My Literary Travels

I Tried!

2008-12-31T16:00:00.002+01:00

I tried! I really tried, but I didn't make it to 100 books. Sigh.... If I had read through July and August I would have easily done it and even more, but I took a break because I was so busy selling and moving and buying a new house. So instead, I almost made it. I sure was close!

In 2008 I resolved to read more books than ever before and I did accomplish that! So hurray! Last December 31st I calculated how long I might have left to live and to read and that scared me and motivated me to pick up the pace. Well I did that and I will likely keep it up for 2009, but I want to concentrate on a few other ideas as well.

This blog will continue to be used to keep my reading list, but that's about all.

It was a great year and a lot of fun!

Cheers!!

96. Trust Your Vibes

2008-12-27T22:27:00.002+01:00

By Sonia Choquette

Thanks to my sister-in-law Sandra for lending this delightful book to me on Christmas Day!

Each of the chapters deals with one of the 33 secret tools for six-sensory living, an idea I'm curious about. Lots of useful ideas and exercises for developing your 6th sense!

95. Everyday Grace

2008-12-27T02:06:00.002+01:00

By Marianne Williamson

A beautiful little book that I got at the library this week. It's all about having hope, finding forgiveness, and making miracles. I LOVE Marianne. She's truly awesome and inspiring. This is a wonderful book and I learned a lot by reading it today. It confirmed so many things that I have believed for a long time. I really love the idea of being a mystic! Yes!

"Be the love you wish to see."

94. The Vein of Gold

2008-12-26T21:27:00.000+01:00

By Julia Cameron

A wonderful follow-up to The Artist's Way. It took me a week to read through this book and on the way I started doing some of the exercises, such as MorningPages- 3 hand written pages every morning, flowing writing, non-judgemental writing. Just pure letting go. I will concentrate onm more of the exercises starting in January when I am back home.

Truly inspiring and important.

93. Four Seasons In Rome

2008-12-21T20:24:00.002+01:00

By Anthony Doerr

A year in Rome, a writing studio, and crying newborn twins.

91. Words in a French Life

2008-12-21T20:13:00.002+01:00

By Kristin Espinasse

Based on Kristin's amazing blog french-word-a-day.com, the book is a compilation of essays, each one focusing on a different French word or phrase. I enjoyed learning new words and phrases but I'm not sure my brain will really remember them when I need them!

90. The Year of Magical Thinking

2008-12-18T18:41:00.002+01:00

By Joan Didion

I bought this little book at the local library this week. Can I tell you how thrilled I was to get a library card of my own?!?! Yes! After almost 15 years of not having one because we have been living abroad, I went and got one on Tuesday!

There is a large area of books for sale and I found this one which I had often thought of reading. It's not too long but it is quite interesting. It was meaningful for me right now because of my dog being stolen two weeks ago. The grief is almost as painful as the death of a spouse. I never thought it would be but it is. Joan learned a lot in the year following her husband's death and I'm glad she took the time to write about it. It is a subject we always seem to avoid in the west, and we shouldn't.

89. Life is a Verb

2008-12-16T16:35:00.002+01:00

By Patti Digh

This is such a wonderful book! I zipped right through it in 3 days and caught myself smiling away while reading so many of the amazing stories that Patti shares. The subtitle is "37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally." Of course Im going to read through it again at a much slower pace and actually do everything Patti suggests, but for now it's started me thinking in a much more mindful way.

This is a book to give to everyone you LOVE.

88. Train to Trieste

2008-12-14T09:33:00.004+01:00

By Domnica Radulescu

What a beautifully written novel... exquisite prose, vivid description and a delicate love story all wrapped into one wonderful story. Since I lived in Romania for a long time I was captivated by the insights into life under Ceaucescu and the effects it had on the daily lives of the people.

Here's an excerpt:

"This summer I am seventeen, I am bursting into being a woman, and I don’t care about empty stores and sugar and flour rations. My blue eyes are blazing. My long limbs are taut and restless. I have wild wheat-colored hair that flies in all directions and a great hunger in my flesh. All I care about is that this man who is grieving for his dead lover turn his eyes on me, notice my sun-bleached hair, my burning face and shoulders, and play one of his melancholy guitar songs for me. For me alone. The smell of earth and death turning through his heart makes me wild with desire. I want to be there in the center of his heart where it smells like raw earth. I want him to be my first lover: bitter, raging, smelling of unfiltered Romanian cigarettes, and hurting for a dead girl. "

This is one book I'd definitely read again and I'll be telling all my friends to read it!

Plus-- I ADORE the cover!

87. The Invention of the World

2008-12-07T16:45:00.002+01:00

By Jack Hodgins

A very interesting Canadian novel from 1977! As it says on the cover- sort of a magical journey between Ireland and Vancouver ... two islands full of enchanting stories and characters. I enjoyed most of the book but admit to skimming through some parts.

