Booklist 2006
January
Hard Eight (Janet Evanovich audio) not much to report...
The Golden Spruce (carry over from December '05, just now getting moving in it). Finished. Great book: a history of logging on the coast. Well-written and illuminating; doesn't make you crazy with trying to keep facts & figures in your head. New words: crespuscular, for one. Made me super aware of natural resources and now I'm kind of going crazy about wasted paper and much more aware of the source of things. The book doesn't beat you over the head as much as it sounds like it would though.
Number Ten / Sue Townsend (Diary of Adrian Mole author)(audiobook): Picked up on a whim and was slow going. Fun and a British perspective on politics/modern events that's not that different from the US versions (ah, globalization) but still makes it feel more like a learning experience.
Ten Big Ones (Janet Evanovich audio). I really prefer the CJ Critt narration... it's easier to enjoy the story from a distance instead of feeling the characters are too real. The background music thing on the other ones is nice, but troublesome b/c they don't tell you audibly what disc you're on.
Visions of Sugar Plums / JE audio. Sort of a holiday novella that falls between books eight and nine (but do they tell you that? no!) tres silly. very fast too.
Secret Rendezvous / Kobe Abe (1/21). Did I like this book? I'm not sure. It definitely fell between Kafka and Murakami, and I prefer the latter. Story of a Japanese man who's searching for his wife, who was taken away by an ambulance in the middle of the night, only to totally disappear. Then it turns into a -- parable? maybe -- about medicine, doctors, hospitals, illness/sexual dysfunction... Interesting from a philosophical perspective and a fairly well-written story, but not hilarious to me (as it apparently was to some reviewers), more plain old weird. I never found Kafka hilarious though. It's too troubling to me. Maybe I need to lighten up. Who the hell knows? Favorite line from this book: "I was attacked by a horrid sensation, as if myriad baby spiders were crawling out of pores all over my body." I mean, it's a HORRIBLE line, but effective. Very effective, even in translation.
Refuge / Terry Tempest Williams. It seems I am reading a lot about cancer these days. Maybe it is just that cancer is more prevalent than I realized. Very good short memoir; well-written and actually got me interested in birds, to think about their lives and the wonder of their travels & migration.
Folly / Laurie R King (audiobook) this is a very long book and took FOREVER to get me interested, though since it's (I think and hope not very sincerely) a thriller, it's been getting on my nerves from the outset. Finished 1/29 and thoughts... it was so-so. I enjoyed parts, particularly the last few discs when the author allowed the character to start moving on. She takes a really long time to let out the details of the backstory and this was more annoying than anything.
in progress:
new book from Dad
Behind the Scenes at the Museum / Kate Atkinson (re-read)
note: I haven't touched these since early January (it's now Feb 17)
February:
Motherless Brooklyn / Jonathan Lethem (started 1/30. fin: 2/7)--I wouldn't have stopped reading if I weren't falling asleep [first night]. Great right from the beginning. Later thoughts... really, really good book. Great pacing, strong, clean ending with some thoughtful moments (I mean moments that really made me think). So fun to read and enjoy and feel like it was purposeful.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice / Laurie R King (audio; started 1/29. Finished 2/1 or so)--first in a new-to-me mystery series. About halfway through, it feels like the "this is the first book in a series" thing is starting to conclude; I hope so. -- Yes, this did get more interesting and in-depth as it went on.
A Monstrous Regiment of Women / Laurie R King (paper; started 2/7. Finished 2/12) Very likeable series, this. It was nice to read this in paper but I'm going back to the audiobooks since the paper ones take up so much of my time... very pleasant time, though.
Garbage land: On the Secret Trail of Trash / Elizabeth Royte (hardcover; started 2/13, I think) Good. A read I can connect to and narrative that's follow-able but with lots of new vocabulary. What will I learn in the course of this book? Not sure yet. Maybe just a very long NY'er type feature. I returned this to the library on its due date, 2/19, at page 77. Decided not to pay fines to read it since I'm not so far learning much beyond vocabulary. Will put it back on my hold list and hope it comes in when I'm not doing six projects.
NYer article on nurse-visitors, 2/12 & 2/13. Another article that made me yearn to work with children. That reminded me NOT to get an MSW. sigh.
The Disappointment Artist / Jonathan Lethem (audio; 3 discs, essays, started 2/13? fin. 2/16) The first essay on "The Searchers" made me laugh out loud on the way to work, and I identified with the main tenet. After that, the essays get a little long and not quite so pertinent for me... But it's interesting to hear his reflections on his life. Okay, I liked the final essay as well, the long "The Beards," and it does tie it all together. There's a Q&A at the end in which I learned that these are basically Lethem's only essays, so it's understandable he's not a master of the form. I would find it interesting to hear/read his thoughts on non-autobiographical topics, but maybe that's not part of his thing. 95% or more of the books are looking at his childhood, as well, and mainly the effects of his mom's early death (he was 14 or 15). I did find a lot of that--thoughts about replacing parents, or trying to be an adult before he really was one, so that he wouldn't have to be a parentless child--interesting and something I connected on. I laughed aloud a couple times in the final essay as well. He reads them well, too.
