Starting 2017 with these books in January.....

I'm reading The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War by Robert J. Gordon.

Hoping to make more headway in Honni soit qui mal y pense: l'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter. I got bogged down in the part about phonetics so I might skip ahead to another chapter. It's a great subject, though.

My first read of the year was a little lack lustre and a tad disappointing- The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells.

Not sure if I have any Canadian ones for January... oh, yes, I hope to get to: February / Lisa Moore at some point this month.

My resolution this year is to read Clarissa, or the History of a Young Lady - which at my rate of speed will last me until I hit the beach, lol.

LibraryCin: why not read February in February?

Finished Tooth and Nails by Ian Rankin and currently reading Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

>6 LynnB: Haha! Good thought! It actually fits for an Awards challenge I'm doing in January, so I'm hoping to fit it in!

Just finishing off Wenjack, my first book of the year, and following the controversy about Boyden.

I decided to reread Pride and Prejudice over Christmas for a treat -- sort of like fine champagne. But I always forget that I have next to no reading time over Christmas so I'm still reading it.

My next book is by a Canadian:
Death in the Air / Shane Peacock

>10 Nickelini:, same problem here. "Three weeks left, I can do this" translates into "one week for reading and then two weeks of family events = January reading".

Borrowed a friend's book, a memoir, after she insisted I'd love it, and I did enjoy it quite a bit. Definitely appreciated the humour and the historical anecdotes, but don't like a lot of in-depth soul searching, which this book has quite a bit of. Worth a read though, especially if you've lost parent(s). They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson

I'm reading The Origin: A Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin by Irving Stone.

Reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson . He is a lawyer who has devoted his life to helping those on death row. He is a good writer and he has a pretty amazing story to tell. I first heard about him in a very good New Yorker article "The Legacy of Lynching" Aug.22, 2016 and wanted to read more.

Death in the Air / Shane Peacock
3.5 stars

In the second book in the series “starring” a 13-year old Sherlock Holmes, Holmes is watching a trapeze performance when one of the performers flies off the bar and lands near Holmes. It appears that someone cut the bar and Holmes is determined to find out who did it. Holmes is also currently homeless and manages to find an apothecary to take him in in return for his help.

I quite enjoyed the mystery in this one, but up until the end, I wasn’t as interested in the secondary characters. However, the last third of the book or so really did pick up for me. I have to admit to not reading much of Conan Doyle’s Holmes, so I’m not sure if these are characters that appear when Holmes is an adult, as well, or not. I would think at least some of them are. If so, the series might be even more appealing to those who enjoy Doyle’s adult Holmes.

Currently reading He Wants by Alison Moore. I read The Lighthouse by the same author a couple of years ago and The Lighthouse was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

I thought He Wants was fantastic.

Finally getting to Moby Dick and more 19th century works.

Moby Dick is fantastic. Beware the digressive whaling details chapters; intended to create sympathy for the whale and add realism to the fantasy, but you don't miss a whole lot if you skip them.

Two reads this week: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas, which I didn't care for too much and Rather Be the Devil by one of my favourite crime writers, Ian Rankin.

I'm reading The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan.

Today will be a day for finishing books. This morning I finished The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré, and this evening I hope to finish The Iliad, which I've been chipping away at all year (which, granted, is not that long a time at this point).

I've finished Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks and am onto No More Dying Then by Ruth Rendell

Finally finished off an older Rebus novel that I've been slowly working my way through at work: Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin. Wasn't overwhelmed by this one; not one of his best, IMHO.

Nearly finished Mr Pip.

I'm reading When Nietzsche Wept: A Novel of Obsession by Irvin D. Yalom for a book club.

My bus books will be all Canlit for the next few weeks. Currently reading and enjoying Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson.

Two books finished this week, both written by two of my favourite crime fiction authors. Dead Water by Ann Cleeves and The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

Finished Swing Low by Miriam Toews and thought it was wonderful. It was a loving tribute written about her father.
Just started La Rose by Louise Erdrich. I really liked her previous book Round House.

>31 mdoris: I read Swing Low a few months ago and loved it too. It took me a bit to get into, but once I was in I was impressed.

Currently reading Gordon Pinsent's 1992 memoir, By the Way.

I'm reading Farley Mowat: Writing the Squib, which is a biography by John Orange.

Struggling to make my way through a biography of Robert Kennedy, so switched back to crime fiction yesterday. I'd stumbled across a new series and actually started with the first one in the series, for a change. Set in York, which I've visited and loved. Pretty good quick read; I'll look for more: Seeking the Dead by Kate Ellis

Bone and Bread / Saleema Nawaz
3.5 stars

Beena and Sadhana have an East Indian father and a white mother. They were raised in Montreal, Quebec. Sadhana is two years younger than Beena. Their father died when they were young and their mother when they were teenagers; they are then in the custody of their uncle, who runs the bagel shop (originally owned by their father) downstairs. As they grow up, they each run into teen girl problems (serious ones, not small ones), which I won’t mention, as they aren’t revealed until later in the book (though the blurb does reveal them, as do some tags).

The book is told by Beena in the “present day”, just after Sadhana has died. Sadhana lived alone and was not discovered for a week. Beena has to go clean up the apartment, and brings along her teenage son to help. The book goes back and forth between present day and Beena’s memories of she and her sister growing up.

It started off slow for me, but it did get better. I didn’t always like Beena and the decisions she made, but I could say the same of Sadhana. I don’t have a sister, but it seems that it was likely a good portrayal of sisters. There really was a Canadian flavour to the book, as well, with a look at some of the politics in Quebec.

I'm reading Cursed Victory: A History of Israel and the Occupied Territories by Ahron Bregman.

Light reading today, though a well written debut novel: The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine

Currently half way through Great Expectations.

I've been way too busy to get much reading done, and when I do have time, well, let's just same I'm not too thrilled with what I have going. Almost finished The Countess: The Scandalous Life of Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, but it's very academic. Great material, boring execution. I also started China Rich Girlfriend for my bookclub. So far it's not a bookclub worthy book. Too many characters, poor writing, shallow . . . I feel like I'm reading an Asian version of Jackie Collins from the 1980s. If I manage to finish it, look out for my snarky review.

I'm reading An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris.

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny. Her Three Pines series continues to soothe and comfort.

Just finished An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson and really liked it.

I can't believe it's still January! I've started The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

I'm about to start Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges.

Finished 2 books this week-so incredibly different from each other, but I liked them both.
Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris and
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick