Challenge: 50 Books discussion
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Susan and the Pups 2017
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Susan
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Jan 01, 2017 06:05PM
My Challenge for this year is 50 books. I am having difficulty getting my reading done. There is a lot of stress at home with my husband being an invalid for more than four years. I used to be able to read through adversity, but even though I have a lot of time, I can no longer concentrate.
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Best of luck. I hope you get some relief from the stress.
Susan wrote: "My Challenge for this year is 50 books. I am having difficulty getting my reading done. There is a lot of stress at home with my husband being an invalid for more than four years. I used to be able..."Sorry to hear about your tough situation. Hope you can get your concentration back so you can "escape" for a bit through some good books.
No. 1 -- The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom (audiobook) **With Music as a narrator and the protagonist meeting many real life musicians as he wanders through life, this book reads like The Book Thief meets Forrest Gump, and retreads familiar ground. I am not a fan of Mr. Albom, having read three other books of his, and read this only because someone else picked it for a my book club. I disliked the lackluster narration which made the story drag,
although the narration of various real people was well done. I
understood the narration of his life story being interrupted by interviews with people attending his funeral,but there was other skipping around concerning Woodstock and the search for Frankie by Lyell that seemed to be purposeless. I was also more in tune with the happenstance and chance that occurred in his life, and was annoyed by the revelation of the behind the scenes character.
Listening Time: 9 hours and 43 minutes.
No. 2 --The Tricking of Freya: A Novel by Christina Sunley *****I really enjoyed this. I am researching books about Iceland for my fall semester of my reading class. While not written by an Icelander, I think this gives a good overview of some of the Icelandic myths and culture. The story is about a girl of Icelandic-Canadian dissent born in America. Many of her childhood summers are spent with her mother's family in a small village populated by people of Icelandic dissent, visits which abruptly stop after a strange occurrence involving her and her aunt travelling to Iceland. Years later she returns to Canada and then to Iceland to put together the mysterious segments of her life.
Pages read: 344 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes.
No. 3 -- Cape Random: A Novel by Bernice Morgan *****
I read this a second time, and loved it a second time. I chose this book as the first to be read in my class whose theme this semester is Canadian Literature and the influence of the environment. The class is tomorrow and I do hope they will have liked it. It is more of a historical novel than any of the others I have assigned, and I hope there will be enough to discuss.
Pages read: 344 pages + 369 pages = 713 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes.
No. 4 -- Walking Into the Night by Olaf Olafsson *****
This book reads beautifully. Tells the story about a man working as a butler for a famous man in America, looking back on his life, the family he abandoned in Iceland, the love he lost in NYC, with strong symbolism and an intriguing story. I loved it.
Pages read: 713 pages + 265 pages = 978 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes.
No. 5 -- Waiting for Time by Bernice Morgan *****Reread to remind myself of the follow-up to Cape Random: A Novel.
Pages read: 978 pages + 106 pages = 1,084 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes.
No.6 -- Unraveled: A Novel About A Meltdown by Alda Sigmundsdóttir ***Read for class on Iceland. Read quickly and must be reread for comparisons of her failing marriage to a foreigner and the financial collapse of Iceland.
Pages read: 1,084 pages + 211 pages = 1,295 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 7 -- Tales of Iceland or "Running with the Huldufólk in the Permanent Daylight" byStephen Markley ****Read this because I am reading about Iceland to pick books for next semester's class. I thought this was interesting and very funny. The problem is every other word, and sometimes three or four words in a row, is the F word, and there is much discussion of masturbation. I don't know if I want to inflict this on the sensibilities of my class. Not that any of them are prudes, but this book goes above and beyond. Too bad. This guy has written himself out of a potential audience. Reading this book made me feel, oh, so, glad that I was not born a man.
Pages read: 1,295 pages + 219 pages = 1,514 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 8 -- As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross *****
I used this as the second book in my course on Canadian literature to show the Canadian Prairie Genre of writing. Some of the class participants were there before I arrived, and were already discussing it, everyone else just joined in as they arrived. It is a very depressing book, with the weather as a character, about the crumbling marriage of a minister and his wife as they arrive in yet another poor, small prairie town in Saskatchewan during the dust bowl.
Most the the class subscribed to the attitude that Philip was all at fault and almost a non-person in his alienation. I proposed the idea that the wife manipulated the whole situation. I believe that, but I still feel it is Philip's fault and she was using what she had to work with, which wasn't much.
Pages read: 1,514 pages + 239 pages = 1,753 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 9 -- From the Mouth of the Whale by Sjón **
I tried reading this book as a possible inclusion for my Iceland literature semester, but it was too difficult to read. It would go along well and interestingly for a while and then change to something incomprehensible. I didn't enjoy reading it, and I didn't want to assign it to anyone.
