Mailbox Monday

This book actually arrived a couple of weeks ago, but got lost in the post-Christmas mess in my house, so only made it to my Mailbox Monday list this week.

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

I got this through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.  Even though I have vowed to lay off the Early Reviewer books, I asked for this one because it has been on my radar for a while (it is on the Anthony Burgess list of best 99 novels) and I want to read it. I didn't realize that this is the audio version, but that is fine by me.

Also, I cannot believe that I forgot to list this one last week -- I have wanted a copy for a long time and Hubby gave me a beautiful hardback edition for Christmas:

 99 Novels: The Best in English Since 1939 by Anthony Burgess. I have been keeping track of this list for a while now and while I haven't read many of the books on it, those I have read have been some real favorites.

State of the Blog, Part One: The Lists

It is now winter, a new year, and time to assess what progress I made on my lists in 2009 and what I hope to read this year.

My List of Lists is over in the right-side column. These are Prize Winners, Must Reads, and other lists of books I have read or intend to read for some reason or another. Also in the right-side column is a list of my favorite authors. I add to both lists from time to time.

This is a three-part assessment. This first part addresses the book lists. Part Two, coming soon, will deal with the challenges I participated in last year and plan to join this year. Part Three will run through the author lists.

THE LISTS

1899 Top 100
Books read so far: 7/100
Books read in 2009: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2

1. The Moonstone by Willkie Collins
   
2. Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz

Books on my TBR shelf: 13

All-TIME Top 100
Books read so far: 73/100
Books read in 2009: one-third (I read The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.)
Books I hope to read in 2010: two-thirds (I really hope to finish The Lord of the Rings.)
Books on my TBR shelf: 15

Anthony Burgess
Books read so far: 26/99
Books read in 2009: one (How to Save Your Own Life by Erica Jong; reviewed here)
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2

1. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
   
2. Strangers and Brothers by C.P. Snow
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 20

BBC's Big Read
Books read so far: 52/100
Books read in 2009: 5+

1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham(reviewed here)
2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens(reviewed here)
3. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
4. Crime and Punishment
5. I Capture the Castle
6. plus another one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
   

Books I hope to read in 2010: maybe none
Books on my TBR shelf: 11

Book Club
Books read so far: 15/16
Books read in 2009: 6

1. Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Keysey
2. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
3. Davita's Harp by Chiam Potok
4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
5. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
6. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
   

Books I hope to read in 2010: 6 (but I don't know what they are yet)
Books on my TBR shelf: one (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz)

College Board
Books read so far: 75/101
Books read in 2009: one (Treasure Island)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath)
Books on my TBR shelf: 14

Costa Book of the Year
Books read so far: 3/24
Books read in 2009: two

1. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson, reviewed here 
2. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, reviewed here

Books I hope to read in 2010: 2

1. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
   
2. Small Island by Andrea Levy
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 2

Easton Press
Books read so far: 55/100
Books read in 2009: 3

1. Great Expectations (reviewed here)
2. Treasure Island
3. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
   

Books I hope to read in 2010: one (Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan)
Books on my TBR shelf: 25

Edgar Award
Books read so far: 4/55
Books read in 2009: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith)
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

Erica Jong
Books read so far: 29/100
Books read in 2009: one (The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley)
Books I hope to read in 2010: several, including

1. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
   
2. Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier
   
3. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 19

French Connection
Books read so far: 42/107 (and counting -- there are more books to add to the list)
Books read in 2009: one (Au Revoir to All That by Michael Steinberger; reviewed here)
Books I hope to read in 2010: at least 2

1. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
   
2. The Flaneur by Edmund White
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 20

Guilt List

Books read so far: I don't keep track, because I delete them after I read them
Books read in 2009: same
Books I hope to read in 2010: 5

1. The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos
2. The Art of Disappearing by Ivy Pochoda
3. The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott
4. Portland Noir, edited by Kevin Sampsell
5. The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt by Rulka Langer

