Breathing new life into this blog: books 1-5

I have read a great number of books since last posting on this blog. But in 2018 I didn't read very many. That's why I've decided to revive this blog; as a celebration of the fact that I'm reading again.

It's much slower than before, I find it harder to concentrate at times, and then off I'll go, ravenous for the written word. I'm reading in fits and starts, bursts of excitement followed my lulls in which I'll reread the same words for weeks on end. 

It's frustrating, but I'm reading. 

And to help me with my reading, I've rejoined my former book club. It's thanks in great part to them that I have found several of the books I'll write about today. 

I may have read other books in January, but I can't remember. However, our January book club book was An Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennet. I can hardly count this as a book I read though, because I hated it so much I didn't finish it.

I'm not sure if it was trying to read it on an e-reader, the fact that the queen was so very unqueenly, or just the book. It didn't do it for me.

In February, for book club, we read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. We originally read this book years ago and it was just as good this time. Maybe even better because I managed to read it with my post it notes in hand and looked up all kinds of references the author made and felt like a smart person doing it!

James Rollins came out with a new book, The Crucible. His books are still formulaic. Some better than others, but I like them because they're a quick easy read. Even now. This wasn't his best story, and the iRobot element was a little anxiety inducing. Still, I love his characters (as 2 dimensional as they are). So a good, quick, fun read. A bit like a Mission Impossible movie!

March at book club is mystery month. My favorite genre! So many good books were recommended, that I decided to request them all from the library.

First came Magpie Murders. I really loved this book! I tend to get stuck with an author and then I read everything by that author. Which means I read a lot of the same kind of book. I love quirky, and I love a story that keeps me guessing until the end. Magpie Murders was really unlike anything I'd read before: a story within a story and I didn't guess the solution to the mystery. Endings are hard, and this one was a little too easy, but I loved it anyway.

Next up was Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore. I'm still working on this though, so I'll skip to the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (aslo called the 7.5 deaths. I'm not sure why the variance in titles.

You know when your life becomes completely wrapped up in a book, so much so that every waking thought is consumed with reading? You're at work and all you can think about is getting home to keep reading? You find yourself racing through the words and have to force yourself to slow down and read at a better pace? That was this book for me. This was a first novel for the author and I'm so very pleased to see he's already working on his next. I hope I love it as much as this one. 

One

I finally finished another book. Yes that's right. It's not that I deserted this blog, I just haven't had time to read in two and a half months. But, after six weeks of faithful slogging, I finally finished The Witness by Dee Henderson. The sad thing is, the book wasn't even fantastic literature, though the story was enough to keep me going through all those weeks.

Let's hope I manage to read a few more books in 2011.

55 & 56

The Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon - this promised to be a twisting thriller, but it didn't deliver. It was an okay read, but not really what it claimed to be. Plus - I figured out all the "Shocking twists and turns" way ahead. booo.

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. Again, an okay read, but not really what I've come to expect from Weiner. Good thing the book I'm on now is satisfying!

54

My next book was Day After Night by Anita Diamant. In some ways this reminded me of the Jerusalem series by Brock and Bodie Thoene, though of course it's only one book, not 13+.

52 & 53

I was thinking a little more about that last book I read: The Shadow of the Wind. It really reminded me of Wuthering Heights. Only the characters were likeable. Now, I haven't read Wuthering Heights, I've only see the movie (this version), but after labouring through it, I really felt kind of dirty. Like I'd wasted two days on despicable characters and that nothing about the story or the characters had any redeeming qualities.

Shadow of the Wind had a lot of elements that would make me hesitate to recommend it to, say my book club, but when it comes to it, I really enjoyed the story.

I started reading The Help, but unfortunately, the library needed it back before I could get through it. This is the trouble with busy months and library books. I'll try and get it back again. So then I turned to The Grave Savers. This one's a book for young adults that deals with all kinds of weighty subjects. But the story was good, and the writing was good. I kinda like young adult books if they're well written.

