Eliz_M (Liz) -- ruminations and more procastinations

This is my second year in Club Read. I mostly read books from the 1001-list (a little bit obsessively), but also the random books chosen by my book club, NYRB titles that catch my fancy, other non-1001 list classics and the occasional mystery. I have started listening to audio books, but seem to need "lighter" books in that medium.

I grew up in Minnesota, but have been in NYC (Brooklyn) for more than 14 years. I work in the performing arts in a management/logistical capacity. I am (mostly) vegetarian and Sundays are typically reserved for cooking food for the week while listening to podcasts or audio books. I have a bunch of free memberships to various museums in NYC and I hope to spend more time looking at "pretty" pictures this year; a long-term goal is too visit every room in the Met Museum.

I love reading, but am not that fond of writing. Once again, I an hopelessly behind in my reviews for the year. Perhaps I will catch up by the end of December....

Currently Reading:
Paintings in Proust by Eric Karpeles
Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time by Patrick Alexander
Proust's Way: A Field Guide to In Search of Lost Time by Roger Shattuck
Henry VI, Part 3 by William Shakespeare

LT adds to the TBR:
The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf (cabegley)
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (theaelizabet, bragan, RidgewayGirl)
Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors by Nicholas Wade (edwinbcn)
If the Oceans Were Ink by Carla Power (mabith)
The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli (RidgewayGirl)
Evicted by Matthew Desmond (RidgewayGirl, AnnieMod, and japaul22)
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (avaland)
The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt (Ursula)

2016 Projects and Goals:

Read more books from the owned-tbr than from other sources

At least 70% of books read from the 1001-list

Choose more woman authors for non-1001 list books

Read at least 10 non-fiction books

GR International Reading: Under the Yoke, Promise at Dawn, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, The Return of Philip Latinowicz, An African in Greenland, Men of Maize, Beka Lamb, The River Between, Down Second Avenue

Shakespeare History plays:
Jan: King John
Mar: Richard II
Apr: Henry IV, Part I
May: Henry IV, Part II
Jul: Henry V
Aug: Henry VI, Part 1
Sep: Henry VI, Part 2
Oct: Henry VI, Part 3
Nov: Richard III
Dec: Henry VIII

Proust:
May-Jun: The Guermantes Way
Jul-Aug: Sodom and Gomorrah
Sep-Oct: The Captive & The Fugitive
Nov-Dec: Time Regained

Third Quarter Reading Possibilities:

Extreme Reading
Big Books: The Guermantes Way (834), Sodom and Gomorrah (734), Romance of the Three Kingdoms (690 + 680), The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll (700), The Singapore Grip (572), 2666 (898), Underworld (827), A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement (732), A Dance to the Music of Time: Second Movement (732), A Dance to the Music of Time: Third Movement (732), A Dance to the Music of Time: Fourth Movement (793), A Brief History of Seven Killings (688)
Baby Books: Maus I (159), Maus II (135), The Left Handed Women (80), A Month in the Country (135), Matigari (148), Nausea (178), The Path to the Spiders' Nest (185), All Souls (210), Young Törless (217), Platero and I (218), A Woman's Life (245)

Jul-Sep:
LT Reading Globally (Soviet and Post Soviet Writers):

July:
Real-life book club: Woman on the Edge of Time
GR AtW (pre-1900 China): Monkey: The Journey to the West
LT 1001 Book: The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
GR Door-Stop: Romance of the Three Kingdoms
GR New Book: A Little Life
GR Proust: Sodom and Gomorrah

August:
Real-life book club: Gulp
GR AtW (post-1900 China): Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
LT 1001 Book: The Tartar Steppe
GR Door-Stop: Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Book-to-Film: Empire of the Sun
Genre Read: An Instance of the Fingerpost

September:
Real-life book club: A Brief History of Seven Killings
GR AtW (India):
LT 1001 Book: The Music of Chance
GR Themed Read:
GR Classics: A Passage to India
GR Proust: The Captive & The Fugitive

Key:
strike through book linked - A book I read this year
strike through - A book I have read before and don't plan to reread
book linked - A book I am thinking of reading for the relevant group/challenge/theme
book title - A book that I haven't read and currently don't plan to read
* - A book I own (paper copy)

Fourth Quarter Reading Ideas:

Oct.-Jan.
GR Challenge: A High Wind in Jamaica, Dance and Dream, Thaïs

October:
Real-life book club: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
GR AtW (Japan): Silence
LT 1001 Book: Of Love and Shadows
GR Literary Prize: Year of the Runaways
GR Genre: The Haunting of Hill House
GR Proust: The Captive & The Fugitive

November:
GR AtW (South East Asia & Korea):
LT 1001 Book: Portnoy's Complaint
GR Non-Fiction:The Invention of Nature
GR Short Stories:
GR Proust: Time Regained

December:
Real-life book club: The Door
GR AtW (Catch-All):
LT 1001 Book:
GR Genre Read:
GR Classics:
GR Proust: Time Regained

>3 ELiz_M: Half-point Goal check:

Read more books from the owned-tbr than from other sources: 28 owned, 19 library yay!

At least 70% of books read chosen from the 1001-list: 48.9% ouch

Choose more woman authors for non-1001 list books:
Only 1/3 of books were written by women. This is not going so well -- too many of my off-plan books are written by men, and my planned reads (such as Shakespeare's plays, Proust) are also written by men.

Read at least 10 non-fiction books: 7!!!

The Shakespeare reading is on track and I am only a little behind in the Proust.

The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust, pub 1921
Finished 7/01/2016



So, Proust. What can I say...? I read Swann's Way in 2011 and Within a Budding Grove in 2013 and it was past time to pick up the story again. I tried to refresh my memories of the first volumes earlier this year by reading In Search of Lost Time : Swann's Way: a Graphic Novel and Paintings in Proust. And thanks to Nickelini, I read An Officer and a Spy which helped with historical information on the Dreyfus Affair.

For a novel that delves into the mechanics of memory, for me, it doesn't seem to matter how well I remember the former books. The plot is so overburdened with descriptions and digressions that plot almost doesn't matter. After all, one doesn't read Proust for a gripping, fast-paced, epic love story.

As always, it is a struggle to find the right frame of mind and/or the focus for the work -- I had forgotten how wonderful and convoluted these books are. While I appreciate that the writing is perfectly structured for how one thinks --- the Guermantes carriage noticed by Françoise segues into the sacredness of the servants' dinner, to thoughts of Combrey, to the waistcoat maker, and so on -- the thoughts/associations are not my associations and thus I am mildly annoyed that Proust mentions that a particular moment "excited the keenest interest in Françoise, gave her the most complete satisfaction and at the same time the sharpest annoyance..." but twenty pages later he still not has explained Françoise's reaction.... Or by the time the various digressions were brought back around to the original point, I had long forgotten what I was expecting to be resolved.

