Constant Reader discussion

Yes, you're right, Roddy Doyle wrote Paddy Clarke Ha, Ha, Ha.

Well, I don't want this to turn into another non-ending fiasco like the "Is Beauty Inherent or Not?" unanswerable question/argument, so I'm sure if you write Jamie O'Neill, he'll be glad to explain his remark on how he based his book on the former. I don't remember and don't care to search for it now as I read it several years ago when reading an interview with Jamie O'Neill about the writing of the book. I don't really see where they have all that much in common myself, but I just know I'm not going to argue with the author's own remarks. And yes, it was an interview with Jamie O'Neill I'm thinking of, not Roddy Doyle.

My favorites this year (in no particular order) were:

Starting Out in the Evening By Brian Morton
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz
The City of Refuge by Tom Piazza
Out by Natsuo Kirino
Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins
Serena by Ron Rash
Three-Day Road by Boyden
Every Man Dies Alone by Fallada
The Girl Who Played w/Fire by Stieg Larsson

Best re-reads:
Anna Karenina and War & Peace by Tolstoy

Best audiobooks:
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Pollan
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Dog Years by Mark Doty
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Pontabla

I'm so glad to see you listed the two Steig Larsson books among your favorites. If I ever get around to remembering what I read last year, those books will be on my favorite list.

Sherry wrote: "My favorites this year (in no particular order) were:

Starting Out in the Evening By Brian Morton
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz
The City of Refuge by Tom Piaz..."

And those were just your favorites? LOL I didn't even get that many read in 2009! Can I use the excuse that my writing partner and I spent the better part of the year writing a new book? No, I really can't. I've been a slacker with my reading until now. I hope to do better in 2010.

I've never known anyone who read both Anna Karenina and War and Peace in the same year, though. Kudos to you. :)

Hmmm. I'd like to re-read (does that hyphen belong there? Seems so awkward without it.) Anna Karenina this year, trying to pick up on all that I missed last go round, and I'd really like to tackle W. and P. I last read that in...ummm...the Pleistocene Era. Almost.

I was amazed (And how dumb is that? Wouldn't it make sense that this big old Russian book which is still popular would actually be *good*?) at how much I enjoyed Anna. An engrossing marvelous read, surprisingly contemporary and fascinating.

Another best of 2009 - Here Bullet The title poem was my personal choice for discussion a week ago. Brian Turner has a degree in poetry, and he fought in Iraq, and before that was in Bosnia.

Heartwrending work of incomparable beauty.

Gabrielle, you gave me a good laugh. I also read Portrait of a Lady, but it just missed my best reads. Obviously I have too much free time on my hands!

Gail wrote: "Hmmm. I'd like to re-read (does that hyphen belong there? Seems so awkward without it.) Anna Karenina this year, trying to pick up on all that I missed last go round, and I'd really like to tackle ..."

Oh, I LOVE Anna Karenina and the Pevear and Volokohnshy translations are so wonderful! (Well, I don't KNOW, I don't read Russian, but the new translations seem so much more "readable," if that makes sense.)

I'm due for a reread, but don't know when I'll get to it.

Sherry wrote: "Gabrielle, you gave me a good laugh. I also read Portrait of a Lady, but it just missed my best reads. Obviously I have too much free time on my hands!
"

You're a faster reader than I am, Sherry, though I'm trying to pick up the pace. Two Tolstoys AND a Henry James. I love both authors. I did love Portrait of a Lady.

Ruth, I'll remember the name of that poet.

Like Jane, I'm going to post my list when the year is up. I'm still reading some possible candidates!

I'm reading Drood right now. At 771 pages, I'll be lucky to finish by the end of the year!

Oh, are you finding it worth the slog? Some folks have said it's great, others not so much.

Tonight I am starting A Gate At The Stairs. My library came through with this book so fast. I was 69 in line, they must have bought more copies.

This is not necessarily in order of preference.


BLINDNESS-JOSE SARAMAGO
AMERICAN LION:ANDREW JACKSON-JON MEACHAM
BEACH MUSIC-PAT CONROY
JOHN ADAMS-DAVID MCCULLOUGH
BLOODY MARY-CAROLLY ERICKSON
BOB DYLAN SCRAPEBOOK-ROBERT SANTELLI
INDIAN SUMMER;THE HISTORY OF THE END OF AN EMPIRE-ALEX VON TUNNZELMANN
LES MISERABLE-VICTOR HUGO
BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE-DEE BROWN

Gail wrote: "Oh, are you finding it worth the slog? Some folks have said it's great, others not so much."

Drood? Right now, it is good, but I have a terrible feeling Dan Simmons is setting readers up for a letdown with the finish. He's written himself into a corner. I think this is going to be one of those books where the journey was fun, but I don't like the destination.