Then I turned to The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger. I loved this book. I was a bit disappointed by the ending (I do love when everything gets tidied up at the end), but then I kept reading and found out it was based on a true story. So here's what the internet says about it: Lady Duff Gordon is the toast of Victorian London. But when her debilitating tuberculosis means exile, she and her devoted lady's maid, Sally, set sail for Egypt. It is Sally who describes, with a mixture of wonder and trepidation, the odd menage marshalled by the resourceful Omar, which travels down the Nile to a new life in Luxor. When Lady Duff Gordon undoes her stays and takes to native dress, throwing herself into weekly salons; language lessons; excursions to the tombs; Sally too adapts to a new world, affording her heady and heartfelt freedoms never known before. But freedom is a luxury that a maid can ill-afford, and when Sally grasps more than her status entitles her to, she is brutally reminded that she is mistress of nothing.

50 &51

Book number fifty on my list was Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. This new (to me) mystery series about an enterprising personal investigator (sort of a Hercules Poirot type) sounded like it would be right up my alley. Even better was that the book was set in the midst of the flapper era and was about a girl from humble beginnings who rose above her station.

It was a good read, but I was disappointed with the overly dramatic language the author employed. I felt like I could hear the cinematic music all the way through the story...though maybe she did that on purpose?

Oh well, I still plan on reading more of Maisie's exploits.

Next up was worldwide bestseller The Shadow of the Wind by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón. All the praise on the inside jacket was spot on. If you enjoy Gothic stories or even the Three Muskateers, I think you'll love this.

49

Sometimes my library books are busts. I try not to waste too much time on books I'm not interested in. Unfortunately sometimes I keep hoping that they'll improve and they don't. I finally gave up on Sue Miller's The Lake Shore Limited. I just couldn't see that it was going anywhere I cared about. I decided to stick with something I know I love and read Peter Robinson's A Necessary End instead. Gotta love a good mystery.

48

My latest novel was The Spaces Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. This one almost felt like it should be a book club book since it contrasted so well with one of the books we did last year (A Thousand Splendid Suns). This one is set in India (Bombay) and juxtaposes the life stories of two women, one a wealthy house wife (Sera) and the other her housekeeper/maid (Bhima).

Even though Bhima lives in the slums and is a servant, I was surprised by the quality of life these women had - I think I expected women to be treated more like they are in Afghanistan. Though now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I was so surprised.

I loved the author's voice in this book. I've watched a few Indian movies, and always thought that the weird English/Indian they use in the films is a result of poor translation and the funny way non-English speakers use our language. But reading this book was exactly like watching an Indian film and it made the story so much more real for me.

While I really did love this book, I found the ending a little abrupt. Maybe because so much of the book felt like it got right down to the nitty gritty of every day life, and the ending felt very...philosophical. It wasn't truly satisfying.

That said, I think it makes my Top Reads of 2010 list. I'd love to read another book by this author.

46 & 47

Thank goodness my request list came through for me. Just got back from a road trip through the mountains in Washington State and my two books came in handy for all the scary bits!

First up was the second book by Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie author, Alan Bradley. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag was every bit as good as Sweetness, and I must admit I can't wait to read A Red Herring Without Mustard. Too bad it's not out till February!!

Next was Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. I have to admit I wasn't too sure I would like this book. I think I only ordered it based on the title. And I probably wouldn't have chosen it to read next except it was the first book due back at the library.

This was one of those books that had me laughing out loud, reading quotes to Andrew, and scribbling little lines (like this one: "...passion is all very well, but it wouldn't do to spill the tea...") I loved this book and have ordered Andrew to commence reading immediately!

45

I'm running out of books.

Number 45 was Mystic River by Kristin Hannah. It's a good thing I stumbled on Winter Garden first or I might never have read her again. Or maybe it's too bad because it gave me such high expectations for her.

Another romance story set in small town Washington State. That's all I gotta say 'bout that.

44

As I was reading online reviews for The Postmistress, I noticed quite a few of them mentioned Sarah's Key (which I read earlier this year) and Those Who Save Us. I chuckled to myself because I had read one of the two books mentioned and I guess I do read a lot of war books after all. Then I went to the pantry to get the next book from my library pile and lo and behold, it's Those Who Save Us.

Time to try something new?

TWSU was so promising. Right off the bat it reminded me of Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (which I loved). Both are told in a series of alternated flashbacks and current day story lines. The mother's story is set in WW2, she falls in love, she is separated from the man she loves, she has his child (or children), and then she has to somehow survive with her children. Eventually she is rescued by a strong American (because oh yeah, she's beautiful beyond compare) who doesn't care that she is now bascially a stone because of the things she experienced.

