Tag: audio books

June Jumping

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I see June as jumping over spring. We went from low 50 degree temps to mid 90s overnight. Not sure what to make of this abbreviated spring. I’m not sure what to make of myself either. I all but stopped running (eleven miles for the entire month). Even when I was home on Monhegan I didn’t lace up. My only saving grace is I’m to start training for a half in July. Sigh…

Here are the books:

Fiction –

  • American Pastoral by Philip Roth ~ in honor of Father’s Day (AB)
  • Under the Gypsy Moon ~ by Lawrence Thornton
  • The Key to Rebecca by Ken Follett

Nonfiction –

  • Death, Taxes and Leaky Waders by John Gierach
  • Provence by Ford Madox Ford (DNF)

Series Continuations –

  • Cider with Rosie (illustrated) by Laurie Lee
  • Henry James: the Middle Year by Leon Edel (not finished yet)

For the Early Review program for LibraryThing:

  • Upstream: Searching for Wild Salmon, From River to Table by Langdon Cook
  • The World Broke in Two by Brian Goldstein (not finished yet)

Here are the short stories –

  • “Artie Glick in a Family Way” by Joseph Epstein
  • “Executor” by Joseph Epstein
  • “Mendocino” by Ann Packer
  • “Babies” by Ann Packer
  • “General Markman’s Last Stand” by Tom Paine
  • “The Spoon Children” by Tom Paine
  • “Someone to Watch Over Me” by Richard Bausch
  • “Aren’t You Happy for Me?” by Richard Bausch

Spring Sprung Titles

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What to say about April? I ran my fastest 10k while ill (go figure). I met two new runners and may have convinced someone to at least try. I don’t know where this acceptance to run with others is coming from. To share a conversation I had with someone: I asked where she runs. She replied she doesn’t have my pace, “nowhere near it” were her exact words. I answered I don’t have that pace all the time either. Me & my pace visit from time to time but we don’t make it a thing. She laughed and I saw myself ten years ago talking to someone who face-times with friends while running. I worried about her relationship with pace. But, this blog is turning into a thing different from reading.

So, without further ado, here are the finished books:

Fiction:

  • Diplomatic Lover by Elsie Lee – read in one day
  • Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez – read in two days
  • Celibate Season by Carol Shields and Blanche Howard – read in four days (this book annoyed me and I kept having to put it down)

Nonfiction:

  • Lost Upland: stories of the Dordogne Region by W.S. Merwin – confessional: DNF (bored, bored, bored)
  • Coming into the Country by John McPhee
  • Henry James: the Untried Years by Leon Edel
  • Another Part of the Wood by Kenneth Clark – this was cheeky!

Series continuations:

  • “F” is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton (I’m calling this a continuation even though I read “A” a long time ago.)
  • Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons (AB + print so I could finish on time – today!)
  • Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves – another quick read (finished in four days)

Early Review for LibraryThing:

  • My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul

April Snow Job

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As we move into April I am not confident we won’t get another 26″ snow storm. If we ever joked in the past about not being able to predict the weather, now it is impossible. It’s no laughing matter. My rose bushes, right now struggling under the weight of frozen water, could tell you that. But never mind the weather. Let’s talk about the month of April. April is another 10k for cancer. I’m hoping to break the hour time since I was five seconds away in March. April is also Easter. April is my sister’s birth month. April is also books, books and more books…of course:

Fiction:

  • ‘F’ is For Fugitive by Sue Grafton ~ in honor of Grafton’s birth month. Technically, I should have read all the “alphabet” books by Grafton one right after the other, but I didn’t have that system when I read “A” is for Alibi. I think it goes without saying I do now.
  • The Diplomatic Lover by Elsie Lee ~ in honor of Lee’s birth month. I am not looking forward to this one even though it looks like a quick read.
  • A Celibate Season by Carol Shields ~ in honor of April being Letter Writing Month. This is so short I should be able to read it in one sitting.

Nonfiction:

  • Henry James: the Untried Years (1843 – 1870) by Leon Edel ~ in honor of James’s birth month. This first volume chronicles James’s childhood and youth.
  • Coming into the Country by John McPhee ~ in honor of the Alaska trip I’m taking in August.

Series continuations:

  • The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons ~ this is to finish the series started in January, in honor of Science Fiction month. I liked Endymion the best so I have high hopes for The Rise of Endymion. I am listening to this on audio and reading the print because I know I will never finish the 575+ pages by April 30th.
  • Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves ~ this is to finish the series started in January, in honor of Shetland’s fire festival, Up Helly Aa. This is another one I should be able to finish in a day or two.

Early Review for LibraryThing:

  • My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul

Extra (for fun):

  • Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara- ~ my sister sent this in my belated birthday package. Whatever she recommends I usually end up liking whether it be music or books. For those of you who really know me – I know what you’re thinking. Yes, my birthday was in February. I got the birthday package over a month later. It’s what we do.

If there is time (since three books are really, really short):

  • Another Part of the Wood by Kenneth Clark ~ in honor of National Library Week
  • The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez ~ in honor of April’s Mathematics, Science and Technology Week
  • Lost Upland by WS Merwin ~ in honor of well, you know the song…April in Paris. Cheesy, I know.

January’s New Reads

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A little something about the new year. I have absolutely no expectations of the year to come. No list of things I must pretend to accomplish. No run numbers, real or imagined. There has been an end to so many things. As a result I’m in day-by-day mode. Or, in the case of this entry, book-by-book. Here’s what I finished:

Fiction:

  • Captain of the Sleepers by Mayra Montero
  • Any Human Heart: a novel by William Boyd (AB + print)

Nonfiction:

  • Italy and the Grand Tour by Jeremy Black
  • Another Life by Michael Korda
  • Book of Puka-Puka by Robert Dean Frisbie. (I am now reading An Island to Oneself by Tom Neale as a continuation to Puka.)

Series:

  • Spiderweb for Two by Elizabeth Enright (finished the series)
  • Hyperion by Dan Simmons (started the series). (I’m now reading Fall of Hyperion as a continuation.)

LibraryThing:

  • Dirty Work by Gabriel Weston. NOTE: I was supposed to receive this as an Early Review in 2014. When it didn’t arrive I borrowed it from a library two years later.
  • You Carried Me by Melissa Ohden (December 2016 batch)

For Fun:

  • Island Voices II by Poets of Monhegan Island ~ a gift from my mother.

Cranford

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Gaskell, Elizabeth. Cranford. Read by Davina Porter. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 2008.

Reason read: Cranford takes place in a fictional town in England. In July England celebrates a day called Swan Upping. Swan Upping is the practice of catching mute swans and marking them. As I understand the tradition, any unmarked muted swan belongs to the Monarchy.

This is a weird little book. Picture a society made up mostly of women. In the fictional town of Cranford women run the show. If a new couple arrives in Cranford to settle down sooner or later the man of the house vanishes. This society simply doesn’t need a man…until Captain Brown and his two daughters arrive on the scene. There is no central plot as this was originally published as a satirical serial. However, the entire story is told first person through the eyes of a visitor and most of the story centers on one particular character, Miss Matty (Matilda).

Quotes that caught me, “Things that many would despise, and actions which it seemed scarcely worthwhile to perform, were all attended to in Cranford” (p 32),

Author fact: Mrs. Gasket publish the first biography of Charlotte Bronte.

Book trivia: Cranford was first published as a serial in 1851 and was edited by Charles Dickens.

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the chapter called “The Maine Chance” (p 135), although Cranford doesn’t take place in Maine. Has nothing to do with Maine in any way, as a matter of fact. Pearl was just making a comparison, as usual.

Remembering February

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So, February was a weird month. Being sick and injured didn’t help except that both ailments gave me more time to read. Turning 47 turned out to be not a big deal. Just another number in the grand scheme of things. The groundhog didn’t see his shadow either so there are less numbers in winter… And speaking of numbers – here are the books:

  1. A.D.: After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld
  2. Beautiful Place to Die by Philip Craig
  3. If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now by Sandra Loh
  4. Rocksburg Railroad Murders by K.C. Constantine
  5. As She Crawled Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem (AB)
  6. Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan
  7. Her First American by Lore Segal
  8. Down Where the Moon was Small or And I Shall Sleep…Down Where the Moon was Small by Richard Llewellyn
  9. Path to Power by Robert Caro – finishing TODAY!
  10. Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder (AB)
  11. Tom Brown’s School Days by Thomas Hughes (DNF)
  12. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  (AB) – will finish in March
  13. The Art of Dying by Patricia Weenolsen

For Fun:

  1. Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
  2. Center of the World by Jacqueline Sheehan
  3. The Ultimate Treadmill Workout by David Siik

For LibraryThing’s Early Review program:

  1. Liar by Rob Roberge

I also spent some time revisiting the Challenge list. Because of all the missed individual titles I wanted to redo the schedule. That took up a great deal of my time!

