Musing Mondays

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"Today’s Musing Mondays post is about mid-year reading… Now that we’ve come to the middle of the year, what do you think of your 2009 reading so far? Read anything interesting that you’d like to share? Any outstanding favourites?"

Of the 70 books read to date none were a waste of time for me. I did abandon three that were not keeping my interest. I seem to be exactly where I was last year for books completed (143 read in 2008). I choose very carefully and I rated over 60 of them with 4 or 5 stars so no complaints here.

These were the outstanding books to my mind. My standard is simple; was I strongly emotionally engaged with the characters, the story, and/or the writing? Highlighted titles are linked to reviews or comments.

To wit:

We Need to Talk About Kevin***** by Lionel Shriver
Through Black Spruce***** by Joseph Boyden
Tomato Girl***** by Jayne Pupek
The Madonnas of Leningrad***** by Debra Dean
What We All Long For***** by Dionne Brand
The Seamstress***** by Frances De Pontes Peebles
The Cellist of Sarajevo***** by Steven Galloway
Mercy Among the Children***** by David Adams Richards
Mudbound***** by Hillary Jordan
The Gargoyle**** by Andrew Davidson
Little Bee**** by Chris Cleave
An Audience of Chairs***** by Joan Clark
The Blue Fox***** by Sjon

Wanting***** by Richard Flanagan

Historical fiction about Sir John Franklin's years as Governor of early Tasmania. He would later disappear with his ship and crew while trying to find the Northwest passage.

I Had a Black Dog***** by Mathew Johnstone

Non fiction graphic novel, 48 pages. A unique and humourously encouraging perspective of depression.

The Disappeared***** by Kim Echlin

Fiction about the disappeared of Cambodia.

The Lieutenant***** by Kate Grenville

A fictional account of an18th century English lieutenant who became an astronomer and sailed with the First Fleet to the shores of what would become Sydney, Australia. Based on a real person.

The Madwoman of Bethlehem***** by Rosine Nimeh-Mailloux

Fiction about Arab Christian women in Israel.

The Winner of Sorrow***** by Brian Lynch

A fictional account of the details of last years of the English poet William Cowper, set at the end of the 1700's. A very interesting and well written account of Cowper's final years of doubt and melancholy and those around him.

Possession***** by A.S. Byatt

Fiction that follows the love and lives of two Victorian poets through letters and manuscript research.

Becoming Abigail***** by Chris Abani

My review will be posted tomorrow.

I welcome questions about any of these or other books I've read. Feel free to leave links to those you've reviewed. I'd love to read them. I will be around to your blogs looking for good reading recommendations of literary fiction, although I welcome them at all times.

Today's other posts: Mailbox Monday
What are You Reading on Mondays?