Saturday, January 21, 2012

My Book Reviews by Author

My book reviews, in alphabetic order by author.  The title links go to the reviews.

AAAAAAAAAA

Kathryn Aalto, Writing Wild: Women Poets, Ramblers, and Mavericks Who Shape How We See the Natural World 
Diana Abu-Jaber, Origin
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
John Addiego, The Islands of Divine Music
Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Arzak, Arzak + Arzak
John Banville, The Sea (Booker Prize)
Julien Barnes, The Sense of an Ending
Ava Barry, Windhall
Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture (Costa BOTY)
Christopher Buckley, Little Green Men
Christopher Buckley, Make Russia Great Again 
Stella Cameron, Cold
Donovan Campbell, Joker One
Ethan Canin, America, America
Ethan Canin, Blue River
Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda (Booker Prize)
Stephen Carter, The Palace Council
Margaret Cezair-Thompson, The Pirate's Daughter
Whittaker Chambers, Witness
John Cheever, The Stories of John Cheever (NBCC Award; Pulitzer Prize)
Julia Child, My Life in France
Lee Child, Worth Dying For
Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Agatha Christie, The Tuesday Club Murders
Sheila Clark, The Stettheimer Dollhouse
Robin Cody, Another Way the River Has
J.M. Coetzee, Life & Times of Michael K (Booker Prize)
Karen Connelly, Burmese Lessons: A True Love Story
Barnaby Conrad, The World of Herb Caen: San Francisco 1938 – 1997
Thomas H. Cook, The Chatham School Affair (Edgar Award)
Stephen Covey, Living the 7 Habits
Liz Crain, Food Lover's Guide to Portland
A. J. Cronin, Three Loves
Amanda Cross, The James Joyce Murder   

DDDDDDDDDD

Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald
Robertson Davies, The Rebel Angels
Robertson Davies, What's Bred in the Bone
H. L. Davis, Honey in the Horn 
Erica Johnson-Debeljak, Forbidden Bread
R.F. Delderfield, Theirs Was the Kindgom
Nelson DeMille, The Gate House
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
Charles Dickens, Hard Times
Joan Didion, Play It As It Lays
Don DeLillo, Underworld
Nelson DeMille, Cathedral
Bernard DeVoto, The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto
Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
E. L. Doctorow, Homer and Langley
Frances Dinklespiel, Towers of Gold
Harry Dolan, Bad Things Happen    
Harry Dolan, Very Bad Men
Lian Dolan, The Sweeney Sisters 
James Farrell, The Studs Lonigan Trilogy
William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
Sebastian Faulks, A Week in December
Julian Fellows, Snobs 
Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain (National Book Award)
Jack Fuller, Abbeville  

GGGGGGGGGG

Leighton Gage, Every Bitter Thing
Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm
Maria Giura, Celibate
Nadine Gordimer, Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black
Jaimy Gordon, Lord of Misrule (National Book Award)
Nadia Gordon, Death by the Glass
Wendy Gordon, Wrong Highway
Katharine Graham, Personal History
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
Günter Grass, The Tin Drum
Graham Greene, The Comedians
Graham Greene, May We Borrow Your Husband?
Robert Greer, Blackbird, Farwell
Kate Grenville, The Idea of Perfection (Orange Prize) 


HHHHHHHHHH

Christine Hale, Basil's Dream
Bill Hall, McCallandia
Robert Hellinga, The Italian Lover
Mark Helprin, Freddy and Fredericka
Ernest Hemingway, The Complete Short Stories
John Hersey, A Bell for Adano (Pulitzer Prize)
John Hersey, The Marmot Drive
Hermann Hesse, Siddartha
Michael C. Higgins, Exploring Wine Regions: Bordeaux and Argentina 
Marcy Cottrell Houle, One City's Wilderness  
Maureen Hovenkotter, 42 States of Grace: A Woman's Journey
Maureen Hovenkotter (Ed.), Real Women, Real Wisdom: A Journey into the Feminine Soul  
Susan Howatch, Glittering Images
Keri Hulme, The Bone People (Booker Prize)  

IIIIIIIIII  

John Irving, The Fourth Hand
Christopher Isherwood, A Single Man  

JJJJJJJJJJ

Ellen Jackson, The Lemon Cookbook: 50 Sweet & Savory Recipes to Brighten Every Meal 
Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle   
George Jacobs, Real Cooking, by George!
Rowan Jacobsen, American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields
Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question (Booker Prize)
Henry James, The Ambassadors
Henry James, The Golden Bowl
P. D. James, The Black Tower
Celia Jeffries, Blue Desert
Charles Johnson, Middle Passage (National Book Award)
Marcia Riefer Johnston, Word Up!
Erica Jong, Fear of Flying
Erica Jong, How to Save Your Own Life
Erica Jong, Parachutes & Kisses
Krysia Jopek, Maps and Shadows    
James Joyce, A Portait of an Artist as a Young Man
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake  

KKKKKKKKKK

Evelyn Kanter, Peaceful Places, New York City
Laura Kasischke, Eden Springs
Jorgen Kieler, Resistance Fighter
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss
Laurie King, A Grave Talent
Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Vaclav Klaus, Blue Planet in Green Shackles
John Knowles, Indian Summer
Eric Kraft, What a Piece of Work I Am
John Kralik, 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life
Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

LLLLLLLLLL

Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies (Pulitzer Prize)
Nikita Lalwani, Gifted
Wally Lamb, She's Come Undone
Lorna Landvik, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
Rulke Langer, The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt
Stieg Larsson, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugh Laurie, The Gun Seller
Halldór Laxness, Independent People
John le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy
Ursula Le Guin, Lavinia
Dennis Lehane, Moonlight Mile
Howard Lenhoff, Black Jews, Jews, and Other Heroes
Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
John Lescroart, A Plague of Secrets  
Jonathan Letham, The Fortress of Solitude
Andrea Levy, Small Island (Costa BOTY; Orange Prize)
Shaun Levy, Paul Newman: A Life
Elinor Lipman, My Latest Grievance
A. J. Liebling, Just Enough Liebling
Penelope Lively, The Photograph
David Lodge, Changing Places
David Lodge, Deaf Sentence
David Lodge, Home Truths
David Lodge, How Far Can You Go?
David Lodge, Therapy
Elisabeth Luard, Classic Spanish Cooking: Recipes for Mastering the Spanish Kitchen   
Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate Cookbook  
Sian Lye, The Real Hergé: The Inspiration Behind Tintin

MMMMMMMMMM

Naguib Mahfouz, The Beggar
Norman Mailer, The Naked and the Dead
Bernard Malamud, The Assistant
Bernard Malamud, The Fixer (National Book Award; Pulitzer Prize)
Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (Booker Prize; NBCC Award)
Amy Maroney, A Place in the World 
Herman Melville, Moby Dick
Sarah Mendivel, Sam's Theory 
Joyce Meyer, Look Great, Feel Great
Philip Meyer, American Rust
Margaret Millar, Beast in View
Robert Miller, Native America Discovered and Conquered
Sandra A. Miller, Trove
Steven Millhauser, Martin Dressler (Pulitzer Prize)
Joseph Mitchell, Up in the Old Hotel 
Lillian Moats, The Letter from Death
Nicole Mones, The Last Chinese Chef
Nicole Mones, Lost in Translation
Dede Montgomery, Humanity's Grace
Craig Nelson, Thomas Paine
Sara Nelson, So Many Books, So Little Time
Katherine Neville, The Fire
Gregory Nokes, Massacred for Gold  

OOOOOOOOOO

David Oates, City Limits: Walking Portland's Boundary
Joyce Carol Oates, Missing Mom  
Martha Ockley, The Reluctant Detective
Jack Ohman, Angler Management: The Day I Died While Fly Fishing and Other Essays
Debra Ollivier, Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl
Anne-Marie Oomen, An American Map  

