Review: Cutting for Stone

Despite its enormous popularity, including with the ladies in my book club, I thought that Abraham Verghese's hefty novel, Cutting for Stone was only so-so.  It is an interesting story about two brothers and their families – natural and adopted – but it went on too long for me and the medical details weighed it down.

The story really gets going with the traumatic birth of twin brothers, Shiva and Marion, at Missing Hospital in Ethiopia. The sons of an Indian nun and a British surgeon, both boys grow up to become doctors. Their story has roots in India, takes them to New York and Boston, embroils them in the political upheavals in Ethiopia, and tears the brothers apart over a woman before uniting them for good.

The multiple storylines are absorbing. But when they all spectacularly converge, the climax is startlingly hard to believe and throws off the pacing of the rest of the book.

Cutting for Stone is worthwhile, but would have benefited from a stronger hand on the editing reigns.

OTHER REVIEWS

Man of la Book

If you would like your review of Cutting for Stone listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it. 

Review: What a Piece of Work I Am

Only rarely do I stray from my book lists when choosing what to read. When I do, it is with mixed results. Maybe my book club will pick something that I never heard of, but end up enjoying immensely (The Imperfectionists by Tim Rachman). Or I hear about a book and buy it on impulse (Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott) and love it. Or a cover catches my eye at a library book sale, and I read something I wish I hadn't.

That was a case with What a Piece of Work I Am by Eric Kraft.

Many readers might find this story-within-a-story novel to be charmingly quirky and refreshingly sassy. Unfortunately for me, what was supposed be quirky came across as cheeky and what might seem sassy to others felt too cute by half to me.

The novel looks back at the life of Ariane Lodkochnikov as she tells her story to her childhood family friend, Peter Leroy, over a series of evening visits. In dialogue irritatingly stilted for reasons apparent later, they discussed her life in seaside Babbington, from clam shack waitress, to small-town floozy, through several reinventions of herself, to her ultimate role as an international phenomenon.

The back cover describes the novel as a "fascinating meditation on human urge to tell and hear stories" and that storytelling theme is writ large throughout the narrative. However, because the book begins with a "prologue" by Leroy explaining that Ariane is his imaginary childhood friend, the whole thing feels like watching a parlor trick when you already know how it's done.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.  But since there are no reviews on amazon, it seems unlikely that other bloggers have reviews to share.

NOTES

I bought this because the cover caught my eye. I read it because I set up my 2013 TBR challenges to read though one of my TBR shelves at random.  There is a lesson in this.

Teaser Tuesdays: On the Rocks

Had that been what happened to Mr. Brown, an involuntary slip? But there had been no arm to catch him, only the red-shirted arm that flung itself out before he went off the cliff.

-- On the Rocks: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery by Sue Hallgarth.  This historic, literary mystery is the first of what could be a terrific new series.  The setting -- on the Canadian island of Grand Maras in 1929 -- is captivating and the story engaging.  On the Rocks is a real treat!


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

Mailbox Monday

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event (details here).

Lori at Lori's Reading Corner is hosting in January.  Please visit her fun blog for giveaways, reviews, and lots more.

I got one book last week:




Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. I love the faux-'70s cover!

Normally, I never buy a brand new book because it takes me years to get around to reading any book I buy -- I like to let them shelf age for a while, like wine -- so I might as well wait and find a used copy. 

But Ian McEwan is such a favorite of mine, and his new book fits into a favorite niche of mine (Cold War, British espionage) that I couldn't resist. So I have a brand new hardback just waiting to be cracked open.  I should get to it by 2016.

2012 Challenge: Chunkster Challenge Wrap Up

Wendy at Caribousmom and Vasilly at 1330V teamed up to host the 2012 Chunkster Reading Challenge.

FINISHED

2012 was the third year I participated in this challenge.  In 2010, I bit off more than I could chew, signing up for six books and only finishing four.  So I scaled back in 2011 to the "Chubby Chunkster" four-book level. 

Despite my less than stellar performance in years past, I signed up for the Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? option to read SIX chunksters from the following categories: two books 450 - 550 pages; two books 551 - 750 pages; and two books longer than 750 pages.

I am so pleased that I actually completed this challenge! It really got me inspired to read a couple of doorstops that have been sitting on my TBR shelves for too long. I even finished an extra book.

My books:


World Without End by Ken Follett (1,024 pages); reviewed here; 


The Gate House by Nelson DeMille (800 pages), reviewed here;

Witness by Whittaker Chambers (802 pages), reviewed here;

Personal History by Katharine Graham (642 pages), reviewed here;


The Book and the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch (624 pages), reviewed here;

Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey (511 pages), reviewed here; 

Glittering Images by Susan Howatch (462 pages), reviewed here.

I am going to sign up for the 2013 Chunkster Challenge, but probably back at the 4-book level. 

Book Beginnings: On the Rocks

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings.  You can find me @GilionDumas. I have tried to follow everyone who participates, but if I missed you, please send me a direct tweet as a gentle reminder.  I also recently signed up for Google+ and have a circle of book bloggers. Please let us know if we can find you there as well.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Edith Lewis got out her easel and watercolors and set them up near the edge of the bluff in front of their cottage on Whale Cove.

-- On the Rocks: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery by Sue Hallgarth.  Set in 1929 on Grand Maras, a Canadian island, this historic, literary mystery is the first of what looks like a terrific new series.

Review: Personal History

 

Katharine Graham deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History. Graham lived a fascinating life, from her childhood of wealth and privilege, through her tumultuous marriage to Phil Graham that ended in his suicide, to her increasingly powerful role at the helm of the Washington Post Company.

Graham's father bought the Washington Post in 1933. Her husband ran it during their marriage. When she took over after his death, she had no real work experience, no concept of the magnitude of her new job, and little support from the male-dominated publishing industry.

Learning as she went, and making many mistakes along the way, Graham grew the Washington Post Company into a media powerhouse. Under her watch, the company went public, became famous -- or infamous -- for its coverage of the Watergate scandal, and broke the unions' stranglehold of the newspaper industry after a five-month strike.

Throughout these busy years, Graham also maintained a dizzying social and community life. She traveled extensively, held positions on several professional and academic boards, and hobnobbed with politicians and other prominent figures, including among her friends the likes of Truman Capote, Henry Kissinger, and Warren Buffett.

Her first-hand account is crisply written, unflinching, and honest, but always dignified.  She discusses her family relationships and friendships, but without any intimate details.  The focus most definitely is on her public and professional life, which makes it all the more interesting.        

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of Personal History listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

I've been meaning to read Personal History for years and finally got around to it to complete the 2012 Chunkster Challenge.

Review: The Prestige

Why did I assume I would dislike The Prestige? There were several reasons:

• It is about magicians, a class of entertainers I tolerate only slightly better than mimes or clowns.
• It is set during a period of time I am bored with, no matter how enduringly popular in novels – the Civil War through World War I.
• I had already seen the movie, and I dislike reading a book when I already know what the story, especially a story with big secrets like this one.
• I really do not like speculative fiction in any of its broad forms – fantasy, paranormal, or science-fiction.

But I read it anyway because it won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and I am working my way diligently through that list. I am so glad I did!

Christopher Priest's novel is the story of two rival magicians at the turn of the 20th Century, vying to outdo each other in an illusion featuring a disappearing man. Both have secrets that follow them to the grave – and beyond – that are only revealed when their grandchildren meet up decades later.

Because Priest is such a first class storyteller, he created a drama that is entirely believable – no matter how scientifically farfetched – and mesmerizing, even for readers who know the secrets from the movie. I was completely entranced.

Even though The Prestige runs contrary to many of my book prejudices, it could end up as my favorite book of 2013 – pretty big words, considering it is only January.

OTHER REVIEWS

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

NOTES

The Prestige counts as my second Black winner for the 2012 Battle of the Prizes, British Version, which runs through January 31, 2013.   I have now finished that challenge.  Whew!

Teaser Tuesdays: Interpreter of Maladies

As a result of spending all her time in college with Raj, she continued, she did not make many close friends. There was no one to confide in about him at the end of a difficult day, or to share a passing thought or a worry.

-- from the title story in Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.  This won the Pulitzer Prize and has been on my TBR shelf for a while. 

