Nickelini in 2013, Part Four

September in Vancouver can be magical--the light becomes golden, the blues and greens or the sky, forest, and water intensify, and the air shimmers. It's my favourite month. These pictures show English Bay with Stanley Park in the background. For five years in the 1990s, I lived across the street from this. Yes, I am lucky.




November

76. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking free of Warren Jeffs, Elissa Wall
75. Strange Things, Margaret Atwood

October

74. Breathe, Cliff McNish
73. The Dinner, Herman Koch
72. Lives of Girls and Women, Alice Munro
71. Bossypants, Tina Fey
70. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle
69. The Way We Are, Margaret Visser
68. Fear and Trembling, Amelie Nothomb
67. After Hamlin, Bill Richardson
66. The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins

September

65. Little Bee, Chris Cleave
64. The Children's Book, AS Byatt
63. Cider With Rosie, Laurie Lee
62. The Book of London Place Names, Caroline Taggart
61. Interview with a Vampire, Ann Rice
60. Nikolski, Nicolas Dickner
59. Conceit, Mary Novik

August

58. Size 12 is Not Fat, Meg Cabot
57. Shame, Jasvnder Sanghera
56. Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald
55. An Experiment in Love, Hilary Mantel
54. The Amulet of Samarkand, Jonathan Stroud
53. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson
52. Tube Trivia, Andrew Emmerson
51. Hawksmoor, Peter Ackroyd

July

50. What a Carve Up!, Jonathan Coe
49. The Small Hand, Susan Hill
48. A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby
47. Rick Steves' London 2013, Rick Steves
46. The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai
45. Literary London: a Street by Street Exploration of the Capital's Literary Heritage, Ed Glinert,
44. We are the Weather Makers, Tim Flannery

June

43. 50 Popular Beliefs that People Think are True, Guy P Harrison
42. Sky People, Patricia Grace
41. Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively
40. Sointula, Bill Gaston
39. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple
38. This Common Secret, Susan Wicklund
37. the Last Kingdom, Bernard Cornwell
36. Souvenir of Canada, Douglas Coupland
35. The Witch of Exmoor, Margaret Drabble

May

34. Macbeth, William Shakespeare
33. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
32. The Ethical Assassin, David Liss
31. the House I Loved, Tatiana de Rosnay
30. First Fruits, Penelope Evans
29. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
28. Forest for the Trees, Betsy Lerner
27. The Student of Weather, Elizabeth Hay
26. Overdressed, Elizabeth L. Cline

April

25. The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey
24. A Good House, Bonnie Burnard
23. The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Burbery
22. Five Bells, Gail Jones
21. Wuthering Heights, Norton Critical Edition, Emily Bronte
20. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton

March

19. Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?, John Sutherland
18. Is Heathcliff a Murderer?, John Sutherland
17. The Beautiful Room is Empty, Edmund White
16. the Shooting Party, Isabel Colgate
15. Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?, John Sutherland
14. The Book of Small, Emily Carr
13. The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland

February

12. The Beginning of Spring, Penelope Fitzgerald
11. How Literature Works: 50 Key Concepts, John Sutherland
10. The Best Laid Plans, Terry Fallis
9. The Bronte Myth, Lucasta Miller
8. The Wood, John Stewart Collis
7. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
6. Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe, Charlotte Gill

January 2013

5. In the Forest, Edna O'Brien
4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
3. Deep Hollow Creek, Sheila Watson
2. The Colour, Rose Tremain
1. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Jung Chang

gorgeous views, Joyce -- the Northwest, both in the US and Canada, is high on my places-to-visit list when I retire.

Jane - so many places to see--leave yourself lots of time!

Beautiful pictures! I love the end of summer/autumn weather. I love when the air gets clear and crisp, and the humidity of summer disappears.

ohh, fabulous pictures. We're promised a trip to Niagara Falls should we ever get to Canada - rather overdue wedding present. (yes, i know it's the other side) but views like that almost make me think it might be worth braving the plane and having one of those cross continent trips.

Helen - Niagara Falls is spectacular! You must see them. Then fly from Toronto to Calgary and take the Rocky Mountaineer ( http://www.rockymountaineer.com/en_CA_BC/) through Banff to Vancouver. Make sure you take the ferry over to Victoria (It's More English than the English after all) and then fly home from Vancouver.


The Banff Springs Hotel


the main street of Banff


Victoria's inner harbour

I say drive across! Have to have lots of time tho! but that does sound like an excellent plan.

Lovely pictures Joyce.

Great photos!

Wonderful photos. Years ago, my then-boyfriend and I took a trip to the Olympic Peninsula and had gorgeous views north to Vancouver, so your photos bring those memories back. Banff looks wonderful too.

Wow! Stunning photos, Joyce.

Growing up, family vacations were often spent in Banff or Jasper. Thanks for reminding me. It really is a stunning part of the world and will ruin you for other mountains.

Rebecca - yes, those blue bumps in the back of the Victoria pic are the Olympic Mountains in Washington State, so it stands to reason that you could see Vancouver Island from there! You can't tell in this photo, but they are spectacular when viewed from Victoria, and snow covered most of the year.

IT looks so beautiful, green and cool!!

Lovely pics!

My #1 or #2 vacation to date was to the Canadian Rockies -- Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, fabulous. Though we did have a mouse in our room at the Banff Springs Hotel. (Mid-1990s, pre-renovation.) My husband was asleep and I was reading and happened to glance up and see it. I tried for quite awhile to convince myself that if I hadn't looked up I never would have known and we'd have been just fine. We finally changed rooms; I still can't decide if that was an over-reaction or not.

I'd love to take the Rocky Mountaineer.

I'm sure any mouse at the Banff Springs Hotel would be well-mannered and of a better class of mouse. Sort of like Johnny Town Mouse:



But really. Damn those drafty old castles!

15 Depends on if it was carrying the plague or not. :)

59. Conceit, Mary Novik , 2007


Cover comments: I love, love, love this cover. It’s lush and gorgeous. The crackle effect over the painting adds polish, the dash of crimson is just the right shade, and the typeface used for the title is perfect. One of my favourite covers this year. The book designer is CS Richardson, who I could swear I’ve run into recently with another great cover.

Comments: Conceit is an exquisitely detailed historical novel about the great English poet John Donne, seen in the most part through the eyes of Pegge, one of his many daughters. Novik effectively uses Donne’s poetry in the character’s dialogue, which adds a richness to the novel. I particularly enjoyed the colourful and tactile language she used in the sections concerning Pegge’s husband, who was tailor to the king. I also enjoyed the flashbacks to Donne’s romance with his wife Ann More.

Rating: I feel bad giving this novel only 3 stars, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me overall. I attribute this not to any fault of the author, but to my lack of interest in the subject matter. Through my literature and history courses at university, I always found the 17th century to be the least interesting time period (although why should it be? A king is beheaded! London burns! Plague! But still, it just doesn’t appeal to me). Further, when I studied John Donne I found him to be very difficult but not rewarding (as opposed to Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Virginia Woolf who I find also difficult, but ultimately very rewarding).

Recommended for: I highly recommend Conceit for anyone who enjoys intellectual historical fiction and is also interested in the 17 century and John Donne. When published, the novel earned rave reviews, and was nominated for the Giller Prize, among many other accolades.

Why I Read This Now: I saw more 17 century sights on my recent stay in London than I expected to, and it piqued my interest in the time period. Conceit has been in my TBR since 2008 but because my aversion for the era, I hadn’t felt like reading it. Alas, at the end of it, I’m still not a 17th century fan.

The book designer is CS Richardson, who I could swear I’ve run into recently with another great cover.

Doing some research I learned that this is the same CS Richardson who wrote the delightful The End of the Alphabet. Writer and designer--talented person!

Ah ha, I know where I saw CS Richardson, book designer . . . he also designed my current read, Nikolski, by Nicolas Dickner. Looking through my book shelves, I've found several of his, and all of them are the better quality types of books that feel really nice too. So much more than just a nice image on the front cover. And he eschews the cliched cover (headless women, figuring running away, etc.) I think I have a professional crush on him (blush). Here are some of his covers in my TBR pile:





(I'm guessing he did this complete set of iconic Pierre Berton books?)







I think the Cellist of Sarajevo cover isn't his best work, but I love the others.

Great covers, great TBR and I think you have to move Galore up your TBR pile. I loved it.

Do you have a special CanCon TBR?!

I don't know what CanCon is . . . is it like CanLit? If so, yes. This is how my TBR is organized: bookcase in the upstairs hall = 1001 books TBR top shelf, CanLit TBR bottom shelf. In my closet there is a shelf of Virginia Woolf books (TBR and ones I've read), another shelf of physically large books (from all categories), another small box of CanLit, a box of AussieLit, a box of Orange prize books, a box + a pile of Booker prize books, a box of misc classics, and a wicker chest full of everything else.

I always want to read Galore next, but I never seem to get to it!

Like CanLit, yes. Canadian Content, which is more a CRTC term, but I was listening to CBC as I wrote that, shouldn't multitask. Should have used CanLit.

Like your organization and impressed by a whole shelf of Virginia Woolf. Maybe one of those rainy November days would work for Galore.

Okay, I'll pencil Galore in for rainy November! (and I won't make any grouchy comments about our unseasonably rainy September!)

I've just ordered Conceit. I actually love John Donne -- especially in his incarnation of Jack Donne, the Rake. So I'm really looking forward to this one. The 17th c. was my least favorite period of Brit Lit -- but Donne is an exception.

I too have a shelf of all of Virginia Woolf's books which I keep promising myself I'm going to read some summer.

