Break's 75 in 2010

Here we go again. I managed to finish 75 books in 2008 only by counting some of the children books I read. (See my list.) I only read 58 books in 2009, but this time I didn't count kids books. (The list.) At the same time I tried and failed with the 999 challenge. But I will keep working no that in 2010, until I kill off all my categories.(See that topic.)

None of this prevents me from trying to read 75 books in 2010.

Books finished:
1. Sue Monk Kidd: The Mermaid Chair, my review (01/05)
2. Paul Auster The Brooklyn Follies, my review (01/08)
3. Rae Meltzer/Kristina Swarner: Yiddish Wisdom for Parents, my review, (01/10)
4. Penny Hutten: Forestville (Images of America: California), my review, (01/13)
5. Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray, my review, (01/14)
6. Mark Nykanen: Primitive, my review, (01/18)
( read last year, review this: Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone, my review (01/21)
7. Rachel Shabi: We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands, my review (01/23) - first review
8. Jo Walton: Farthing, my review (02/03)
9. Ariel Sabar: My father's paradise, my review (02/05)
10. Samuel Butler: The Way of All Flesh, my review (02/07)
11. Robert Harris: Fatherland, my review (02/10)
12. Samuel Johnson: The history of Rasselas, my review (02/11)
13. Susanna Clarke: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, my review (02/16)
14. Mark Podwal: A Jewish Bestiary: a Book of Fabulous Creatures Drawn from Hebraic Legend, my review (02/19)
15. Vladimir Sorokin: Ice (New York Review Books Classics), my review (02/21)
16. Dave Boling: Guernica, my review (03/02)
17. Samuel Richardson: Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded, my review (03/04)
18. John Casti: The One True Platonic Heaven: A Scientific Fiction of the Limits of Knowledge, my review (03/08)
19. (Yasunari Kawabata:) The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, my review. (03/10)
20. Niccolo Ammaniti: I'm Not Scared, my review (03/14)
21. Vladimir Sorokin: Day of the Oprichnik, my review (03/16)
22. Jaroslav Pelikan: Whose Bible is It?: A History of the Scriptures Through the Ages, my review (03/18)
23. Jonathan Tel: Arafat's Elephant: stories, my review (03/24)
24. Tibor Bornai: Loj az ördögre ("Shoot at the devil"), my review (03/26)
25. Israel Zangwill: 831::The King of Schnorrers, my review (03/29)
26. Margarita Engle: 7731069::Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, my review (03/31)
27. Milan Kundera: Ignorance, my review (04/05)
28. Robin Friedman: The importance of wings, my review (04/07)
28.5 April Halprin Wayland: New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, my review (04/09)
29. Lugosi Viktória: Dafke, my review (04/12)
30. Philip Jose Farmer: The Green Odyssey, my review (04/14)
31. Alexander Pope: Scriblerus, my review (04/16)
32. Stephen King: 5252665::Just After Sunset my review, (04/20)
33. Tatiana de Rosnay: Sarah's Key my review, (04/22)
34. Nathaniel Hawthorne: 17018::The House of the Seven Gables, my review, (04/26)
35. Barbara Diamond Goldin: 1806455::The Family Book of Midrash: 52 Jewish Stories from the Sages, my review, (04/28)
36. Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
37. Elie Wiesel: The Accident
38. Dezso Kosztolányi: Pacsirta, my review (04/30)
39. Zoltán Winkelmayer: Ferencvárosi mozi, my review (05/03)
40. Ildikó Tóth: Tamás könyve, my review (05/05)
41. Jaspreet Singh: Chef, my review (05/07)
42. Ambrus Gönczi: Üdvözlet a Ferencvárosból II., my review (05/10)
43. Estelle Chasen Ribbons For Their Hair, my review (05/18)
44. Mihály Babits: Hatholdas rózsakert (The six-acre rose garden),my review (06/16)
45. Max Brooks: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War , my review (06/24)
46. Jack Cooper: Who Knew?! Unusual Stories in Jewish History, my review (08/10)
47. Nachman of Breslov: Outpouring of the Soul Rabbi Nachman's Path in Meditation, my review (08/15)
48. Ralph Barnett: Spiritual e-Soup: A Compilation of Inspirational Messages from the Internet, my review (08/20)
49. Eboo Patel: Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation, my review (09/05)
50. Gyorgy, N Varga Vicckosar, my review (09/10)
51. M. M. Buckner: Hyperthought, my review (09/15)
52. Etelka, Gorgey: Csodaidok: Hazaterok (09/20)
53. Zoltan Poos: Taskaradio 50 ev, otven magyar slager, my review (10/31)
54. Zoe Heller: The Believers (10/31)
55. (1) Ben Aronin The Secret of the Sabbath Fish, my review (11/01)
56. (2) Mayer Bendet: Shabbos treats that grew , my review (11/07)
57. Gila Almagor: Under the Domim Tree, my review (11/14)
58. (3) Janell Cannon: Stellaluna, my review (11/14)
59. (4) Margot Zemach: It Could Always Be Worse, my review (11/14)
60. (5) Galila Ben-Uri: The Missing Crown, my review (11/15)
61. (6) Esther Silverstein Blanc: Berchick, my review (11/16)
62. (7) Marie-Louise Gay: Stella, Princess of the Sky, my review (11/22)

Haven't finished any book yet, but here is what's on my list to start with:

1. I won my first e-book couple of months ago as an Earlyreviewer. I didn't manage to start reading it (I prefer paper over screen), but got a message today from LT that if I don't it will decrease the chances of getting future books. So one of the book Iam reading now is Mark Nykanen's Primitive.

