State of the Blog, Part Three: The Authors

Summer is finally here in Portland, so it is time for my quarterly, three-part, progress assessment. The first part addressed the book lists. Part Two covered the challenges I joined this year. Part Three, here, takes a look at the author lists.

So far this year, I have only read 12 books by my listed authors this year. I need ot make time for my favorites. 

THE AUTHORS

Kingsley Amis
Books read so far: 8/48
Books read in 2010: four (or two, depending how you count compilations):

1. One Fat Englishman (reviewed here); and
2. Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis (reviewed here), which includes the complete, previously published volumes:
• On Drink;
• Every Day Drinking; and 
• How's Your Glass

Books I hope to read in 2010: probably no more
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

Kate Atkinson
Books read so far: 2/8
Books read in 2010: one (Case Histories, for the Typically British Challenge)
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2

• One Good Turn
• When Will There be Good News?

Books on my TBR shelf: 2

Cara Black
Books read so far: 2/9
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one, if the one on my TBR shelf is the next in order
Books on my TBR shelf: one

William Boyd

Books read so far: 3/16
Books read in 2010: one (The New Confessions, reviewed here)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one more (A Good Man in Africa)
Books on my TBR shelf: 3

James Lee Burke
Books read so far: 13/17 (Dave Robicheaux series only)
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2 or 3 -- I'm almost done with them
Books on my TBR shelf: 3

Lee Child
Books read so far: 12/14
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2

• Gone Tomorrow
• 61 Hours

Books on my TBR shelf: zero

A. J. Cronin

Books read so far: 1/25
Books read in 2010: one (Three Loves, reviewed here)
Books I hope to read in 2010: that may be it for this year
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

M. F. K. Fisher
Books read so far: 4/27
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2, but I have not decided which ones
Books on my TBR shelf: 4

F. Scott Fitzgerald
Books read so far: 8/13
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: probably zero, this is a future goal
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Penelope Fitzgerald
Books read so far: 2/9
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (The Bookshop, for the Bibliophilic Books Challenge)
Books on my TBR shelf: 2

Richard Ford
Books read so far: 5/10
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: undecided
Books on my TBR shelf: 3

Dick Francis
Books read so far: 4/47
Books read in 2010: two

1. Second Wind (reviewed here); and
2. Under Orders.

Books I hope to read in 2010: probably no more
Books on my TBR shelf: 4

Jim Harrison
Books read so far: 20/20 (prose only)
Books read in 2010: one (Farmer's Daughter, reviewed here)
Books I hope to read in 2010: no more
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Nick Hornby
Books read so far: 2/11
Books read in 2010: one (The Polysyllabic Spree, reviewed here)
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2 more

• Housekeeping vs. the Dirt
• Shakespeare Wrote for Money

Books on my TBR shelf: 3

John Lescroart
Books read so far: 16/17 (Dismus Hardy series and spin offs)
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (A Plague of Secrets)
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Elinor Lipman
Books read so far: 4/10
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (Then She Found Me)
Books on my TBR shelf: 2

David Lodge
Books read so far: 2/15 (fiction only)
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: at least 2, but I don't know which ones
Books on my TBR shelf: 9

Ian McEwan
Books read so far: 5/13
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: at least one, but I do not have any on my TBR shelf
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Jack Ohman
Books read so far: 5/10
Books read in 2010: one (Angler Management, but I haven't reviewed it yet)
Books I hope to read in 2010: no more

Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Anthony Powell
Books read so far: 13/32
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (Venusberg)
Books on my TBR shelf: one

Philip Roth
Books read so far: 8/30
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: at least one, but I haven't decided which one
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

Martin Cruz Smith
Books read so far: 6/6 (Arkady Renko series only)
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: zero, unless I get my hands on Three Stations,
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Julia Spencer-Fleming
Books read so far: 5/7
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (I Shall Not Want)
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

William Styron
Books read so far: 2/10
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: probably zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 3

Anne Tyler
Books read so far: 4/18
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (Breathing Lessons, for my Pulitzer pick for the Battle of the Prizes challenge)
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

John Updike
Books read so far: 8/26
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: at least one, but I do not know which one
Books on my TBR shelf: 9

Andrea U'ren
Books read so far: zero/2
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: hopefully both of them
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

Simon Winchester
Books read so far: 5/16
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: two

1. The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology
2. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded

Books on my TBR shelf: one

Teaser Tuesday: Small Island

"The English woman was still looking at me when I entered the hallway. Perusing me in a fashion as if I was not there to see her stares."