Forgetting February

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Okay, so here it is, the first week of February and I never wrote a summary for January or looked ahead to February. What is this world coming to? I’ll tell you what the what. My life has been upside down lately. Between being sick and injured I haven’t been myself lately. Not working out has left me crank, crank, cranky! Not running has unhinged my balance. Being sick for the second time this winter doesn’t help.
So even though I blew it for January, here’s a redeemer for February. Without further ado, the books I will read (or have already read) for the month:

  1.  A.D.: After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld in honor of Mardi Gras
  2. Her First American by Lore Segal in honor of immigration month
  3. I Shall Sleep…Down Where the Moon is Small by Richard Llewellyn (to finish the series started in December)
  4. Tom Brown’s School Days by Thomas Hughes (to finish the series started LAST April)
  5. Beautiful Place to Die by Philip Craig
  6. If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now by Sandra Loh in honor of Loh’s birth month
  7. Rocksburg Railroad Murders by K.C. Constantine (in finish the series started last month)
  8. As She Crawled Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem in honor of his birth month (an audio book)
  9. Liar by Rob Roberge (Early Review book)
  10. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano (not on the challenge list; a recommendation by my sister)

Okay. So that’s a lot of books. But not really once you read my confessional: There were four that took a day apiece to read (Neufeld, Loh, Constantine, and Craig) and four more I have been reading for a while now (Llewellyn, Hughes, Roberge and Giordano). So, already a total of six are “in the can” so to speak even though it’s only early February. Clarification: I have a “new” rule for series. I’ll use the Constantine series to illustrate: I started Constantine’s series in honor of mystery month in January. When I finished the January book I didn’t wait until February 1st to start the second book in the series. True, I give myself a month to read a book but sometimes I don’t need that much time. If that makes sense.

I will be adding two more:

  1. The Path to Power by Robert Caro in honor of Presidents Day
  2. Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder (audio book) in honor of February being the month we moved to Northampton (Kidder is a Northampton author).

December Missed

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Woops! December left us without me writing about the reading. Not sure how that happened (other than to say “life”), but anyway – here’s what was accomplished for December:

  • Beth Shaw’s Yoga Fit by Beth Shaw (an Early Review book for LibraryThing)
  • Cod by Mark Kurlansky
  • Flashman and the Angel of the Lord by George MacDonald Fraser
  • How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
  • The Man Who Was Taller Than God by Harold Adams
  • Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett

Here’s a belated look at January 2016 (already started, as you will see):

  1. Flashman and the Tiger by George MacDonald Fraser (the LAST book in the series on my list)
  2. Always a Body to Trade by K.C. Constantine (already read in honor of January being National Mystery month. Read this in a day)
  3. Blue Light by Walter Mosley (already read in honor of Mosley’s birth month. Another quick read)
  4. Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett (the LAST book in the Lymond Series). It bears noting I am also consulting The Prophecies by Nostradamus (translated by Richard Sieburth) while reading Checkmate.
  5. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (an audio book in honor of New Mexico becoming a state in January)
  6. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (in honor of Nabokov’s wife, Vera. Pale Fire is dedicated to her and her birthday is in January)
  7. Up, into the Singing Mountain by Richard Llewellyn (to continue the series started last month).

I have been chosen to review a book about the photography of Dickey Chapelle but since it hasn’t arrived yet I can’t put it on the list. I was also chosen to review Liar by Rob Roberge, but I don’t expect that one until February.

On a personal note: December ended with writing to 12 complete strangers. I am really hoping one or two of them become pen pals.