The daughters hate their moms because they've never once communicated anything to them. Love, acceptance, what they survived through, their own histories...all a mystery.

That's where the similarities end.

I loved Winter Garden.

Those Who Save Us was much harsher. It was brutal. Graphic. Violent. Though the story was very good, and I definitely felt carried along with it, I wondered what would redeem all the sadness we had to struggle through. Would mother and daughter come to some acceptance? Would any of the issues the daughter struggled through be resolved? Would the mother forgive herself and find healing?

I don't know. Because the book just ends.

And seriously, I hate that! Especially since there were so many aspects of both characters journeys/lives we had to endlessly read about...and suddenly no resolution. Crap.

I don't know if I recommend or not. Very, very hard to read.

42 & 43

Piece of My Heart is another mystery by Peter Robinson. This one involved a mystery from the sixties and a mystery in modern day times that were interconnected. Even though I'm not a big fan of alternating flashbacks with current times (even when done well it can be jarring, or at very least, frustrating), I did enjoy this book. I'm glad I'm on a break from PR though because the last two were quite similar even though it's the luck of the draw which book makes it to the library first.

Next up was The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Here's the description from the back of the book: “The Postmistress is set in the years 1940-41, both on Cape Cod and in Europe. The reader follows the paths of three women – Emma, Iris, and Frankie – as Europe experiences Hitler’s fury and Americans wonder if they will enter the war. Emma has just married Will, a doctor on Cape Cod. She wants to make a good impression on the people there, and make a good home for her husband. Iris is the Postmaster of the same town Emma moves to, and watches over the people of the town. Frankie is a reporter in London during the Blitzkrieg, experiencing some of the horrors of war while trying to report on them."

Earlier this year I was recommending a book to my book club and the immediate response of my neighbor was, "not another war book!" It's had me feeling slightly defensive about how many of them I read. As I finished Postmistress, I wondered to myself, why do I like war stories so much? I'm still not sure I have an answer I can fully articulate on here.

There are some interesting themes: two characters with very strong characters find themselves doing things that run strongly against their own ideals and nature; a strong theme through the story is whether our lives are already ordered or if we can affect their course.

This wasn't the best story I've ever read, but I know it will stick with me for a long time.

39-41

A Reliable Wife is one of the books that was recommended to me by Amazon.ca because of the books I read/buy/look at on their website. The write up looked interesting so I dutifully ordered it from the library:

"Set in a small Wisconsin farming and manufacturing town still crumbling a decade after the depression of the 1890s, A Reliable Wife tells the story of Ralph Truitt, a wealthy businessman who advertises for “a reliable wife” in newspapers across America. The woman he chooses, Catherine Land, describes herself as “a simple, honest woman,” but in truth she is both complex and devious— not the missionary’s daughter she claims to be in her letter to Truitt but a courtesan of great beauty, kept by men and haunted by a terrible past. Catherine’s plan in accepting the marriage offer is simple: she will win this man’s devotion, and then, ever so slowly, she will poison him and leave Wisconsin a wealthy widow. What she has not counted on, though, is the passion she finds in this seemingly solid, forthright man—a man who also harbours secrets and whose own past is far from pure.

Filled with remarkable characters and drenched with colour and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is a story of love and madness, longing and murder, played out in a world that seems to have gone temporarily off its axis."

Turns out there was WAY more sex stuff than I needed to read. But the story definitely pulled me in so that I felt like I had to know how it ended. So, I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not!! There were lots of quotes that made me wish I was reading with a book and pen. I caught one: "we all want to be somebody else. Somebody braver, or more handsome, or smarter. It's what children want. It's what you grow out of if you're lucky. If you don't, it's a lifetime of agony....Play the hand you have, Antonio, that's all anybody expects. And it's a pretty good hand."

Summertime for me means reading lots of mysteries at the beach. So I ordered every Peter Robinson book I could get my hands on. The next two were Dead Right and In a Dry Season. Both were good, but of the two, In a Dry Season is the one I can't stop thinking about. If you're looking for a new mystery author, Peter Robinson is very good.