2. Another ER book I won (a real, paper copy) is We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands by Rachel Shabi

3. I already have queued up two audio books I downloaded from librivox: The way of all flesh by Samuel Butler and

4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, prompted by this group.

5. My local community's book club will read Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster on January 6, so I will have to finish that too.

6. A friend gave me a copy of A Canticle for Leibowitz by later M. Miller, so that's also on my shortlist.

7. My father gave me a copy of the The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, so that's also coming up soon.

Once the public library reopens on Monday I will get some alternative history and historical fiction, so I could finish/progress with my 999 challenge.

Welcome back!

>2 break:, alternative history?! My favorite! What are you considering? I'm a big fan of Eric Flint's non-magical stuff...1812: The Rivers of War and 1824: The Arkansas War. If your local has them, I'd encourage you to consider those.

Cheers, and good luck with the challenge!

Hi break - That Shabi book looks interesting. I have been recommending Operation Babylon which tells the story of the exodus of Arab Jews and their arrival to Israel in the 40s & 50s. Look forward to your review.
Good luck with your 999 reading, I finished mine in early December.

Glad to see you back with us again, break!

Thank you drneutron, richardderus, avatiakh and alcottacrefor the warm welcome

re 4
I read 1632 from Flint and mostly liked it. It's a little bit too technical/much on the battle/fighting side for my taste. Otherwise it was fun to read. If I won't find anything else in the public library from LT's top alternative history list I might get back reading more from Flint.

re 5
Thanks for the Operation Babylon recommendation. Definitely looks interesting. Congratulation on finishing 999.

Hey break...that link to the alt-hist list is broken, just to let you know.

Oops, I was doing too many things at the same time. Thanks for pointing it out.

Here is the correct link: http://www.librarything.com/tag/Alternate%20history&more=1

>7 break:: I read 1632 and 1633 and rather enjoyed them. Then I hit 1634 and almost broke my jaw falling asleep from boredom—it was totally different in character, more a history book complete with theological debates rather than military sf. I circular-filed the series at that point.

If you'd like some recommendations...?

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon was one of my favorite reads in this group two years ago...an alternate look Jewish settlement after World War II.

Jo Walton's books are rather chilling looks at an alternate European society and history...what if the Fascists triumphed? I've only read the first (Farthing) so far, but I really enjoyed it.

Guy Gavriel Kay's stuff is really alternate history for all that it sometimes tagged as fantasy and generally ranges from "well-received" to "loved" by people here who try it. His best are probably Tigana and The Last Light of the Sun, maybe also The Lions of Al-Rassan.

A book that made the rounds of the group in 2008 was World War Z. I was skeptical (zombies?...come on!) but ended up enjoying it like many others.

Thank you TadAD.

I read The Yiddish Policemen's Union. For now I think I would venture beyond Flint's work, so I appreciate the Walton, Kay and Brooks recommendations. Wioll check them out as son as my current pile decreases.

1. I finished The Mermaid Chair and reviewed it. (It's a bit disheartening to be the 105th review, when in the past I was the first reviewer for more than a dozen books.)

Seconding Jo Walton's books for early inclusion in your reading plans! Ha'penny and Half-a-Crown are both very interesting and well-written books.

I am very partial to The Severed Wing by Martin Gidron. The alternate universe posits a very different end to WWI, and a year 2000 with a tech level comparable to OTL 1950. It's unjustly underknown, so I hope you'll seek it out and see for yourself.

Thank you Richard. A Walton boks is on his way to my library for pickup right now.

I also added Gidron to my ever increasing list of TBR.

2. Meanwhile I finished and reviewed my second book of the year: Paul Auster's The Brooklyn Follies

And now I am onto 3 others listed in the second post.

Liked your review a lot, so I gave it a thumbs-up.

I'll be very interested to hear what you think of the Gidron book when you read it...this year? Next? The way LT affects reading, the latter might be more likely.

I admit I am bit a overwhelmed, when thinking of my future reading list. I usually have my list set for the next 5-10 books and it is hard for me to think/plan beyond that. I do have books to read for my book club, books I want to read for my semi-professional blog/site and a few interest areas. But when it comes to sci-fi or alternative reality they are in the "guilty pleasure" category. So at this point I am not sure when I will get to Gidron. But it's on the list, so I will. I have a feeling it might end up being a summer reading.

Summer 2010? That's a rapid rise for a guilty pleasure! Hope you're enjoying your current read, too.

