what I read in january 2012

Time to recap what I read in January. Not, I have to tell you, as many as I read this time last year! My aim to read 100 books in 2012 is already looking shaky...but I managed six. 

As always...in order of reading...

Please Look after Mother by Kyung-Sook Shin - fiction, translated from Korean

Choral Society by Prue Leith - fiction

The Stepmother's Diary by Fay Weldon - fiction

In Tasmania by Nicholas Shakespeare - history/memoir

Eve Green by Susan Fletcher - fiction (first novel)

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George - crime fiction

So, how were they? I have to confess to being an Inspector Lynley groupie so Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George is my pick for the month. It's a big book but I read it in a little over a day. I love Tommy and Barbara. This was a little grittier than normal I thought. If you like crime and you haven't read Elizabeth George, please do. I think this is about the 17th in the series, and yes, I've read them all.

Please Look after my Mother was very sad especially given my parents' situation, Choral Society fun but forgettable, The Stepmother's Diary dark and interesting. I bought and started to read In Tasmania at Hobart airport on the way home. It's a very clever weaving of history and the author's own modern story of an expat's life in his new country, where amazingly he finds he is related to the man they call 'the father of Tasmania'. Eve Green was fabulous, and an absolute marvel of a first novel. I've ordered her second book I was so impressed.

I’ve also decided that from now on, in among all the other reading I do, I’m going to read a 'classic' a month. Do you have any recommendations for me? I've read a few of course but I'm open to suggestions and would love to know what you think. I've pretty well done the Austens though J

top six reads of 2011...and what I read in december

December was a very light on month for reading I'm afraid, but I did manage a few, somewhere in between the manic last few weeks of work, Christmas nonsenses and NYE frivolities...here they are:

Great House by Nicole Krauss - fiction

Shoe Money by Maggie Alderson - a selection of newspaper columns

Angel Puss by Colleen McCullough - fiction

All That I Am by Anna Funder - fiction

Freedom by Jonathon Franzen - fiction

Apart from the short collection of columns, all of these books were very good reads. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Angel Puss, set in Kings Cross, just around the corner from where the first born used to live, it was incredibly evocative of the area and the people who inhabit it. I bought it from a remainders bin on a whim...good use of a spare $4.95! 

And now the hard part...my favourite books of 2011. All in all I read 77 books last year (still finding it hard to say last year!). I was only going to nominate five, but a six book collage was easier to make J Bloody heck it was hard...even my very favourite author didn't make the cut this time! Because I read so much, the books I chose were the ones that have stayed with me...the ones I don't have to remind myself what they were about, the ones that made me cry, question, wonder, smile, cringe...the ones with 'staying power'. So, for what it's worth...my recommendations for incredibly good reads are, in no particular order because no way am I picking a no. 1 (oh, ok...Peter Carey!)...

In order of reading:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 

(a famous dying author summons an obscure unknown author to record her autobiography...ancient houses, bookshops, 'ghosts' and heartbreaks);

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey

(A french nobleman and an english servant travel to the new world...full of beautiful historical detail...I especially loved the early days of Manhattan... wit, friendship and love)

The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper

(a very well written account of a pointless death, life on Palm Island and the brutality of our treatment of indigenous australians, but with a balanced compassion for all sides in this story)

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

(a 50 year old Harvard professor suffers from early onset alzheimers. This book's every word was enthralling, highlighting both the inner and outer 'workings' of the disease with an incredible sympathy for the sufferer and her family as they come to grips with what it all means)

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg

(a thriller...not everyone likes this I know, but I found it  fascinating and different. The heroine is unusual...a bit like Lisbeth Salander in the Millenium Trilogy...hard to like but you just have to know what happens to her)

All That I Am by Anna Funder

(the story of a group of Jewish Germans and their resistance to Hitler in the 1930s, set then and in the present through the reminiscences of Ruth, an old woman living in Sydney. Based on fact, it's a story of right and wrong, deceit, justice and injustice. Loved it.)

So there you have it! I hope to read more than 77 books in 2012, but I haven't started all that well...I've been painting my bedroom and putting up picture ledges. I'll show you all that when I get back from Tassie...off there on Monday for a holiday...and I'm having dinner with two bloggers on Wednesday...yippee!!

what I read in september 2011...