Books on my TBR shelf: 5

James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Books read so far: 8/96
Books read in 2009: one (Saturday by Ian McEwan)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry)
Books on my TBR shelf: 7

LT Early Reviewers
Books read so far: 21/25
Books read in 2009: 10

1. The Amish Cook at Home by Lovina Eicher (reviewed here)
2. Blackbird, Farewell by Robert Greer (reviewed here)
3. American Rust by Philipp Meyer (reviewed here)
4. Au Revoir to All That by Michael Steinberger (reviewed here)
5. Forbidden Bread by Erica Johnson Debeljak (reviewed here)
6. The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley (reviewed here)
7. The Stettheimer Dollhouse by Sheila W. Clark (reviewed here)
8. Joker One by Donovan Campbell (reviewed here)
9. The Fire by Katherine Neville (reviewed here)
10. American Lion by Jon Meacham (reviewed here)
    

Books I hope to read in 2010: 4

1.  Maimonides: and the Biblical Prophets by Israel Drazin
2. Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow
3. The Wall in My Head: Words and Images from the Fall of the Iron Curtain, published by Words Without Borders Anthologies
4. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (audiobook)
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 4

Man Booker Prize
Books read so far: 21/43
Books read in 2009: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: at least one, but I don't know which
Books on my TBR shelf: 14

MLA's 30
Books read so far: 21/30
Books read in 2009: one and 1/3

1. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
   

Books I hope to read in 2010: one (The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver)
Books on my TBR shelf: 4

Modern Library
Books read so far: all of them!
Books read in 2009: zero ( finished this list a couple of years ago)
Books I hope to read in 2010: none
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

National Book Award
Books read so far: 24/63
Books read in 2009: 4

1. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
2. The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
3. The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (reviewed here)
4. Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth (reviewed here)
   

Books I hope to Read in 2010: 2 (for the Battle of the Prizes Challenge, but I haven't picked yet)
Books on my TBR shelf: 13

NBCC Award
Books read so far: 15/33
Books read in 2009: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
2. Counterlife by Philip Roth
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 9

Nobel Laureates
Authors read so far: 19/105
Books read in 2009: 3

1. The Complete Short Stories by Earnest Hemingway (reviewed here)
   
2. The Beggar by Naguib Mahfouz (reviewed here)
   
3. The Plague by Albert Camus
   

Books I hope to read in 2010: one (Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset)
Books on my TBR shelf: 30 (but most by authors already read)

Observer's Top 100
Books read so far: 55/100
Books read in 2009: 3+

1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (reviewed here)
2. Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway
3. The Plague by Albert Camus
4. plus another one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring

Books I hope to read in 2010: 2+

1. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
2. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
3. the last two book in The Lord of the Rings
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 19

Orange Prize
Books read so far: 1/13
Books read in 2009: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (Small Island by Andrea Levy
Books on my TBR shelf: 4

Oregon Books
Books read so far: 3/20
Books read in 2009: two

1. The River Why by David Duncan
2. Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey 

Books I hope to read in 2010: maybe none
Books on my TBR shelf: 2

Pulitzer Prize
Books read so far: 38
Books read in 2009: 3

1. Advise and Consent by Allen Drury (reviewed here)
2. The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (reviewed here)
3. March by Geraldine Brooks (reviewed here)

Books I hope to read in 2010: at least 2, maybe 3:

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
2.  something for the Battle of the Prizes Challenge, but I haven't picked yet

Books on my TBR shelf: 19

Radcliffe's Top 100
Books read so far: 86/100
Books read in 2009: one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
Books I hope to read in 2010:6+

1. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
2. the rest of The Lord of the Rings
3. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
5. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster
6. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
7. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 11

RCR Top 10
Books read so far: 10/10 (it's my list)
Books read in 2009: zero (the list did not change -- so far)
Books I hope to Read in 2010: maybe a new book will make it to the list
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Well-Stocked Bookcase
Books read so far: 35/60
Books read in 2009: zero
Books I hope to Read in 2010: one (The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath)
Books on my TBR shelf: 14

I am thinking of concentrating on the Radcliffe list in 2010 because I have a shot at finishing that one once and for all. The books remaining also overlap with several other lists, so I could really make hay.