Tuesday I had a copy of Virginia Woolf in 90 Minutes in my cart at the Goodwill. LOL! Just the title made me giggle. Someone stole it out of my cart when I wasn't looking. Probably would have been a sin to read it anyway, right? Instead of that whole shelf I may never get to? Time is running out. Not enough left to read every book I have bought!

P.S. Thanks for putting those great covers up!

I like the C S Richardson covers a lot. Interesting about 17 century literature. Maybe the English were too busy stumbling towards science...

Excellent review of Conceit, Mary Novik. This one goes on my wish list.

Great review of Conceit, Joyce! I agree with you, those book covers are lovely.

I've had Conceit on my tbr pile for a long time. Thanks for your excellent review. I find the time period interesting so I may get more out of it than you did. In any case it looks like it should be moved forward on the reading plan.

Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone. And I'm glad I didn't dissuade anyone from reading Conceit.

60. Nikolski, Nicolas Dickner, 2005/ translator Lazer Lederhendler, 2008


Cover comments: I love this playful quirky cover. The whole book (not just the cover) was designed by CS Richardson, who designed the lovely book I read last (Conceit). The actual images are from The Narrative of the Perry Expedition of Japan, 1858.

Comments: Like its cover, Nikolski is one quirky and playful book. Noah, Joyce, and an unnamed person are connected through their relation to Jonas Doucet, who was last seen in Nikolski in the Aleutian Islands. Through most of the novel they all live in the same neighbourhood of Montreal, but they only know each other tangentially. Nikolski is all about connections and separations.

What I liked: Nikolski is very different from anything I've read before, although there was something in the writing style that reminded me of Douglas Coupland--and then I read in an interview that Dickner is a great admired of Coupland and was inspired by his novels. (one point for me!)

Dickner makes heavy use of some interesting and unusual motifs, including nomads, islands, Moby Dick, fish and floods, garbage and archaeology, indigenous people and pirates, to name just a few. I look forward to rereading the book at some point and spotting more of these.

What I didn't like: This book was a quick and easy read, but I found it too disjointed, which is not something I dislike in books very often. Also, the characters were too static and lacking in development; however, this book has been called a fairy tale, in which case lack of character depth would be expected.

Recommended for: the original French version of this book won slews of awards, and the English translation won Canada Reads. I really can't see everyone in Canada reading this book. If you like very jumbled quirky books though, give it a try.

Rating a marginal 4 out of 5 stars.

Why I Read This Now: not sure.

>20 Nickelini: Interesting that you have so many books designed by CS Richardson. I think I’ve watched some internet videos by him on book-design history. Did you browse book by book or discover a quick way to find which books / covers he (or any particular person) has designed?

Interesting review, Joyce -- I'll keep an eye out for this one.

#33 - It was sort of a fluke that I noticed--I think because I recognized his name from his novel The End of the Alphabet (a very short enjoyable read, btw). I happened to notice it when I picked up Nikolski and then about a week later I noticed it again when I looked at Conceit. I tried to search his covers online, but had no luck. Most of my CanLit is in one place, so I just looked through them. It's an exercise in love--any excuse to fondle my books.

Yes, he has a series of book design and history videos on Youtube.

32 Really love that cover!

61. Interview with a Vampire, Ann Rice, 1976 (audiobook read by Simon Vance)


My audiobook didn’t have a picture, so I just picked this one from the LT cover selections. They are all ugly and none of them say “read me”

Comments Vampires are people too, or so Ann Rice wants her readers to believe. The narrator Louis is a vampire suffering an eternal existential crisis—he didn’t ask to become a vampire, doesn’t want to be one, he doesn’t understand how the whole vampire-thing works, and he tries to maintain his human value system although he has become non-human.

This book that spawned a cult following is almost 40 years old (wow), so either you’ve read it or you know you don’t want to. Hence, no plot synopsis from me. A friend enthusiastically got me to read Rice’s The Witching Hour about 20 years ago, and I thought it was fun. I tried to read a few other Rice books, but found them boring. Obviously, since I haven’t already read Interview with a Vampire, I’m not into vampires , although I certainly prefer them to zombies. They participate in cultured society and generally have an element of class about them, whereas zombies are mindless, ill-mannered oafs.

What I Liked: I thought Claudia, the child vampire, was a unique and interestingly creepy character. I also thought Rice’s world building was well done—especially the scenes where she describes old New Orleans.

What I didn’t like: Whoa, serious melodrama here. The characters and the whole book take themselves far too seriously. Listening to this on audiobook made it possible for me to just roll my eyes at it all, but I wouldn’t have had the patience to read through it.

Why I Read This Now: Interview with a Vampire has been in all the editions of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, going back to 2006, as well as the 501 Must Read Books. I’ve been interested to know why, and always figured a free copy would come along—and now it showed up in the library audio downloads. I have no plans to read all the books on the 1001 list, but I have found so many interesting and worthwhile books there. Even when I dislike a book, I can see why it has merit and is included. I’m not so sure with Interview with a Vampire. 1001 Books says it is all well done without veering into being “mawkish or sentimental,” and notes its “brilliant chiaroscuro.” 501 Must-read Books says : “the definitive Gothic masterpiece, Interview with a Vampire is not gratuitously scary, bloody and gory; it is literature that beautifully depicts the shared human experiences of guilt, love, sex and mortality through the eyes of the undead.”

Recommended for: like I said, I’m sure anyone who has wanted to read this book has read it.

Rating:: 2.5 stars. I was going to give it 3 because the world-building was interesting, but the overwrought emotional torment overshadowed it.

Well, I read that a million years ago (i.e., more or less when it came out), and I liked it enough to read the sequels, but do I remember it? No! Also, I was in my 20s at the time.

Rebecca, I imagine there are quite a few people around LT who would say "me too" to your comments.

I've been wanting to read Interview with the Vampire for the same reasons you did--plus just to get a sample of the genre--but haven't gotten to it yet.

Steven - well, you could do worse and if you have the time, go for it. But don't put aside something that you know will be good just so you can read this one.

40> I've never read it but it's been on the "maybe, if I see it" list for a while. I suppose my thoughts of it are coloured by the film (that I never saw) which had Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt & Antonio Banderas in (amongst others).
Oh deary deary me...

I enjoyed the film

it's been on the "maybe, if I see it" list for a while

I love this phrase. I probably have a lot of books on that list. Interview with a Vampire was definitely one of them.

I read Interview with a Vampire back in high school and remember liking it as a page turner but have always been a bit mystified that it's on the 1001 books list. Maybe this is unfair because I read it so long ago, but it's always lumped in with V.C. Andrews's Flowers in the Attic - certainly not high literature!

Japaul - yes, I can completely see why you lump those together. I suspect that Interview with a Vampire probably is a little more literary, but still . . .

Nice review of Interview with the Vampire, Joyce. I didn't realize that it was written so long ago (my sophomore year in high school)! I wasn't interested in it then, and I definitely am not now.

Oh, I'll admit that I liked it just fine in high school. Vast amounts of melodrama would have been a selling point back then.

Not into vampires but it sure can make for some interesting situations in relationships.

62. The Book of London Place Names, Caroline Taggart, 2012


Cover comments: a pleasing cover. I particularly like the turquoise river Thames that snakes over the red background.

Why I Read This Now: During my trip to London this past summer, I was fascinated by the place names I noticed as I rode the Tube or looked at my map. I come from an area that was settled barely 150 years ago, so most of our names are reused from other places, many of them in the UK: Surrey, Richmond, New Westminster; First Nations names such as Tsawwassen and Matsqui; uninspired physical features, such as Aldergrove; or occasionally after people such as Vancouver and Victoria. It's all fairly straightforward and not very interesting.

But London perplexed me. Is Moorgate the place were the Brits fought back invaders from North Africa? (if so, I don't remember learning that bit of history). Is Temple Bar a place where Jewish people went drinking after going to the synagogue? No! and Emphatically No!!! Moorgate simply means that when the gate was built in 1415, there were marshy moors outside of it. And Temple Bar refers to a physical bar that marked the city boundary that was put there by the Knights Templar. Why is there a place called Angel? (it comes from a coaching inn with that name that stood here in the 17th century). How "old" is Old Street? (older than you probably imagine--"street" in English comes from the Latin"strata", so this is an old Roman road, and was called this by the end of the 12th century). What's up with that stop at the end of the Piccadilly line (Cockfosters) that had my 16 year old snickering every time the recorded voice announced it? (Foster is Elizabethan for forester, Cock is the chief man or the leader). Oh, and Cheapside just means "market district" and not "deals" or "shoddy goods." But I guess living near a market was still way too lowbrow for the types of Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice.

Comments: I found this at the British Library gift shop, and have been reading it bit by bit ever since. It is well-researched and Taggart is careful to emphasize that often we just don't know, or can't know for sure, so she often gives multiple viewpoints. This book, which is 276 pages with index, is organized by area. In it, she blends toponymy, history, and trivia, which results in one of those books that entertains while it teaches.

One thing I learned that really stood out for me is how street names can change fairly easily, depending on neighbourhood development, politics, and a hundred other factors, but area names don't change, and are very old. All language morphs, and so too with place names, but the basis for the name stays the same. One of the oldest names in Longon is Penge (which I admit I'm unfamiliar with) which is Celtic for "wooded hill." Surprisingly, the pre-Roman roots for London and Thames are not really known (although there are some theories), and while the Romans left behind walls and roads, they didn't leave many names. The strongest influence to London place names is the Saxons, and the -ing in Ealing, Wapping, Paddington, Kensington, Barking, and Tooting all show that these were areas controlled by an Anglo-Saxon chieftain who has otherwise been lost to history.

Fascinating stuff.

Recommended for: history, geography, and trivia buffs, Londonophiles, people who like to learn about words.