86. You Can Heal Your Life

2008-12-07T16:44:00.001+01:00

By Louise Hay

A lovely, useful spiritual self help book about finding self-esteem and self-love.

85. Swing Low: A Life

2008-11-29T11:21:00.002+01:00

By Miriam Toews

A heartwrenching story based on the life of Toews father Mel.

A deeply honest memoir written from her father's point of view, sharing the pain of depression and mental illness.

I was riveted throughout the entire book, and chocked back the tears when I came to the final page.

Definitely deserving of praise.

84. this book will save your life

2008-11-28T12:20:00.000+01:00

By A.M. Homes

What a book! I really enjoyed this novel about a man so out of touch with his feelings that his life is at a virtual standstill- he never goes out, all he watches is a woman who swims outside his window every morning. He's lost touch with his family, even his son. When he befriends a simple donut shop owner his whole life changes and he begins to open up to life.

A bit of a modern fairy tale. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad. Brilliant writing style.

100+ Books for 2009

2008-11-23T20:24:00.003+01:00

I'm signing up for another challenge. It's been a long time since I joined one so I think it's a good idea. At the moment I've read 83 books this year, with a goal of 100. I just might make it, but maybe not. No matter. I don't give up that easily and if not this year-- I CAN DO IT in 2009!

Here are the rules from J Kaye's Book Blog:

The 100+ Reading Challenge will be hosted here this year. Here are the guidelines:

1) You can join anytime as long as you don’t start reading your books prior to 2009.

2) This challenge is for 2009 only. The last day to have all your books read is December 31, 2009.

3) You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.

4) If you don’t have a blog, please join our Yahoo Groups.

5) When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your 100+ books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed.

6) All books count: children’s, YA, adults, fiction, non-fiction, how-tos, etc.

7) Feel free to post in the comment section or on Yahoo Groups your monthly progress as well as your favorite books that month.

8) If you have any questions, feel free to ask below or email me at jkayeoldner@yahoo.com. Comments usually get a quicker response.

My book list will be here starting in January 2009.

83. Girls of Riyadh

2008-11-23T16:43:00.004+01:00

By Rajaa Alsanea

Quite an interestiong little book, written in chapters which are supposed emails by a young Saudi woman. Sent out over the course of a year, they detail the lives of her 4 girlfriends as they experience broken hearts and challenging loves. I was surprised by the very modern attitude that prevailed in their lives, even while dealing with so many extreme traditions.

A good read!

82. Fingersmith

2008-11-18T20:31:00.003+01:00

By Sarah Waters

I LOVE this genre of fiction-- historical (Victorian) crime with a sexy twist!!

After recently reading Tipping the Velvet by the same author, I took this one of my ancient TBR shelf and jumped right in. I've had these two books for a few years already simply because I loved the covers, but I never took time to read them. They're a little 'hefty' at over 550 pages but I could hardly put it down! There were lots of surprises along the way, and the ending is really satisfying.

Shortlisted for the Orange Prize
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
Winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger for Historical Crime Fiction

Now I simply must get Waters other book Affinity!

81. The Witch's Trinity

2008-11-16T20:16:00.002+01:00

By Erica Mailman

Here's a quick read about one of my favourite subjects- medieval witch trials. There's something tragically fascinating about these stories. It is truly hard to comprehend how horrific these inquisitions were and just how insinuoous the accusations were. This story takes place in one small German village in 1507, and involves one multi-generational famine struck family. Told through the voice of the tiny, old grandmother, we are given insight into the terrifying way in which the persecution invades all relationships.

2009 IMPAC Dublin Award Longlist

2008-11-16T19:40:00.003+01:00

Here's the longlist for the 2009 MPAC Dublin Award. An award I really like!

Books I've read are in bold red.
Those I own but haven't read yet are in red.