The writing is so smart and wonderful. In reading this, I did something I rarely do -- I stopped to look up unfamiliar words as I went along. Usually I just guess at the meaning from context and move on, but with wondrous words such as "exogitate", "tergiversations", and "nacreous" I had to pause. There is just so many words, so many descriptions and philosophies, that sooner or later every person will find a moment of perfect writing. For me, it was this moment in the narrator's late-night exploration in a frightening, unfamiliar hotel:
"And behind a hanging curtain I came upon a little closet which, stopped by the outer wall and unable to escape, had hidden itself there shamefacedly and gave me a frightened stare from its little round window, glowing blue in the moonlight."

There are, of course, many other tidbits underlined or marked with exclamations, but those are often result of a long build of of words and ideas and aren't interesting when extracted from the whole. Mostly, in this volume I found myself fascinated with the reoccurring ideas of how powerfully imagination enhances or distorts reality.

I have to admit that on this read, I am just a tourist, trying to read for plot and just barely scratching the surface of the complex themes and motifs presented. As such, I can recognize that the writing is brilliant and yet still be completely bored by some of the long, seemingly pointless, digressions. But hopefully I am preparing the ground for a future, more in-depth read.

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman, pub 1986
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman, pub 1991
Finished 7/02/2016

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This complex graphic novel begins with a frame story; the artist is in present day interviewing his father in order to create a graphic biography of his father's experiences in the 1930s and 1940s in Poland. Throughout the two books, the father's past memories are interspersed with the son's present day interactions with his father.



I am not entirely comfortable with graphic novels -- my tendency is to race through the text and barely glance over the images. In some cases, I resent the pictures, wanting to form my own images rather than having someone else's picture thrust upon me. But these books are an excellent example of the art enhancing the story -- I do not know the intention, but the decision to represent the characters as various animals was brilliant -- it both added a little distance to a harrowing story and manifested a sort of symbolic short-hand (Germans/Nazis = cats, Jews = mice, Poles = pigs, Americans = dogs).

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I loved how Art Spiegelman included his struggles with the story and his commentary on how his relationship with his father colored the work. And the father’s story is engrossing, containing both familiar episodes from this time period, but also details and events that I hadn’t known. I was very impressed with these books.

I adore Maus, still the best graphic novel I have read, by far. Also the first.

Enjoyed your take on struggling with Proust. I got through two books several years ago. They do demand a patient mindset.

I loved Maus too, but I have to confess I didn't really notice that the characters were animals, it just felt natural and I didn't think much about it.

I am reading Sodome et Gomorrhe now and have been for months, I even contemplated just abandoning it, but every time I do, he comes up with one of his magical sentences...

>9 dchaikin: ~waves hello~

>10 FlorenceArt: I am on week 5 of Sodom and Gomorrah. I finally caved and picked up a couple of "guides to Proust" from the library to help me remember the framework -- 12 pages a day does not facilitate seeing the work as a cohesive whole. And yes, every once in a while there is a thought/idea that is perfectly stated and beautiful!

Excellent review of The Guermantes way. I have not read any Proust and now I know just what to expect when I get to him.

>12 baswood: Thanks! Although I think it is impossible in one short review to adequately prepare a first time reader for Proust.

Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay, pub 1952
Finished 7/03/2016



Another Soho Crime publication. This mystery is set in Papua a few years after the end of WWII as the British/European expats try their hand at colonizing the island without demolishing the native culture. Stella Warwick, newly married to an older, eminently respectable anthropologist, has left her sheltered Australian life after news of her husband's supposed suicide shocked her ill, elderly father, for whom she was caring, into decline and death. Stella with no family and nothing to lose travels to Papua to discover the truth about her husband's death.

What follows in an unusual mystery -- the protagonist is naive, waif-like and in her stubborn innocence pesters the government officials into first giving her a post as secretary in her husband's department and finally into assisting her to journey into the heart of the native's territory. Woven in is an almost surreal quality -- the heat, the isolation, the foreignness of the place seams to have a detrimental effect on many of the colonizers and the superstition of the native cultures becomes a part of their psyche.

It was not quite the mystery novel I expected, but I had not noticed that it was published more than 60 years ago.

Freezing by Penelope Evans, pub 1997
Finished 7/04/2016



Stewart is an almost too-stereotypical social misfit. He has an odd appearance, lives alone with his elderly father, stutters in social situations, is an early adopter of a computer role-playing games, and works as the medical examiner's photographer. One day, after a long sleepless night playing video games, he arrives early to work to discover, waiting for autopsy, a beautiful corpse. Stewart is, well, smitten. And his obsession only increases as oddities began to happen around this unclaimed body. Stewart becomes determined to find out who she is and why she died.

The novel has a very slow build -- it begins in a more procedural fashion where leads are doggedly followed to blind ends and only persistence turns up the clues that eventually lead to the solutions. But as Stewart locates people from the woman's past it picks up speed, becoming more action oriented as he faces danger and physical threats for reasons he does not understand. Additionally, the reader learns more about Stewart and his past, as well as meet other oddball characters that are surprisingly rounded, given their brief appearance.

A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement by Anthony Powell, pub 1951
Finished 7/10/2016



This book collects the first three novels of the twelve-volume cycle. The story begins with Nick Jenkins looking out the window on a winter scene that leads him to reminisce about his life, beginning with (A Question of Upbringing, cover 1921-1927ish) his school days and his friendships with Charles Stringham and Peter Templar as well as recollections of the misfit, slightly older student, Kenneth Widmerpool. Nick recalls the days of boarding school and university and the encounter and re-encounters with Stringham, Templar, and Widmerpool and meeting various characters from the different societies/orbits in which they exist, ending with the realization that they have grown apart and now inhibit diverse, non-overlapping worlds.

In A Buyer's Market (covering 1928/9), Jenkins now working for a small publishing company, spends much of his time on the debutante circuit. A parallel world of parties manifests itself one eventful evening when Nick, in the company of Widmerpool, literally run into Mr. Deacon, an acquaintance of his parents, and his friend Gypsy Jones. The four head to a late-night tea shop where a second chance encounter brings Stringham. The five then head off to a less refined party, bring another host of characters, some new some old, into the dance.