The Game / Laurie R King (audio, started 2/15, finished 2/20, after a lot of listening & knitting the Olympic Sweater). I'm getting into it by disc 2. the first was mainly preparatory to the action, which is just getting started. Not much to add to this commentary... After a while they're pretty much the same.
A Letter of Mary / Laurie R King (hardcover, started 2/21, finished 3/1 or so?) Yes, continuing the marathon through these titles. Reminds me, I should see how much E. George is on audiobook at SPL. Too bad I didn't have a booklist for those titles since I honestly can't remember which ones I've read, and I'd guess it'd be the same with these... I think I should take a break from them. / this was a nice read. I think I like the paper books better than the audio.
March:
(note: I realized I was reading a lot less in Feb kind of late. I had a lot going on between articles, work and the Olympic sweater. Also got too deep into the King books and not enough other fiction/nonfiction to keep me interested. Must correct this!)
The Moor / Laurie R King (audio, started late feb, finished 3/19) Started listening while still reading A Letter of Mary, which I finally figured out is supposed to come just before this one. Another enjoyable story, but like I wrote above, I need a break, something different. I miss the Jersey bounty hunter character all of a sudden...
Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx, from an old New Yorker, Sunday, 3/6. Finally loaded up the NYer on disc that Seth gave me for Christmas. Very nice but I wish I could instantly have a hard copy that would later dissipate into nothingness... maybe that magical "onion paper" reader that they supposedly made a few years ago, so I could read it on paper rather than on the computer screen.
Female Chauvinist Pigs / Ariel Levy Paper, started 3/6ish. Finished 3/25. The book has its flaws but was fast reading and thought-provoking. I didn't really trust the author, which I think is the main problem with the book. I had to return it right away to the library but will try to post about this separately later...
When the Emperor Was Divine / Julie Otsuka audio, 3/19 and 3/20. Only 3 discs. Short and sweet... a good novella about a family whose father is arrested as an enemy of the country on Pearl Harbor eve in SF. The rest of the family (mom, sister, brother) is interned a few months later for 3.5 years (or three years, five months). I liked how it moved smoothly through scenes, time, showing scenes that weren't leading up to something bigger, just part of the event. There are some beautiful scenes, some parts that are grating toward the end: the return seems a little too fast, not as richly detailed as the intro (more telling and less showing, this is the problem I think).
A Certain Justice / PD James Oh, the joy of a whole famous new mystery author to read! Paper, began last week (week of March 13). Finished 3/25? or 3/31? to return to the library. A good book overall yet... I think the "yet" is that I am not into the character of Adam Dalgliesh and this relies on that too much.
Angels Marian Keyes, audio... started mid-march... chic lit, I suppose. Not super into it, in fact I think I might return it to the library w/o finishing it, but I haven't decided yet. Perhaps I will figure out how to save it to the computer w/o having it on the iPod all at once so if I again run out of audio entertainment, I'll have a backup. Update 4/5: gracious this book is taking forever to finish.
April:
Crafty books, Denise Schmidt Quilts and the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules!. I'm making an effort to actually read these, and especially w/the Quilts book not be intimidated. Maybe after I settle my taxes I will go out and buy a bunch of crafty quilter tools... maybe, but I should get rid of the big blue desk and clean out the junk from the crafty area first. There's no room in there to do anything. I am considering moving my craftiness to the back anyway, where there's better light/no TV... ideas... we'll see what comes of them.
I'm planning to start the last Evanovich title soon, trying to get through Angels first, but it's mighty.long.
Elizabeth Crane book, paper, started 4/2. Sent by Anne. Enjoying it so far.
Angels Marian Keyes, audio... started mid-march... finally freakin' finished this yesterday, 4/6, mainly because disc 11 skipped too much to upload to my ipod. WAY TOO LONG.
Eleven on Top Janet Evanovich audio... about a week. Short. Fun. Not sufficiently long or different from her other titles but the hook(s) worked.
Another mystery novel
The Opinionated Knitter Elizabeth Zimmerman. Collected newsletters, enjoyable. I might buy this later but more likely will just pull Knitting w/o Tears back out for another look and make a copy of the Baby Surprise sweater pattern. ETA: Read the whole thing and it's got a couple of really nice stories in it. Still not sure about the patterns, but I'm thinking it might be a good book to pass around.
The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn by Janis Hallowell(? on last name), audio, 4/15 - 4/18. This may be my first audiobook with multiple actors, which was pretty good after I got over the man's falsetto in some parts. Sort of chic lit, but angling a little higher, not quite Lovely Bones... decent insight into mental health problems of homeless men and teenage girls, but with too neat/unbelievable a wrap-up. Enjoyable, entertaining.
A hard light another mystery novel
May:
Leap by Terry Tempest Williams, hardcover, started 5/2. Didn't enjoy and returned to library unread.
Pissed Off: Women and Anger (?title) Spike Gillespie, pub Seal Press. Good. been reading it in chunks.
another mystery novel or three.
