Torontoc reads from her TBR tower in 2016

Keskustelu2016 ROOT Challenge - (Read Our Own Tomes)

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Torontoc reads from her TBR tower in 2016

Tämä viestiketju on "uinuva" —viimeisin viesti on vanhempi kuin 90 päivää. Ryhmä "virkoaa", kun lähetät vastauksen.

1torontoc
joulukuu 23, 2015, 10:27 am

Hi I will have the same goal as 2015- read 30 books that have been living in my TBR towers for over 6 months. I already have two on the go that I won't finish in 2015 ( well maybe one)

2connie53
joulukuu 23, 2015, 10:32 am

Welcome in the 2016 group!

3rabbitprincess
joulukuu 23, 2015, 5:35 pm

Welcome back and good luck!

4cyderry
joulukuu 24, 2015, 9:10 pm

Glad you're with us again in 2016!

5Tess_W
joulukuu 25, 2015, 7:39 am

Happy rooting!

6avanders
joulukuu 26, 2015, 9:45 pm

Welcome back & good luck rooting in 2016!

7clue
joulukuu 27, 2015, 9:30 pm

I've been thinking about using a 6 month timeline too. Either that or a rolling year instead of a calendar year. Regardless of that big decision, I hope you have some great ROOTS ahead!

8connie53
joulukuu 28, 2015, 3:04 am

>7 clue: I use a rolling year too

(If I understand correctly what you mean by a rolling year: books bought on march 10 2015 can be read after march 10 2016?)

9avanders
Muokkaaja: joulukuu 28, 2015, 9:01 am

>7 clue: and >8 connie53: I'm a bit more generous with myself.... ;)
I consider it a ROOT when it's officially a part of my "permanent collection"... not quite "immediate," but if it was purchased in the prior month, I count it :) I don't, however, count Early Reviewers, even if I don't read them in the month in which I received the book....

10lkernagh
joulukuu 31, 2015, 10:13 pm

Good luck with your ROOT reading!

11connie53
tammikuu 1, 2016, 3:09 am

12Tess_W
tammikuu 1, 2016, 5:37 am

13torontoc
tammikuu 2, 2016, 4:06 pm

Thank you!
my first book- I'll update tickers when we get one!

1. The Crimean War by Orlando Figes My book title is different from the touchstones but this is the title of my edition. I have read and enjoyed some of this author's other books on Russian social history-The Whisperers and A People's Tragedy. This history reminds me of Anthony Beevor's work- sound details and great background on the why of this war. The author begins with the disagreements on religious rights at churches in Jerusalem between the Orthodox and the other Catholic groups. Russia and Britain, Turkey and the Ottoman empire, France and Austria became embroiled in disagreements on the status of lands in the area of the Crimea and the Black Sea. The fate of areas controlled by the Ottomans and the Russians in the area of the Danube was also a factor in the call for war against the Russians by the British. Figes shows the way the various armies and leaders won and lost battles that resulted in the catastrophic loss of many soldiers' lives. Bad judgements by leaders who didn't know what they were doing, insufficient preparation of supplies for the common soldier and the effects of uncontrollable disease led to the loss of many lives for control of a few towns. Each side could claim victory of a sort, although the French and British were the victors and there was a settlement at the Congress of Vienna. However, any penalty given to the Russians was changed in the following years. Figes believes that the French were better prepared for this war. He also talks about the work of Florence Nightingale and others who helped saved the lives of soldiers. I liked this history as Figes wrote about the aftermath in terms of literature and political changes in the Crimean area.

14avanders
tammikuu 3, 2016, 4:51 pm

Congrats on your first ROOT pulled already!

15torontoc
tammikuu 4, 2016, 11:55 am

Thanks!
2. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. Wow! I really enjoyed reading this extensive history of the origins of Wonder Woman. The author goes right back to the biographies of the very unusual man who was at the centre of Wonder Woman's creation, William Moulton Marston, his wife Elizabeth Holloway, and his mistress, Olive Byrne. The three lived together and Marston had children with both women. Holloway worked and Byrne raised the children.Byrne also wrote a column for Family Circle about Marston- she characterized him as a leading psychologist. Lepore writes about this family group and their influences from early feminist leaders, avant-garde ( at the time) forces and their stretching of the truth. Olive Byrne was the niece of Margaret Sanger, a guiding force in promoting birth control when it was illegal, and a leading feminist. Marston developed the lie detector but was unable to hold a steady job in academia as his detractors thought that his research was more sensational than truthful. Lepore details Marston's involvement with various causes before he became involved with the creation and writing of Wonder Woman. In Lepore's view, Wonder Woman was the product of the work of early feminism. Marston believed in the superiority of women although his personal life seemed to be the opposite. Lepore devotes part of her work to the theme of bondage ( although Wonder Woman always escapes) that was a significant part of Wonder Woman stories under Marston's direction. After Marston died another director took the Wonder Woman story in another direction where she was more subservient to men. Her role mirrored what happened to women after World War II and in the 1950's.This is a fascinating study that reveals the " secret history" of not only Marston and his family but Wonder Woman herself. A great read.

16MissWatson
tammikuu 4, 2016, 3:27 pm

Welcome back! And such great books under your belt already!

17torontoc
tammikuu 4, 2016, 4:04 pm

Thank you- in the past year I have given myself permission to give away and not finish books I don't like!