Les Misérables goes on by all-time best list, Carol. I read it when my sons, 20 months apart, were very little and it took me a year to read! But, it was worth every stolen minute.

I also loved Beach Music and John Adams.

I finished it this year. Les Miserables was an all time favorite along with a few others.

I think Les Miserables is on almost everyone's all time favorites list. It's on mine.

It is definitely on mine. I was so sorry when it ended. I have thought about a reread but I didn't want to negatively impact my first experience.

I still need to read W&P.

Sherry, you prompted me to ask this question, which I've been pondering for awhile. My dream is to be retired and have my children gone so I can read. My question is, how much is too much? I can fantasize all I want about reading for 8-hour stretches, day after day, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a limit on how much time I can really spend reading. How many hours a day do folks read who have the luxury of doing it all they want?

I don't know how many hours I read. Never thought to count. I just know a book is in my hand off and on throughout the day, and always for 30-45 minutes before I go to sleep.

I do know I'm a very, very fast reader. And I do know I'd get a lot more reading done if I wasn't sitting at the computer so much.

Gosh, Ruth, I love that phrase: "a book is in my hand on and off throughout the day." I have quit trying to read at times other than when the girls have gone to bed, because it's just too frustrating to be interrupted. I don't begrudge these years with them, of course, but I would like to be able to read more.

Ruth wrote: "I don't know how many hours I read. Never thought to count. I just know a book is in my hand off and on throughout the day, and always for 30-45 minutes before I go to sleep.

I do know I'm a ver..."

Ruth wrote:

"I do know I'm a very, very fast reader."

Gabrielle responded:

"I'm jealous." LOL

The best books I read in 2009:

Non-Fiction: Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story by Christina Baldwin

Fiction: The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell

Poetry: Mountain Tasting: Haiku and Journals of Santoka Taneda translated by John Stevens.

Sarah, I can only echo all of Ruth's comments above. If I lived alone I would undoubedly read more. When I was a kiddo and early teener with fewer responsibilities, there was no existant idea in my head of "too much reading". It was incessant. The computer does interfere now, as well.

I read about an hour to two a day. My goal is 50 pages a day usually. With Lily here a lot of the time, and wasting time on the computer and watching movies and cooking and a bit of cleaning, my days are full.

Harley,
I like all of Henning Mankell's Wallender series.

The computer does steal a good bit of regular reading time, but otoh, if it wasn't for the computer I'd not be leading the life I am now, and wouldn't have the better selection of reading to do in the first place. Sooooo. :)

Sometimes I get to read a few hours a day, sometimes not. I do like, especially, to read before sleep, but any time is a good time.

My favorite fiction reads of 2009:

EVIDENCE OF THINGS UNSEEN--Wiggins
THE GIFT OF RAIN--Eng
GIOVANNI'S ROOM-Baldwin
THE PLAGUE OF DOVES--Erdrich
THE GOD OF ANIMALS--Kyle
OSCAR AND LUCINDA--Carey
THE BOOK OF NEGROES--Hill (my fav of the year!)
THE HELP--Stockett
SERENA--Rash
FUGITIVE PIECES--Michaels

It was a good reading year for a change!
Anne

I read Fugitive Pieces years ago and thought it was quite lyrically written. I could not get through Evidence of Rain, though, and I thought I would like it.

I love this thread!

My top faves this year:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Fabulous take on the autistic mind.
My Life in France French food, Paris, ambition, culture … delicious!

I also thoroughly enjoyed:
The Anthologist
The Sound of the Mountain(thank you Constant Reader!)
Still Alice

Happy Holidays!

I liked The Anthologist a lot, Kristen. Delightful book.

Sherry wrote: "I read about an hour to two a day. My goal is 50 pages a day usually. With Lily here a lot of the time, and wasting time on the computer and watching movies and cooking and a bit of cleaning, my da..."

And Mafia Wars. ;)

Harley wrote: "The best books I read in 2009:

Non-Fiction: Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story by Christina Baldwin

Fiction: The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell

Po..."

My favorite Henning Mankell book so far has been The Return of the Dancing Master.

http://www.amazon.com/Return-Dancing-...

It's very dark, very moody, and very introspective.

Of course, it's the only Henning Mankell book I've read - so far, but I do intend to read more.

I applaud those of you who have the opportunity to read so much. Most days I am lucky if I get 15 to 30 minutes before I fall to sleep at night. Even with that, I was able to read 21 books in 2009. I tell people who say they don't have time to read that they should be able to find 15 minutes a day. You eat an elephant one bite at a time.

