42 for 42

This post and list are a bit overdue, but, all things considered (school), I thought I would improved my chances for success in the 41 for 41 challenge by giving myself until the end of the month to finish up a few books, rather than ending, mid-read, on my birthday. 

I am pleased to report that 41 was a huge success. I read ten of 41 titles—a quarter of the list—compared to last year’s five of 40 titles. Still, looking through the 41 list, I realize there are many books I wish I had read, that I would like to read eventually, and they may make the 42 list. 

The gist of the list is to round up books that are on my radar—newly released, buzzed about in the previous year, or liberated from my shelves where they’ve sat for years. As my fried Caryl reminded me last year, when I thought I’d forego the list, I may not read every book, but I will have a record of where my interests are at the moment. And, I love making lists. 

This is my fourth such list. Unread books from previous years will make a repeat appearance. Other sources include my alma mater’s Conversation with Books as well as the National Book Award and Booker Prize nominees. Next, I check my publishing resources, including Powells.com, which has, in each of its sections, a “coming soon” subsection where you can see many of the books that will be published in the next three to six months. By anticipating new releases, I can factor into my list the books that would normally derail me.

Still, I can’t catch every book that serves as a distraction, such as those I learn about by word of mouth and reviews. Also, my book groups determine their books on a month-to-month basis so there’s no advanced planning for those.

One thing you may notice about this year’s list is some double and triple offerings from an author, as well as some themes. Over the past year, I have begun collecting comic books, mostly in trade paperback, where multiple issues are bound together, and I’ve included a few I’d like to make a point of reading soon.

Herewith, 42 for 42, in no particular order:

The Photographer (Emmanuel Guibert)

A graphic memoir/photojournal of the author’s journey into war-torn Afghanistan

Seven Gothic Tales (Isak Dinesen)

Short stories by an author I’ve never taken an opportunity to read 

A Gate at the Stairs (Lorrie Moore)

A much anticipated, some say long-overdue, novel

In Patagonia (Bruce Chatwin)

Genre-defining and classic travel essay. Shelf-sitter.

Motorcycle Diaries (Che Guevara)

A road journey and politics. Shelf-sitter.

Bicycle Diaries (David Byrne)

Urban cycling journey by the former Talking Head

Wanderlust: A History of Walking (Rebecca Solnit)

About walking and thinking and culture; quite frankly, all Solnit’s books appeal to me. Shelf-sitter.

A Design for Living (Lillian Langseth Christensen)

John recommended this memoir by a woman whose parents moved in Josef Hoffmann’s artsy circles

The Year of the Flood (Margaret Atwood)

New Margaret Atwood, speculative fiction, that’s all

Down the Nile (Rosemary Mahoney)

I really liked Mahoney’s Singular Pilgrim and anticipate more of the same in a boat on the through Egypt. Shelf-sitter.

Zeitoun (Dave Eggers)

New Eggers, NOLA.

Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout)

2009 Pulitzer Prize winner and a 2010 Conversation with Books selection

Murder in the Marais (Cara Black)

Looking for a new international mystery; Paris setting. Shelf-sitter.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Steig Larsson)

Highly recommended by many, including Mr. Bibliotonic, who ordered the third and final book in the series from Amazon.UK because he can’t wait until next June

Dud Avocado (Elaine Dundy)

A re-read, 15 years overdue

White Lioness (Henning Mankill)

Highly recommended Swedish crime fiction; shelf-sitter.

Year of Living Biblically (A.J. Jacobs)

an A.J. Jacobs marathon is in order

The Know It All (A.J. Jacobs)

Part of an A.J. Jacobs marathon. Shelf-sitter.

My Life as an Experiment (A.J. Jacobs)

Part of an A.J. Jacobs marathon

One Good Turn (Kate Atkinson)

Read books one and two in ’09; love Jackson Brodie 

Drown (Junot Diaz)

Oscar Wao was all that; must. read. more. Diaz.

The Last Supper (Rachel Cusk)

Author’s family spends a year living in Italy—isn’t that everyone’s dream?

