What's On Your Nightstand? Jan 2011

Hosted by Jennifer at 5 Minutes For Books.

Read in January:

1.Sunset Park****+ by Paul Auster US 2011
2.The Elephant's Journey*** by Jose Saramago Portugal 2010
3.The Typist**** by Michael Knight US 2010
4.Purge**** by Sofi Oksanen Finland 2010
5.The Library of Shadows*** by Mikkel Birkegaard Denmark 2008
6.Stoner**** by John Wiliams US 1965
7.The Cement Garden**** by Ian McEwan UK 1978
8.Sweetness in the Belly***** by Camilla Gibb 2005
9.Chapter 1 of On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry (Aug 2011) which you can read here:
I loved The Secret Scripture.

I will write brief reviews or answer questions about any of these books that interest you. Please just ask. What would you like to know?

Currently reading:

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards US 2011 because I really liked The Memory Keeper's Daughter. (my review)
Secret Son by Laila Lalami for Orange January (longlist 2010)

Still on the nightstand:

For Black History Month and the Persons of Colour Challenge:

Billy by Albert French US
The Man in My Basement by Walter Mosley US
Jazz by Toni Morrison US
Paradise by Toni Morrison (Orange Prize nom 1999) and Nobel author
1959 by Thulani Davis US
The Stillborn by Zaynab Alkali (Nigeria)
So Long a Letter by Miriama Ba (Senegal)
Going Down South by Bonnie Glover (US)
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali (Yemen)
White Teeth by Zadie Smith (UK)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (US)
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji (Iran)
The Seasons of Beento Blackbird by Akosua Busia (Ghana)

Man Asian Prize nominees, shortlist to be announced in February and the winner in March 2011:

Three Sister by Feiyu Bi
Serious Men by Manu Joseph
Dahanu Road by Anosh Irani (also Giller Prize shortlist 2010)
Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna

For Canada Reads 2011:

The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou
The Birth House by Ami McKay

For Canadian Literature Challenge 2011:

Cool Water by Diane Warren (Giller Prize Winner 2010)
The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb because I just finished Sweetness in the Belly and loved it.

For Jewish Literature Challenge 2011

The Violin of Auschwitz by Maria Angels Anglada
Homesick by Eshkol Nevo
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

Stranger Here Below by Joyce Hinnefeld because I really enjoyed her first novel, In Hovering Flight. (my review)

Isa and May by Margaret Forster because I liked Keeping the World Away**** very much.

Safe From the Sea by Peter Geye

Taroko Gorge by Jacob Ritari

Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill because my library finally purchased it at my request. I've read all 6 of Hill's Detective Serailler series and a few others, including Mrs. De Winter***+.

The Good Psychologist by Noam Shpancer for the Mental Illness Advocacy Challenge.

Buttterfly by Sonya Hartnett for the Aussie Author Challenge. I was really impressed by What the Birds See***** (Of a Boy in Australia).

And something by Iris Murdoch. I've read The Black Prince****The Sea The Sea****, The Italian Girl***+, and The Message to the Planet***+. Which would you recommend?

Opinions, reading recommendations and links to reviews are always welcomed. I'd love to read them.

What's on Your Nightstand?

Hosted by Jennifer at 5 Minutes For Books.

Books read this month:

13.Blacklands by Belinda Bauer UK 2009
14.The Outcast by Sadie Jones UK 2009
15.Good To a Fault by Marina Endicott Canada 2008
16.The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova US 2010
17.The Practice of Perfection by Mary Frances Coady Canada 2009 18.The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee Hong Kong 2006
19.Orlando by Virginia Woolf UK 1928
20.Dead Man's Share by Yasmina Khadra Algeria 1999

Still on the Nightstand:

What's On Your Nightstand? July 09

Hosted by Jennifer at 5 Minutes For Books.

Books read since June's Nightstand, with links to those reviewed.

68.Belong to Me***+ by Marisa de los Santos
69.The Fifth Child**** by Doris Lessing
70.Becoming Abigail***** by Chris Abani
71.Ben, In the World**** by Doris Lessing
72.Home Repair*** by Liz Rosenberg
73.The Little Stranger***** by Sarah Waters
74.The Jewel Trader of Pegu***** by Jeffrey Hantover - winner announced today
75.Little Bee****+ by Chris Cleave
76.The Weight of Heaven****+ by Thrity Umrigar
77.Molly Fox's Birthday***+ by Deirdre Madden - Review to be posted on Thursday, July 30
78.The Angel's Game****+ by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Forewords about the book/Afterwords (review) to follow

The good news is that I was well enough to write several reviews this month, including

A Mercy****+ by Toni Morrison
No Such Creature***+ by Giles Blunt, my current giveaway.