This was not on my reading list, but stumbled upon it and couldn't resist:

3. Yiddish Wisdom for Parents by Rae Meltzer/Kristina Swarner (my review)

Beautiful artwork! "Like garden, like gardener" makes sense in this context particularly.

Thumbs-upped you!

4. Forestville (Images of America: California) by Penny Hutten (Touchstone doesn't work for this, but here is my review. The first for this book.)

you managed 75 books. i can only manage 25

I am not sure I will manage 75 this year. Last year it was only 58. But the fun and the quality of the book counts more than the numbers. So go ahead and enjoy what you read not matter how many books you end up doing. :-)

You've accomplished something I never expected...made me thumbs-up something about California! I don't like it there...born in Stanford University hospital, grew up on Green Street, Russian Hill; Los Gatos; and Arcata in the summer for the first few years of life, and haven't been back voluntarily since moving to Texas at age 6.

Great work!

Too bad that you don't like CA any more. It's beautiful country.

5. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, my review.

6. Primitive by Mark Nykanen, my review

Very enjoyable review, and I've wishlisted the book! Thanks.

>22 richardderus: - One of the cool things about California is the variety of scenery, climates, people, etc. There aren't many places in the U.S. where you can go surfing in the morning, hop in your car and be skiing that afternoon (not that I do either of those things). In a couple of days you can go from a desert below sea level to snow topped mountains to redwood rain forests to beaches. I spent 9 months in Texas when I was 8 and haven't been back there voluntarily. I'm sorry, richard, that of all the regions of California, there isn't one that you would come back to see.

>26 mamzel: But mamzel, I *have* been back...the key word is "voluntarily." As for Texas, I think 30 years was enough. I had a 13-year stint in Manhattan, and now live on Long Island. It suits me. I couldn't deal with another 100F-plus summer. *uchhh*

I love the diversity of humankind. One lifestyle/location suits one person and another another. I cannot imagine myself being happy in Manhattan, now that I live in a village of 2000 souls. (Despite having stayed a great year 20 years ago in London, which is an even bigger Metropolis than NYC, if I recall correctly.)

Meanwhile I finished another book:
7. Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone, my review

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher is a true-crime nonfiction book, that along with the actual crime story itself, talks about the interplay of police detectives as a specialty and literary detectives. The Moonstone is shown throughout the book as both inspired by and an inspiration of real detectives like Whicher. Summerscale's book was pretty good, might be worth a look.

Cool, good to know.

I am not much of a detective story buff, so I will probably skip it. But I always appreciate learning more about books. THX.

I loved The Moonstone and can't wait to read Mr Whicher also - thanks for the rec!

This was a tough one. But as I won it as an Early Reviewer I felt had to read and review it:

8. Rachel Shabi: We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands, my review

Wow, Gabor, what an excellent review of Shabi's book. It was a book that I tried to win on ER, but am now glad that I didn't. I probably would have found reading it depressing.

As a former resident of the "development town" of Qiryat Shemona where my ulpan (Hebrew language school) was located in 1973, I developed a great love for Mizrachi Jews. I am proud to say that my Israeli family is now a conglomeration of both Ashkenazi and Mizrachi Jews. As generations succeed one another, perhaps these social problems might eventually lesson. However, I fear for Ethiopian Jews whose skin color is more of a mark of distinction and for Israeli Arabs whose religion make them targets for being pushed to lower levels of the social strata in Israel. Yes, I'm a left-leaning Jew as well. *sigh*

Anyway, thanks again for a such a thoughtful and well-expressed review!

Thank you for sharing your perspective and family history bit.

"As generations succeed one another, perhaps these social problems might eventually lesson."

Exactly. Shabi's research and writing points to this direction, even if she never says so.

The problem with Shabi's book was not recognizing the positive changes as historical (dare I say dialectical) ones. E.g. On one hand she says there were no Mizrahi politicians for a long time. Next she talks about the problems the recent Mizrahi politicians had. She acknowledges on the side that the fact there are Mizrahi politicians now. But then she disregards her own recognition by pointing back in time when it was not the case. I.e. instead of encouraging the progress she opts to use examples of the past, why things are bad now. Faulty logic in my book.

This is not to say that Mizrahis became equal in all areas. But saying that there was no progress (which she often suggests) is different then there was not enough and there is more to do. (With which I can agree.)

I am slowly going back and trying to write reviews of books I read last year. E.g. I realized that I finished Moonstone before December 31, so I shouldn't count that towards this year's total. (Changed opening accordingly.)

I also spent some time this morning writing a review for another "book" I read last year: Ask the Kabala Oracle Cards by Deepak Chopra. here is my review.

And now back to one of the four books I m reading now.