Short story collections are never my first choice, so I am finally getting around to this one because it fell within my random choice method of selecting books for my 2013 TBR challenges.


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

Mailbox Monday & Giveaway Winner

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event (details here).

Lori at Lori's Reading Corner is hosting in January.  Please visit her fun blog for giveaways, reviews, and lots more.

GIVEAWAY WINNERS: Three lucky readers each get one copy of On the Rocks: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery by Sue Hallgarth, a historic, literary mystery set in 1929 on the Canadian island of Grand Manan.  On the Rocks is the first of what looks like a terrific new series.

Congratulations to the winners:

• Debbie at ExUrbanis
• Elizabeth at Silver's Reviews
• Rhonda at RhondaReads

And thanks to the wonderful book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek for my copy and the giveaway copies.  Mary will be in touch with the winners to arrange delivery.

MY BOOKS LAST WEEK:

I was inspired by the 2013 Vintage Mystery Challenge to pick up a short stack of pre-1960 mysteries when I was out by Booktique in Lake Oswego.  A couple of others caught my eye as well.



The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith. Only the first was published before 1960.



Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. Does this count as a mystery? I love the Penguin cover!



Old Mrs. Camelot by Emery Bonett. I've never heard of this book or author.



Too Much of Water by Bruce Hamilton. Same with this one.



Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies. Not a mystery, but I have been meaning to read more of his books.



Washington by Meg Greenfield. I finally finished Personal History by Greenfield's former publisher and friend, Katharine Graham.



The Players Come Again (a Kate Fansler mystery) by Amanda Cross. I've read one of this series and liked it.



The CEO of the Sofa by P. J. O'Rourke. He always makes me laugh.

2013 Challenge: The Vintage Mystery Challenge

NOT COMPLETED!

Even though I cut way back on challenges in 2013, I can't resist the Vintage Mystery Challenge that Bev hosts on My Reader's Block. The idea is to read mysteries first published prior to 1960.

This year, Bev has a "Scattegories" theme requiring participants to read eight books, each from a different category.  Click on the button or link above for all the details or to sign up.

MY BOOKS

I only got through five of my eight and only reviewed two of those.  Only one was on my original list of possibilities.

• The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie (A Calendar of Crime), reviewed here;
• Beast in View by Margaret Millar (Amateur Night), reviewed here;  
• Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier (Jolly Old England), not reviewed;
• Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh (Leave it to the Professionals), not reviewed;
• Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (The Old Bailey), not reviewed.

POSSIBILITIES

These are on my TBR shelves now, so tempt me the most. Notes on which category they apply to are in parenthesis.

• The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (World Traveler)
  
• Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier (Jolly Old England)
• Old Mrs. Camelot by Emery Bonett (Staging the Crime)
  
• Too Much of Water by Bruce Hamilton (Murder on the High Seas)
• Ashenden: or The British Agent by Somerset Maugham (Leave it to the Professionals)
  
• Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver (The Old Bailey or Book to Movie)
• An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman (Murder is Academic)
• The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (Country House Criminals)

UPDATED on December 26, 2013.

Book Beginnings: Interpreter of Maladies

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I also recently signed up for Google+ and have a button over there in the right-hand column to join my circles or whatever it is. I don't really understand yet how that one works.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING

The notice informed then that it was a temporary matter: for five days their electricity would be cut off for one hour, beginning at eight P.M.

-- from "A Temporary Matter," the first story in Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahir.

This is one of the books I am reading for my 2013 TBR challenges. It won the Pulitzer Prize for 1999, but I haven't gotten around to it before this.

Teaser Tuesdays:

I am in Detroit for work and forget to post my teaser!

Here it is, delayed and without links. From the book I started on the plane.

She had spent the whole first week of the occupation in a kind of trance almost resembling happiness. After roaming the streets with her camera, she would hand the rolls of film to foreign journalists, who actually fought over them

-- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

I never read this when it was so popular. Which is why it is on my list for the TBR challenges I'm doing this year.


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

Mailbox Monday & GIVEAWAY Reminder

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event (details here).

Lori at Lori's Reading Corner is hosting in January.  Please visit her fun blog for giveaways, reviews, and lots more.