PPPPPPPPPP

Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago
Ann Patchett, Bel Canto (Orange Prize; PEN/Faulkner Award)
Mervyn Peake, Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake, Titus Alone
Mervin Peake, Titus Groan
Milan Pelouch, How to Find Morels
Stef Penney, The Tenderness of Wolves (Costa BOTY)
Joseph Persico, Franklin and Lucy
Caryl Phillips, Foreigners
Gin Phillips, The Well and the Mine
Rosamund Pilcher, The Shell Seekers
Sally Pipes, The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care
Sally Pipes, The Truth About Obamacare
Heidi Pitlor, Impersonation 
Belva Plain, Crescent City
Anthony Powell, Venusberg
Julie Powell, Julie and Julia
Gary Presley, 7 Wheelchairs
Christopher Priest, The Prestige
Debra Prinzing, Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways  

QQQQQQQQQQ  

RRRRRRRRRR

Tom Rachman, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers 
Deborah Reed, Things We Set on Fire 
Richard Reeves, John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand
Ruth Reichl, Comfort Me with Apples
Frederick Reuss, A Geography of Secrets
Kirsten Rian, Life Expectancy 
Susan Rieger, The Heirs
J. F. Riordan, A Small Earnest Question 
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (NBCC Award; Pulitzer Prize)
Waverley Root, The Food of France  
Elisabeth Payne Rosen, Hallam's War
Philip Roth, Goodbye, Columbus (National Book Award)
Philip Roth, The Human Stain (PEN/Faulkner Award)
Philip Roth, The Plot Against America
Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children (Booker Prize)
Mary Doria Russell, Dreamers of the Day
Julie Russo, The Silver Palate Cookbook
Richard Russo, Empire Falls (Pulitzer Prize)
Jean Ryhs, Wide Sargasso Sea  

SSSSSSSSSS

Joel Salatin, Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front 
J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey
Kevin Sampsel, Editor, Portland Noir
Dorothy L. Sayers, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
Mary Ann Shaffe, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Lynn Sharon Schwartz, Leaving Brooklyn
David Sedaris, Dress You Family in Corduroy and Denim
Laurence Shames, Scavenger Reef
M. B. Shaw, Murder at the Castle
Samuel Shem, The Spirit of the Place
Adam Shepard, Scratch Beginnings
Steven Shomler, Portland Food Cart Stories 
Wallace Stegner, The Spectator Bird (National Book Award)
Michael Steinberger, Au Revoir to All That
Lenhardt Stevens, The Hapless Valet
Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Susan Stonich, The Ice Chorus
Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance
Harriette Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (Pulitzer Prize)
William Styron, Sophie's Choice  (National Book Award) 
Christina Sunley, The Tricking of Freya
Jacqueline Susann, Valley of the Dolls    

TTTTTTTTTT

Booth Tarkington, Alice Adams (Pulitzer Prize)
Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons (Pulitzer Prize)  
Peter Taylor, A Summons to Memphis (Pulitzer Prize)
Sunday Taylor, The Anglophile's Notebook 
Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne
Lara Tupper, Off Island
H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
W. D. Wetherell, A Century of November
Edmund White, The Flâneur 
Nancy Willard, Things Invisible to See  
Don Winslow, The Winter of Frankie Machine
Reid Winslow, The Dead Bell
P. G. Wodehouse, A Prefect's Uncle
Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff
Karen Wolff, The Green Years 
Emil Zola, Therese Raquin

NOTES

Finally updated on January 12, 2022.

If you would like your reviews of any of these books listed on my review post, please leave a comment on the review post itself, with a link, and I will add it.


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Friday, January 20, 2012

Opening Sentence of the Day: The Evolution of Shadows


Lian hears the wind in the trees outside and the creak of the house as its timbers contract in the cool night. 
-- The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott.  This is a novel about the Bosnian war, so it is pretty intense.




A Few More Pages hosts Book Beginnings every Friday.  The event is open for the entire week.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Review: Sacred Hunger



Barry Unsworth won the 1992 Booker Prize for Sacred Hunger, his incredible novel about independence, madness, duty, dominance, justice, suicide, loyalty, greed, hope, commerce, power, family, culture, desire, violence, education, marriage, politics, philosophy, self-doubt, government, fatherhood, adventure, friendship, and pride.