--  Small Island by Andrea Levy.


Although I started Small Island last week, I have only read a few pages because I got sucked back into Up in the Old Hotel.

But, since I left Up in the Old Hotel in the locker room at the gym (I've lost track of how many times I have done this -- I need to tattoo a reminder on the back of my hand), I have turned to Small Island for my teaser. From the first chapter, when Hortense first arrives in London.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday

I only got one new book last week, and it did not come in the mail. I found it at a garage sale. So I have another very short list for Mailbox Monday.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. This one got so much buzz that I finally decided to read it.

Cookbook Library: Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook

Probably no cookbook maven inspires the love/hate reaction that Martha Stewart does.  I don't think I am alone in this. I have at least nine of her cookbooks, not to mention a box of the little "Dinner of the Month" cards from her magazine that I have ripped out and saved for years, but I seldom cook from any of them.  I find that the recipes are either needlessly complicated (fine if you have staff on hand to help) or just go wrong, like she hides a booby trap in there designed to destroy the amateur's cooking confidence.

But, being determined to make at least one new recipe from every cookbook on my shelves, I turned to Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook.  I had a whim to make pâté for a little backyard picnic, now that the weather has finally turned nice.  But the Silver Palate recipe I usually use is a little time-consuming -- mostly because it requires final oven cooking in a bain-marie.  Martha's recipe was simple and pretty quick, although I skimped on the soaking stage:

1/2 pound chicken livers, cleaned
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
salt & pepper

A summary of instructions:

Soak the livers in the brandy for 3 to 4 hours in a cool place (I did this for one hour).Drain, but save the liquid.

Saute shallots in half the butter. Add livers, sage, salt and pepper and saute until livers are not pink inside (about 5 minutes).

Transfer to food prosessor, add remaining butter, and process until smooth. Add the brandy liquid. Proseess another 30 seconds.

Transfer to an earthenware bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

She recommends using a "Pullman loaf pan" and even provides the dimensions (good thing, because what is a Pullman loaf?): 16" x 3 1/2" x 3 1/2". Wait a minute. Look at the ingredients. There is, at most, one cup -- eight ounces -- of material involved in this recipe. If you poured it into a 16-inch long pan, even if only 3 1/2 inches wide, you would end up with a very thin, flat slab of pâté. I doubled the recipe and it still fit in a small crock not much bigger than a ramekin. 

OK. Having avoided the booby trap of the Pullman loaf pan, the recipe was easy enough and straightforward. I like a little cognac in pâté, so this seemed to be the recipe for me. I thought I had finally found a Martha recipe I would use often.

Oh, was I wrong. The cognac flavor was so overwhelming you could almost see the fumes rising off the cracker. Instead of tasting like pâté with a hint of brandy, it tasted like a liver-infused cocktail -- which is disgusting even to type.

Once again, Martha let me down. It was inedible. Our backyard picnic was heavy on cheese and olives.  The pâté went down the garbage disposal. 



NOTES

I am interested to know if anyone has ever had luck with Martha Stewart recipes. Anyone? Anything? Please share! I want to know the secret.

Beth Fish Reads hosts a weekly event called Weekend Cooking.  It dovetails nicely with my goal of making one new recipe from all the books in my Cookbook Library.

Opening Sentence of the Day: Small Island

"I thought I'd been to Africa."

-- from the Prologue to Small Island by Andrea Levy.

I've been hearing very good things about this book and am excited to finally start reading it. It is about Jamaican immigrants to Britain after WWII.

Oddly, the inside cover of my edition describes this as "an encapsulation of the most American of experiences: the immigrant's life." "American"? Oh well, the author didn't write the book jacket, so I'll have to let go of that one and not let it color my reaction to the book.

This book won the Orange Prize and the Costa Book of the Year. It is my book club's upcoming book and counts as one of the books I am reading for the Book Awards challenge. So I'll get to scratch this off several lists when I finish it -- how satisfying.