18torontoc
tammikuu 7, 2016, 9:04 pm

3. Coming Ashore by Catherine Gildiner. I just finished this very entertaining memoir. It is actually the third book that the author has written chronically her life from childhood to marriage. In this volume the reader follows Cathy and her life in college at Oxford,her studies in Toronto and we view the choices that she made. The book is very funny in places.At Oxford, the author rides a bicycle through a post office window, learns how to behave at high table at the college, helps her friend plot to sleep with Jimi Hendrix and understands the problems of class in English society. In Toronto, Cathy studies at Victoria College at the University of Toronto,and lives at Rochdale College in the ashram of a drug dealer in the early 1970's. Rochdale was a failed experiment in independent learning that turned into a very interesting place for alternate living. The reader learns how the author changes her studies and finds the love of a good person. I studied at University of Toronto in the late 1960's -early 1970's so I recognized the references, places and some of the situations. This was a good read and I must go and read the first two memoirs.

19torontoc
tammikuu 11, 2016, 11:20 am

4. Nixon in China: The Week that Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan. MacMillan has written an account of the historic trip that Richard Nixon took in 1972 to visit China and meet Mao Tse-tung. There was more to this one week trip as Henry Kissinger had prepared the way by taking secret trips to China.On Nixon's direction, Kissinger initiated the changes in American foreign policy that would lead to the signed memorandum by both countries at the end of the trip. The work done by Kissinger, Nixon and Chou En-lai started a new direction for the United States and China as they confronted their common foe, the Soviet Union. MacMillan takes the reader both back and forward in time from that trip to provide a comprehensive background on the histories of the leading players, the changes in foreign policy and some startling revelations. ( to me at least) The work on foreign policy and changes in agreements that involved Viet Nam, Japan and Taiwan was done by Nixon and Kissinger as Nixon cut out his own State Department and the Secretary William Rogers. Kissinger gave the Chinese top secret information on the Soviet Union. MacMillan describes the momentous changes that would shape China and affect the United States.
A very interesting history!

20avanders
tammikuu 11, 2016, 12:06 pm

Wow you read a lot of heavy tomes! But they all sound so interesting! The Nixon book is NOT in my library system!? So I suppose on the wishlist it goes.... ;)

21torontoc
tammikuu 12, 2016, 9:23 am

I get into a mood- where I want to read history- try the MacMillan book under the title on the touchstone- it was different that my title- my book is "Nixon In China" - the touchstone would only give me " Nixon and Mao"

22avanders
Muokkaaja: tammikuu 12, 2016, 3:59 pm

OOoh, good to know, thanks :)

ETA: yep, it's there under that 2nd title!

23ipsoivan
Muokkaaja: tammikuu 13, 2016, 6:51 am

Fascinating reading you're doing, and dangerous for my reading list, as all these books are now on it.

I also live in Toronto, but had not heard of the memoirs of Catherine Gildiner. My daughter is at Vic--I must tell her about this memoir. I came to Toronto at the end of the Rochdale era, so I think this is one for me as well.

24torontoc
Muokkaaja: tammikuu 19, 2016, 9:33 am

Thank you!
i got the book as a gift last year and I did hear about the author's earlier book but hadn't put them on my with list of books to read.

5. 20 Under 40 Stories from The New Yorker edited by Deborah Treisman This collection was published in 2010 and has been hiding in my TBR piles. I enjoyed the various stories. I did recognized some as excerpts from novels that I have read by Gary Shteyngart and David Bezmozgis I must admit that many of the stories were extremely depressing. So, I wondered- what is it about the short story format that leads to these very gloomy outcomes? The authors are very accomplished and I have followed some of them-Nicole Krauss, Tea Obreht, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Yiyun Li and Jonathan Safran Foer.

25torontoc
tammikuu 19, 2016, 9:33 am

6. The Children Act by Ian McEwan I reread this novel for my book club meeting, On second reading it is still so well told and heartbreaking. There are certain books where the language and plot are seamless and lead the reader through the story in a very satisfying way. this is one of them.

26ipsoivan
tammikuu 20, 2016, 1:54 pm

I have fallen behind with McEwan, but read them all up to Solar. I really liked Chesil Beach, but my favourite is still Black Dogs.

The Children Act sounds one to add to my list.

27cyderry
tammikuu 24, 2016, 1:37 pm

You are doing great!

28avanders
helmikuu 2, 2016, 5:51 pm

Yeah, 6 of 30 already!

29torontoc
helmikuu 7, 2016, 9:49 am

7. The Short Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan A Boy Avenger, A Nazi Diplomat and a Murder in Paris by Jonathan Kirsch Unfortunately this is another book where there are not many new documents to support the story. The story of how a very young illegal immigrant to France manages to kill a Nazi diplomat at the German embassy in 1938 is astonishing. Herschel Grynszpan is described as a very impulsive and immature young man who has made his way to France with the help of his family. His anger at the removal of his parents to Poland from Germany fuelled his plan to kill a German diplomat. The story of the plans for his trail by his French lawyers and then his German captors explain the ulterior motives that outsiders attributed to his motive for the killing. No one knows when Grynszpan was killed in Germany. The information on the young man's transfer to prisons in the south of France when Germany had invaded the country is puzzling.He actually had to opportunity to escape but didn't. The reader has to wonder at his lack of maturity. An interesting read but still- I have questions.