Pages read: 1,753 pages + 100 pages = 1,853 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 10 -- Full Bloom: The Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp
****
Very in-depth biography of Georgia O'Keeffe. Much information on Stieglitz and other artists and photographers who she came in contact with. Wished for many more illustrations. We had an excellent discussion in our Art Book Club. Had a new member who added a lot to the group.
Pages read: 1,853 pages + 695 pages = 2,548 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 11 -- News of the World by Paulette Jiles *****I have never read a book quite like this. The book is only slightly over 200 pages long, and the first 100 pages seemed to me just so so. Nice descriptive language, so maybe 2.5 stars. But right at the midpoint of the book something happens that truly unites the two characters. Then it continues on. Then, in the last 20 pages, the book, and the characters gripped my heart and wouldn't let go. A very long buildup to a great ending that earns the book -- 5 stars.
Pages read: 2,548 pages + 209 pages =2,557 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 12 -- Heaven and Hell by Jón Kalman Stefánsson ****If I do an Iceland semester of my class, this will be a definite choice, if only for the sea storm scene near the beginning. The theme is survivor guilt. But the run on sentences, stepping out of the narrative to tell someone else's story, the fascination with poetry, etc., seem very Icelandic to me, considering the few books I have read. It will take another reading at least to get it altogether.
Pages read: 2,557 pages + 193 pages = 2,650 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 13 -- Icefields by Thomas Wharton ****On my second reading of this, I found more of interest in this book. I picked in for my college discussion group, but, unfortunately, there were a lot of absences, and, of the small group that showed up, no one liked it. Very disappointing discussion and class.
Pages read: 2,650 pages + 288 pages = 2,938 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 14 -- I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir ***
I am not much of an appreciator of thrillers, so I do not have a lot to compare this particular book with. I enjoyed the book, and was anxious to know the outcome. I saw some things coming way ahead of time, but just enough to make me feel like a participant. This one comes out of my reading on Iceland.
Pages read: 2,938 pages + 384 pages = 3,322 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 15 -- Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese ****
On my second reading, since I knew the plot and was not shocked by certain revelations (which I should have foreseen, but did not), I found the story to come together better. Also, I understood the end better because my delicate naivete could not be shaken by the revelations.
Pages read: 3,322 pages + 220 pages = 3,542 pages
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 16 -- The Journey Home by Olaf Olafsson ****A good read; not my favorite of Olafsson's, but good. Probably for class.
Pages read: 3,542 pages + 304 pages = 3,806 pqges
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes
No. 17 - Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney ***Very often a narrator on an audio book can make or break your experience with a book. Such was the case with this novel. The novel is written in the first person so we hear everything in Lillian's voice. Unfortunately the narrator , Xe Sands, chose to use as Lillian's voice a breathy voice with an undertone of a chuckle. Constantly. It was very annoying. Also, especially in the beginning, as I was getting used to her voice, I found the narrator difficult to hear and understand. She chose to toss off comments in a slightly slurred voice. There was something in this delivery that either reminded me of someone in particular, or of a certain type of person who makes derogatory remarks soto voce while someone else is speaking, and made me dislike the character. I am sure that most people will not be bothered by this at all, but I was.
As to the story itself, Lillian ruminates over the events of her life as she walks through NYC on New Year's Eve 1984, the various buildings and sections of the City triggering her memories. She has an interesting life story and point of view (based real life woman who was a pioneer in advertising), and the book serves as a history of the first part of the 20th century as well as a history of the City so it is worth reading.
Did I mention I didn't like the narrator?
P.S. At the end of the audio book was an interview with the author, conducted by the narrator, during which the narrator monopolized the conversation by telling how she decided upon the voice that so annoyed me, reducing the author to interjections of "yeah," and "I'm glad you noticed that." (less)
Pages read: 3,806 pqges
Listening time: 9 hours and 43 minutes + 9 hours = 18 hours and 43 minutes
No. 18 - The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith ***A nice, enjoyable novel about art forgery and difficult romantic relationships. I am a sucker for novels that take place in two time periods as this one did. Read for my Art Book Club. I think it will get mixed reviews from my book club, because it does not deal with a real artist as the rest of our books have.
Pages read: 3,806 pqges + 304 pages = 4,110 pages
Listening time: 18 hours and 43 minutes
No. 19 - And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier ****2nd reading before class discussion. The reason I chose this book is because of the story of the great fires of the part of the 20th century and be cause of the old men living off the grid in the wilderness. Part of the Canadian theme is the effect of the environment on the characters. But there are so many other themes going on in the book: the treatment of the mentally ill, especially women; geriatric love; the effect of women on a community of men; the role of art/photography in our emotional lives; PTSD; marijuana plantations; the need for legends. I hope the discussion goes well.