Can you honestly believe that it's the end of September already? I'm sure it was only February five minutes ago!
I feel like I've been a reading machine this month, and boy, it's given me so much pleasure. And it seems my 'make reading a priority' message last month resonated with some of you too. I'm really happy about that. Of course, all this reading hasn't done much for my writing practice! But still, I'll take my pleasures where I can get them.
So, here's this month's book list...ten tomes. I've even impressed myself :)

The Contest by Matthew Reilly - sci-fi thriller

The Secret River by Kate Grenville - historical fiction

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - fiction

Plan B, Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott - non fiction/memoir

The People on Privilege Hill by Jane Gardam - short stories

The Writing Book by Kate Grenville - non fiction

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote - fiction

Marrying George Clooney by Amy Ferris - nonfiction/memoir

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey - historical fiction

The Tall Man: death and life on Palm Island by Chloe Hooper - non fiction

It was quite a mixed bag this month; a bit of science fiction (The Contest) which I normally don't read, but have to admit I enjoyed - it was a page turner but not particularly deep and meaningful! Not that there's anything wrong with that.
The non-fiction/memoir selection was a bit disappointing to be honest. Not bad, but I expected more.
The fiction books were all sensational and I would find it very hard to select a favourite. I really enjoyed re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird. It was required reading for my writing course and I loved it. It never grows old. I'd never read Breakfast at Tiffany's before this...how did that happen!  Kate Grenville is a brilliant Australian author and I love reading anything she writes, but this month the fiction pick has to go to another Australian, Peter Carey. His novel about two highly unlikely companions who travel to the new world is full of delicious detail and hugely fascinating characters. Loved it a lot and I especially loved reading about New York at its genesis.
But for me, the pick of the month was The Tall Man. The story of the death in custody of aboriginal man Cameron Doomadgee on Palm Island in 2004 and the events that took place after, including a riot on the island and the trial of Senior Sgt Chris Hurley, this is a book that stays with you. I couldn't put it down. It was interesting to read The Secret River earlier in the month, a story that told of a massacre of Aborigines in the early days of the colony...and two centuries later, the injustices continue. The book paints a sad picture of a remote community. I visited an aboriginal community on Cape York a few years ago and spent one of the best weeks of my life there. In that eight days I saw both the worst and the best and considered it an enormous privilege just to have been there, but that's a story for another day. This book is not an easy read in terms of the subject matter, but it is a must read in my view. A review of the book can be found here.
So there you have it. It's a long weekend here. Bet you can't guess what I'll be doing :)

My book list: august 2011

I was chatting to a stranger a few weeks ago, making polite conversation while we were waiting for our respective partners. I had a book with me and we got to talking about reading, and he lamented that he loved to read but couldn't find the time to do much of it.  And he asked me if I read a lot, and of course I said yes, quite a lot. Where do you find the time he wanted to know.  And without thinking about it, without knowing it was the answer, I said 'I make it a priority'.
And that's the trick. I make reading a priority. And I hear you say, if only it were that easy. And I know it's not. But in my world, living alone and without small people needing my attention, or people of any size really, just an annoying cat at meal times, I can do it. And the reality is, I would be lost without the pleasure of reading. Completely lost.
I read eight books this month...I'm pleased about that. The reading frequency dropped off for a while there as I let other less important things get in the way. You'll notice that there are more non-fiction than usual and that many of them are about writing. I'm trying to learn as much as I can...it's not easy! I've also been doing an online creative writing course with the Sydney Writers' Centre so writing has pretty much consumed me lately. Here's the list:

Writing down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg - non fiction

On Writing by Stephen King - autobiography

The Sweet Poison Quit Plan by David Gillespie - non fiction

Short Circuit: a guide to the art of the short story edited by Vanessa Gebbie

Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant - non-fiction/journal

Shooting the Fox - short stories by Marion Halligan

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - novel (for Book Club)

The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind - novella

It's hard to choose a favourite this month because I've read all sorts of books for all sorts of different reasons (I'll let you know about the sugar quitting in a few weeks...it's not a pretty story I'm sad to say!), but if I were to recommend a book to you, the prize would go to....