Locked Rooms really good Laurie King audiobook. better than some, so I'll try some more after all.
The New Crewel
Mason-Dixon Knitting
H is for Homicide Sue Grafton audio, enjoyable
A Big Storm Knocked it Over Laurie Colwin, paperback.
Until I Find You John Updike audio. Listened to 7 discs and just couldn't take it any more. It's 28 discs long! I enjoyed the first few chapters wherein the characters are travelling Europe looking for the missing father. But the sexual training of Jack at 5 to 8 years old in the girls' school & sometimes by a mom character just was too much for me in audio. Maybe I'll like it in paper; we'll see.
Death of the Party (a Death on Demand Mystery -- that being the fictional bookstore in the series) by Carolyn Hart, another audio mystery
June:
Broken Dishes Earlene Fowler. Audio mystery, enjoyable.
Goodbye Without Leaving Laurie Colwin
The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros, paperback. I think I read this in one day, June 5. Vignettes from 1/2 to 4 pages each paint the picture of a childhood in a rundown Chicago neighborhood.
also yesterday (6/5), two NY'er articles.
The Subversive Stitch on femininity, embroidery... paged through once, will attempt to read more! -- had to return to the library w/o reading it.
Full Speed dopey Janet Evanovich mystery-thrillerish-romance-ish thing. With another author and on CD. sigh.
Happy All the Time Laurie Colwin (all LC are paper)
The Yarn Harlot: Secret Life of a Knitter Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Pleasant but for me more of a skim, enjoy, fall asleep kind of book. I love her blog to pieces but it's not totally book material for me. ... Okay revised: I kept reading it at night and it's really nice for that purpose.
High country fall
by Maron, Margaret.
The Genius Factory by David Plotz, nonfiction audio. A really good audiobook actually. I'm not too into the actor's voice but I think I'd be frustrated by this on paper yet it works for knitting/walking accompaniment.
mystery novel 10,000 Wendy Hornsby. Paper. okay it's called Telling Lies. I got a bunch of this series from Angela when she moved and somehow managed to start with the last possible one and work backwards. Now how the heck did I do that? Oh well. Enjoyable and nice to have a little paperback around.
Continuing to read Pissed Off by Spike Gillespie. Got all muddled in trying to discuss with the therapist, big shock.
I think there was another mystery audio in here! Going to Chicago tomorrow (6/21), will see if I end up reading more or less on vacation.
Prep Curtis Sittenfeld (lame -- I don't think I would've finished it if I weren't on vacation)
Foul Matter Martha Grimes, audio mystery (started in June, finished in July)
July
Last Lessons of Summer, audio
finished Gillespie book on Anger
Telling Lies, another audio mystery
started Die a Little but now my computer has died a little; will I be able to finish it? (got close on drive to PDX but still a disc away from done). finished though last track was unintelligible.
watched Rabbit Proof Fence and Triplets of Belleville
Hunting Season, Nevada Barr (hardcover)
Incredibly Close and Extremely Loud (or vice versa) by Jonathan Safran Foer, paperback
returning home: We watch too much TV. sigh.
The Kite Runner hardcover, Khaled Hosseini
ny'er 7/24 issue
Bell, Book and Scandal Jill Churchill: the silliest book I'll read all year. Just a cozy mystery, not really my type yet not as annoying as the "cat who" books. I wanted a rip-through-it mystery, and I sort of got it.
August
finished The Kite Runner & Bell Book and Scandal
The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature
Tanner's Tiger Lawrence Block, audio
Tower of Solitude Jonathan Lethem, hardcover. Funnily enough, turns out I bought a paperback copy recently and forgot about it. Of course that means I've deprioritized reading this!
At Risk Stella Rimington, audio -- Really threw me for an extra loop when the Liquid Bombers were foiled/the news came because this novel was about Pakistani terrorists in England. Decent book.
Pulse Edna Buchanan, audio -- thriller? okay, not really my cup o' tea. yeah, this was okay, but I'd rather get more Lawrence Block.
Ask Coffin a famous female mystery author, hardcover. only a few pages in, so far, so good. midway through: again, so far so good. The narrative reads really quickly; it's dialogue with a very omniscent narrator. I find it unusual and effective.
(I didn't record several comics read...)
Fun Home Alison Bechdel -- graphic novel. hardcover bought at Bailey Coy with first-line discount, woohoo. Still trying to digest this one even though I read it in two days.
Naked Prey John Sandford, audio. I accidentally started listening to the most recent one I picked up instead of the earlier one. I like it, I think -- it seemed to move really quickly but now more is happening and it's 10 discs long! will it bog down? still to be determined.
bought Seven Loves by Valerie Trueblood mainly because Nancy Pearl says "readers who like Alice Munro and Carol Shields will really like this book".
Mortal Prey John Sandford, audio. was okay, I think this series is very repetitious, but these titles were really close together
Epitaphs Bill Pronzini -- a Nameless Detective mystery -- fast, fun. I like the San Francisco setting.
Still reading the Best American Mystery Stories of 2001 (I think), some very good ones in there!