30torontoc
helmikuu 14, 2016, 10:15 am

8. Born With a Tooth by Joseph Boyden I have liked the two books by this author that I have read in previous years. This book of short stories is actually his first book published. All the stories concern Native or Aboriginal characters and their lives in Northern Ontario. Boyden uses the themes that have governed and possibly ruined many -the effect of the residential schools on indigenous peoples and their children and the discrimination and stereotypes that have followed the inhabitants of the north. The positives that are revealed in the stories are the strength and resolve of the women and men to maintain their culture and the healing and important place that aboriginal practices have in their community. Some of the stories are difficult- The Legend of the Sugar Girl traces the lasting effects of diet and life in the residential schools. The last stories are told from different characters seeing the same events. A really interesting group of stories.
*for those who don't follow Canadian history-the residential schools were run by Christian groups for Aboriginal children in the 20th century. The authorities took children away from their parents and put them in these schools. The aim was to destroy natives customs and language and turn the children into mainstream citizens. The abuse was horrific- in fact only in the past number of years has the Canadian government recognized the terrible nature of this policy- There has been a Truth and Reconciliation Commission -the recommendations were not acted upon by the past government but the new government is making steps to address this and implement the report.

31connie53
helmikuu 15, 2016, 2:00 am

>30 torontoc: I did not know that, Torontoc. It sounds absolutely awful to take kids away from their parents that way.

32torontoc
helmikuu 22, 2016, 8:21 am

9. The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure. Two people that i know really liked this book. I thought that while the main plot was very interesting, the character development was not. The story is about an architect, Lucien Bernard, who is asked to create hiding places in Paris apartments for Jews in 1942-3 Paris. Lucien does not want to do this at first because of the risk he faces but he gets lucrative contracts to design factories for the Germans in return. We do see some development in Lucien's empathy for those in hiding. However, the dialogue and situations that occur are... hmm, too facile and improbable.

33connie53
helmikuu 22, 2016, 12:31 pm

>32 torontoc: That's a pity. It sounds like a good plot!

34torontoc
helmikuu 22, 2016, 1:51 pm

It was but I think that I have read much better dialogue in other books!

35connie53
helmikuu 23, 2016, 7:26 am

>34 torontoc: Dialogue is so important.

36Tess_W
maaliskuu 5, 2016, 10:13 am

>30 torontoc: Sounds like a good read. I have read about American "Indian" schools run by Christian missionary groups as well as the Catholic Church here in the US, and at the very least the premise was faulty and many times the conditions and punishment was horrific.

>32 torontoc: Since I teach a course on the Holocaust at a local university, everybody is always giving me books and titles that they think I would enjoy. This book was given to me and is on my TBR list. I'm putting it at the bottom!

37torontoc
maaliskuu 24, 2016, 10:07 am

>36 Tess_W: A number of people that I know liked it- but... it was too melodramatic fro my taste.

10. Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough. This is a reread that I really like. The authors were college friends who went on a trip to England and Paris in the 1920's. The story of their adventures on the ships that brought them to the continent are hilarious. This is one of the few books that has me laughing out loud at some of the incidents-Emil,y on hearing the warning " man overboard" throws a deck chair overboard and knocks out the man ( who was trying to swim ashore as they were just in the St Lawrence Seaway at that point. The stories of two very innocent and impressionable young women are funny and remind the reader of a very different time.

38torontoc
huhtikuu 3, 2016, 3:59 pm

11. The Mathematician's Shiva by Stuart Rojstaczer. I enjoyed this novel about a Russian( and Polish) American woman, her death and shiva( seven days of mourning where the family stay in one place -the deceased's house sometimes-and friends and relatives come to visit.) The narrator, Sasha is Rachela Karnokovitch's son. He is a professor in Alabama and both his parents are mathematicians and professors in Wisconsin and Minnesota Sasha's mother is the most brilliant scholar-she divorced her husband years ago. After her death from cancer, Sasha, his father, his uncle and his cousin are tasked with organizing the funeral and shiva. Complications arise as hundreds of mathematicians want to come to the funeral and sit shiva with the family. Sasha is sure that the reason is that they want to find the proof to one of the most difficult questions in mathematics that Rachelal is rumoured to have solved. The mathematicians propose that eight of them sit shiva with the family. The plot relates the past histories of Sasha and his mother. The reader meets Anna a Russian ballerina who Rachela convinced to defect many years ago and Shash's long lost daughter and granddaughter- both mathematicians as well. The story is entertaining and interesting and sometimes very funny.

39Tess_W
huhtikuu 3, 2016, 5:56 pm

>38 torontoc: Sounds like a wonderful read, especially for a Russian history major! Going on my wish list.

40torontoc
huhtikuu 17, 2016, 8:10 pm

It was a good read!
12.Forty-One False Starts Essays on Artists and Writers by Janet Malcolm I think that I found this book from Cariola's thread ( thank you). It is a wonderful treat to read long essays on specific modern and "postmodern" artists and writers. Malcolm does not spare her subjects- she is honest in her opinions and assessment of their culture and influence. I like the longish piece on ingrid Sischy and the magazine Artforum ( I, too, use to buy it and not read it). I was astonished at the material on Gene Stratton-Porter , author of Girl of the Limberlost and had to agree with Malcolm's critique. I enjoyed the history of the Bloomsbury group. This collection of essays led me to look again at selected authors and artists.