Added a review of another Kabbalah deck I read last year:
The Kabbalah Deck by Edward Hoffman

#32 I just read your review of We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands and do want to read it for myself. I just can't believe that she writes that there is still so much inequality in Israel between the ashkenazi and mizhrahi, when firstly there have been so many mixed marriages in the past thirty years that many modern Israeli families are blended. I know that in the past there were many problems, but Israel was asked to absorb a great number of Jewish refugees from Arab countries while it was still struggling with war and becoming a country in itself. The economy would have been almost non existent and unable to support successfully what had to be done to establish the new towns.
Your review is really interesting and I can understand your feelings as you read the book, so glad that you persevered.
My husband (East European descent) is from Tel Aviv, Israel so I'm always interested in the social history of the country. He just mentioned that his Yeminite friend always said that those folks who settled in Israel before the Holocaust had it made while those who came later all struggled.
I'm glad that I starred your thread back when you first mentioned reading this book. I'm looking forward to your other reviews.

Thank you for reading the review

"I just can't believe that she writes that there is still so much inequality in Israel between the ashkenazi and mizhrahi"

I don't have first hand experience of Israel and haven't been there since 1993, so I don't know to what extent it is true.

But I had a beef with the author when she discarded all the positive integrative changes that happened in this regard the last 50-60 years. She simple says that none of those matter until there is full equality. She equates those who say that mizrahis are already equal in every aspect with Mizrahi with those who argue that there is no racism in the US, because African-Americans are already equal. For me the two is not the same.

But as I said, I don't know the "real" situation in Israel. Real is quotation marks, because the situation is subjective to every individual. One person of Mizrahi descent may feel just like everybody else an other may feel oppressed. This book represents the latters mostly.

Well - I better get on and read the book. I just have to see what she has to say and how.
Thanks again for bringing the book to my notice.

'.....when she discarded all the positive integrative changes that happened in this regard the last 50-60 years....' - I'd have a beef too!

>32 break: Thumbs up from me! Trenchant review.

I agree avatiakh that you should read it for yourself. It is informative and researched enough to make it worth, even if you don't agree with the author's finer points.

Meanwhile I wrote another review for a book I read last year, a dystopian novel:
Robert Bloch: This crowded earth

#41: Another nice review, break. I will have to look for that book as I really like dystopians.

>41 break: You won me over on that review, as well. Your thread is getting dangerous to my economic health.

8. Jo Walton: Farthing (my review 02/03)

#44 Farthing sounds interesting - I've added it to my wishlist. I just finished a WWII alternate history set in Germany so it will be interesting to read one set in the UK.

Funny, I am reading (and third way through) Fatherland right now. As you say, it will be interesting to compare the two.

Finished two more books, but had no time to review them yet:
9. Ariel Sabar: My father's paradise
10. Samuel Butler: The Way of All Flesh

Currently reading
Robert Harris: Fatherland
Samuel Johnson: The history of Rasselas
Tobsha Learner: The Witch of Cologne
Arthur Green: Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow

I will interested in seeing what you think of Fatherland, break. I have heard some good things about that one.

11. Robert Harris: Fatherland
12. Samuel Johnson: The history of Rasselas

I posted reviews of the two above and to the the previously read books too (My father's paradise and The Way of All Flesh)
.

#49: Nice reviews, break. I thumb upped them all.

#49 Great reviews, especially Fatherland (which coincidentally was the book I was referring to in my post above!)

Thank you both

re 51. I know I checked your reading list :-)

I wrote two more reviews (or more precisely reflections) of books I read last year
The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle
Looking Backward from 2000 to 1887 by Edward Bellamy

13. Susanna Clarke: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

I enjoyed your thoughts on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, it was a book I really enjoyed when I read it some time ago and I hadn't come across the web page before.

I've been trying to find out more information about the film but the latest update I can find is Oct 09 and the script still wasn't written then. I think it has the potential to be a great film though.

Maybe we shouldn't hold our breath for the movie. See this interview with the screenwriter from September:
http://marksalisbury.blogspot.com/2009/09/joanthan-strange-mr-norrell.html

14. Mark Podwal: A Jewish Bestiary: a Book of Fabulous Creatures Drawn from Hebraic Legend (02/19)

I've admired Podwal's illustrations in Golem: The Giant Made of Mud, A Jewish Bestiary sounds interesting and fantastical.

I ended up buying a copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell as I knew I couldn't read a book that size in the alloted time the library gave me. It was quite an undertaking but one I enjoyed. I've raced through a few novels lately because the movie was coming out, and then after the reviews have decided not to bother seeing it - The Vintner's Luck was one of these.

BTW - bookaholic just reviewed the Rachel Shabi book over on her 1010 challenge thread.

Thank you avatiakh, for pointing out the new review of Shabi's work. I fully agree with it.

15. Vladimir Sorokin: Ice (New York Review Books Classics) (02/21)

#59 Wow! Great review of Ice. Sadly my library has no books by Sorokin but I will keep an eye out for his books.

Thank you. I guess I should have mentioned that it has 2-3 brutal scenes. I even got a bit sick reading one of them. But as I understand, brutality is often part of Russian reality nowadays. :-(

>59 break: Gabor, your good review of Ice is deservedly a Hot Review still, several days after you first posted it.

Something you said in that review, about your mother in Hungary appreciating Russian literature perhaps more than American audiences do, set me to thinking about something.