Several, presumably uneventful, years pass before Nick recalls the transition into The Acceptance World (covering 1931-33) and interactions with the various characters. There is an odd dinner with Uncle Giles, this time accidentally in the company of the clairvoyant Mrs. Erdleigh; a business dinner with Mark Members, an acquaintance from University, but another university acquaintance J. G. Quiggin, having recently supplanted Members, eventually keeps the appointment; a dinner and a weekend spent with Peter Templar, his wife Mona and sister Jean; and a reunion dinner for the boarding school.

I had picked up this novel, hoping it would be a lighter read in contrast with In Search of Lost Time during a month when I knew I would have an excess of reading time. Instead, I found many similarities. Powell's work is also a long novel with an older narrator recollecting his earlier days. So there is a present time looking back on an older time, with many rambling digressions occasionally linking memories thematically rather than chronologically. Also, in this first collection Nick Jenkins is working for an art publisher and therefore woven throughout the novels are references to and discussions of paintings.

I suspect that Powell's work suffers in the comparison. I am afraid, also, that this work does not summarize well -- it too easily lends itself to a list of encounters that then appear as being ridiculous and too coincidental. In the course of 700+ pages it does flow more naturally, I promise. The writing is clever and often there is a perfectly worded phrase or sentence, but at the moment it is not quite the more plot-focused, quick read that I want to be reading.

I thought it unspeakably ridiculous and downright offensive Powell thought his bland pap was emulating Proust, but then I'm somewhat of a Proust-bigot. :) (Who could ever tell...!!)

Catching up, Liz. Interesting reading as always. Intrigued by the setting and age of Beat not the Bones. Powell sounds interesting, and I had never heard of this 12 novel series. Proust was one of a kind.

>17 LolaWalser: Wait, Powell was intentionally mimicking Proust? I agree definitely not in the same league at all.

ETA: I did find an interview with Paris review with this comment:
When asked about the Proust comparison, Powell replies with "I'm a great admirer of Proust and know his works very well. But the essential difference is that Proust is an enormously subjective writer who has a peculiar genius for describing how he or his narrator feels. Well, I really tell people a minimum of what my narrator feels—just enough to keep the narrative going—because I have no talent for that particular sort of self-revelation. Like movie-writing, it's a very particular sort of talent, but people often speak as if every writer had it."

(http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/3475/the-art-of-fiction-no-68-anthony-powell)

It's good that he understands that he is better at focusing outward....

>18 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan! Beat not the Bones was republished by Soho Crime and turns up in NYC used bookstores from time to time (I like the pretty colors on the spines and will pick up the first in a series or stand-alone when I find them).

Gulp by Mary Roach and narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, pub 2013
Finished 7/31/2016



In a rather odd combination, my bookclub choose to read this book for our annual summer weekend Beer-can chicken barbecue. Roach purports to "address your more pressing alimentary curiosities". She covers topics relating to the importance of smell, testing pet foods, formation of food preferences, chewing, William Beaumont, saliva/spit, people/pets being swallowed alive, stomach capacity, using the digestive track for smuggling, gas (three chapters), constipation, and colon bacteria transplants.

Sound like an awful lot to cover in a scant 350 pages? Well it is. If you are familiar with Roach's other books, you know her standard "format" -- a book that is very loosly tied together with each chapter answering a random question on the subject. I think most people love their first Mary Roach books (mine was Stiff and I upset my roommates by sitting on the couch giggling uncontrollably while reading a book about cadavers). But for me, the novelty has paled -- and I don't think it was just the subject matter.

It was also both good and irritating as an audio book. Her text is written rather informally with a conversational style that most of the time is perfectly suited to audio. But then, there were moments when a particular section was written in a very linear fashion..... scientist enters the room, is described, leaves the room, then Roach says something like "okay now that she's left the room..." and goes on to discuss some fascinating fact. Or at the pet food testing lab Roach asks to try the flavor coating wildly loved by cats, goes on a really long digression then breaks in with "time to quit stalling" and proceeds to taste the alien substance. I found this really disconcerting on audio -- it's a book, not running commentary for a live sporting event, you can edit!

If you share Mary Roach's sense of curiosity for "grossness" and enjoy her oddball humor, you'll probably love this book.

Too bad Gulp didn't work.

>19 ELiz_M: That is a really interesting comment by Powell on Proust - and very accurate as far as Proust is concerned.

>19 ELiz_M:, >21 dchaikin:

Sorry, I have to say that's a deplorably trite observation on Proust! It's not even a question of being wrong--just totally lacking in literary sensibility (which, obviously, damns a wannabe writer more than anything). Powell didn't get Proust at all and this is the funniest QED there is.

Hmm I feel nervous about jumping in, but I am a fan of both Powell and Proust and I would never, in a million years, have compared them. The error lies there. I would also venture that in that interview Powell was distancing himself politely. I imagine some fatuous critic was wowed that, hey, both writers churned out multiple volumes about the same group of people, hey, they must be kind of the same. No. Powell's purpose has more to do with social change/upheaval in the years of his own life and I would further venture that Widmerpool is the keystone around which that world turns. Hardly Proustian!!!

Few of you are fantasy- readers, I expect, but if I had a dollar for every fantasy that comes out and is heralded as "just like Tolkien!" I would be a millionaire. Proust is utterly unique. Powell, is not quite that, but damned good!

>23 sibylline:

Powell invited comparisons himself, knowingly, with "a dance to the music of time" or however that goes, and by producing such a large quantity of stuff (Big book--mine's bigger!) But none of it has any real connection to Proust and therefore the comparisons perplex, fall flat, and induce derision. That quotation of his only illustrates why it CAN'T have any real connection to Proust... and, why (imo of course) Powell is not a good writer--he's not a good reader.

Sorry to drag this out Eliz, I was just having a laugh. I'm afraid Powell can't possibly energize me even to a proper dressing-down. :)

>24 LolaWalser: I'm enjoying the discussion -- I tend to be a "surface" reader myself, reading mostly for plot, and with the Powell was hoping for something much more of an antidote to Proust. And while they are largely very different, the aspects I mentioned in >16 ELiz_M:, slight as they were, were just similar enough to make me not want to read these two works in tandem. Perhaps I would be better off with another "trashy" mystery novel! :)

"not a good writer"? I can think of worse. Seriously! Point taken though that he was inviting scorn to compare himself to Proust.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati, pub. 1940
Finished 8/09/2016

A quiet read with lovely language that was wrapped up too nicely.

So, I've been rather quiet on my thread most of the summer because I had foot surgery at the end of June. I spent quite a lot of July housebound and watching netflicks rather than reading excessively as I had hoped. After seven weeks in a boot and a few unsteady weeks back in shoes, I finally had the nerve to spend several hours on my feet at the Met to see Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.

