tiffin
Editado: Dic 31, 2009, 11:49 am

Have you starred now, Tracy. Happy New Year...nearly. I love Paradise Lost - what a cracking good tale he told.
ETA: my favourite Dickens is Bleak House.

7Talbin
Dic 31, 2009, 3:29 pm

>5 LisaCurcio: Lisa - That's good to know - maybe Dickens is an acquired taste for some! I haven't read A Tale of Two Cities, so maybe that's were I could go first. I also haven't read Bleak House (Hi, Tui!), but since A Tale of Two Cities is about half the length of Bleak House, I think I would start there. ;-)

And Tui, I'm really looking forward to PL. I kept meaning to read it in 2009 and never got to it - now I have a reason.

8Talbin
Ene 2, 2010, 9:39 am

I'm beginning to develop a theory which may be somewhat controversial . . . 19th century male novelist as blowhard. :-) This is said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but maybe only somewhat. Admittedly, some of this feeling comes from being annoyed with Hugo's narrator in Les Miserables - he loves to interrupt the plot to give us 10-20-50 pages of philosophizing on the subject at hand, and sometimes I would just like to find out what happens next!

But, somewhat more seriously, the more I reread in the 19th century, the more I feel I'm being lectured to by the male authors, while the female authors seem more interested in telling me a story. Now, of course, as soon as I write this I realize just how many exceptions there are. The very first one that comes to mind is Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom's Cabin. If there ever was a preachy novel, that's it. But I wonder, do I have a leg to stand on in making this generalization? I haven't read enough 19th century novels to do it well, that's for sure.

No matter what, though, for some reason I have a very tetchy relationship with Hugo's narrator in Les Miserables. I'm halfway through the book and I still don't know whether I like him or not.

9rainpebble
Ene 2, 2010, 4:21 pm

Hello Talbin.
Nice to see you.
Elizabeth von Arnim is a wonderful writer. But I do understand what y'all are talking about. I have read her The Enchanted April, Elizabeth and Her German Garden and The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rugen. I did not tire of her nor was I let down as I went along. Much as I loved The Enchanted April, I actually preferred Elizabeth and Her German Garden. In fact the whole time I was reading it, I was thinking to myself: "I wish I had this life." She really has a knack for drawing one in.
I have just begun Les Miserables and do so hope that I do not share your reaction. That is a BIG book to feel mediocre about or to dislike the narrator. I hope it turns around for you.
Best wishes for wonderful reads in 2010.
belva

10Talbin
Editado: Ene 5, 2010, 12:36 pm

I've decided to try the 1010 Category Challenge this year. Here's my thread.

This is an experiment. I have a tendency to rebel against planned reading, but I think I made my categories broad enough - and tailored to my personal tastes - that I might just succeed with this. Oh, and I'm only committing to 5 books in each category. Have I given myself enough leeway? I think so.

Here's my list:

1. 19th Century Classics
2. 20th Century Classics
3. Group Reads
4. Minnesota
5. Virago Modern Classics
6. Mysteries and Thrillers
7. Historical Fiction
8. TBR Pile: 2008 and earlier
9. TBR Pile: 2009
10. LT-Inspired Reading

11Medellia
Ene 5, 2010, 9:59 am

Looking at your 1010 thread: I wholeheartedly endorse Middlemarch, and I'll be interested to see what all falls into your Minnesota category. I still pine for the Twin Cities. *sigh*

12Talbin
Ene 5, 2010, 12:47 pm

Medellia - It was your whole-hearted endorsement of Middlemarch while you were reading it last year that has encouraged me to tackle it this year. I know I won't start it for at least 2-3 months, as I have so many other things planned, but I would really like to read it in 2010.

As for the Minnesota category, I have lots of ideas for that. I started The Translation of Dr Apelles last year and it started out beautifully, but somehow I got sidetracked and didn't continue. I definitely plan to read it this year. Other books will most likely include A Plague of Doves and Main Street, both of which I have but haven't read.

And missing Minnesota? Our lows have been about -15F for the last week! The cold after 10-12 inches of snow topped with a Christmas rain/snow mix means the streets and sidewalks are rutted and icy, with no chance to melt in the foreseeable future. Dog walks haven't been very fun lately, especially for our heat-loving, boot-hating dog Brix. :-)

13Medellia
Ene 5, 2010, 2:40 pm

Good! I've done my part as a Middlemarch evangelist, then.

I never minded much about streets & sidewalks, as I took the bus and walked carefully. :) And I was one of those horrible out-of-towners who actually enjoyed the novelty of the really cold days, though I think the two winters we lived there ('05-'06 and '06-'07) were pretty mild. We didn't get many of the cold-cold ones. I'm laughing at the thought of your poor booted puppy out there on the ice.

14polutropos
Ene 6, 2010, 10:14 am

Hi Tracy,

been reading your adventures with books throughout 2009 but I don't think I have ever poked my head out of lurk-dom.

Total aside here but your dog walks make me speak up about Mark Doty. He is a wonderful, wonderful poet whose poetry cannot be recommended highly enough. But what makes me bring him up is his memoir/dog book called Dog Years which deals with the death of his dog and of his lover. I weep listening to him (I have the book on CD and Doty himself is reading it). I have now given up on it twice, after repeatedly having to pull the car off the road since I cannot see through my tears. A real writer writing beautifully about dogs, relationships, and grief. Most highly recommended, if you can handle it.

Back to lurking.

15Talbin
Ene 6, 2010, 7:33 pm

Andrew - I hope I can call you that? - I am honored to know you've been lurking! I follow your thread religiously.

