I love lists. Currently, I have seven separate lists on my desk. They're all book-related and I keep hoping to make time to write some posts about each of them. But first things first. Andi blogged about The Morning News 2012 Tournament of Books (presented by Field Notes) and after quickly scanning the list of titles, I knew I'd have to add the widget and link to my sidebar. This isn't really a challenge, but I hope plan to read at least eight of the selected books. I already own three and am actively listening to one and have started another on my iPad (with plans to resume reading in another month or so).
Here's the list, followed by the information posted on The Morning News. I've highlighted the books I own (in red) and the books I plan to read (in green). Any comments or other recommendations? Are any better on audio than the printed format?
The 16 Books That Will Compete in Our Eighth Annual Battle Royale
Nathacha Appanah, The Last Brother
Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending
Teju Cole, Open City
Helen DeWitt, Lightning Rods
Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers
Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot
Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding
Alan Hollinghurst, Stranger’s Child
Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones
Haruki Murakami, 1Q84
Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife
Michael Ondaatje, The Cat’s Table
Ann Patchett, State of Wonder
Donald Ray Pollock, Devil All the Time
Karen Russell, Swamplandia!
Kate Zambreno, Green Girl
Details for the tournament can be found here. The official tournament begins on March 7th.
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear Mystery (#8 in the Maisie Dobbs’ series) 2011 Harper Audio Reader: Orlagh Cassidy Finished 1/16/12 Rating: 2.5/5 (Fair)
Publisher’s Blurb:
In the summer of 1932, Maisie Dobbs’s career goes in an exciting new direction when she accepts an undercover assignment directed by Scotland Yard’s Special Branch and the Secret Service. Posing as a junior lecturer, she is sent to a private college in Cambridge to monitor any activities “not in the interests of His Majesty’s Government.”
When the college’s controversial pacifist founder and principal, Greville Liddicote, is murdered, Maisie is directed to stand back as Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane and Detective Chief Inspector Stratton spearhead the investigation. She soon discovers, however, that the circumstances of Liddicote’s death appear inextricably linked to the suspicious comings and goings of faculty and students under her surveillance.
To unravel this web, Maisie must overcome a reluctant Secret Service, discover shameful hidden truths about Britain’s conduct during the war, and face off against the rising powers of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei—the Nazi Party—in Britain.
A pivotal chapter in the life of Maisie Dobbs, A Lesson in Secrets marks the beginning of her intelligence work for the Crown. As the storm clouds of World War II gather on the horizon, Maisie will confront new challenges and new enemies—and will engage new readers and loyal fans of this bestselling mystery series.
As the final chapter of this most recent installment in the Maisie Dobbs’s series drew to a close, I found myself wondering why I’ve continued reading—or rather, listening to—these books. The actual mystery didn’t hold my interest nearly as well as others have in the past and I wanted to hear more about Maisie’s personal life and her relationships with some of the “regulars” in this series. Maybe I just like listening to Orlagh Cassidy read! But now as World War II draws closer, I’m hopeful that Winspear’s next book will appeal to me as her earlier works did. Fans of this series will be happy to learn that Winspear has a new book due out on March 27th.
Until then, I plan to start in on Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series. I've read the first in the series (Still Life), but that was over five years ago. I'll give it a reread and then I'll have five six more to look forward to.
If you would like my ARC of A Lesson in Secrets, please leave me a comment along with your email address. I'll draw the winning name on January 31st.
Last year I listened to 14 audio books! I think that's an all-time record for me, so this challenge is pretty much a gimme. Here are the details from Teresa's blog:
Weclcome to the Original Audio Book Challenge formerly hosted by Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings. This challenge is for Audio Book lovers as well as those who are brand new to them.
Once again, there are four levels to the challenge
Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books Married-Listen to +++ Audio Books
There will be a monthly link up so that we can share what we’ve listened to and make suggestions to each other. Along with that monthly link up there will be a special monthly challenge so make sure you stop by each month!