As usual, the clothes presented were stunning creations from some of the best known designers/fashion houses in the world. Many of the dresses were created for weddings -- if I ever win the lottery, I am having Dior design my dresses:

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Of course there were also some fascinating outfits that are only possible with modern technology:

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And then there were a couple of Mechanical/Transforming dresses by Hussein Chalayan. I spent at least 30 minutes watching and re-watching the video for this dress:



Here is a 10 minute video of the entire collection in action.

The other reason I have not posted much is that I have been reading the same book and selections of supporting works:

Sodom and Gomorrah by Marcel Proust, pub 1922
Finished 8/25/2016



If I had had more of a church upbringing I might have been less surprised by the subject matter of this installation of In Search of Lost Time, in which at times it seemed as if every character in the novel, and in Paris society, was an "invert". Perhaps they were. In any case, I continue to enjoy the work and indeed finished this volume a little ahead of schedule, as many days I had to keep reading. The narrator's return to Balbec opens with one of the most beautiful and devastating portraits of grief I have read. Truly stunning. Also, this volume is where, for me, it begins to feel like a novel -- the previous volume ended with what passes as a cliff-hanger and this volume resumes the story (with only a 15-page digression on the biology of flowers) and as there is also some heavy foreshadowing, this volume seemed to have momentum.

I somehow missed one of the rooms in the Manus x Machina exhibit and went back to the Met a week later to see it. This time, I was back to my old "random galleries" method.

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I am always drawn to abstract art for the shapes and use of color, so of course I loved "Coney Island" by Joseph Stella from the "Modern Murals" Gallery (pic 1). The still life paintings of Northern Europe didn't do much for me, but I thought the flowers above were lovely. As for the third, technically I preferred some works by Constable in the gallery, but this Turner picture of Whalers had me exclaim "Moby-Dick!" so I had to include it here.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



A Woman's Life by Guy de Maupassant, pub. 1883
Finished 9/02/2016

A beautifully written, but irritating novel depicting the life of Jeanne, a country aristocrat.

Good to see that you are back on your feet.

>31 ELiz_M: Is that a 21st century female view of the book? Just wondering if it is still readable, or have society norms changed so much that it would be almost incomprehensible to most of us now.

>31 ELiz_M: "A beautifully written, but irritating novel depicting the life of Jeanne, a country aristocrat."

Right on the mark! I could never make up my mind about Maupassant: beautifully written or annoying.

>32 baswood: Thanks!

Yes, definitely a modern perception of the book, but also a result of the method of story-tellling. The author knows the punch line and and only reveals the details, the snapshots that support the punch line. So as a reader outside the story, not living the details of the life, it is obviously that X bad thing was happening and it was very hard to not be irritated with the main character's stupidity. Most of us have felt that moment when you want to shout at the character in the horror film "Don't open the door!" and for me, for this book, that feeling was ever-present in a way that it isn't for most books, even ones where I already know the outcome.

ETA: >33 VivienneR: Thanks!

I thought I could get away with posting a couple of placeholders as I was interspersing chores with posts, but >32 baswood: & >33 VivienneR: you were too fast. I've completed 29 & 30 above.

>16 ELiz_M: (etc.) - I feel I should jump in and defend Powell, because I have a lot of affection for ADTTMOT and have read the whole thing several times, but it's probably indefensible! Powell is great at managing big set-piece scenes, identifying relevant period details and describing eccentric characters, but his attempts to pull the whole thing together into a bigger cultural context always end up either pretentious or tedious. He's a natural for television adaptation, really.

If you're in the market for a British mid-20th century roman fleuve that doesn't pretend to be Proust, there might be something to be said for the unfashionable and serially politically-incorrect Simon Raven's Alms for Oblivion sequence: he probably only picked that particular format because he knew it would annoy Powell.

Catching up here and noticed you read Freezing by Penelope Evans. I read her novel First Fruits a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I think she deserves to be better-known.

>36 thorold: I have never heard of this author/series. It does look like more fun than the Powell.... But I think, for now, it may be wiser to intersperse Proust with short books.

>37 Nickelini: I am definitely going to keep an eye out for her other works published by Soho Crime -- especially as they are stand-alone so easier to collect & read in random order!

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, pub 2015
Finished 7/31/2016



I do not have much to add to the many other reviews of this book in Club Read. The book is structured as a letter to his teen-aged black son, as he grows into adulthood and begins to be disillusioned by the white-majority world. On most levels it is a view of the world of which i am wholly ignorant -- I am not a parent and I am not a person of color. It is a beautifully written book that offers only a slight glimpse into this other world and experience. And it is unsettling to realize i share the same geography and physical space, but have a completely different experience of it. I listed to the audio book, read by the author, which was lovely. But I think I would have felt more import and been more strongly impacted if I had paper a paper edition.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



The Music of Chance by Paul Auster, pub. 1990
Finished 9/07/2016

I am always fascinated and a little creeped out by Auster's remarkable ability to portray a completely unbelievable scenario in a perfect realistic way.

It was ridiculously hot yesterday causing me to flee to the beautiful air-conditioned wonderfulness of the Met Museum. The galleries were chosen less randomly than usual -- my number generator really likes the American wing and has almost completely neglected Greek/Roman art and African art, so from the museum map I chose smaller galleries in these areas to visit.

First is a room from the villa of Agrippa Postumus, called (for obvious reasons) "The Black Room". The next gallery on the agenda contained Ethiopian art -- contrasting modern works and the older pieces that inspired them. Many of the objects were beautiful, but the intricate caving on this 16th century processional cross is stunning:

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The third stop (following a leisurely, late lunch) was the Islamic Art wing, in particular ancient near eastern art. The Lion-like image below was part of Babylon's famed Processional Way, built in the time of Nebuchadnezzar II:

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After spending too long gazing at Babylonian/Mesopotamian/Iranian art I needed to rest. And what better place to spend an hour or so reading Shakespeare than in a Moroccan court complete with benches and fountain?

I passed through the contemporary art wing and had to stop and look at a series of paintings inspired by Mondrian. I loved the blue tones, the geometric shapes and how every square was painted with a different texture or pattern in this work by Irene Rice Pereira:

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And of course, one must end the day with a sunset drink from the rooftop bar, gazing out at the skyline beyond central park, in the shadow of Psycho Barn.

Is that house really on the roof? Is it permanent or temporary?

Always an education catching up here. Wonderful reading and museuming. Sorry about your foot, but glad your are up and about again.

