Here’s the thing – I had a long weekend, rain in the forecast, a killer cold, AND two good books. Or so I thought. This is actually the formula for a perfect weekend, as far as I’m concerned, so maybe my expectations were too high. Or maybe the cold threw off my judgment. Whatever it was, two books that I was really looking forward to reading have turned out to be big disappointments.

I’ll start with The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk. This book is our February book club book and has been touted everywhere. The New York Times review, written by Maureen Howard, says,

“Part of the delight in “The Museum of Innocence” is in scouting out the serious games, yet giving oneself over to the charms of Pamuk’s storytelling. He often makes use of genre, turns the expected response to his purpose.”  

She then goes on to say, “There’s not much plot to “The Museum of Innocence”; and why should there be, if the artist is free? ”   

Maybe, just maybe, the plot is an important part of storytelling? Maybe the reader would like to experience something more than page after page of the kind of purple prose that the Harlequin Romance Publishers have cranked out so successfully for years. Here are a few examples:

“In that moment, on the afternoon of Monday, May 26, 1975, at about a quarter to three, just as we felt ourselves to be beyond sin and guilt so too did the world seem to have been released from gravity and time. Kissing Fusun’s shoulder, already moist from the heat of our lovemaking, I gently entered her from behind, and as I softly bit her ear, her earring must have come free and, for all we knew, hovered in midair before falling of its own accord. Our bliss was so profound that we went on kissing, heedless of the fall of the earring, whose shape I had not even noticed.”

Or this:

“Like a child she took a deep breath, sobbed once or twice, and burst into tears again. To touch her body and her lovely long arms, to feel her breasts pressed against my chest, to hold her like that, if only for a moment, made my  head spin: Perhaps it was because I was trying to repress the desire, more intense each time I touched her, that I conjured up this illusion that we had known each other for years, that we were already very close.”

The fact that Pamuk is a Nobel winner would lead us to expect better. In a Reader Review on the Museum of Innocence website , a reviewer writing under the name “Diana” asks, “Can no one tell the emperor he has no clothes?” That perfectly sums up my own evaluation of this tedious and disappointing book. I got about a quarter of the way through and gave up.

But I wasn’t concerned – I had asked for Little Bee by Chris Cleave for Christmas and was looking forward to reading the story of a Nigerian girl who escapes violence in her village to become a refugee to England, where she comes to terms with the life and experiences she left behind.

Let me say right off that Little Bee isn’t the disappointment that Museum of Innocence is. There are truly engaging parts, especially those narrated by Little Bee, herself. Unfortunately, Cleave made the decision to alternate Little Bee’s narration with that of Sarah Summers O’Rourke, an English woman with whom Little Bee shared the horror of her experience in Nigeria. This part of the novel (Sarah’s narration) is seriously contrived – doubly so because the juxtaposition of Sarah’s superficial life and narration is a jarring contrast to that of Little Bee. Maybe it was because of this, maybe it was the overstated and somewhat heavy-handed manner in which Cleave made his points about overcoming the past, living in peace, etc., but what should have been a story with strong emotion and an important message just didn’t work for me.

I still have half a day of my long weekend left – time to go peruse my bookshelves!

Becky, from Page Turners, just gave me this award along with a very generous review of my blog. This is a real honor for me, especially because Becky’s blog is such a great one. She has eclectic taste and brings an interesting variety of titles to review.  I highly recommend you take a look!

There are rules for this award:

• Accept the award, and post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
• Pass the award to 5 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know that they have been chosen for this award.

I am passing the award on to these 5 blogs:

Caribou’s Mom: I came across Wendy’s amazing blog when I was looking for a review of Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent. Not only was I pleasantly surprised to see that she and I had read many of the same titles and had similar opinions (surely a sign of Wendy’s innate discernment and intelligence!), but that she was working her way through Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, the book that so recently challenged me. Then, to add to all the other wonders of her blog, the photos of her dogs and reading that “Caribou,” after whom she named her blog, was one of them, sealed the deal for me. Check her out – it’s a blog worth devoting some time to reading!