Official Challenge dates: 1/1/2012-12/31/2012
I'm aiming for the 2nd level (Going Steady) and don't anticipate any trouble achieving that goal. Unlike other challenge, I won't make a list ahead of time since my audio selections are typically based on availability through my library.
She is the best fictional female P.I. since Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. And with its shocking triple-twist climax, this is the best private eye debut since Dennis Lehane's "A Drink Before the War." Grade: A ~ Cleveland Plain-Dealer
Publisher’s Blurb:
In the sweltering heat of an Atlanta summer, a killer is pushing the city to its breaking point, preying on the unsuspecting, writing taunting letters to the media, promising more death. Desperate to stop the Wishbone Killer before another victim meets a shattering end, A.P.D. Lieutenant Aaron Rauser turns to the one person he knows can penetrate a deranged mind: ex-FBI profiler Keye Street.
Keye was a rising young star at the Bureau until addiction derailed her career and her life. Now sober and fighting to stay so, Keye picks up jobs where she can get them: catching adulterers, serving subpoenas, chasing down bailjumpers, and dodging the occasional bullet. With multiple victims, little to go on, and an entire police force looking for direction, the last thing Keye wants is to be pulled into the firestorm of Atlanta’s worst nightmare.
And then it suddenly becomes clear that the hunter has become the hunted – and the stranger she seeks is far closer than she ever dared imagine.
An electrifying thriller debut, The Stranger You Seek introduces a brash, flawed, and unforgettable heroine in a complex, twisting novel that takes readers deep into a sultry Southern summer, a city in the grips of chaos, and a harrowing cat-and-mouse game no reader will ever forget.
Any comparison to Dennis Lehane and I’m sold. But it was Joy’s review that piqued my interest:
Woo hoo! I found myself another series to follow! It's graphic (very Karin Slaughter-like) and on occasion, a bit shocking, and like Slaughter, held together with a solid plot. There were surprising twists and turns, some wit and some interesting characters and relationships, too. (Thoughts of Joy)
Williams’ debut thriller kept me up reading very late for a couple of nights and while I recognized a red herring, I was never able to figure out the identity of the killer. Williams’ syntax is a bit off in the opening chapters, and there is one scene that seemed completely irrelevant to the plot, but I enjoyed the characters and loved the ending. I’m looking forward to the next in her line-up: Stranger In The Room (Fall 2012) and Don’t Talk To Strangers (Fall 2013). It’s nice to get in on a series from the beginning!
On the South:
I embraced the South as a child, loved it passionately and love it still. You learn to forgive it for its narrow mind and growing pains because it has a huge heart. You forgive the stifling summers because spring is lush and pastel sprinkled, because November is astonishing in flame and crimson and gold, because winter is merciful and brief, because corn bread and sweet tea and fried chicken are every bit as vital to a Sunday as getting dressed up for church, and because any southerner worth their salt says please and thank you. It’s soft air and summer vines, pine woods and fat homegrown tomatoes. It’s pulling the fruit right off a peach tree and letting the juice run down your chin. It’s a closeted and profound appreciation for our neighbors in Alabama who bear the brunt of the Bubba jokes. The South gets in your blood and nose and skin bone-deep. I am less a part of the South than it is a part of me. It’s a romantic notion, being overcome by geography. But we are all a little starry-eyed down here. We’re Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara and Rosa Parks all at once.
On life as a bounty hunter:
In the last couple of weeks I’d picked pieces of glass out of my neck and forearms with tweezers after being shot at by a bail jumper with a pump-action shotgun, been hit in the back of the head by a flying coffee cup, and shot at by an angry skinny woman over a crummy witness subpoena. I’d stumbled on a Wishbone murder scene, wrestled an accountant who sank his teeth into my shoulder, been hurled through the bullet-wounded windshield of my Impala, officially fired, hospitalized, released and handed over to the media, watched my ex-husband on TV dissecting our dysfunctional marriage, watched strangers on TV discussing my rehab and FBI records. And I was getting roses, white roses, from a violent serial offender. Oh joy.