Arlington Park (Rachel Cusk)

The fiction complement. Shelf-sitter.

The Selected Work of T.S. Spivet (Reif Larsen)

Had this out from the library this summer and loved what I read before I had to return it

London Embassy (Paul Theroux)

fiction-nonfiction duo; novellas, as in Elephanta Suite, which will make my 2009 top 10

Kingdom by the Sea (Paul Theroux)

The nonfiction half. Shelf-sitter.

Far North (Marcel Theroux)

Quietly reviewed post apocalyptic novel, recently nominated as a National Book Award finalist

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon)

Must read more Chabon; shelf-sitter.

Best American Travel Essays 2009 (edited by Simon Winchester)

I have been buying this annual for the past 10 years, but never manage to read more than the guest editor’s intro

Chronic City (Jonathan Lethem)

Hot off the press; strong galley reads

The Golden Notebook (Doris Lessing)

Classic from a Nobel Prize winner

The Unnamed (Joshua Ferris)

Highly anticipated sophomore novel from Ferris; huge amounts of buzz; first book in friend Reagan Arthur’s new imprint

Color: A Natural History of the Palette (Victoria Finley)

A popular history to follow up my intense theory class

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen)

Awesomely funny; birthday present from John

New York Trilogy (Paul Auster)

I will read this in 2010; shelf-sitter.

Finding Beauty in a Broken World (Terry Tempest Williams)

Learning the art of mosaics in Italy, by the author of Refuge

A Journey with Elsa Cloud (Leila Hadley)

A shelf sitter since 1997

Stardust (Neil Gaiman)

Must. Read. More. Gaiman. Also trying to read more of the books that have been given to me as gifts.

Home (Witold Rybczynski)

Synopsis from Powell’s: “a brilliant assessment of the social, cultural, economic, and political factors that have shaped Western concepts of privacy, domesticity, and comfort.” So up my alley. Shelf-sitter.

Design of Everyday Things (Donald A. Norman)

I wish I had read this book before my design thinking class. Shelf-sitter.

Poet of the Appetites (Joan Reardon)

Craving a fat, juicy biography; shelf-sitter.

Gaudy Night (Dorothy Sayers)

It’s almost criminal that I haven’t read Sayers. Yet.

Where do I start?

checking in

I'm still here!!! I haven't gone done, though sometimes it feels as if I have.

When I last posted here, in early September, I was preparing to return to school. In the interest of full disclosure, I am studying interior design at the University of Minnesota’s awesome College of Design. The program is exciting and rigorous and I love it. Before I even started, I had anticipated that I would have a lot of textbook and course packet reading to do. And, I wasn't wrong about that. I did, however, seriously underestimate the amount of homework I would have. Two of my design classes have approximately 12 hours of studio time—in and out of the studio—per week. And, I’ve had a handful of tests, papers, and group projects in the six weeks since classes started. (pictured above: achromatic/monochromatic modular study for color theory; pictured below: achromatic/monochromatic scales for color theory)

It’s all good. At least once a week, I get some sort of a reminder—a good grade on a paper; positive feedback from an instructor; a glimpse at a rewarding, creative job, which is part of the big picture; and abundant encouragement from friends and family—that makes me really glad I’ve chosen this path. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that some days I’d just like to curl up with a good book and read all day long. Alas, pleasure reading has suffered. I still manage to read a few pages daily, or I read a ton on one of my days when I don’t have classes. That said, it has taken me the better part of a month to read Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol. Seriously. And I'm still 75 pages from finishing this page-turner.

Still, I’m feeling ambitious about reading—I live to read!—and bought myself a nice stack of books for my birthday. Plus, my dear friend Caryl gave me my own copy of The Year of Living Biblically, and I’m excited to finally read that (even though I’ve had her copy for about a year). I cannot wait to dive into the new David Byrne and Margaret Atwood books! Rewards for finishing homework...we all need carrots, eh?