NOTE

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a Friday fun "opening sentence" event hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Post the opening sentence of the book(s) you started this week and see what other books people have going.

State of the Blog, Part Two: The Challenges

Summer is finally here in Portland, so it is time for my quarterly, three-part, progress assessment. The first part addressed the book lists. Part Two, here, deals with the challenges I joined this year. Part Three will take a look at the author lists.

I am hosting two "Battle of the Prizes" challenges this year and working on several others.  All are listed in the right-hand column.

CHALLENGES HOSTED BY ROSE CITY READER

Battle of the Prizes: American Version

National Book Award winners v. Pulitzer Prize winners, rules here. There is still time to sign up! And even though I haven't read any of my three books yet, chaotic compendiums and 100 Books. 100 Journeys. are already finished.

Books read so far: zero (how shameful!)

Books I'm going to read for this challenge: 3

1. Them by Joyce Carol Oates for my National winner;
2. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler for my Pulitzer winner; and
3. The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter for my double dipper choice.

Battle of the Prizes: British Version

Man Booker Prize v. James Tait Black Memorial Prize, rules here. Again, there is still time to sign up!  

Books read so far: one (The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry for my James Tait Black winner; reviewed here) 

Books I'm going to read for this challenge: 2 more

1. The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch for my Booker winner; and
2. G by John Berger for my double dipper choice. 

CHALLENGES I AM PARTICIPATING IN

Bibliophilic Books Challenge



A challenge to read books about books. The home page is here.

I signed up for the "Bibliomaniac" level, which means I have 12 to read by the end of the year. I do not have a final list yet, but I have several in mind.

Books read so far: 2

1. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby (reviewed here);
2. The Flaneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris by Edmund White (reviewed here);
3. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (reviewed here); and
4. A Year in the World by Frances Mayes (reviewed here).

Books I may read for this challenge (so many to chose from):

1. Housekeeping vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby;
   
2. Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby; 
3. Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love, edited by Anne Fadiman; 
4. 99 Novels by Anthony Burgess;
5. The Well-Educated Mind by Wise S. Bauer;
6. How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom;
7. Studies in Classic American Literature by D. H. Lawrence;
8. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald;
9. The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte; 
10. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon;
11. At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries by Estelle Ellis;
12. The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World by Guillaume de Laubier;
13. Literary Essays by Mark Twain;
14. Speak Memory by Vladimir Nobokov;
15. Saul Bellow: A Biography of the Imagination by Ruth Miller;
16. Oscar Wilde: A Certain Genius by Barbara Belford;
17. Capote by Gerald Clarke;
18. Greene on Capri: A Memoir by Shirley Hazzard; and
19. Walks in Hemingway's Paris: A Guide To Paris For The Literary Traveler by Noel Fitch

Birth Year Reading Challenge 

This challenge is to read one or more books published in the year you were born, hosted by Hotchpot Cafe. My main post for this challenge is here.

Books read so far: one (Indian Summer by John Knowles; reviewed here)

I really want to read The Valley of the Dolls by Jaqueline Susann (what a great excuse!), but I don't have a copy yet.


Book Awards Challenge

The challenge involves reading ten books that won ten different prizes by November 1, 2010. The home page is here. Many of my picks overlap with other challenges, but I better get hopping.

Books read so far: 4

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (National Book Critics Circle winner;
2. The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips (Discover Award winner; reviewed here);
3. Citizen Vince by Jess Walter (Edgar winner; reviewed here);
4. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (Costa winner; reviewed here). 

Books I may read for this challenge:

1. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (Pulitzer winner);
2. Them by Joyce Carol Oates (National winner);
3. The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch (Booker winner);
4. G by John Berger (James Tait Black winner);
5. Small Island by Andrea Levy (Orange winner);
6. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (Nobel winner); and
7. Seaview by Toby Olson (PEN/Faulkner winner).

Chunkster Challenge

I signed up for the "Mor-book-ly Obese" level, meaning I will read six 450+-page books (or three 750+-pagers). Caribousmom hosts this challenge.

Books read so far: one (Three Loves by A. J. Cronin; reviewed here). Again, I better get those pages turning! I am behind on this challenge.