I don't know diddly-squat about Hungarian literature. Oh, I've read some translations of Imre Kertesz and some of Ferenc Molnar's plays (blech, plays, hard to read and no fun at all for non-actors) and some of Baroness Orczy's romantic nonsense...but none of that tells me much about the literature.

I went to http://www.hlo.hu/ to see what I could find out...looked on Wikipedia...lots of information, but very little help in contextualizing it. Do you have any guidance you'd be willing to give me?

Thanks Richard for asking.

(I never heard or Baroness Orczy. Seems like she was writing in English, so she could be considered more of an English author.)

I am not really familiar what Hungarian literature was translated to English. Historically speaking, like most European countries, we have early sacred texts, Bible translations, Renaissance poets, then with the stabilization of the "official" language (rules, spelling, new words..) the first novels start to show up.

So in a nutshell Hungarian literature follows that of general European literature. Depending on what kind of books you are interested in you could probably find an original Hungarian work or two in that genre. Atleast in Hungarian, I have no idea what's in English.

Surprisingly the wikipedia page on it is inconclusive, but they do link to some sources that is not.

I've never seen hlo.hu, but then I don't usually seek out info about Hungarian literature in English. They seem to mix latest with older materials. The funny thing is that under "works" they mostly have current authors' pieces, (which I am not that familiar with. While in the 'review' section they mostly write about works that are considered classic Hungarian literature by now.

I am not really sure what guidance I could offer. I am no historian of literature, but I know what I like. Here are some examples of those from hlo.hu

1. István Örkény's short shorts are always fun, even if one doesn't get the koan-like humor right away.

2. Miklós Radnóti's poems (#2, #3) are deep and full of pain, bu reverbating with me. He was of Jewish origins and killed in WWII.

3. Frigyes Karinthy's humor is jovial and fuzzy. I like his novels but here are two short stories.

4. Ernő Szép has a shocking book in English about WWII (The smell of humans), but here are his lyric, self-inspective thoughts on the Great War.

I have to go now, but if you have specific questions I can try to answer it. Or you could ask it n the Hungarian LT group

Thanks, Gabor! I have some places to start now, and that's always a big help. I've wishlisted The Smell of Humans, even though it sounds very hard to read.

Thanks Richard for mentioning "Hot Review." I wasn't even aware of this feature of LT. I now added it to my entry page.

16. Dave Boling: Guernica, my review

( I also posted a review of a book I read last year: Philip K. Dick: The man in the high castle)

#66: Wow! What a privilege you had to sit in the book group with those people.

Yes, it felt like an honor.

17. Samuel Richardson: Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded, my review

18. John Casti: The One True Platonic Heaven: A Scientific Fiction of the Limits of Knowledge, my review

#69: That one sounds interesting. I will have to look for it. Thanks for the recommendation.

19. (Yasunari Kawabata:) The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, my review.

I had put the author's name in parenthesis as he was only the "modernizer" of this tenth century Japanese folk tale. I think LT made a mistake showing him as the author. He is clearly not listed as such in the book itself.

#71: The book looks beautiful! Another great review, too. Thumbs up.

I'm really enjoying reading your reviews. Thanks.

20. Niccolo Ammaniti: I'm Not Scared, my review

21. Vladimir Sorokin: Day of the Oprichnik, my review

The Ammaniti book is on the 1001 books to read list, thus it has quite a few reviews. But the other book wasn't even published in English yet, so my review is the first in English (besides a Dutch and a link to a Russian one.)

Both were quite dark.

22. Jaroslav Pelikan: Whose Bible is It?: A History of the Scriptures Through the Ages, my review

I've really enjoyed your last few reviews.

I have Volume 1 of Pelikan's The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine on my TBR pile (with a bookmark in at about page 5). I can't remember why I stopped reading it. Anyway, Whose Bible Is It? was already on my wishlist, perhaps I should prod myself to finish the one I started!

Thank you arubabookwoman and souloftherose for dropping me a note about you liking my reviews. I enjoy writing them.

That Pelikan book looks interesting too. 5 pages down only 437 to go. :-)

I just posted a short review for a book I read last year:
Kim Stanley Robinson: The Years of Rice and Salt, my review

23. Jonathan Tel: Arafat's Elephant: stories, my review

#78: Nice review of the Tel book. I will have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation!

--> 78

I thought Tel's book was excellent. I just loved the snapshots of the very different characters in each of his stories. I would love to read more by this author.

Thank you alcottacre.

I agree SqueakyChu. I didn't find anything else by this author. I will let you know when/if I do.

24. Tibor Bornai: Lőj az ördögre ("Shoot at the devil"), my review

>81 break: Tibor, that was a great review! I wish I could read it, but learning Hungarian isn't on my life list of painful efforts...it was cast out by the need to learn Sanskrit. So far, I'll need to live to be 114 for that to reach the top of the list.

I understand Richard, although I am not sure which language (Sanskrit or Hungarian) would be easier to learn. :-)

BTW: The author's first name was Tibor and mine is Gabor. Similar, but not the same.

