Pick-a-Shelf discussion

Here is where to post the books you want to read in November.

I have Q & A on my TBR shelf. I still haven't seen the movie. I also have a copy of The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. I have read several other books by Gail Tsukiyama and enjoyed them very much.

Great choice Arlene. I have so many things going, so my list will be much smaller this month. I will choose:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress A Novel by Dai Sijie
The Way of the Traitor by Laura Joh Rowland
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

I would like to add a book by Lisa See, but Shangai Girls has a HUGE waitlist (366 people for 22 copies) and I am using Peony in Love for a challenge next year

I woul also like to read Tai-Pan by James Clavell but I am already reading a 1000 page book for November.

There is so much to choose from, have managed to narrowed a long list of 20 down to 7 already. They are -

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress A Novel by Dai Sijie
The Vagrants By Yiyun Li
Brothers By Yu Hua
Water Ghosts A Novel By Shawna Yang Ryan
A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini
Saving Fish From Drowning By Amy Tan
The Bonesetter's Daughter By Amy Tan

My list for this month is:

The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Falling Leaves The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

So far I'm planning on reading The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Cam - I looked at the Balzac book and it looked really good. Maybe I should add it to my list? We could read and discuss together.

Love to Lyn - Have just ordered it (Still on book buying ban - just thought I'd help hubby with part of my Anniversary present - I've been thoughtful like that all week). All things going well, it should arrive before the 1st and we can start whenever you like.

Lyn wrote: "Great choice Arlene. I have so many things going, so my list will be much smaller this month. I will choose:

The Way of the Traitor by Laura Joh Rowland
[book:The S..."

You HAVE to read Tai-Pan! It actually reads very quickly (more quickly than Shogun). And if you have time, you can watch the movie of it. It's so awful, it's funny--very dated too, which is weird because it's already a historical theme, but just the props and background, etc. But it was fun nonetheless.

Cam: wrote: "There is so much to choose from, have managed to narrowed a long list of 20 down to 7 already. They are -

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress A Novel by Dai Sijie
[book:The..."

That Brothers book is being heavily promoted at my foreign language bookstore here in Beijing. Now maybe I'll need to pick it up.

And Balzac is a nice little story. Now that I know more about the Cultural Revolution, I think I'd appreciate it more.

Arlene - This was my (personal) theme for the month, so awesome pick!

Gai-Jin by James Clavell
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
American Shaolin Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly
Shanghai Girls A Novel by Lisa See
The Painter From Shanghai A Novel by Jennifer Epstein
The Rape of Nanking The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Dream of the Red Chamber by Cáo Xuěqín
The Elephant Vanishes Stories by Haruki Murakami

Meghan wrote: "That Brothers book is being heavily promoted at my foreign language bookstore here in Beijing. Now maybe I'll need to pick it up.

And Balzac is a nice little story. Now that I know more about the Cultural Revolution, I think I'd appreciate it more."

Brothers - This is really nice timing, have had it on order for over 2 months, was told it would be at least another month away & it came in this Thurs just gone. The Aus book mag I subscribe to, gave it huge wraps. It's quite a big book, which I wasn't expecting but am hoping I'll get to read at least 3 out of the 7 I've listed with this being one of them.
Looking forward to seeing what you think of Sea Of Poppies Meghan, I've had that one on the pile for a while too.

I haven't got many on my TBR list but I will try and read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See and Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. I have 2 of these books already and I will read the other if I can afford to buy it. :)

Great Cam - I just ordered mine from the library, and I am first on the list with 14 copies, so I should get it in the next week sometime.

Meghan - I do so want to read Tai Pan so I might just have to bump it up. I'm actually starting with a book that is on Cam's list and not mine (I should redo the list). It is the Balzac book. I really liked The Good Earth, hope you do, too.

Pollyanna - Snow Flower is a great book. One of my all time faves. Hope you like it.

Thanks, that is the one book I need to get so hopefully I can get it in time :)

Well, I found a lot of books that sound interesting, and several already on my TBR pile.

I will go with "The Good Earth" since it fits on several challenges I am doing. Then "Throne of Jade" and "Shinju" which I already own. I would also like to try "Kitchen" and "1001 Cranes" if I can find them.

I would highly recommend a couple of books I didn't see anywhere: The Court of the Lion and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness", both 5 star books for me. Also, "The Samurai's Garden" is one of the best books I have ever read.