GIVEAWAY REMINDER: You still have today to enter the giveaway for On the Rocks: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery by Sue Hallgarth, a historic, literary mystery that is the first of what looks like a terrific new series.

GO HERE FOR THE GIVEAWAY SIGN UP AND DETAILS

Thanks go to book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek for my copy, and copies for a giveaway! The book is available on amazon or, better yet, ask your local bookstore to order it!

MY BOOKS: Thanks to a little browsing at my favorite Second Glance Books, I found a few mysteries that caught my fancy.  Cold, grey Januaries always put me in the mood to read mysteries.



Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh. I read one of her mysteries last year and now want to read them all.



Upon a Dark Night by Peter Lovesey. I've been gathering his Peter Diamond mysteries -- it's time to start reading them.



The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell.  A stand-alone mystery by the author of the Wallender series. I love the tv version with Kenneth Branaugh.

And I got an irresistible book with drawings of letters by David Hockney, each accompanied by an essay by a famous author.  How cool!



Hockney's Alphabet by David Hockney.

Jazz as Literature: The Lush Life of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

John Coltrane's Lush Life album was the first jazz album I ever heard. I was 19 and had a dubbed cassette tape copy that I played until the tape wore thin.

Only years later, after I married my jazz loving husband, did I hear the recording of "Lush Life" featuring Coltrane on tenor sax and and Johnny Hartman on vocals. Whoa! Vocals? Lyrics? Until then, I didn't know the song had lyrics.

Because the instrumental version is etched on my brainpan, every time I hear Johnny Hartman singing, I'm a little startled. It always feels to me that the lyrics were added later, like color added to a classic black-and-white movie.

Which may be why I now focus so hard on the lyrics when I hear the song. There's a whole novel in there. A whole novel of lost romance, Paris, booze, good times, and sad living.  Jazz as literature.

LUSH LIFE

music and lyrics by Billy Strayhorn

I used to visit all the very gay places,
those come-what-may places,
where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
to get the feel of life – from jazz and cocktails.

The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces,
with distingué traces that used to be there.
You could see where they'd been washed away
by too many through the day twelve o'clocktails

Then you came along with your siren song
to tempt me to madness.
I thought for awhile that your poignant smile
was tinged with the sadness of a great love for me.

Ah yes, I was wrong;
again, I was wrong.

Life is lonely, again, and only last year
everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful, again,
a trough full of hearts could only be a bore.

A week in Paris could ease the bite of it;
all I care is to smile in spite of it.

I'll forget you, I will, while yet you are still
burning inside my brain romance is mush,
stifling those who strive.

I'll live a lush life in some small dive.
And there I'll be
while I rot with the rest of those
whose lives are lonely too.

Book Beginnings: When Priests Become Predators

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER, ETC:If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I also recently signed up for Google+ and have a button over there in the right-hand column to join my circles or whatever it is. I don't really understand yet how that one works.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.




MY BOOK BEGINNING

The sad exposition of the struggle for justice against the Roman Catholic Church in Delaware begins with the funeral of Douglas McClure, who was the nicest person I have ever known.

-- When Priests Become Predators: Profiles of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors by Thomas S. Neuberger.

This isn't light reading, but it is an honest and sadly fascinating study of the effects of childhood sexual abuse as well as the history of abuse within the Catholic Church. Neuberger used sworn testimony from jury trials and court documents to tell the stories of several abuse survivors.

I work with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.  So often, the most important step in their healing is just to be able to tell their story.  Neuberger's book recognizes the power of coming forward and letting go of the shame so many victims have carried since they were kids. 

State of the Blog: Part Three, the Challenges

This is my very last State of the Blog post.  I used these quarterly blog assessment posts to keep track of the progress I've made on my various lists -- Prize Winners and Must Reads, Favorite Authors, and Challenges.  They have been useful for me because they make me update my lists, but they are not interesting.

My final set of State of the Blog posts wrapped up my 2012 reading.  I'll think of some other way to stay organized and keep my lists updated. 

This third part deals with the challenges I joined in 2012.  Part One, here, addressed my lists of Prize Winners and Must Reads.  Part Two, here, looked at my Favorite Author lists.