Books I may read for this challenge: 

1.  Them by Joyce Carol Oates (which I am reading for my Battle of the Prizes: American Version challenge); 
2. The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch (which I am reading for my Battle of the Prizes: British Version challenge);
3. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (on the Radcliffe list); and
4. one more that I haven't come up with yet because I was thinking of using Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell, but then realized it is a book of essays and that does not count.

100+ Challenge

I signed up for this because I am pretty sure I'll read more than 100 books this year. But I do not have my own post for it. The challenge home page is here.

I keep a book cover list of the books I've read this year in the right-hand column of this blog, although books don't show up over there if they are missing a cover picture on my LibraryThing library. I am up to 57 books so far this year if I didn't forget something. That happens.


Typically British Challenge (FINISHED)



I signed up at the "Cream Crackered" level to read eight "Typically British" novels. I blew through all eight pretty quickly, since probably half of the books I read qualify. The challenge home page is here.

So this is the first challenge I have completed this year. Jolly good!

Books read so far: 8

1. One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis (reviewed here);
2. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (finished, not reviewed);
3. The New Confessions by William Boyd (reviewed here);
4. Three Loves by A. J. Cronin (reviewed here);
5. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster (reviewed here);
6. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (reviewed here);
7. Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis by Kinglsey Amis (reviewed here); and
8. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (reviewed here).

Review of the Day: The Secret Scripture

The Secret Scripture is the entwined story of Roseanne McNulty, a 100-year-old mental patient, and Dr. Grene, who is desultorily trying to figure how Roseanne came to live in the institute and whether she really belongs there after all. The story is told through Roseanne’s secret diary and Dr. Grene’s journal.

Roseanne tells a harrowing tale of growing up in civil war Ireland, her tragic marriage, and the unfortunate events that culminated in her institutionalization. Grene is drawn to Roseanne and her sad history as he struggles with his own failed marriage and personal grief.

Barry is an incredibly talented storyteller. He spins a yarn that is wide sweeping, but so compellingly detailed that the reader smells the salt wind of western Ireland and hears the rustle of the meddling priest’s rusty cassock. Even though the ending may not come as a surprise, there is great satisfaction to be had from the way the clues nest so snugly together.

OTHER REVIEWS

Wendy at caribousmom
Mel at The Book Nook

(If you would like your review of this book, or any others by Sebastian Barry, please leave a comment with a link and I will list it here.)

NOTE

This is the James Tait Black Memorial Prize winner that I read for the Battle of the Prizes, British Version. I’m hosting the challenge, so it is about time I read a book for it.

Teaser Tuesday: Up in the Old Hotel

"A bossy, yellow-haired blonde named Mazie P. Gordon is a celebrity on the Bowery. In the nickel-a-drink saloons and in the all night restaurants which specialize in pig snouts and cabbage at a dime a platter, she is known by her first name."

Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell.

Mitchell's portrait of Mazie -- who owned a low-rent movie theater and ran the ticket window day in and day out for decades -- is one of many absorbing stories about the colorful characters he studied while working as a reporter for the New Yorker from the 1930s through the 1960s.

My friend Bob from the fabulous Art Scatter blog left this comment about Mitchell and this wonderful book:

This book is just great, great personal journalism, and it brings back the flavor of a New York that will never be again. Mitchell was a staff writer for The New Yorker who spent the last 20 years or so of his life going to the office faithfully every day -- the routine became a legend at the magazine -- but, after an extraordinarily prolific career, never wrote another word. He'd simply written himself out.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Author Interview: Liz Crain

Liz Crain is the author of the brand new, must-have book: The Food Lover's Guide to Portland. I have been dreaming about this book ever since I heard rumor of it a few months back.  I was lucky enough to read tidbits from the electronic version, and have been trolling Liz's mouthwatering website for more appetizers.  But I cannot wait to get my hands on the real thing when it comes out next week.



See here for details on the book launch party and other upcoming events.  The book is available from amazon, Powell's Barnes & Nobel, and IndieBound, as well as several bookstores.  If you live in Portland, are planning a visit, or just like foodie books, this is the book for you.

Even amid the hullabaloo of promoting her book, Liz was gracious enough to answer several questions about her book, writing, Portland, and food:

How did you come to write the Food Lover’s Guide to Portland?