December 2015 is…

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What is December 2015? Well, for starters it is the month I hope to return to the run. But, that’s for the other side of this blog. For books it is:

  1. The Man Who Was Taller Than God by Harold Adams. I threw this book onto the list because I read another book by Adams and then found out it was actually part of a series. So even though this particular book came before the one I already read I felt it was only fair I read this one as soon as possible. It looks to be a quick read.
  2. Flashman and the Angel of the Lord by George MacDonald Fraser. Same thing. I am reading this because it continues the series started last April in honor of Fraser’s birth month. And to think I have a few more to go! Craziness. NOTE: sometime after midnight I had insomnia and started reading this. I am already 85 pages in…
  3. Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett. Same thing again. I am reading this because it continues the series I started in August in honor of Dunnett’s birth month. This is the penultimate book in the series, though.
  4. Cod by Mark Kurlansky. This is the first book I am reading in honor of something that actually happened in December. Kurlansky celebrates a birthday in December.
  5. How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. This takes place in Patagonia and supposedly December is the best month to visit the region. NOTE: How Green… is the first book in a three-book series and I’ll be reading this as an e-book as well as listening to it on cd.
  6. Early Review – Beth Shaw’s Yoga Fit by well, who else but Beth Shaw?

So, there are the books. Because we have Christmas break I might be able to read another book or two in the month of December. If that is the case, I will add another book, probably Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming in honor of December being the best time to visit Peru.

Another Year

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December 1st 2015 to November 30th 2016 marks another year of the reading challenge. It’s been ten years since I started this challenge. Craziness. Here are the books I plan to read for year e-freakin-leven.

DEC:

  • The Man Who Was Taller Than God by Harold Adams
  • Flashman and the Angel of the Lord by George MacDonald Fraser
  • Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett
  • Cod: the biography by Mark Kurlansky
  • How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn (AB)

JAN:

  • Flashman and the Tiger by George MacDonald Fraser
  • Up in the Singing Mountain by Richard Llewellyn (S)
  • Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
  • Blue Light by Walter Mosley
  • Always a Body to Trade by K.C. Constantine

(NOTE: I will probably need to add an audio book for January)

FEB:

  • And I Shall Sleep..Down Where the Moon was Small by Richard Llewellyn (S)
  • As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem (AB)
  • A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge by Joshua Neufeld
  • Her First American by Lore Segal

MAR:

  • Naked Lunch by William Burroughs (AB)
  • Family Man by Jayne Ann Krentz
  • The Brontes by Juliet Barker (over a thousand pages long)

APR:

  • Don’t Eat This Book by Morgan Spurlock (AB)
  • Two Towns in Provence by MKF Fisher
  • Guernica by Gijis Hansbergen
  • Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi

MAY:

  • Age of Gold by HW Brands (AB)
  • Jordan by E Borgia
  • Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill
  • Brilliant Oranges by David Winner

JUN:

  • Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada by Zoe Valdes
  • Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (S)
  • Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan
  • Millstone by Margaret Drabble
  • Death in the Family by James Agee (AB)
    • Short Stories:
      • Outside by Nell Fruedenberger
      • Suffering Channel by David Foster Wallace
      • People Like That by Lorrie Moore

JUL:

  • Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (S)
  • Last Battle by Cornelius Ryan (S)
  • Milk in My Coffee by Eric Dickey
  • Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (AB)

AUG:

  • Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (S)
  • Lost City of Z by David Grann
  • High and Mighty by Ernest Gann
  • If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

(Will need an audio book for August)

SEP:

  • Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (S)
  • Edwin Mullhouse by Steven Millhauser
  • Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng
  • Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (AB)

OCT:

  • Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (S)
  • Blessing on the Moon by Joseph Skibell (AB)
  • Toast to Tomorrow by Manning Coles
  • Ape and the Sushi Master by Frans de Waal
  • Aeneid by Virgil

NOV:

  • Love Songs from a Shallow Grace by Colin Cotterill (S)
  • Living Poor by Moritz Thomsen
  • Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton
  • Advise and Consent by Allen Drury

(Will need an audio book for November)

Codes: AB=audio book; S=series

August Ambitions

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As each month passes I get more and more excited about ditching this Big List format. I really cannot wait to return to the old way of doing things. Current month of books is in bold:

