The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri

I don't know where to start in reviewing this book. As I was reading it, there were several paragraphs that described perfectly how I have felt at different stages in my life. Other parts were wholly unfamiliar. I enjoyed the introspective nature of the main character, but didn't feel a good connection with many of the supporting cast. There were passages that made me ache and other ones that didn't touch me at all. Overall, it has me thinking and that is a good thing.

I would recommend this book, but I am still not sure whether it will be going on the permanent shelves. I already lent it out.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses - Tom Standage

After looking through the bibliography of The Ghost Map, I decide to read A History of the World in 6 Glasses - and someone was nice enough to give it to me for Christmas. It really is a world history from ancient times to current. It all starts with beer - which was apparently a main currency back in the day. Everyone was given a ration, even slaves. As time went on, wine took on a larger role - increasing it's influence as the cultivation of grapes improved. Helping this trend along is that aged wine can improve where aged beer is not considered a delicacy. The discovery of the New World and the resulting slave trade and sugar production moved spirits (originally rum from the waste of sugar production) to the forefront. Not only was it cost effective to use the waste from the sugar process, it was smaller to transport back to Africa, where it was prized as the most efficient way to get drunk. The Age of Reason required everyone to sober up, so coffee and the coffeehouses moved to ahead - stimulating conversation rather than rowdy behavior and sleep. The British love for tea helped them become a world power, based on the antibacterial properties and the need to boil the water. And finally Coca-Cola - which did indeed (and incidentally still does) contain ingredients from the plant that is used for cocaine - is the best known brand in the world and made it there through the rise of the USA as the superpower. Reading this concise history made me look at things in a new light and gave me a better understanding of each area in history.

I would recommend this book, let me know if you want to borrow it.

Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

Reasons this book should be considered a classic:

• Strong character development of the main character - insight into her thinking at different ages
• Non-idealistic view of love and how people who love each other can react - jealous, controlling, abusive, supportive, loving, friendly, etc.
• Societal norms - follow or not to follow?
• Sense of place - gives the feeling of the South during Jim Crow years

I'd never heard of this book before I found it on my "To Read" shelf. Even while I wasn't reading this book, I wondered what would happen next. I considered the life she had left behind and compared it to the life she was embarking on. I wondered how she would end up alone at the end (they tell you this at the beginning).

A wonderful book, I will be passing it on. If I wasn't paring back the bookshelves, I would keep it.

100 Best Novels

After looking at MLA's 100 Best Novels, I am feel like I'll need to get out of the brain candy mode and pick up something worth reading.

For the Board's List, I have only read 15 of them!

• The Great Gatsby - does it count that I have read it more than once?
• Brave New World
• Catch-22
• The Grapes of Wrath - again, do multiple readings count for something?
• 1984 - multiple readings again...
• Slaughterhouse-Five
• Animal Farm
• Howards End
• Lord of the Flies
• The Age of Innocence
• Death Comes for the Archbishop
• The Catcher in the Rye - multiple readings
• The House of Mirth
• A Bend in the River
• The Call of the Wild

I do slightly better for the Reader's list, 28!

• Atlas Shrugged
• The Fountainhead
• The Lord of the Rings
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• 1984
• Catch-22
• The Great Gatsby
• Stranger in a Strange Land
• Brave New World
• The Catcher in the Rye
• Animal Farm
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Slaughterhouse-Five
• Gone with the Wind
  
• Lord of the Flies
• A Prayer for Owen Meany
• The Stand
  
• Beloved
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• The Handmaid's Tale
• Something Wicked This Way Comes
• The Call of the Wild
• Fahrenheit 451
• Watership Down
• The Hunt for Red October
  
• Naked Lunch
• It
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Does it count that I tried to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? I think it should, I won't pick it up again.

How did you do?

The Obsidian Trilogy - Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

I like Mercedes Lackey - she writes brain candy for the fantasy crowd. Some of her books have more to them, but most of them are just a nice adventure story with a fun cast of characters. After all the mystery / suspense / detective brain candy reading of recent months, I needed a new flavor. I picked a book in a series that came out after the last book I read by Lackey - about 2 years ago. It turns out that I should REALLY look at my book case more often. After starting The Outstretched Shadow I realized I had already read it! But, I re-read it and then moved on to the rest of the trilogy: To Light a Candle and When Darkness Falls.