Still on my Nightstand:

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (UK) 1889
And Let the Earth Tremble at its Centers by Gonzalo Celorio (Mexico 1999) 2009 in English translation
Nada by Carmen Laforet (Spain 1945) 2007 in English translation
The Wilderness by Smantha Harvey (UK) 2009
Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (Mexico) 2009
A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal (US) 2008
The Entropy of Aaron Rosclatt by James Sandham (Canada) 2008
Graceland by Chris Abani (Nigeria) 2004
Addition by Toni Jordan (Australia) 2008
Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw (Indonesia) 2009
Every Man dies Alone by Hans Fallada (Germany) 1947
The Children's Book by A.S.Byatt (UK) April 21, 2009
The Music Room by William Fiennes (UK) August 18, 2009
A Short History of Women: a novel by Kate Walbert (US) June 16, 2009
Brodeck by Philippe Claudel (France) 2009 in English translation

What's on your nightstand?

What's On Your Nightstand? June

Hosted by Jennifer at 5 Mintues for Books.

Books read in June:

59. The Prospector**** by J. M. G. Le Clezio

60.The Accordionist's Son**** by Bernardo Atxaga

61.Hard Rain**** by Janwillem Van De Wetering

62.Carpentaria****+ by Alexis Wright

63.The Italian Girl**** by Iris Murdoch

64.Last Night in Montreal**** by Emily St. John Mandel

65.Wanting***** by Richard Flanagan

66.The Great Lover**** by Jill Dawson

67.The Pages***+ by Murray Bail

Still on my Nightstand:

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos (US)

West with the Night by Beryl Markham (Kenya)

Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani (Nigeria)

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (UK)

Home Repairs by Liz Rosenberg (US)

And Let the Earth Tremble at its Centers by Gonzalo Celorio (Mexico)

The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar (India)

Short History of Women by Kate Walbert (US)

Man Gone Down by author Michael Thomas (US)

The Foreigner by Francie Lin (Taiwan)

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing (UK)

The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey (UK)

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (UK)

Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga (India)

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (Pakistan)

Nada by Carmen Laforet

What's waiting on your nightstand?

Today's other post: Library Loot

What's On Your Nighstand?

Hosted by Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Books.

Books read in May

50.Love in the Time of Cholera**** by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Spanish lit romance)
51.The Lieutenant***** by Kate Grenville (Australian lit set in 18th century) 52.The Winner of Sorrow***** by Brian Lynch (fictionalized last years of the English poet William Cowper)
53.Mind's Eye**** by Hakan Nesser (Swedish mystery)
54.The Madwoman of Bethlehem***** by Rosine Nimeh-Mailloux (fiction about Arab Christians) 55.The Spare Room**** by Helen Garner (Australian lit about a dying friend)
56.The Snow Geese**** by William Fiennes (English non-fiction about following geese migration) 57.This One and Magic Life**** by Anne Carroll George (ficiton-American South) 58.Possession***** by A.S. Byatt (English lit-life and loves of fictional Victorian poets via manuscript research)

No duds this month I'm happy to report.

Still on my Nightstand:

The Prospector by J.M.G. Le Clezio (Nobel author 2008)
Carpentaria by Alexis Wright (prize winning Australian lit)
The Great Lover by Jill Dawson (2009 fiction about poet Rupert Brooke)
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (Booker shortlist 2008)
The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar (recommended by a book blogger)
All Other Nights by Dara Horn (American Civil War fiction among Jews)
Petropolis by Anya Ulinich Strangers by Anita Brookner
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell (Holocaust lit, over 1000 pages)
The 25th Hour by David Benioff ( good film with Ed Norton, hope book even better)
Summer World by Bernd Heinrich (non-fiction about insects and plant life in New England) Blindness by Jose Saramago (Nobel author)
Plum Wine by Angela Davis (new Bookmooch acquisition)

What's waiting for you on the nightstand?

Comments, questions, or reading recommendations are welcomed.

What's On Your Nightstand?

Hosted by Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Reading.