Because it’s October, it’s time to announce a new reading list for my birthday year. Crazy though it may be, I’m compiling a 42 for 42 list. Though I set a personal best during 41, most of the fun is in making the list. So I’ll be back with that and some notes about the past reading year.

Stay tuned…

august statistics

August was an outstanding reading month for me. I had a huge chunk of time to read on a transatlantic flight, as well as while on vacation.

finished: 6

~ Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons)—I loved this quirky satire of the British pastoral novel, think D.H. Lawrence and Thomas Hardy. I tend to agree with others who have called CCF one of the funniest books ever written. In addition to nods at cleverness, I laughed out loud repeatedly at the melodrama and the outrageous situations. This book had come recommended for so long that I figured it was finally time to read it so put it on my 41 for 41 list. I cannot wait to re-read.

~ Elephanta Suite (Paul Theroux)—Another satisfying read. Paul Theroux, whose travel essays I had long admired, is also an admirable novelist. The stunning novellas in Elephanta Suite are written in elegant prose and explore modern India, as well as striking east-west culture clashes. Here’s part of the publisher’s cover blurb: “As ever, Theroux’s portraits of people and places explode stereotypes to exhilarating effect. The Elephanta Suite is a welcome gift to readers of international fiction and fans of this extraordinary writer.” I’m adding to my TBR list, Theroux’s London Embassy, another set of novellas written in the 1970s, and Kingdom by the Sea, a chronicle of the author’s travels around Great Britain.

~ Noble Radiance (Donna Leon)—#7 in Donna Leon’s Venice-set mystery series has Commissario Brunetti investigating a skeleton uncovered on a construction site, a gold ring the only clue to its identity. Politics, corruption, and greed are prominent themes. The mystery is capped by a satisfying and shocking ending. Throughout, the faithful reader is treated to Brunetti’s interactions with his family, colleagues, boss, and his boss’ secretary.

~ Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)—The follow-up to The Hunger Games, Collins's 2008 hit, follows our heroine Katniss after her triumph in a televised fight to the death—and her life isn't necessarily easier or happier. Collins does such a wonderful job writing about scary themes, and she has a very deft hand with characters so that you find yourself rooting for those you didn't think you could possibly like. The year-long wait for the concluding volume will be excruciating.

~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)—I read the first Harry Potter aloud to the boys on vacation, as we spent countless hours on planes, trains, and ferries. This was my first re-read of Sorcerer’s Stone. I loved revisiting Harry’s journey to Hogwarts, meeting Ron and Hermione and Dumbledore and Hagrid, visiting Diagon Alley, discovering Quidditch. Rowling created such an amazing world and children's literature is a richer place because of Potter!

~ Spy Who Came In from the Cold (John le Carre)—SWCIftC has been on my TBR for such a long time, and it made an appearance on my 39 for 39 list. I'm glad I took the book with me on vacation—it truly knocked my socks off. It quickly became clear to me how and why this book defined a genre, but I also impressed by how complex this slim novel was and by how completely cynical le Carre had become due to his espionage service. I not only highly recommend Spy, but I look forward to reading more from this author.

bought: 4
~ Mysteries of Pittsburgh (Michael Chabon)—a 41 for 41 title, a favorite author
~ Lapham’s Quarterly—the summer 2009 issue of this literary journal, which I’ve never before read, caught my eye with its travel theme
~ Zeitoun (Dave Eggers)—although I’ve vowed not to buy hardcovers (ever again, ha ha ha), I was wooed by the packaging and the TBR front page review. Also, I read Eggers’ What Is the What last year and vowed I’d read more of his work.
~ The Last Supper (Rachel Cusk)—I could not resist either Rachel Cusk or the Italian setting. I’d also like to uproot my family and live abroad for a year (or so).

abandoned: 2
~ Infinite Jest—started for a summer reading challenge, which seemed reasonable at the time. I managed the first 63 pages, reading roughly 11 pages a day, then fell off the plan and couldn’t get back on. And, for as much as I wanted to love IJ, I just didn’t.