September
I think there was another mystery audiobook in here...
finished Best American Mystery Stories 2001 and it was very good. I like the multi-author short story collection and am going to go after some more of them.
That Old Ace in the Hole Annie Proulx, audio. Cowboy story! This was very good; I learned some Texas history and felt like I actually got a feel for a different way of life.
lots of NPR podcasts and lots of work stress...
Fool's Puzzle Earlene Fowler hardcover mystery novel -- I definitely would rather listen to this series rather than read it. It's pleasant but too light to spend time with in print.
Stealing Shadows Kay Hooper. Another audio book -- entertaining, but rather sappy in the love story angle.
The Burglar in the Rye Lawrence Block. I like his characters -- the men and women are both good and bad. The plots aren't terribly complex, but they're fun.
Promise Me Harlan Coben, audio. Karol gave me this. I have no idea if I will like it overall yet. -- did not like it and stopped listening to it!
Baltimore Blues Laura Lippman paper. Very fun to be into a new series!
Best American Mystery Stories 2001 cont'd in October
I feel like there's something missing here, but maybe not.
October
Charm City Laura Lippman, paper. fast read--picked up 9/30, finished 10/3.
Best American Mystery Stories 2001 carryover from Sept
Seven Loves, started some time ago. should finish in October to clear the slate... it's harder to read books not from the library these days. due dates take too much precedence.
Butchers Hill Laura Lippman, paper. I haven't had so much fun tearing through a series since I was reading books like "Sweet Valley High" or "The Baby Sitter's Club" or some such. I really like the character; there are a few angry white person notes but the character's learning along the way. We'll see if this holds up through the series! (okay, finished this in TWO DAYS, unheard of for me really. it was short but still... very like reading multiple fun YA novels in a weekend/over the summer as a teenager.)
Justice Hall Laurie R King, paper. I actually want to start in on her Kate whatever series because I liked the San Francisco setting of "Locked Rooms."
Tried Hard revolution by Pelecanos, George P., audio, not really clicking... something about the trope just isn't doing it for me.
Every Secret Thing Laura Lippman -- read but eh. didn't quite hit the mark: at one point I was like, WHAT! Another character!? enough already! there wasn't quite enough tension around the main question, or maybe not enough tension around the two girls, and too much of every other character.
The History of Love audio -- stopped midway through. I will try the paper version.
O Jerusalem Laurie R King -- good. no shocker here. paper.
Cut & Run some guy, audio. gave up on this one. wasn't getting into it.
bought Best American Comics collection and One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson!!!
going to BAC reading/panel tonight (10/23)
High Country Nevada Barr, audio
November
Blind Descent Nevada Barr, audio
FINALLY finished Seven Loves. good. rather good. now to re-read it.
started One Good Turn Kate Atkinson. Oh so easy to get enthralled with. Need.more.reading.time. finished 11/12, super excellent. need more.
Had to return Best American Mystery Stories 2002 w/o quite finishing it -- many excellent stories.
Hallowed Bones Carolyn someone -- mystery audio. eh. Not interested in pursuing this author's work.
The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion (11/12) Surprisingly easy to get into, except if it's morning and your stomach hurts and you are waiting out traffic. 11/18 finished.
The Lady and the Unicorn Tracy Chevalier (audio)
In Big Trouble Laura Lippman 11/19 start, 11/20 finished
Hope to Die Lawrence Block, audio mystery.
Over Tumbled Graves Jess Walter(s), hardcover mystery.
December
finished last 2 from November
many comics: reviews due 12/8. will I succeed? oh totally. right. (turned in 5 or 6 on 12/11)
Murder at the National Gallery audio -- I quit this one about 5 discs in. Maybe I'll finish. dunno. Switched to Die in Plain sight (below).
In a Strange City Laura Lippman, hardcover. took too long to finish. because of work. LAME.
The Somalis of Lewiston a NYer article. I'm counting it because it was good and things are getting desperate.
Die in Plain Sight Elizabeth Lowell, audio. eh. The mystery was really obvious from early on (or at least, pieces were) and there was a lot of sex. I don't mind that so much except that it got really trite, not strong enough to carry the book. Plus, "her smile was all teeth" should be used only once, at most, in any given book.
lame. I hate work. it is sucking the life out of me.
The Last Place Laura Lippman, hardcover. good.
Maus I Art Spiegelman. finally. bought it at Powell's.
Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert. judgment pending actually finishing it. I don't think it's going to be life-changing or necessarily life-affirming, but it is prompting some thought, never bad.
Devil's Corner Lisa Scottoloni (sp) audio. going okay. Different from my usual mysteries. ETA: ditched. I hated the whiny character. I suspect I could've blasted past some of the annoyance in print; maybe someday I'll find out. Probably not, since I've got plenty to read.
The Penultimate Peril, Lemony Snicket, mais oui. print edition.
Maus II Art Spiegelman. library. ouch. Read it all in one night, like I had no choice.
Land of the Blind Jess Walter, hardcover. started 12/28.
