Monthly Roundup - March 2013

Happy Easter - I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
We continue to enjoy the late but welcome summer sunshine. Since the week before Christmas we've only had one day of rain and it's only in the early morning now we feel a touch of autumn chill  although with daylight saving ending next week that will soon change.
An excellent reading month with lots of longlists and shortlists offering tempting new titles and hopefully the cooler weather will restore my blogging enthusiasm in April.

Books Read in March = 16
Italics are from my bookshelf or on my Kindle

Classics

Bleak House by Charles Dickens - the second half
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington - Classics Club Spin
Middlemarch by George Eliot - Book 3
Short Stories by Katherine Mansfield - I reread some of them for the Modern March event but as I never did get a post written I was a total failure as a participant.

Non-Fiction - I should, but seldom do write posts on the non-fiction I read but both of these were wonderful.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
The Pinecone by Jenny Uglow - my March favourite. A biography of a fascinating woman and a fascinating look at life in pre-Victorian 19th century England. Read Jane's review.

Also Read

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser
Seahearts by Margo Lanagan
Disgrace by Jussi Adler-Olsen
The Lives She Left Behind by James Long
The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Light Between Oceans by M.L.Stedman
Angelica by Arthur Phillips
There Should Be More Dancing by Rosalie Lam
Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer
Devil by the Sea by Nina Bawden
Honour by Elif Shafak

DNF - Sufficient Grace by Amy Espeseth
The Prophet by Michael Koryta - I thought this would be perfect Easter reading but oh, dear - too, too much about American football in which I have no interest at all. 30p - boring!

Fiction = 14
Non-Fiction = 2
Library Books = 14
E-books = 1
Off my Shelf - 1

Added to my bookshelf  = 18

17 from the library sale which I listed here and here and...

What Matters in Jane Austen by John Mullan which I was thrilled to win in Lisa's birthday giveaway. With perfect timing it arrived here on my birthday. 

Have a wonderful April!

The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington

My draw for the Classics Club Spin which I was happy about because it was short and I already had it downloaded onto my Kindle but despite that I have a feeling it would have been a title I kept putting aside in favour of something else.

The Magnificent Ambersons was published in 1918 and in 1919 won the Pulitzer Prize. The novel is the second in a trilogy which traces the growth of America from the end of the Civil War to early 20th century through the rise and fall of the Amberson family. The fictional small town that became a city was inspired by Booth Tarkington's hometown of Indianapolis.

The magnificence of the Amberson's began in 1873 when Major Amberson 'made a fortune', bought two hundred acres , built himself a mansion on four of them, and laid out the rest with streets lined with trees and statues and fountains at the intersections. The Amberson's were prosperous fish in a small pond.

The first chapter tells of these early days and is quite delightful. In great detail it describes everything from  men's beards to women's dresses,  how the townspeople lived, ate and entertained and it mourns the 'vanishings' - the 'little bunty street cars', the 'all day picnics in the woods', the 'serenading' and the ' New Year celebrations'.

Another mansion is built close to the first when the Major's daughter, Isabel, marries Wilbur Minafer. Isabel and Walter have one child, a son called George and it is his story that is the main focus of the book. Over-protected and over-indulged George is an obnoxious child who grows into an arrogant and inconsiderate young man who thinks the world owes him because of his social position. He falls in love with Lucy Morgan without being aware her father was once a suitor of his mother.

Eugene Morgan is an inventor with an interest in the development of the horseless carriage - an interest the Amberson/Minafers don't share.

"Those things are never going to amount to anything. People aren't going to spend their lives lying on their backs in the road and letting grease drip in their faces. Horseless carriages are pretty much a failure.. " 

This attitude reflects the Amberson's whole approach to life, their inability to change and progress or to see that the days of being wealthy and idle are swiftly passing.

In sharp contrast is Eugene Morgan who begins with nothing and with a combination of vision and hard work becomes an industrial tycoon.

" It may be that they will not add to the beauty of the world, nor to the life of men's souls. I am not sure. But automobiles have come, and they bring a greater change in our life than most of us suspect. They are here, and almost all outward things are going to be different because of what they bring. They are going to alter war, and they are to alter peace."

The Magnificent Ambersons is written in a simple, direct style and enlivened with a great deal of humour which I hadn't expected and had me laughing constantly especially in the first half . Beneath the lightheartedness there is a sadness and a reminder of how quickly the environment and life can change.
Worth reading for it's portrayal of early 20th century American life.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Marg @ The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Claire @ The Captive Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they have checked out from the library.