25. Israel Zangwill: The King of Schnorrers, my review

26. Margarita Engle: Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, my review

>83 break: GABOR, I knew that, and I apologize for being careless in my typing! Please to forgive.

Israel Zangwill was a favorite of my father's. I haven't read The King of Schnorrers (which, along with "stinkin' chozzer" was my father's mother's favorite insult to hurl at her Bavarian Catholic husband) but now....

#84: Thanks for the recommendation of that one. Sydney Taylor was one of my favorite authors growing up and I just learned of the award in her name this past year, so I am definitely interested in reading the prize winners.

re 85

No problem, Richard. I haven't even heard of Zangwill's name until I searched librivox for books with Jewish topics. I guess we are of different generations. Reminded me that so many of authors who were well-known in their own time are not now. It's a pity.

I read on wikipedia that Zangwill's play "the melting pot" popularized this term applied to the US. I couldn't find though whether he was the first one to use this term or nor.

re 86
I am still yet to read anything from Sydney Taylor himself. I read several books that won the prize bearing his name though. Is there anything you can recommend, alcottacre?

off topic:
I just made the list of top 1000 most prolific reviewer of LT:
http://www.librarything.com/z_reviews.php

I wrote 139 reviews so far and that's the lowest number you could get in with. I think LT updates that list once a month. Up till yesterday the lowest number you could get in was 135. I reached that number 10 days ago and ever since than I kept checking whether I am in. I guess to stay on the list I would have to write at least 5-6 reviews this month. Shouldn't be a problem, but I never know how heavy my workload might become.

#87: The only books that I have read of Taylor's were her juvenile books (I am not sure she ever wrote anything else.) She wrote a series called the All-of-a-Kind Family that I just loved as a kid.

#88: Congratulations, Gabor!

>87 break: So far as I know, Zangwill used a phrase that was current among magazine and newspaper journalists of the day to title his hit play, which gave extra currency and legitimacy to the phrase. I don't know that any systematic research has ever been done on the origin of the phrase, but the concept was used to justify the exclusion from America of many ethnicities wanting to emigrate here (eg, Chinese)...they were too different to melt into the pot.

>88 break: Congratulations! That's a cool statistic. I wonder where I fall.

27. Milan Kundera: Ignorance, my review (04/05)

28. Robin Friedman: The importance of wings, my review (04/07)

28.5 April Halprin Wayland: New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, my review (04/09)

New Year at the Pier is so adorable! I need to send that to my grandkids. Thanks for the review, Gabor!

re 90 "I wonder where I fall."

You are 491st out of the 1000. But that's not counting ties.

Cool! Thanks for letting me know, Gabor! (Can you tell I'm working hard on NOT calling you "Tibor" again? ;->)

#91: I added The Importance of Wings to the BlackHole. I found out Ignorance was already there. Thanks for the great reviews, Gabor.

re 94
I'm working hard on NOT calling you "Tibor"

Thank you. Would it help if you'd know that "Tibor" comes from the river Tiberius and more or less means sacred place; while "Gabor" comes from the Hebrew "gibor" meaning strong man, hero?

re 95

It's possible that Ignorance was already on your list because it is on the "1001 books to read..." list. I found that out only after I read the book.

How large is your BlackHole?

29. Lugosi Viktória: Dafke, my review (04/12)
A Hungarian novel about a couple (and their families) who is trying to have a child.

#97: Right now, the BlackHole has upwards of 10,000 books in it. I am sure it can hold many more.

re 99
Wow. How much of it you think you will get to in your lifetime? And how do you keep track of it? It seems not in LT, I checked your book listing.

30. Philip Jose Farmer: The Green Odyssey, my review (04/14)
run-of-the-mill sci-fi

#100: I keep the BlackHole on Goodreads. I started entering the titles over there before LT had collections and I just refuse to have to re-enter them all over here. Right now on Goodreads, I have about 7000 titles listed, but I have at least 3 notebooks (you know, the old-fashioned way of keeping track of the BlackHole) that have not yet made their way to Goodreads.

I do not think I will get to nearly as many as I want to in my lifetime. I am holding out the hope that Heaven contains a humungous library with every title imaginable (in multiple copies, of course.)

re 102

Thank you for the answer, got it. I have a GoodReads account, but don't really use it. LT is quite satisfying my needs. I understand that importing several thousands of works is not something that you would want to do. If you'd ever consider though I would remind you that LT can do batch import based on ISBNs. So if you could export your BlackHole list from GoodReads (and if all/most books have an ISBN there) importing to LT coudl be much simpler than you may think. Anyway, it is easier to keep track of it in one place.

31. Alexander Pope:Scriblerus my review (04/16)

#103: Actually, keeping the BlackHole on Goodreads is pretty easy for me. I just keep LT, GR, and my local library's websites open all at the same time so that I can put books on GR as I need to.

#104: Another nice review, Gabor. Thumbs up from me and I am definitely looking for that one.

32. Stephen King: Just After Sunset my review, (04/20)

33. Tatiana de Rosnay: Sarah's Key my review, (04/22)

Strong Man, I thumbs-upped the last tgwo reviews with happy smiles since I didn't want to add them to my ever-expanding wishlist!