A Curious Intimacy Jessica White
A Good and Happy Child Justin Evans
A Handbook to Luck Cristina García
A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini
After Dark – Translated from the original Japanese by Jay Rubin Haruki Murakami
After Tears Niq Mhlongo
Animal's People Indra Sinha
Away Amy Bloom
Be Mine Laura Kasischke
Between Each Breath Adam Thorpe
Breakfast with Buddha Roland Merullo
Burma Boy Biyi Bandele
Burning Bright Tracy Chevalier
By George Wesley Stace
Call Me By Your Name André Aciman
Castorp – Translated from the original Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones Pawel Huelle
Coal Black Horse Robert Olmstead
Consequences Penelope Lively
Custer's Brother's Horse Edwin Shrake
Dante's Ballad – Translated from the original Spanish by Susan Giersbach Rascón Eduardo González Viaña
Day A.L. Kennedy
Delirium – Translated from the original Spanish by Natasha Wimmer Laura Restrepo
Diary of a Bad Year J.M. Coetzee
Divisadero Michael Ondaatje
Doghead – Translated from the original Danish by Tiina Nunnally Morten Ramsland
Drybread Owen Marshall
Edwin + Matilda Laurence Fearnley
Effigy Alissa York
Engleby Sebastian Faulks
Escape – Translated from the original Dutch by Jantien Black Heleen Van Royen
Exit Ghost Philip Roth
Exit Music Ian Rankin
Falling Man Don De Lillo
Feelings Expiry Date – Translated from the original Bulgarian by Irina Cherkelova Yordanka Mineva
Fieldwork Mischa Berlinski
García's Heart Liam Durcan
Ghostwalk Rebecca Stott
Girl Meets Boy Ali Smith
Girls of Riyadh – Translated from the original Arabic by Rajaa Alsanea and Marilyn Booth Rajaa Alsanea
Gold Dan Rhodes
Gregorius – Translated from the original Swedish by Silvester Mazzarella Bengt Ohlsson
Harpsong Rilla Askew
Holy Hill Angelina N. Sithebe
Ishq and Mushq Priya Basil
Jamestown Matthew Sharpe
Knots Nuruddin Farah
Landscape of Farewell Alex Miller
Last Night at the Lobster Stewart O'Nan
Late Nights on Air Elizabeth Hay
Life Class Pat Barker
Lost City Radio Daniel Alarcón
Lost Paradise – Translated from the original Dutch by Susan Massotty Cees Nooteboom
Love and the Platypus Nicholas Drayson
Love Falls Esther Freud
Love Life – Translated from the original Dutch by Shaun Whiteside Ray Kluun
Lucky Bastard Peter Wells
Luncheon of the Boating Party Susan Vreeland
Man Gone Down Michael Thomas
Matters of Honor Louis Begley
Measuring Time Helon Habila
Mr. Allbones' Ferrets Fiona Farrell
Notes from an Exhibition Patrick Gale
October Richard B. Wright
Omega Minor – Translated from the original Dutch by Paul Verhaeghen Paul Verhaeghen
On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan
Other Country Stephen Scourfield
Quarter Tones Susan Mann
Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey Chuck Palahniuk
Ravel – Translated from the original French by Linda Coverdale Jean Echenoz
Reading the Ceiling Dayo Forster
Redemption Falls Joseph O'Connor
Remembering the Bones Frances Itani
Rocking Horse Road Carl Nixon
Rough Justice Ralph Palmer
Run Ann Patchett
Secrets of the Sea Nicholas Shakespeare
Skylark Farm – Translated from the original Italian by Geoffrey Brock Antonia Arslan
Slam Nick Hornby
Soucouyant David Chariandy
Spanish Fly Will Ferguson
Tales from the Town of Widows & Chronicles from the Land of Men James Cañón
The Architects Are Here Michael Winter
The Archivist's Story Travis Holland
The Bad Girl – Translated from the original Spanish by Edith Grossman Mario Vargas Llosa
The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears Dinaw Mengestu
The Birthday Party Panos Karnezis
The Book of Negroes Lawrence Hill
The Book of Words – Translated from the original German by Susan Bernofsky Jenny Erpenbeck
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Díaz
The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles – Translated from the original Norwegian by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw Roy Jacobsen
The Butterfly Month – Translated from the original Dutch by Faith Hunter Ariëlla Kornmehl
The Camel Bookmobile Masha Hamilton
The Carhullan Army Sarah Hall
The Cleft Doris Lessing
The Devil's Footprints John Burnside
The Dinner Club – Translated from the original Dutch by Paul Vincent Saskia Noort
The Gathering Anne Enright
The Good Father Marion Husband
The Gravedigger's Daughter Joyce Carol Oates
The Gum Thief Douglas Coupland
The Hangman's Game Karen King-Aribisala
The Indian Clerk David Leavitt
The Lost Diary of Don Juan Douglas Carlton Abrams
The Lost Highway David Adams Richards
The Maytrees Annie Dillard
The Memory Room Christopher Koch
The Milk Chicken Bomb Andrew Wedderburn
The Ministry of Special Cases Nathan Englander
The Mire – Translated from the original Bulgarian by Nedyalka Chakalova Krassin Krastev
The Model – Translated from the original Norwegian by Don Bartlett Lars Saabye Christensen
The Opposite House Helen Oyeyemi
The Outlander Gil Adamson
The Painter of Battles – Translated from the original Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden Arturo Pé-rez-Reverte
The Past – Translated from the original Spanish by Nick Caistor Alan Pauls
The Past is a Foreign Country – Translated from the original Italian by Howard Curtis Gianrico Carofiglio
The Pirate's Daughter Margaret Cezair-Thompson
The President's Last Love – Translated from the original Russian by George Bird Andrey Kurkov
The Quiet Girl – Translated from the original Danish by Nadia Christensen Peter Høeg
The Rain Before It Falls Jonathan Coe
The Reluctant Fundamentalist Moshin Hamid
The Road Home Rose Tremain
The Seamstress Geraldine Wooller
The Secret of Lost Things Sheridan Hay
The Septembers of Shiraz Dalia Sofer
The Seventh Gate Richard Zimler
The Shadow Catcher Marianne Wiggins
The Stone Gods Jeanette Winterson
The Succubus - Translated from the original Slovenian by Rawley Grau and Nikolai Jeffs Vlado
The Theory of Clouds – Translated from the original French by Timothy Bent Stéphane Audeguy
The Time We Have Taken Steven Carroll
The Trout Opera Matthew Condon
The Uncommon Reader Alan Bennett
The Visible World Mark Slouka
The Welsh Girl Peter Ho Davies
The Widow and her Hero Thomas Keneally
The Worst Intentions – Translated from the original Italian by Ann Goldstein Alessandro Piperno
The Yiddish Policemen's Union Michael Chabon
Then We Came To The End Joshua Ferris
Tomorrow Graham Swift
Tree of Smoke Denis Johnson
Uprising Margaret Peterson Haddix
Vie Française – Translated from the original French by Linda Coverdale Jean-Paul Dubois
What Was Lost Catherine O'Flynn
Where Three Roads Meet Salley Vickers
Where White Horses Gallop Beatrice MacNeil
World Without End Ken Follett