41torontoc
huhtikuu 20, 2016, 9:49 am

13. Granta 26 Travel. This book was on the bottom of one of my TBR towers-it is dated ( 1989) but I enjoyed reading pieces by some of my favourite travel writers- Bruce Chatwin, Colin Thubron and Ryszard Kapuscinski. Political situations in many countries around the world don't seem to have changed much- maybe the geographical location is different but the situations seem to be the same. I find that this issue of Granta was both informative on countries that I had not read about ( Taiwan) and interesting in recounting incidents of interest-( Kapuscinski's account of Idi Amin's Uganda.)

42avanders
huhtikuu 20, 2016, 11:16 am

You're almost to the halfway point! great job ROOTing! :)

43ipsoivan
huhtikuu 22, 2016, 6:38 am

>41 torontoc: I have that one on my shelf as well, and have reread some of those pieces over the years. The horror of Kapuscinski's piece...

44torontoc
huhtikuu 22, 2016, 3:03 pm

>42 avanders: I agree!

14. Call Me Sammy by Sammy Luftspring This is a very old memoir that I read for background - I am leading new walking tours in the area that is prominent in this book. The book was ghostwritten but was very interesting in the beginning when the author talks about his childhood and upbringing in the Kensington Market area in Toronto. The latter part of the book is about Luftspring's career as a boxer in the 1930's and later activities.

45connie53
huhtikuu 25, 2016, 1:00 pm

Wow, halfway through! Very good job.

46torontoc
huhtikuu 27, 2016, 3:16 pm

thanks
15. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I did like this book- it was a little too long but the structure of two stories that did come together was very good. Both the stories about Werner, the young German soldier and Marie-Laure, the blind French girl certainly did give the reader a sense of the life that both characters led in wartime Germany and France. The author creates some very interesting traits for both- the interest in science, mathematics and engineering. These interests did change their lives in some way. Doerr traces the moral character of Werner and Marie-Laure in his story. There are villains and the endings are not too happy. Some of the language is really touching. A good read for me-

47Tess_W
huhtikuu 27, 2016, 3:18 pm

>15 torontoc: That has been my favorite book thus far in 2016.

48avanders
huhtikuu 27, 2016, 11:05 pm

Woohoo Halfway point!!

Also, good notes on the book... It's on my shelves and .. maybe this winter I will get to it :) (it just feels like a book to read in the winter for me...)

49torontoc
huhtikuu 28, 2016, 11:55 am

Good idea!

16. . The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth StroutDid I like this novel? I must admit that I put it down for a week and then came back to it. Jim is the more successful of the brothers- he is wealthy and noted for his work as a lawyer. His younger brother, Bob, is a public defender and not as polished and his private life is a bit of a shambles. This could be explained as apparently when Bob was four he was behind the wheel of a car that killed his father. This incident has haunted and probably influenced his life. Bob's twin sister, Susan still lives in their small home town in Maine. A crisis occurs when her son Zach is accused of throwing a pig's head into a mosque in the town. Jim and Bob travel from New York to help their sister and nephew. The stories of how they both react and help and hinder is told along with description of the Somali community and the reactions of the town. The reader learns about the problems in Jim's life and how Bob learns to cope with his issues and relationship with Jim. There are surprizes. Susan, Bob and Zach show more strength and wisdom as their lives change and together they help Jim resolve a major crisis that he faces.

50cyderry
toukokuu 1, 2016, 1:38 pm

doing great!

51torontoc
toukokuu 17, 2016, 7:22 pm

17. Degenerate Art The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany 1937 edited by Olaf Peters I saw this art show at the Neue Galerie in New York two years ago. I had to get the catalogue and did a few months later. This is the first time that I read the various essays. The topics covered the history of the confiscation of art and the naming of artists who were considered degenerate. The attitude of Emil Nolde was surprising to me-his work was banned although he considered himself sympathetic to the aims of Nazism. The essays track the exhibits in various German cities of so-called "Degenerate" art, the war on Modernism in art and the aftermath of reclaiming work after the war. That story is very interesting in the activities of art dealers who sold artworks to American museums with the proceeds going to Nazi accounts. This book is a very interesting resource as well as having rest reproductions of the art.

52torontoc
toukokuu 19, 2016, 3:26 pm

18. Neither Here Nor There Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson I started reading this account of the author's travels in Europe in about 1991 and realized that I had read it before about 10 years ago. I found the first chapters on Bryson's travels in Norway and Sweden hilarious- the kind of laughing out loud funny. However, the accounts of his further travels in Italy, Belgium and the Balkans- not so amusing. Bryson was following the route he had traveled with an eccentric friend-Katz - years before. In fact it looks like Bryson was in the former Yugoslavia just before the savage wars that took place in the later 1990's. I like travel writing and did like reading about Bryson's adventures. His point of view can be caustic with good reason!

53avanders
toukokuu 20, 2016, 12:38 pm

>52 torontoc: ooh that's on my shelves! I've not yet read anything by him, but my husband read the Australia one, and I own many of his books....

54Jackie_K
toukokuu 20, 2016, 4:18 pm

I like Bill Bryson and have read quite a lot of his books. Neither Here Nor There I thought was fun, but wasn't my favourite. His original trip around Britain (Notes from a Small Island) had me crying with laughter in places - particularly when he found himself lost in a Glasgow pub.