Other
Reading lists on the innernet: http://doggedknits.com/?p=43
Hard Eight (Janet Evanovich audio) not much to report...
The Golden Spruce (carry over from December '05, just now getting moving in it). Finished. Great book: a history of logging on the coast. Well-written and illuminating; doesn't make you crazy with trying to keep facts & figures in your head. New words: crespuscular, for one. Made me super aware of natural resources and now I'm kind of going crazy about wasted paper and much more aware of the source of things. The book doesn't beat you over the head as much as it sounds like it would though.
Number Ten / Sue Townsend (Diary of Adrian Mole author)(audiobook): Picked up on a whim and was slow going. Fun and a British perspective on politics/modern events that's not that different from the US versions (ah, globalization) but still makes it feel more like a learning experience.
Ten Big Ones (Janet Evanovich audio). I really prefer the CJ Critt narration... it's easier to enjoy the story from a distance instead of feeling the characters are too real. The background music thing on the other ones is nice, but troublesome b/c they don't tell you audibly what disc you're on.
Visions of Sugar Plums / JE audio. Sort of a holiday novella that falls between books eight and nine (but do they tell you that? no!) tres silly. very fast too.
Secret Rendezvous / Kobe Abe (1/21). Did I like this book? I'm not sure. It definitely fell between Kafka and Murakami, and I prefer the latter. Story of a Japanese man who's searching for his wife, who was taken away by an ambulance in the middle of the night, only to totally disappear. Then it turns into a -- parable? maybe -- about medicine, doctors, hospitals, illness/sexual dysfunction... Interesting from a philosophical perspective and a fairly well-written story, but not hilarious to me (as it apparently was to some reviewers), more plain old weird. I never found Kafka hilarious though. It's too troubling to me. Maybe I need to lighten up. Who the hell knows? Favorite line from this book: "I was attacked by a horrid sensation, as if myriad baby spiders were crawling out of pores all over my body." I mean, it's a HORRIBLE line, but effective. Very effective, even in translation.
Refuge / Terry Tempest Williams. It seems I am reading a lot about cancer these days. Maybe it is just that cancer is more prevalent than I realized. Very good short memoir; well-written and actually got me interested in birds, to think about their lives and the wonder of their travels & migration.
Folly / Laurie R King (audiobook) this is a very long book and took FOREVER to get me interested, though since it's (I think and hope not very sincerely) a thriller, it's been getting on my nerves from the outset. Finished 1/29 and thoughts... it was so-so. I enjoyed parts, particularly the last few discs when the author allowed the character to start moving on. She takes a really long time to let out the details of the backstory and this was more annoying than anything.
in progress:
new book from Dad
Behind the Scenes at the Museum / Kate Atkinson (re-read)
note: I haven't touched these since early January (it's now Feb 17)
February:
Motherless Brooklyn / Jonathan Lethem (started 1/30. fin: 2/7)--I wouldn't have stopped reading if I weren't falling asleep [first night]. Great right from the beginning. Later thoughts... really, really good book. Great pacing, strong, clean ending with some thoughtful moments (I mean moments that really made me think). So fun to read and enjoy and feel like it was purposeful.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice / Laurie R King (audio; started 1/29. Finished 2/1 or so)--first in a new-to-me mystery series. About halfway through, it feels like the "this is the first book in a series" thing is starting to conclude; I hope so. -- Yes, this did get more interesting and in-depth as it went on.
A Monstrous Regiment of Women / Laurie R King (paper; started 2/7. Finished 2/12) Very likeable series, this. It was nice to read this in paper but I'm going back to the audiobooks since the paper ones take up so much of my time... very pleasant time, though.
Garbage land: On the Secret Trail of Trash / Elizabeth Royte (hardcover; started 2/13, I think) Good. A read I can connect to and narrative that's follow-able but with lots of new vocabulary. What will I learn in the course of this book? Not sure yet. Maybe just a very long NY'er type feature. I returned this to the library on its due date, 2/19, at page 77. Decided not to pay fines to read it since I'm not so far learning much beyond vocabulary. Will put it back on my hold list and hope it comes in when I'm not doing six projects.
NYer article on nurse-visitors, 2/12 & 2/13. Another article that made me yearn to work with children. That reminded me NOT to get an MSW. sigh.
The Disappointment Artist / Jonathan Lethem (audio; 3 discs, essays, started 2/13? fin. 2/16) The first essay on "The Searchers" made me laugh out loud on the way to work, and I identified with the main tenet. After that, the essays get a little long and not quite so pertinent for me... But it's interesting to hear his reflections on his life. Okay, I liked the final essay as well, the long "The Beards," and it does tie it all together. There's a Q&A at the end in which I learned that these are basically Lethem's only essays, so it's understandable he's not a master of the form. I would find it interesting to hear/read his thoughts on non-autobiographical topics, but maybe that's not part of his thing. 95% or more of the books are looking at his childhood, as well, and mainly the effects of his mom's early death (he was 14 or 15). I did find a lot of that--thoughts about replacing parents, or trying to be an adult before he really was one, so that he wouldn't have to be a parentless child--interesting and something I connected on. I laughed aloud a couple times in the final essay as well. He reads them well, too.
