An Interview by Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit

Serena's answers to being interviewed by Monica (different questions) are here.

This is Serena's interview of me:

1. Why book blogging?

Reading and writing just go together naturally for me. I have written and published haiku poetry and articles on Japanese culture for many years. This satisfies my urge to write. And reading has always been my favourite pastime. I've been ill since early childhood and reading was the one thing that's always been accessible to me. Now that I'm disabled and confined at home, finding someone to share my love of books is more difficult. Most friends are so busy with jobs and family and volunteer work, they don't have much time for reading and talking about literature. When I could no longer go out to the library or bookstore my son set me up with a computer and I depend on it now for all things bookish. Book blogging lets me share with people what I read and recommend good books to others.

2. If you could have any career, what would it be and why?

I was always going to be a doctor, a missionary physician to be precise. I simply wanted to relieve suffering, particularly for those without good medical care available to them. I was turned down by the university because of my "poor prognosis". That's what you call irony. I did volunteer work as a Bible teacher for my entire adult life. I can no longer do it, but that's what I would want to do most now. It has always been both exciting and rewarding for me.

3. What are some of your obsessions/hobbies and what makes them so enjoyable?

Obsessions are minor with me except for books where it's an unstoppable force. I do love pens, calendars, bookmarks, postcards, writing paper, notebooks, diaries, etc. and can never have enough interesting or attractive ones. I don't cook or sew or do crafts of any kind, I had no one to teach me so I just never learned. I'm just bookish and rather dull except when I'm talking about what I've read. There are bookshelves in every room of the house-except the bathroom. I draw the line there.A few subjects are near-obsessive for me and I'm quick about getting hold of those I hear about. Holocaust literature, Jewish literature, African American history and literature, Japanese poetry and literature, Australian literature, books about books or bookshops, books written by medical doctors, as well as any that deal with leprosy, elephants, bees and bee keeping, tulips, pearl divers, orphans, nuns, priests, rabbis, prisons and prisoners, pianos, civil rights, psychiatry, psychiatric institutions, mental illness, suicide, alcoholism, illness, depression, grief, Alzheimer's, anti-Semitism, zoos and zookeepers, women doctors.

If they're well written fiction and deal with these subjects in a meaningful way I simply must read them and own them. I did read non-fiction about these subjects for forty years but my mind can't hold it all any more so I read mostly fiction now. And it would take an entire book to explain in what way or who in my life touched me with these things. A Jewish step grandfather, friends around the globe with a variety of life circumstances and experience, and wanting to be a doctor explains most of these interests.

4. Where would you go on vacation if you had six months off but could only choose 2 places?
Cuba, I love it there. In the Sierra Maestra Mountains in the south overlooking the sea, where it's only accessible on horseback. Or England, where I could visit all the writer's and poets homes and go to Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh border which has forty book stores (mostly used books) in a town of 1,900 people. I've already done Charing Cross Road (in 1990) which was wonderful of course.

5. If you would love to hear one poet speak, who would it be and why?

(no longer living) Rilke because his work is so comforting to me when I read it.

(living) Yevgeny Yevtushenko because I've heard him read twice before (in my home town here in Canada and in Arkansas)and who doesn't love a performance by a good Russian poet. I like his work and he and my husband always have a good chin wag about things Russian because my husband escaped Eastern Europe under harrowing conditions during the Hungarian Revolution.

For those of you who might want to be interviewed, here are the directions:

Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”

I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

That was fun. Who want's to be interviewed?

Winner of What We All Long For by Dionne Brand

It's Giveaway Day again at Fresh Ink Books and a copy of What We All Long For by Dionne Brand is going to...

Sheri S. at bookopolis.

Congratulations Sheri. Thank you to all the entrants for reading my review, commenting, and recommending books of Canadian fiction. I have stopped by at each of your blogs and added those in my areas of interest to those I'm following. Please visit again, I recommend only four or five star reads on my blog and I'm always open to good recommendations of literary fiction from any time period.

My current giveaway is My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar.

Library Loot

Library Loot is hosted by Eva and Alessandra here.

This Week's Treasures:

The Leper by Stephen Thayer

I love any book, especially fiction that deals about leprosy.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

Part of my Canada Reads challenge, and the Canadian Books 2009 challenge, and my Themed reading challenge on music.

Disquiet by Julia Leigh

I saw it on a book blog, can't remember whose.

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

His next book, Through Black Spruce, which was reviewed here, won the 2008 Giller Prize and was a fantastic story. It follows the same family as this one so I have to read it now too.

The four following book I requested for purchase from my library when I discovered they did not have them in Enghlish and they bought them!

The Blue Fox by Sjon (Iceland)

by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio (Nobel Laureate 2008):

Wandering Star (France)
Onitsha (France)
The Interrogation (France)

I'd love to hear your opinions or read your reviews on any of these books. What did you bag at the library?

What's On Your Nightstand?