Pages read: 4,110 pages + 155 pages = 4,265 pages
Listening time: 18 hours and 43 minutes
No. 20 -- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders ****I listened to this on an audio book. At first it was not terribly pleasing because there are a lot of quotes from histories and biographies of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln followed by the citations, although it was interesting to hear that many of the recollections were contrary to one another. Then the denizens of the Bardo appear. The Tibetan word bardo means literally "intermediate state"—also translated as "transitional state" or "in-between state" or "liminal state". They are stuck, confused and determined to repeat themselves. They are also portrayed by different actors, some of whom recount their stories, and in one marvelous section interrupt each other. There are some well known actors, though I don't recognize their voices, and it is difficult to catch and remember all the characters names. But, Megan Mullally and Bill Hader stand out as a foul mouthed low class pair , reminding me of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the Thenardiers in Les Miserables. The inhabitants of the Bardo react strongly to President Lincoln's visit to the cemetery at night to visit his son Willie's body. By all means, listen to the audio book.
http://ew.com/books/2017/02/08/george...
Pages read: 4,265 pages
Listening time: 18 hours and 43 minutes + 7 hours and 25 minutes = 26 hours and 8 minutes
No. 21 -- Commonwealth by Ann Patchett *****I feel strange writing this, me, the only person in the world who hated Bel Canto as being totally unrealistic and false, and who also disliked intensely Run (can't exactly remember why). I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. I loved her writing style and I loved the characters. and their complex relationships.
Pages read: 4,265 pages + 322 pages = 4,567 pages
Listening time: 26 hours and 8 minutes
No 22 - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo *****
Halfway through this book I thought to myself, I wish I had written this book. The book was beautiful, the writing beautiful, and the artwork beautiful. My favorite illustration was the first drawing of the young boy Bryce. I had a sentimental cry. Lovely.
Pages read: 4,567 pages + 200 pages = 4,767 pages
Listening time: 26 hours and 8 minutes
No. 23 -- Paris by Edward Rutherfurd **I was determined to finish this. As I have said in previous reviews, since I retired it is difficult for me to listen to audiobooks. I used to listen to them in the car during my work commute, and I still only listen in the car. I sometimes go days without driving somewhere, and some of my car trips are rather short. Thus, it took me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get through this 30 disc book. I kept having to return it to the library and get it out again, about six times. It was difficult to keep following the story when it was stretched out over such a long time. So, much of my rating had to do with that circumstance.
That being said, I found this book less entertaining than other Rutherfurd books. London will always be one of my favorite books, and Sarum: The Novel of England is right up there as well. I seem to recall that these books started at the beginning and continued through the generations. Paris jumps back and forth among the different eras, which made it more difficult for me to follow the various families. Also he centered the novel too much on the modern era, the 1800's and stopped at WWii. There were a few visits to the Middle Ages, but it seems little of note has happened in the last 70 years. I have read a lot about the 1880's through WWII in Paris, so there was little new for me here.
Pages read: 4,567 pages + 200 pages = 4,767 pages
Listening time: 26 hours and 8 minutes + 38 hours and 27 minutes = 64 hours and 35 minutes
No. 24 - The Half Brother by Lars Saabye Christensen ***
I liked this book at the very beginning, with the minute telling of the women's story, then on to Arnold's story, but then it went on to Barnum's story, and on and on and on and on. Barnum had the longest childhood of any character I can remember, and, as his story progressed, I liked him less and was interested in him less. I was disappointed in the ending because it left so many things hanging. (view spoiler). I wanted to know Fred's story, and I wanted to know more about Boletta. I felt I was lead down the garden path.
Pages read: 4,767 pages + 696 pages = 5,463 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes
No.25 -- Restless in Peace by Mariah de la Croix **Why would someone who was psychic work in the mortuary business? Why, if she were psychic, was she so surprised when strange things happened? Why did she go back to work the next day? More to the point, why did I read this book? Because periodically I think it would be nice to be psychic. Then I read something like this to remind myself why it wouldn't be
Pages read: 5,463 pages + 244 pages = 5,707 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes
No. 26 -- A Haunted Life: The True Ghost Story of a Reluctant Psychic by Debra Robinson ***
Okay, I'm not going to be a psychic.
read: 5,707 pages + 288 pages = 5,915 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes
I enjoyed looking through your reading list so far this year. I also like how you keep a cumulative total of your pages and listening hours - I'm filing that away for next year.
