My book greed has caught up with me - and it's my own fault. I have so many books on hold at the library all the time that they seem to come in bunches...never just one or two at a time. (Do librarians get a kick out of making sure that the books arrive in bunches in between lengthy lulls where none come in at all?) What's happened this time is that not only have several come in at once, but that they include some very long books that can only be checked out for two weeks because others have holds on them, too. And the clock is ticking.
So these are the ones I'm reading right now:
This is a 516-page mystery by French writer Michel Bussi (the translation is really seamless and well done). It involves a woman who goes on a family holiday to Corsica with her husband and teenaged daughter despite having lost her own parents and only sibling in a horrific car crash there when she herself was just a teen. It was a miracle that she survived the accident, but now she is starting to believe that her mother (who is said to have died in the crash) may still be alive.
This is the 546-page Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner that readers seem less impressed with than I would have supposed. I've only read 13 pages into the story, but the Dickens connection is obvious and kind of fun, at least to this point. I like the main character and how he came to be stuck with the nickname "Demon Copperhead." As always in a Barbara Kingsolver novel, this one is well written, but there are so many people waiting for this one behind me that the pressure is on. I hope I can finish it on time.I was drawn to Crow Mary because of the good reviews it consistently gets, and because of its Montana/Canadian setting. I'm becoming more and more interested in learning about the 1870s-1890s period, especially what was still happening to the Native American population on both sides of the border. This historical novel covers that topic in detail...but again, there's a short fuse on this one (and it's almost 350 pages long).There's a short fuse on this one, too, but I've already read fifteen of the seventeen short stories in Playing Games, so it will definitely be the next book that I finish. I have really been surprised by how well the "games" theme has held up for this entire compilation of stories. In fact, it's turned out to be one of the most consistently enjoyable collection of short stories that I've read in quite a while. There are some really good stories in this one, and almost nothing I would rate below a three-star story. That's not easy to do.Even though I'm about 70% through this Cathleen Schine novel, it may be neglected this week so that I can take chunks out of the longer novels mentioned above. I'm not sure what I think about this story of middle-aged children having to deal with their "suddenly" aging parents. It's kind of depressing at times, humorous at others...sort of like real life, I suppose. (And yes, the title is taken from the famous Philip Larkin poem "This Be the Verse.")
Odyssey's End by Matt Coyle is a review copy of a series thriller that is set to be published around October. I've been reading this one off and on for a while, am about 80% of the way through it, and I'm sorry to say that it's not really "grabbed me" yet. That means pretty much total neglect for at least this week, I'm afraid, and probably next week. I've heard good things about Matt Coyle and this series, but I think I may be joining readers way too late in the game to appreciate the character. Probably a bad choice on my part.I'm thinking that this may be the bunch that end up leaving me with a tough decision at some point. Do I keep the books a few days longer to finish them, or do I risk returning them on time in the hopes that I will get them back soon enough not to lose my train-of-thought with them? I've been brainwashed for so many years about not keeping books past their due date when others are lined up for them, that I can't even predict my decision yet. I suppose it all depends on how close I am to finishing them.
Have a great reading week, y'all!
Hi Sam, I know what you mean about the library. It's a great resource and yet for me the fact that I have a time limit on my reading, knowing a book has to be back at a certain date often ends up with me returning the book half read. Plus the library near me is woefully short of books one would want to read.
ReplyDeleteA good group of books you have here and the one I am most interested in is Crow Mary. I too am interested in Native American history and culture, the West and Montana/Canada. Years ago I read Richard Ford's collection of short stories all set in present day Montana and I was very impressed
Sorry I forgot, The Collection is Rock Springs by Richard Ford. He went on to great fame but this is one of his first books and I retain fond memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm really lucky, Kathy, that my library is tied into two other counties that share their own inventories with ours (and Harris Country, mine, is the largest county in Texas - it is over 50% the size of the state of Rhode Island). I can almost always eventually get what I'm looking for from the system.
DeleteI'm about 70 pages into Crow Mary, and I have to say that at this point it is nothing special. But the set-up is almost done, and I'm hoping that the meat of Crow Mary's story is better written and proves to be as compelling as I hoped it would be.
(I've read that Richard Ford collection - and loved it).