Rating: 4 stars

Sounds like a fun read!
Is Temple Bar a place where Jewish people went drinking after going to the synagogue?
LOL!

#51 - When I look back at it, kind of an embarrassing moment, and I knew I had to be wrong, but I was utterly without a clue on that one.

One of the oldest names in Longon is Penge (which I admit I'm unfamiliar with)

I take it you're not a fan of Rumpole, then?? :)

Shoot! That's one of those pieces of British culture I've heard about forever and paid no attention to! Did I miss something good?

Just a running joke: all throughout the series there are passing references to "the Penge Bungalow Murders", a case that was Rumpole's first big success as a young barrister. :)

I remember a very funny skit on tv - I believe it was Peter Sellars, who went around London asking for directions to Cheapside, except he put on an ethnic accent and pronounced it Chee-AP-siddee. I think there may have been one about Marylebone too. It was a very long time ago, I hope I have my facts right.

Another interesting thing about English roads, at least where I lived in Oxfordshire -- they'd have one name in one direction and another going the other way, so that to do the school run I'd drive a bit on the Steventon road, but on the way back it was the Frilford road. Of course, on the map it had a number, but it made sense.

Liz - well, it sounds like I didn't miss anything very important ;-)

Vivienne - I can picture that!

Kay - can't say I noticed that, but we may have been too confused by other things to pick up on that one. Driving in Britain is . . . interesting.

I'm also surprised that Interview With The Vampire is on the 1001 Books list - perhaps it was very influential? Did it restart the genre of 'literary Gothic'?

From what I can tell, your guess is as good as any!

63. Cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee, 1959, audiobook


My audiobook had no cover, so instead I'll show this lovely picture of the village of Slad, Gloucestershire, where this memoir is set.

Comments: This short memoir tells of poet Laurie Lee's childhood in an English village, and the end of a way of life that he said had gone on for a thousand years. Spanning the inter-war years, this is a series of vignettes about his life as one of the younger children in a large family that his father had abandoned. While the stories romanticize this humble country life, they also show the horrors and great sadness. And there is humour, which I'm sure accounts for the generally highly positive sentiments surrounding this book. I too found it delightful.

Recommended for: This is a VERY short book, so it's a must-read for all Anglophiles and anyone interested in the 1001 Books lists.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Why I Read This Now: it was the second book that came up on the list of available audiobook downloads and since it was on my wishlist, I thought "done!"

64. The Children's Book, AS Byatt, 2009

Finished this a few days ago . . . still thinking about what I want to say.

65. Little Bee, Chris Cleave, 2009


Although I like the idea of the silhouette cover, and I like the font of the title (though not that used for the author's name), I actually dislike this cover quite a bit. The whole silhouette thing has become a huge cliche (see post #99: http://www.librarything.com/topic/152640#4059082), I dislike the use of the second woman as the eye (Sarah, I suppose), and I hate the black and orange colour scheme. After my book club decided to Little Bee this year, we chose it for the October book because the of the Halloween colours (yes, this was a joke). Yuck. This is a much better cover:



or even better, this picture from my edition's inside cover:



Comments: When someone in my book club suggested this book, I had no idea about its hype and popularity--it had completely missed my radar. I'm glad about that, because I would have gone into it with an expectation to dislike it and expect it to be a typical book club book (which it sort of is, but one on the better-quality end of that typical book club spectrum).

Little Bee is a teenage Nigerian girl in a UK immigration detention centre. The only people she knows in England are a couple she met two years previously on a beach in Nigeria, and with whom she survived a terrifying event. The chapters alternate between Little Bee's story, and the English woman Sarah's. The story is an unusual one, and kept me interesting and turning the pages throughout. In many places I thought the writing was very good.

Rating: Still thinking about that. I found this very readable, and clipped through it in a day and a half, and there were some things I really liked about it, which means 4 stars. However, it also had some flaws that make me think that's too generous.

Recommended for: This book is indeed sort of a "book club book," but it's still a worthwhile read, and I learned a bit more about the refugee process in the UK. I think people who are drawn to stories about immigrants and refugees will find something new and interesting here.

Why I Read This Now: you guessed it: book club

That is an awful orange cover, if someone suggested the book for my book club I don't think I would be very enthusiastic, so it's good to have your review.

64. The Children's Book, AS Byatt, 2009


I LOVE this cover--the blue colour is scrumptious, and the art work is beautiful. The main figure is a Rene Lalique broach, and it plays a part in the story. The back cover is also lovely. Well done, Stephen Parker (book designer)

Comments: To summarize this huge book in one sentence, it is the story of the Wellwood family of Kent, and their friends, neighbours, and relatives, from the late Victorian period through to the end of WWI.

I've wanted to read this book every since it was published, but was daunted by its size and suspected density. I have to be in the right place to give these sorts of books justice. And now was the time. I loved the Edwardian setting, the millions of details, and the rich visuals of Byatt's writing. I loved the Bohemian and fairy tale world building. I loved its charm, and its worlds-within-worlds, and its secrets. I preferred this to the author's Booker winning Possession.

While reading, I often went off on research tangents with the author's intriguing details. I found The Children's Book to be such a yummy visual delight that I was compelled to create a Pinterest board to store the images that arose while reading it (note that because of the way Pinterest sorts pictures, the top of the board shows images from the end of the book and they roughly follow chronological order downwards): http://www.pinterest.com/nickelini/the-childrens-book-as-byatt/

In her reviews, a LT friend, Amaryann21, always includes a sentence or two where she compares the book to food. This novel lends itself nicely to a food comparison: If The Children's Book were food, it would be a sumptuous seven course meal, served in an elegant dining room with mahogany furniture, starched white linens, and the best china. There would be summer pea soup to start, and entrees would include roast beast, poached salmon, truffles, partridge, et cetera and so on. Dessert would be Belgian chocolates and layered cream cake. Each dish of course would be served with the appropriate accompanying wine.

Recommended for: Readers who like their historical fiction rich on details. People who didn't like this book complain of "too many": too many historical facts, too many characters, too many descriptions, too, too, too.

Rating: My first 5 star book this year.

Why I Read This Now: I was finally able to devote my time and concentration to it.

That is a beautiful book cover. Nice pinterest board too. Can I put my order in for some iced biscuits and tea? ;)

#66 - Do share if you find a good source!

I thought The children's book was very detailed as well. I do think that the description of the meal is a little to nice though - I think there were significant dark undercurrents in the book that threaten to tear the beautifully portrayed world apart long before it is actually torn apart.

Cider with Rosie is (yet another) of those books I read at school and have really bad memories of. I suspect most of those are probably related to the English teacher rather than the material, but never tried it again - and I know I should...

Wonderful review and, wow, that Pinterest board is fantastic. I guess I'd heard of Pinterest before but never actually seen it. I'm almost afraid to look into it any further, because I can see it absorbing a lot of time.

Evelyn Nesbit looked familiar to me because she's on the cover of a book I own.

I'll have to move The Children's Book up the pile. I loved Possession but was iffy about The Virgin in the Garden. Definitely willing to give this one a shot! Thanks for the review.

Loved your pinterest board and a wonderful enthusiastic review for The children's Book I thought Possession was excellent so I am sure to like The Children's book.

The Children's Book sounds wonderful. I also loved Possession, so can't miss with this one.

I do think that the description of the meal is a little to nice though - I think there were significant dark undercurrents in the book that threaten to tear the beautifully portrayed world apart long before it is actually torn apart.

I see what you mean. I was getting at the over-the-top richness, so maybe it fits what you're saying better than I described. Personally, I'd feel sick after that meal, wouldn't sleep well that night, and need a lot of fresh air and exercise afterwards.

#69 - Steven, I can't quite make out the title of that book. Can you supply it? I'm hoping to pull some of the Nesbitts I have off the shelf and actually read them now.

I guess I'd heard of Pinterest before but never actually seen it. I'm almost afraid to look into it any further, because I can see it absorbing a lot of time.

Yes, Pinterest can be quite the time sucker. It took me a while to get what it was about, but for certain things I find it very useful. One of those is vacation planning--easy to browse pictures (that link to website) and collect ideas on what you want to see and do.

#74 - It's Laura Warholic; or, The Sexual Intellectual by Alexander Theroux. I haven't read it yet, so I can't tell you anything else about it. The cover may have nothing to do with the content.

The Children's Book is a rich feast of a novel. Loved the Pinterest board -- I went down to the bottom and scrolled up. What a good idea to enhance its reading. I may try that with a hefty tome.

Nice Pinterest board (actually all your boards are nice). You've made me curious about The Children's Book.

Originally, I liked A.S. Byatt's books, but her recent books are, as you wrote, increasingly baroque. Really over the top.

However, I still have several, including The Children's Book, so I will one day have to muster the courage to read them.

Great review, and entirely agree on the beauty of the cover design.

Great review of The Children's Book, Joyce. I loved it as well.

The Children's Book was amazing and great review of a book that would be very difficult to review. This is one of the few books I ever bought when they first came out, albeit in paperback. I usually wait for the initial uproar to subside before committing. Interesting idea with the food comparisons. I always enjoy your why I read this now and you certainly do need the uninterrupted time to devote to this book.

One of the things I really liked about this book was the depiction of class change over the years and the difficulty the English have with slotting people of talent and education but lower class origin and/or status. Byatt certainly didn't hit you over the head with it, but it was a constant. Also the close ties between the English and the Germans before the world wars was well brought out.

Always love your ongoing discussions of book covers and your pinterest board is stunning; fits the book beautifully.