Thanks for the recommendation of Dog Years. I tend to pick up memoir-ish books about dogs, and find that most are not "real writer{s} writing beautifully about dogs." But I don't know if I can handle a book that that is that much of a tear-jerker - my emotions are easily manipulated when it comes to dogs. :-)

16tiffin
Ene 6, 2010, 9:29 pm

I'm glad you explained "Minnesota". I did a double take when I read it.

17fannyprice
Ene 10, 2010, 11:47 pm

>3 Medellia:, Medellia - I feel the same way, especially when I read that A Tale of Two Cities as considered atypical. I want to like Dickens but I think memories of saccarine Hollywood adaptations of A Christmas Carol have hurt me.

18fannyprice
Ene 11, 2010, 12:00 am

Ah, Talbin, your descriptions of MN winter bring me back.... I was home for Xmas and I just kept thinking "how does anyone live somewhere so freaking cold!?!"

19Talbin
Ene 19, 2010, 10:11 am

>18 fannyprice: :-) Right about now, I have no idea why we're here in MN!

20Talbin
Ene 19, 2010, 10:21 am

Okay, an update. I'm still plowing through Les Miserables - about 300 pages from the end. Unfortunately, I'm finding that I don't like it nearly as well as I wanted to. This bums me out because so many people here on LT love this book. But, since I'm almost 1200 pages into it, I'm certainly not going to quit until it's done!

I must admit, I've taken a few detours with some escapist reading: The Defector by Daniel Silva and Bad to the Bone: Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger by Bo Hoefinger (yes, the dog is the "author" - this was a poor request on my part from the LT early reviewer program). I'm also half-way through Heresy by S. J. Parris, another ER book, a historical mystery set in 1583 Oxford.

Because of my own vanity - I have no other excuse - I'm not going to list anything I've read so far until I finish and review Les Miserables. I started it in 2009, and I plan to list it as the first book finished in 2010. Certainly I can't have a doggie blogger book listed as the first read of the year!

I would really like to get Les Miserables finished before the end of this week so that I can move on to Paradise Lost, Light in August and/or Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

21urania1
Ene 19, 2010, 1:44 pm

22Talbin
Editado: Ene 23, 2010, 6:33 pm

1. Bad to the Bone: Memoirs of a Rebel Doggie Blogger by Bo Hoefinger, 272 pages. 2.5/5. Review. Finished 1/2/2010.

An LT Early Reviewer book which I shouldn't have requested. If you're really into dogs and want a very light-hearted read, this is for you.

23Talbin
Editado: Jul 21, 2010, 9:34 am

2. The Defector by Daniel Silva, 480 pages. 3.5/5. Review. Finished 1/7/2010.

Another installment of Silva's series featuring Israeli spy Gabriel Allon. A solid read, although not one of his best.

24Talbin
Editado: Ene 24, 2010, 9:16 am

3. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, 1,463 pages. 1.5/5. Review. Finished 1/23/2010.

I almost feel like an LT traitor, but I didn't like Les Misérables. I found the story mawkishly sentimental, the characters insipid and one-dimensional (with the exception of Gavroche), and the narrator's digressions drove me crazy. I'm beginning to think that the 19th century novel doesn't agree with me.

25ChocolateMuse
Ene 24, 2010, 9:10 pm

Great review of Les Mis. You wrote:

The other 1,162 pages were filled with the narrator's (Hugo's?) opinions about everything from the uselessness of convents, the history of riots in Paris, the greatness of the French people in general, the sanctity and purity of women and children, and even the worth of human excrement flowing through Paris's sewers.

I actually like this bombastic narrator, partly because I like arguing with him in my head. His opinions are so dogmatic and one-dimensional, I've developed rather an affection for him. He's a bit like my grandad (shhh don't tell him I said that). And I find myself far more interested in the digressions than in the story - the whole Jean Valjean thing is so bleak and predictable, but it's everything else that brings this book to life for me.

26avaland
Ene 25, 2010, 8:57 am

Interesting thread, Talbin! I do beg you give Stowe a few points for using the novel to change the way people think of slavery. Here is a little background on it, in hopes you will forgive her preachiness:-)

http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/utc/

27LisaCurcio
Ene 25, 2010, 9:36 am

Tracy,

I have been thinking about you and Dickens after your response to Les Mis. I still think you might try Tale of Two Cities. For one thing, it is not too long. For another, there is a lot more action and I don't think you could call the story sentimental. Well, maybe the part where someone is willing to go to the guillotine for someone else.

I liked Les Mis, as you know, and did not develop so much of a distaste for the narrator as did you, but I do like Dickens better. (EF, are you lurking here? Am I in trouble?)

28lauranav
Ene 25, 2010, 9:53 am

I loved your review of Les Mis. I read the first volume twice last year and loved it very much. But after starting volume 2 twice I just couldn't push through. Your review captured my issues, and I admire your persistence.

29Talbin
Ene 25, 2010, 2:45 pm

>25 ChocolateMuse: CM - Ironically, I think what will stick with me longest is Hugo's narrator, for all the reasons that you give. I think I read the digressions more carefully than the actual story, if only because I kept wanting to argue with him! I know, when I think of Les Miserables in 20 years, I'll remember the history of the Paris sewer system and Hugo's description of the battle of Waterloo better than I remember exactly what happened to Eponine. ;-)

>26 avaland: Lois - I hope I didn't come off as too cavalier in my reference to Uncle Tom's Cabin! There are very few novels that can claim to have played a major part in changing the political landscape of a country, but UTC is one of them. I think, however, here in the 21st century, it perhaps stands more as a cultural and historical document than as a paragon of literature. Reading it in context of the 19th century abolitionist movement and/or America's view of race (particularly the idea of "Uncle Tom," especially after the Civil War) is an enlightening experience. Stowe used one of the only media that was available to women in the 1850s to get her ideas across, and one could argue that she was more successful than any other abolitionist in drumming up popular support for the end of slavery (at least in the North).