I'd been writing about food and drink in Portland for five years when I decided I wanted to write a book about Portland food culture. At the time I was interning at Hawthorne Books in Portland, where I'm now an editor, and part of my time at Hawthorne was spent sifting through submissions. That gave me a push in the right direction. I did my research on regional food books as well as publishers and decided to propose a book to Sasquatch Books in Seattle. They’d published The Food Lover's Guide to Seattle by Katy Calcott in 2001 with a second edition in 2004 so I thought they might want a similar title for Portland. I was right.

Do you have a culinary background? Or are you an amateur enthusiast?

I’m 33 years old and from the age of 16 on the majority of jobs that I've had have been in food service -- everything from cooking and catering to serving and vending. That said, I don't have serious kitchen chops, I don't own a toque, I don't have a culinary degree. I just love food -- cooking, eating, cultivating and writing about it.

You pack the book with information on hundreds of local producers, purveyors, distillers, bakers, food carts, and farmers markets -- how did you do all the research necessary? Did you eat and drink everything you wrote about?

I ate and drank a lot of what I wrote about but it wasn't too over the top. The fact that my book focuses on producers and purveyors as opposed to restaurants and bars slimmed consumption a bit. Some days I'd conduct three in-person, hour-plus long interviews and then head to my studio to sift through and transcribe them, other days I'd roll around town visiting specialty shops, food carts, ethnic markets and more with my trusty notebook, digital recorder and camera. When I did tours and interviews I was often sampling as we went along and a lot of times folks sent me home with food and drink but it never felt too overindulgent.

How would you describe the foodie culture in Portland? Has it changed in the past few years? Decades?

I can only speak about PDX food culture from 2002 on because that's when I moved here. Of course, I have a sense about what it was like before then but I'm no expert. I think there is a lot that sets Portland apart food-wise but I think that location and a strong DIY ethic are most important.

Portland is surrounded by fertile farmland and diverse growing regions and it’s situated in the Willamette Valley where everything from kiwis and cardoons to hazelnuts and wine grapes grow well. The culinary culture here is also defined by by-the-bootstraps folks and businesses. Portland is flooded with incredible food carts, farmers markets, food festivals, specialty markets and more. Food and drink made the hard way, no shortcuts, local ingredients.

What did you learn from writing your book that most surprised you?

That it's hard to type with a bandaged finger! I sliced off the tip of my right ring finger in the spring of 2009 slicing vegetables on my kitchen mandolin and it was a great excuse to further delay the writing of the book. And I definitely delayed.

I think the only thing that I'd try to do differently with a book in the future is not save so much of the writing until the end. But that's hard to train out. I do what I do because I'm curious and I love learning about food and drink culture, cultivation and craft. It's always hard for me to put the breaks on the research and start writing.

Are there any events coming up to promote the Food Lover’s Guide?

There is a lot slated. I'll tell you about a few but I'd also like to let your readers know that my website has a good list of book events and coverage. Events that I'm excited about include my book launch party at Fortune Tattoo from 6-9pm on July 1st, a book reading and food panel at the Downtown Powell's at 7:30pm on August 2nd, a similar event at In Good Taste at 2pm on July 10th, as well as the Mississippi Avenue Street Fair on the morning of the same day July 10th. I'll be tabling at the fair with Paul Gerald, author of Breakfast in Bridgetown from 10am-noon I think.

What’s next? Are you working on your next book?

I've got some ideas and a couple are collaborations that I'm excited about. I'm not sure which project or projects will take the cake but for now I'm happy freelancing, continuing my work as an editor at Hawthorne, and making a bit of time for my own creative writing. Another book will come, just not sure what yet.

Do you like to read food-related books? What are some of your favorites?

Oh yeah. In no particular order I love James Beards' Delights and Prejudices, MFK Fisher's The Gastronomical Me, Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme's My Life in France, Nigel Slater's Toast, Sandor Ellix Katz's Wild Fermentation, Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, Judith Jones' The Tenth Muse, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilema to name a few. I also love to read cookbooks especially older ones.

Can you tell us your favorite Portland restaurants?