The Book of London Place Names looks like real fun. When I lived in Newfoundland, place names were always a treat to work through. I lived in Topsail for a while, and had this romantic notion that since it was on a hill, people would be looking for the topsails of the returning fishing fleet from there. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It was originally called Thorpe's Hill and since many Newfoundlanders did not pronounce the "th" sound, it became contracted to T'orp's Hill. Since h at the beginning of a word is often not pronounced, the s and the hill then ran together to give sill, which is basically the way sail is pronounced. So, Thorpe's Hill to Topsail.
Another place not far away was Kitchuses, named after the bootlegger who lived out there, as in "I'm going to Kit Hughes's".
St Joan's Without always perplexed me too, wondering what it was she was without. Then I discovered it was actually a short form of St Joan's Without the Bay, in the old usage of outside or beyond.

Sorry I'm rambling on here. I got carried away after eighteen days away from LT!

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and for taking time to look at my Pinterest board. If any of you are on Pinterest, let me know and I'll follow you. (Kay, I noticed you and I've already checked out your boards and your glamorous travels!)

I usually wait for the initial uproar to subside before committing. That's my usual way of tackling books too.

One of the things I really liked about this book was the depiction of class change over the years and the difficulty the English have with slotting people of talent and education but lower class origin and/or status. Byatt certainly didn't hit you over the head with it, but it was a constant. Yes! You worded that very well. There's so much going on in this book.

I'm not very familiar with Newfoundland names, but I know I've come across some head-scratchers before. How fun! In the London book there were lots of examples of the current name coming through pronounciation changes exactly as you described. I guess Vancouver is too young for that sort of thing.

And please, feel free to ramble away!

It's Laura Warholic; or, The Sexual Intellectual by Alexander Theroux. I haven't read it yet, so I can't tell you anything else about it

Okay, Steven, that just sounds super ODD. I hope you read it and report back what that all means. ;-)

Here's a little Pinterest humour for you:

Pre-review of Night and Day, by Virginia Woolf

I started reading this novel in June and it's been slow going, so I thought I'd post my thoughts on what I've read to this point. Any few pages of this book are just fine, but the problem here is that it is a novella stretched out to an almost 500 page novel.

Katherine is the dutiful adult daughter who comes from a family of literary aristocracy. She is expected to make a good marriage, but what she really wants is to study mathematics. In the first chapter, she meets Ralph, a young lawyer from a lower class, and doesn’t like him. Hence we know that they will become love interests. Katherine soon gets engaged to William, a boring poet who reminds me of Cecil from A Room with a View. Obviously not the right love interest. And there is also Mary, who works in a suffragette office in Russell Square. Two-hundred-and-sixty-six pages in, that’s all that’s happened so far. Another two-hundred-and-twenty-three pages to go.

I snapped this photo while walking along Russell Square this summer. I'm sure thousands of people look at this sign every day and have no clue that it alludes to this little-known VW novel.

I'm sure thousands of people look at this sign every day and have no clue that it alludes to this little-known VW novel.

I was actually thinking it was a reference to the Ray Charles song.

Or that it's just a pub-bar that is open both night and day.

. . . and it might be. I didn't think about that. But then isn't it funny that it's in Russell Square, which is a significant setting in a Virginia Woolf novel of the same name? That would be kinda . . . scary? Weird? Hmmmmm. Okay, there's an assignment for the next time I'm in London: Actually go in and find out.

Just catching up here and enjoying myself on your thread.

Happy to entertain . . .

Hmmm. I was considering going back to the beginning and reading all of Woolf's 9 novels in order. I've never done that with an author before and I've only read To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway so far. But after your comments on Night and Day I'm not so sure . . .

#90 - yes, I was going to reply to your message about this on your own thread. I agree, with only those two under your belt, you might not want to do that, just because I think her first two novels are difficult and not in a very rewarding way. I'm a huge Woolf fan, but she's not an easy author. Here's my own personal Woolf reading order. This goes back to 2002, and I read 1-2 pieces a year:

1. The short story "The Mark on the Wall", which I hated the first two times I read it (for university). Funny thing--while I was telling my husband what a ridiculous and horrible story it was, I decided to read it out loud to him and while doing that, I GOT IT! And found it brilliant.

2. Mrs Dalloway, which I read for university, and so had the benefit of a little instruction to go along with it. And had to write about it, which is a big help with understanding anything.

I also read The Hours for the first time, which I found helpful.

3. The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf, some of which I loved, some I didn't get at all. But I could go slowly through at my own pace without committing to a novel.

4. A Room of One's Own, which I read for university, but we never discussed (long non-interesting reason for that).

5. Mrs Dalloway, reread. Also reread The Hours and spent a lot of time underlining my copies as they speak to each other in many ways. (Also highly recommend the film of The Hours).

6. Flush: a Biography, not usually included her list of major works. Read this on my own and found it rather fun. It's short.

At this point I tried The Voyage Out, which had a promising beginning and I read to p 224, but I wasn't that into it, and life got in the way.

7. Moments of Being, which I read so I could write an essay on something else.

8. The London Scene: six essays on London life

9. The Waves. I think this is probably her most difficult, opaque novel. I liked it though, just "letting the art wash over me," which I later learned is a good Woolf-reading technique. I look forward to rereading this beautiful book and actually understanding it.

10. Jacob's Room. Read this for a uni class where we spent one entire class (3 hours) on the first paragraph. My prof was REALLY into Woolf. And he taught me the most valuable Woolf lesson I've learned yet: You don't understand Woolf until you've reread Woolf. So my "just let the art wash over me" approach to The Waves was exactly right. Read her the first time to see what it's all about, and understand it the second time.

11. Reread Jacob's Room and it was a completely different book. This novel is underrated. It really is excellent, once you know what to look for.

12. To the Lighthouse. Loved it.

13. Orlando. Loved it.

14. Women and Writing (loved it), and A Room of Ones Own reread, for university.

14. The Voyage Out. Read it along with two Woolf guides, which helped a lot. Didn't love it, but I did appreciate it and like it.

15. The Dairy of Virginia Woolf, edited by Leonard Woolf. Hated it! I blame that all on Leonard's editing. It was very choppy.

I've also read bits and pieces from her two volumes of The Common Reader.

In between I read some minor biographies and commentaries. I recently met a Woolf scholar and asked her which biography she recommends, and it is of course Hermione Lee's, which I've owned for years, but it's very, very thick so I haven't tackled it yet.

So, I'd recommend that you don't go back to her beginning unless you plan to do a lot of side-reading along with it. Read some of her essays (Common Reader, A Room of Ones Own), or her short stories, or some Woolf biographies (I forget who it was, but an LTer once commented that she liked reading ABOUT Woolf more than she liked actually reading Woolf). If you want a novel, try Orlando or Jacob's Room.

Sorry this was so long. It actually helped me sort out some of my Woolf thoughts.

And I'll leave you with this picture of my family having a picnic on the Woolf's lawn at Monk's House this past summer:


First we had a picnic on her back lawn. There were nice views of the Sussex Downs from here.

That is a treasure having your Woolf list! Thank for taking the time to do that!

>91 Nickelini: I've marked this post as a favorite, so that I can refer back to it. Thank you.

Thank you, thank you! Fantastic information. Thanks for taking the time. I think I'll rethink the reading in order plan! I have read A room of One's own but no short stories. I generally have a hard time with short stories so for now I'll stick with novels or a biography.

I've marked #91 as a favorite as well.

I know what you say about re-reading certain works is true, but I have difficulty doing so when other books are calling. I see you read Jacob's Room twice back-to-back, but others only after reading something else between. Which approach worked best for you?

Great Virginia Woolf reading list. I love a good list.

Great stuff on The Children's Book and very interesting on Virginia Woolf. I have some guilt about not having read anything by Woolf.

Oh, my, I'm flattered anyone was interested. . . well, I'm glad I could help out with the Woolf list. Once I got started, I was really writing it down for myself I think. But if others are interested, please take from it what you can.

I know what you say about re-reading certain works is true, but I have difficulty doing so when other books are calling. I see you read Jacob's Room twice back-to-back, but others only after reading something else between. Which approach worked best for you

Steven - Oh, I hear you. My TBR pile is monstrous, so for the most part I only read books a second time when I had to write about them for school. I think either way works well--immediately or years apart-- but the impression is probably stronger when the readings are back-to-back and you didn't really get the book the first time around.

My strongest experience with this was reading Bend Sinister by Nabokov. First time through I thought it was unbelievably pretentious, and difficult, and thus boring. But I had to write an essay on it, or Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler, and we'd spent weeks on that one already and I was going to scream if I had to spend any more time on that book, so I decided to write on Bend Sinister. The second time through I really liked it and thought it was pretty brilliant. Better yet, everyone else was intimated by the book and didn't write on it, and the TA I had for marking told me he didn't know the book very well and I'd taught him a lot, and so I got a great mark. Nice reward, but even better was the lesson that "pretentious slog" can turn into "brilliant."

I have some guilt about not having read anything by Woolf.

Dan - You know what they say, right? "Guilt, schmilt." You haven't found time for Woolf, and I haven't found time for Dostoevsky. So many books, so little time . . . one day . . .

I favourited that post too! I really enjoyed The Waves, but partly because I read it after seeing - twice - a great adaptation of it at the theatre, which helped me to understand the shape of the book and how the different characters and stories fitted together.

I thought I was being pretty smart in marking #91 as a favourite, but now I see I was by no means alone. Thanks Nickelini for providing the excellent summary of Virginia Woolf's work.

Catching up with your reading after a couple of busy weeks. I've never read The Children's Book because I never got through Byatt's Possession, but your review makes it sound very intriguing. And I've never gotten into Pinterest (as if I need another time sink in addition to LT!) but I loved your board (especially the women's hair!) and I can see its appeal, if I only had more time . . .