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  2. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  3. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (AB)
  4. Recognitions by William Gaddis (DNF)
  5. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  6. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan
  7. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (AB)
  8. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  9. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
  10. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
  11. A Good Doctor’s Son by Steven Schwartz
  12. Drinking: a Love Story by Caroline Knapp
  13. Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak
  14. Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout
  15. Treasure Hunter by W. Jameson (ER)
  16. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  17. The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (AB)
  18. In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
  19. The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  20. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose
  21. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
  22. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London
  23. Alma Mater by P.F Kluge
  24. Old Man & Me by Elaine Dundy
  25. Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
  26. Good Life by Ben Bradlee
  27. Underworld by Don DeLillo
  28. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban
  29. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton
  30. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan
  31. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce DNF
  32. Herb ‘n’ Lorna by Eric Kraft
  33. Polish Officer by Alan Furst – (AB)
  34. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
  35. Walden by Henry David Throreau
  36. Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft
  37. Selected Letters of Norman Mailer edited by J. Michael Lennon – (ER)
  38. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle
  39. Saturday Morning Murder by Batya Gur
  40. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe
  41. Lives of the Muses by Francine Prose
  42. Broom of the System by David Wallace
  43. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan
  44. Little Follies by Eric Kraft
  45. Literary Murder by Batya Gur
  46. Bob Marley, My Son by Cedella Marley Booker (ER)
  47. Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
  48. Southern Mail by Antoine de Saint- Exupery
  49. Measure of All Things, the by Ken Alder (AB)
  50. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson
  51. Royal Flash by George Fraser
  52. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur
  53. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  54. ADDED: Castle in the Backyard by Betsy Draine (EB)
  55. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  56. Where Do You Stop? by Eric Kraft
  57. Everything You Ever Wanted by Jillian Lauren (ER)
  58. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur
  59. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser
  60. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma
  61. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge
  62. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman
  63. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
  64. Flashman at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser
  65. What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft
  66. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson
  67. Ruby by Cynthia Bond (ER)
  68. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  69. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  70. Murder Duet by Batya Gur
  71. Flashman in the Great Game – George MacDonald Fraser
  72. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft
  73. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme
  74. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc
  75. Grifters by Jim Thompson
  76. Snow Angels by James Thompson (AB)
  77. So Many Roads: the life and Times of the Grateful Dead by David Browne (ER/AB)
  78. Short story: Drinking with the Cook by Laura Furman
  79. Short Story: Hagalund by Laura Furman
  80. ADDED: Lone Pilgrim by Laurie Colwin
  81. Not so Short story: The Last of Mr. Norris by Christopher Isherwood
  82. ADDED: short story: Jack Landers is My Friend by Daniel Stolar
  83. ADDED: short story: Marriage Lessons by Daniel Stolar
  84. ADDED: Light in August by William Faulkner
  85. Not so Short story: Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
  86. ADDED: A Comedy & A Tragedy by Travis Hugh Culley (ER)
  87. ADDED: Feed Zone by Biju Thomas
  88. Leaving Small’s Hotel by Eric Kraft
  89. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser
  90. Possession by AS Byatt
  91. In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan by John DeFrancis
  92. SWAPPED: What Just Happened for Faster! by James Gleick (AB)
    (I needed an audio and WJH didn’t come in disc form but Faster! did. So be it.)
  93. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
  94. Inflating a Dog by Eric Kraft (Sep/Feb)
  95. Castles in the Air by Judy Corbett (Sep)
  96. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  97. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  98. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep – this is a reread)
  99. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  100. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  101. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  102. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  103. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  104. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  105. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  106. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  107. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

DNF = Did Not Finish; AB = Audio Book; ER = Early Review; DNS = Did Not Start; EB = Electronic book

Drown

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Diaz, Junot. Drown. Read by Jonathan Davis. Westminster, MD: Books on Tape, 2007.

Here’s the thing. Anything you read by Diaz is going to feel like heavy drinking in a rough-around-the-edges bar; the kind of place where it’s too dark to see; where the soles of your shoes are sticky-stuck to the floor and there is the obsessively constant need to wipe your hands and mouth. Diaz has that conversational, lean in and listen way of talking that sounds slightly conspiratorial but always brutally honest. While the stories change direction and voice, the messages of culture, society, family, tradition and passion do not. Powerful characters are matched only by their fierce loves and tragic losses. Their triumphs and travesties are spilled across the page with a “so what?” wild abandon. It’s as if you are elbow to elbow with Diaz as he whispers to you lush stories from his childhood, his coming of age, his entire history. Every story is intensely personal. But, But! But, all the while you are aware that this bar, these stories – this is his turf and you are not safe without him there. You need him to keep talking.