That's a difficult question for two reasons--there are so many and I don't like to endorse. The way around that is I'll tell you several restaurants and food carts that I've been loving lately on a regular basis but I won't say favorite: Tanuki, Andina, BeWon, Little Red Bike, Evoe, The Frying Scotsman, Gruner, Eat Oyster Bar, Pok Pok, Nicholas, Taste of Jakarta, and The Big Egg.

Do you predict any changes coming in Portland’s culinary scene? Any trends in the making? Anything you would like to see happen?

In terms of dining in the past few years we've seen an upsurge in sandwich shops, burger bars and food carts to name a few. Those all read to me as affordable, lowbrow and fast. I think we'll see more of the same type of businesses opening in Portland -- small, low overhead, minimal menu, but really good and affordable food and drink.

My two biggest wants in terms of restaurants and carts are more seafood options and more late night dining options. These both lack in Portland. I'm not sure why we don't have more seafood restaurants although spoilage is certainly a factor. Seafood is just so freaking perishable and short lived in the walk-in.

Portland's late night dining is helped and hindered by the OLCC. All bars have to have hot and cold food available so that's competition for late-night restaurants. I'd sort of love to open a Cincinnati chili parlor. That's where I'm from and I swear by it. I want more late night slice shops, gyro spots, diners, whatever. Just more.

In terms of ingredients, which is what my book is all about I think that we'll see a lot more monomaniacal shops in the years to come. At least I hope so. By that I mean hyper-focused food or drink shops such as an all-sake bottle shop, an all fermented food shop, a house-smoked foods shop. We already have a salt shop, cheese shops, spice shops, chocolate shops etc. Portland supports entrepreneurial passion with a strong buy local ethic and celebration of unique products so these businesses survive.

One last thing: I hope with all hope that we get Ron Paul's James Beard Public Market -- a year-round covered outdoor public food and drink market. That would make me very happy.

THANKS LIZ!

Mailbox Monday

Only one book came into my house last week, so this is a very short Mailbox Monday post.  This is probably a good thing, because I must read more book than I acquire each week to make some space on my overcrowded TBR shelves.

Burmese Lessons: A True Love Story by Karen Connelly (from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program -- just when I thought I was catching up on that list)

State of the Blog, Part One: The Lists

Summer starts this week, but it's hard to tell here in rainy Portland. The sun is supposed to arrive in the next few days, so in anticipation, here is the first of my quarterly blog assessment posts.


My List of Lists is over in the right-side column. These are Prize Winners, Must Reads, and other lists of books I have read or intend to read for some reason or another. Also in the right-side column is a list of my favorite authors. I add to both lists from time to time.

This is a three-part assessment. This first part addresses the book lists. Part Two, coming soon, will deal with the challenges I joined this year. Part Three will take a look at the author lists.

So far in 2010, I have read a total of 28 books from my various book lists. That is better progress than I would have guessed, but I am still daunted by the number of books on my TBR shelves. I should spend more time reading and less time playing with my lists.

THE LISTS

1899 Top 100
Books read so far: 7/100
Books read in 2010: zero (but I am more than halfway through The Count of Monte Cristo)
Books I hope to read in 2010: 3

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
2. The Moonstone by Willkie Collins
   
3. Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz

Books on my TBR shelf: 13

All-TIME Top 100
Books read so far: 75/100
Books read in 2010:

1. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
2. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion (reviewed here)
   

Books I hope to read in 2010: those two, plus two-thirds (I really hope to finish The Lord of the Rings.)
Books on my TBR shelf: 14

Anthony Burgess
Books read so far: 28/99
Books read in 2010: 2

1. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (reviewed here)
2. Titus Groan by Mervin Peake (reviewed here)

Books I hope to read in 2010:one more (Strangers and Brothers by C.P. Snow)
Books on my TBR shelf: 20

BBC's Big Read
Books read so far: 55/100
Books read in 2010: 2

1. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
2. Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (reviewed here)
3. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (reviewed here)

Books I hope to read in 2010: 2 more

1. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas 

Books on my TBR shelf: 9

Book Club
Books read so far: 17/18
Books read in 2010: 2

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
2. The Red Tent  by Anita Diamant

Books I hope to read in 2010: 3 more (but Small Island is the only one I know so far) Books on my TBR shelf: one