And slavery. Specifically, British slave trade in the 1700s. William Kemp stakes his failing fortunes on a slave ship to ply the "Triangle Trade" of selling English manufactured goods to African slavers, slaves to Jamaican sugar plantations, and sugar to England. He installs his nephew, Matthew Paris, a heretical and bereaved scientist seeking to escape his tragic past, as the ship's physician.

When things go horribly wrong with Kemp's plan, his son Erasmus vows to restore the family fortunes and good name, culminating in his obsessive journey to the swamps of colonial Florida to find a rumored Utopian society of ex-slaves and sailors, governed, he fears, by his hated cousin.

Whew! There is a lot going on in the 600+ pages of this gorgeous and horrible and wonderful story. To say that Sacred Hunger is engrossing barely touches the surface. True, Unsworth's main characters live in their heads more than their hearts – little is shown about their emotions beyond anger or pride. Instead, Unsworth focuses on the doubts and hopes that drive William, Erasmus, and Matthew, explaining that "doubt is the ally of hope, not its enemy, and together they made all the blessing" these men had in their tragic lives.

Sacred Hunger is a book that will keep any reader thinking for a long time after the amazing plot concludes.

OTHER REVIEWS

Hotchpot Cafe

If you would like your review of this or any other Barry Unsworth book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

Sacred Hunger counts as one of my Booker Prize choices for the 2011 Battle of the Prizes, British Version and as my final book for the 2011 Chunkster Challenge.

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012 Challenges: Books Published in the First Years of My Life and the Birth Year Reading Challenge


INCOMPLETE
FINISHED

Emma at Words and Peace is hosting the Books Published in the First Years of My Life Challenge. I am signing up for the Toddler level to read three books published in the first three years of my life. 

Click on the button or the link above to go to the main challenge page for details and to sign up.

It overlaps with the Birth Year Reading Challenge on Hotchpot Cafe, but with more years.

MY BOOKS

The Comedians by Graham Green (reviewed here; for the Graham Greene Challenge);

May We Borrow Your Husband by Graham Greene (reviewed here; also for the graham Greene Challenge).



NOTE

Updated December 26, 2012. I fell one book short of the First Years Challenge and only got one candle for the Birth Year Challenge.  Not so great, although I really enjoyed both of the books I read.

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: Side Trips from Cowboy


When the strings start popping and the package we have wrapped in our denial and delusions starts to come undone and chaos begins to spread as it does on sinking ships and airplanes falling out of the sky, even the most atheistic person on board says, "Oh, God!" And so did I.
-- Side Trips from Cowboy: Addiction, Recovery and the Western American Myth, by Sandy Compton. This is a book of personal essays that follow the author on his adventures through the Mountain States and his own 12 steps. It's good.

Compton is the author of the novel, Archer MacClehan & the Hungry Now, sort of a contemporary Western adventure, and Jason's Passage: From the Blascomb Family Chronicles, a collection of three related short stories.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 



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Monday, January 16, 2012

Mailbox Monday


Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia at A girl and her books (fka The Printed Page), who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Alyce at At Home With Books is hosting in January.  Please stop by her wonderful blog!

I got a stack of books last week:

Wild in the City: Exploring the Intertwine: The Portland-Vancouver Region's Network of Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas by Michael C. Houck and M. J. Cody (a good inspiration to get out there and do some hiking; from OSU Press)



Light on the Devils: Coming of Age on the Klamath by Louise Wagenknecht (from OSU Press and a good pick for the Memorable Memoirs challenge)



Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield (thanks go to Amused By Books because I won this in her December giveaway)



I got a stack of books from Second Glance Books to fill in a couple Santa forgot to bring:

Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes (a new to me author; this is the first in his Inspector Appleby series and perfect for the Vintage Mystery challenge)



A Comedy of Terrors by Michael Innes (the 6th Appleby mystery)



Arthur & George by Julian Barnes



My Life As a Man by Philip Roth



She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith (in a nice, but very plain, boxed edition with illustrations; this will be my "classic play" choice for the Back to the Classics challenge; it is on the Easton Press Greatest 100 list)

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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Review: High Stakes

 

High Stakes is a particularly good Dick Francis book, which says a lot, since they are all first-rate. It follows the tried and true Francis formula of a hero who is successful in a particular profession, has a connection with horse racing, and gets drawn in to solve a crime.