>27 LisaCurcio: Lisa - I feel like you're looking after me - thank you! I really need to get over my "thing" with Dickens. The last Dickens I read was in college (I read four of his novels then), but haven't revisited him since. I should.

>28 lauranav: lauranav - Thanks for stopping by! I guess Les Mis just isn't for everyone. :-)

30Talbin
Ene 25, 2010, 8:14 pm

4. Heresy by S.J. Parris, 355 pages. 3.5/5. Review. Finished 1/25/2010.

An LT Early Reviewer book. An above-average historical mystery from first-time author S.J. Parris. An excommunicated monk from Italy travels to Oxford in the 1580s and gets involved with murder and religious persecution.

31avaland
Ene 25, 2010, 8:58 pm

>26 avaland: Agreed!

32rft
Ene 26, 2010, 6:24 am

#24 : I agree about Les Miserables. Except that I found Gavroche very annoying as well (a character custom-made to befriend the reader and make him/her weep, come on ... ). I read it entirely, but constantly felt that Hugo patted me on the head and told me what I should think. And I strongly dislike when I'm told what to think.

So you're not alone (except that I read it well before LT time ... ).

Have you tried any Zola ? I like them much better.

33Talbin
Ene 26, 2010, 10:06 am

>32 rft: I read it entirely, but constantly felt that Hugo patted me on the head and told me what I should think. And I strongly dislike when I'm told what to think.

:-) Yes. My mother would definitely tell you that I hate being told what to think or do!

Zola - yet another author I need to try. So many books, so little time.

34LisaCurcio
Ene 26, 2010, 11:21 am

Oh yes, Zola! I have three of his Rougon-macquart series on the "definitely going to read those this year" list.

35Talbin
Ene 29, 2010, 7:38 pm

5. Snow Angels by James Thompson, 263 pages. 3/5. Review. Finished 1/29/2010.

An LT early reviewers book - a murder mystery set in a small ski town in Finland. Pretty good for a debut novel.

36absurdeist
Editado: Ene 30, 2010, 1:22 am

I've thumbed up two anti-Hugo reviews in the last 24 hours and I feel like I've betrayed myself. But the human excrement in the sewers of Paris homage paid by Hugo snipe of yours made me laugh out loud, so all is forgiven.

I think idealists love Les Mis, while folks who are more realists than idealists tend toward not liking Les Mis for the reasons you list in your review. What do you think? I first read Les Mis in my early 20s - as a starry eyed ("I know I can change the world") idealist to the core. Now that I've had children for more than a decade (and a wife for even longer! God bless her!), I'm much more a realist, and can see how Hugo's bombast can annoy and irk one's sensibilities. But that impressionable idealist in me doesn't want to give up the ghost, and so I cannot/will not, no way no how, ever speak ill of Les Mis.

I will second or third the raves for A Tale of Two Cities - one of Dickens unramblingiest best (and there's nary of mention of any orphans!). But there's plenty of La Guillotine to last a lifetime.

37Talbin
Ene 30, 2010, 10:38 am

EF - Thank you for the thumb! I'm glad I could make you laugh.

I agree about your comment re: idealists vs. realists and Les Mis. As much as I would like to be an idealist, I know I'm not. I'm also not particularly sentimental or nostalgic. I really think that's why I've never been a big fan of 19th century literature in general. This year I'm committed to reading more of it to see if that opinion can be changed, so we'll see if I feel that way at the end of the year. But really, the Romantics and Victorians mostly leave me cold. There are exceptions, of course, mostly poets like Coleridge and Robert Browning, but overall I don't find as much to enjoy as I would like. And I think your distinction between idealists and realists is a key part of it. I would rather be shown the "evidence", so to speak, and have the author let me draw my own conclusions, rather than be told what to think.

38Talbin
Feb 1, 2010, 10:38 am

6. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, 578 pages. 4/5. Review. Finished 1/31/2010.

In 2054, a history student at Oxford uses time travel to go back to the 1300s. I quite enjoyed this book - a perfect weekend read.

39RidgewayGirl
Feb 1, 2010, 12:07 pm

I'm not a science fiction/fantasy reader by any stretch of the imagination, but the Doomsday Book is a very satisfying read. I have just gotten a copy of To Say Nothing of the Dog and hope to read it soon--I want to read Three Men in a Boat first.

40theaelizabet
Feb 1, 2010, 2:53 pm

>39 RidgewayGirl: RidgewayGirl, I will "ditto" everything you wrote!

>36 absurdeist:, 37 Great review of Les Mis, Talbin. I'm about mid-way through (and must get back to it) and would so far agree with Choc/Muse that the digressions are my favorite part. I'm enjoying it probably because I'm reading more as a "history" than anything else. I do think there might be something to the whole idealist/realist thing, though. My daughter had a teacher who claimed to reread Les Mis every couple of years, sometimes more. And he teaches a course titled "Global Citizenship."

41Talbin
Editado: Feb 2, 2010, 7:15 pm

>39 RidgewayGirl: RG - I have a feeling that strict SF fans don't really think Doomsday Book works as science fiction. When I read reviews, the people who were SF fans tended to really focus on Willis's lack of facility with technology and thus didn't like the book, whereas people who identified themselves as non-SF people liked it. . . . And now that I've read more about To Say Nothing of the Dog and Three Men in a Boat, it seems like I better read Three Men in a Boat first, too.