...maybe that's because it was the only novel I read, or perhaps I liked it because it's about a writer...two in fact :) Margaret Lea is the narrator, a book lover, and part time biographer who works in her father's bookstore and lives a solitary life defined by an event in her past. She is contacted by Vida Winter, an ageing, ailing and famous author who wants Margaret to record her autobiography before she dies. Vida tells story upon story before the truth is finally revealed. I think you might like it. And you lovely people, what's your latest good read?

what I've been reading...

Yes, well...the best laid plans and all that. I was meant to give you a list of what I'd read each month but it appears I haven't done that since the March list I published in early April. Oops.
So, this is a biggie...all the books that I've read since then in one fell swoop. The ones I can remember that is...perhaps there have been a few others :)

In order:

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - fiction

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua - non fiction

Shiver by Nikki Gemmel - Australian fiction

Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier - fiction

Stealing Picasso by Anson Cameron - Australian fiction

Odd Socks by Ilsa Evans - fluff

The Other Half Lives by Sophie Hannan - psychological thriller

Affection by Ian Townsend - fictionalised account of real people set in Townsville during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1900

Lessons in Letting Go by Corinne Grant - Australian memoir

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (my favourite author) - historical fiction

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt - historical fiction

The Last Magician by Janette Turner Hospital - Australian fiction

The Memoir Book by Patti Miller - Australian non fiction

Writing your Life by Patti Miller - Australian non fiction

(Patti was the brilliant teacher and wonderful writer who nurtured our writing experiences in Bali)

Good Harbor by Anita Diamant - fiction

Last Chance Cafe by Liz Bryzki - Australian fiction

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas - Australian fiction and winner of many prizes

As I work on trying to establish my own writing life I am more and more grateful for all the authors who've been in my life and thrilled me with their words for decades. I had no idea how hard it was! Or how rewarding. Reading and writing. Don't hang out for the 'rithmetic though...that's not about to happen :)

what I read in january 2011...

Yasi update: I'm so relieved to say that I've just heard from my peeps in Far North Queensland and they are all well and relatively unscathed.  I can breathe out now :)
Reading is like breathing to me. Absolutely necessary. But since this whole blogging palaver began I have been doing less and less...but not anymore! I've started a new monthly 'series'...doesn't that sound grand :)

I have promised myself to get back to where I once was...devouring books by the bucket load.

And to keep me on the straight and narrow I thought I'd do a monthly round-up of the books I've read.  I won't be reviewing them in any detail (because quite honestly, neither you nor I have the time for that now do we) but I will tell you about the one I liked the best.  So, this month (remembering that I've been on holidays so the list is impressive...even if I do say so myself!) I've read...in order...

Moral Hazard by Kate Jennings - fiction

Villa Fortuna by Geoffrey Luck - memoir

Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs - crime fiction

Beloved Homes by Ikea Family - design

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell - historical fiction

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos - fiction 

The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi - non fiction based on Lionel Logue's diaries

Knitting by Anne Bartlett - fiction

Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali - non fiction/memoir

I enjoyed all of these although The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was extremely difficult to get in to and if it hadn't been for Book Club I might not have persevered! Glad I did though.

Nomad was unputdownable and more than a little bit disturbing. I've given it to a friend to get his perspective. I haven't read the first of her books Infidel, but I will...

The one that touched me the most (and which I enjoyed the most) was Love Walked In...which was recommended by Julienne. Thank you Julienne, you sure got that right. When I told a friend I was reading a book called Love Walked In she wanted to know if it was a Mills and Boon...honestly, as if I would! It does sound a bit soppy but it is anything but. The story of Cornelia, a cafe manager in Philadelphia...looking for something but not sure what...and Clare, a lost 11 year old reaching out for her father, and a mother who has suddenly disappeared on her. Their paths cross and it's beautiful. The writing is lyrical, magical, literary but easy. It's like a conversation. This is a book you can have a relationship with...better than some of the men I've had relationships with that's for sure ;)

There is a sequel. I'm on to it :)

images 1 and 2 from weheartit