80. The Power of Now

2008-11-11T11:20:00.002+01:00

By Eckhart Tolle

A very significant book on my personal spiritual journey. It reinforces many of the things I believe are true and important in terms of my understanding of enlightenment.

"Attention. Here and Now. Wake up."

79. The White Dawn

2008-11-07T06:24:00.001+01:00

This was a very interesting read for me. It opened my eyes to the world of the Inuit at the end of the 1800's. What a life! It's hard to imagine how difficult their lives were but through the eyes of Avinga, we hear the story of how their world was changed by the arrival of 3 strangers into their lives.

James Houston lived among the Eskimos and spent a lot of time learning to understand them. It was certainly worth it and what he shares with us through this novel is truly intriguing.

78. The Sword and the Scimitar

2008-11-03T20:31:00.003+01:00

By David Ball

While on vacation last week on the stunning island of Malta, I came across a shelf full of books written about this very historical country. Some were novels, some were histories. One in particular stood out- The Sword and the Scimitar, perhaps mostly because of its immense size- almost 800 pages!! I bought it and immediately began to lose myself in one of the best historical novels I've ever read. Maybe because I was right there where the story takes place and I could locate specific places on a map and even walk on the streets where the characters 'lived', whatever the reasons, I was completely enthralled and hardly put it down.

As in most historical fiction, this is part romance, and part epic battle recounting. I learned a LOT about the Crusades and will no doubt look for more books written about this time in history.

77. The Reluctant Fundamentalist

2008-10-31T18:16:00.001+01:00

By Mohsin Hamid

An intriguing novel that kept me wondering right until the very end. Then I went hummmmmph.

Does it really deserve all the hype it's getting???

2007 Man Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2007 New York Times Notable Book of the Year: The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2008 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award: The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2008 Arts Council England Decibel Award (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2008 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Eurasia Region, Best Book) (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2008 Index on Censorship T R Fyvel Award (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2008 James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for fiction) (shortlist): The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2008 South Bank Show Annual Award for Literature: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

76. The Quickie

2008-10-30T16:06:00.002+01:00

By James Patterson

Yes... it truly is a quickie... but it is also a great deal of fun!

BTW I rarely read detective novels, but this was somehw chosen for last month's bookclub which I wasn't able to attend, so I read it a month late (on the advice of my hubby who liked it).

Fun and full of twists!

75. Age of Innocence

2008-10-28T14:26:00.003+01:00

By Edith Wharton

I read this for my book group next month and found it was one of the best reads of the year for me. I loved the characters and the plot, but most of all I loved the period and place in which it was set- New York's Golden Age (1870's). Wharton's commentary on the manners and foibles of 'society' is entertaining and seen as quite accurate.

74. Away

2008-10-28T14:17:00.003+01:00

By Amy Bloom

I read this in less than a day-- it was really un-put-down-able!!

Away is the story of Lillian Leyb who came to America alone after witnessing the tragic deaths of her parents and daughter Sophie. In New York she learns that Sophie may not be dead and so begins her difficult journey back to Siberia. There is some lovely romance along the way as well as many heartbreaking moments.

A story I won't easily forget.