>42 FlorenceArt: Yes the structure is really on the roof of the Met Museum, but it's not exactly a house. Here's the other side:



The Met has a different, commissioned, art installation on the roof every summer. This one was designed by Cornelia Parker.

>43 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan!

Henry VI , Pa/rt 1 by William Shakespeare, written 1591ish?
Finished 8/13/2016



The play opens with the mourning and funeral for King Henry V and indications of the troubles to come. The kinsmen's grief is interrupted by messengers bringing new of France's revolt and of squabbles amongst the nobles. The subsequent battles in France feature Joan la Pucelle (Joan of Arc) and the squabbles at home the plucking of white or red roses to demonstrate support of one lord or the other.

One of the earliest written plays attributed to Shakespeare, scholarship assumes that much of it was also written by Thomas Nashe. While the battle scenes are great fun there are few, if any of the powerful speeches I would associate with Shakespeare's history plays. And then there is the character development of Joan. At first she is a fascinating, unusual character, but then the English get ahold of her and suddenly she becomes almost a caricature. Perhaps intentional, but for me it made the play seem uneven.

I'm delighted to see the recommendation for Simon Raven! Something new to look for.

Monsieur Proust's Library by Anka Muhlstein, pub. 2012
Finished 8/13/2016



"...rare are the writers who were not also great readers."

In this brief work, Muhlstein focuses on the books that most heavily influenced Proust. It is not a comprehensive review/discussion (which would run as long, or longer than, In Search of Lost Time), but a selection of the handful that seemed the most relevant. The book is structured into seven chapters and each is focused on a different aspect of Proust's reading.

Most chapters deal with the authors/works outside the novel that influenced its structure or themes. Some of these influences are obvious to the casual reader of ISOLT, such as Racine. But more fascinating was the discussion of Ruskin and how completely Proust absorbed his work and the subterranean effects on his novel. I also enjoyed the sections on Balzac's many appearances in Proust's novel -- not only Charlus' affinity for Balzac's Vautrin, but the occasional throw-away scene where an image described is that of the entire plot of one of Balzac's novel. A third influence were the Goncourt brothers, Edmond de Goncourt and Jules de Goncourt. They published incredibly detailed journals that were, apparently, written without literary insight. According to Muhlstein, Proust was both goaded into writing something better and able to use this source material to give some of his characters distinct, accurate voices.

The rest of the chapters highlight scenes/themes within ISOLT. There is a fascinating chapter that briefly discusses the the hierarchy of readers in Proust's novel -- the characters that read without understanding; those who read and understand but cannot apply it to life; and those that are highly literate. One of the most literate characters is, of course, Charlus. His reading and how the books chosen for him enhanced the creation of his character is briefly discussed. And lastly, there is a chapter on Bergotte and his role in ISOLT.

Muhlstein's book is charming at what it claims to be -- an overview of a handful of works and how they influenced Proust and his novel. It is quite readable and offered a few insights, but is more of a light companion read than a scholarly "guide".

One of my favorite weekends in NYC is the annual Brooklyn Book Festival.

I love just walking around the booths, visiting my favorite publishers and seeing what they're selling. I know I should want to go to the many fabulous author talks that are held in multiple venues, but then I arrive and see the number of people and the chaos involved in getting into line for free tickets.....and I don't.

There are a handful of publishers that I have learned about due to this annual festival and I try to support them by buying a book or two...

I sort of knew nyrb books were a thing, but it wasn't until I first saw them at BBF, with their huge double-table display of publications, that I understood what a great publishing company they are. And the spines are colorful and pretty:

Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea

Europa Editions is another company I try to find. Initially it was because they were the publisher of a couple of 1001-books that I wanted to read (The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Troubling Love), but now I am very interested in their World Noir series and purchased:

The Cemetery of Swallows

For several years I have been collecting Soho Crime Mysteries and this year they were offering paperbacks for $5! Unfortunately, they have changed the standard cover design that I adored, so I only purchased one book (The Boy in the Suitcase) that I know isn't available with the older design:
. . .

Because I work in the performing arts and used to enjoy reading plays, I try to purchase something from TCG. This year I chose The Humans.

I was disappointed in the selections from Melville House and New Directions. Especially the latter because they issued a new edition of House Mother Normal in August and didn't bother to bring it!

My favorite find, that I am quite happy about, is from Archipelago Books, a small Brooklyn press that specializes in translated works and has lovely books:

The Birds

They also have translations of
. . . .
that I am trying to avoid purchasing/reading.

All in all, it was a delightful Sunday morning.

>49 ELiz_M: That sounds like a great weekend. Almost nothing is as satisfying as buying books, I think.
Did you already read The Birds?
It is such a wonderful novel, one of my favourites of the 1001 list

>50 Simone2: I have not read yet read The Birds :)

Nice description of the Brooklyn Book Festival, Liz. Archipelago Books is probably my favorite publisher, and I've ordered annual subscriptions off and on for the past decade.

>52 kidzdoc: Ooooh, you must have a lovely shelf (shelves?) with all those Arhipelago books! I am impressed with the look of their editions.

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, pub. 2014
Finished 9/20/2016



What an amazing mess of a novel! This hefty novel spans 15 years, two countries and dozens of narrators. It begins in Jamaica in December of 1976, the first 2/3 of the book exhaustively detailing the days of political struggle between two gangs that ultimately leads to an assassination attempt on "The Singer" and its aftermath. The last 1/3 of the novel moves to NYC, following the drug trade and the Jamaican diaspora.

The story is told from many, many view points -- Papa Lo an aging gang leader that is trying to transition his slum to peace; Josey Wade, his second-in-command that is maneuvering for more power; Weeper, Demus, Bam Bam, & Heckle, gang members; Alex Pierce, a hapless Rolling Stone reporter; Nina Burgess, a young woman from Jamaica's middle class; A CIA agent (whose name escapes me); Eubie, the Jamaican don in charge of Queens/Bronx, Tristan Philips, a Jamaican gang member in Rikers; and so on. Many of these characters have distinct voices and their story is told in variations of patois or American English, as appropriate.

I found myself interested in how the book was structured. Each section covers a very specific period of time, usually only a few days, and within that section the top left-hand page carried the name of the character that narrated the chapter. The last chapter in each section is narrated by a ghost and the top of the page carries the title of the section. Then in the final section, the coda, is narrated by the major voices that run through the novel and the chapters and top of page are no longer attributed to the narrators. The title of each of the major sections refers to a record album. The seven killings of the title has at least two different frames of reference -- one is to the individuals that carried out the assassination attempt and the other is quite meta and revealed in the final pages.