Ann A wrote: "I enjoyed looking through your reading list so far this year. I also like how you keep a cumulative total of your pages and listening hours - I'm filing that away for next year."it helps with your math skills, too. :-)
No.26 - A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline ***This is a novel that imagines the life of the crippled woman pictured in the Andrew Wyeth painting "Christina's World." The painter is a character in the book, but it is not about him. Even though Christina is badly crippled all her life, (view spoiler)
Pages read: 5,915 pages + 320 pages = 6,235 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes
Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo *****
Loved this book. One of the most unusual books I have ever read.
Pages read: 6,235 pages +278 pages = 6,513 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes
No. 28 - To Siberia by Per Petterson ***I really want to give this 3-1/2 stars. I think part of my problem with this book was that I was not in the mood for this book and should have set it aside and read something else. Instead I kept slogging along, not properly putting things in place. I find that with many books in translation I have to read very carefully and concentrate fully,and I was not doing that. This book is a potential for rereading with my class, at which time I hope to give it the full attention it deserves.
Pages read: 6,513 pages + 245 pages = 6,758 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes
No, 29 - People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges by Jen Mann ****
I was pleasantly surprised by this. It was picked by my book club so I had to read it; I usually don't like topical humor because authors often try too hard and and hit below MY belt. Also, although I didn't know it when I began to read the book, it is mother-of-young-children humor which is not now and never was relevant to me. I gave it four (really four and a half) stars because there were times when SHE was the one annoying me (spending money on pets; refusing to accept that Wednesday play group was filled [I see the point of restricting numbers, and she was not the only one refused], and some of the depiction of the other mothers as Stepford mothers was gross exaggeration that fell flat. But, there can't be total agreement on everything. All in all, it was a quick and amusing read.
Pages read: 6,513 pages + 208 pages = 6,721 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes
No. 30- Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick *****This book is a riveting description of life in North Korea. Non-fiction is sometimes difficult for me to read, but this was fascinating all the way through. Highly recommended.
Pages read: 6,721 pages
Listening time: 64 hours and 35 minutes + 12 hours and 29 minutes = 77 hours and 4 minutes
No. 31 -- Through the Night by Stig Sæterbakken ****
What!?!?!? Well written and enthralling, but the very end threw me off.
Pages read: 6,721 pages +259 pages = 6.980 pages
Listening time: 77 hours and 4 minutes
No. 32 -- And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman **** Okay, it is sappy and predictable. Good for a tear and a snuffle. Title is longer than the book.Pages read: 6.980 pages
Listening time: 77 hours and 4 minutes + 1 hour and 9 minutes = 78 hours and 13 minutes
No, 33 -- Hamburg 1947: A Place for the Heart to Kip by Harry Leslie Smith ****
Since reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I have been interested in reading things about the lives and attitudes of regular German people during WWII. (Other books: Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum, Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson, and Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada). While this memoir is not completely in this category since it is the story of a British soldier in occupied Germany after the end of the war, the soldier falls in love with a German girl, and gets involved in her life. The soldier himself is from a coal mining town and suffered great poverty as a child during the depression, and great trauma from upheavals in his home life. His is a quirky memoir, poorly edited and proofread, with bad punctuation (commas and semi-colons are sprinkled randomly throughout the text, and question marks appear after declarative sentences) and with a tendency toward sesquipedalia (wink) and tortured similes ("Hamburg's Indian summer struggled against November like a sputtering flame from a votive candle in a desolate church.") However, this language seems so much a part of the character (and, since it is a memoir, of course, it is the author's own phraseology) that it is very revealing. It is a very interesting story and completely intriguing. The story is not complete in this book, so I immediately ordered the sequel, The Empress of Australia: A Post-War Memoir.
Pages read: 6.980 pages + 212 Pages =7,192 pages
Listening time: 77 hours and 4 minutes + 1 hour and 9 minutes = 78 hours and 13 minutes
No. 34 - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (audiobook) *** This is difficult for me to score. I recognize the quality of this story, but I hated it. I could feel no empathy for Lenny; he really scared me. Nor did I feel for the woman who was killed. She was an example of the worst fenale stereotype. This is perhaps my worst character flaw, but I find more empathy for the dogs killed in this story, than for the people. I find the characters' tendency to latch on to another person's dream is interesting.
Pages read: 6.980 pages + 212 Pages =7,192 pages
Listening time: 78 hours and 13 minutes + 3 hours and 11 minutes = 81 hours and 24 minutes
No 35 -- The Tattoo Artist by Jill Ciment *****
Excellent. I loved this. The story of an artist and her husband who, after gaining some success with her art, is stranded on an island in the south Pacific for 30 years. There the natives' tradition of tattoing becomes her only source of artistic expression. Very much to think about, and will make for a good discussion in our art group.