Continuous Reader: Mozette, from Continuous Reader, is a true blogger. She hosts four different blogs but “The Reading List” is my personal favorite. I especially appreciate her defense of the small, independent bookseller, an institution that seems to be going the way of the buffalo here in the US. Since Mozette writes from Australia, where they seem to be more successful, I guess they aren’t going the way of the dingo, or wallabee, or kiwi, or whatever indigenous wildlife they are in danger of losing. Mozette writes great book reviews as well, and covers a wide range of genres and topics. Take the time to visit all her blogs!

One Minute Book Reviews: I have to admit I’m bending the rules for this award a little bit here. The rule is to pass the award along to blogs I’ve newly discovered. In truth, I’ve been reading Janice Harayda’s “One Minute Book Reviews” for months. It’s truly one of my favorite book blogs.  Her reviews are thorough and insightful. I’ve followed a number of her recommendations and never been disappointed. She also takes the time to look at selections that go beyond the best seller list – and so far, not a vampire in sight!

The Book Lady’s Blog: You have to love someone who openly admits that she spends Sundays in her pajamas. It relieves so much guilt for the rest of us! If you are a blogger who is reading this, definitely stop by her blog and read her post about partnering with Fountain Bookstore, a local indie. It’s a great idea to (1) spread your own readership while you (2) support local indie booksellers! Rebecca’s blog is fresh and funny – well worth a visit!

A Guy’s Moleskine Notebook: As a long-time user of the popular and wildly overpriced Moleskine, I was curious to check out Matt’s blog. Such a pleasure to find such thoughtful reviews of such a wide range of titles. He is, in fact, the only living human being I’ve encountered who has read one of my all time favorite books, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. I don’t know why this book isn’t better known here in the US, but I recommend you head on over to Matt’s blog and read his review. And don’t stop with that one – they are all well-written, interesting, and will expose you to titles you’ve not encountered.

I can hardly believe that I’ve come to the end of this book which is a challenging – and fascinating – read. Definitely NOT the book to read as you’re ready to drop off to sleep, Mantel challenges you to think all the way through.

So many reviews have been written of this Booker Prize winner that it seems redundant to even mention that it’s an oft-told tale – Henry VIII’s renunciation of the Catholic Church enabling him to denounce his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn – told from a new perspective: that of Thomas Cromwell. I began by thinking there was nothing new to learn about this and, in some ways, that was probably true. Certainly there was no question of how the story would end (only, at 600+ pages, IF it would end!).

I was wrong in thinking there was nothing new to learn. Mantel’s choice of Cromwell to narrate the story presented a new picture of Henry, who is shown as vulnerable, insecure, and easily manipulated, especially by Cromwell himself. However, Henry is not wholly unsympathetic, and the reader can appreciate the multi-faceted man who displays humor as well as hubris, kindness as well as obstinacy.

Of course, the main “character” here is Cromwell, and it is his portrayal that is most interesting. History has shown him to be cunning and conniving, and that comes across clearly. But as portrayed by Mantel, he is also a man who never recovers from the deaths of his wife, Liz, and young daughters, who die of a summer fever. He has an impenetrable ability to rationalize his behavior and seems honestly unaware of the influence he wields, such as when his ward, Richard, believes Cromwell will force him into a marriage.  When Cromwell assures Richard that he won’t, and Richard still questions him, Cromwell wonders:

When have I, when have I ever forced anyone to do anything, he starts to say: but Richard cuts in, “No, you don’t, I agree, it’s just that you are practiced at persuading, and sometimes it’s quite difficult, sir, to distinguish being persuaded by you from being knocked down in the street and stamped on.

We also see examples of a self-pitying side to Cromwell, that hints at less confidence that he shows to the world. As Cromwell struggles with his relationship with and to Thomas More, Thomas Audley attempts to console him:

Audley pats his arm. He wants to console him. But who can begin to do it? He is the inconsolable Master Cromwell: the unknowable, the inconsolable, the probably indefeasible Master Cromwell.