In this case, Steven Scott is the inventor of a popular line of mechanical children's toys who used his wealth to buy racehorses. But Scott's lack of hands-on involvement makes him a sitting duck for a shady trainer working a con on gullible owners.

High Stakes is more of a caper than Francis's usual, more straightforward who-done-it. Scott figures out the con early on and puts together his own, elaborate sting to catch the bad guys. This involves recruiting a mishmash team of amateurs, all with particular skills or connections, a horse-buying trip to Florida, and a love affair with a firecracker American gal.

It's no spoiler to say that the good guys prevail and the bad guys get their comeuppance. But, like always, it’s a great ride.


OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this or any other Dick Francis book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

This is my first book for the European Reading Challenge and counts as my UK choice.  What country will I visit next? Probably Italy, when I participate in the Venice in February Challenge.





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Saturday, January 14, 2012

2012 Challenge: What's in a Name?

 

INCOMPLETE

This is my first year to sign up for the popular What's in a Name Challenge, now hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Click the button or the link for more details and to sign up.

Here's How It Works

Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, read one book in each of the following categories:
  • A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title
  • A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title
  • A book with a creepy crawly in the title
  • A book with a type of house in the title
  • A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title
  • A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title

My Books

Here are some possibilities from my TBR shelves.  Those I finished are in red, with links to reviews (hopefully).

TOPOGRAPHICAL:

SKY:
CREEPY CRAWLY:
HOUSE:
CARRIED:
CALENDAR:
NOTE

Last updated on December 27, 2012. I came close to finishing, but never got around to a Creepy Crawly book.


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    Friday, January 13, 2012

    State of the Blog: Part Two, the Authors

    Four times a year, I do a review of the books I've read so far.  In January, that review covers all the books I read the last calendar year.

    This is the second of my quarterly blog assessment posts.  This one takes a look at my author lists over in the right-hand column. The first part addressed my lists. Part Three will deal with the challenges I joined this year.

    NOTE: If you are systematically reading the books of any of these authors, please leave a comment here or on the post for the author's list (click on the title below or in the right-hand column) and leave a link to any related post. I will add the links on the author's list post.

    I recently split my author list into two parts: General favorites and Mystery favorites.  See here for discussion.

    In 2011, I read 40 books by my favorite authors.  For the list of all 116 books I read in 2011, go here.


    GENERAL FAVORITES

    Kingsley Amis
    Maeve Binchy
    William Boyd

    Elinor Lipman


    Philip Roth
    C. P. Snow
    Anne Tyler
    John Updike
    P. G. Wodehouse


    MYSTERY FAVORITES

    Kate Atkinson
    Lee Child
    Dick Francis
    P. D. James
    Donna Leon
    John Lescroart
    Helen MacInnes
    Ian Rankin
    Dorothy L. Sayers
    Julia Spencer-Fleming


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    Opening Sentence of the Day: Side Trips From Cowboy



    It's July 9, about half-way through the process of writing this book and nearly a year since Margetty and I went to the Big Hole and retrieved the black amulet.
    -- Side Trips from Cowboy: Addiction, Recovery and the Western American Myth, by Sandy Compton.  That's an opener to catch my attention, although the title already did that.

    Compton is the author of the novel, Archer MacClehan & the Hungry Now, sort of a contemporary Western adventure, and Jason's Passage: From the Blascomb Family Chronicles, a collection of three related short stories.




    A Few More Pages hosts Book Beginnings every Friday.  The event is open for the entire week.

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    Thursday, January 12, 2012

    State of the Blog: Part One, the Lists

    Four times a year, I review the books I've read to that point and see what kind of progress I've made on my books lists and reading projects.  This winter review session is always my favorite because it is a wrap up of the books read by the end of the last calendar year.