38

I'm rapidly running out of books by my favorite authors so last time we were at the library I started hunting for new British mystery writers to read. I tend to like British mysteries because for one, they're often less gory than some of the American mysteries I've read. I also love the back stories and sticking with the same detectives.

Mark Billingham was recommended to me so I picked up Bloodline. And it was a good read, but once again, I had everything figured out before the cops did. I like when there are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing - as long as they're believeable. Still, I think I'm going to try to find some more of Billingham...the back story got me!

35 - 37

Past Reason Hated by Peter Robinson: Thank goodness for mysteries! How else would I while away the summertime hours spent on the beach?

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton: This book was recommended to me by so many people...and it was a good story. Hard to put down. The only thing I didn't like was how dumb the characters were. Or at least, I was constantly frustrated that they were jumping to the wrong conclusions about the mystery. I guess if they hadn't done that, the author wouldn't have been able to spin out the story the way she did. And even though I was completely irritated, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I know. Weird.

The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah: Not as good as the first Kristin Hannah book I read, but still completely readable.

33 & 34

Oy! I just finished reading my very first non finance or weight loss related non fiction book EVER! I know, this is tres exciting!!

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman is about the couple who owned/ran the Warsaw zoo just before and during World War 2. You should have heard be trying to tell my book club about this book. I had them thinking the Nazis were herding Jews into cages at the zoo and putting them on display. Not so. But maybe you should read the description here just to be safe!

Now, I could just be really dumb (this is my first non fiction after all) but I found the non linear way she told the story quite confusing. If I had been organizing the book I would have done it a lot differently. Even so, I would recommend this book. A very good read and very interesting (also, not too heart wrenching - I shed no tears).

Next I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. LOVED IT! I would love for my ten year old niece to read and love it as much as I did. I think it's kind of a universal appeal type o book and a great beach read.

31 & 32

The Best Man to Die by Ruth Rendell: Unbelievably, this is one of the books that I had to return before I was finished. It was heartbreaking - but then it came back to the library pretty quick so not so heartbreaking. Oh, and the novel...

It was one of Rendell's earlier books and set in the 60s. I didn't realise that at first so it was weird reading something so...antiquated? But the story was good. Of course.

Next, I read The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. I got a notion that I'd like to read the book. And it was very good. I'm glad I've never seen the movie so I had no idea what was supposed to happen. Though, it was pretty easy to figure out. I think I might order something else by him.

29 & 30

The other day Andrew and I were in Chapters. I never know what to do with myself in there anymore. I have a hard time window shopping. But eventually I went and grabbed Andrew's blackberry and started looking at books. I made a list of all the ones that looked interesting to me.

First, I remembered Lawrence Hill, author of Book of Negroes. I looked him up and saw that he had two books I hadn't read yet. I finished Any Known Blood this week. Unfortunately, I didn't find this story as gripping as Book of Negroes (well, actually, the last 200 or so pages were good, but that might be because there was finally some action in that part of the story). Mostly this was the story of someone trying to uncover his family history.

Which is kind of funny because the next book I read, also a Chapters find, was Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. Wow, I loved this book! I can never decide whether books would be good for my book club. This is just a love story. But I devoured it, and cried almost the entire time I was reading it. Does that make it book club worthy?

Here's how the dust jacket describes the book:

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

28: The last of the Chick-Lit

At least for a while.

When I order books from the library, I always seem to get a whole bunch from one author at once. So this time it was a group of Jennifer Weiner books.

This one was a bit of a mystery book (Goodnight Nobody), but with lots of mommy stuff thrown in. The mystery part was good, but the chick lit stuff was a bit unsatisfying. Or maybe I've just read to many of this sort of book at once?

The good news is, I have four books waiting for me at the library and I don't think any of them are chick lit.

26 & 27 Lots and lots of chicklit

I didn't even realise that I'd missed one of Sophie Kinsella's books until Bec commented on one of my previous postings. At which point I rushed to my computer and ordered a copy of Undomestic Goddess. Which was just what I needed to get over the war book I'd just finished.

And when I picked up my copy of Goddess, I found a copy of Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever.

Now, when I read my first Weiner book, I thougth she wrote chick lit for moms. But the entire time I was reading this book, I just kept thinking how much it was like a Douglas Coupland book. Girlfriend in a Coma or Life After God. Not really chick lit at all. But good.