The same is true of the writing I do. I use to be upset that I couldn't spend 4 - 6 hours a day writing. I have found that 15 - 45 minutes is enough. After over 30 years of writing, I have written over 4,000 poems and a hundred stories. Writing and readings are journeys. It is the process that counts, not the end.

You eat an elephant one bite at a time.

I love it, Harvey.

Harley wrote: "I applaud those of you who have the opportunity to read so much. Most days I am lucky if I get 15 to 30 minutes before I fall to sleep at night. Even with that, I was able to read 21 books in 200..."

Slow and steady wins the race, Harley. I think even a little reading and writing every day are better than bursts of those activities from time to time. The point is to make them a part of our lives. I like your point-of-view.

Harley, your elephant remark made my day!

I don't spend time on books that aren't any good. Life's too short.
My books for 2009:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77...

Kristen,

STILL ALICE was on my top ten in 2007. I tried to get my in-person book club to select it for this year, but they thought it would be too depressing.

I also really liked THE RETURN OF THE DANCING MASTER.

Jane wrote: "Kristen,

STILL ALICE was on my top ten in 2007. I tried to get my in-person book club to select it for this year, but they thought it would be too depressing.

I also really liked THE RETURN OF T..."

I like books that are thought to be depressing, Jane, so I'll check out Still Alice.

And I'm glad you liked The Return of the Dancing Master since I have it on my shelf to read and am looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to the darkness of the book.

Harley, glad you like Henning Mankell, too.

Edit: I meant to say, since I have The Fifth Woman on my shelf to read and am looking forward to it. Geez. In one post I sound like I read The Return of the Dancing Master and in this I sound like I haven't. Hurried Christmas posting. I should post only when I have more time. Sorry.

'The Poisonwood Bible' Barbara Kingsolver
'Await Your Reply' Dan Chaon
'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Stiegg Larson
'The Girl Who Played With Fire' Stiegg Larson

I'm still considering my top reads of the year. I no longer keep a list (and I know I've told this story before, so pardon me) since I lost a list I'd kept since childhood on an old word processor about 20 years ago. That said, I'm seriously considering starting anew in 2010--I read a lot and fairly fast (roughly 50 pages an hour)--so the shelves, in their newly purged and wholly disorganized state, are pretty daunting to look through to jog my memory.

Sara

Suzanne wrote: "'The Poisonwood Bible' Barbara Kingsolver
'Await Your Reply' Dan Chaon
'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Stiegg Larson
'The Girl Who Played With Fire' Stiegg Larson"

I keep hearing about Stiegg Larson. I've not read him at all. I doubt I will, though I'd like to. I just have so much to read and write now and I want to read more Henning Mankell.

Hi everybody + Sara,

When I joined goodreads I compiled a"digitized" list of most of my collection and gave away many books to the University of Michigan Benziger Library. There's still a bookcase I haven't tackled because it's mainly art history books and it sits behind a jukebox which will have to be rolled away. The ideas was to get rid of books which I did, however, GR recommendations sent me on more than one spending spree. What I want to say is how nice it was to sort through everything and make an archive that's so easy to flip through.

Oh my, Monica. I gave away 1200 books just before I joined Goodreads. Your note made me remember I made a list of all those books. I should put them on my virtual bookshelves, I suppose. Sigh.

I left about that many - not quite - in Zuerich when I moved, Ruth. Broke my heart to leave some of them.

I think back over the years and I have culled at least 700 books from my shelves. No where near as many as some of you. Now I buy books very discriminately. Most times I try to get them from the library or used book stores.

I forget which book of Stiegg Larson's I read, It didn't impress me, so I can't remember the name. I was looking over my reading list for this year, most books I rated 3 stars. I must be hard on author's . I liked them, I just can't say there were any that outstanding except for a very few.

It was cold here and the compilation made a nice indoor activity. I stacked books on the floor to my left and as they were logged, stacked them on the right. I used to work in animation so I can handle almost anything.

There is that one untouched bookcase though... it holds several unpublished art history dissertations from the U of M on Primaticcio and the like...

Ah, I'm off to read a bit...
later...

carol (akittykat) wrote: "I think back over the years and I have culled at least 700 books from my shelves. No where near as many as some of you. Now I buy books very discriminately. Most times I try to get them from the li..."

I buy books as indiscriminately as ever. *sigh*

Gabrielle I make it sound like I don't have many books . This is not so, I still have ten shelves of various heights. A lot of them are text books and reference books. Art history etc. One of these days I will pass them on to the Goodwill or whoever, or at least my children will.

I don't know what will happen to mine, Carol. When I'm gone, my family will probably sell them to Half Price Books, if they're still around (Half Price Books that is, not my family). I'd like to take them with me, but I don't think they can find a coffin big enough for us both (the books and me).