>40 theaelizabet: theaelizabet - I'm glad you're enjoying Les Mis. I know my not liking it is a minority opinion.

-----------------------------------

Oh, oh. I can feel it coming on - rebellion. Whenever I feel like my reading is too planned out, I start to resent the books I've planned to read and sneak off with other books. I feel like I'm cheating, and it feels good. I'm supposed to be reading Paradise Lost and Light in August - books for January group reads - but I took a detour this weekend with Doomsday Book. For February, I'm supposed to be diligently starting 2666 and My Name is Red, but I just crept over to the shelves and plucked Tana French's In the Woods off the TBR pile. Hmmm. Well, it is February, which - contrary to whatever Eliot may think - is definitely Minnesota's cruelest month. Maybe I should go easy with myself and let my eye wander a bit.

ETA: What happend to all my touchstones? Oh well.

ETA2: And now they all reappeared. Strange.

42TadAD
Feb 2, 2010, 7:37 pm

>41 Talbin:: Now, I'm definitely a SF fan and, yet, I do like Doomsday Book. However, I think I would agree with your feeling. I like it with the part of me that likes non-SF...it's not really good science fiction. However, the SF component of it is so minimal that it doesn't really matter. Does that make sense?

I would definitely read Three Men in a Boat before reading To Say Nothing of the Dog. There are just so many references... There are a number to Dorothy Sayers' Gaudy Night also, but less of them.

43LisaCurcio
Feb 2, 2010, 9:05 pm

>41 Talbin: Tracy, I agree about reading Three Men in a Boat first. It is also good to read it and then readTo Say Nothing of the Dog shortly thereafter. I waited a bit; I still got most of the references, but I think it would have been better had I read them closer together. And they are just fun reads, so they are good for breaking up the tougher ones.

However, have you started My Name is Red? So far, I am thinking it is a good story without worrying about all of the "meaning". You know fellow salonistas are going to point all of that out for us, and we might come up with some of it on our own, too.

Weather is better here in Chicago--at least for the time being.

44Talbin
Feb 4, 2010, 10:08 am

Tad, Lisa - Thanks for the recommendations re: Three Men in a Boat and To Say Nothing of the Dog. I will definitely read them together, and both sound like a lot of fun.

And Tad, I'm glad you agree with my half-a$$ed assessment. I could tell Doomsday Book wasn't up to snuff in the technology area, but I sort of blew by those sections and kept with the stories.

Lisa: However, have you started My Name is Red? So far, I am thinking it is a good story without worrying about all of the "meaning". You know fellow salonistas are going to point all of that out for us, and we might come up with some of it on our own, too.

:-) Quite true. I actually started My Name is Red a few years ago but just couldn't get into it at the time, so it's been languishing on my TBR pile for quite awhile. I think I'll sneak off with In the Woods for a few days, then brush the dust off My Name is Red.

45polutropos
Feb 4, 2010, 10:44 am

Tracy,

I am amused and relieved by your musings. With regards to #41: I always feel rebellion. Whenever I am "supposed" to be reading something, even if I was the one who decided that I am "supposed" to, I rebel. And my long-suffering wife knows that sometimes it is best not to recommend books to me, because I will not read them, or not read them for a long time because she recommended them. (It makes discussion a whole lot more difficult! And she has been putting up with me for over 27 years of bliss. LOL)

So I have been ignoring the books in various group reads which I thought I would be reading now, simply because I am being contrary. Paradise Lost, bah humbug! I AM listening to Light in August, on and off, and loving it, but also interspersing it with many others. Ever since seeing Pamuk doing a reading back in ?November, I felt I should read him. And I should. My Name Is Red is winking at me on my shelves. Will I pick it up? I am not sure yet.

But Three Men in a Boat I have loved for forty years and cannot recommend highly enough. Fun, fun, fun read.

Thanks for providing me with a chuckle. And February IS the cruelest month in Ontario as well as in Minnesota.

46TadAD
Feb 4, 2010, 11:07 am

I'm with you on the rebellion. I have four or five books sitting on my TBR shelf that I keep planning to get to. Just about the time I'm going to pick it up, there is a flurry of LT reviews saying everyone has to read this book...so I set it aside for another few months. ;-D

47absurdeist
Feb 4, 2010, 7:13 pm

41,45,46> whatever you do, DO NOT read Infinite Jest in March. I'm telling you in no uncertain terms: Don't read it! Resist the temptation. I cannot express to all of you deeply enough how much I think none of you should read that book.

48ChocolateMuse
Feb 4, 2010, 7:34 pm

Me too - I'm wondering how much more I would be enjoying Les Mis if I wasn't in a group read. Probably a lot more. (sorry, Salon)

*giggles at Rique*

49avaland
Feb 5, 2010, 8:55 am

Glad to see you are enjoying Connie Willis. I have an arc of her latest on the kitchen table, but don't know when I'll get to it. I think I need to be in the right mood...

Another book that you might like is God's Fires by Patricia Anthony which is set during the Inquisition - it's a similar mix of historical fiction and a little SF (her Flanders is also quite good, set during WWI).

50detailmuse
Feb 5, 2010, 1:49 pm

Doomsday Book -- disease, middle ages, time travel, many recommendations
*onto the wishlist*

51Talbin
Feb 5, 2010, 4:35 pm

Everyone - It's good to know I'm not alone in my rebellion at doing what I tell myself to do. I think it's a sign of a singularly forward-thinking mind. ;-)

>45 polutropos: Andrew - I had to laugh at your description of not reading books your wife recommends - I do the same thing to my husband and it drives him crazy.