Pages read: 7,192 pages + 208 pages =7,500 pages
Listening time: 78 hours and 13 minutes + 3 hours and 11 minutes = 81 hours and 24 minutes
No.36 -- The Empress of Australia: A Post-War Memoir by Harry Leslie Smith ***Tells of the difficulties of a WWII soldier returning to his home in England with his German war bride. It covers the economic problems of soldiers returning to a bankrupt country and the trouble of his wife adjusting to a country more impoverished than her own.
Finished May 19, 2017
Pages read: 7,500 pages + 195 pages = 7,695 pages
Listening time: 78 hours and 13 minutes + 3 hours and 11 minutes = 81 hours and 24 minutes
No.37-- The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova (audio book)
I am abandoning this book at a little past the halfway mark. It has not interested me at all, and I am not going to waste any more time on it.
Abandoned June 5, 2017
Pages read: 7,500 pages + 195 pages = 7,695 pages
Listening time: 81 hours and 24 minutes + 10 hours = 91 hours ad 24 minutes.
No. 38 -- We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen *****
One of the best books I have ever read. 10 stars! I had been wanting the read this book for a long time because of (1) the cover; and (2) I love books about sailing ships. Call me crazy, but I feel that sailing ships are in my blood. I truly believe that in a former lifetime, or maybe in several, I sat on dry land and read book after book about sailing ships.
The story of a small town in Denmark with a long history of men going down to the sea in ships, and many never returning, while their wives and children wait at home. This book is so well written, has such beautiful language, and covers practically every one of life's big questions.
Finished June 11, 2017
Pages read: 7,695 pages + 688 pages = 8,383 pages
Listening time: 81 hours and 24 minutes + 10 hours = 91 hours ad 24 minutes.
No. 39 -- Scum of the Earth by Arthur Koestler *****This is a very interesting book about a Hungarian writer living in France when WWII begins. His account of his maltreatment as a foreigner is enlightening. It was difficult some times to follow all the many political factions and movements going on at that time. The book was written just after his escape from France while the war was still going on, and the timing brings a great sense of immediacy to the story.
Strangely, although I have been trying to avoid recently written books on WWII because I am burnt out on that topic, I have found that books written by people who were there still attract me
Finished June 24, 2017
Pages read : 8,383 pages + 253 pages = 8.636 pages
Listening time: 81 hours and 24 minutes + 10 hours = 91 hours ad 24 minutes.
No. 40 -- The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart ****
I found this book interesting because the book was partially set in Rochester, NY, my home town. It has an interesting concept of an artist painting a detailed work and then painting over it until the image was gone. I would have liked to have had my art club book club read that to discuss that concept. But the ACBC cannot read it because it is not on Kindle and two of the members need it on Kindle. Another aspect of the book, his friend and the friend's china collection is something that my mind has not yet "digested."
Finished July 2, 2017
Pages read: 8,383 pages + 340 pages = 8,723 pages
Listening time: 81 hours and 24 minutes + 10 hours = 91 hours ad 24 minutes.
No. 41 -- The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (Audiobook) **
Read for my book club, otherwise I would not have finished it. 2/3 of the book was the set up with a lot of characters I did not find interesting. Basically boring.
Finished July 4, 2017
Pages read: 8,383 pages + 340 pages = 8,723 pages
Listening time: 91 hours and 24 minutes + 11 hours and 8 minutes = 102 hours and 32 minutes
No. 42 -- Moonglow by Michael Chabon (audiobook) *I got the audio book of this, and after listening to the first disk, I realized I had not connected with one word that had been said on the whole disk. I also quit his Telegraph Road about 1/3 of the way through due to total lack of interest. I decided to listen again to his The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which is among my all time favorites. I immediately got into TAAoKaC and instantly fell in love again. I had forgotten the supernatural element which completely hooked me with the equating of Jewish legends with the superheroes of the comic strips. Genius! I think sometimes authors can be a one hit wonder with particular readers (me!).
Abandoned July 15, 2017
Pages read: 8,383 pages + 340 pages = 8,723 pages
Listening time: 102 hours and 32 minutes + 1 hour = 103 hours and 32 minutes
No. 43 -- A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron ****
About 3 years ago my college roommate, a stone cold dog lover like myself (although we both developed this love after we were out of college (which is neither here nor there)), sent me this book. I hate to read books or watch movies with dogs in them because most of the time the dogs die. I read the first few pages when I received it, and then put it aside. It kept working its way up to the top of my unread book pile. Finally, I decided I had to shoulder the burden. I did enjoy it, except sure enough . . . . I liked how it was written from the dog's point of view. I smiled and sniffled a lot.
