Books of the Month: November 2008

Dear readers,

I bet you thought I forgot to update my blog. Right you are. Having only read five books in November, I have very little to report (*=library book). But here it goes:

The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan
I want my historical fiction to feel historical. Did Brahmin men in early 20th century India really tell one another to "Butt out, man"? Really interesting concept--a look at social change in India through the life of one woman--but it read more like a rough draft than a final, polished novel.

The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
Fairly interesting fiction about two marriages, with some fine Steinbeck and/or biblical allusions toward the end. I didn't think it was great as I was reading it, but I found myself thinking about it for a few days afterwards. Always a good sign.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
A re-read. This was the only English-language book I took with me during my semester abroad. I remembered loving it. It is brilliant, but it felt less amazing to me on my second reading years later. The context in which I first read this really shaped my memory of it, and that ended up interesting me more than the book itself.

The Story of a Marriage* by Andrew Sean Greer
I cannot in good faith recommend this book to Sarah Palin. (Thank goodness she's stopped asking me for reader's advisory services.) Anyone who balks so openly at "gotcha journalism" must certainly loathe "gotcha fiction." Which is what this felt like. It was a kinda neat story, but the author went too far out of his way to invent surprises. Also there were black people and gay people in the book, too. Palin wouldn't have liked those either, I'm guessing.

The Hour I first Believed* by Wally Lamb
A mammoth work. I fully admit to loving Wally Lamb in college. His previous two novels amazed me when I read them, which probably says a lot more about me as a college-aged reader than it dos about Lamb's writing. So it was something of a guilty pleasure to pick up his latest decade-in-the-making massive tome. It was rich and emotional, easy to read and to get absorbed into. At first. Then it sprawled out of control. The only things missing? The kitchen sink and a heavy-handed editor. And yet, I couldn't stop reading.

Books of the Month: October 2008

Dear Readers,
Another month, another bunch of books. Some awesome, some okay, some not so awesome.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri: Awesome
The Last Town on Earth* by Thomas Mullen: Not so awesome
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery: Awesome
A Brief History of Anxiety...Yours and Mine* by Patricia Pearson: Okay
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Marriage: Stories by Alice Munro: Okay
Small Island by Andrea Levy: Okay
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga: Awesome
Three Junes by Julia Glass: Awesome
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon: Not so awesome

Books of the Month: September 2008

Dear Readers,
I'll bet you've been sitting around for days, patiently waiting for me to post my September book list. I imagine both of you are giddy beyond belief that I've finally remembered to do so. I bet this post really makes your weekend (*=library book). So with no further ado:

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
A family epic that neither successfully jerked my tears or tugged my heart strings. Oprah really liked it.

No One Belongs Here More Than You* by Miranda July
Quirky film maker July's short story collection is not for the squeamish. A little bit sexy, a lot weird. But enjoyable.

Niagra Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken
I really enjoyed McCracken's first novel, Giant's House, about a small town librarian's love for the world's tallest boy. It was a quirky romance that worked. This--a portrait of two vaudeville comedians' partnership and friendship--I liked considerably less.

Interpreter of Maladies* by Jhumpa Lahiri
Lahiri is a master of the short story. I thought this collection was more resonant and polished than her novel The Namesake. Her themes of immigration, exile, and cultural crossings are written with precision, subtletly, and emotion.

Lush Life* (Audiobook) by Richard Price
For official statistical purposes, I don't count this book. I listened to it, rather than read it. A gritty New York crime novel, Price leads you through the seemy underbelly of New York City and into the pyschology of a broad set of interesting characters. A good pick for a long drive.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf
A simple and lovely story of rural life and forming new, unusual familial bonds.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
A surprisingly engaging read, with strong characters (including Frank Lloyd Wright), strong plot, and a lot to think about. Historical fiction done well.

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard
Having read this, I no longer feel qualified to talk about it. So I won't.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
A quick and utterly charming book about reading and readers.

100 Books

Dear Readers,
I started reading a lot shortly after getting married last summer. I like to think it's because I was finally done with grad school, secured a mere 40 hour a week job, faced no daunting job hunt, and thus had a bounty of previously unknown leisure time on my hands. It didn't hurt that the television writers went on strike during the fall, that Jacob and I spent a long November weekend in a Kansas condo with no television, and no overhead lighting (just little reading lamps), and that it gets dark in Seattle at about 2 pm in the winter. Jacob worries the list I keep by my bed titled "Books I've read since getting married" is an indication that I'm an unhappy and bored wife. Not so, I'm happy and boring. And it just so happens that my wedding day is a nicer, more memorable, yet arbitrary (for reading list purposes) date in my life than just about anything.

And so it happened that yesterday, 1 year, 2 months, 28 days after getting married, I read my 100th book. That's 1 book every 4.56 days. It all started with the not-so-great Wedding in December by Anita Shreve. (Oddly enough, both my friend Johanna and I chose to take this book along on our honeymoons.) And The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett marked my 100th just yesterday afternoon. (This book is small and British, not unlike Johanna.)

Thanks to the handy export feature on Goodreads, I was able to draw up some bookish stats. 100 is an easy number to do stats with, by the way.

For your statistical pleasure:
Average number of books per month: 6.66 (devilish, no?)
Most bookish month: January 2008, with 13 titles
Least bookish month: July and September 2007, with only 2 books each
Modal number of books a month: 8 (March, July, August, and September 2008)
Average number of pages per book: 314.65
My average rating (on a scale of 1-5 stars): 3.51
Number of authors read: 78
Most read author: Ann Patchett (7 books)
Second most read author: Ian McEwan (4 books)

My darling husband promises to throw me a 100 book pizza bash, a la the 4th grade reading celebrations we used to enjoy at Pizza Hut. You in?