This is the standard fantasy set up; magic, disenfranchised youth, evil forces, etc. With the usual caste of characters - centaurs, mages, unicorns, elves, demons, trolls, etc., it felt more like a Salvatore story than a Lackey one. I enjoyed the main characters, they didn't feel one dimensional. And they went by quickly. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy Salvatore or those who want brain candy in the fantasy flavor.

I'm not sure if it will stay on my shelf, but I will try to get Higgy to read it before it leaves the house and maybe Joe once Higgy is done.

Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb

The end of the Liveship Traders trilogy was not as thought provoking as the previous books in the series. Ship of Destiny was more of an action packed soap opera - each character being put through increasingly interesting turns of events. It was a page turner - and at 800+ pages, that is almost on the verge of annoying. Actually, the end wasn't so much a page turner. It was the happily ever after part - the part where all the endings are taken to a complete close. That was the only disappointment in the series. I would have preferred a couple of loose endings - things that you could speculate as to the outcome.

This series is my favorite Hobb trilogy, it will be staying on the shelf.

Mad Ship - Robin Hobb

Second book in the Liveship Traders Trilogy. This one focus more on the life of a pirate raiding the slaveships, while also focusing on families in Bingtown. Same themes, same great storytelling.

It will be on the shelf.

Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb

Oh, I do enjoy Robin Hobb. I tried to read this series years ago and just couldn't get into it. I returned it. I picked it up again used. I was missing out.

The story follows the lives of people in Bingtown - an outpost of a distant ruler and founded on the Cursed Shores. There were ancient bargains made that shape the culture and politics of the area, but now newcomers are invading and changing the way of life. They bring slavery and a lack of respect for women with them. The theme of many fantasy novels is around political ideas and being self supporting, but with this series it is about free will. The story revolves around destiny, fate, and the characters ability to determine their own way. At the same time, there are discussions about slavery - what attitudes are needed on the part of the owners and society to let it occur in the first place. It is also about standing up for what you believe even when you know it is futile - should you or shouldn't you, when is the right time?

I find myself thinking about the series frequently throughout the day.

It will go on the shelf with the other 2 series from Hobb.

Eva Luna - Isabel Allende

After giving up on Secret Love, I picked up a book I knew I would enjoy. I have enjoyed every book I've ready by Allende's and Eva Luna was no exception.

It covers the story of Eva Luna from her being found at the mission to her finding her partner. Like many of Allende's books, the character moves around as circumstances change. The one constant in Luna's life is the stories she makes up for herself and those around her. The cast of characters was amusing and brought additional comedy to the happenings.

This one is on the shelf and available for borrowing.

Natural Ordermage - L.E. Modesitt, Jr

For the first time in reading the Saga of Recluce series I find myself wanting to read the series in the chronological order of the books rather than in the order they are published. Natural Ordermage includes excerpts of history books detailing what happened in earlier books in the series - each colored with the politics of the land producing the history. While I remember the books vaguely, my memory does not correspond to the accounts in the histories, so I find myself wanting to go back to those sections of the series and read them in historical order. Of course, whether those sections of the series were written from the point of view of Order or Chaos will color the account.

I particularly like this series because it constantly moves back and forth between the Order or Chaos side of the story - showing that neither side is completely evil, they just look at the world in different ways - and try to control it differently based on those points of view. This is something more people need to try - seeing the world from both sides.

This book will reside in the library - since I have read the rest of the books in the series at least twice through if not more.

Books with baby (3 books or was it 4)

Echo Park by Micheal Connelly - next in the Harry Bosch series I enjoy. I nice read - quick and fun. Finished it at the doctor appointment before going to the hospital.

Forbidden Fruit by Erica Spindler - started this one in the hospital and after 156 pages I still didn't care. It reminded me of a Danielle Steele novel. At 156 pages in, I was just getting the overview of main character number 3 and so I put it down to return to the used book store.

Legal Tender by Lisa Scottoline - Related to the characters in Killer Smile which I wrote about last month - although this one came first. This was a nice, quick read - as is everything I have tried to tackle lately. I look forward to more of these, although I doubt I would re-read them.