Not all of my 2012 challenges are finished yet because a couple of them don't end until the end of this month.

First, the three challenges I am hosting here at Rose City Reader:
 

EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE
(finished)

TO SIGN UP FOR THE 2013 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE, CLICK HERE OR ON THE BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE RIGHT COLUMN

• High Stakes by Dick Francis (UK; reviewed here)
• Serenissima by Erica Jong (Italy; reviewed here) 
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Bosnia; reviewed here)
• Vie De France: Sharing Food, Friendship and a Kitchen in the Loire Valley by James Haller (France; reviewed here)
  
• Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (Norway; not reviewed) 

BATTLE OF THE PRIZES, AMERICAN VERSION

(finished)

• Tinkers by Paul Harding (Pulitzer; reviewed here)
• A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (Pulitzer; reviewed here) 
• The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner (National; reviewed here)
• Mr. Sammler's Planet by Saul Bellow (National; reviewed here)

BATTLE OF THE PRIZES, BRITISH VERSION 

(still going on)

This is one of the challenges that ends on January 31.  I have one book to go, and am about halfway through my second James Tait Black Memorial Prize winner, The Prestige by Christopher Priest.

• The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (Booker; reviewed here); 
• Oscar and Lucindaby Peter Carey (Booker; reviewed here); and
• The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré (Black; reviewed here)

Second, the challenges I've joined:

AUDIO BOOK CHALLENGE

(finished)

• The Coffee Trader by David Liss   
• High Stakes by Dick Francis (reviewed here) 
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (reviewed here) 
• Dracula by Bram Stoker (reviewed here) 
• My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas 
• Shroud for a Nightingale by P. D. James
• Blood Sport  by Dick Francis (reviewed here) 
• Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe by Thomas Cahill  (reviewed here)
• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  
• Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 
• What's So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D'Souza 
• The Black Tower by P. D. James 
• Driving Force by Dick Francis 
• The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie  
• Tinkers by Paul Harding (reviewed here) 
• Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope (reviewed here) 
• Dressed for Death by Donna Leon  
• The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (Booker winner; reviewed here)  
• Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table by Ruth Reichl (reviewed here)  
• Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
• Other People's Children by Joanne Trollope
  
• Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships by Daniel Goleman 
  
• Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst 
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 
• Trespass by Rose Tremain
• The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner (reviewed here) 
• Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley 
• The Silver Swan by Ben Black 
• The Edge by Dick Francis 
• Writing Places: The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher by Howard Zinsser 
• The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly 
• Brother and Sister by Joanna Trollope 
• Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller, reviewed here) 
  
• The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren (National winner; reviewed here)
  
• Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
• Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester 
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (reviewed here) 
• Death of an Expert Witness by P. D. James 
• The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré (reviewed here)
• A Personal Odyssey by Thomas Sowell 
• The Children of Men by P. D. James 
• About Face by Donna Leon
   

BACK TO THE CLASSICS and the CLASSICS CHALLENGES

(incomplete)

I finished six of the nine books for the Back to the Classics Challenge and didn't participate at all, other than as a reader of other people's posts, in the Classics Challenge.

• The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (19th Century; reviewed here)
• Dracula by Bram Stoker (horror; reviewed here)
• A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (award winner -- Pulitzer; reviewed here)
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (re-read)
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (romance; reviewed here)
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré (20th Century; reviewed here)

BIRTH YEAR READING CHALLENGE   
(finished, lamely)

• The Comedians by Graham Greene (reviewed here)

BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE FIRST YEARS OF MY LIFE CHALLENGE

(incomplete)

I signed up to read three books and only read two. 

• The Comedians by Graham Green (reviewed here); and
• May We Borrow Your Husband by Graham Greene (reviewed here)

CHUNKSTER and TEA & BOOKS CHALLENGES

(still going on and incomplete)

The Chunkster Challenge doesn't end until the end of this month.  I will finish Personal History by Katharine Graham this week, so will complete this challenge. I fell short of finishing the Tea & Books Challenge by one book.