66. The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins, 2008, audiobook


Being an audiobook, I didn't have much opportunity to see and thus think about this cover. First superficial thoughts are that it's "pretty good," although I'm not sure about the symbolism of the fingerprint.

Rating: 4.5 stars. I very much wish I would have read this book 35 years ago.

Why I Read This Now: I was desperate for an audio book, and after flipping past what felt like several hundred, I found this one that had been on my "maybe someday" wishlist.

Comments:I enjoyed listening to this very much. Yes, some of it I'd heard before, but there was a lot of new material or new ways of looking at things too. I certainly didn't agree with everything he said, or at least his slant on what he said. And he rambled off on to all sorts of tangents. But overall, it was just so refreshing. Maybe you wouldn't have that reaction, but I was raised in an evangelical, "Bible believing" family full of ministers and missionaries, attended post-secondary religious training where I was exposed to Calvinism and the insidious sect of Christian dominionism (the religious direction of US politicians such as Michelle Bachmann and Ted Cruz), and was taught that asking questions about the topics that Dawkins discusses in The God Delusion amounts to nothing less than thought crime. So yes, I found listening to this book to be a thoroughly refreshing and uplifting experience.

"Smug," "angry," "illogical, "arrogant," "snarky," and "aggressive" are descriptors often thrown at Dawkins from both the faithful and non-theists alike. I disagree--he doesn't pull any punches, but he's not personal or unfair in his criticisms. I see him more as someone who is obviously both highly educated and highly intelligent and perhaps becomes a little exasperated with those who don't see what he finds glaringly obvious. I don't know. Anyway, maybe I didn't hear the tone I'd been warned about because I was listening to an audiobook, and it was read by the author who was witty and friendly, and also a second female voice. There was a nice balance between the two readers. I knew that Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, but I was surprised on the strong scientific slant throughout much of this (naive, I guess, but my expectations were based on interviews I've seen with him and other non-theist reading I've done). I also liked all the references to other writers and thinkers--I have a long list to go off and research now.

For some reason, I didn't think this controversial book would have much to say to me, although whenever I've seen Richard Dawkins interviewed I've been quite impressed by him. From the press about it, I thought The God Delusion was a screed designed to deconvert religious people, and in its reviews some readers do indeed say the book helped them lose their religion. But from my reading, the book seemed more directed at closet atheists, agnostics, and fence sitters. As Dawkins says, he wants to do some "consciousness-raising" among that group.

Recommended for: Anyone who likes to think. If you're religious, reading this book probably won't change that, but I think it's excellent to look at the other side of things if you haven't explored them yet.

Excellent review of The God Delusion. Having heard it read by the author seems to have enhanced the sincerity of his views for you and allowed you to see past some of the accusations made about him.

#103 - Yes, it did. He comes across as not only likeable, but for the most part trustworthy. Sort of like a favourite old uncle who sometimes makes some odd comments but overall is fun to listen to.

Excellent review - are you going to post it on the book's page?

That's a great review Joyce. I found this book very thought provoking and enjoyed thinking about these topics in new ways.

Merrikay - I wasn't going to, just because there are already 250-ish reviews. I'm not sure I'm adding anything to the conversation.

Laura - Yes, it was thought provoking, wasn't it! I saw your comments and really liked what you had to say.

67. After Hamelin, Bill Richardson, 2000


Cover comments: I've always liked this cover when I've shuffled this book through my TBR pile. I find the swirly colours to be inviting.

Comments:: This is a retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story written for 10 - ?? year olds. Penelope becomes deaf around the same time that the Piper shows up in Hamelin to take revenge on the town, and so she doesn't dance away with the other children. It falls on her rescue them.

I'm a big fan of Bill Richardson, who I first got to know through his classical music shows on CBC Radio and then CBC Canada Reads. He is also the author of the charming and funny Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast.

There is some enchanting language and nice imagery in After Hamelin, but overall it just didn't work for me. But then I'm probably not the target audience. I do like that he tackled a fairy tale that isn't common, but is well known enough that most people know the basic premise. And I love the idea of fairy tales retold, but so far I'm not sure I've actually found any that I actually like on their own merit. I shall continue to search . . .

Why I Read This Now: Well, it's been in my TBR for years, and after reading The Children's Book and all the talk of adults reading children's books, I thought I'd read one too. (It's also one of my TBR Challenge goals).

Rating: 3 stars

Recommended for: readers in the target audience age range who like fairy tale retellings.

66> That's an interesting response to his book. I've not read that book, but I have read Unweaving the Rainbow where he takes a number of observed phenomena that were previously held to be miraculous and explains how they work. The title is taken from a quote from a poet who accused Newton of destroying the magic of the rainbow once he had discovered how it was created.
It should have pushed all my buttons - scientist, brought up Anglican (and not allowed to question), now firmly agnostic.
But it was his tone that I objected to. It was so entirely anti-religion it was bordering on being the same rhetoric as is used by the religious extreme; if you don't think what I think then you're clearly wrong and are worthless. And that really got a very long way up my nose.

I did wonder if it might seem less extreme in places where religious extremism is more common (it's not generally a rhetoric that's common in the UK in my experience). But it did put me off any of his other works.

I hadn't planned to read The God Delusion, but now I'll look for it on audiobook.

#109 - But it was his tone that I objected to. It was so entirely anti-religion it was bordering on being the same rhetoric as is used by the religious extreme; if you don't think what I think then you're clearly wrong and are worthless.

Helen, you're certainly not the first person who has taken that impression away from Dawkins, and I was expecting to feel that way too. I see what you mean, although I definitely didn't get the feeling that he thinks anyone is worthless. And I really see him disliking the ideology, but not individual people.

I did wonder if it might seem less extreme in places where religious extremism is more common (it's not generally a rhetoric that's common in the UK in my experience).

Religious extremism certainly isn't part of our social fabric here in Canada either--most people never think about it, and when they hear crazy stories about Christian extremists in the US, I think most people don't believe it or think it's very rare. Canadians in general are very "live and let live," "do what you want as long as you're not hurting anyone" type people. Even though I have experienced extremists in Canada and Australia, they were still less extreme than the US version--for the most part gentle and kind, and anti-gun and anti-death penalty. They just think anyone who didn't think their way was go to actually burn in hell for all eternity.

I think this shows us that a book is coloured as much by what we bring to it as what is in the book itself.

#110 - Kay - I hope you get something out of it when you get around to it. I look forward to your comments.

68. Fear and Trembling, Amelie Nothomb, 1999, translated from French by Adriana Hunter


I LOVE this cover--it's one of my favourite from my TBR pile. But I'm not sure what it is that speaks to me. I love the close up of the face, and the artifice of the makeup, but what does that mean? I'll think about this one. BTW--this is a dreaded "movie tie-in" cover that we all usually hate. Not this time.

Comments: It's 1990 and Japanese-born Belgian Amelie takes a job at a Tokyo corporation. Despite speaking Japanese and being aware of the customs, she earns herself continual demotions through her blunders and lapses of Japanese etiquette. This is a short, quick read and one that I found unique and entertaining. The novella is autobiographical, but I wondered how true to life the extreme bullying behaviour of some of her superiors was, and a Canadian friend who has lived in Japan for 20 years told me that it's fairly accurate, though certainly not the rule.

Recommended for: chances are, Fear and Trembling is extremely different from whatever else you're reading, so if you're looking for a quick change of pace, pick it up.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Why I Read This Now: looking for something short and different. It's also on the 1001 books list.

69. The Way We Are, Margaret Visser, 1994


I have no opinion of this cover art

Comments: A collection of essays about a vast range of things, including "Valentines," "Wearing the Colour Blue" and "Parades". Visser looks at the history and cultural significance of the item and what it means in our lives. These essays were previously printed elsewhere.

Rating: 3 stars

Why I Read This Now: I've been picking it up and reading an essay here and there for a few months

Recommended for: people interesting in the meaning of various things in our culture. She provides a biography for each topic for further reading.

That's too bad, Visser is usually really engaging. Maybe her books are better when dedicated to a single topic.

70. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, 1892


Quite a delightful cover and a nice, non-cliche use of the silhouette.

Comments: I've managed to make it through my life paying no attention to Sherlock Holmes. So I didn't really know what to expect going in to this. Of course, a lot of Sherlock Holmes has permeated our culture, so I recognized many sayings and tropes. I guess I had more of an idea than I thought I did.

I was disappointed. I was expecting palpable atmosphere and, I hoped, a little creepiness. That was entirely missing. I thought I'd enjoy Holmes's use of observation and logic, but I have to admit that I found his mystery solving techniques to be almost silly. Overall, I found the stories sort of on the boring side. I frequently checked the page numbers to see how much more I had to endure--never a good sign.

Rating: a wildly generous 3 stars. I guess it wasn't that bad, and it certainly drips with cultural significance.

Recommended for: I seem to be the only one who isn't charmed by the whole Sherlock Holmes thing. I really don't get the love, but it could be a lot worse I guess. (This is my way of saying I don't recommend it but you'll probably love it).

Why I Read This Now: I was looking for something with good October atmosphere (cozy firesides, crisp air, and something vaguely menacing). I guess it sort of maybe did that a little.

I don't know if I'd like Sherlock Holmes as much as I do if I hadn't read the complete SH as a child, in my grandfather's edition. But if he didn't do anything for you, it's difference of opinion that makes LT interesting!

Interesting review of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I have never read any of the stories and I am thinking that they might be a disappointment when I get to them.

For anyone interested in trying Sherlock Holmes, I recommend Favourite Sherlock Holmes Stories Selected by the Author. I picked up this collection in a bookstore several years ago, and was intrigued that many of the stories Conan Doyle picked as his favorites were my own favorites, well remembered from my childhood. It was reading this volume that made me go back to reading Sherlock Holmes. I recommend it because, well, these are some of his best stories and if you like them you might read more and if you don't like them you'll know that too.