#107: I just recently bought that one. I enjoyed your review of it and am looking forward to learning more about the Shoah from the book.

Thank you Richard and alcottacre.

34. Nathaniel Hawthorne: The House of the Seven Gables, my review, (04/26)

#110: My name is Stasia. Please use it - everyone does :)

Apologies, Stasia, I didn't know. That's an interesting name, I don't know anybody else, who shares it. I found that:
The girl's name Stasia \s-ta-sia\ is a variant of Anastasia (Greek), Eustacia (Greek) and Stacy (English), and the meaning of Stasia is "resurrection; good grapes; to stand".

Isn't etymology fun?

#112: One of the reasons I chose the name is because of its meaning of 'resurrection.' I wanted a new beginning and a name that would suit.

>112 break: I, personally, think of Stasia as "Good Grapes Lady."

Good grapes? What have I got to do with grapes, Richard?

>115 alcottacre:...Stasia! The city where you live is located in the Eden of the Grapes! Don't tell me you've never heard of T. Volney Munson?! The Grape Man of Texas? The entire Red River Valley is Grape-idise!

#116: OK Richard, I will not tell you, but I have never heard of T. Volney Munson.

>117 alcottacre: *faints* So go read the book! He's fascinating!

#118: Well, my local library seems to have it, so I will try and pick it up some time. Thanks for the recommendation, Richard.

I guess I should check out that book too, as I live in wine country. But I don't drink wine....

35. Barbara Diamond Goldin: The Family Book of Midrash: 52 Jewish Stories from the Sages, my (first of this book) review, (04/28)

I do not drink wine either!

I had almost no time to read and none to write (reviews) in May so far. I only finished:

36. Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
37. Elie Wiesel: The Accident

I am taking a transatlantic flight tomorrow and plan to finish three books. I am at various stages in:
38. Herbert Tarr: The conversion of Chaplain Cohen
39. Molly Picon: So Laugh a Little
40. Jaspreet Singh: Chef

I hope I can finish them and maybe find time in Europe to write my impressions of them.

Safe travels, Gabor!

I hope when you return you will write up a review of the Elie Wiesel book. I have not read that one yet.

Re: The Grape Man of Texas...I don't know if today's French folk know it, but it was this very Texan (naturalized) who saved the **entire** wine industry of their nation, and the rest of Europe, from death by phylloxera.

Denison, Texas, where he settled, is what he called "the Garden of Eden for grapes." Denison Community College has a good viticulture program. Why Central Texas took so long to become a winery area I will never know...though the cussedness of Texas's anti-everything forces should be enough of an explanation.

re 123
When I get back to the US I will post a review of Wiesel's accident. I like to write reviews when I can look at the book itself. Right now I cannot.

re 124
Fascinating Richard. Thank you.

I finished only Chef and a Hungarian novel on the flights.
Here is my review of the latter:

38: Dezső Kosztolányi: Pacsirta, my review

#125: I appreciate you taking the time to do it, Gabor! No rush.

39. Zoltán Winkelmayer: Ferencvárosi mozi, my review

40. Ildikó Tóth: Tamás könyve, my review

I sure wish those last two books were available in English!

Sorry, Stasia, they aren't. I am sure there are similar books in English though.

41. Jaspreet Singh: Chef, my review

42. Ambrus Gönczi: Üdvözlet a Ferencvárosból II., my review

Posted a short review of a book I read last year: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

#132: Nice review, Gabor, but I think I will be skipping that one.

I agree Stasia. There are so many good books, why read one which may not be the best of the crop. I read it in my quest for historical fiction.

Meanwhile I posted a review of another book from last year. This one I can recommend wholeheartedly though.

My Antonia by Willa Cather

#134: My Antonia is my favorite of Cather's books. I am glad you liked it!

43. Estelle Chasen Ribbons For Their Hair, my review

I also posted my review of Elie Wiesel's The Accident.

Posted a review of a book I read last year:
A Graveyard for Lunatics by Ray Bradbury

Nice reviews, Gabor!

Thank you, Stasia.

44. Mihály Babits: Hatholdas rózsakert (The six-acre rose garden), my review (first for this book)

Wrote up some reflections on a book I read earlier this year:

Markus Zusak: The Book Thief

Loved reading your thoughts on The Book Thief, it's a long while since I read it but it still resonates. I'm looking forward to seeing what he writes next.
I'm glad to have read your review of Birth of Venus as I started it back in February and stalled after the first chapter. I went to hear Dunant speak back in February or March and everyone was loving her latest Sacred Hearts so I might make that my first Dunant book instead. I was impressed with her knowledge of that historical period so do want to read at least one of her books.

Dunant sure knows her history. I am not sure though that I will try her new book.

Meanwhile I posted my reflections on the autobiography of the inventor of the ball-point pen:
László József Bíró: Csendes forradalom a golyóstoll regénye

I like both your reviews and your reflections! Keep them coming.

Thank you.

45. Max Brooks: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War , my review

I know that I didn't post anything in 3 and a half months. Well, the summer was crazy, little time to read and even less to write. Here are the very few books I managed to finished:

46. Jack Cooper: Who Knew?! Unusual Stories in Jewish History
47. Nachman of Breslov: Outpouring of the Soul Rabbi Nachman's Path in Meditation
48. Ralph Barnett: Spiritual e-Soup: A Compilation of Inspirational Messages from the Internet
49. Eboo Patel: Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation
50. Gyorgy, N Varga Vicckosar
51. M. M. Buckner: Hyperthought
52. Etelka, Gorgey: Csodaidok: Hazaterok

And here are the ones I am in various stages of reading:
David Aaron: Seeing God: Ten Life Changing Lessons of the Kabbalah
Zoltan Poos: Taskaradio 50 ev, otven magyar slager
Michael Gold: Jews without Money
Joseph Dan: The Teachings of Hasidism
Samuel Shimon: Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World
Lon Milo Duquette: The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist
Nagy Bando Andras: Uton-utfelen
Isaac Bashevis Singer: More Stories from My Father's Court
Linda Dobson: Homeschooling: The Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child
Brian Bailey: The Blogging Church
Andras, Vagvolgyi B.: 1989
Gergely Nagy: Angst a varosi harcos kezikonyve

Finally, the books lining up on my shelf to start soon:
Istvan Doman: A Babiloniai Talmud
Milan Kundera: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Mendel Balberyszski: Stronger than Iron. The Destruction of Vilna Jewry 1941 1945: An Eyewitness Account
Nilton Bonder: The Jews Were Internauts: Archaic Accesses to the Internet
Jeffrey Hadden: Religion on the Internet
Kate McCarthy: Interfaith Encounters in America

Posted review of Jack Cooper's Who Knew?! Unusual Stories in Jewish History

Glad to see you back after a too long absence, Gabor!

Reviewed Outpouring of the Soul by Rabbi Nachman

#149: I enjoyed your review of that one, Gabor. I do not think it is a book for me though.

#84> Just checking in to say that I was finally able to read Engle's Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba as my library got in a copy and I very much enjoyed both the style of the book and the history lesson.

Glad you liked that little book.

I just posted a review of Eboo Patel's Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation

Posted review of Ralph Barnett's Spiritual e-Soup: A Compilation of Inspirational Messages from the Internet

#152: I love your reviews, Gabor, and am glad that you take the time to write so many of them. Thanks especially for the review of Acts of Faith. I will definitely look for that one.

#153: Although I am a conservative Christian, I doubt that the Barnett book is for me. The lack of citations would drive me crazy. I will give that one a pass.

re 154

Wise decisions I think.

Reviewed N Varga, Gyorgy's Vicckosar

No reviews, just tracking two recently finished books
53. Zoltan Poos: Taskaradio 50 ev, otven magyar slager
54. Zoe Heller: The Believers

Posted (first) review of Zoltan Poos: Taskaradio 50 ev, otven magyar slager

Reviewed and added cover picture of
55. (1) Ben Aronin The Secret of the Sabbath Fish

The parenthesis means that it was a children book. The "1" in it means that this was the first one I read (or at least kept track of) this year. I am still hoping that I will be able to read 75 non-children book this year. But in case not, and my 75 will only be made up with the help of kids' books at least I will know how many of them I included.

#158: Thanks for the review of that one. I enjoy folk tales so I will look for The Secret of the Sabbath Fish.

Posted review of M. M. Buckner: Hyperthought

Read another children's book:

56. (2) Mayer Bendet: Shabbos treats that grew , my review (11/07)

#160: Nice reviews! Thank you for posting them, Gabor.

57. Gila Almagor: Under the Domim Tree, my review (first on this book)

58. (3) Janell Cannon: Stellaluna, my review

59. (4) Margot Zemach: It Could Always Be Worse, my review

60. (5) Galila Ben-Uri: The Missing Crown, my review (first review and I added the cover too)

61. (6) Esther Silverstein Blanc: Berchick, my review (the only other review was a one liner)

62. (7) Marie-Louise Gay: Stella, Princess of the Sky, my review

#164: Stella sounds wonderful!

>164 break: Thumbs-upped your very informative review, Gabor!

I managed to finish 75 books last year, but only barely. And no time for reviews. Here are the books I didn't mention yet:

1. Anna Frank and me by Cherie Bennett - Librarything
2. The girl with the dragon tattoo by Stieg Larsson - Librarything
3. Mystery of the coins by Chaya M. Burstein - Librarything
4. A Place So Foreign and Eight More by Cory Doctorow - Librarything
5. The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar - Librarything
6. The Creative Power of Sound: Affirmations to Create, Heal and Transform by Elizabeth Clare Prophet - Librarything
7. Craphound by Cory Doctorow - Librarything
8. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson - Librarything
9. Brewing Fine Fiction by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff - Librarything
10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - Librarything
11. Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain - Librarything

Congratulations on hitting 75, Gabor!

I hope you will join us again in the 2011 group: http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin20111

Thank you, I just did.