What's On Your Nightstand? is hosted by Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Books.

On my nighstand:

The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant by Michel Trembly (Canada)

Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards (Canada)

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (Canada)

Fruit by Brian Francis (Canada)

These are for the Canada Reads 2009 Challenge, along with The Outlander**** by Gil Adamson which I have already completed. All five must be read by February 15.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, for the Dewey challenge
Jenford: A Short History of Upland by Henrik E. Sadi, to review for the author
The Awakening and Other Stories by Kate Chopin, for the 18th and 19th century Women Writers Challenge
A Mercy by Toni Morrison, to review for Library Thing and for the Nobel challenge
What Happened to Anna K. by Irina Reyn, recommended by book bloggers
The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax, for the Themed Reading Challenge (music)
No Such Creature by Giles Blunt (Canada), I read all his novels when they come out
To Siberia by Per Petterson (Norway), I loved Out Stealing Horses and want more by the author
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (Japan), recommended by book bloggers.
The Sister by Poppy Adams (UK) Shortlisted for best first novel Costa Award
The Leper by Stephen Thayer (US) I love any book, especially fiction, that deals with leprosy

From the library:

The Blue Fox by Sjon (Iceland)
and three books by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio (Nobel Laureate 2008):
Wandering Star (France)
Onitsha (France)
Interrogation (France)

These I requested for purchase from my library when I discovered they did not have them in English and they bought them!

We'll see how well I did next month.

My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar

Review and Giveaway

My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq by Ariel Sabar

Non-fiction, Algonquin Books, 334 pgs.

This is a guest post written by Colleen of Foreign Circus Library.

Though Ariel Sabar may regret that his relationship with his father was so contentious, readers have cause to rejoice because that fractured relationship led Sabar to pen this elegant tale of his father's life and language.

Yona Sabar, a Jewish Kurd, grew up speaking Aramaic, an ancient language now all but lost. He is also a celebrated linguist who has worked tirelessly to document his language before it dies. This book traces that effort, weaving a colorful tapestry of Jewish life in Iraq, Kurdish life in Israel, and immigrant life in America.

Though the portions of the book dealing with Ariel himself were less compelling, the tales of Yona's early life in Kurdistan are hypnotic- I had a difficult time putting this book down. The writing is excellent and the character of Yona breathes throughout the book. The book is never technical about linguistics; the story of Yona's work is presented as I believe he experienced it- a treasure hunt generating excitement with each new clue.

Five stars. Highly recommended!

Thank you Colleen, I thought it was an excellent book too. Thank you to Algonquin Books for the ARC they sent. I am offering it to one of my readers. To enter:

1)Tell us the best book of Jewish interest you've read, fiction or non-fiction.

2)Blog about this giveaway and put a link back to it and I'll give you a second entry. If you don't have a blog, email 3 friends telling them about this giveaway and copying me at sfuhringer (at) sympatico (dot) ca.

Entry is open worldwide until midnight Sunday February 8, 2009.Be sure to leave an email address if you don't have a blog where I can contact you.

Winner will be announced on Monday February 9, 2009.

This giveaway is part of the Bloggy Carnival. Check it out for other giveaways.

Mailbox Monday

Only one book came into the house this week.

The Bird of Night by Susan Hill, via Bookmooch.

I have already read and reviewed it here.

I am happy to report that via giveaways, books for guest reviews, and Bookmooch, fourteen books will be leaving the house this week.

Next review and giveaway will be My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar.

Winner of Letters Between Us by Linda Rader Overman

It's Giveaway Day again at Fresh Ink Books and a copy of Letters Between Us by Linda Rader Overman is going to...

Alyce at At Home With Books.

Congratulations Alyce. I'm so glad you finally won one of my books, I know that you've been trying since I was at my old blog site last year.

Thank you to the 40 some entrants for reading my review,commenting, and recommending books of epistolary fiction. I have been to each of your blogs to see what's what and bookmarked quite a few to visit in future. (Would you believe my followers list is full and Blogger won't let me put any more on it!)

Please visit again, all my books are carefully chosen to be four or five star reads and I'm always open to good recommendations of literary fiction from any time period.

My next review and giveaway will be posted on Tuesday as part of the Bloggy Carnival Giveaway.

My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar.

TSS Books Read This Week

A very bad week for me in all regards but one-reading. I couldn't even put a sentence together, thus the lack of posts. But here's what I read:

Sunday Salon can be found here.

We Need to Talk About Kevin***** by Lionel Shriver

Fiction, HC 400 pgs.

The best thing I've read this year. Before you scoff, I've read fifteen books so far and all but two are four or five star reads. I expect this story to be among my top three of the year. I resisted reading it because of the subject matter but I was mistaken. A woman whose son has killed schoolmates in a shooting spree writes to her husband after the trial is over. Her feelings as a mother and about their marriage as well as everyone's reactions toward her are discussed in those letters. This story is one of a kind and should not be missed. Don't read full reviews of it or talk about it with those who've read it until after you have yourself. Trust me and get thee to a library.