Too bad you didn't like the Sherlock Holmes stories; I thought they were wonderful. In recent years I've used them as a pick-me-up when I was in a reading slump and couldn't get interested in reading anything else.

Missed your Dawkins review till now. Interesting to see your response verse your own history.

71. Bossypants, Tina Fey, audiobook, 2010


Those man arms are rather disturbing.

Comments: I don't watch much TV, so I can't say that I'm a huge Tina Fey fan. I have, however, enjoyed her work when I've come across it. Bossypants is no different.

This audiobook was read by the author, as every memoir should be. Some of it was very funny, some of it was very thoughtful and intelligent, and some of it was just okay. In the early chapters, she talked a lot about being an awkward teenager which wore a bit thin for me--didn't we all feel awkward as teenagers? It's been done. The best parts of the book for me was when she talked about breaking into comedy and her attitudes about life and work. There was also a long section about the whole Sarah Palin thing that was interesting. She was able to insert the audio of the famous SNL sketches, which was fun to hear again.

At the end of this short book, I came away with a deeper admiration for Tina Fey because I see that she is a highly intelligent, thoughtful, empathetic person, who also struggles. And happens to be pretty funny in the process. I still wouldn't call myself a huge Tina Fey fan, but definitely a strong fan, and an admirer.

Recommended for: . . . if you think it sounds like something you might like. Try to get the audiobook.

Rating: 4 stars

Why I Read This Now: same reason as all my audiobooks--it was on some list of mine somehow, and it was available.

I think I felt the same about Bossypants, although I only gave it 3.5 stars. I agree that audio is the way to go with this one, because timing is so important with comedy.

Oh come on now! What's not to like about Robert Downey, Jr.?

Seriously though Sherlock Holmes has no appeal for me, but maybe I should follow Rebecca's advice.

I had never read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories until a few years ago after I read A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin. It is a story that finds Sherlock in 1947, 93 years old, retired, and still looking for answers. I figured that I should know what Conan Doyle's Sherlock was really like, so I took The Complete Sherlock Holmes home from the library. I enjoyed both books.

I had a similar take on Bossypants. My daughter read it & loved it, so I borrowed her copy. Liked it, especially the sections you mentioned. And it was great for the daughter to read a "woman breaks into a male-dominated field" memoir. I like stoking her feminist side. Not that it needs much stoking really ... but you know.

#122 - I agree that audio is the way to go with this one, because timing is so important with comedy.

Yes, that's an excellent point you have.

#123 - Oh come on now! What's not to like about Robert Downey, Jr.?
Even his massive charm couldn't draw me to this one.

#124 - It's amazing how many books, films, and TV shows have come out of Sherlock Holmes.

#125 - And it was great for the daughter to read a "woman breaks into a male-dominated field" memoir. I like stoking her feminist side. Not that it needs much stoking really ... but you know.

I hear you! If I can get my 16 yr old to sit down, I'm going to have her listen to some parts of it before the audio book disappears from my computer.

72. Lives of Girls and Women, Alice Munro, 1971


Love this classic cover. I know they're everywhere, but I don't think I've ever actually read one. And the binding was nice too, so the book felt really good to read.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Comments: Lives of Girls and Women is a bildungsroman of Del, growing up in a small town in Ontario in the 1940s. Her family lives on the outskirts of the town, so she is never really one of them, but not really a country person either. The book is made up of a series of linked stories, that I suppose could stand separately, although it really wouldn't make sense to read them out of order.

This the third Munro book I've read, and although I really like her as a person (she's very well known here in Canada), I haven't loved her books. I've appreciated them, I've seen their merit, but there was something that didn't quite click with me. One reason is that I've had trouble identifying with her characters, and the other is that at times she writes about some very uncomfortable material in a very stark manner. I've been heard to say that I feel like taking a shower after reading some of her stories.

I can confidently say that I've turned a corner her. On the surface I don't have much in common with her characters, but she writes about such very human experiences and emotions that I can't imagine anyone not identifying on some level if they're being honest. There were so many fabulous characters in Lives of Girls and Women--I especially had a soft spot for her odd, hopeful, encyclopedia-selling mother.

Alice Munro seems like such a nice old lady, but she writes some pretty raw stuff! I can also see why she is so admired by other writers--she's definitely a writer's writer.



Why I Read This Now: When she won the Nobel Prize earlier this month, I knew it was time to pull one of her books out of my TBR pile. I don't usually read back-to-back books from the same author, but I'm tempted to just start on the other book of hers that I own.

Recommended for: literature lovers. Not recommended for people who need a single plot line with a strong story arc. In reader reviews there are a lot of comments that Lives of Girls and Women is too much like short stories. However, if you've read a lot of literature, the structure won't make you blink.

I have two of Munro's short story collections, but haven't read them. I did pull one of the shelf and onto the TBR shelf after she won the prize. Enjoyed your thoughts and review.

#128 - Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

#127 - Lives of Girls and Women was the first Alice Munro book I read (probably in the orange Penguin cover, they all looked like that back then) and I fell in love with her writing. I recommended the book to an academic librarian I worked with who disliked it intensely, wouldn't discuss it. It could have hit a nerve I suppose.

I just sent Lives of Girls and Women to my mother -- heartened to see your review, so I know she'll like it. It's on my wishlist. I've read a number of her stories as she gets included in many lit. anthologies -- Nortons, etc., but I don't think I own any of her books except her sort-of memoir The View from Castle Rock which I thought was wonderful.

I recommended the book to an academic librarian I worked with who disliked it intensely, wouldn't discuss it. It could have hit a nerve I suppose.

Interesting. To not discuss it! Struck a nerve indeed. Yes, she has moments of being rather uncomfortably honest by portraying those moments in life that a lot of us have experienced and want to forget about as quickly as possible.

#131 - Jane--I hope your mother likes Lives of Girls and Women! My mom was slightly older than Alice Munro (1926 vs 1931) and would have hated her books. They would have been too boring for her and then when they weren't boring, way too "dirty". My mom liked to pretend those sorts of things didn't happen even though she knew damn well that they did. But if you don't talk about it, it's not real, is it! On the other hand, just last week I talked about Munro with my aunt who was born in 1937 and she thinks Munro is fabulous. You never know with that generation.

I am almost done with The Lives of Girls and Women. I also picked it up when Munro won the Nobel Prize. She's definitely a great writer in my mind, but her subject matter is dark. It's odd that I find myself reading along, thinking it's just a nice and well-written story, and all of a sudden you realize there is some really miserable stuff going on.

Anyway, I'm enjoying the experience of reading it even if it is a bit depressing at times. I love the bits about Del's reading and agree that the mother is a great character.

It's odd that I find myself reading along, thinking it's just a nice and well-written story, and all of a sudden you realize there is some really miserable stuff going on.

YES! Worded perfectly!

Nice review of Lives of Girls and Women, Joyce, and I'm very glad that you liked it. It was the only book by Alice Munro I had owned prior to last week, and I'll definitely read it for my CanLit challenge next year.

I agree with you about the disturbing arms on the cover of Bossypants.

I'm another one of those who started reading Lives of Girls and Women as soon as Munro won the Nobel Prize, but I hadn't read anything by her before. I'm about halfway through, and it is reminding me of The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.

Steven - I haven't read that one, so can't comment. However, apparently when Munro was young she read a lot of writers from the US south, so that would make sense wouldn't it.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is probably my all-time favorite debut novel, Steven, so that comparison makes me want to drop everything and read Lives of Girls and Women now.

I notice that The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is often tagged "Southern Gothic," and Alice Munro is one of the authors most often mentioned when discussing "Southern Ontario Gothic."

More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ontario_Gothic

(I was going to copy a couple of sentences here, but for some reason my computer or the website won't let me. )

That's quite interesting, Joyce! Two of the best known Southern Gothic writers from the US, Carson McCullers and Flannery O'Connor are amongst my favorites, and I'll read books by most of the Southern Ontario Gothic writers mentioned in that Wikipedia page next year.

Darryl - It sounds like you might be in for some good reading, in that case!

Love it -- Southern Ontario Gothic!

>127 Nickelini: Appreciated your comments on the Munro. I think I have that book, yet unread, because it's one of her few novel-length works. I think I've read 3 or 4 Munro books and I've not had the same reactions to her as you have had (perhaps I read a different combo of her work?) The last collection I read was Open Secrets, which I liked a lot. I am glad she's getting the recognition she deserves, hard to do when one is primarily a short fiction writer.

I'm looking forward to getting to Lives of Girls and Women. And your excellent review of The God Delusion has me locating an audio copy at my library; I'll pick it up tomorrow tho with some trepidation about the author's communication style.

I think I've read 3 or 4 Munro books and I've not had the same reactions to her as you have had (perhaps I read a different combo of her work?)

Hmmm . . . I'm not sure which reaction you mean. Wanting to take a shower? Or something else? That feeling just comes up now and again--but it's always there at some point. The story that gave me that feeling the strongest was "Save the Reaper." It just made my skin crawl, but it also felt so real. How does she right that without having lived it?

I'll pick it up tomorrow tho with some trepidation about the author's communication style.

I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts and see if you think he sounds like that interesting uncle, or just a pompous mean jerk. Or maybe something else.

73. The Dinner, Herman Koch, 2009, translated from the Dutch 2012, audiobook


Cover comments: yes, this will work.

Comments: The only thing I knew about The Dinner was that it was one of those books that people really want to talk about after they read it, and that it had been a best seller in Europe before being translated into English. So when I started listening to it, I had no expectations of any kind. And in that spirit, I'm going to tell you almost nothing about the book so you too can approach it with a clear mind.