While not for the faint of heart (I was reminded of the gritty nature of the P.J. Tracy, Cody McFadyen, and John Sandford’s series), fans of Janet Evanovich looking for some comic relief will not be disappointed.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Fiction 2011 Random House Audio (Unabridged Edition) Reader: Jim Dale Finished 1/4/12 Rating: 4/5 (Terrific!)
Publisher’s Blurb:
Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves: Within these black-and-white striped tents lies an utterly unique experience, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, and stare in wonderment as the tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box.
Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to the players, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination.
But when Celia and Marco innocently tumble headfirst into love, their masters intervene with dangerous consequences.
I wound up with the ARC of The Night Circus last summer, but of course, it was relegated to one of the many stacks in my office. After the novel’s release, I read a few glowing reviews and knew it was something I would eventually read. I’ve been enjoying audio books so much, and as it turned out, I found the audio in my library’s online database, so I promptly added my name to the queue. I figured I’d either get to the ARC or the audio version whenever the mood struck. I was very happy when the audio became available and I was able to start listening right after Thanksgiving. What an outstanding presentation of Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel! Jim Dale (whom readers will recognize from the audio editions of the Harry Potter series) is superb! I was quickly drawn into Celia and Marco’s story, eager to get back to the book every morning, falling deeper and deeper under the spell of this remarkably imaginative tale. Morgenstern’s novel is rich with detail and filled with wonderful characters. I don’t know whose story I loved more—Celia & Marco’s or Poppet, Widget and Bailey’s.
My only complaint with the audio is that the chronology of the book is not linear, and thus I was often confused, unsure if my Nano had skipped a track. I found myself checking the ARC to make sure I hadn’t missed a chapter. I’m pretty sure I didn’t, but I do plan to read the book (eventually), now that I’ve finished the audio. It’s very rare that I listen to a book either before or after reading the printed edition, but this was such an outstanding experience, I can’t wait to return to Morgenstern’s world. The Help turned out to be amazing in both formats and I enjoyed the movie just as much. I’m hoping The Night Circus turns out to be another novel that is just as enjoyable in all three mediums. Summit Entertainment (the production company behind the Twilight film franchise) has optioned the film rights and, although I was not impressed with the film version of Twilight, I am still excited about the possibility for a fabulously magical adventure.
SuziQ says:
This was a beautiful, exciting, sad, happy and altogether elegant story. The author created a world in which I thoroughly enjoyed losing myself. I intentionally waited to read it until I had time to read it in just a few sittings. I’m glad I did. This is the kind of book that wraps its setting around you as you read. The imagery is both delicate and strong and always beautiful even in the darker parts of the story. At its heart a love story, the book is about a competition between magicians that takes place within a mysterious circus that seems to appear and disappear and is only open at night. Its storylines weave in and around each other and forward and backward in time in a way that feels almost like a dance. There is a distinct elegance to the writing and the story that takes the reader on a wonderful journey.(Whimpulsive)
Beyond the novel's structure, the detail in the writing is just stunning. I felt as if I was experiencing the look and feel of The Night Circus. I could imagine the tents, each of the acts, the bonfire that serves as the heart of the circus, the food on sale to the patrons, the way the various acts dressed and conducted themselves. Hardly ever do I read a novel that makes me feel so thoroughly immersed in the fictional world.(Estella's Revenge)
The Night Circus is a feast for the senses, conjuring up beautiful scenes and luscious scents. It twists and turns and leaves the reader wondering what is real and what is illusion? Morgenstern shifts the narrative back and forth in time, a technique which adds to the unsettled feel of the novel. I will admit that this time shifting felt confusing to me at first. But eventually, I stopped paying attention to the dates, and simply allowed the story to sweep me forward…and it was when I did this that the novel captured me.(Caribousmom)
Go here to read her complete review. So have I (and my friends) convinced you? This is definitely a winner!