It is a very difficult novel to read. The first 200 pages took two weeks to read and then the last 450 pages I devoured in four days (helped by the impending book club meeting). It is definitely a book that benefits by reading in a short period of time (keeping the characters/narrative threads untangled), but the unrelenting violence and sexism can be overwhelming. It is a novel that, if you can stomach it, rewards persistence -- it doesn't cohere until the final third or so. I am not a literary scholar or even a very astute critic, but to me this work is an achievement on par with The Satanic Verses or 2666.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



Platero and I by Juan Ramon Jimenez, pub. 1917
Finished 9/21/2016

Exquisitely written descriptions of moments in the days of the narrator and his little donkey that just did not capture my attention.

>54 ELiz_M: Great review. I felt mostly the same while reading it and was quite enthusiastic after finishing. An achievement indeed, although I didn't rate it as high as the Rushdie or the Bolano.

Perhaps you need to be in the right mood to enjoy Platero and I I was when I read it.

Enjoyed your review of A brief History of Seven Killings

>56 Simone2: Thanks! I did rate Rushdie's Satanic Verses higher than A Brief History of Seven Killings, but only just.

>57 baswood: Yes, I think I am not in the right mindset or possibly not the right continent to appreciate Platero and I.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



Crash by J. G. Ballard, pub. 1973
Finished 9/30/2016

A unique novel that I would have found pornographic had I not found it...ahem...impenetrable.

Second Quarter stats:
Books read/listened: 18
paper/ebook: 16
audio: 4 (two plays were read as both audio and paper books)

1001-list-books: 9 (50%)
Female Authors: 4 (22%)
In Translation: 5 (28%)
Non-fiction: 2

Owned Books read: 14 (78%)!
Libe Books read: 4
Books Acquired: 17

>59 ELiz_M: I am with you Eliz_M and feel safe in finding Crash impenetrable.

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes and narrated by Michael Maloney, pub. 1929
Finished 10/2/2016



The story begins in Jamaica with a lush description of the destruction and decay of the colonial dwellings and a wonderful, terrible story of the fate of two elderly British widows before settling on the children of the Bas-Thornton family. A series of natural disasters (an earthquake and a hurricane) convince the parents that it is time to send their children back to the safety of England. But on the ship that is to take them does not make it out of the Caribbean before it is stopped by pirates and the goods and valuables and, unfortunatly, children, are seized.

Although written in third-person, the story focuses on young Emily Thornton and mainly we are shown the world through her perceptions of dimly understood events. Bad things happen, but are only known through implication. Since I listened to this as an audio book amid a day of cooking and cleaning, I found it delightful, only picking up on the beautiful language and exiting adventure story. It wasn't until I read the introduction to my paper copy that the darker undertones became apparent.

Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare, pub. 1591?
Finished 10/7/2016



I should have reviewed this much earlier.... Covering the lead up to the War of the Roses from Henry's marriage to Margaret to the fist battle, as with most second parts of trilogies, this was mostly forward movement with much action and fewer grandiose speeches. I do like the deviousness of Margret in this play.

In other news, Oxford University Press is crediting Philip Marlowe with co-author credit for the Henry VI plays:
https://www.apnews.com/9f361922133840029f03be40e4a60645/Oxford-says-Shakespeare-...

.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



Thais by Anatole France, pub. 1890
Finished 10/15/2016

At its best when focused on Paphnutius, the middle bogs down with a long dinner party dialectic.

Continuing on with the Museum visits, this visit was rather eclectic:

On the right, from a gallery of Dutch history painting, I was drawn by the colors and composition of this painting inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses painted by Joachim Wtewael. And on the left one of the Egyptian galleries (Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, 1981–1802 B.C.) containing many coffins and burial objects.

.

My boss, knowing of my Met Museum quest, recommend a new podcast called "The Memory Palace" because the creator, having done an amazing piece on one of the period rooms at the Met Museum a while back, was engaged as an artists in residence at the Met.

"The Memory Palace is a storytelling podcast and public radio segment about the past." It tends to focus on American history and since my random room selector loves the American wing of the Met Museum, for this visit I chose the room that contains the painting discussed in one of his podcasts, "Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California" by Jules Tavernier (left). However, the painting I found most beautiful in the room is "Sunrise on the Matterhorn" by Albert Bierstadt (right)

.

And finally, the special exhibit Printing a Child's World. Unfortunately, the exhibit is closed and I can't find images of the delightful pop up children's books online.

Dance and Dream by Javier Marías, pub. 2004
Finished 10/26/2016



This is the second volume of Your Face Tomorrow. Once again, we are immersed in the thoughts and experiences of Jacques Deza, a Spaniard living in England, estranged from his wife and working for a shadowing organization that is part of the secret intelligence world that specializes in perceiving/understanding character -- not just the one consciously presented by an individual, but also the subconscious one, how an individual is likely to act under extreme circumstances.

Chronologically, the novel covers one eventful evening when Deza accompanies his boss, Bertram Tupra, to nightclub where his boss is conducting business with a contact and Deza is acting as an occasional interpreter but mostly there to amuse and flatter the contact's bored wife. The evening goes pear-shaped when another Spaniard, a bare acquaintance of Deza, interrupts Deza and disappears with the wife into the dance club. Tupra is not pleased and the actions taken are surprising and excessive.

But the novel is presented from Deza's thoughts, so the events of this evening are interspersed with the many memories, situations, and connections made in his mind as it wanders, ruminating over the events of the evening.

I was not that impressed with the first volume, but I found this one much more compelling. Perhaps having read a fair amount of Proust this year better prepared me for this incredibly intelligent and digressive work. Now I understand why Marías is considered one of Spain's greatest living writers and I am looking forward to (and dreading being done with) the concluding volume of this excellent novel.

Enjoyed catching up. Some very unusual books from the 1001 list, and two Shakespeare plays that I know very little about.

>63 ELiz_M: Interesting article about the Shakespeare/Marlowe collaboration on Henry VI. It's been a long time since I read it. Thanks for the link.

>65 ELiz_M: I couldn't get through Your Face Tomorrow, but after your review I think I should give it another try. Or maybe read Proust first...

>66 dchaikin: Thanks for stopping by! I spent a semester studying Shakespeare and even though we were reading 3-4 plays a week, we didn't cover most of the history plays I have been reading this year!

>67 VivienneR: I actually haven't read the article -- I want to finish Henry VI, Part 3 first.

>68 Simone2: That is a compliment! I think the second volume is more readable, there is more forward momentum because you know something bad happens and the digressions build on that tension. The first volume, in comparison, lacked focus.