Finished July 16, 2017
Pages read: 8,723 pages + 319 pages = 9,042 pages
Listening time: 102 hours and 32 minutes + 1 hour = 103 hours and 32 minutes
No. 44 -- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine byGail Honeyman (audiobook) ****I enjoyed this book even though Eleanor's transformation seems very facile. There seems be a new genre of light reading that should be called Curmudgeons Transforming.
Finished: July 18, 2017
Pages read: 8,723 pages + 319 pages = 9,042 pages
Listening time: 103 hours and 32 minutes + 11 hours +1 minute = 114 hours and 33 miutes
No. 45 -- The Little French Bistro by Nina George (audiobook) **
This book did not click with me for some reason. I put it aside and never went back to it. Abandoned.
Pages read: 8,723 pages + 319 pages = 9,042 pages
Listening time: 103 hours and 32 minutes + 1 hour = 104 hours and 32 minutes.
No. 46 -- The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro ***
I read this for my art group reading group. It brought up questions in my mind about murals and abstract art, and the group had a good discussion about those things. However, I found the character and her aunt and both their stories dull in the extreme. I find the idea of individuals going into a war zone to find and save someone beyond ridiculous. I found the end ridiculous. But, others in the group loved it.
Finished July 28, 2017
Pages read: 9,042 pages +352 pages = 9,394 pages
Listening time: 102 hours and 32 minutes + 1 hour = 103 hours and 32 minutes
No. 47 -- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty *****This was a pick by someone in my regular book club, and I expected it would be flighty. But I was happy that it would have no Nazis in it. But I LOVED IT. I found the juxtaposition of the serious topics with the flighty superficiality of some of the characters intriguing. And the question of who was murdered kept me reading and reading. A happy combination.
Finished August 10, 2019
Pages read: 9,394 pages + 679 pages = 10,073 pages
Listening time: 102 hours and 32 minutes + 1 hour = 103 hours and 32 minutes
No. 48 - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara ****
Finished: August 23, 2017
I am finally finished. I gave this book four stars because I felt it was just too repetitious, too slow moving, too much detail. Other than that, I really liked it. I really enjoyed the parts about J.B.'s art. That was very well done.
Pages read: 9,394 pages + 679 pages = 10,073 pages
Listening time: 103 hours and 32 minutes + 32 hours and 51 minutes =136 hours and 23 minutes.
No. 49 -- Burial Rites by Hannah Kent *****
Second reading -- I read this again as a possible inclusion for a class on Scandinavian writers. I loved it again. I had forgotten a lot about it. But, still, although it is the best book on Iceland I have ever read, Hannah Kent is not a Scandinavian. Glad I reread it, though.
Finished August 31, 2007
Pages read: 10,073 pages + 314 pages = 10,387 pages
Listening time: 103 hours and 32 minutes + 32 hours and 51 minutes =136 hours and 23 minutes.
No.50 -- The Flatey Enigma by Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson ***This grew on me. Having read several Icelandic books now, I expect them to be inscrutable.
Pages read: 10,387 pages + 348 pages = 10,735 pages
Listening time: 103 hours and 32 minutes + 32 hours and 51 minutes =136 hours and 23 minutes.
No. 51 -- The Greenhouse by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir ***
Pages read: 10,735 pages + 260 pages = 10,995 pages
Listening time: 103 hours and 32 minutes + 32 hours and 51 minutes =136 hours and 23 minutes.
No. 52 -- Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Second Reading 9/10/17 -- I chose this book for my discussion group that I hold at the local community college for 55+ people. Although the book turned me off during my first reading of it, I knew it was popular and would appeal to some of the group members. As always, I read this book a second time right before the actual discussion, and this time I READ it in book form. The audio voice had faded from memory and I was able to concentrate on only what was written. I liked it so much more this time. I was not continually annoyed by Lillian, as I had been during the audio book. I had been annoyed not with what she said, but how she (the narrator) said it. Also during the group discussion, while some had definitely problems with it here and there -- with the development of the characters, or it being realistic or not, that it started off too slowly -- most enjoyed it to some degree. Faye, who is Lillian's age in the book, absolutely loved it. It was a good book for a discussion because it encompassed many topics -- feminism, working mothers, marriage, depression, mental health, city life. Very pleased with the discussion. My second reading would raise it to 3 1/2 stars.
Finished: September 11, 2017
Pages read: 10,995 pages + 287 pages = 11,282 pages
Listening time: 103 hours and 32 minutes + 32 hours and 51 minutes =136 hours and 23 minutes.
No. 53 -- The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende (audiobook) **
Formulaic, routine, barely interesting. Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits will always remain on my Favorites list, but I don't think I will read anything else by her from now on. Either she has run out of stories or has forgotten how to tell them.
Pages read: 10,995 pages + 287 pages = 11,282 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes.