And did I mention the ever-so-wonderful Jim Dale? Here is a sample of him reading from The Night Circus. Close your eyes and listen.
Final thoughts: Enchanting. Magical. Unforgettable.
Remember Mary-Chapin Carpenter's hit Passionate Kisses? I heard it on the radio the other day and it made me stop and think about some of the things that make me happy.
It's important to recognize and remember the good things in life, so I've decided to make a point of jotting down my weekly blessings. I was going to label this post "Passionate Kisses," but the potential for questionable Google search hits made me re-evaluate that choice.
So what made me smile last week?
A comfortable bed that won't hurt my back. We finally got a new mattress set. Our old bed was almost 14 years old. No more back aches!
Jeans that fit! I love my new jeans from Eddie Bauer. They're so soft and comfy; I splurged and bought a couple of pairs in each color (dark rinse, black, gray and regular denim blue).
4-day weekend! Exactly what I needed after the stress of a very busy holiday season.
New work schedule that gives me a 3-day weekend every week!
Catching up on book reviews.
Listening to cds on my new Bose.
Starting the year off with 3 great books.
A 68-degree-day in January in Lincoln, Nebraska. Amazing.
Tickets booked to a tropical paradise.
And, yes. Passionate kisses.
Passionate Kisses
Is it too much to ask I want a comfortable bed that won't hurt my back Food to fill me up And warm clothes and all that stuff Shouldn't I have this Shouldn't I have this Shouldn't I have all of this, and
Passionate kisses Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh Passionate kisses from you
Is it too much to demand I want a full house and a rock and roll band Pens that won't run out of ink And cool quiet and time to think Shouldn't I have this Shouldn't I have this Shouldn't I have all of this, and
Passionate kisses Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh Passionate kisses from you
Do I want too much Am I going overboard to want that touch I shout it out to the night "Give me what I deserve, 'cause it's my right" Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I) Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I) Shouldn't I have all of this, and
Passionate kisses Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh Passionate kisses from you Passionate kisses Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh Passionate kisses from you
Go here to listen to Passionate Kisses on YouTube.
From hitRECord, the immensely popular open collaborative production company, and its founder, Golden Globe-nominated actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, comes The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 1.
The universe is not made of atoms; it's made of tiny stories.
To create The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 1, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, known within the hitRECord community as RegularJOE—directed thousands of collaborators to tell tiny stories through words and art. With the help of the entire creative collective, Gordon-Levitt culled, edited and curated over 8,500 contributions into this finely tuned collection of original art from 67 contributors. Reminiscent of the 6-Word Memoir series, The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 1 brings together art and voices from around the world to unite and tell stories that defy size.
Thanks to Andi & Nancy, I discovered this fun, ironic little book. I picked it up at work and read it on one of my breaks. While it can be read in a store in less than 15 minutes, it's definitely one you'll want to own. I envision an adult storytime at my next dinner party.
In a bright buzzing room, in the glow of the moon-and iPhones and Androids and Blackberries too-it is time to say goodnight...
Modern life is abuzz. There are huge LCD WiFi HD TVs and Facebook requests and thumbs tapping texts and new viral clips of cats doing flips. Wouldn't it be nice to say goodnight to all that? Like the rest of us who cannot resist just a few more scrolls and clicks, you may find yourself ready for bed while still clinging to your electronics long after dark. This book, which is made of paper, is a reminder for the child in all of us to power down at the end of the day. This hilarious parody not only pokes loving fun at the bygone quiet of the original classic, but also at our modern plugged-in lives. It will make you laugh, and it will also help you put yourself and your machines to sleep. Don't worry, though. Your gadgets will be waiting for you, fully charged, in the morning.
Goodnight Moon was one of my daughter's favorite books when she was a little girl. I gave her a copy of this parody for Christmas, as she is planning to eventually buy an iPad. She actually thought the book was a bit sad. I found her reaction rather ironic, as she has been known to watch tv while texting and surfing the web on her phone and MacBook, respectively.
Final Thoughts: Time to unplug!