2009 Challenges

In 2009, I signed up for and completed four challenges:

The Sunshine Smackdown: Battle of the Prizes



I had to participate in this one -- I hosted it. I am going to host it again in 2010, but it will start earlier, so not be a summer challenge. My wrap-up post is here.  I read and reviewed three books:

1. The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (winner of both the National and the Pulitzer; reviewed here)
2. Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth (National winner; reviewed here)
3. Advise and Consent by Allen Drury (Pulitzer winner; reviewed here)
   

The 100+ Challenge




My book total for 2009 was 11, so I completed the challenge. But I was pretty lame about posting my reviews. I did for a month or so, then stopped, went back in the summer and added several, then tapered off completely. Here is my completed list. I am signing up again for 2010, but I probably won't be any better about active participation.

The Colorful Reading Challenge



This was fun in that it got me to read several books I probably would not have gotten around to if I hadn't been looking for colors in titles. I completed the challenge on December 31 and didn't do a final wrap-up post -- this post is the closest I got. I read and reviewed nine books:

1. RED: Red Square by Martin Cruz Smith (review) 
2. BLACK: Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke (mini-review)
3. GOLD: Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California by Dinkelspiel, Frances (review) 
4. GREEN: Blue Planet in Green Shackles: What Is Endangered: Climate or Freedom? by Vaclav Klaus (review) 
5. YELLOW: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris (review)
6. SILVER: The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso (review) 
7. RUST: American Rust by Philipp Meyer (review)
8. BLUE: Blue River by Ethan Canin (review)
9. WHITE: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham (review)

The Spice of Life Challenge

This one was super fun because I love books about food, and I liked that there were several different categories of books. I hope Rebecca hosts it again, because I want to sign up for a higher level. In 2009, I signed up for the "Sampler" level and read and reviewed four books

1. Au Revoir to All That by Michael Steinberger (my non-fiction choice; reviewed here)
2. The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones (my fiction choice; reviewed here)
3. The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso (my cookbook choice; reviewed here)
4. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (my memoir/essay choice; reviewed here)
   

Opening Sentence of the Day: The Polysyllabic Spree

So this is supposed to be about the how, and when, and why, and what of reading -- about the way that, when reading is going well, one book leads to another and to another, a paper trail of theme and meaning; and how when it's going badly, when books don't stick or take, when your mood and the mood of the book are fighting like cats, you'd rather do anything bu attempt the next paragraph, or reread the last one for the tenth time.

-- The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Now, that's an opening sentence! Part of me (the Junior High English class dork part) wants to diagram it.

This is a collection of essays -- the first of three volumes -- that Hornby wrote for The Believer magazine, described on the cover as, "A hilarious and true account of one man's struggle with the monthly tide is the books he's bought and the books he's been meaning to read."  It's the famous person's version of a book blog.

Review of the Day: The New Confessions

“My first act on entering the world was to kill my mother.” So begins William Boyd’s The New Confessions, the pseudo-autobiography of John James Todd, a Scottish-born filmmaker whose career begins in the trenches of WWI and ends on the Hollywood blacklists of the 1950s.

Todd shares first names and outlook with his hero, French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and spends his career working on an epic film based on Rousseau's memoirs, The Confessions. His quest takes him on a rollicking journey from Berlin to Hollywood, wife to lover, peaks of fame to penury, and leaves a trail of wreckage and memories behind.

Todd is an engaging Everyman anti-hero – likeable even when he is not particularly nice. The book is warm, funny, and full of life from the opening page to Todd’s concluding ruminations.