~ Race to Dakar—I had enjoyed reading Charley Boorman’s account of racing the Dakar Rally, but, after setting it aside for awhile, I decided that I’d really rather watch the documentary.

dabbled: 1
The Selected Work of TS Spivet (Reif Larsen)—I waited for a couple months to get this from the library and let it sit too long once I finally had it in my possession. The novel is written in a very unique voice and uses sidebars and illustrations to enrich the story. I liked what I read a lot and will give the novel another shot as soon as I can. A potential contender for my 42 for 42 list.

get caught reading: Sweden

Whenever I am in a public place, I like to take note of what I see people reading. Books, magazines, newspapers—doesn't matter which medium, I'm curious about which title, which author, which issue. This is especially true when I travel, and I am tickled whenever I see men, women, children reading in planes, trains, and automobiles...and on ferries, as was the case on our recent trip to Sweden.

On our seven-hour flight from Chicago to Stockholm, I saw fewer people reading books than playing sudoku puzzles and watching movies, both on the in-flight video system. But, on the three-hour ferry ride from Nynasham to Visby, almost everyone was reading. No lie...at least one in five (and there were 700 people on board this ferry). I saw Swedish translations of all the Stephanie Meyer books, as well as the original Swedish versions of Mari Jungstedt's crime novels. Plus there were many other books whose titles were unrecognizable because they were in Swedish. The sight of all these people reading was so encouraging and heartwarming!

I have a few ideas about why fewer people were reading on the plane, one of which is, why bother to dig a book out of your carry-on, which is inconveniently stuffed under the seat in front of you when you can play games and watch TV and movies on the screen in front of you. It's also possible that more passengers were reading, but I may have made my survey at a point in the flight when they had moved on to a new activity? Not scientific, just guesses. Though if I still worked in publishing I would make a greater study of reading patterns on planes and trains...commuters are a captive reading audience.

We only stopped into a few bookstores. My favorite was a fantastic sci-fi bookstore in Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town. It carried a lot of English-language books, but I had fun trying to decypher Swedish translations. I love to see how jacket art is re-imagined for a foreign audience. Piles of Stephanie Meyer's books everywhere, in Swedish and in English.

Here is a rack in Visby's information center, just a stone's throw from the ferry station:


Clearly Swedish crime novels are popular, especially Mari Jungstedt's books, which isn't surprising since they're set in Visby. She has at least six titles in Sweden, but only three, so far, in the U.S. Anna Jansson's books (cut off, apologies)—the cover art, at any rate—look interesting. However, they are not published here. In fact, I couldn't find any English translations. I wonder why? Hello, publishers. Also, I didn't see quite as many of Stieg Larsson's Girl Who... books. Since they've been popular for years already in Sweden, perhaps there's little need to put them front and center. Again, just guessing.

I've got a hankering for some Swedish crime novels. Stieg Larsson, Mari Jungstedt, Henning Menkell, and others are on the stack.

currently reading

I am just back from a ten-day vacation. Three days later, I’m really more jetlagged than I thought I would be, but I plan to soldier on because there are too many books on my TBR pile not to keep going. Plus, it’s August now, and do you know what that means? The publishing stork will begin dropping Fall ’09 new titles imminently. Here’s what I’m reading now:

~ The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (John le Carre)
As I was winnowing down books to bring on this trip, John strongly encouraged my to include Spy. He’d just listened to an unabridged audio, enjoying it so much that he’s currently on a major le Carre spree. “Besides,” he said—and I quote—“You’ll finish it on the plane.” Thus motivated, I read about half of Spy on the long flight from Chicago to Stockholm (seven hours). Perhaps I could have finished the book, it’s certainly riveting enough but it’s far from a page turner. In fact, the thing I like so much about Spy is that the plot is intricate and the characters are complex. I’m getting bogged down by all the flipping between chapters that I have to do to make sure I fully grasp what’s happening. And, I’m not disappointed—this modern classic is truly not what I expected. In a nutshell, the plot follows British agent Alec Leamas, who is called into service for one more assignment, all of which is drawn from le Carre’s career in international espionage.