No. 54 -- Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller *****
September 24, 2017 -- On this, my second reading of NbN, I have decided to up the book to 5 stars. I think Sheldon is that good of a character. And, I like the complexity of Sheldon's story. Will see what my class thinks of this. DeAnn already told me she is liked the beginning. (Later. I was disappointed that most people did not like the book at all, and didn't even seem to like Sheldon.) This semester is turning out to be disappointing.
Sheldon Horowitz -- one of my favorite characters ever. I am not normally a fan of thrillers. I read this because I love Scandinavian books. But Sheldon made it worthwhile. I would have liked an epilogue.
Pages read: 11,282 pages + 322 pages = 11,604 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes.
No. 55 -- Rockaway by Tara Ison *****I read this for my Art Club Book Club, for which we try to pick a book about an artist, usually a painter. This one is about an artist, but she spends the whole time not painting. It was not what we expected, and the main character could have been any type of artist, or even not an artist at all. But it was a very good book about a person who was stuck and had not been allowed to grow and evolve. Very good use of symbolism. Everyone hated it but me. I thought it was very well done. The book also centers heavily on Judaism. I have read so many books lately with Judaism as a part of it, I am going to make that a shelf.
Finished September 26,2017
Pages read: 11,604 pages + 207 pages = 11,811 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes.
No. 56 -- Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan ***
Although I am tired of WWII and Nazis right now, I enjoyed this book set in Italy during the war. I have not read too much about WWII from the Italian prospective.
Pages read: 11,811 pages + 513 pages = 12,324 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes.
No. 57 -- An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine *****
Second reading -- picked this for discussion with my ial group. Found it harder going than the first time. I hope the class liked it. (Later -- the class HATED it. This semester is hard going).
First reading -- Wow. Only my second book of the year, and I struck pure gold. A fabulous book.
Pages read: 12,324 pages + 291 pages = 12,615 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes.
No. 58 -- The President's Mother by Roberta Pudney Gray *
Abandoned.
Pages read: 12,615 pages + 119 pages = 12,734 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes.
No. 59 -- Summary of News of the World by Sue Taylor **
I read this to go along with the novel in the hopes that it would give me some ideas in how to approach a discussion of the novel in the class that I lead. I found the grammar and proofreading to be awful. The summary was good enough, but there were glaring mistakes about the facts. These mistakes did not necessarily undermine the meaning of the book, but they were stupid errors that could easily have been corrected by a little fact checking. The analysis was correct, but rudimentary at best; nothing that a good reader could not have deduced by his or herself. It did not provide any depth at all to the political situation that caused the deep division between two factions.
Finished October 21,2017
Pages read: 12,734 pages + 54 pages = 12,788 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes
No. 60 --News of the World by Paulette Jiles *****Second reading October 26, 2017 for my college class. his held up to five stars again on the second reading. Everyone in my class like it. Finally, a success.
I have never read a book quite like this. The book is only slightly over 200 pages long, and the first 100 pages seemed to me just so so. Nice descriptive language, so maybe 2.5 stars. But right at the midpoint of the book something happens that truly unites the two characters. Then it continues on. Then, in the last 20 pages, the book, and the characters gripped my heart and wouldn't let go. A very long buildup to a great ending that earns the book -- 5 stars.
Pages read: 12,788 pages + 209 pages = 12,997 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes
No. 61 -- The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler *****
October 2017 -- My second reading was as magical as the first, which took place more than 30 years ago. I loved the book from beginning to end. And, having gotten to know some corgis in the meantime, I appreciate Edward more as the suppressed side of Macon's nature.
This was my first Anne Tyler book. I completely fell in love with in and started reading all of her books. She had a lot of books that had not achieved the popularity of The Accidental Tourist, so I had a lot to work through.
Pages read: 12,997 pages + 352 pages = 13,349 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes
No. 62 -- The Journey Home by Olaf Olafsson ****November 5,2017 -- Second reading for my class on journeys.
A good read; not my favorite of Olafsson's, but good. Probably for class.
Pages read: 13,349 pages + 304 pages = 13,653 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes
No. 63 -- The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life's Work at 72 by Molly Peacock *****
I really enjoyed this book. I read it for my Art Book Club, which meets tomorrow, and I am expecting that few will like it as much as I did. It was not at all what I expected.