College Board
Books read so far: 76/101
Books read in 2010: one (Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one more (The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath)
Books on my TBR shelf: 15

Costa Book of the Year
Books read so far: 5/24
Books read in 2010: 2

1. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
2. Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney

Books I hope to read in 2010: one more (Small Island by Andrea Levy)
Books on my TBR shelf: one

Easton Press
Books read so far: 56/100
Books read in 2010: one (The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one more (The Count of Monte Cristo)
Books on my TBR shelf: 31

Edgar Award
Books read so far: 7/55
Books read in 2010: 2

1. New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith
2. Citizen Vince by Jess Walter (reviewed here)

Books I hope to read in 2010: no more, I don't think
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

Erica Jong
Books read so far: 31/100
Books read in 2010: 2  

1. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbon (reviewed here)
2. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion (reviewed here)

Books I hope to read in 2010: several, including

1. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
   
2. Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier
   
3. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
   

Books on my TBR shelf: 19

French Connection
Books read so far: 45/112 (and counting -- there are more books to add to the list)
Books read in 2010:3

1. The Flaneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris by Edmund White (reviewed here) 
2. L'Affaire by Diane Johnson
3. My Life in France by Julia Child (reviewed here)

Books I hope to read in 2010: 2 more

1. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
2. The Count of Monte Cristo

Books on my TBR shelf: 25

Guilt List

Books read so far: I don't keep track, because I delete them after I read them
Books read in 2010: same
Books I hope to read in 2010: 13 more (I'll be busy)

1. The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos
2. The Art of Disappearing by Ivy Pochoda
3. The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott
4. The Mermaid and the Messerschmitt by Rulka Langer 
5. Soldiers in Hiding by Richard Wiley
6. Saving Stanley: The Brickman Stories by Scott Nadelson 
7. Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz 1942-1957 by Robert Dietsche
8. Another Way the River Has: Taut True Tales from the Northwest by Robin Cody   
9. An Architectural Guidebook to Portland by Bart King 
10.  The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees
11. A Geography of Secrets by Fredrick Reuss 
12. Lunatic Express: Discovering the World via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes by Carl Hoffman
13. To the Woods: Sinking Roots, Living Lightly, and Finding True Home by Evelyn Searle Hess

Books on my TBR shelf: 13

James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Books read so far: 8/96
Books read in 2010: one (The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry; for my Battle of the Prizes, British Version challenge)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one more (G by John Berger; also for my Battle of the Prizes, British Version challenge)
Books on my TBR shelf: 10


LT Early Reviewers
Books read so far: 27/30
Books read in 2010: 6

1. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (reviewed here)
2. Maimonides: and the Biblical Prophets by Israel Drazin
3. Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow (reviewed here)
4. The Wall in My Head: Words and Images from the Fall of the Iron Curtain, published by Words Without Borders Anthologies (reviewed here)
5. Short Stories, Book I by Anton Chekhov (reviewed here)
6. A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks (reviewed here)

Books I hope to read in 2010: three more

1. The New York Stories by Elizabeth Hardwick
2. Beautiful Maria of My Soul by Oscar Hijuelos 
3. Burmese Lessons: A True Love Story by Karen Connelly

Books on my TBR shelf: 3

Man Booker Prize
Books read so far: 21/43
Books read in 2010:one (The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga)
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2 more (for my Battle of the Prizes, British Version challenge)

1. G by John Berger 
2. The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch

Books on my TBR shelf: 15

MLA's 30
Books read so far: 22/30
Books read in 2010: one (The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver)
Books I hope to read in 2010: just the one
Books on my TBR shelf: 4

Modern Library
Books read so far: all of them!
Books read in 2010: zero (finished this list a couple of years ago)
Books I hope to read in 2010: none
Books on my TBR shelf: zero

National Book Award
Books read so far: 26/64
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to Read in 2010: 2 (for the Battle of the Prizes, American Version challenge)

1. Them by Joyce Carol Oates
2. The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter

Books on my TBR shelf: 13

NBCC Award
Books read so far: 16/34
Books read in 2010: one (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one more (Counterlife by Philip Roth)
Books on my TBR shelf: 11

Nobel Laureates
Authors read so far: 20/106
Books read in 2010: one (Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney)
Books I hope to read in 2010: one more (Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset)
Books on my TBR shelf: 31 (but most by authors already read)