~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)
It is such a treat to do my first re-read of Harry Potter, especially since I am reading aloud to the most captive imaginable audience—my children! I read HP on our trip while laying over between flights and while on the three-hour ferry ride from Visby back to Stockholm and while waiting in restaurants for food to be delivered. I think Sorcerer's Stone is my favorite of the seven books. In my opinion, it’s hard to beat the experience of meeting Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Snape, the Dursleys, and others. The rich world of Hogwarts is, well, magical—the houses, Quidditch, Diagon Alley, to name a few. Plus, the first book particularly is less bloated than books 4-7. Seriously, Rowling could have used an editor. I’m excited to on the Harry Potter journey with my boys!

FINISHED: Unseen

Late last night I finished reading Unseen, the first book in Mari Jungstedt’s Inspector Klutas mystery series. In the jumble of information overload that I subject myself to hourly, I cannot now remember how I learned about this series…a blog, an online review, a publisher’s e-newsletter. Any of these sources are possible. Regardless, these Swedish crime novels are set in Visby, the walled medieval “capital” of Gotland, an island in the middle of the Baltic, where I am about to spend a week with my little family.

Whenever I travel, I try to read at least one novel set in the city or region or country before I visit. I think you get a better sense of local color and landscape, as well as a list of sights and other points of interest. In fact, I found Unseen to be far more useful for planning my trip than either of the travel guides (whose initials are Frommers and Lonely Planet) I had consulted. For example, I learned about the Gotland pony, Sweden’s only remaining domestic pony, as well as black Gotland sheep, which, I hope means that there will be at least one yarn shop in Visby. Also, even though this is fiction, I have my fingers crossed that the candy store on Hastgatan, near Stora Torget. I need a salty licorice fix.

The novel opens with the brutal murder of a young woman and her dog, whose paw has been severed. In almost parallel storylines, Inspector Anders Klutas and his team investigate what becomes a string of murders, while TV journalist, Johan Berg, covers the story with a cameraman, much to Klutas's chagrin. Slowly connections between characters are revealed, drama builds, and we get a glimpse into the killer’s motives.

I think Jungstedt, a former TV journalist, shows remarkable potential. Her prose is unadorned, which lends a certain atmosphere to the story, and I liked that. From early on in the novel, I found fault with the Klutas. His manner was overly tense and gruff, as if he needed to show his authority, even in situations where he clearly had command. He’s no Commissario Brunetti, and I often found myself wondering What Would Brunetti Do? In general, Jungstedt needs to improve her dialogue writing skills, which could happen. I am willing to read another novel—perhaps The Inner Circle, third in the series, which incorporates Swedish mythology and has received strong reviews.

diving into the Infinite Summer

A 1000-page literary novel that has an 8-point font and tips the scales at close to three pounds is a somewhat unlikely summer read. Face it, the beast just isn’t portable, making it a lousy choice for reading at the beach or tucking into an airplane carry-on. Perhaps a three-inch-thick book is perfect for a “staycation,” as many folks are hanging closer to home. One thing is certain: lots of people are reading Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace’s magnus opus, as part of a summer reading challenge.

When Infinite Jest was released in paperback, I gave myself permission to buy a copy. I love a big fat book, but I don’t often read them, mostly because I always have three or four books going, and any book over 550 pages suffers. But I would like to read the book that put Wallace’s literary genius on the map. Having company, by way of the Infinite Summer challenge, gives me the nudge I've always needed to finally read Infinite Jest.

One participating blogger did the math to determine how many pages she would need to read each day between June 21 and September 22: 7. My calculation is closer to 12, which seems manageable. And so I began this horribly humid St. Paul morning by reading the first twelve pages of Infinite Jest, and then I read a bit further to finish the chapter. My initial impression is that, indeed, DFW was a genius, and that it’s too early to say where the novel is going or even if I'll like the main character or any other characters, for that matter. Suffice to say, I like DFW’s prose, which is accessible and smart and interesting—a really great combination.

I’m shooting for page 63 by Friday. That way, when I read the IS forum, nothing will be "spoiled."