Reason read: supposed to be read in honor of the Merengue Festival that takes place sometime in late July/early August but as a series of short stories, read in honor of June’s national short story status.

Book trivia: Here’s what kept me up at night – the story of the kid whose face was half chewed off by a pig. You meet his tormentors, children who don’t understand the need for him to wear a mask. But then later, you meet the poor child and it rattles you to the core.

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the chapter called “Cavorting Through the Caribbean: Dominican Republic” (p 54).

June Buggy

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I said May was going to be a crazy month and I was right. I survived the half marathon at the beginning of the month and the 60 mile walk at the end of the month. I didn’t get to all of the books because I futzed around with so many non-list running books (silly me). But, here is the list such as it is:

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  2. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  3. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (AB)
  4. Recognitions by William Gaddis (DNF)
  5. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  6. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan
  7. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (AB)
  8. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  9. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
  10. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
  11. A Good Doctor’s Son by Steven Schwartz
  12. Drinking: a Love Story by Caroline Knapp
  13. Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak
  14. Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout
  15. Treasure Hunter by W. Jameson (ER)
  16. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  17. The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (AB)
  18. In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
  19. The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  20. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose
  21. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
  22. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London
  23. Alma Mater by P.F Kluge
  24. Old Man & Me by Elaine Dundy
  25. Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
  26. Good Life by Ben Bradlee
  27. Underworld by Don DeLillo
  28. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban
  29. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton
  30. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan
  31. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce DNF
  32. Herb ‘n’ Lorna by Eric Kraft
  33. Polish Officer by Alan Furst – (AB)
  34. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
  35. Walden by Henry David Throreau
  36. Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft
  37. Selected Letters of Norman Mailer edited by J. Michael Lennon – (ER)
  38. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle
  39. Saturday Morning Murder by Batya Gur
  40. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe
  41. Lives of the Muses by Francine Prose
  42. Broom of the System by David Wallace
  43. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan
  44. Little Follies by Eric Kraft
  45. Literary Murder by Batya Gur
  46. Bob Marley, My Son by Cedella Marley Booker (ER)
  47. Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
  48. Southern Mail by Antoine de Saint- Exupery
  49. Measure of All Things, the by Ken Alder (AB)
  50. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson
  51. Royal Flash by George Fraser
  52. Fifties by David Halberstam (Apr – DNS)
  53. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur
  54. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  55. ADDED: Castle in the Backyard by Betsy Draine (EB)
  56. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  57. Where Do You Stop? by Eric Kraft
  58. Everything You Ever Wanted by Jillian Lauren (ER)
  59. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur (Jun)
  60. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser
  61. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma
  62. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge
  63. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman
  64. Jordan by E. Borgia (May – DNS)
  65. Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (May – DNS)
  66. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
  67. Flashman at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser (Jun/Apr)
  68. What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft (Jun/Feb)
  69. Castles in the Air by Judy Corbett (Jun)
  70. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (AB/Jun)
  71. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (Jun)
  72. ADDED: Ruby by Cynthia Bond (ER)
  73. Millstone by Margaret Drabble (Jun)
  74. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  75. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  76. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft (Jul/Feb)
  77. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (Jul)
  78. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme (Jul)
  79. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc (Jul)
  80. Grifters by Jim Thompson (Jul)
  81. Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Jul)
  82. Snow Angels by James Thompson (Jul)
  83. Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (Aug)
  84. ADDED: Leaving Small’s Hotel by Eric Kraft (Aug/Feb)
  85. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser (Aug)
  86. Possession by AS Byatt (Aug)
  87. In the Footsteps of Ghanghis Khan by John DeFrancis (Aug)
  88. What Just Happened by James Gleick (Aug)
  89. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Aug)
  90. ADDED: Inflating a Dog by Eric Kraft (Sep/Feb)
  91. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (Sep)
  92. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  93. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  94. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep)
  95. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  96. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  97. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  98. Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (Oct)
  99. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  100. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  101. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  102. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Collin Cotterill (Nov)
  103. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  104. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  105. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

DNF = Did Not Finish; AB = Audio Book; ER = Early Review; DNS = Did Not Start; EB = Electronic book

May Day

gr4c5Leave a comment

May is going to be a crazy month. I have no idea why I have so many books scheduled for this month. Have I gone mad? I doubt I will get through nine, count ’em, nine books in 31 days but there you have it. This is the list. In other news May is was: a trip to Toronto & a half marathon; & will be a trip to Bolton and a 60 mile walk. I think I am crazy.