" I spent a semester studying Shakespeare and even though we were reading 3-4 plays a week..."

A bit jealous here, especially considering I squandered all my electives on history classes. Not that I would have appreciated Shakespeare at the time.

In October, the Museum of Modern Art hosted "quiet mornings" with two floors of the collection open from 7:30-9:00 am. Patrons were expected to silence phone and keep conversation to a minimum. And, most importantly, admission was half-priced. I was finally able to take advantage the last Wednesday in October.

Left to right, they are Yves-Klein: Anthropometry Princess Helena (love the splash of color!), Jesús Rafael Soto: Olive and Black (amazed and amused by the interaction between viewing the flatness dead-on and seeing the three dimensionality at angles), Ruth Asawa: Poppy / Nasturtiums / Nude / Plane Trees II (again, I love the colors -- especially the top painting, constrated with the blackand white paintings):
. .

Lee Krasner: Untitled, Gustav Klimt: The Park (In both of these I love the density and the energy in the former and the peacefulness of the latter), René Magritte: The False Mirror (I love the playfulness of his work and the title):
. .

Finally, there is the main reason many tourists visit MoMA: The Waterlily Room (I was especially drawn to the small painting at the end of the room that was not as "hazy" as the two huge canvasses):
.

It was a glorious way to begin a day, even if my favorite paintings by Kandinsky were not on display. There are still dozens more well-loved works that I have not included -- Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Paul Klee, Constantin Brâncuși. But the works pictured above are the ones that startled me or particularly caught my attention in some way.

The Captive & The Fugitive by Marcel Proust, pub. 1923, 1925
Finished 11/6/2016



According to my Proust guidebook (Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past), these two volumes"are the most difficult and least satisfactory of all seven volumes. This is partly due to the fact that they were unfinished when Proust died and did not receive the compulsive editing and restructuring that he devoted to the other volumes."

These volumes cover the narrator's obsessive, unhealthy relationship with Albertine, one of the band of girls with whom in fell in with at Balbec. Marcel was at the point of ending his relationship with her when she mentioned an upcoming trip with an old friend hat Marcel knew to be a lesbian. In order to "save" Albertine, Marcel brings her to live in his parent's house in Paris.

More so than the other volumes, this story is exclusively, excessively in the narrator' head -- we only see Albertine through his eyes, his reactions to her. In order to prevent her from indulging in her "vices", he compulsively watches over her, giving up almost all social interactions and all other interests. The astonishing beauty of In Search of Lost Time is found in Proust's ability to perfectly describe an individual experience in a manner that resonates universally. But the narrator's awful, controlling, neurotic relationship is utterly alien to me. It's creepy, and not told with an ironic difference as done so well in Lolita. It is boring to read and unpleasant when pondered.

But, this being a 936 page volume written by Proust, there are several stunning set pieces and fascinating glimpses into the lives and peculiarities of the multitudes of minor characters.

*heartbroken*

>73 LolaWalser: Sorry.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, pub. 1969
Finished 11/10/2016

A "universal" portrayal of complexes and humiliations if you happen to have inhibited the Male, Jewish world of 1970s NJ.

>75 ELiz_M: ...if you happen to have inhibited the Male, Jewish world...

Nice. Was that intentional, or a Freudian slip? :-)

>76 thorold: Hahahahahaha, oh dear. I thought something didn't sound correct. Unfortunately Freudian.

>72 ELiz_M: Is this the one by Patrick Alexander? I'm going to start Proust in January and am looking for any help I can find! I also see a Proust guidebook by Roger Shattuck - have you checked that out?

>78 japaul22: Yes, that's the one! It was quite readable, although I stubbornly (and somewhat unintelligently) read it from start to finish. I should have read the Intro, Part III - Proust's World, then each book's synopsis (Part I) before starting a book and referencing the character list (Part II) as needed.

Proust's Way by Roger Shattuck is also interesting, but more intellectual. I stalled out somewhere near the end of Chapter 4, in a section titled "The Paradox of Consciousness".

A fun introduction to the whole thing and one I would read first if you don't mind "spoilers" (IMO for this work the plot is besides the point, so it can't really being "spoiled") is Monsieur Proust's Library by Anka Muhlstein. It will give ideas for other books you might want to read first, or along side Proust.

And, of course, don't forget to read An Officer and a Spy before reading The Guermantes Way.

A very happy (and yummy) Thanksgiving to all that are celebrating today.

>79 ELiz_M: thank you for all the tips on Proust!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Continuing on in my Met Museum journey, I was only able to visit three rooms on the most recent visit:

In Egyptian section, there was a room ofmostly fragments from various tombs. I was charmed by the little guys that were part of an elaborate doorway. No idea what creatures they might be representing. For a change of pace I went to see a special exhibit: From the Imperial Theater: Chinese Opera Costumes of the 18th and 19th Centuries. The jackets and robes are absolutely stunning, the most gorgeous ones are not pictured on the website, or found in an internet search. The room made me long to see Farewell My Concubine again.

.

Finally, I ended up in the American Wing, per usual. In a room dedicated to the Grand Portraiture of the Gilded Age, I found some stunning porttraits by John Singer Sargent. I especially loved the placard for the painting of the couple -- apparently it was to be the new bride and her great dane, but when the dog was "unavailable" the husband stepped in to take it's place....
And the last portrait is not by Sargent, but I was so startled to find "Stoner" in the Met Museum, I had to include it here!

. . .

On another un-bookish topic (I am only reading Proust and Shakespeare -- it will be awhile before I finish either) I am lookng for some recommendations for minimalist music.

I have long loved Satyagraha by Philip Glass, but hadn't looked for his other works. So after requesting we listen to Satyagraha during one of my physical therapy sessions (the two therapists in the office both are opera fans frequently ask me to choose one to listen to), my PT recommend Wim Mertens. Struggle for Pleasure apparently is his most well-known piece (it was used for a telephone(?) commercial), and I am completely charmed by many of his other pieces, especially Wound to Wound and Hedgehog's Skin. His work reminds me the theme song for The Piano which I also find delightful. He also recommended Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt which has taken longer for me to appreciate; it doesn't have the forward momentum/evolution that I find so uplifting in Satyagraha and the pieces by Mertens. But, eventually, I realized that with a better recording it was absolutely perfect for walking through the park and the repetitiveness is also good, and calming, when frantically throwing together the many dishes of a Thanksgiving meal. I haven't listened to much Steve Reich or John Adams, but haven't particularly liked the few works I've sampled.

So does anyone have other suggestions for minimalist works I should seek out?