The Game / Laurie R King (audio, started 2/15, finished 2/20, after a lot of listening & knitting the Olympic Sweater). I'm getting into it by disc 2. the first was mainly preparatory to the action, which is just getting started. Not much to add to this commentary... After a while they're pretty much the same.
A Letter of Mary / Laurie R King (hardcover, started 2/21, finished 3/1 or so?) Yes, continuing the marathon through these titles. Reminds me, I should see how much E. George is on audiobook at SPL. Too bad I didn't have a booklist for those titles since I honestly can't remember which ones I've read, and I'd guess it'd be the same with these... I think I should take a break from them. / this was a nice read. I think I like the paper books better than the audio.
March:
(note: I realized I was reading a lot less in Feb kind of late. I had a lot going on between articles, work and the Olympic sweater. Also got too deep into the King books and not enough other fiction/nonfiction to keep me interested. Must correct this!)
The Moor / Laurie R King (audio, started late feb, finished 3/19) Started listening while still reading A Letter of Mary, which I finally figured out is supposed to come just before this one. Another enjoyable story, but like I wrote above, I need a break, something different. I miss the Jersey bounty hunter character all of a sudden...
Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx, from an old New Yorker, Sunday, 3/6. Finally loaded up the NYer on disc that Seth gave me for Christmas. Very nice but I wish I could instantly have a hard copy that would later dissipate into nothingness... maybe that magical "onion paper" reader that they supposedly made a few years ago, so I could read it on paper rather than on the computer screen.
Female Chauvinist Pigs / Ariel Levy Paper, started 3/6ish. Finished 3/25. The book has its flaws but was fast reading and thought-provoking. I didn't really trust the author, which I think is the main problem with the book. I had to return it right away to the library but will try to post about this separately later...
When the Emperor Was Divine / Julie Otsuka audio, 3/19 and 3/20. Only 3 discs. Short and sweet... a good novella about a family whose father is arrested as an enemy of the country on Pearl Harbor eve in SF. The rest of the family (mom, sister, brother) is interned a few months later for 3.5 years (or three years, five months). I liked how it moved smoothly through scenes, time, showing scenes that weren't leading up to something bigger, just part of the event. There are some beautiful scenes, some parts that are grating toward the end: the return seems a little too fast, not as richly detailed as the intro (more telling and less showing, this is the problem I think).
A Certain Justice / PD James Oh, the joy of a whole famous new mystery author to read! Paper, began last week (week of March 13). Finished 3/25? or 3/31? to return to the library. A good book overall yet... I think the "yet" is that I am not into the character of Adam Dalgliesh and this relies on that too much.
Angels Marian Keyes, audio... started mid-march... chic lit, I suppose. Not super into it, in fact I think I might return it to the library w/o finishing it, but I haven't decided yet. Perhaps I will figure out how to save it to the computer w/o having it on the iPod all at once so if I again run out of audio entertainment, I'll have a backup. Update 4/5: gracious this book is taking forever to finish.
April:
Crafty books, Denise Schmidt Quilts and the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules!. I'm making an effort to actually read these, and especially w/the Quilts book not be intimidated. Maybe after I settle my taxes I will go out and buy a bunch of crafty quilter tools... maybe, but I should get rid of the big blue desk and clean out the junk from the crafty area first. There's no room in there to do anything. I am considering moving my craftiness to the back anyway, where there's better light/no TV... ideas... we'll see what comes of them.
I'm planning to start the last Evanovich title soon, trying to get through Angels first, but it's mighty.long.
Elizabeth Crane book, paper, started 4/2. Sent by Anne. Enjoying it so far.
Angels Marian Keyes, audio... started mid-march... finally freakin' finished this yesterday, 4/6, mainly because disc 11 skipped too much to upload to my ipod. WAY TOO LONG.
Eleven on Top Janet Evanovich audio... about a week. Short. Fun. Not sufficiently long or different from her other titles but the hook(s) worked.
Another mystery novel
The Opinionated Knitter Elizabeth Zimmerman. Collected newsletters, enjoyable. I might buy this later but more likely will just pull Knitting w/o Tears back out for another look and make a copy of the Baby Surprise sweater pattern. ETA: Read the whole thing and it's got a couple of really nice stories in it. Still not sure about the patterns, but I'm thinking it might be a good book to pass around.
The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn by Janis Hallowell(? on last name), audio, 4/15 - 4/18. This may be my first audiobook with multiple actors, which was pretty good after I got over the man's falsetto in some parts. Sort of chic lit, but angling a little higher, not quite Lovely Bones... decent insight into mental health problems of homeless men and teenage girls, but with too neat/unbelievable a wrap-up. Enjoyable, entertaining.
A hard light another mystery novel
May:
Leap by Terry Tempest Williams, hardcover, started 5/2. Didn't enjoy and returned to library unread.
Pissed Off: Women and Anger (?title) Spike Gillespie, pub Seal Press. Good. been reading it in chunks.
another mystery novel or three.