One of the things that makes this a challenge to read is that Mantel has chosen to allow Cromwell to narrate in the second person. As seen in the quote above, this can become confusing, as in “He wants to console him. . .He is the inconsolable Master Cromwell. . .” This is Cromwell’s own narration, but it forces the reader to stop and puzzle out the copious masculine pronouns. It also relays a sense that Cromwell keeps himself at as great a distance from himself as he keeps others.

Ultimately, I finished this book with a great sense of satisfaction – not only for an interesting story that I thought was well-told, but that I managed to work my way through it. I don’t begrudge the time at all, but if you’re looking for diversion when you read, this may not be the book for you.

Grade: A-

 

The three-part series, Emma by Jane Austen, begins Sunday, Jan 24, on PBS Masterpiece Classics. Full information on the series is available at the PBS website. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

For those of you who Twitter, there will be a Twitter Party between 9-11 PM EST on Sunday. Although, personally, I don’t feel the need to actively participate (wouldn’t you rather just concentrate on watching the show?), it should be interesting to read others’ comments afterward.

The New York Times has an interesting article today (Jan 23) regarding free books available on Kindle and other e-books.

This, of course, is a controversial practice. Large publishing houses fear it will drive down the price of books, but independent authors and smaller publishers find it a successful way to introduce readers to writers whose work might get buried under the “big names” (think James Patterson and Janet Evanovich).

Personally, I think that both sides have a valid argument, but I weigh in on the side of independent authors and small publishers. The publishing world is getting harder and harder to break into, and new authors find it very difficult to get a toehold. If self-publishing and offering their work for free gives them a boost, I say via con Dios!

What do you think?

I am a lover of the short story. Perhaps this is because when I was a child, Sunday night in our house was “Story Night.” We would get to take turns picking a short story and then, gathered in the family room, my father would read to us. I honestly don’t remember what stories my brother and I selected, but when it was my parents’ turn to pick we were introduced to the 1001 Arabian Nights, Jungle Book, and the work of great short story writers: O Henry, Saki, Dorothy Parker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle…. There is an elegance to a great short story that cannot be replicated in a novel – the brevity itself is part of the pleasure.

I continue to love to read short story collections, and it seems that the genre has had a resurgence recently. However, I’ve found it challenging to blog about a short story collection. Do you gloss over the highlights of an entire collection? Pick only the best and review it in depth? Because I rarely read an entire collection start to finish, I’ve decided to try reviewing stand-out stories in a collection as I come across them.

My current collection is In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Pakistani writer Daniyal Mueenuddin. The collection was a National Book Award finalist, and with good cause. Mueenuddin has taken a world we rarely see – rural Pakistan – and peopled it with real people that we relate to and care about. Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, these stories resonate and stay with you long after you close the book. 

The stories are unified through a wealthy Pakistani landowner, K.K. Harouni. The characters work for, or are otherwise related to, Harouni in some way. This device keeps us grounded in the place and exposes us to the diversity of Pakistani culture.

The story “Nawabdin Electrician” tells of Nawabdin the Electrician, known for helping his neighbors cheat the electric company by slowing down the revolutions of electric meters, and for being able to repair anything with a thick piece of leather and some mango sap. Nawab was a contented man: married to a woman he loves, successful in his career as a handyman, and employeed steadily by K.K. Harouni. Fortunately or unfortunately, Nawab is the father of twelve daughters and, in spite of the success he enjoys in his small corner of the world, he realizes that he cannot possibly afford their dowries. He hatches a plan to get a motorcycle, which would allow him to cover more ground and get more work. This seeming gift ultimately backfires on him, one with the potential of robbing Nawab of his very soul. However, we learn that Nawab is not a man immune to the power of gratitude.

This is a beautiful story – beautifully conceived and beautifully written. We see a small slice of Pakistani life that is probably new to most Western readers, but that resonates with a humanity we can all appreciate.