And I now want to read more of this author's work. Lionel Shriver is a woman by the way.

The Seamstress****+ by Frances de Pontes Peebles

Historical fiction, HC 646 pgs.

This was recommended to me by Kaye at Pudgy Penguin Perusals as a very good read and she was right. It's a terrific story, set in Brazil in the 1920s and 1930s. Women lives in many different situations are dealt with; poor, orphaned, disabled, marriageable or unmarriageable and why, widows, seamstresses, rich, or rebels, they are all here and so are the societal restrictions and demands put upon them in this culture and time. Richly detailed, the writing is good and the characters as real as they get. Highly recommended. Thank you Kaye.

I really have to join the chunkster challenge now, as this is the second 600 page book I've read this year.

The Bird of Night**** by Susan Hill

Fiction, HC 186 pgs.

This is the author who wrote such books as Mrs. De Winter, the sequel to Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca; I'm The King of The Castle, studied in UK schools, The Woman in Black, and the Simon Serailler mystery series, of which I've read the current four novels. I've also followed her lit blog since reading the first one. The Bird of Night tells the story of a poet who has serious bouts of mental illness and the man he meets who takes care of him through it all, and tries to protect him from others. The close relationship between intense creativity and insanity are never easy to describe but Hill does a very good job of it. Told with intensity but also with empathy it is a story you won't soon forget.

Full reviews with giveaways to come:

A Mercy by Toni Morrison HC 167pgs.
Jenford: A Short History of Upland by Henrik E. Sadi

Winner of Letters Between Us by Linda Rader Overman announced tomorrow.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have several books I am willing to give to anyone who will write a guest review for me when you are finished reading it, preferrably within six weeks of receiving it. Just name the book you're willing to read and review in the comments (so people know it's taken) and email me your mailing address. Just a few sentences on your opinion of the book, as long or short as you like. First come, first served.

From A to X by John Berger PB (TAKEN)
Ex-Cottagers in Love by J.M. Kearns PB (TAKEN)
Pursuit of Light by Sandra Brewer non-fiction HC
The Magician's Notebook by Laura Miller HC (TAKEN)
The Museum Guard by Howard Norman PB (TAKEN)

Afterwords

Answers to requests in the comments section of the Jan.2, 2009 review and giveaway of The Mighty Queens of Freeville By Amy Dickinson.

Topher: "Asylum is the one I'd like to hear the most about."

Asylum**** by Patrick McGrath

Late 1950s, high security psychiatric hospital, one of live-in psychiatrist's wives forms an obsessive romantic attachment to a criminal patient, another psychiatrist (the narrator) secretly adores her, she's beautiful, intelligent, but unhappy and emotionally in trouble; he tries to help her recover but things don't go quite the way anyone thinks they will, who is manipulating whom and for what reason? The story becomes intense and is well written. I recommend it highly. I also recommend his book Trauma****.
---
stacey : "I am dying to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society!"

Jennifer: "I would like to read, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer."

My full review is here.
---

Amy:"The Virgin Suicides" is an intriguing title. I'd like to hear about that. Was there a movie by that name?"

Francine: The Virgin Suicides by Jefferey Eugenides sounds interesting I think this was a movie.

The Virgin Suicides**** by Jeffery Eugenides

There is a filmed version which I have not seen, I have been told it did not do justice to the book. An unusual story, I was reluctant to read it but was assure it treated what would normally be a morbid subject with respect, even if filtered through the eyes of a young male narrator with an odd manner. One daughter in a family of girls kills herself. Michigan in the early 1970s, the father is strict and each of her sisters slowly spiral into emotional trouble, until another one commits suicide. The whole town thinks the father who is a teacher, should quit because he can't handle his own children at home. Basically we watch the family through the town's eyes, those outside the family. It's well done and certainly brought attention to a serious subject. I recommend it.

I also recommend his book Middlesex****, another I was reluctant about until reassured that there's nothing in it that would frighten the horses.
---

kalea_kane: "I would love to learn more about Hotel World!"

Hotel World**** by Ali Smith (Booker Prize shortlist and Orange Prize finalist)

This is about the behind the scenes lives of people who work or live in an English hotel. Never a dull moment, it follows five people, one a dead chambermaid who tells us her story too. The others are a depressed receptionist, a homeless woman invited to stay for a night, the dead chambermaid's sister, and a really bored travel journalist who stays there.There's some stream of consciousness used in the writing style but it worked for the story. Smith's writing is lyrical. Even the minor characters such as the girl who work in a shop near the hotel or a student driver and an amorous driving instructor, are interesting and add to the colour to the story. I would read this book again, rare for me. Highly recommended.

Stacie: I'd love to hear a review on The Swallows of Kabul. I have the book, but I haven't read it yet.