    This is the first of three quarterly blog assessment posts.  This first part addresses the book lists. Part Two, coming soon, will take a look at the author lists.  Part Three will deal with the challenges I joined this year.

    My book lists are over in the right-side column. These are now divided into Prize Winners and "Must Reads" and include lists of books I have read or intend to read for some reason or another. Also in the right-side column are lists of my favorite authors. I add to these lists of lists from time to time.

    NOTE: If you are working on any of these lists, please leave a comment here or on the post for the list (click on the title below or in the right-hand column) and leave a link to any related post. I will add the links on the list post. 

    In 2011, I read 47 books from my book lists.  The list of all 115 books I read in 2011 is here.

    THE PRIZE WINNERS



    Books read in 2011: none


    Books read in 2011: The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook (reviewed here).


    Books read in 2011:

    Books read in 2011:
    1. G by John Berger (reviewed here; read for my 2010 Battle of the Prizes, British Version, challenge);
    2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (reviewed here; read for my 2011 Battle of the Prizes, British Version, challenge)


    Books read in 2011:

    Books read in 2011:one, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (reviewed here; read for my 2011 Battle of the Prizes, British Version, challenge).


    Books read in 2011: none.


    Books read in 2011: one, On Beauty by Zadie Smith (reviewed here)


    Books read in 2011: one, The Human Stain by Philip Roth (reviewed here)


    Books read in 2011:

    THE "MUST READS"


    Books read in 2011: one, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (reviewed here)


    Books read in 2011: All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (reviewed here; read for my 2011 Battle of the Prizes, American Version, challenge)


    This list is from 99 Novels: The Best in English Since 1939 by Anthony Burgess, which I finally read this year. My review is here. 

    Books read in 2011: 

    Books read in 2011: one, Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.


    Books read in 2011:


    Books read in 2011:


    Books read in 2011:
    I've read many foodie books that weren't cookbooks.  I think I'll start a new list.


    Books read in 2011:

    Books read in 2011:

    Books read in 2011:

    Books read in 2011:

    LT EARLY REVIEWERS

    Books read in 2011:


    Books read in 2011: none.


    Books read in 2011: zero (finished this list a couple of years ago).


    Books read in 2011:
    1.  The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James; and
    2.  Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor.


    Books read in 2011: none.


    Books read in 2011:


    Books read in 2011: none so far. Who knows if the list will change this year.


    This is a new list that I just created in 2011. I plan to make more progress in 2012 when I participate in the Venice in February Challenge.

    Books read in 2011:


    Books read in 2011: All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (reviewed here; read for my 2011 Battle of the Prizes, American Version, challenge)

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    Wednesday, January 11, 2012

    2012 Challenge: Henry Green Week

     

    FINISHED

    Stu at Winstonsdad's Blog hosted a challenge-type event called Henry Green Week from January 23 to 29, 2012.  Click on the button or the link for more details or to sign up. 

    I read Green's best-known book, Loving, because it was on the modern Library's Top 100 list.  It didn't knock my socks off, but I've been meaning to give him another chance.  So this event may be just what I need to find the inspiration to continue with the trilogy.

    I have the second and third books of the trilogy, Living and Party Going, on my TBR shelf. I am going to read Living for this event.

    UPDATE:  This challenge is completed. I read Living and reviewed it here.  I didn't like Living any more than I liked Loving.  I will probably finish Party Going one of these days because it is on my TBR shelf, but I'm not in any hurry.

    Posted by at 6:00 AM 2 comments

    Tuesday, January 10, 2012

    Teaser Tuesday: Soldiers in Hiding


    Just then Kazuko came back carrying the ingredients for tea on a flat wooden tray.  She pushed the tray into the room as a woman in a restaurant might and then slid in after it.
    -- Soldiers in Hiding by Richard Wiley. This is the story of a Japanese-American jazz musician trapped in Tokyo after Pearl Harbor and drafted into the Japanese Army.  It takes place 30 years after the war, as he struggles with his own war guilt.

    Soldiers in Hiding won the 1987 PEN/Faulkner Award.  This edition is published by  Hawthorne Books, with a new preface by the author.

    Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 



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