LATER:

Okay, so I just ordered "1001 Cranes", "Kitchen" and "Graceling" from Amazon. The link was RIGHT THERE. They were really cheap and I got free shipping! Please don't tell my husband or my bookshelves.

Pollyanna wrote: "Thanks, that is the one book I need to get so hopefully I can get it in time :)"

Ooh, I loved it and so did my mother-in-law. It is well worth the acquisition.

Arlene wrote: "I have Q & A on my TBR shelf. I still haven't seen the movie. I also have a copy of The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. I have read several other books by Gail Tsukiy..."

I really loved how Q & A's story was structured (though totally different in subject matter, built similarly to - Geraldine Brooks - People Of The Book). I thought it was very cleverly done, and as often is the case sooooooooo much better than the film & very different too.

I am going with A Thousand Splendid Suns and A Rabbit's Eyes. A Rabbit's eyes was not on the shelf but it is a japanese author and set in Japan so I think it is asian.

If time allows I will try to get to another book like The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

I'm going to be cautious and just start with these two:

Crime and Punishment - I was somewhat surprised to see this on the list, but if you're including Eurasia, it works - and I do have it on my list of Classics-to-Read-in-2009!

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is - my son gave this to me a couple of years ago; I started it and then it found its way to the back of the bookshelf, so thanks, Arlene, for helping me resurrect it.

I read these for other challenges earlier this year:

Snow Country y Yasunari Kawabata
The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled
Hosseini
Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

I went browsing through the list again and decided on two more books to read...Wild Swans by Jung Chang and Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima.

I haven't read a lot of Asian books in the past and thought I would have to buy something to meet this month's challenge... but I had a dig through my bookselves and remembered a set of "Best Loved Books for Younger Readers" that my Grandpa gave me years ago. I found a few to get me going.

Lost Horizon A Novel
The Good Earth
Messer Marco Polo (not actually on the asia shelf but I'll add it if it fits)

They are all abridged (unfortunately) but will give me a taste of the genre.

I'm going to read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See aswell. Some of my friends have read it recently, guess it's now my turn :)

BJ Rose wrote: "I'm going to be cautious and just start with these two:

Crime and Punishment - I was somewhat surprised to see this on the list, but if you're including Eurasia, it works - and I do h..."

Well, lots of Russians like to vacation in China, so there's a link. heh

But C&P is my all-time favorite Doestoevsky story. Can't wait to hear what you think of it. Great mystery.

Lyn wrote: "Meghan - I do so want to read Tai Pan so I might just have to bump it up. I'm actually starting with a book that is on Cam's list and not mine (I should redo the list). It is the Balzac book. I ..."

Well, I'm looking forward to both of your reviews of the book. I may have to re-read it if I have the time.

I'm looking forward to AGE. It's been on my shelf for ages and I keep putting it off.

Pollyanna wrote: "I haven't got many on my TBR list but I will try and read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See and [bo..."

Pollyanna.....Interpreter of Maladies is one of my all time favs! I read it when it was first published and loved it. Hope you enjoy it too!

We were supposed to read Interpreter of Maladies for Uni but then they took it off the list, it gives me the chance to finally read it :)

I'm another one who is trying to get through my giant TBR pile, I have bought way to many books lately. So Some of the books that showed up on the list that I already own and feel actually fit into the category are:

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling
Bat-Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan by Chip Kidd

I'm going for:

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Snow Flower & the Secret Fan by Lisa ee
Balczac & the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

Lynne wrote: "Well, I found a lot of books that sound interesting, and several already on my TBR pile.

I will go with "The Good Earth" since it fits on several challenges I am doing. Then "Throne of Jade" an..."

When I saw your post I was wondering if you are talking about
The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan? That is one on my TBR list too.
Then you are talking about 1001 Cranes. I thought you were talking about Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes which was the original book about the little girl from Hiroshima who tried to fold 1000 cranes after becoming sick from the radiation from the bomb. It was a book I used with my Scout troop. We folded hundred's of cranes! My best friend actually folded 1000 cranes while he was recovering from a stroke after surgery on a brain tumor. Your book also sounds good, I will have to add it to my TBR list.

Slayermel wrote: "I'm another one who is trying to get through my giant TBR pile, I have bought way to many books lately. So Some of the books that showed up on the list that I already own and feel actually fit int..."

I have an old set of books of classics that my folks bought when they were first married in the 40's. I know that Kipling is there - thanks for the idea!