Anya: I'd like to hear about The Swallows of Kabul.

The Swallows of Kabul***** by Yasmina Khadra

This is a beautiful book, not an easy read for some, it tells the truth of what life is like in Afghanistan under the Taliban, especially for women. It's shocking and heartbreaking and infuriatingly all too real. But it's a story that needs to be told. There are scenes of execution but by now most of us have already seen or heard of these these in the news or on television. These scenes are important to the story and if you can face that, The Swallow of Kabul is ultimately an uplifting story of bravery and sacrifice.


If I did not discuss your choice here, I will post more mini reviews to answer your requests in the near future. Feel free to leave comments, questions, or links to reviews of these books. And good reading recommendations are always welcomed.

Winner Of The Gate House

Another giveaway from Fresh Ink Books.

This time a beautiful hardcover copy of The Gate House by Nelson DeMille is going to...



Meg89 at Literary Menagerie.



Congratulations Meg89 and thank you so much to the forty people who entered or blogged about it for me. My next giveaway will be posted later in the week.

Winners of The Mighty Queens of Freeville

It's Giveaway Day at Fresh Ink Books and I have decided to give away a second copy as well.

Congratulations go to...

Stacie at Simply Stacie.

and Carrie K. at Books and Movies.

Please come back and let us know how you enjoyed the books after you've read them.
Thank you to the thirty some people who read the review and entered or blogged about it for me. I hope you will continue to visit and find good reading recommendations. My next giveaway will be posted later in the week.

During the giveaway many of you asked about books on my 2008 reading list that interested you. Some of my answers are in the next post after the giveaways.

Essay Reading Challenge 2009

January 1 to December 31, 2009

Read 30 or more essays.

Details from Carrie at Books and Movies.

What I plan to read with completed books highlighted in red.

Walter Benjamin's Grave by Michael Taussig

Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard

Quarrel and Quandry by Cynthia Ozick

Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry

Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen by Larry McMurtry

Mailbox Monday

Monday Mailbox is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.



Here's what came in the mail that I look forward to:



The Brightest Moon of the Century by Christopher Meeks ARC (March 12, 2009) from the author whose book of short stories, Months and Seasons I reviewed last year.






The Jewel Trader of Pegu by Jeffrey Hantover ARC (December) from Danny Goldstein at Harper Perennial.




'Written as a 16th century epistolary novel that explores the themes of religion and ethno-centrality as his young Jewish protagonist Abraham leaves behind the comforts and familiarity of Venice and moves to the Burmese kingdom of Pegu and confronts an unfamiliar Buddhist culture.'


(I know I said no more ARCs but when they ask so nicely...)




Serendipity:



The Sailor From Gibraltar by Marguerite Duras translated from French(December 2008)




The Taker by Rubem Fonsecashort stories translated from Portuguese (November 2008)



Both won from Open Letter Press through the Lost in Translation reading challenge.



Open Letter Press is the University of Rochester's literary publishing house, dedicated to connecting readers with great international authors and their works. Publishing twelve books a year and running an online literary website called Three Percent, Open Letter is one of only a handful of U.S. organizations with a commitment to cultivating an appreciation for international literature. They posted about the Lost in Translation reading challenge and a special offer on their weblog here. They are offering free shipping on all their books for Lost in Translation challenge participants.




The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther from UK via Bookmooch.






What did you get that's got you excited?

TSS Books Read This Week

This week's Sunday Salon consists of tag reviews of books read this week:

Hannah's Dream***** by Diane Hammond

I loved this book, based on a true story. Washington state, an old elephant (Hannah) and keeper, been together 41 years; old run down circus/wildlife park created by past eccentric, we get parallel stories of parks origins and eccentric's talks withthe elephant keeper over the years, but now the elephant keeper is ill and must retire; no one know's Hannah and can care for her the way keeper and his wife have. Bossy and rigid park manager, has odd ideas how to attract people to park, but brings in smart young keeper to look after elephant who realizes Hannah is sick and will not survive poor the conditions or the keeper retiring. Plan afoot to transfer her to elephant sanctuary in Tenessee (sanctuary is real, I've seen documentaires on it), boss is kept out of loop deliberately as long as possible. Boom falls, complications, tension, ultimately a happy ending. A heartwarming story, highly recommended.

The Rabbi's Cat 2**** by Joann Sfar (translated from French)

Graphic novel, hard cover, only the second one I've ever read, they are not my cup of tea. The first was The Rabbi's Cat*****, charming and funny, beautifully illustrated by France's top graphics artist, and a good story. This one is the second book. A rabbi and his daughter in Algeria, pre war, the rabbi's cat can speak, argues Torah, points out incongruities in people's behaviour. Two stories here, one about an old man and his old pet lion. Fun to read. Second about racism but I wasn't impressed, arguing got loud and physical (perhaps in attempt to prove author's point ?) despite everyone being of the same religion; author gratuitously threw in the "f" word-once, it spoiled the tone for me. Glad I wasn't reading it with a child on my lap. No faulting the artistry or original story but I am not the one to judge graphic novels.