55ipsoivan
toukokuu 20, 2016, 7:39 pm

>54 Jackie_K: Agreed. I had read and enjoyed some of his shorter Granta pieces, but when I read The Lost Continent, I laughed so hard I fell off the couch. I have found though, in this and subsequent books of his that I've read, that a melancholy note tends to creep in partway through. Anyone else see this?

56Tess_W
Muokkaaja: toukokuu 20, 2016, 8:00 pm

57Jackie_K
toukokuu 21, 2016, 7:36 am

>56 Tess_W: I enjoyed that one very much, Tess, although it reminded me of a walk I did with a couple of friends in a forest in Canada where we met a bear (and lived to tell the tale, clearly - it stared at us for what felt like forever, then sauntered off), so I did occasionally get the shudders!

58torontoc
toukokuu 27, 2016, 7:58 pm

19.The Hill Top by Assaf Gavron ( no way to get right touchstone tonight) I found that this story about an illegal settlement on the West Bank was satirical but really too long. I thought that while I liked most of the many characters, the author needed a better editor. Gavron uses this story to comment on the surreal connections and disagreements between the various departments of the Israeli government, and Orthodox and Secular Jews. The reader follows two brothers from their kibbutz childhood to life in Tel Aviv, New York City and finally the small religious settlement of Ma'aleh Hermesh C. Gavron uses satire to deliver a message about the conflicts in Israel. The lives of the settlers are complex and messy. I enjoyed the writing but liked Gavron's first book Almost Dead better

59torontoc
kesäkuu 1, 2016, 8:59 pm

20. Granta 61 The Sea I read this issue for the Non-fiction Challenge on 75 books read - the theme is environment/science. This issue seemed to be on topic. Unfortunately the only article that really talked about environmental concerns was one by Neal Ascherson on " The Case for Butterfish" describing the pollution of the Black Sea. Now this book was published in 1998. I think that today there is a greater understanding of how the environment has been changing. The majority of the articles and stories were about the power of the sea as well as works on ships and fishing. There was a poignant description of the effects of a tsunami in "The Seventh Man" by Haruki Muyrakami I think that this issue of Granta is also interesting in thinking about how different this topic would have been handled today.

60avanders
kesäkuu 3, 2016, 10:47 am

>59 torontoc: sounds really interesting!
And woot on being 2/3 done w/ your goal!

61torontoc
kesäkuu 16, 2016, 10:02 am

Thank you!
21. The Best of Sholom Aleichem by Sholom Aleichem edited by Irving Howe and Ruth Wisse I reread this book for my book club. I also went to a wonderful lecture on this writer given by Miriam Udel from Emory University. Reading the stories again and looking at them with a " different lens" so to speak was very different than my first read ( many years ago) Sholem Aleichem writes about the Jews who lived in small towns in the Ukraine and Poland in the late 1880's. His use of the short story format is interesting. There are many interjections from the storyteller or narrator and the climax is not necessarily at the end of the piece. Sometimes there is no resolution. The reader will not always find out what happens in a story.There is the theme of the " swindle" in many of the plots. ( the pious young man dissevered with chicken bones in his pocket on a fast day, the stranger who lost money in the synagogue but later disappears) The editors have a long discussion on the works selected for this book. Two of the most famous of the writer's works are his stories about Tevye the Milkman and the adventures of Mottel the Cantor's son. The selected stories about Tevye give the reader a sense of the real life of a village Jew. The stories are very different than the " Fiddler on the Roof" version. There is more "bitter than sweet". Mottel is a young boy who goes along with his brother's ideas for earning money- usually they don't work out. I think that there is more than humour in these stories- there is both tragedy and hope in the continuing existence of a people.

62torontoc
heinäkuu 17, 2016, 10:08 am

22. Collapse How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond Whew! It took me over three weeks to finish reading this book. ( Although I also had a terrible cold for most of July that turned into pneumonia) Diamond writes with incredible attention to detail as he make his points about various societies-past and present-and how they deal with environmental factors that produce failure or success. Diamond covers islands in the Pacific, the Viking colony on Greenland, ancient Native American colonies,present day Montana, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Australia and China. He shows how various geographical features led to early success and later failure as forests were cleared, and bad choices were made in terms of grazing animals and crops. Essential features of soil that could not sustain crops over a number of years and cycles of good and bad weather are important factors that have led to the demise of certain societies. Although the book was written in 2005 , the material is relevant today as we see the rapidly changing climate and the damage that has been done. Diamond does write about some success stories- New Guinea is one- where the population has constantly looked at changing the way they plant and conserve on the land. There was a little too much repetition for me especially in the section on Greenland but that could be the cold virus talking!