*Get it? ;)
Ann Droyd is the pseudonym for an IRA/CBC Children's Choice winner who has written and illustrated over twenty picture books for young readers. Droyd's work is known for its sense of narrative, humor, and visual playfulness. Ann Droyd, who studied graphic design at Parsons, lives in Massachusetts.
Time and Again by Jack Finney Science Fiction 1970 Simon & Schuster Finished on 12/18/11 Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)
Publisher’s Blurb:
“Sleep. And when you awake everything you know of the twentieth century will be gone from your mind. Tonight is January 21, 1882. There are no such things as automobiles, no planes, computers, televisions. ‘Nuclear’ appears in no dictionary. You haven’t heard the name Richard Nixon.”
Did illustrator Si Morley really step out of his twentieth-century apartment one night—right into the winter of 1882? The U.S. Government believed it, especially when Si returned with a portfolio of brand-new sketches and tintype photos of a world that no longer existed—or did it?
Let Jack Finney make a believer of you as he takes you on an incredible tour in words and pictures of a time long gone.
When I think of Christopher Reeves, I don’t think of Superman, but rather Richard Collier, the Chicago playwright in Somewhere in Time. I’ve never read Richard Matheson’s novel, but I fell in love with the movie, longing to visit the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. As I read Jack Finney’s novel, Time and Again, I was reminded of the love story between Collier and Elise McKenna and made a mental note to add the film to my Netflix queue.
My exposure to time travel stories is quite limited. I’ve read The Invisible Man, but not The Time Machine. Several years ago, I read The Mirror (Marlys Millhiser) for an online book club and the story has stuck with me ever since. I really enjoyed that book and need to get a copy for a future rereading. And, then of course, there’s the popular Time Traveler’s Wife, which I did enjoy quite a lot, in spite of the confusing chronology. But it wasn’t until Nan made a reference to Time and Again, followed by a comment by another friend (who said Stephen King mentioned the novel in his afterward in 11/22/63), that I finally decided to pull this book off my shelf. I have no idea how long I’ve owned it, but it was long overdue for a read.
I wish I could say I loved it. I liked it well enough, but it’s probably not one I’d read again. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief to the point at which it seemed reasonable to assume that one could go back in time simply through self-hypnosis. There were several instances in which the descriptive detail went on far too long with very little dialogue, and I found myself flipping ahead to see how many pages remained in the current chapter. December may have been the wrong time of year to attempt reading this book (or any book, for that matter!). It took me almost six weeks to finish this book of just under 400 pages. The second half of the novel was more suspenseful than the first, so I did find myself looking forward to reading a few pages every night, but overall, the pace was a bit uneven. That said, I’m still interested in reading the sequel, From Time to Time, which was published a year after Finney’s death.
On the Future:
At the table during dinner he was almost directly across from me, and I wanted to needle him, wanted to get at him; I couldn’t help it. Maud Torrence was talking about a Professor Peirce who had just read a paper before the New York Academy of Sciences on the advantages of establishing national and international time zones. Listening, I discovered there was no standardization of times anywhere in the country or world; any little town was free to pick its own time and often did, so that the time in towns a few miles apart might vary; eleven minutes maybe, or seventeen, or thirty-one. Railroad stations had clocks showing the times in different places, and Byron remarked that railroad timetables on long east-west trips were almost impossible to write because there were some seventy-odd different times used in the places the trains went through. Professor Pierce suggested time zones to be called Atlantic Time, Mississippi Time, Rocky Mountain Time, and Pacific Time, and I considered making a prediction but I was more interested in Jake.
While the book was not terribly enthralling, I did enjoy the various historical references, such as the one above, as well as Si’s observation of Dutch immigrants, and one lengthy conversation about the origins of the Statue of Liberty.
Don't panic! You've arrived at Lesley's Book Nook. After nearly six years, it's time for a fresh look for my blog. I've also decided to change the name from Lesley's Book Nook to Prairie Horizons. Hope you like it!