See Jane Die by Erica Spindler - leery after the last one, I picked this one up and got sucked in. I even read it in the car - which I haven't been doing because it makes me sick. Of course, it was the part about who the killer was and I only had 3 pages to go. Fun, it kept me guessing as to who the killer was until the end (although I had narrowed it down to 2).

Vanishing Point - Marcia Muller

Another book in the Sharon McCone series that I enjoy. Muller has always provided a fun read - a character that actually grows over the life of the series and yet a nice detective mystery mixed with the personal problems. This was just as expected, quick and fun. I do enjoy this series - although I did start waiting for the paperback.

This will be on the shelf with the rest of the series.

A Perfect Red - Amy Butler Greenfield

This was one of two books a friend traveled across the country to share with me. I am so glad she did. I would never have picked up this book on my own. I have a terrible time finding non-fiction works that are interesting - unless they are recommended. I look at the table of books and decide something looks good. Then when I get it home, I have a hard time getting to my 100 page allowed stopping point.

Greenfield does a wonderful job of describing the importance of the color red throughout history and the different compounds used to create it. With a focus on the cochineal originating in Mexico, this book covers the fortunes of Spain and the industry itself. Weaving the domestication of cochineal with the efforts of other countries to destroy Spain's monopoly, the book moves quickly. there were very few sections of the book where I was willing to put it down. Yes, I could stop at the chapters, but I only once put it down while in the middle of a chapter.

I highly recommend this book - and if I didn't have to send it back to its owner, I would keep it in the library. I will be recommending it to my mother for her book club. With their focus on women authors and a mix of fiction and non-fiction, this book will give them much to discuss.

Bed rest continued - 5 books in one

Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs - this was a poor choice for me - too much death and the death of an infant. I made it through because there were other crimes, but I didn't think I would. I normally like her stuff, this just wasn't the right fit.

Killjoy by Julie Garwood - Fun romance / suspense type book. Nothing fancy, nothing worth keeping, but not a waste of time.

Priceless by Mariah Stewart - not part of the other series, a stand alone book. More romance than mystery - but enough mystery to get the guy and girl together. Brain candy.

The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland - a historical fiction account of Emily Carr's life painting Indian artifacts (totem poles, big houses, etc.) in Vancouver. I find myself wanting to go see her work - of course, I'll have to use the Internet for now. It's always good to read about someone who gets upset about being called a "good woman painter". Highly recommend this one.

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr - nonfiction about the search for a lost Caravaggio masterpiece. It takes the reader through the process of researching provenance of paintings. I am still amazed that people have account ledgers from 1600s and back at their disposal. One of the things I kept thinking as I read this was about how future researchers are going to have a hard time finding data about our current "Information age" - incompatible file formats, operating systems and will they even realize the information is on a disk and that the disk might look like a pen??? Recommended.

Reading - but not blogging - 3 books in one!

I've been so busy these days -but due to illness, I have actually been reading. At least when I was well enough to actually read.

Killer Smile - Lisa Scottoline
I had read this one before and I could remember how it ended. What I didn't remember was how it got from the beginning with Premenstrual {insert guy name here} to the final court room scene. And in my addled state, it was perfect. I was able to follow the book even when I couldn't follow a new TV drama. Not sure that is a ringing endorsement, but it was fun.

Oryx & Crake - Margaret Atwood
Another book I read before (sensing a theme?), but one that I loved and had always planned to read again. I had borrowed it the first time and re-reading it reminded me why I had put it on my list of books to buy. It has the commentary that you expect from Atwood, character development, and leaves you with something to talk about at the end - will he kill them? will he let them live? what happens if he lets them live? This was my pick for book club - and I was too sick to attend! I still need to discuss this book with people... now I need a new book club. (ha!)

One True Thing - Anna Quindlen
I picked this one up because Owen had kindly removed it from it's resting place in the "books to read" pile and put it on the night stand. I'm not sure what motivated him to do that -but I'm glad he did. Like Oryx & Crake, this is a book that I would re-read. This is a book that made me think about family, duty, and what I want to be. Not necessarily that I want to be anyone in the book, but it got me thinking about how I would handle the same situation. About how I would want to handle it, but also how I think it is more likely that I would. There is one section in the book that has really stood out. Not necessarily because I agree with the guys / girls sentiment, but because it made me think about what it means to deal with something. It is just the act of moving on and helping pick up the pieces or is it the mental process that helps you get to the next day?

"Everyone deals with bad stuff in their own way," Jon added.
"Well, that's the point isn't it, Jon?" I said. "Whenever one of you guys says people deal with bad stuff in their own way, it means you don't deal with it at all. You just wait for it to go away. You don't help, you don't listen. You don't call. You don't write. WE deal with it in our own way. WE deal with it. We girls. We make the meals and clean up the messes and take the crap and listen to you talk about how you are dealing with it in your own way. What way? No way!

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books - Azar Nafisi

This month's book club selection was one I had heard about but never really had on my own personal reading list. It was nothing like I expected. It's part literary criticism, part Iran history book and part memoir. I never thought much about life in Iran or what daily life must be like in a country ruled by Islamic militants. I don't think about what it would be like to live through the transition from a more liberal rule to a more militant one. In some ways, I like to pretend that it doesn't happen - that people aren't so cruel.

I know I live in freedom, but I don't think about all the ways I am free. Free to think, free to act, free to talk to strangers on the street, free to work at home or in the office, free to wear the clothes I want, free to travel, free to learn, free to read, free from fear. This book makes me appreciate what I do have.

On the other hand, it also made me miss one of the things that I don't have - discussions about books that go beyond the superficial, "I liked it." Discussions that are all about one particular passage or ones that compare the heroine in one book to the heroine in another book. Discussions that talk about the parallels between the book and current events, the role of women in society vs. books, the role of men. It made me want to read Nabokov, James, Austen. But it also made me feel like I would be missing something to just read them alone and not discuss them. Maybe I need to find my own literature class - not just a book group.

Since it is borrowed, this book will go back. Otherwise, it would go on the shelf. I could see rereading sections - at least as I tackle those classics.

Autobiography of a Face - Lucy Grealy

This book is a companion to Truth & Beauty - the book that Lucy Grealy wrote about her experiences with cancer and how it shaped the rest of her life. It was interesting to see Lucy through her own eyes vs. those of Ann Patchett. Reading Ann's book, I often wondered how you could have a friend that was needy all the time. Reading Lucy's book, I could see being friends with her.

The prose of this novel showed the poet in Lucy - the precision of language. But it was also interesting to see the things she left out of her life story and the things Patchett's book added. This book focused more on her childhood and the many surgeries to reconstruct her jaw. In the later years, Lucy doesn't mention how she supports herself or how she survives from one surgery to the next. I think that if you read one of these two books, you should really read the other. It will make you think of her in a different light.

It'll go on the shelf for now. It might go out in the next purge depending on how I feel about it then.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Mom recommended this one - she read it for her book group and they're discussing it tonight. I had to return it. Rather than return it unread, I started reading it Saturday night. I didn't realize I would be finishing it the same night.

I enjoyed this book - the flipping between Jacob in the nursing home and Jacob in the circus. It was interesting to look at life during the Depression from the eyes of the circus - the desperation to find work and the fear of losing the work they got. But in the end, it was really a love story - man/woman, friends, and man/animal.

I'd pass this on to others and I could see reading it again - so many things to think about. But since I borrowed it, it won't be going on the shelf.

Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum is back - the epitome of summer beach reading. It's a fun read - quick. I doubt it took me 2 hours. I laughed out loud as she continued her antics. It was the usual stuff - Ranger vs. Morelli, cars exploding, Rex the hamster, and the gossip mill in the 'burg. If you have read and enjoyed the others in the series, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Brain candy - but going on the shelf with the rest. Some days, I just need to laugh.

The Good Guy - Dean Koontz

"A Girl In Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" is the soundtrack that plays in my head when I think about the newest Koontz book. It was a return to the "someone is out to injure / kill a woman and a man gets involved trying to save her" type books that started me reading Koontz in the first place. If you know your Koontz - think Lightning. One of the aspects of these that I always enjoyed was that while some man gets involved, the woman is not the usual helpless, shrinking violet who has been waiting all their life for a man. They are normally confident, strong and intelligent. The man and woman become a pair - each one excelling at finding ways to stay a step ahead of the bad guy chasing them.

A fun book, one that will stay in the collection (as all Koontz tend to do).