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  2. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  3. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (AB)
  4. Recognitions by William Gaddis (DNF)
  5. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  6. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan
  7. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (AB)
  8. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  9. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
  10. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
  11. A Good Doctor’s Son by Steven Schwartz
  12. Drinking: a Love Story by Caroline Knapp
  13. Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak
  14. Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout
  15. Treasure Hunter by W. Jameson (ER)
  16. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  17. The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (AB)
  18. In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
  19. The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  20. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose
  21. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
  22. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London
  23. Alma Mater by P.F Kluge
  24. Old Man & Me by Elaine Dundy
  25. Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
  26. Good Life by Ben Bradlee
  27. Underworld by Don DeLillo
  28. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban
  29. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton
  30. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan
  31. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce DNF
  32. Herb ‘n’ Lorna by Eric Kraft
  33. Polish Officer by Alan Furst – AB
  34. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
  35. Walden by Henry David Throreau
  36. Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft
  37. Selected Letters of Norman Mailer edited by J. Michael Lennon – ER
  38. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle
  39. Saturday Morning Murder by Batya Gur
  40. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe
  41. Lives of the Muses by Francine Prose
  42. Broom of the System by David Wallace
  43. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan
  44. Little Follies by Eric Kraft
  45. Literary Murder by Batya Gur
  46. ADDED: Bob Marley, My Son by Cedella Marley Booker (ER)
  47. ADDED: Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
  48. Southern Mail by Antoine de Saint- Exupery
  49. Measure of All Things, the by Ken Alder  (AB)
  50. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson
  51. Royal Flash by George Fraser
  52. Fifties by David Halberstam (Apr – DNS)
  53. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur
  54. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  55. ADDED: Castle in the Backyard by Betsy Draine (EB)
  56. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  57. ADDED: Where Do You Stop? by Eric Kraft (May/Feb)
  58. Everything You Ever Wanted by Jillian Lauren (ER)
  59. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur (May)
  60. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser (May)
  61. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma (May)
  62. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge (May)
  63. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman (May)
  64. Jordan by E. Borgia (May)
  65. Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (May)
  66. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (AB/May)
  67. Flash at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser (Jun/Apr)
  68. ADDED: What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft (Jun/Feb)
  69. Castles in the Air by Judy Corbett (Jun)
  70. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (Jun)
  71. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (Jun)
  72. Millstone by Margaret Drabble (Jun)
  73. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  74. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  75. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft (Jul/Feb)
  76. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (Jul)
  77. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme (Jul)
  78. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc (Jul)
  79. Grifters by Jim Thompson (Jul)
  80. Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Jul)
  81. Snow Angels by James Thompson (Jul)
  82. Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (Aug)
  83. ADDED: Leaving Small’s Hotel by Eric Kraft (Aug/Feb)
  84. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser (Aug)
  85. Possession by AS Byatt (Aug)
  86. In the Footsteps of Ghanghis Khan by John DeFrancis (Aug)
  87. What Just Happened by James Gleick (Aug)
  88. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Aug)
  89. ADDED: Inflating a Dog by Eric Kraft (Sep/Feb)
  90. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (Sep)
  91. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  92. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  93. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep)
  94. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  95. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  96. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  97. Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (Oct)
  98. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  99. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  100. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  101. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Collin Cotterill (Nov)
  102. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  103. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  104. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

DNF = Did Not Finish; AB = Audio Book; ER = Early Review; DNS = Did Not Start; EB = Electronic book

The Shortest Month

gr4c5Leave a comment

This is the second month of this strike-through technique and I’m not sure I like it. I am really bothered by the fact that any additional books get crossed off almost immediately. Sigh. I will say this, though – I like how the crossed off titles look against the full list. Impressive!