>46 TadAD: Tad - Yes, I'm terribly influenced by LT recommendations, too. Luckily for me, Three Men in a Boat wasn't available at the library branch at which I was volunteering on Wednesday, or I'd be reading it now - instead of In the Woods, which is the book I'm reading instead of what I'm supposed to be reading. How many iterations of distraction can one have?

>47 absurdeist: EF - :-) Your reverse psychology just may work.

>48 ChocolateMuse: CM - I almost hate to say it with EF around, but *whispers* I don't think I would have liked Les Mis no matter what the circumstances in which I read it.

>49 avaland: Lois - Thanks for the recommendations - on the wishlist they go.

>50 detailmuse: detailmuse - I hope you enjoy it!

52tomcatMurr
Feb 5, 2010, 10:32 pm

I will out myself here: I am a lurker on this thread!

Tracy, I am interested in your remarks about 19th century lit. If you find Dickens and Hugo too sugary and soppy for you (a charge I admit for Hugo, but not for Dickens) may I recommend George Gissing. He is an often overlooked 19th century writer, with all of Dicken's atmosphere and great descriptive powers and in-depth characterisation, but none of his bombast or sentimentality. His tales of grim working class life and his uncompromising realism may attract someone as revolting as you ---ooops, I mean that in the 'revolution' sense of the word, not the 'revulsion' sense of the word. Oh dear. have to be so careful.

Anyway, having followed your reading, I think Gissing would be to your taste.

53Talbin
Feb 7, 2010, 10:14 am

7. In the Woods by Tana French, 428 pages. 4/5. Review. Finished 2/6/2010.

A nicely-written, absorbing psychological thriller.

54RidgewayGirl
Feb 7, 2010, 10:22 am

I'm glad you liked In the Woods. It seems to be one of those books people either love and run directly out to get a copy of The Likeness (much better and written from Cassie's point of view), or feel bored and dissatisfied with it. I think the ambiguous ending is difficult for some. I remember reading a book from the local library when I was a young teenager in which every single character had their questions answered and were neatly paired off at the end (Eileen Gouge?). This book was the opposite of that, and while I thought it was a strength, I can see why some were upset.

55Talbin
Editado: Feb 7, 2010, 10:32 am

>52 tomcatMurr: Mr. Murr - So wonderful to see you here! I feel honored that you're a lurker here. I am most definitely a lurker over on your thread, but usually don't have much to say because I know so little about the Russians. One day, one day.

Thanks for your recommendation of George Gissing. Is there any particular book you think I should start with?

I've been thinking a lot about my reactions to 19th century literature, and what it is, exactly, that throws me off so many authors. First, I'm not big on sentimentality, never have been. I'm not usually moved by orphans just because they're orphans, or sappy unrequited love, or people who are mean to their grandparents, or what have you. A book can move me, but I don't have an automatic "ahhhh" reflex. I also like some moral ambiguity in my literature (or a story that leaves the moral-making up to me). And I'm not a person who likes argument for argument's sake, so I'm not one of those who has fun reading a book just to disagree with it. (I think that's why Les Mis got under my skin - I wanted to argue with Hugo constantly.)

It seems to me that the 19th century was a time when many novels "needed" to have a moral center, that the author could often assume that his/her readers agreed with the message, and that things like orphans or women on pedestals had almost a symbolic meaning - an automatic reaction that the author could count on. And these tend to be the things I don't appreciate so much in my literature.

This all feels like the rambling thoughts of a Sunday morning (which it is) and so not very coherent. I don't even know if I'll agree with myself tomorrow! But in any case, I've made a commitment to reading more 19th century literature this year to discover just what I've been missing since college.

56Talbin
Feb 7, 2010, 10:42 am

>54 RidgewayGirl: RG - I can definitely see how some people may not like In the Woods. One thing I didn't touch on in my review was how Rob Ryan's character started out quite sympathetically but definitely changed in the book. (I don't want to include spoilers, but you probably know when I decided I didn't like him so much.) Often I read mysteries as pure escape, when things aren't going well in my life, and at those times I would probably not appreciate the moral ambiguity we find in In the Woods. This was not the case here, though, so I had a better appreciation of what French was doing, tying together the ambiguity of the murder, the backstories, and the idea of memory and truth in general.

My edition of In the Woods had the first chapter of The Likeness included at the end, and I think I'm not quite ready for first-person Cassie. Not quite yet. I think I need to let this one settle a bit first.

57tomcatMurr
Feb 7, 2010, 10:44 am

well, judging from that, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on Gissing, as I think his view of things would fit your view.

New Grub Street is a look at the London intellectual scene of the 1880s set among editors and journalists of the vast and thriving newspaper industry.

The Nether World is set among characters at the very bottom of society in the great darkness (as it was known) of London and how their world and character is determined by money.

Gissing is a die hard realist. You will not find any orphans on pedestals here, just orphans struggling for scraps in the gutters of Shoreditch and St Giles. He doesn't go in for happy endings in any way. One of his central concerns, for example is the constant battle against dirt that the very poor are forced to fight, when water has to paid for and carried. This was a smack in the face for those Victorians who liked to spout platitudes such as 'cleanliness is next to godliness' and then turn their noses up at the poor.

At the same time, he writes exceedingly finely tuned prose which is very satisfying to read, and has a great ear for dialogue and eye for character. He's very modern for a Victorian, more George Orwell than George Eliot.

58Talbin
Feb 7, 2010, 11:23 am

Thanks so much for the recommendations, tcM - both books sound quite interesting, and New Grub Street is hereby requested from the library. :-)

59christiguc
Feb 7, 2010, 12:27 pm

Gissing's The Odd Woman is a vmc. I have not read it yet, but it looks good.