I just read Journey Home this week. If I would have known our next shelf was going to be Asian, I might have saved it until November. :)

I think I'll just plan on two books from my TBR list for the monthly shelf this time. I've been ignoring my Author & Title A-Z challenge, and I only have two to go! So I'll be working on that this coming month as well.

Also, the two books I'm looking at are quite long:
* Battle Royale - some people liked it better than The Hunger Games
* Life of Pi

Luann wrote: "I just read Journey Home this week. If I would have known our next shelf was going to be Asian, I might have saved it until November. :)

I think I'll just plan on two books from my..."

Battle Royale is a book I have been looking for, would love to read that one. I saw the movie and it was quite twisted and gorey. A very interesting story though. You will have to let me know what you think of the book :0)

Life of Pi I read a while ago and did not like it.

Arlene wrote: "Lynne wrote: "Well, I found a lot of books that sound interesting, and several already on my TBR pile.

I will go with "The Good Earth" since it fits on several challenges I am doing. Then "Throne..."

Funny how the 2 books I picked have titles similar to other books. But no, I really mean "KItchen" and "1001 Cranes". They both sound really good. You should look them up. I have to say, I didn't finish "The Kitchen God's Wife", it was too strange for me. But I wouldn't say don't read it, Amy Tan is a phenomenal author. I absolutely LOVED "Joy Luck Club".

Luann wrote: "I just read Journey Home this week. If I would have known our next shelf was going to be Asian, I might have saved it until November. :)

I think I'll just plan on two books from my..."

"Life of Pi" is very good. Let me know what you think of the ending.

I'm not sure how I'll like Life of Pi. My friends are all over the place with it - from two stars all the way to five. I'll be sure to post some thoughts about it here once I've read it. Hopefully I really do get to it! I've had it "on deck" more than once (planned to read it for both Shelf-a-Thons) and then just never got to it.

I'm also not sure how I'll like Battle Royale. I've read lots of reviews comparing it to The Hunger Games - only they say Battle Royale is more for adults, with more violence, etc. I really liked The Hunger Games, so I'm interested to compare the two.

Lynne - I remember you definitely liked Life of Pi much more than I did. I thought it was strange, and didn't really like the ending. Although since then, one of my book clubs read it for a monthly read, and the discussion helped me to understand and appreciate the end more.

I had the same questions about Kitchen and 1001 Cranes, so I had to look them up. Were you talking about Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto and 1001 Cranes by Naomi Hirahara. They both look good.

Colleen - Cam and I are starting with the Balzac book. It looks really good.

Lyn wrote: "Lynne - I remember you definitely liked Life of Pi much more than I did. I thought it was strange, and didn't really like the ending. Although since then, one of my book clubs read it for a month..."

Yep, those are the 2 books. I ordered them from "Amazon" and should get them n a few days. Just when I should finish "Club Dead". Also, I have to tell you that the Sookie books are seeming to get less and less graphic... don't know if it will last, but I think you would really like them.

I am still waiting for the first one from the library. I am really starting to look forward to them, but due to the show and all, there is a long wait. BUT my birthday is just around the corner.....

Hint, hint, hint? Otherwise, I'm sure Chelsea would loan them to you.

That was the other thing that I was going to suggest, lol.

We will see what happens on November 12th. ;)

I will be reading The Girl in the Picture The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War I'm so glad that I found something in my TBR pile that fits the bill. I am not allowed to buy any more books until I make some headway on my pile/ entire bookshelf of unread books.

Lauren wrote: "I will be reading The Girl in the Picture The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War I'm so glad that I found something in my TBR pile that fits the bill. I am not al..."

Hmmm, this sounds like a common theme among us "pick a shelfers".

I'm thinking Kafka on the Shore. It sounds terrific. I'm not sure when I'll start it though. I just started two books, but they seem like fast reads.

Luann wrote: "I just read Journey Home this week. If I would have known our next shelf was going to be Asian, I might have saved it until November. :)

I think I'll just plan on two books from my..."

I hope you enjoy Life of Pi. It's on my top 10 all-time favorites list. I think it would help if you viewed it as a modern fairy tale. I know a lot people who didn't like it because of its open-ended interpretation, but that's what I think makes it so great. But looking forward to your review!

Lyn wrote: "Colleen - Cam and I are starting with the Balzac book. It looks really good. "

Oh good, I'll start that first. I've reserved it at the library but just got an email its ready for me to pick up. It will be nice to read it together.