*Marie at The Boston Bibliophile has a weekly graphic novel review and has read these books. You can find her review of both Rabbi's Cat books here.

The Whirlpool**** by Jane Urquhart (Canada)

Set in 1889 in Niagara Falls, and the story's quirky Victorian characters are each busy with their own obsessions; whether for a woman-from a distance, nature and poetry, war history, details of death-by the undertaker's widow, or Niagara Falls and the lives its whirpool claims. Robert Browning's last days in Venice are also present as brackets (first and last chapters) to the main story. Rich language, fascinating historical details. Highly recommended. I have read four others of her novels:

Away***

The Underpainter****

The Stone Carvers*****

A Map of Glass**** (my favourite)

What are you reading?

War Through the Generations Reading Challenge

Theme: World War II


January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009

Hosted by Anna and Serena at War Through the Generations.


"Read at least five books throughout the year, fiction or non-fiction about any aspect of WW II. The war should be the primary or secondary theme, whether the book takes place during the war or after the war."

My tbr list with links to reviews.

Coventry***** by Helen Humphreys

The Madonnas of Leningrad***** by Debra Dean

The Gravedigger's Daughter**** by Joyce Carol Oates

The Museum Guard**** by Howard Norman

The Spanish Bow***** by Andromeda Romano-Lax

Challenged completed February 24, 2009.

Serendipity:

Coventry by Helen Humphreys

Coventry by Helen Humphreys

Fiction, Paperback 180 pgs.

Harper Collins

This was my first novel by Helen Humphreys. I have read her previous book, The Frozen Thames, which deserves its place as a #1 national bestseller in non-fiction. This woman certainly knows her history.

In deceptively simple language Humphreys here portrays the night of November 14, 1940 and the bombing of Coventry , England during World War Two. Harriet has been a widow since the First World War. Through her eyes we experience unending hours of destruction and terror, but there is kindness and love too. She starts out on fire watch on the roof of Coventry Cathedral, which does not survive, and ends up with Maeve who searches for her son throughout the city that is burning and reduced to rubble.

This is a novel with heart, a story of shared tragedy. So much is lost to the people of Coventry, life will never be the same for any of them. Humphreys' writing is beautiful, as when Maeve, rushing home from the bomb shelter hoping to find her son there, sees tin soldiers in formation on his bedroom windowsill and realizes that they are young Jeremy's " last station of childhood ". He had tried to enlist but was turned down because he is colour blind. He was on fire watch with Harriet and they spent some hours helping with the injured where they could and dodging falling incendiaries and collapsing buildings in an attempt to get home.

The details of the history are accurate and the novel ends with an epilogue about the dedication of the newly rebuilt cathedral some twenty years after the war. I wanted to begin reading this book again as soon as I'd finished it, not something that usually happens with me. I will be rereading it to enjoy the way language is used in the story, and I look forward to reading her other novels. A very satisfying read that I can recommend to everyone. Five stars.

<><><><><><>

Thank you to Deanna at Harper Collins Canada for providing me with a review copy.

Other Harper Collins books I have enjoyed recently:

Breath**** by Tim Winton (Australia)
Day**** by A.L.Kennedy(UK)
Broken Colors**** by Michele Zackheim (US)
Skeletons at the Feast**** by Chris Bohjaian (US)
Atmospheric Disturbances**** by Rivka Galchen
The Letter Opener***+ by Kyo Maclear
The Line Painter**** by Claire Cameron
Run by Ann Patchett****
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett****
The Yiddish Policemen's Union**** by Michael Chabon

The Martel-Harper Challenge

January 1, 2009 and March 31, 2009.

Details from Rebecca at Rebecca Reads.

Read and review two books from the Martel-Harper challenge list.

The list of books sent by author Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi, to Prime Minister Harper.

Those read are highlighted.

44: The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck

43: The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett

42: Gilgamesh, in an English version by Derrek Hines

41: Gilgamesh, in an English version by Stephen Mitchell

40: A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

39: Mister Pip, by Lloyd Jones

38: Anthem, by Ayn Rand

37: A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift

36: Everything That Rises Must Converge, by Flannery O’Connor

35: Under Milk Wood, by Dylan Thomas

34: The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

33: Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

32: The Rez Sisters, by Tomson Highway

31: Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

30: The Kreutzer Sonata, by Leo Tolstoy

29: Drown, by Junot Díaz

28: Read All About It!, by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush

27: To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

26: Birthday Letters, by Ted Hughes

25: The Dragonfly of Chicoutimi, by Larry Tremblay

24: Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett

23: Artists and Models, by Anaïs Nin

22: Meditations, by Marcus Aurellius

21: The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway

20: The Educated Imagination, by Northrop Frye

19: The Brothers Lionheart, by Astrid Lindgren; Imagine A Day, by Sarah L. Thomson and Rob Gonsalves; and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, by Chris Van Allsburg