60Talbin
Feb 7, 2010, 2:11 pm

Christina! I'm so happy to see you here. Do you have a reading log this year?

Anyway - strange that The Odd Women is a VMC since he's male, but after reading the description it sounds quite interesting.

61tomcatMurr
Feb 8, 2010, 12:22 am

Yes, thanks for that recommendation as well!

62Talbin
Feb 8, 2010, 3:06 pm

8. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, 284 pages. 3/5. Review. Finished 2/8/2010.

Okay. Not my type of book (a "sisterhood" kind of novel), but I was curious because the author posts (posted?) fairly regularly on LT. I requested it from the library over six months ago and forgot about it, but it finally got to me this weekend so I figured "what the heck."

63Talbin
Feb 13, 2010, 1:19 pm

9. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, 370 pages. 4.5/5. Review. Finished 2/12/2010.

I'm not quite sure why it's taken me so long to grab this off the TBR pile, but I'm glad I finally did. As a long-time organic gardener and farmer's market junkie, there wasn't much new here for me. But it definitely reinforced why I believe it's so important to eat locally and responsibly, and it reminded me that spring will eventually come around again so I better get my seeds started!

64christiguc
Feb 15, 2010, 9:49 pm

>60 Talbin: Tracy, I've finally got around to starting my thread here.

re: #62 I bought that book too because the author was a regular contributor to Girlybooks. Haven't read it yet, though. Besides not being your type of book, was it well-written?

65Joycepa
Ago 24, 2010, 9:20 am

Tracy, re Tana French; her books are not for everyone. I loved In The Woods. Ditto with her second book, The Likeness. Her 3rd book, Faithful Place has just come out and is rather different from the other two, with a real effort to capture Dublin speech. Even more of a psychological thriller than her other two, although 'thriller" may not be the right word.

66fannyprice
Ago 25, 2010, 8:52 pm

Tracy, how's it going? Hope all is well with you in MN.

67avaland
Ago 27, 2010, 9:41 pm

>62 Talbin: I had the same problem with that book, which I took up reading for the same reasons you did (I never finished it). I'm just not a sisterhood sort of gal either. I do have her other title and perhaps some day I'll get around to it (gosh, I just realized I was responding to a February post!).

68Talbin
Ago 28, 2010, 8:46 am

Hello! I've decided to slink back into (onto?) Talk after a six month absence. I'm not quite sure what happened except that life got in the way for awhile. Not bad things - just exploring myself and continuing a huge career transition. No, I still don't have a new job, but I've been doing a lot of freelance web design, which has been fun but probably not longterm. After being a corporate executive and a small business owner, I feel like I'm finally returning to myself - discovering that the real me didn't really disappear, she just was hiding behind years of doing what was expected of her.

>65 Joycepa: Joyce!!! Are you back? It's so good to hear from you! Unbeknownst to you, I've been reading your blog and am rooting for you to move to the pueblo - especially after all the troubles lately.

>66 fannyprice: Kris - Things are good. How about with you?

>67 avaland: Lois - Hey, I'm just glad my thread hasn't sunk into complete oblivion.

Next up - a list of all the books I've read since February. Nothing too terribly earth-shattering - mostly mysteries and the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian

69Joycepa
Ago 28, 2010, 1:39 pm

Yeah, Tracy, I'm back. Missed the old group.

I love the Aubrey/Maturin series--I reread them about once every year or so, no joke.

70fannyprice
Ago 28, 2010, 5:19 pm

>68 Talbin: - Yay! Welcome back!

71Talbin
Editado: Sep 3, 2010, 11:25 am

So, in my long time away from LT, I read books 10-47 in my list in the first post. For a variety of reasons, I haven't been able to bring myself to read any books that seem sad - or challenging, for that matter. Being out of work and managing our one-income budget has left me mostly wanting escape. But there were some highlights (and lowlights, for that matter).

The Aubrey-Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian

What a great series! Patrick O'Brian brings the British Royal Navy of the early 1800's to life with Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend, surgeon Stephen Maturin. O'Brian's writing is fluid and graceful, and the relationship that develops between Aubrey and Maturin is an integral part of the books' appeal. I found it difficult to rate each book individually - mostly, the series flows like one long novel.

The Lynley/Havers Mysteries by Elizabeth George

The series started out promisingly with A Great Deliverance (4 stars). I really enjoyed the prickly relationship between upper class Inspector Thomas Lynley and lower-middle class Barbara Havers. However, as each book passed, Havers became more and more of a side character as George focused on Lynley and his friends. Since the Havers character was what attracted me to the series in the first place, I grew less interested with each passing book, finally giving up on the series after the miserable Missing Joseph (1 star).

Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin (3.5 stars)

I didn't enjoy this one as much as her first two books. Perhaps it's because I read it in the midst of reading the Aubrey/Maturin series, and I found Franklin's writing style fairly pedestrian next to O'Brian's graceful prose.

A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates (4 stars)

A short novel, but a good one. Oates does sort-of-normal yet creepy so well, and the ending was both poignant and weirdly off-putting - at the same time.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (4 stars) and The Girl Who Played with Fire (4 stars) by Stieg Larsson

So - I have a few issues with the way Larsson portrays the relationship men have with women. His male protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist, somehow is about the only man in the books who doesn't treat women as sex objects, yet Larsson makes sure to let us know that Blomkvist gets around - a lot. And the emphasis put on Lisbeth Salander's "14-year-old body" is a bit yucky. But . . . the books are exciting and hard to put down. A bit of judicious editing would have been nice; Larsson tends to get a bit detail-oriented in his descriptions. Overall, though, I'm looking forward to reading the last in the series.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (2.5 stars)

Okay, I'll admit it, I read it. It was sitting at the library and I picked it up on a whim. Is it me, or did Brown improve his writing style since his last little book? I was extremely glad to see paragraphs of more than one sentence, and very few exclamation points. When reading The Da Vinci Code, I was so distracted by the grammar and style that I sometimes found it difficult to follow the story. From that standpoint, The Lost Symbol was much improved. However, I thought the story fell flat.