>82 ELiz_M: What a wonderful museum visit. Chinese costumes, Sargent and Stoner... love them all.

I have a framed image of this embroidery, which I love (as well as the book). Unfortunately the embroidery is not showing up well in this picture of the book cover

>84 SassyLassy: That is a stunning image, thank you!

>83 ELiz_M: A bit late to reply, sorry, I'm catching up! But I had to reply on minimalist music. I suppose it depends on what your definition of minimalist is (I am by no means an expert on music), but my absolute favorite is Ryoanji by John Cage, as performed by Eberhard Blum (I've listened to a couple of other interpretations and they don't come close). It's about one hour long and I'd say there is more silence than music in that time, which is why I like it so much I think. I think the CD is out of print (can you say that for a CD?) but I was able to find it at Qobuz, my streaming music provider. And I recently discovered Steve Reich (not sure his music is considered minimalist, I mostly read it described as repetitive, which it certainly is, but if you like Philip Glass...). His album WTC 9/11 is wonderful, despite the theme which is one I normally try to avoid.

And I'll go look up Satyagraha right now!

Enjoying your walks around the Met. museum.

>83 ELiz_M: >86 FlorenceArt: Listening to Satyagraha now, and I must say it's much closer to Steve Reich than to Cage. But I still like Ryoanji better, even though it's probably not for everyone.

>86 FlorenceArt: I am so glad you stopped by and answered my music query! Even though Ryoanji is no longer being produced, there is a copy at the New York Performing Arts library (I love libraries!); I've put it on hold as well as WTC 9/11.

>87 baswood: Me too! :D

As per usual, i am behind on posting reviews and reading. But the Christmas cookies are done baking. This year there were six flavors: Chocolate Orange-Coconut Pinwheels, Ginger Pecan, Chocolate Coffee-Hazelnut Moons, Peanut Butter Kisses, Lime Stars, and Cranberry-Cherry Ribbons. As soon as the last batches cool I can finish packaging the and then collapse and mindlessly watch movies for the rest of the afternoon.

>89 ELiz_M: I hope you like them! Libraries are great for discovery. It was at my local library that I discovered Ryoanji.

>86 FlorenceArt:, >92 FlorenceArt: Thank you for the music recommendations. I am not sure "enjoy" is the right word for these pieces. I usually prefer something more....melodious to listen to for pleasure. I suspect Ryoanji is wonderful if experienced at the temple inspiring the work.

WTC 9/11 is a piece that is emotionally difficult to listen to, but I am glad I did.

And now where I borrow a page from SassyLassy and write very quick reviews in order to wrap up my thread.

Henry VI, Part 3 by William Shakespeare
Finished 11/30/2016



A rather more fun read -- so many battles! I loved the portrayal of Margaret. While not a very nice person, she sure kicked some royal butt. It might have been a better read if i had kept a family tree handy -- there must have been three distinct Edwards vying for the throne, but I just tried to figure out from context if it was the Yorkist Ed or the Lancaster Ed.... A few of the speeches reminded me of LoTR. I don't think Tolkien was obviously borrowing, but perhaps it's just in the blood.



Richard III by William Shakespeare
Finished 12/16/2016



Definitely my favorite history play, partly due to familiarity. I do have a soft spot for Richard. i love that he addresses the audience, stating what he is going to do and then he goes and does it. Again, I enjoyed the ladies in this play -- perhaps not as kick-butt but they did have some marvelous speeches.

Nice to end the year with the master. Henry Vi part 3 and LotR - that's something I'll keep in mind.

>95 dchaikin: I did end the year with a master, just not the one you think. I still have 7 books to blurb....

The Door by Magda Szabó
Finished 12/5/2016



This book, re-translated in 2005 for the UK market and recently republished by nyrb, was much lauded recently -- it was listed by the NY Times in the top ten books of 2015. It is an usual, compelling read. And confounding. At heart it is the story of the tempestuous relationship between the narrator, a young writer, and her elderly housekeeper. Of course, it is not so simple. The characters are exaggerated almost to the point of myth, but not quite in a Magical Reality way. I never quite got comfortable with the novel as i never could figure out how to approach it.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, pub. 2013
Finished 12/11/2016

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie, pub. 2014
Finished 12/17/2016

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, pub. 2015
Finished 12/26/2016

. .

The first book of this series won four major science fiction awards. Although I am not well versed in the genre, I can see why. Apparently the author has made a couple of unusual choices -- the narrator is an AI implanted human figure that was once part of a ship and the narrator (and the culture that created it) does not differentiate gender and defaults to the feminine pronouns.

The first novel is structured with alternating timelines -- events of 20 years ago and Brecq's present day. It is well plotted and fast read, if not necessarily well-written. Overall a fun series that was perfect airport-plane reading.

The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas
Finished 12/21/2016



Set in a rural Norway that feels far away in time as well as place, this is a novel unlike any I have read in recent memory. Siss a confident girl, the unspoken leader of the children in her class. Unn is a new girl, recently arrived to live with an aunt after the death of her mother. After time spent observing Unn's aloofness and strength, Siss has decided to befriend her.

And right when you think you know where the story is headed, it goes completely off the rails. It is a story that, to me, does not make any sense at all. It is a story that doesn't explain or wrap events in comfortable familiarity. But it is fascinating and the descriptions are hauntingly beautiful. It is more a dream than a story.

Paintings in Proust by Eric Karpeles
Finished 12/30/2016



A lovely companion to In Search of Lost Time. Every painting referenced is reproduced along with the text in which it is mentions. Therefore, the entire book is printed on that lovely think, slightly glossy paper that is usually only used for a center insert of photographs/maps. It does exactly what is says it is going to do. But I wish it had done more -- I was hoping the art would be put into more context and help me understand what is implied by the narrator referencing a specific work.

Reviewed in my 1001-books thread (click the picture to read the full review):



In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, pub. 1913, 1919, 1920/21, 1921/22, 1923, 1925, 1927
Finished 12/30/2016

On this read, I was just a tourist -- reading for plot and just barely scratching the surface of the complex themes and motifs presented. As such, I can recognize that the writing is brilliant and yet still be completely bored by some of the long, seemingly pointless, digressions. But hopefully I have prepared the ground for a future, more in-depth read many many many years in the future when I can give it the attention it deserves.

>99 ELiz_M: Loved that one as well although not as much as The Birds, do you?

I haven't read The Birds yet -- saving it for winter doldrums.

>99 ELiz_M: I loved the Ice Palace. Such an odd book, but I still think about it. I liked it better than The Birds, which I also enjoyed.