Wow, that's a lot of big books with looming deadlines! I thought I was bad enough. LOL! Demon Copperhead has been hugely hyped here in Britain and even won The Women's Prize for Fiction. I watched a TV interview Barbara Kingsolver did from The Hay Book Festival on Sky Arts. Fascinating woman. Whether I will read the actual book, I can't say.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I said to my daughter the other day that she was at that difficult age... approaching 50 with aging parents, a teenage boy to deal with, and lots of stress at work. So maybe I should rec They May Not Mean To to her. She laughed but I do feel for her.
Kingsolver is an excellent writer, no doubt there, but I've found it difficult to get into some of her previous novels. I'm not having that problem so far with this one. The "Demon" character is quite likable and sympathetic in the first 70 pages I've read.
DeleteNo doubt that the 50s and 60s are difficult ages for a lot of people when they find themselves suddenly responsible for multiple generations. Sometimes it's children and parents; other times, grandchildren and parents. Neither situation is easy.
I did like Demon Copperhead, but not nearly as much as Kingsolver's other works. It just - didn't feel the same, to me. I suppose I'd appreciate it more if I'd actually read David Copperfield- I made an attempt, but didn't get a fourth the way through . . . (some of the classics are just not for me!)
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone feeling that way. I think my familiarity with the plot and style of the Dickens novel is definitely a plus because I got into the rhythm of Demon Copperhead quite early on, and that doesn't always happen to me. (I'm a Dickens fan from childhood and a collector of early editions of his books.)
DeleteLibrary holds are the bane of so many readers, and it's always a struggle to stay on top of things. Demon Copperhead gets very dark and bleak at times, but is well worth powering through if you can manage it.
ReplyDeleteDepressing, humorous, and real characterizes Schine's novel perfectly! I imagine there isn't much demand for it at the moment, so probably a good one to de-prioritize for now. Seems like we're all reading so many long books this year!
BTW, I finished Lonesome Dove over the weekend and ended up loving it! Truly a lifetime reading experience -those characters will always be with me.
I'm making good progress on both Demon and Crow Mary right now, figuring if I can average 50 pages a day on each of them, I'll finish them in the nick of time.
DeleteI have just over 100 pages to go on the Schine novel, and I'm so curious to find out where this one is heading that's it's been hard not to pick it up in the last two days. :-)
Ah, Lonesome Dove. I've run out of praise for that book until next time I read it (will be the fourth time). If you haven't watched the original television series (I think it's only about six hours total) don't miss that experience. It is almost as fine as the novel.
Sam - Thanks for mentioning the miniseries, I just found it on hoopla! I'll borrow the first installment tonight.
DeleteI love that series, JoAnn. It's filled with first class actors and McMurtry was heavily involved in the project so it turned out really well.
DeleteBook greed happens to me whenever I go to the library, too. I went to pick up one hold last Friday and came home with four books! I just can't seem to help myself. ;D Good luck reading these before they're due. And keeping one or two of them a little longer wouldn't be the end of the world...just a few dollars. Might be worth it.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing, Lark, is that our library doesn't even charge late fees. I guess they figured it was more trouble than it was worth in the long run. Proud of myself today, stopped by to bring three back to the library and only came home with one, Nick Hornby's new NF look at the similarities of Charles Dickens and Prince (the pop singer). That image is just so weird to me that I had to bring it home.
DeleteWow, two books over 500 pages. They both sound very good, but I am not sure I will try to tackle Demon Copperhead with little knowledge of David Copperfield. Crow Mary sounds interest to me also.
ReplyDeleteIt always amazes me that you can have so many books going at the same time. I can do that with two or maybe three books occasionally, but not on a regular basis.
As long as make sure that the books are distinctively different, Tracy, it's not very hard to jump back and forth between several at a time. I've made the mistake a few times of choosing books whose plots turned out to be more similar than I thought they would, and that was a head-scratcher for sure.
DeleteYou don't have to know David Copperfield well in order to enjoy Demon Copperhead. They ware both basically coming of age novels told through the eyes of young, very poor boys who have to figure out the world for themselves.
Hi Sam,
ReplyDeleteHi can I get you a copy of my first book so you can get a better feel for the character?
Matt Coyle
Matt, I'd be pleased to read the first book in the series in order to get a better feel for the Rick Cahill character. I see him as a white knight kind of guy, but having read only book 10 I don't think I really understood him all that well. I often find it difficult to jump so late into a series, so I'm not surprised by that.
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