I didn't expect to have a Library Loot post this week. After all I only called in to return the books that were due but.......you know how it is! The downward spiral of my good intentions began when the librarian handed me...

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - on Monday it finally appeared on the 'in cataloguing' list so I immediately placed a hold but never expected I would have it so quickly. Really excited about this one.....and after that there was no holding back.

Lost Voices by Christopher Koch - Young Hugh Dixon believes he can save his father from ruin if he asks his estranged - great-uncle - a wealthy lawyer who lives alone in a Tasmanian farmhouse - for help. As he is drawn into Walter's rarefied world, Hugh discovers that both his uncle and the farmhouse are links to a notorious episode in the mid 19th century. The author is a twice time winner of the Miles Franklin Award so I'm expecting good things from this novel - and it is Australian Literature Month in April.

The Innocents by Francesca Segal - Adam and Rachel are getting married at last. Childhood sweethearts whose lives and families have been entwined for years; theirs is set to be the wedding of the year. But then Rachel's cousin Ellie returns. I had this on hold before it was longlisted for the Woman's Prize - now I have it I'm not sure I even want to read it. I knew it had links to The Age of Innocence but didn't realise it was an actual retelling which, as I don't care for any sort of spinoff, doesn't sit too well with me. 

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - the sequel to Wolf Hall continues the story of Thomas Cromwell. Sooner or later I knew I would read this but hadn't been in any hurry. Was very surprised to see it sitting on the shelf and thought I might as well bring it home.

The Burial by Courtney Collins - It is 1921. In a mountain-locked valley , amid squalls of driving rain, Jessie is on the run. An Australian debut novel which has made the shortlist for the Stella Prize.

The Larnachs by Owen Marshall - a fictionalised account of the Larnach family who were prominent in New Zealand in the late 19th century. I really should have read this before now and was spurred into action by spotting it on the IMPAC longlist

The Prophet by Michael Koryta - It's a two second decision: wait for your little sister or leave with your girlfriend. Adam Austin chose to leave. His little sister never made it home. I've loved Michael Koryta's last three books and hope this will be as good.

What's in your loot this week?

Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer

London barrister, Frank Amberley, is travelling down to his uncle & aunt's country house when he takes a wrong turn and comes across a car parked on the roadside with a young woman standing beside it. When he stops to ask for directions he discovers the woman is holding a gun and the man inside the car has been shot dead. He believes her claim that she is innocent and doesn't mention her presence when he reports the murder to the police.

The following day the dead man is identified as Mr Dawson, the trusted old butler from Norton Manor. Who could possibly have wanted to murder him?

Although I've enjoyed many of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances I hadn't read any of her mysteries before and wasn't sure what to expect and to be honest I wasn't impressed. Frank has his suspicions but doesn't share them and the young woman, Shirley, obviously knows something but she's not saying anything either. Most unfair to the reader in search of clues who has to wait until the end when all is revealed.

The story is saved by the wonderfully witty and sometimes snarky dialogue. Frank is arrogant and rude and doesn't mince words especially when it comes to his opinions on the abilities of the local constabulary. 
My favourite characters were Uncle Humphrey muttering and mumbling with disapproval.....'Murders at our very gates! I do not know what the world is coming to!' .......and Aunt Marion who is not as away with the fairies as she appears....' Dear me, how exciting!' Their contrasting attitudes to the mayhem happening around them makes for some very funny conversations.

All very class conscious 1930's and jolly good fun for a Sunday afternoon's reading.

Vintage Mystery Challenge 2013 - Scattergorie 23 - The Butler did it....or not! 

Turn of the Century Salon - The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

The Turn of the Century Salon, hosted by Katherine @ November's Autumn, is a monthly event where you can share posts relating to literature and/or authors from the 1880's - 1930's.

I was at The Book Depository ordering Parade's End and on a whim decided to add The Good Soldier and what a good decision that turned out to be. 

The very definite opening line " This is the saddest story I have ever heard" immediately captured my attention and the discovery a few lines later that the narrator was, in fact, a part of that story made it even more intriguing.