72Joycepa
Editado: Sep 3, 2010, 11:44 am

#71: I think that Grave Goods was not her best book, but the next one is. I have yet to rite a review about A Murderous Procession; very good but not her top form.

As far as Elizabeth George is concerned; she really went downhill IMO in her last few books. I haven't even bothered picking up her latest. I think she's written out plus her styolistic change in the last book I read I thought was about 5 steps backwards from what used to be crystal-clear, beautiful prose. Not any more.

I really liked all of the Stieg Larsson books--I think the last is the best of all! so enjoy.

73RidgewayGirl
Sep 3, 2010, 12:24 pm

I think Elizabeth George's series went downhill because the focus moved from the mysteries and Lynley and Havers working relationship over to a soap opera about how emotionally painful it is not to be able to have a baby and why, oh why, won't you marry me? etc...I don't mind melodramatic family sagas, but I prefer them elsewhere than in my police procedurals.

74Joycepa
Editado: Sep 3, 2010, 2:35 pm

#73: Deborah and her husband St. George were, IMO, not her strongest characters, which doesn't help. For me, her strongest, most interesting character was Barbara Havers, with Lynley AND Helen close behind. Although I have the book, I can't seem to pin down which one starred just Havers and the Pakistani father and daughter. I thought that was one of her finest. I also thought that A Traitor to Memory was outstanding. But What Came Before He Shot Her was so bad I couldn't finish it--here, let me give you a variation on your remark--I don't mind sociological studies but I prefer them elsewhere than in my police procedurals (if you'll forgive me for taking over your comment!). Careless in Red was utterly mediocre and was written after George moved to the Seattle area and became infected with Pacific Northwest wooliness of expression; if it hadn't been her name on the cover, I would have been hard pressed to believe she wrote it.

75Talbin
Sep 3, 2010, 6:19 pm

>73 RidgewayGirl:/74 - I agree with both of you. RG - It all got a bit melodramatic for me, too, and definitely at the expense of the mysteries that were ostensibly being solved. Joyce - Yep, Havers is a great character, and at least in the first 5 or 6 books of the series (the ones I read) she just slowly disappeared - disappointing.

76TadAD
Sep 4, 2010, 7:40 am

>71 Talbin:: Did you read the entire Aubrey-Maturin series? I've read the first nine so far, alternating them with Bernard Conrwell's Sharpe series...you might say, by land and by sea through the Napoleonic Wars. Did the series maintain its momentum until the end?

77Talbin
Nov 1, 2010, 7:12 pm

Added books 54-60 on my 2010 list in the first post. Nothing too wonderful - I continue with escapism.

I'm taking a leap and doing NaNoWriMo this month. There's also Thanksgiving (which I'm hosting) and my sister's wedding (which I'm co-hosting) in November, so I don't see a lot of reading for the month. ;-)

78RidgewayGirl
Nov 1, 2010, 8:13 pm

Good luck with NaNo. I did it the year before last and found it a transformative and exhausting experience.

79wookiebender
Nov 2, 2010, 1:49 am

Oh, I've only read the first Aubrey/Maturin book, and I'm sad to say that all the descriptions of sails bored me witless. Shame, because I've been wondering about those two characters, and what became of them...

I might have to go and check out book 2, and hopefully there will be fewer sail descriptions. :)

Good luck with your November! It sounds *busy*, to say the least.

80Joycepa
Nov 2, 2010, 6:34 am

As far as the Aubrey/Maturin books are concerned: I consider them to be among the best historical fiction written. Yes, you put up with a lot of nautical terms--but IMO, the true test is if you can reread them. I've read the entire series at least 4 times--about once every two years, maybe more frequently--and they never fail to delight.

In fact, it was one of the books that dealt with colonial Australia and the penal colony that piqued my interest in Australia. I'm currently reading the Fatal Shore, which O'Brian used as a primary reference source for his book, #14 in the series, The Nutmeg of Consolation. Although I'm only 122 pages into it, The Fatal Shore is superb so far, and I don't expect it to be anything else s I continue.

If you're a real fan of Aubrey/Maturin--and obviously I am--then I can recommend two books to you that will add enormously to your enjoyment. They're not necessary but again supplement wonderfully.

One is Harbors and High Seas, which is a series of maps and information, a chapter for each of the novels. I don't have the 3rd edition, which probably covers all the books; mine just goes through The Commodore, which is #17. I highly recommend it.

The other companion book is A Sea of Words, which is an amazing lexicon and veritable treasure trove of ancillary information, such as medicine during that time. It doesn't have every last nautical term (at least my edition, the 2nd, doesn't) but it has most of them in the books and it does enhance the reading. Because O'Brian's books are so dense with these terms, it will slow the reading down but I think it's worth the effort, myself.

I very much like the Sharpe series--I have the complete set, along with at least a half dozen if not more of his other books. I consider Cornwell to be another superb historical fiction writer, probably the best now alive along with Sharon Kay Penman (although I think Cornwell is the better writer). But the Sharpe series, again IMO, is not as good as the Aubrey/Maturin series, because there is very little character development in Sharpe whereas both Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are far more complex characters and continue to develop throughout the series. O'Brian's writing style is intriguing and for me adds greatly to the enjoyment of the books. He has a wry sense of humor lacking in Cornwell--and I might add, the Hornblower series, which I've recently reread after decades. Forester's writing is definitely dated; O'Brian's never will be because it's sort of pseudo 19th century and holds up very, very well.

Tracy, I, too, have been doing escapist reading, mostly,and have recently had a string of mediocre books in that genre, too.

By the way, I've recently watched the films of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire--TWICE. They are among the best films of that type I've ever seen, and GREAT adaptations of the books. Once you've seem Noomi Rapace in the films, you'll never see Lisbeth Salander any other way--she is perfect. So is Michael Nyquist as Blomquist, and the rest of the casting is excellent. The acting is superb--Rapace is spectacular. The third film, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest just opened on limited release on October 29, and I absolutely cannot wait to get it.

On the third book: very well done, except that Larsson really doesn't know how to write about romance. I don't have much of a problem with his depictions of relations between men and women per se--figure some of it is cultural--but there are interesting articles out about the fact that at 15, Larsson witnessed a gang rape of a young girl in which he didn't intervene, being afraid. The guilt and feelings of helplessness, according to his long-time live-in partner, caused him to write about very strong, independent women who go their own way. That is true of just about every single woman who plays any role whatsoever in all three books. None of them are weak.

81Joycepa
Editado: Nov 2, 2010, 8:07 am

BTW, Tracy, if you're into really good escapist fiction, try Deon Meyer, from South Africa. Blood Safari and Devil's Peakare terrific. Also, A Small Death in Lisbon by Robert Wilson.

82Joycepa
Nov 2, 2010, 7:26 am

Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

83avaland
Nov 2, 2010, 8:05 am

Tracy, nice to see you back - even though it took me ages to get back over here. Re: Elizabeth George. I agree with you and others that Barbara Havers is the most interesting character in her books. The best book, imo, is Deception on His Mind, which features Havers (if I'm remembering this correctly). If you are interested in reading more, let me know. I have a box of Elizabeth George books somewhere around here, not sure I still have them all, but I'd be happy to send what I have to you. I stopped reading her about five years ago.

Police procedurals are my literary "palate cleansers".

84wookiebender
Nov 2, 2010, 8:19 pm

Joyce, thanks for all the fascinating Aubrey/Maturin and reference books! I think my appetite is being whipped up nicely for some historical fiction, and I'm a sucker for a reference book...

Sadly (for an Australian), I have never read The Fatal Shore. I think my parents have a copy...

85Joycepa
Nov 3, 2010, 6:40 am

#84: one of the nice things for me, as a non-Australian, is that I am FINALLY getting a handle on Australian geography! And having some interesting "myths" blasted--for example, that the whites were the ones who brought in the dingoes--not so, they came with the Aborigines 30,000 years ago!

It's a superbly written and researched book and in sections reads like a thriller. That's history at its best, as far as I'm concerned. But the big problem is putting it down--I stayed up way too late last night reading "just one more page." LOL

86Joycepa
Nov 3, 2010, 6:56 am

Wanting Sheila Dead
Jane Haddam

#26 in the Gregor Demarkian police procedural series set in Philadelphia.

Jane Haddam, as an author, drives me crazy because her books are so uneven. You can have a tautly-written, well-plotted police procedural followed ranting polemic against some aspect of US life or culture, followed yet again by a very good if not spectacular story. That about describes the trajectory of her last three books. so, you never know what you’re going to get when you open the cover, either literally or metaphorically
(in the case of an e-reader).

Haddam always has an ax to grind, but she is remarkably objective about the way she applies it. While it is clear that she dislikes extremists of any stripe, she avoids stereotypes (for the most part) and came come up with surprising characters, both major and minor, who are complex and not at all what one would expect.

In her latest book, Wanting Sheila Dead, she takes off against reality TV, an area bout which I know exactly zip since I’ve never watched such a show in my life. However, her plot revolves around the attitudes and production of such a show, not on audience reactions or even for that matter, the impact of the celebrity host or hostess. But it is pretty clear that Haddam doesn’t think much of the genre.

Since this is #26 or something like that in the series, we are updated on Gregor and his brand-new wife, Bennis. They were FINALLY married in the previous book (it only took about 5 or 6 books in the series to pull the wedding off) and have returned from their honeymoon in Jamaica. Naturally, Demarkian is immediately pulled into the Armenian-American neighborhood’s problems, with suspicious goings-on with an elderly resident; he is also involved in a peripheral sort of way with odd goings-on in the production of the reality TV show, America’s Next Superstar, whose host, Sheila Dunham, is the Sheila of the title--a truly nasty piece of work.

Fully 40% of the book is taken up by the preliminary story, as Haddam leads us through casting and initial production phases. Because there are 16 young female contestants, there is a larger cast than usual for Haddam’s book, but she manages to make them all more or less interesting, even though fairly simple characters--interesting enough, anyway, for the purposes of the plot.

The denouement involving the show is a little bizarre but not far-fetched, not in this day and age in the US. While interesting, the book could have used more of Bennis, Father Tibor, and some of the Armenian neighbors, although The Very Old Ladies--three elderly women who are the Armenian version of the Greek Eumenides and chorus in a Greek tragedy rolled into one--play a prominent part.

Not as good as her best, but still worth reading.

87Joycepa
Nov 22, 2010, 5:32 am

Happy Birthday, Tracy! :-)

88Talbin
Ene 1, 2011, 2:42 pm

It's 2011, and I've set up a new thread at Club Read 2011: http://www.librarything.com/topic/104961

I hope to do a much better job of posting in this new year!