Grade: A

I took everyone’s advice and finished my book club book – The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. I’m an Atwood fan, and looked forward to reading this futuristic view of a dystopian society. Although I don’t usually care for science fiction, Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale - not really science fiction, but certainly futuristic - is an all-time favorite of mine. I picked up Year of the Flood hoping to find something similar.

For anyone who read Oryx and Crake (which I did not), you’ll find some familiar characters as Oryx, Crake, and Amanda Payne, to name a few, show up here. However, the point of view differs as Flood focuses on an “eco-religious” group known as God’s Gardeners. The main characters are Ren, who enters the sect as a young girl, and Toby, who is rescued by them as a young adult. The different perspectives that these characters bring to the story give us different ways of understanding the group and it’s leaders, particularly “Adam One,” the acknowledged head of the group.

The story is a fairly straightforward look at how this group attempts to withstand the disintegrating society of the “Pleeblands” (average citizens) and the “CorpSeCorps” (Corporate Security) that governs this dystopian world. It is a world rife with manufactured “food,” genetically spliced animals, and other completely conceivable changes to the natural order, with an ultimately bleak view of our future. There is suspense, friendship and affection, hymns, and the occasional sermon from Adam One to take us to an ultimate resolution of sorts.

I can’t say that I loved this book, although I loved parts of it. Atwood is always wonderful in her literary style and eye for detail, and this book is a great example of that. It is obvious that environmentalism is a cause near and dear to her heart. In fact, she has established a website, Year of the Flood.com, with many resources concerning the environment (and a CD that was produced of the God’s Gardeners hymns).

However, I felt that the heavy emphasis on environmentalism in this novel came at the expense of the storyline. I found many of the futuristic names (“liobamb,” “HelthWyzer,” “the Exfernal World” to name a few) distracting and off-putting. The plot was often dragged down by side stories designed, I believe, to proselytize  about potential dangers to the planet and/or our western culture.

I don’t begrudge  the time I spent reading this – it was interesting and gave me a lot to think about. However, I can’t honestly say that it is a book I will recommend often to friends.

Grade: C

I am experiencing a weird phenomenom that sometimes occurs for me. I’m stuck between books and seem to be unable to really read either one.

Here’s what’s happening… I received, and began to read, Wolf Hall for Christmas. Love it, but it’s very long. I wasn’t able to finish. In the meantime, I’m coming up on the deadline for my January Book Club meeting. Our book is The Year of the Flood. Frankly, I would be hard pressed to find two more different books, but both are great reads.

Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel), for anyone unfamiliar with it, is a novel based on Henry VIII’s secession from the Catholic Church from the point of view of Thomas Cromwell. Although I’ve read many different versions of this particular historical event, told from many different points of view, this is a new one and quite interesting.

The Year of the Flood (Margaret Atwood) is a futuristic dystopia in which humans – and many of the other living creatures on earth – are eliminated as a result of their own abuse of the environment. Atwood has created a fascinating society as well as an engaging story.

So – when I find myself with the time to read, I am faced with a difficult decision and paralyzed into inaction (or worse, reading People Magazine). Do I pick up Wolf Hall, which I am anxious to continue but only about halfway through the 600-odd pages, or do I dutifully finish my Book Club assignment first, knowing I have a commitment to that group to read the book?

What would you do?

Thanks to those of you who sent so many great ideas about how to keep track of my TBR list. The winner seems to be either GoodReads or LibraryThing. Currently I use both, but this is not really efficient. All I do is keep track of the books I’ve read. I need to do more exploring about other options in both sites.

Do you have an opinion? Which has the best features? If you use one or the other, is there a reason why you chose the one you use?

I think many of us come across more intriguing book titles than we can actually get around to reading. In fact, this is sort of the impetus for my blog title – Too Many Books, Too Little Time! I’ve been struggling with this lately – how to keep track of the interesting titles that I want to read and not have them lost due to my poor memory.

I’ve been considering a few options:

- Getting a journal to list them

- Starting an Excel spreadsheet

- Starting genre pages here on my blog

- Keeping a list on Library Thing or Good Reads

Do any of you have a great way that you keep track of the books you plan to get around to when you have the time?