I will just give you the briefest summary. The first person narrator, Paul, and his wife Claire, go to a preposterously priced and very pretentious restaurant for an evening with Paul's brother Serge and his wife Babette. Everyone expects Serge to become the next prime minister of the Netherlands, and Paul has some pretty intense sibling rivalry issues going on (the reader of this audiobook amusingly uses a tone of utter disdain whenever he says "Serge."). At first, Paul's acerbic thoughts on his brother and the restaurant are rather amusing, but as you read on, things start to get dark. And then they get very dark. And that's all I'm going to tell you.

Recommended for: It's no secret that none of the characters in this book are likable. If vile people upset you, don't read this book. Although the story happens over the course of the dinner, there are flashbacks, so you also have to like the non-linear story. And there is lots of social commentary--some of it not very nice. And then there is the violence. In short, if you like twisty, compelling books with amoral characters behaving badly, this is the book for you. In that way, it reminded me of The Slap, although I think I like this one better. I can see this being a great book club book because there is so much going on and so much to say about it, and because people seem to really like or really hate it. I won't be recommending it for my book club, however, as I know that they would all just hate it so much. But I liked it!

Rating: 4 stars

Why I Read This Now: book from my wishlist available on audiobook.

Intriguing review, Joyce -- but I'll think I'll skip this one based on your recommendations. A book full of vile characters just doesn't appeal, I'm afraid.

Yes, The Dinner isn't for everyone!

I thought this was a great picture (TWUC = the Writers Union of Canada--this picture comes from their website):


Such a great picture! TWUC members Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro celebrating Alice's recent Nobel Prize for Literature win with some bubbly!

Thanks for posting that. It's lovely.

Gorgeous!

That is a lovely picture. Can't help but smile in response.

and they look so innocent! Ha!

I guess as innocent as two little devils can look!

Wonderful photo!

Are they little? I just googled 'margaret atwood height,' and the first result was 5'4" which though not statuesque is also not tiny.

Robert

I've never met or seen either of them, but from this picture they both look petite, don't they!

>158 Nickelini: :) That is the way I feel when I read some of these huge books. My daughter bought me a book pillow which is quite nice for taking the load off of my arms.... although I really should do the exercise. Maybe lift the books ten times after each page - HA!

Nice review of The Dinner, Joyce; I'll probably pass on it, though.

Great photo of Atwood and Munro!

>149 Nickelini: sweet photo

I think The Dinner goes onto the wishlist. Maybe on audio because I can imagine exactly how the narrator snarls "Serge" :)

I got lucky and was able to check out The Dinner electronically from my library today. I thought it would make a nice break from my current reading of Gandhi a Spiritual Biography. ;)

and it is!

74. Breathe: a Ghost Story, by Cliff McNish, 2006


Love this cover

Comments: I'm always on the lookout for a good ghost story--one full of atmosphere and creepyness, and that isn't stupid. Because well-written ghost stories are hard to find, Breathe: a Ghost Story was a pleasant surprise, especially since it's a novel written for children.

Jack and his mother Sarah arrive at an old farmhouse they've leased in the English countryside where they have come to grieve and regroup after the sudden death of Jack's father (side note: I guess because it's a kid's book we don't see Sarah's pain over the loss of her husband? Odd.) In the beginning of the book, Jack reminds me of the little boy in the movie the Sixth Sense because he sees dead people--well, ghosts, actually. And this farmhouse has five--four children who died at different points over a forty year time span, plus a woman from the Victorian era whose daughter died from consumption in the garden. At first the Ghost Mother (as they call her) seems nice, but you soon learn that she is a little on the obsessive crazy side, and terrorizes the other ghosts as a result. She soon begins to terrorize Jack and Sarah too.

There are a lot of things I liked about Breathe: a Ghost Story. First, although it is written for children, it read like a book for any age reader (trust me, this is a rare and wonderful thing). The story was unique from start to finish--I soon got to know Jack and stopped imagining him as Haley Joel Osment. There were several twists that I didn't expect, and it was never predictable. The ghosts weren't the creepiest, but the whole logic and worldbuilding around them was both solid and inventive. Also, Jack has severe asthma, and McNish incorporates that effectively into the story. Finally, the chapter headings had cool illustrations. Overall, this is a terrific book.

Rating: 4 stars. A great Halloween read!

Recommended for: readers who love ghost stories.

hypnotic review!

75. Strange Things: the Malevolent North in Canadian Literature, Margaret Atwood, 1995


I love this cover with it's vintage illustration and title font. I wonder though what this picture is about . . . why is this group of snowshoers wearing this odd uniform? Who are they? Curious indeed.

Comments Strange Things is based on four lectures that Atwood gave at Oxford University in 1991. Here she looks at four different views of Canadian literature that incorporate themes of the "malevolent north" (that term tickles me): the Franklin Expedition, the 19th century Arctic disaster; Grey Owl Syndrome, where white men go native; the Wendigo, a ice-hearted monster of aboriginal legend (which I only knew from the Ogden Nash poem we used to recite on the playground in elementary school: "The Wendigo / the Wendigo! / Its eyes are ice and indigo! . . . "), and finally, women authors in Canada and their treatment of the north.

Rating: I don't know, I just didn't really click with this one. It's decent reference material I suppose, but I expected more. However, reader reviews are generally much more favourable, so if this sounds interesting don't let my so-so feelings dissuade you. It's short. 3 stars.

Recommended for: anyone studying CanLit or Canadian culture.

Why I Read This Now: was looking for some non-fiction.

I DO love that cover though!

76. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs, by Elissa Wall, 2008, audiobook


Audiobook cover--I'd like to know if this is an actual picture of the author. I found this pic of her online:



Lately I’ve wanted to keep my reviews short, but with this one I’m pulling out a full blown essay. I don’t expect many people to read this book, and this story needs to be known, so I’m going to tell it all here.

Comments I thought I knew everything I needed to know about the FLDS from reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and watching Warren Jeffs, the FLDS prophet, in the news, but I still found Stolen Innocence to be utterly fascinating.

In 1986, Elissa Wall was born into a polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) family in the Salt Lake City area. She was one of her father’s 25 children and one of her mother’s 14. When she was a child, the FLDS became unhappy with her father and they reassigned Elissa’s mother and all her children to another FLDS man in the Utah-Arizona border area. Like everyone in the FLDS culture, her life was one of physical, social, and physical isolation. At the age of 14 she was told that she was to be married, she protested as best she could, and even more vehemently when she learned that it was her 19 year old bullying cousin who she was to marry. Like all FLDS children, she had been segregated from all males (except her brothers) and had not been taught the first thing about anatomy or sex, in fact, she didn’t even know the word. She also didn’t know the word “rape,” which is what her husband did to her over the next four years. By the time she was 17, Elissa had had three miscarriages and one still birth. She eventually escaped, married someone she loved, and was a star witness in Warren Jeff’s first trial.

As interesting as her story is, it is sometimes frustrating to hear her glowing adoration toward her parents. Their parenting was atrocious, as repeatedly they chose the salvation of their own souls over the wellbeing of their children. Her father and his first wife were regular LDS and converted to FLDS. Elissa’s mother was his second wife, and she had been raised in the religion. Her father was a highly educated engineer with a successful career. The FLDS church made him leave jobs when they thought he was having too much contact with the outside world, and they also made him sell his profitable company—which he sold to members of the prophet’s family at a financial loss to himself.

Elissa’s older sisters were all married to old men who had many other wives. Her sister Rebecca was married to Rulon Jeffs, the prophet at the time. She was wife number 19, and he was 85 years old on their wedding day. And yes, she was expected to service him sexually, three times a week. When Rulon Jeffs died at the age of 92, he had over 60 wives.

The logistics of plural marriage means that there is an excess of males in the community. Hence, between the ages of 13 and 17, most boys are abandoned—without warning—in a nearby town or along the highway. They immediately become apostates, and the family is threatened with eternal damnation if they have any contact with their sons and brothers. Homeless and uneducated, these “lost boys” have no life skills and are entirely unprepared to be on their own in the world without family support.

The FLDS are an example of actual theocracy in North America. There are an estimated 10,000 of them altogether, mainly in their own towns in Utah, Arizona, Texas, and British Columbia, Canada, and a scattering across the western US. In the towns in Utah and Arizona the police force is made up of FLDS leaders, who inappropriately use their state-granted law enforcement authority to enforce edicts of the FLDS (research shows me that some state governments are breaking this up, but I’m not sure).

I find fundamentalism fascinating, and the FLDS fits the bill of full noodliness, although sadly, theirs is a very dangerous and destructive set of beliefs. According to Wikipedia, there are over 60 groups who have splintered off from the Mormon church. This particular group left in 1935, mainly due to their wanting to practice plural marriage. They became more conservative in the 1950s (that’s when the women started wearing the one same hairstyle and the pioneer dresses), and then stricter again in the 1980s when Rulon Jeffs became their prophet, and then even stricter when the notorious Warren Jeffs took over in 2002.


FLDS uniform: the up-do and the prairie dress

Here are some fascinating facts about the FLDS that I learned from this book:

Religion

The prophet is god’s representative on earth, meaning he speaks for god. They are forbidden for ever defying the prophet in any way. Followers are told that the prophet will live hundreds of years. LeRoy Johnson was 98 yearls old when he died in 1986, Rulon Jeffs was 92 when he died in 2002. Followers were stunned and devastated when both times. Go figure.

Obedience: FDLS followers are trained to be robots to the prophet. As Elissa’s sister Rebecca says, “obedience is the only act you can perform, everything else is damnation.” Any breach of obedience means an eternity in hell, as they are constantly reminded. Having your own opinion is equal to rebellion. Every facet of life is dictated to them. All behavior centers on their salvation.

Secrecy is foremost. Authority figures and the police are very scary to the FLDS. They do not recognize civil authority, and consider Warren Jeffs as the president of the United States. When members escape, they are hunted down so as not to let knowledge out (although I’m sort of confused with their dumping of the lost boys—contradiction.)

Even though the name “Jesus Christ” is part of their title, there does not appear to be any practicing of Christian beliefs. All Biblical teachings and practices appear to be Old Testament patriarchy. They do not celebrate Christmas.

They believe they are living in the end times, and several times the prophet predicted the Apocalypse, and when the time came and went with no change, he told them god had told him they weren’t perfect enough and gave them a reprieve to hone up on their perfection.

They are taught that they are the chosen people who god will raise up as he destroys the earth, and then return them to an Edenic world where they will live with him in perfect bliss for 1,000 years.

Relationships between the sexes

Marriage: Plural marriage is the only way to attain eternal salvation. Three wives are needed to attain the highest level of heaven (the “Celestial Kingdom”). All marriages are arranged by the prophet, who is told through a revelation from god. In most cases, once a revelation has occurred, the prophet marries the couple within a few hours. A woman cannot gain entrance to the higher levels of heaven without her husband.

All women and children are the property of the prophet, and he will reorganize families as he sees fit (oh, sorry, scratch that—as god reveals to him). When a family is reassigned, god changes the children’s DNA to match that of the new husband. It is culturally important to join your family in heaven, so Elissa was distraught when she was taken from her biological father and assigned to a new father as she didn’t want to spend eternity with her new dad.

Boys and girls are not permitted to have contact with each other, but upon marriage the woman is expected to be an instant sex slave.

Women: Girls and women are taught to be empty—no emotions, no dreams, not thoughts. This is god’s will and they agreed to this before they were born. Girls and women are trained to “keep sweet.” This means that no matter what, females must meet every challenge with a gentle smile and never question. Elissa’s mother told her that she could only write sweet things in her diary. Woman are commanded to strictly obey their husbands, and any unhappiness or problems are thus their fault for not obeying properly or praying enough. Also, women are never allowed to cut their hair.

Women are to have as many babies as possible, as more children means the family gets more real estate in heaven.

Because they weren’t perfectly obedient to their husbands, both Elissa and her sister Rebecca were threatened with “blood atonement”—a church-sanctioned execution.

When he was arrested Warren Jeffs was estimated to have 78 wives, 24 who were under 17 years old. He is serving a life sentence for the rapes of one of a 12 year old “spiritual” wife and also of a 15 year old, who was pregnant with his child at the time. Authorities also found evidence of ritualistic rape that was used as part of a religious ceremony.

Daily life

Most of the land and homes are owned by the church, and families suddenly find themselves homeless at the prophet’s whim.

Warren Jeffs outlawed many once-popular activities such as basketball, football, and folk dancing. The time spent on those things is now to be spent in prayer. Of course there is no TV, and only FLDS reading material is permitted. Only FLDS music is approved. Elissa’s mother gave her a love of classical music, but Elissa’s classical music tapes were confiscated by the elders. Followers are expected to just listen to recordings of the prophet’s sermons instead.

There are some males who are not driven out as teens. They are super-obedient worker bees. Even men who do attain a position in church leadership may find themselves excommunicated at the prophet’s whim.

Education: only FLDS materials are used, and the Book of Mormon seems to be used a lot. They are taught such things as the moon landing is a lie. School usually stops at grade 6 or 8, depending on the prophet’s whims.

Medicine:FLDS will visit doctors only in extreme cases, because doctors are the agents of the government who spy on them. Vaccinations are not allowed because they contain tracking devices. Elissa’s mom was a herbalist, and all births and miscarriages are attended to by FLDS-trained midwives.

Genetics: Because most FLDS can trace their ancestry back to two men, the problems associated with inbreeding are appearing. Because they are the chosen people, bringing new bloodlines into the group is discouraged. They have the world’s highest rates of fumarase deficiency—an extremely rare genetic disorder that causes severe mental retardation.

Everywhere outside of their community is the Realm of Satan. All outsiders are evil and people with African heritage are especially evil. If you talk to outsiders, you become evil. This results in extreme fear of the outside world.

Despite this Taliban-like existence, both male and female followers are allowed to drive, hold jobs, and own cell phones, which all surprises me.

A note about the audiobook: The reader, Renee Rodman drove me crazy through the entire reading. She sounded like she was on a double dose of Paxil—her voice reminded me of the way Michelle Duggar speaks. Perhaps she was just trying to follow the FLDS directive of “keeping sweet.” But her sweetness just about sent me into a diabetic coma. The story was so fascinating though that I learned to listen past her voice.

Why I Read This Now: available audiobook download

Recommended for: This is a story that I obviously found fascinating. People who live in the US and Canada should be particularly concerned about it, as these are communities of people living a slave-like existence right in our own countries. There is no defense for this, and they are taking advantage of our concept of “freedom of religion.” Some readers have noted that it’s not very well written, but it’s the memoir of an abuse survivor who has a grade 8 education, so I wasn’t expecting a literary masterpiece. However, I did find it repetitive in parts. But who reads a book like this for the writing?

I DO love that cover though!

I know--it's so great. Yea! to the Virago Press!

LOL her sweetness sent you into a diabetic coma! Well said!

excellent and wonderful and important review. I also thought I knew a bit from my reading but was still blown away at this book,s info also. Heartbreaking. That man is a monster. Warren Jeffs. Just freakin crazy.

Can't remember if the book covered that wives beyond number one qualify for welfare as single moms?

Can't remember if the book covered that wives beyond number one qualify for welfare as single moms?

She didn't talk about that, but I've heard it elsewhere. "Bleeding the beast" they call it--they don't believe in the government, but they'll take what they can to break it.

That man is a monster. Warren Jeffs. Just freakin crazy.

he is! I hope and trust that he is being mistreated in prison and lives a very long and miserable life.

Wonderful and informative review of Stolen Innocence! I was raised in a fundamentalist church--nothing like FLDS, fortunately--and know how controlling and isolating they can be. It would raise my blood pressure too much to read a book like this, but I appreciate all the information you've shared. I had wondered, for example, how they dealt with the excess male population.

Thanks for the great review on Stolen Innocence. Stuff like this boggles the mind and turns the stomach, but it's out there and you're right, we need to know about it.

I saw an interview recently on Dateline, or one of the evening news shows, and I think it was this author. The young woman was no longer a member of the flock, and had given evidence against Jeffs. It was an awful story, and difficult to watch.

This kind of information about FLDS has been seeping out gradually for years, but you have succinctly summarized it and put it in the specific context of Stolen Innocence -- while the information on the exploitation of girls and women is horrifying -- what happens to the adolescent boys is really just as horrifying and often overlooked.

Having two boys of my own , I find the abandonment of the boys particularly heartbreaking. Are there any stories out there from their point of view?

Hope you post on book's page.

It would raise my blood pressure too much to read a book like this,

Steven - well, it certainly raised my blood pressure too! I can't always read books like this, but the timing was right.

Nana - I watched a documentary on YouTube with Elissa and her sister Rebecca--I think it had originally been on Dateline, so I think I saw the same one. It was a good summary of the book.

Merrikay - I posted the first part of my review on the books page and included a link here.

Avidmom & Jane -- yes, it's upsetting what happens to the boys too. Everyone in the group, really is so damaged by these people. There is a book Lost Boy, by Brent Jeffs. He was repeatedly raped by Warren Jeffs starting when he was 5 or 6. He later found out that his two older brothers had also been raped by Warren Jeffs. One brother ended up shooting himself and the other died of a drug overdose. So sad!

It makes me mad, because if the parents were honest with themselves, they'd know that their sons would get kicked out--it's just simple math--and at least prepare them and give them some life skills. But their thinking is so messed up that that doesn't even occur to them. I kept thinking "why doesn't she just run away?" but with no skills and no where to go, and thinking that the whole world is evil, and you will burn in hell for all eternity . . . .

Catching up…really interesting review of Stolen Innocence. David Ebershoff handles the subject in fiction in The 19th Wife, which I found fascinating. Part of it is told from the POV of one of the boys kicked out.

I hadn't thought to compare The Slap to The Dinner, but I can see that now. I preferred The Slap, but The Dinner was a powerful book -- it starts so reasonably and builds into something very unreasonable.

but The Dinner was a powerful book -- it starts so reasonably and builds into something very unreasonable.

Yes! I think that's what I really liked about it. Thanks for pointing that out.

The 19th Wife keeps popping onto my radar--I remember seeing the title and never paying any attention to it. I'm sure it will end up in my TBR pile one of these days!

Wow! Thanks so much for all that infuriating and creepy information. I especially loved the way your wrote "he will reorganize families as he sees fit (oh, sorry, scratch that—as god reveals to him)"!

Yes, Rebecca, it must be so nice to be god. I think I'll start my own religion (insert eye rolling emoticon here)

You review of Stolen Innocence - wow. My brain is still trying process - a little obsessively I might add. I also learned about this originally through Under the Banner of Heaven.

Dan- I know--crazy. If for some reason you had never heard of these people and I told you about them, you would think I was making stuff up, wouldn't you! It's so hard to believe.

Great review of Stolen Innocence, Joyce.

I don't know if I could read this. I think I'd lose it entirely but I'm glad you did, Joyce, so that I at least know about it and thank you for your excellent review.

interesting piece. It's hard to feel sympathy for such obviously deeply stupid people, though.

Please join me at my new thread. I have a fire blazing, there's a pot of tea and an open bottle of wine, and I can find some munchies around somewhere . . . .

http://www.librarything.com/topic/160946#