18: Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka

17: The Island Means Minago, by Milton Acorn

16: Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke

15: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson

14: Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

13: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

12: Maus, by Art Spiegelman

11: The Watsons, by Jane Austen

10: Miss Julia, by August Strindberg

9: Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by Gabriel García Márquez

8: Short and Sweet: 101 very short poems, edited by Simon Armitage, published by Faber and Faber

7: Candide, by Voltaire

6: Bonjour Tristesse, by Françoise Sagan

5: The Bhagavad Gita

4: By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, by Elizabeth Smart

3: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

2: Animal Farm, by George Orwell

1: The Death of Ivan Ilych, by Leo Tolstoy

Tbr...any two:

The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway
To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Completed books are highlighted.

The New Classics Challenge

August 1, 2008 toJanuary 31,2009.

Hosted by Joanna at lostinagoodstory.

Bold the titles that you have already read.

Choose at least 6 other books from the list to read and review.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)

The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)

3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)

4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)

5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)

6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)

7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)

8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)

9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)

10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)

11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)

12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)

13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)

14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)

15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)

16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)

17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)

18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)

19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)

20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)

21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)

22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)

23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)

24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)

25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)

26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)

27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)

28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)

29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)

30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)

31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)

32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)

33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)

34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)

35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)

36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)

37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)

38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)

39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)

40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)

41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)

42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)

43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)

44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)

45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)

46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)

47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)

48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)

50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)

51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)

52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)

53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)

54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)

55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)

56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)

57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)

58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)

59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)

60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)

61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)

62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)

63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)

64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)

65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)

66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)

67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)

68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)

69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)

70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)

71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)

72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)

73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)

74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)

75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)

76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)

77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)

79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)

80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)

81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)

82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)

83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)

84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)

85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)

86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)

87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)

88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)

89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)

90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)

91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)

92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)

93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)

94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)

95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)

96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)

97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)

98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)

99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)

100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

The Well-Seasoned Reader Challenge Completed

January 1 to March 31, 2009

Details from Melissa at Book Nut.

" This winter take yourself somewhere out of the ordinary, go on a literary trip, whether by challenging your expectations, discovering a new place, or enjoying the experience of reading about good food, places, and people"

Read three books that have...

a food name in the title:

Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

a place name in the title:

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean Russia)

The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson (US)

Jenford: A Short History of Upland by Henrik E. Sadi (US)

To Siberia by Per Petterson (Russia)

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (Yugoslavia)

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (Italy)

about a specific culture:

The Rabbi's Cat 2*** by Joann Sfar (Jewish)

The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax (Spanish)

To Siberia by Per Petterson (Danish)

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (Croatian/Serbian/Muslim)

The Seamstress by Frances De Pontes Peebles (Brazilian/Portuguese)

A Father's Affair by Karel Van Loon (Dutch)

Tales of the Ten Lost Tribes by Tamar Yellin (Jewish)

by an author whose ethnicity is other than your own:

What We All Long For by Dionne Brand (African Canadian)

Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (Native Canadian)

A Mercy by Toni Morrison (African American)

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (Japanese)

Completed books are highlighted or linked to reviews.

Books completed after January 16 are highlighted in red.

What's In A Name Reading Challenge 2009

January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009

Full details and sign up from Annie.

The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.

1. A book with a "profession" in its title-The Museum Guard**** by Howard Norman

2. A book with a "time of day" in its title-The Bird of Night**** by Susan Hill

3. A book with a "relative" in its title-The Gravedigger's Daughter**** by Joyce Carol Oates

4. A book with a "body part" in its title-Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth by Edeet Ravel

5. A book with a "building" in its title- The Gate House**** by Nelson DeMille

6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title-The Leper**** by Steve Thayer

Books completed are linked to reviews or highlighted in red.

What An Animal Reading Challenge Completed

July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009

Read at least 6 books, fiction or non-fiction, that have an animal in the title, or on the cover, or that plays a major role in the book, or a main character that is or turns into an animal. Reviews NOT required but permitted.

Hosted by Kristi at Passion for the Page.

Completed books are highlighted in brown or linked to reviews:

The White Tiger***** by Aravind Adiga

Red Dog, Red Dog**** by Patrick Lane

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle***** by David Wroblewski (dogs)

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa**** by Nicholas Drayson

In Hovering Flight**** by Joyce Hinnefeld (birds)

Hannah's Dream**** by Diane Hammond (Hannah is an elephant)

Completed Sept.1, 2008

Serendipity:

Months and Seasons**** by Christopher Meeks (chicks on the cover)

Quintet**** by Douglas Arthur Brown (crocodiles on the cover)

Alligator**** by Lisa Moore

The Lizard Cage***** by Karen Connelly

The Rabbi's Cat 2***+ by Joann Sfar

The Elegance of the Hedgehog**** by Muriel Barbery

The Bird of Night**** by Susan Hill

To Siberia***** by Per Petterson (cattle on the cover)

Dog On It***+ by Spencer Quinn (dog narrator)

Pulitzer Project

An ongoing project to read all Pulitzer Prize winning books.