The Good Soldier is about two married couples; Americans John and Florence Dowell and Edward and Leonora Ashburnham who are English. For nine years of the first decade of the twentieth century they travel, socialise, and take the waters at the German spa Bad Nauheim - a friendship of ' extreme intimacy' the narrator assures us although soon after he admits that no one knew anyone else very well at all.

source

" But the feeling that I had when, whilst poor Florence was taking her morning bath, I stood upon the carefully swept steps of the Englischer Hof, looking at the carefully arranged trees in tubs upon the carefully arranged gravel whilst carefully arranged people walked past in carefully arranged gaiety, at the carefully calculated hour, the tall trees of the public gardens, going up to the right; the reddish stones of the baths - or were they white half-timber chalets? Upon my word I have forgotten, I who was there so much."

It was enough that they were 'good people', a term which has nothing to do with being good but refers to social class. Wealthy, idle people who were outwardly the perfect examples of well-bred Edwardian respectability. The reality of what lies beneath that genteel facade slowly emerges during the course of the story and it is not pleasant!

The narrator is John Dowell - a man who having always accepted everything at face value is now looking back at the events of the past nine years and struggling to understand the reality of what happened. From the beginning the reader knows that nothing he says can be fully trusted but as the narration wanders here, there and everywhere......

" I have, I am aware told this story in a very rambling way so that it may be difficult for anyone to find their path through what may be a sort of maze."

......and one attempts to keep up and put the pieces together it is hard to remember Dowell is not a reliable narrator.

I thought it was brilliant! Sure to be one of the best novels I read this year.

The Classics Club
Back to the Classics 2013 Challenge

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Marg @ The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Claire @ The Captive Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they have checked out from the library.

This week I prowled the library shelves with the Women's Fiction Prize longlist in my hand and was lucky enough to find two more....and a few others from the little green notebook.

Honour by Elif Shafak - 'A powerful novel set in Turkey during the 1970's and the present day, Honour explores the trials of the immigrant and the clash of tradition and modernity.'

The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman - ' A mesmerizing novel of loyalty, love and unbearable choices.' I've looked at this several times before but it's received so much attention and normally I prefer to let the fuss die down before reading a book myself . I expect to like it!

Monsieur Linh and His Child by Philippe Claudel - 'Traumatized by memories of his war-ravaged country, Monsieur Linh travels to a foreign land to bring the child in his arms to safety.' Described as 'exquisite' this is a 130p novella so won't take long to read.

There Should Be More Dancing by Rosalie Ham - a random choice and an Australian author  - ' a darkly humorous portrait of a family and the quiet grudges along a suburban street.'

Angelica by Arthur Phillips - Victorian London and a tale of 'mingled motives and psychological menace. ' I read a review of this somewhere and it really appeals.

And a few more from the library sale.....

Anna of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett
Devil by the Sea by Nina Bawden
Maurice by E M Forster
Jean Santeuil by Marcel Proust
The Du Mauriers by Daphne Du Maurier
A Particular Place by Mary Hocking
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

What's in your loot this week?

The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan

Longlisted for the 2013 Women's Fiction Prize.

Spotted on the library shelf last week just after the longlist was announced I took the opportunity to bring it home and read it over the weekend.

The four main characters, all women, are introduced through their entries in the Red Book, a class report published every five years by, in which Harvard alumni write brief updates about their lives.

"But there's the story we tell the world, and then there's the real story"

A few months later one-time college roommates,Addison, Clover, Mia and Jane plus an assortment of husbands and children, head off to their 20th class reunion where over the next three days the warts are exposed and the dirty laundry is hung out for all to see. It's like a group mid-life crisis! 

How much can happen to so few in such a short time? Everything you can imagine and it's all too, too much. Midway through the book each chapter began to feel like another episode of a bad soap opera and I admit to skimming the second half . 

This reunion theme has been used so many times that it needs to offer something special to succeed and for me it failed to deliver. The characters and the story were so contrived and I could not relate to these over-privileged, self-absorbed women at all.

It's not a bad book - easy to read, very funny at times and I liked the inclusion of the red book entries which appear throughout  but overall I'm left wondering why it merits being on the longlist. Perhaps, not being American, I've missed something.

Reading from the Stella Prize Longlist

The Stella Prize is a new major literary award for Australian women’s writing.

The Stella Prize celebrates Australian women’s contribution to literature. Named after one of Australia’s most important female authors, Stella Maria ‘Miles’ Franklin (1879–1954), the prize rewards one writer with a significant monetary prize of $50,000.

At the end of last month Marg posted the Stella Prize longlist - sadly the library only has three of them but all were on the shelf so I brought them home , had a 'Stella week' and here are a few brief thoughts on each.

 Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser

 Two side-by-side narratives.

Laura is an Australian who after an unhappy childhood uses the inheritance she receives from an aunt to to travel the world. Eventually she returns to Sydney and works for a publisher of travel guides.

Ravi grows up and marries in Sri Lanka but after tragedy strikes he is forced to leave and seek asylum in Australia.

Spanning the decades from the 1970's to the 2000's it is a story of love and loss......and travel. With gorgeous descriptions of foreign places, Australia, Sri Lanka, London and Naples it doesn't ignore the less exciting realities ......long waits for flights, drab hotels , the fleeting 'ships that pass in the night' friendships and the loneliness and yearning for home.
Beautiful, lyrical prose details not only the lives of two different people but explores big themes of our time - what it means to be an asylum seeker, tourism and the corporate world, the growth and influence of technology. Sometimes wickedly funny, sometimes incredibly sad it is enthralling reading and oh my!, the ending was so unexpected!

I loved it and predict it will make the shortlist.

*********

Seahearts by Margo Lanagan aka The Brides of Rollrock Island

On remote Rollrock Island, the sea-witch Misskaella descovers she can draw a girl from the heart of a seal. So, for a price, a man might buy himself a bride; an irresistibly enchanting sea-wife. But what cost will be borne by the people of Rollrock.....

I had some doubts before I began reading - it's labelled YA, I have to be in the right mood for fantasy and it would be the third book I've read in the past few months that draws on one of my favourite folktales, the Selkies, for inspiration.
I shouldn't have worried. Margo Lanagan's writing is a joy to read and it didn't take long to fall under her spell. Told from several perspectives over a long period of time it is a dark, haunting tale of enchantment, desire, betrayals and revenge.
Lovely!

******

DNF - Sufficient Grace by Amy Espeseth

Ruth and her cousin live in rural Wisconsin, part of an isolated religious community. The girls' lives are ruled by the rhythms of nature and by their families beliefs. Beneath the surface of this closed frozen world, hidden dangers lurk.

"People on the land live close to the beginnings and endings of life. Death ain’t a scary thing that creeps in now and again in the night… We are people that raise, hunt and butcher.”

True but I don't want to read about it. The opening pages tell of a 13-year-old killing her first deer with a graphic description of the poor creature's death throes. I found it sickening and feared what was to come might be even worse. I read a little more and the biblical stuff I also didn't like so decided this book wasn't for me.

Looking around most of the comments seem to be positive so I'm probably in a minority of one.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Marg @ The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Claire @ The Captive Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they have checked out from the library.

Officially only one this week.....

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (NF)......Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity.

Yesterday was the first of the library's five day book sale - it was hot and it was crowded but one must endure these small discomforts for a good cause and I came away happy with my $5 worth of loot - which doesn't have to be returned.

Wise Children by Angela Carter
Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy by Rumer Godden
Sally Hemings by Barbara Chase-Riboud
As Music and Splendour by Kate O'Brien
Union Street by Pat Barker
The Microcosm by Maureen Duffy
The Story of a New Zealand River by Jane Mander
Emma by Jane Austen
That They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern
Crazy Pavements by Beverley Nichols

The sale continues until Saturday so I doubt I'll be able to resist another couple of visits.

Reading in March

" It's my party and I'll read what I want to."

 March is my birthday month (Monday 4th) and I not only look forward to good reading but to throwing aside any sort of obligations. I think too much focus on challenges, events and reviewing and the resulting ' have to' pressure is responsible for the way I've been feeling. This is what I have lined up to start the month .......

Book 3 -  Middlemarch

Bleak House - it would be nice if I finished it in March.

The Library Loot from Wednesday - I'm going to read On Chesil Beach this weekend.

Katherine Mansfield's short stories for  A Modern March - my participation will be very low key but I think rereading some of these stories and thinking about more than superficially enjoying them will be interesting.

The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington is my Classics Club spin read which I will be reading this week because the following week who knows what will happen.

Library Sale!!

In the five years we've been here there hasn't been a library sale so I am excited but also worried. In the past months I've discovered the treasures that lie in the dim recesses of the back room archives and mentioned to the librarian on Wednesday that I didn't suppose any of those would be going. Wrong! It's getting too crowded and will be culled .....oh dear, once gone they'll disappear forever. I think I will have to camp out at the library for five days so I can save as many as I can.