• World Without End by Ken Follett (1,024 pages); reviewed here; 
• The Gate House by Nelson DeMille (800 pages), reviewed here;  
• Witness by Whittaker Chambers (802 pages), reviewed here; 
• The Book and the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch (624 pages), reviewed here; 
• Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey (511 pages), reviewed here;  
• Glittering Images by Susan Howatch (462 pages), reviewed here;

EASTERN EUROPE READING CHALLENGE

(incomplete)

I signed up to read four books and only read two.   

• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Bosnia; reviewed here); and
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (Russia; reviewed here)

FOODIE'S READING CHALLENGE   
(finished)

• Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table by Ruth Reichl (reviewed here);
• Vie de France: Sharing Food, Friendship, and a Kitchen in the Loire Valley by James Haller (reviewed here);
• On the Town in New York: The Landmark History of Eating, Drinking, and Entertainments from the American Revolution to the Food Revolution by Michael and Ariane Batterberry (reviewed here);
• Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller (reviewed here);
• Monsieur Pamplemousse Investigates by Michael Bond (reviewed here)

GRAHAM GREENE READING CHALLENGE

(finished) 

• The Comedians by Graham Green (reviewed here); and  
• May We Borrow Your Husband by Graham Greene (reviewed here)

HENRY GREEN WEEK 
(finished)

•  Living (reviewed here)

I LOVE ITALY READING CHALLENGE
(finished) 

• Serenissima by Erica Jong (reviewed here) 
• The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (reviewed here)
• A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (reviewed here) 
• Dressed for Death by Donna Leon (an extra; not reviewed) 

MEMORABLE MEMOIRS CHALLENGE   
(finished)

• My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas 
• Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table by Ruth Reichl (reviewed here)
• Vie de France: Sharing Food, Friendship, and a Kitchen in the Loire Valley by James Haller (reviewed here)
• Greene on Capri: A Memoir by Shirley Hazzard  (reviewed here)
• Writing Places: The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher by Howard Zinsser
• Witness by Whittaker Chambers (reviewed here) 
• A Personal Odyssey by Thomas Sowell
• Lift by Kelly Corrigan

MT. TBR, OFF THE SHELF, and the TBR PILE CHALLENGES
(finished, finished, and incomplete)

• The Mandelbaum Gate by Muriel Spark (reviewed here)
• Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth (reviewed here)
• A Case of Need by Michael Crichton
• Living by Henry Green (reviewed here)
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré (reviewed here)
• Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe. by Thomas Cahill (reviewed here)
• The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (reviewed here)
• Serenissima by Erica Jong (reviewed here)
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (reviewed here)
• A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (reviewed here) 
• Murder in Belleville by Cara Black (reviewed here)
• World Without End by Ken Follett (reviewed here)   
• The World of Herb Caen by  Barnaby Conrad (reviewed here) 
• The Black Book by Ian Rankin (reviewed here) 
• A Month of Sundays by John Updike (reviewed here) 
• Vie de France by James Haller (reviewed here) 
• The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (Booker winner; reviewed here)
• On the Town in New York: The Landmark History of Eating, Drinking, and Entertainments from the American Revolution to the Food Revolution by Michael and Ariane Batterberry (reviewed here) 
• A Time of Hope by C. P. Snow (reviewed here) 
• Home Truths by David Lodge (reviewed here) 
• Glittering Images by Susan Howatch (reviewed here) 
• Christine Falls by Benjamin Black  
  
• Trespass by Rose Tremain
• Greene on Capri: A Memoir by Shirley Hazzard 
• Paradise Postponed by John Mortimer, reviewed here; 
• The Gate House by Nelson DeMille, reviewed here; 
• Witness by Whittaker Chambers, reviewed here; 
• Mr. Sammler's Planet by Saul Bellow, reviewed here; 
• Swan Peak by James Lee Burke, reviewed here; 
• The Comedians by Graham Greene
• How To Read and Why by Harold Bloom, reviewed here; 
• Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley; 
• The Folks That Live on the Hill by Kingsley Amis; 
• Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh, reviewed here;  
• Venetian Mask by Mickey Friedman;  
• The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers; 
• Monsieur Pamplemousse Investigates by Michael Bond, reviewed here;  
• Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
• Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey, reviewed here;  
• The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille; 
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, reviewed here; 
• The Honourable Schoolboy by John  le Carré, reviewed here;  
• Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes; 
• May We Borrow Your Husband? by Graham Greene, reviewed here; 
• The Book and the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch, reviewed here;  
• Lift by Kelly Corrigan;   
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle; 
• Friends and Lovers by Helen MacInnes; and 
• See's Famous Old Time Candies: A Sweet Story by Margaret Moos Pick
   

NON-FICTION, NON-MEMOIRS CHALLENGE
(finished)

• Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe by Thomas Cahill  (reviewed here)
• The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (reviewed here)
• What's So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D'Souza  
• The World of Herb Caen by  Barnaby Conrad (reviewed here)
• On the Town in New York: The Landmark History of Eating, Drinking, and Entertainments from the American Revolution to the Food Revolution by Michael and Ariane Batterberry, (reviewed here) 
• Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships by Daniel Goleman;
• Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller, (reviewed here);
• How To Read and Why by Harold Bloom (reviewed here);
• Evolutionaries: Transformational Leadership: The Missing Link in Your Organizational Chart, by business strategists Randy Harrington and Carmen E Voillequé (reviewed here) 
  
• Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott; 
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni.

SOUTHERN LITERATURE READING CHALLENGE

 (incomplete)

• The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille (not reviewed)

VENICE IN FEBRUARY CHALLENGE 
(finished)

• Serenissima by Erica Jong (reviewed here; and
• Dressed for Death by Donna Leon (third in her Commissario Guido Brunetti series)

VINTAGE MYSTERY CHALLENGE
(incomplete)

I signed up to read eight vintage mysteries by female authors and eight by male authors, but fell short in both categories. 

• Dracula by Bram Stoker (reviewed here);
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (reviewed here);
• Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie;
• The Rubber Band by Rex Stout (reviewed here);
• The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie;  
• Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh (reviewed here);
  
• The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers; and
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

WHAT'S IN A NAME CHALLENGE
(incomplete)

I fell one short because I didn't get to a book in the Creepy Crawly category. 

• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (reviewed here);
• Home Truths by David Lodge (reviewed here);
• A Month of Sundays by John Updike (reviewed here);
• Mr. Sammler's Planet by Saul Bellow (reviewed here);
• Swan Peak by James Lee Burke (reviewed here);

State of the Blog: Part Two, the Authors

This is my last round of State of the Blog posts.  I've used these quarterly blog assessment posts to keep track of the progress I've made on my various lists -- Prize Winners and Must Reads, Favorite Authors, and Challenges.  They have been useful for me because they make me update my lists, but they are not particularly interesting posts.

This final set of State of the Blog posts will wrap up my 2012 reading.  Then I will think of some other way to stay organized and keep my lists updated. 

This second part looks at my Favorite Author lists.  Part One, here, addressed my lists of Prize Winners and Must Reads.  Part Three will deal with the challenges I joined in 2012.


I only listed a Favorite Author below if I read one of his or her books in 2012.

In 2012, I read the 25 books by my favorite authors. 

GENERAL FAVORITES

Kingsley Amis

• The Folks That Live on the Hill
  

Saul Bellow 

•  Mr. Sammler's Planet (National winner; reviewed here)

 Susan Howatch

• Glittering Images  (reviewed here)

David Lodge

• Home Truths (reviewed here) 

Iris Murdoch

• The Book & the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch (reviewed here)

C. P. Snow

• A Time of Hope (reviewed here)

 Anne Tyler

•  Back When We Were Grownups

John Updike

• A Month of Sundays by John Updike (reviewed here)

Simon Winchester

• Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 

P. G. Wodehouse

• The Pothunters (reviewed here)
• Ring for Jeeves

MYSTERY FAVORITES

Cara Black

• Murder in Belleville (reviewed here)

James Lee Burke

• Swan Peak (reviewed here)

Dick Francis

• High Stakes  (reviewed here)
• Blood Sport
• Driving Force 
• The Edge

P. D. James

• Shroud for a Nightingale 
• The Black Tower
• The Children of Men 

Donna Leon

• Dressed for Death 
• About Face  

Helen MacInnes

•  Friends and Lovers

Ian Rankin

• The Black Book

Dorothy L. Sayers 

• The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (reviewed here)