63torontoc
heinäkuu 22, 2016, 3:12 pm

23. Just Send Me Word A True Story of Love and Survival in the Gulag by Orlando Figes Lev Mishchenko and Svetlana Ivanova were sweethearts in Moscow before the second world war. Lev joined the Russian army, was captured by the Germans and spent time in a concentration camp. After the war, Lev was charged as a traitor and sent to the Gulag for 10 years. Both Lev and Svetlana kept up an extraordinary correspondence that they managed to save. This collection of love letters was given to the Memorial Archive in Moscow- the letters are considered the biggest known collection of private letters "relating to the history of the Gulag". Figes has given the reader a narrative of the lives of Lev and Svetlana along with many examples of their letters. Svetlana visited Lev in the Gulag a number of times. Figes describes the everyday life in the Gulag, the many prisoners and friends who helped the couple and their reunion and marriage in 1955. This is a good story -the letters are true love letters between the two. It is also a history of the life in Stalin's Soviet Union in the late 1940's and early 1950's. A great read that I will go back to again and again- the letters reaffirm faith in humanity.

64Jackie_K
heinäkuu 22, 2016, 4:28 pm

>63 torontoc: Ooh, that's a BB right there! I'm not a big fan of Figes, but your review has piqued my interest. Onto the wishlist it goes!

65Tess_W
Muokkaaja: heinäkuu 30, 2016, 5:18 pm

>63 torontoc: I've read Solzhenitsyn's and Ginzburg's Journey Into the Whirlwind accounts of the gulags, which I really enjoyed. Have not heard of this one but going to Amazon to get it right now! TY for a great review!

66torontoc
heinäkuu 30, 2016, 3:36 pm

>65 Tess_W: You are welcome- I really enjoyed reading this memoir and history.

24. The End of Days A Story of Tolerance, Tyranny, and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain by Erna Paris This is a reread for me. The author divides the book into two parts. In the first section, Paris describes the history of the Jews, Muslims and Christians in early Spain. She shows how there was a real golden age of learning in literature, languages, philosophy medicine and more. Paris traces the change that occurs as the Christian kings conquer Spain and take over from Muslim rule. The role of Christian religion, the beginnings of violence, and forced conversions lead to the establishment of the Inquisition and finally the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. In the second part of the book Paris tries to understand how Spanish society moved from tolerance to hate. She draws comparisons with Germany and the Nazis. This is a very thought provoking book and I was interested to revisit it again.

67connie53
heinäkuu 31, 2016, 9:23 am

Just popping is to see what you are reading!

Just 6 more to go, if I'm correct.

68torontoc
heinäkuu 31, 2016, 10:02 am

Yes- but my book piles are still high!

69connie53
elokuu 1, 2016, 3:26 am

>68 torontoc: I think there are not that many ROOTers with low piles! A pile is supposed to be high, otherwise it wouldn't be a pile ;-))

70torontoc
elokuu 27, 2016, 1:23 pm

>69 connie53: your are right!

25. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo. This novel was terrific- the author tells the story of a young 10 year old girl-Darling - who is living in the new Zimbabwe. Her family had gone from a comfortable existence with university educated parents to subsistence living in a hut with perhaps a grandmother and mother- the father had gone to South Africa. Darling and her friends don't go to school as the teachers all left the area and they spend their time stealing guavas from a wealthy area and making up games that could be dangerous. The contrast when Darling is sent to the United States to be with her aunt in Michigan is striking. Yet Bulawayo regrets the exodus from her native land and the life that she once led. The descriptions of life both in Zimbabwe and the United States shows how this group of refugees or really, survivors exist. The never ending work in the United States and the striving for university education for the young generation is told with sensitivity. I thought that the ending was a little abrupt ( maybe the author will write a sequel) but enjoyed the writing and story.

71avanders
elokuu 30, 2016, 1:25 pm

>62 torontoc: only three weeks?! I assume that book, assuming I get to it someday, will take me a lot longer than that! nice job!

& Congrats on your progress... only 5 more books to your goal!

72torontoc
syyskuu 5, 2016, 11:20 am

26. Caspian Rain by Gina B. Nahai This novel was so well written and so sad. The narrator is a young girl living in Tehran at the time of the Shah,Yaas. Yaas tells the reader about her parents- Behar and Omid. Behar is 16 years old when she meets Omid. Behar's family are poor Jews who have a son who is an opera singer who doesn't sing and an abused married daughter who does not complain. Behar is an impressionable school girl who does fall for Omid, a wealthy young man who has just been left by his fiancé. Omid is determined to marry Behar although his wealthy parents object. The resulting marriage is not happy as Behar is not able in that society to continue school. She is isolated in a house in a not so good area of Tehran and ignored by her new in-laws, their friends and Omid himself. He becomes obsessed with a beautiful Muslim woman who is the lover of a wealthy man. The daughter Yaas has a disability that is hidden by her mother and the result is tragedy. Omid himself abandons his wife and daughter to leave Iran with his mistress. The humiliations suffered by the women in this novel probably reflect the norms of that society. Today the reader will recognize that the suffering in this work still take place in some societies. I wasn't prepared for the ending but I was drawn into the story.

73torontoc
syyskuu 13, 2016, 10:05 pm

27. Cry of the Peacock by Gina B.Nahai I do like this author's writing style but not all of this story. Nahai relates the history of Persia/ Iran while she is describing a Jewish family from 1796 to 1982. The story involves characters associated with the power of foretelling the future. The various women and men suffer from deprivation in the ghetto or power when they leave and associate with rulers of Persia. The women suffer from early marriages, infidelity, desertion and more. The people of this novel are not all good and usually make bad decisions.

74connie53
syyskuu 18, 2016, 2:44 am

>72 torontoc: Heavy reading!

75torontoc
syyskuu 29, 2016, 3:08 pm

It was well written!