Locked Rooms really good Laurie King audiobook. better than some, so I'll try some more after all.
The New Crewel
Mason-Dixon Knitting
H is for Homicide Sue Grafton audio, enjoyable
A Big Storm Knocked it Over Laurie Colwin, paperback.
Until I Find You John Updike audio. Listened to 7 discs and just couldn't take it any more. It's 28 discs long! I enjoyed the first few chapters wherein the characters are travelling Europe looking for the missing father. But the sexual training of Jack at 5 to 8 years old in the girls' school & sometimes by a mom character just was too much for me in audio. Maybe I'll like it in paper; we'll see.
Death of the Party (a Death on Demand Mystery -- that being the fictional bookstore in the series) by Carolyn Hart, another audio mystery
June:
Broken Dishes Earlene Fowler. Audio mystery, enjoyable.
Goodbye Without Leaving Laurie Colwin
The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros, paperback. I think I read this in one day, June 5. Vignettes from 1/2 to 4 pages each paint the picture of a childhood in a rundown Chicago neighborhood.
also yesterday (6/5), two NY'er articles.
The Subversive Stitch on femininity, embroidery... paged through once, will attempt to read more! -- had to return to the library w/o reading it.
Full Speed dopey Janet Evanovich mystery-thrillerish-romance-ish thing. With another author and on CD. sigh.
Happy All the Time Laurie Colwin (all LC are paper)
The Yarn Harlot: Secret Life of a Knitter Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Pleasant but for me more of a skim, enjoy, fall asleep kind of book. I love her blog to pieces but it's not totally book material for me. ... Okay revised: I kept reading it at night and it's really nice for that purpose.
High country fall
by Maron, Margaret.
The Genius Factory by David Plotz, nonfiction audio. A really good audiobook actually. I'm not too into the actor's voice but I think I'd be frustrated by this on paper yet it works for knitting/walking accompaniment.
mystery novel 10,000 Wendy Hornsby. Paper. okay it's called Telling Lies. I got a bunch of this series from Angela when she moved and somehow managed to start with the last possible one and work backwards. Now how the heck did I do that? Oh well. Enjoyable and nice to have a little paperback around.
Continuing to read Pissed Off by Spike Gillespie. Got all muddled in trying to discuss with the therapist, big shock.
I think there was another mystery audio in here! Going to Chicago tomorrow (6/21), will see if I end up reading more or less on vacation.
Prep Curtis Sittenfeld (lame -- I don't think I would've finished it if I weren't on vacation)
Foul Matter Martha Grimes, audio mystery (started in June, finished in July)
July
Last Lessons of Summer, audio
finished Gillespie book on Anger
Telling Lies, another audio mystery
started Die a Little but now my computer has died a little; will I be able to finish it? (got close on drive to PDX but still a disc away from done). finished though last track was unintelligible.
watched Rabbit Proof Fence and Triplets of Belleville
Hunting Season, Nevada Barr (hardcover)
Incredibly Close and Extremely Loud (or vice versa) by Jonathan Safran Foer, paperback
returning home: We watch too much TV. sigh.
The Kite Runner hardcover, Khaled Hosseini
ny'er 7/24 issue
Bell, Book and Scandal Jill Churchill: the silliest book I'll read all year. Just a cozy mystery, not really my type yet not as annoying as the "cat who" books. I wanted a rip-through-it mystery, and I sort of got it.
August
finished The Kite Runner & Bell Book and Scandal
The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature
Tanner's Tiger Lawrence Block, audio
Tower of Solitude Jonathan Lethem, hardcover. Funnily enough, turns out I bought a paperback copy recently and forgot about it. Of course that means I've deprioritized reading this!
At Risk Stella Rimington, audio -- Really threw me for an extra loop when the Liquid Bombers were foiled/the news came because this novel was about Pakistani terrorists in England. Decent book.
Pulse Edna Buchanan, audio -- thriller? okay, not really my cup o' tea. yeah, this was okay, but I'd rather get more Lawrence Block.
Ask Coffin a famous female mystery author, hardcover. only a few pages in, so far, so good. midway through: again, so far so good. The narrative reads really quickly; it's dialogue with a very omniscent narrator. I find it unusual and effective.
(I didn't record several comics read...)
Fun Home Alison Bechdel -- graphic novel. hardcover bought at Bailey Coy with first-line discount, woohoo. Still trying to digest this one even though I read it in two days.
Naked Prey John Sandford, audio. I accidentally started listening to the most recent one I picked up instead of the earlier one. I like it, I think -- it seemed to move really quickly but now more is happening and it's 10 discs long! will it bog down? still to be determined.
bought Seven Loves by Valerie Trueblood mainly because Nancy Pearl says "readers who like Alice Munro and Carol Shields will really like this book".
Mortal Prey John Sandford, audio. was okay, I think this series is very repetitious, but these titles were really close together
Epitaphs Bill Pronzini -- a Nameless Detective mystery -- fast, fun. I like the San Francisco setting.
Still reading the Best American Mystery Stories of 2001 (I think), some very good ones in there!