I read 6 books of the18 on last month's Nightstand:

1.The Monsters of Templeton**** by Lauren Groff (Library and New Authors Challenges)
2.Shelter Me*** by Juliette Fay (Library and New Authors Challenges)
3.The Gargoyle**** by Andrew Davidson (Canadian, Library, and New Authors Challenges)
4.Tales of the Ten Lost Tribes***** by Tamar Yellin (Jewish Literature, Library and New Authors Challenge
5.The Interrogation***+ by J.M.G. Le Clezio (Nobel, Lost in Translation, New Authors and Library Challenges)
6.Mudbound***** by Hillary Jordan (LT Authors, Library, and New Authors Challenges)

Also read:

7.Little Bee***** by Chris Cleave (ARC from LT, New Authors Challenge)

Part way into:

8.A Mad Desire to Dance by Elie Wiesel (Jewish Literature and Library Challenges)
9.The Sum of Our Days by Isabel Allende (Latin America [Chile] and New Authors Challenges)
10.Ulysses by James Joyce (reading online at Gutenberg Project, Chunkster Challenge)
11.Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann (German Literature Challenge)

Now on my nightstand:

The Brightest Moon of the Century by Christopher Meeks ARC
The Household Guide to Dying by Debra Adelaide ARC
Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb ARC
Grief by Andrew Holleran (Dewey Challenge)
Tula Station by David Toscana (Latin American Challenge [Mexico])
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Martel-Harper Challenge)
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. Lee (Themed Challenge [music])
The Jewel Trader of Pegu by Jeffrey Hantover ARC
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
Good to a Fault by Marania Endicott (Canadian Challenge)
Breaking Lorca by Giles Blunt (Canadian Challenge)
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (Diversity Challenge [African Canadian])
Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth ARC
Tightrope by Michael Karpan ARC
The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

So 7 books read, my worst reading month in a year but I'm not going to whine; 4 books on the go, leaving 17 on my nightstand. (It's the new math)

What's on your nightstand?

What's On Your Nightstand?

Hosted by Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Reading:

On My Nightstand:

The Sum of Our Days by Isabel Allende

Breaking Lorca by Giles Blunt

A Mad Desire to Dance by Elie Wiesel

Shelter Me by Rebecca Sawyer-Fay

Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock

Tales of the Ten Lost Tribes by Tamar Yellin

Molokai by Alan Brennert

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. Lee

Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb

Ulysses by James Joyce (online) Gutenberg Project

The Brightest Moon of the Year by Christopher Meeks

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

and the 6 from last month's list that didn't arrive at the library yet:

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

2666 by Roberto Bolano Blue Fox by Sion

three by Le Clezio (Nobel author)

I read 12 of the 18 on last month's Nightstand. I finally actually stuck to the list, a first for me:

Mercy Among the Children***** by David Adams Richards for Canada Reads Challenge

The Elegance of the Hedgehog**** by Muriel Barbery for the Dewey Challenge

Jenford: A Short History of Upland***+ by Henrik E. Sadi

The Awakening and Selected Stories***+ by Kate Chopin for the 18th and 19th century Women Writers' Challenge

A Mercy****+ by Toni Morrison for LibraryThing and the Nobel Challenge

What Happened to Anna K.**** by Irina Reyn

The Spanish Bow***** by Andromeda Romano-Lax 554 pgs. for the Chunkster Challenge,the Themed Reading Challenge (music), and War Through the Generations Challenge

No Such Creature***+ by Giles Blunt for LibraryThing

To Siberia****+ by Per Petterson (translated from the Norwegian) for Lost in Translation Challenge

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (translated from the Japanese) for Lost in Translation and Diversity Challenge

The Sister**** by Poppy Adams Shortlisted for best first novel Costa Award

The Leper**** by Stephen Thayer

And I also read...

The Cellist of Sarajevo***** by Steven Galloway for the Themed Challenge (music)

A Father's Affair***+ by Karel Van Loon (translated from the Dutch) for Lost in Translation Challenge

Olive Kitteridge***** by Elizabeth Strout

The Mysteries of Udolpho***+ by Ann Radcliffe (1794) 542 pgs. (online at Book Glutton) for the 18th and 19th century Women Writers' Reading Challenge and the Chunkster Challenge

Dog On It***+ by Spencer Quinn a light but fun doggy narrated mystery

So 20 books read and no real clinkers, I'm happy. A bad month review-wise, I only posted two but chronic pain and illness make my mind mush. The stars will have to tell the story, so to speak.

What's on your nightstand?

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.