Full details here.

The complete list with those I've read highlighted.

2010 - Tinkers (Harding)
2009 - Olive Kitteridge (Strout)
2008 - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Diaz)
2007 - The Road (McCarthy)
2006 - March (Brooks)
2005 - Gilead (Robinson)
2004 - The Known World (Jones)
2003 - Middlesex (Eugenides)
2002 - Empire Falls (Russo)
2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Chabon)
2000 - Interpreter of Maladies (Lahiri)
1999 - The Hours (Cunningham)
1998 - American Pastoral (Roth)
1997 - Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer (Millhauser)
1996 - Independence Day (Ford)
1995 - The Stone Diaries (Shields)
1994 - The Shipping News (Proulx)
1993 - A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (Butler)
1992 - A Thousand Acres (Smiley)
1991 - Rabbit at Rest (Updike)
1990 - The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (Hijuelos)
1989 - Breathing Lessons (Tyler)
1988 - Beloved (Morrison)
1987 - A Summons to Memphis (Taylor)
1986 - Lonesome Dove (McMurtry)
1985 - Foreign Affairs (Lurie)
1984 - Ironweed (Kennedy)
1983 - The Color Purple (Walker)
1982 - Rabbit is Rich (Updike)
1981 - A Confederacy of Dunces (Toole)
1980 - The Executioner’s Song (Mailer)
1979 - The Stories of John Cheever (Cheever)
1978 - Elbow Room (McPherson)
1977 - None given
1976 - Humboldt’s Gift (Bellow)
1975 - The Killer Angels (Shaara)
1974 - None given
1973 - The Optimist’s Daughter (Welty)
1972 - Angle of Repose (Stegner)
1971 - None given
1970 - Collected Stories by Jean Stafford (Stafford)
1969 - House Made of Dawn (Momaday)
1968 - The Confessions of Nat Turner (Styron)
1967 - The Fixer (Malamud)
1966 - Collected Stories by Katherine Anne Porter (Porter)
1965 - The Keepers Of the House (Grau)
1964 - None given
1963 - The Reivers (Faulkner)
1962 - The Edge of Sadness (Edwin O’Connor)
1961 - To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee)
1960 - Advise and Consent (Drury)
1959 - The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (Taylor)
1958 - A Death in the Family (Agee)
1957 - None
1956 - Andersonville (Kantor)
1955 - A Fable (Faulkner)
1954 - None*
1953 - The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway)
1952 - The Caine Mutiny (Wouk)
1951 - The Town (Richter)
1950 - The Way West (Guthrie)
1949 - Guard of Honor (Cozzens)
1948 - Tales of the South Pacific (Michener)
1947 - All the King’s Men (Warren)
1946 - None
1945 - A Bell for Adano (Hersey)
1944 - Journey in the Dark (Flavin)
1943 - Dragon’s Teeth I (Sinclair)
1942 - In This Our Life (Glasgow)
1941 - None
1940 - The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck)
1939 - The Yearling (Rawlings)
1938 - The Late George Apley (Marquand)
1937 - Gone with the Wind (Mitchell)
1936 - Honey in the Horn (Davis)
1935 - Now in November (Johnson)
1934 - Lamb in His Bosom (Miller)
1933 - The Store (Stribling)
1932 - The Good Earth (Buck)
1931 - Years of Grace (Barnes)
1930 - Laughing Boy (Lafarge)
1929 - Scarlet Sister Mary (Peterkin)
1928 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Wilder)
1927 - Early Autumn (Bromfield)
1926 - Arrowsmith (Lewis)
1925 - So Big (Ferber)
1924 - The Able McLauglins (Wilson)
1923 - One of Ours (Cather)
1922 - Alice Adams (Tarkington)
1921 - The Age of Innocence (Wharton)
1920 - None
1919 - The Magnificent Ambersons (Tarkington)
1918 - His Family (Poole)

Waiting in my stacks tbr:

The Stone Diaries (Shields)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper)
A Fable (Faulkner)
A Bell for Adano (Hersey)

Giller Prize Project

The Giller Prize, founded in 1994, is a literary prize which recognizes excellence in Canadian fiction in long format or short stories. The largest annual prize for fiction in the country, the Scotiabank Giller Prize awards $50,000 to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English and $5,000 to each of the finalists.

Below is a complete list of all winners, shortlists, and longlists (available since 2006) by year, with those I've completed highlighted in red or linked to reviews.