September
I think there was another mystery audiobook in here...
finished Best American Mystery Stories 2001 and it was very good. I like the multi-author short story collection and am going to go after some more of them.
That Old Ace in the Hole Annie Proulx, audio. Cowboy story! This was very good; I learned some Texas history and felt like I actually got a feel for a different way of life.
lots of NPR podcasts and lots of work stress...
Fool's Puzzle Earlene Fowler hardcover mystery novel -- I definitely would rather listen to this series rather than read it. It's pleasant but too light to spend time with in print.
Stealing Shadows Kay Hooper. Another audio book -- entertaining, but rather sappy in the love story angle.
The Burglar in the Rye Lawrence Block. I like his characters -- the men and women are both good and bad. The plots aren't terribly complex, but they're fun.
Promise Me Harlan Coben, audio. Karol gave me this. I have no idea if I will like it overall yet. -- did not like it and stopped listening to it!
Baltimore Blues Laura Lippman paper. Very fun to be into a new series!
Best American Mystery Stories 2001 cont'd in October
I feel like there's something missing here, but maybe not.
October
Charm City Laura Lippman, paper. fast read--picked up 9/30, finished 10/3.
Best American Mystery Stories 2001 carryover from Sept
Seven Loves, started some time ago. should finish in October to clear the slate... it's harder to read books not from the library these days. due dates take too much precedence.
Butchers Hill Laura Lippman, paper. I haven't had so much fun tearing through a series since I was reading books like "Sweet Valley High" or "The Baby Sitter's Club" or some such. I really like the character; there are a few angry white person notes but the character's learning along the way. We'll see if this holds up through the series! (okay, finished this in TWO DAYS, unheard of for me really. it was short but still... very like reading multiple fun YA novels in a weekend/over the summer as a teenager.)
Justice Hall Laurie R King, paper. I actually want to start in on her Kate whatever series because I liked the San Francisco setting of "Locked Rooms."
Tried Hard revolution by Pelecanos, George P., audio, not really clicking... something about the trope just isn't doing it for me.
Every Secret Thing Laura Lippman -- read but eh. didn't quite hit the mark: at one point I was like, WHAT! Another character!? enough already! there wasn't quite enough tension around the main question, or maybe not enough tension around the two girls, and too much of every other character.
The History of Love audio -- stopped midway through. I will try the paper version.
O Jerusalem Laurie R King -- good. no shocker here. paper.
Cut & Run some guy, audio. gave up on this one. wasn't getting into it.
bought Best American Comics collection and One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson!!!
going to BAC reading/panel tonight (10/23)
High Country Nevada Barr, audio
November
Blind Descent Nevada Barr, audio
FINALLY finished Seven Loves. good. rather good. now to re-read it.
started One Good Turn Kate Atkinson. Oh so easy to get enthralled with. Need.more.reading.time. finished 11/12, super excellent. need more.
Had to return Best American Mystery Stories 2002 w/o quite finishing it -- many excellent stories.
Hallowed Bones Carolyn someone -- mystery audio. eh. Not interested in pursuing this author's work.
The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion (11/12) Surprisingly easy to get into, except if it's morning and your stomach hurts and you are waiting out traffic. 11/18 finished.
The Lady and the Unicorn Tracy Chevalier (audio)
In Big Trouble Laura Lippman 11/19 start, 11/20 finished
Hope to Die Lawrence Block, audio mystery.
Over Tumbled Graves Jess Walter(s), hardcover mystery.
December
finished last 2 from November
many comics: reviews due 12/8. will I succeed? oh totally. right. (turned in 5 or 6 on 12/11)
Murder at the National Gallery audio -- I quit this one about 5 discs in. Maybe I'll finish. dunno. Switched to Die in Plain sight (below).
In a Strange City Laura Lippman, hardcover. took too long to finish. because of work. LAME.
The Somalis of Lewiston a NYer article. I'm counting it because it was good and things are getting desperate.
Die in Plain Sight Elizabeth Lowell, audio. eh. The mystery was really obvious from early on (or at least, pieces were) and there was a lot of sex. I don't mind that so much except that it got really trite, not strong enough to carry the book. Plus, "her smile was all teeth" should be used only once, at most, in any given book.
lame. I hate work. it is sucking the life out of me.
The Last Place Laura Lippman, hardcover. good.
Maus I Art Spiegelman. finally. bought it at Powell's.
Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert. judgment pending actually finishing it. I don't think it's going to be life-changing or necessarily life-affirming, but it is prompting some thought, never bad.
Devil's Corner Lisa Scottoloni (sp) audio. going okay. Different from my usual mysteries. ETA: ditched. I hated the whiny character. I suspect I could've blasted past some of the annoyance in print; maybe someday I'll find out. Probably not, since I've got plenty to read.
The Penultimate Peril, Lemony Snicket, mais oui. print edition.
Maus II Art Spiegelman. library. ouch. Read it all in one night, like I had no choice.
Land of the Blind Jess Walter, hardcover. started 12/28.
Other
Reading lists on the innernet: http://doggedknits.com/?p=43