  1. Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (DNF)
  2. In a Strange City by Laura Lippman
  3. By a Spider’s Thread by Laura Lippman (AB)
  4. Recognitions by William Gaddis (DNF)
  5. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  6. Lady Franklin’s Revenge by Ken McGoogan
  7. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao* by Junot Diaz (AB)
  8. Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  9. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
  10. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
  11. ADDED: A Good Doctor’s Son by Steven Schwartz
  12. ADDED: Drinking: a Love Story by Caroline Knapp
  13. ADDED: Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak
  14. ADDED: Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout
  15. ADDED: Treasure Hunter by W. Jameson (ER)
  16. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (Jan)
  17. ADDED: The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (AB)
  18. ADDED: In Xanadu by William Dalrymple
  19. ADDED: The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  20. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose (Jan)
  21. Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore (Jan)
  22. Greater Nowheres by David Finkelstein/Jack London (Jan)
  23. ADDED: Alma Mater by P.F Kluge (Jan)
  24. ADDED: Old Man & Me by Elaine Dundy (Jan)
  25. ADDED: Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (Feb)
  26. Good Life by Ben Bradlee (Feb)
  27. Underworld by Don DeLillo (Feb, maybe)
  28. Her Name Was Lola by Russell Hoban (Feb)
  29. Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton (Feb)
  30. Fires From Heaven by Robert Jordan (Feb)
  31. Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce (Feb)
  32. Herb ‘n Lorna by Eric Kraft (Feb)
  33. Polish Officer by Alan Furst – AB (Feb)
  34. Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (Mar)
  35. ADDED: Reservations Recommended by Eric Kraft (Mar/Feb)
  36. Chasing Monarchs by Robert Pyle (Mar)
  37. Murder on a Kibbutz by Batya Gur (Mar)
  38. Bebe’s By Golly Wow by Yolanda Joe (Mar)
  39. Lives of the Muse by Francine Prose (Mar)
  40. Broom of the System (David Wallace (Mar)
  41. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  42. ADDED: Little Follies by Eric Kraft (Apr/Feb)
  43. Two Gardeners by Emily Wilson (Apr)
  44. Royal Flash by George Fraser (Apr)
  45. Fifties by David Halberstam (Apr)
  46. Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur (Apr)
  47. Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Apr)
  48. Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan (May)
  49. ADDED: Where Do You Stop? by Eric Kraft (May/Feb)
  50. Flash for Freedom! by George Fraser (May)
  51. Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma (May)
  52. Petra: lost city by Christian Auge (May)
  53. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman (May)
  54. Jordan by E. Borgia (May)
  55. Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (May)
  56. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (May)
  57. Flash at the Charge by George MacDonald Fraser (May)
  58. ADDED: What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft (Jun/Feb)
  59. Castles in the Air by Judt Corbett (Jun)
  60. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (Jun)
  61. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (Jun)
  62. Millstone by Margaret Drabble (Jun)
  63. Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan (Jun)
  64. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (Jul)
  65. At Home with the Glynns by Eric Kraft (Jul/Feb)
  66. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (Jul)
  67. Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme (Jul)
  68. New Physics and Cosmology by Arthur Zajonc (Jul)
  69. Grifters by Jim Thompson (Jul)
  70. Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Jul)
  71. Snow Angels by James Thompson (Jul)
  72. Ararchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (Aug)
  73. ADDED: Leaving Small’s Hotel by Eric Kraft (Aug/Feb)
  74. Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser (Aug)
  75. Possession by AS Byatt (Aug)
  76. In the Footsteps of Ghanghis Khan by John DeFrancis (Aug)
  77. What Just Happened by James Gleick (Aug)
  78. Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Aug)
  79. ADDED: Inflating a Dog by Eric Kraft (Sep/Feb)
  80. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (Sep)
  81. Flashman and the Redskins by George MacDonald Fraser (Sep)
  82. Queens’ Play by Dorothy Dunnett (Sep)
  83. Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Sep)
  84. Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Sep)
  85. Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Sep)
  86. Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman (Oct)
  87. Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (Oct)
  88. Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett (Oct)
  89. Flashman and the Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (Oct)
  90. Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman (Nov)
  91. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Collin Cotterill (Nov)
  92. Flashman and the Mountain of Light by George MacDonald Fraser (Nov)
  93. Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Nov)
  94. Andorra by Peter Cameron (Nov)

DNF = Did Not Finish; AB = Audio Book; ER = Early Review