2010
The Sentimentalist***+ by Johanna Skibsrud (Winner)
The Matter With Morris**** by David Bergen
Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod
This Cake is for the Party by Sarah Selecky
Annabel by Kathleen Winter
Longlist:
Player One by Douglas Coupland
Cities of Refuge by Michael Helm
The Debba****+ by Avner Mandelman
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
Lemon by Cordelia Strube
Curiosity by Joan Thomas
Santuary Line***+ by Jane Urquhart
Cool Water by Dianne Warren

2009
The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre (Winner)

The Disappeared****+ by Kim Echlin

The Golden Mean****+ by Annabel Lyon

Fall by Colin McAdam 
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels

Longlist:

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The Incident Report by Martha Baillie
The Heart Specialist by Claire Holden Rothman
The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles
The Factory Voice by Jeanette Lynes
Valmiki's Daughter by Shani Mootoo

The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger

2008 
Through Black Spruce***** by Joseph Boyden (Winner)
Barnacle Love by Anthony De Sa
Good to a Fault**** by Marina Endicott
Cockroach by Rawi Hage
The Boys in the Trees***** by Mary Swan

Longlist
The Lost Highway by David Adams Richards
The Sealed Letter by Emma Donaghue

The Retreat by David Bergen

The Cellist of Sarajevo***** by Steven Galloway

Red Dog, Red Dog by Patrick Lane
More by Austin Clarke
The Withdrawal Method by Pasha Malla
Blackstrap Hawkco by Kenneth J. Harvey
The Ravine by Paul Quarrington
Origin of the Species by Nino Ricci
2007
* Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay (Winner)
* Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje
* A Secret Between Us by Daniel Poliquin
* The Assassin's Song by M. G. Vassanji
* Effigy by Alissa York
Longlist
Conceit by Mary Novik
Helpless by Barbara Gowdy
Soucouyant by David Chariandy
Zero Gravity by Sharon English
The Book of Negroes by Austin Clarke
Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles
Lauchlin of the Bad Heart by D. R. MacDonald
The Reckoning of Boston Jim by Claire Mulligan
The Architects are Here by Michael Winter
October by Richard B. Wright
2006
* Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam (Winner)
* De Niro's Game by Rawi Hage
* The Perfect Circle by Pascale Quiviger
* The Immaculate Conception by Gaetan Soucy
* Home Schooling by Carol Windley
Longlist
The Friends of meager Fortune by David Adams Richard
Pleased to meet You by Carole Anderson


The Garneau Block by Todd Babiak
Governor of the Northern Province by Randy Boyagoda
jPod by Douglas Coupland
The Famished Lover by Alan Cumyn
Inside by Kenneth J. Harvey
The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston
Stolen by Annette Lapointe
The Hour of Bad Decisions by Russell Wangersky
2005
* The Time In Between by David Berger (Winner)
* Luck by Joan Barfoot
* Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
* Alligator by Lisa Moore
* A Wall of Light by Edeet Ravel
2004
* Runaway by Alice Munro (Winner)
* The Tiger Claw by Shauna Singh Baldwin
* All That Matters by Wayson Choy
* Beyond Measure by Pauline Holdstock
* Galveston by Paul Quarrington
* A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
2003
* The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by M. G. Vassanji (Winner)
* Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
* The Island Walkers by John Bemrose
* Kilter: 55 Fictions by John Gould
* The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald
2002
* The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke (winner)
* Mount Appetite by Bill Gaston
* The Navigator of New York by Wayne Johnston
* Open by Lisa Moore
* Unless by Carol Shields
2001
* Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright (Winner)
* The Russlander by Sandra Birdsell
* River Thieves by Michael Crummey
* Martin Sloane by Michael Redhill
* Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
* The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart
2000
* Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards (Winner)
* Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje (winner)
* Burridge Unbound by Alan Cumyn
* A Student of Weather by Elizabeth Hay
* Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
* The Trade by Fred Stenson
1999
* A Good House by Bonnie Burnard (Winner)
* Pilgrim by Timothy Findley
* Am I Disturbing You by Anne Hebert
* The Mark of the Angel by Nancy Huston
* Summer Gone by David MacFarlane
1998
* The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro (Winner)
* Childhood by Andre Alexis
* A Recipe for Bees by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
* The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy
* The Healer by Greg Hollingshead
* The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
1997
* Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler (Winner)
* The Projectionist by Michael Helm
* Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo
* Where She Has Gone by Nino Ricci
* Larry's Party by Carol Shields
1996
* Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Winner)
* The Cure for Death by Lightening by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
* Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
* Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
* The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe
1995
* A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (Winner)
* The Piano Man's Daughter by Timothy Findley
* Mister Sandman by Barbara Gowdy
* Like This by Leo McKay Jr.
* The Age of Longing by Richard B. Wright
1994
* The Book of Secrets by M. G. Vassanji (Winner)
* Casino and Other Stories by Bonnie Burnard
* What You Need by Eliza Clark
* Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
* The Museum of Love by Steve Weiner

If you've read any of these titles, tell us what you think or leave a review link. I'd love to read them.