Observer's Top 100
Books read so far: 58/100
Books read in 2010: 2  

1. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
2. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Books I hope to read in 2010: one and two-thirds

1. the last two books in The Lord of the Rings
2. The Count of Monte Cristo

Books on my TBR shelf: 18

Orange Prize
Books read so far: 1/13
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: one (Small Island by Andrea Levy)
Books on my TBR shelf: 5

Oregon Books
Books read so far: 3/20
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: maybe none
Books on my TBR shelf: 2

PEN/Faulkner

Books read so far: 7/29
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to read in 2010: 2

1. Soldiers in Hiding by Richard Wiley (also on my Guilt List)
2. Seaview by Toby Olson

Books on my TBR shelf: 12

Pulitzer Prize
Books read so far: 40/84
Books read in 2010: one (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz)
Books I hope to read in 2010: at least 2 (for the Battle of the Prizes Challenge) 

1. The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter
2. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Books on my TBR shelf: 19

Radcliffe's Top 100
Books read so far: 88/100
Books read in 2010: two

1. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster (reviewed here)
2. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
3. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (reviewed here) 

Books I hope to read in 2010: 3+

1. the rest of The Lord of the Rings
2. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
4. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner

Books on my TBR shelf: 9

RCR Top 10
Books read so far: 10/10 (it's my list)
Books read in 2010: one (Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbon; reviewed  here)
Books I hope to Read in 2010: probably none -- one change this year is a big step already
Books on my TBR shelf: who knows?

Well-Stocked Bookcase
Books read so far: 35/60
Books read in 2010: zero
Books I hope to Read in 2010: 2

1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
2. Them by Joyce Carol Oates

Books on my TBR shelf: 13

Review of the Day: A Week in December

A Week in December follows a loosely linked network of Londoners – most of them connected by an invitation to a fancy dinner party on Saturday night at the home of a new Member of Parliament – during the week before Christmas. While the core characters go about their lives, one plots an extravagant act of terrorism with the other members of his militant Islamic cell.

This structure is risky. The different threads could easily unwind into separate short stories and it is difficult to maintain the tension of the two main plots to a satisfactory conclusion. But Sebastian Faulks is a master. There is enough interweaving of the characters’ lives – many of the women are in the same book club, for instance – to keep the stories connected. And he skillfully handles the terrorism story line right to the end.

The device of following such a large cast allows Faulks to take on all of modern culture, examining contemporary literature, professional sports, unscrupulous investment bankers, modern parenting, reality television, corporate sponsorship of book awards, trends in education, and the business of art. Some of his digressions, such as his explanations of esoteric hedge fund transactions, show more enthusiasm for the subject than his readers may share, but overall he packs a lot of material into an entertaining package.

In particular, Faulks’s take on authors and the book business, through the eyes of the snarky, book reviewing Ralph Tranter, is hilarious. After a lackluster reception of his own novel, “R. Tranter” recreated himself as a trenchant, take-no-prisoners book reviewer. Some of his reviews are pithy masterpieces, such as “[p]oor man’s Somerset Maugham, with embarrassing improbabilities at key moments,” or “[c]ostive little stories that beg to be called significant,” or, best of all, “typical subcontinental, sub-Rushdie, look-at-me-aren’t-I-refreshing and tragically not copy-edited bollocks.” But the thing about Tranter is that he simply does not like anything written by a living author:

Crash was what he wanted: crash and burn – failure, slump, embarrassment, He liked it when acerbic youngsters teased established writers and he relished it when old pipe-suckers slapped down a lively newcomer. His own specialty was the facetious, come-off-it review which invited the reader to share his opinion that the writer’s career had been a sustained con trick at the expense of the gullible book buyer.

Despite his bristles, Tranter is one of the few likeable characters and one who, thankfully, gets what he deserves in the end.

Faulks takes a lot on in A Week in December. He manages the job with precision and honesty, and even if his hand is sometimes a little heavy, this is the best book to come off the presses in a long while.

OTHER REVIEWS

Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

If you would like your review of this book, or any other Sebastian Faulks book, listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

I got this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. Now that I finished it, I can scratch it off my list.