28. The Mother Tongue English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson I enjoyed this book about the origins of the English language, and the differences in American and British words. Bryson also covered names, word games and pronunciation.

76torontoc
lokakuu 14, 2016, 9:54 am

29. The Old Gringo by Carlos FuentesThis novel imagines the fate of the real American writer Ambrose Bierce- who disappeared in Mexico during their civil war. He is personified as the " Old Gringo" a man who travels to Mexico to die. He finds one of the rebel groups although not that of Pancho Villa and travels and fights with them. The Old Gringo meets a woman who is with this band of fighters because she had travelled to Mexico to become a teacher with a wealthy family. The family fled leaving her at their estate. Harriet Winslow has her own secrets and becomes involved with both the Old Gringo and the Mexican fighter General Arroyo. The story is told in a very poetic kind of prose as the author relates the stories of the Mexican peasants and what made them revolt. The reader hears about the histories of all the main characters and the inevitable end of the Old Gringo is described. This very interesting book is composed like a sort of epic poem.

77torontoc
lokakuu 18, 2016, 2:25 pm

30. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson.This novel won the 2007 Impact International Dublin Award- I had heard of it and had the book in my book pile. Having read it, I was so impressed with the creation of characters, the description of the isolated woods where most of the action takes place and the story. The reader learns about the life of an elderly man ( not so old really), Trond, as he establishes himself in an isolated cabin in the far east of Norway. He is alone after the death of his wife although we learn that he has almost abandoned his daughters and their families. He reminisces about his summer in 1948 as a fifteen year old living with his father in a cabin also isolated but close to the border with Sweden. We learn about a number of traumatic acts that take place that summer and the role of Trond's father in the resistance to the Germans during World War Two. Really, one of the major themes in this novel is abandonment and the effects on the younger generation. The effect that Trond's father's actions during that summer certainly shape this young man and his later actions as an older person. a very worthwhile read for me.

78rabbitprincess
lokakuu 18, 2016, 5:37 pm

>77 torontoc: Congrats on reaching your goal!

79MissWatson
lokakuu 19, 2016, 3:58 am

Yeah, congratulations!

80Tess_W
lokakuu 19, 2016, 4:54 am

Congrats on reaching your goal!

81Henrik_Madsen
lokakuu 19, 2016, 4:59 am

>77 torontoc: One of my favorite novels of all time. The way he writes about boyhood, longing and the woods is just mesmerising.

82torontoc
lokakuu 19, 2016, 1:24 pm

Thank you all! I have enjoyed my "book pile" reads and wonder why I waited so long to read them!
another from the pile
31.Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing by Tomson Highway This play was written in 1989 by a noted Indigenous playwright in Canada. The author had previously written another play The Rez Sisters about women living on a reserve in Ontario and Dry Lips is considered a companion piece - with the men on the reserve as the main focus. The story covers the rivalries for love and more in this expressionistic view of life on the reserve. The women- never seen except for one character who is both goddess and specific women- have formed a hockey team. The audience follows the action from the viewpoint of the men. The concerns are tragic and funny at different points in the story. Highway uses a combination of music, mime and dance to explore the concerns of indigenous people who live on the reservation in the late 1980's. I must find and read The Rez Sisters now.

83torontoc
lokakuu 24, 2016, 10:18 pm

32. Bloomsbury Ballerina by Judith Mackrell Hmm the touchstone has the author name spelled incorrectly in the book heading..
This biography relates the history of a very interesting woman- Lydia Lopokova- a Russian ballet dancer who danced with the Ballet Russes directed by Diaghilev and who later married John Maynard Keynes-the noted economist and member of the " Bloomsbury" group of writers and artists. The author shows how Lopokova worked with many of the early ballet great names- Massine and Nijinsky- and later was instrumental in establishing a ballet group that was the forerunner of the great British ballet companies. Lopokova travelled and lived in the United States after she left the Ballet Russes and later lived in England for the rest of her life. This is a very interesting history that covers early 20th century ballet history as well as the biography of JohnMaynard Keynes and Lydia Lopokova.

84torontoc
lokakuu 27, 2016, 10:38 am

33. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart. This was a nice book to read. The author lives in Paris and he rediscovered his passion for pianos and playing music. Carhart was always curious about a piano repair shop in the area where he lived. However, it was either closed or he was rebuffed in his attempts to see the pianos. Carhart learned that he needed an introduction from a former client to gain entrance to the shop. After he got one from a friend, Carhart was able to start a friendship with the owner, Luc. The reader also learns about the history of piano making, the various qualities of the different manufacturers past and present of pianos, and Carhart's own purchase of a piano and new work in learning how to play after many years away from lessons. Some of the sections in the book seem a little choppy as the actual science of the piano is explained along with some past history of Carhart's piano lessons. I did enjoy the book.