Written by poet Molly Peacock, I was at first thrown by her language, which seemed overblown. However, as I got into the book, I started to enjoy Peacock's language. The book tells the life story of Mary Delany, a well-born Englishwoman who lived from 1700 to 1788. She came up with the idea of making botanical collages from hand colored paper, starting her life's work at 72. I love historical biographies to begin with. Then, in a very interesting concept, the author takes one piece of her artwork to head up each portion of the book which tells of a phase of Mrs. D.'s life. The author must have searched forever through the 985 pieces of Mrs. D.'s work to find just the right flower to illustrate the specific period of her life. Her interpretation of the symbolism of each plant and how Mrs. D. chose to render it are very deep, seeing, I am sure, much more in them than Mrs D. intended to put into them. To add to the complexity of this book, Ms. Peacock gets autobiographical, comparing her own 20th century life to Mrs. D.'s. She also sketches other people who pass through the book, such as her own mother and her contemporary, a descendant of the artist who wrote a book about her ancestor. A lovely book, and a real surprise.
Pages read: 13,653 pages + 406 pages = 14,059 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes
No. 64 -- My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell ***Read for my regular book club. Very enjoyable. Beautiful writing about fauna.
Pages read: 14,059 pages + 273 pages = 14,332 pages
Listening time: 136 hours and 23 minutes + 9 hours and 7 minutes = 145 hours and 30 minutes
No. 65 -- LaRose by Louise Erdrich (audio) **
Since it took me seven weeks to finish this book on audio, I think it is evident that I was not enthralled by this novel. I did like the general idea of the book, but I was really bored with parts. I have always had my problems with Louise Erdrich's work, but I refuse to give up on her. I always get SOMETHING.
Pages read: 14,059 pages + 273 pages = 14,332 pages
Listening time: 145 hours and 30 minutes + 14 hours and 37 minutes = 160 hours and 7 minutes
No. 66 -- To The Bright Edge of the Worldby Eowyn Ivey *****
I loved this book. I was not a particular fan of Eowyn Ivey's first book, The Snow Child, but this book really enthralled me. I have a soft spot anyway for exploration novels, especially sea yarns, mountain climbing and wilderness exploration, with a touch of "Heart of Darkness" awareness. This was right up my alley. I love lying back on my couch and following people as they go through all sorts of hardships, privation, and danger. This book followed several explorers as they went up the Wolverine River in Alaska on a mapping mission. As the new scientific world of explorers penetrate this untouched area, bringing the inevitable future change, they experience the mystery and spirituality of the world they are necessarily destroying. Meanwhile, back in the world, his wife awaits his return while learning to use a camera to record the birds she has devoted her life to studying. This book, along with We, the Drowned, made this a banner year for me.
I highly recommend this wonderful book.
Pages read: 14,332 pages + 417 pages = 14,749 pages
Listening time: 145 hours and 30 minutes + 14 hours and 37 minutes = 160 hours and 7 minutes
No. 67 -- La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman ***
A great fan of the Dark Materials audiobooks, but I found the first 2/3 of this prequel to be somewhat tedious. Malcolm learns something from one person, goes to another person and tells him or her, learns something else and goes tells another person, in constant rotation. All the adult male characters seemed interchangeable. Things picked up for me when Malcolm actually got underway.
Pages read: 14,749 pages + 464 pages= 15,213 pages
Listening time: 145 hours and 30 minutes + 14 hours and 37 minutes = 160 hours and 7 minutes
No. 68 -- Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout **
I guess I should stop listening to audiobooks until I no longer have large segments of time between listening. I can't get into a flow.
Anyway, not terribly fond of this book and its characters. I
kept getting the characters' stories mixed up. Everyone was abandoned. I missed the subtlety of My Name Is Lucy Barton
Pages read: 14,749 pages + 464 pages= 15,213 pages
Listening time: 160 hours and 7 minutes +8 hours and 29 minutes = 167 hours and 36 minutes.
No. 69 = Saints at the River by Ron Rash **
My first book by this author. Not as good as I had hoped.
Pages read: 15,213 pages + 239 pages = 15,452 pages
Listening time: 160 hours and 7 minutes +8 hours and 29 minutes = 167 hours and 36 minutes.
No.70 -- The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys *****
Very interesting and inventive way of writing. A series of vignettes -- some, of necessity, more compelling than others.
Pages read: 15,452 pages + 192 pages = 15,644 pages
Listening time: 160 hours and 7 minutes +8 hours and 29 minutes = 167 hours and 36 minutes.
No. 71 -- As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross *****Read a second time to teach my class.
Pages read: 15,644 pages + 239 pages = 15,883 pages
Listening time: 160 hours and 7 minutes +8 hours and 29 minutes = 167 hours and 36 minutes.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
As for Me and My House (other topics)Anything Is Possible (other topics)
LaRose (other topics)
La Belle Sauvage (other topics)
My Family and Other Animals (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sinclair Ross (other topics)Gerald Durrell (other topics)
Elizabeth Strout (other topics)
Eowyn Ivey (other topics)
Louise Erdrich (other topics)
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