85torontoc
marraskuu 1, 2016, 2:04 pm

34.. The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber This novel has a science fiction theme but the ideas and characters are more -hmm- universal? Peter is a minister who is travels to a planet many light years away from earth. The natives have requested a priest who can continue the religious work that was started by a previous pastor. Peter's wife, Bea plays an important role in this story as she writes to Peter about the disintegration of Earth and her feelings about their relationship. A corporation had established a base on the planet and were dependent on the natives or Oasans for food products. Peter is revealed to be a very directed person as he concentrates on building a church for the Oasans and translating the bible for them. He has a religious intensity that governs his actions. The Oasans do not give up their secrets- all the reader knows is that many are intense believers in Christianity and that they have a need for the drugs that the people from Earth can provide. Peter neglects his own health and the reader learns how important Bea is to him- emotionally and practically. There are many mysteries in the story- what happened to the first minister and what exactly is the purpose of the base. How have the disasters on Earth impacted on the mission to this planet. Peter has a choice to make and at the end the reader is left with the unknown-the same as Peter . This was a very interesting book-
my first Nov read-

86avanders
marraskuu 3, 2016, 1:29 pm

A belated Congratulations on meeting your ROOT goal!!


>85 torontoc: That's on my shelves & I can't wait to read it!

87torontoc
marraskuu 4, 2016, 10:16 am

Thank you!
I really enjoyed the story-
35.Lesson of the Masters by George Steiner ( touchstone doesn't work this morning) I read this book as part of the monthly Non-Fiction Challenge for November. Have you ever been to a lecture or read a book ( this book ) where you don't understand 70% of the references and have a hard time following the argument? However what I did retain is fascinating. Steiner wrote and lectured on this topic as part of the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University in 2001-2. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the topic. Steiner explores the very nature of teaching and begins with the Greek scholars. He talks about the ability to impart great ideas and the intense relationship between what he calls Master and disciple. Steiner covers the idea of rebelling or surpassing the Master and knowing when to leave. The references cover such a wide group -Abelard and Heloise, Faust, ( I did know this reference well having seen many operas) Virgil and Dante, Socrates and Alcibiades, the gifted piano teacher and master- Nadia Boulanger, Saul Bellow and the Baal Shem Tov Rabbi and his disciples. There are many more. Steiner really examines the nature of teaching and the importance of oral discourse in addition to the written word. This is a volume that I can return to again.

88torontoc
marraskuu 4, 2016, 2:31 pm

36. Granta 109 Work edited by John Freeman I am catching up on some old issues of Granta. The theme of work is demonstrated by memoires of life in Africa, stories of life working in a factory and a friendship with one employee, and an interview with an inventor of robots. This are many more authors writing about personal experiences of work and life in many diverse countries.
Why am I able to read this book in a day? I am at home literally watching paint dry- my hall and kitchen are being painted today

89torontoc
marraskuu 16, 2016, 6:29 pm

37. . Guilt About the Past by Bernhard Schlink I also pulled this book out of the TBR pile for the November Non-Fiction challenge. Each chapter covers a different aspect of coming to terms with the past- in this case, mainly, the Holocaust and collective responsibility. All six chapters were based on the Weidenfeld Lectures delivered at Oxford University by the author. Bernhard Schlink has a legal background and his arguments are based on close definitions of past guilt and the effects on present and future generations.I must admit that I found it easier to follow the author's reasoning when he used example as opposed to talking in theory only.

90torontoc
marraskuu 27, 2016, 11:02 pm

38. What Went Wrong The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East by Bernard Lewis. This slim volume offers a description of the differences between Western and Muslim governments and resulting civilizations. Lewis was trying to look at the differences in cultures. He looks at the time when Islam was the power in science, discovery and military achievement and the West was considered more primitive. Lewis described the shift when the West became dominant and the Islamic civilization was no longer the leader in the areas of military dominance in the world and intellectual discovery. A very interesting examination-

91torontoc
Muokkaaja: joulukuu 5, 2016, 12:03 pm

I see that this book has been counted for Nov. -
39. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. This young adult story has a Holocaust theme and I have mixed feelings about it. Bruno is a young boy who moves with his family from Berlin to a house in the middle of many fields and fences. ( the reader finds out later that the place is Auschwitz). He is unhappy until he meets a young boy named Shmuel behind a fence. They become friends and Bruno learns a little about the camp that his father is in charge of-and the ending of the story is very sad. I figured out what was going to happen very early in the story. Was the writer exploiting the facts of the Holocaust for his novel? Are the memoirs of survivors more powerful than made up fictions about the events of the war? Do we need fictions rather than history to remind us of what happened? I don't have the answers but have to think about these queries after reading this novel.

92torontoc
joulukuu 5, 2016, 12:02 pm

40. Swan Lake by Mark Helprin and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg This book has beautiful and very traditional illustrations. The book is the author's take on rewriting the ballet Swan Lake and creating a new story. The story is really not for children and is very adult. There are all of people dying( spoiler) with a little bit of hope at the end. The Swans are integrated into this work in a very satisfying way. I am not sure whether the author was trying to use the idea of fairytales that are not all "Disney happy". An interesting reread.

93avanders
Muokkaaja: joulukuu 7, 2016, 11:06 am

Looks like you're continuing to pull great ROOTs! Is Swan Lake a short story/novella? Seems like Helprin has a tendency to write long novels..... :)

94torontoc
joulukuu 7, 2016, 1:00 pm

This is very brief-sort of a gift book with nice illustrations but I wouldn't give it to a young person.

95avanders
joulukuu 16, 2016, 11:54 am

Interesting ... will keep an eye open for it!

96Tess_W
joulukuu 17, 2016, 5:40 pm

>92 torontoc: my friend got me the A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy for Christmas and it is just beautiful. I can't wait to read all 3 stories!