2011 Global Reading Challenge North America #2

Ann Beattie has been well known in literary circles for going on 35 years, but I'd heard of her only recently thanks to the placement of the latest collection of her short stories from the New Yorker being named as one of the NY Times best 10 books of the year. I opted not to read that book, but rather her first book, the book that garnered her many accolades in the 1970's from the likes of the NY Times and the late John Updike.

Chilly Scenes of Winter is an average to short length book, but because of the writing style Beattie employs it feels more shorter, much tighter, than its page number would suggest. Her character's are vivid, and the interactions they have, particularly the relationship between the main character Charlie and Sam, the friend he's had since elementary school. The story also feels true to life, something that is easy to aspire to as a writer but that is rarely seen to quite this degree, new people come and go, odd things happen, but life continues to roll on much the same as it always has.

There are only a hand-full of books that i've re-read more than once knowing that there are still more subtleties to be found, but I have all the confidence in the world that this will join that select group. The relationships are too sincere for there not to be. I LOVED this book.

2011 Chunkster Reading Challenge #2

Every now and again I get the itch to read some nonfiction. Occasionally it works out that the book just bores me, even if its about a seemingly interesting subject, and other times the subject is handled so charismatically as to compel me to race to the end leaving me hungry for more interesting nonfiction. The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science, fortunately, was the latter of the two. 'Age of Wonder' immediately grabbed me with the opening tale of young Joseph Banks sailing aboard the 'Endeavor' with the legendary Capt. Cook, and their landing on the pristine island of Tahiti. It made me wish I could have been there, and not for the purely 'wholesome' reason of untouched paradise. (read the book and you'll figure it out)

From there we follow Banks and a whole slew of other brilliant men and women that Banks encourages and funds from the presidency of the 'Royal Society of Science' as they launch the first air balloons, explore the heavens discovering new planets, comets, and nebulae, and make the first real endeavors into serious chemistry. These same great minds also encounter and socialize with the great poets and writers of the day, inspiring the likes of Erasmus Darwin (Charles' grandfather) to write his epic poem 'The Botanic Gardens', Coleridge, Lord Byron, as well as both Percy Bysshe Shelley's poetry and his wife Mary's creation mad scientist Victor Frankenstein.

Also, the intermixing of an array of amazing scientific discoveries and the poetry they inspired gives the book an interesting and arresting balance of scientific and artistic analysis.

I found this book to be an astounding success, as it was about a new spark of scientific discovery and the need and hunger for knowledge, because that is what it has left me with, a hunger for more knowledge of scientific discoveries, and most of all a hunger for more books like it.

2011 Chunkster Reading Challenge #1

It was 766 pages and 5 days, the last 200 on day 5. I think that says a lot right there. This book may look like a brick sitting on the shelf, but it moves as swiftly as any novel I've read. Cronin has elevated the 'vampire apocalypse' novel, and done something so few have failed at, not just in this genre but many, that being staying away from the predictable. There were times when I 'knew' what was coming, low and behold, I was wrong. Then there was the rest of the book when I had no idea what waited for me in the next chapter, page, paragraph.

This book has been listed on many 'Best Of 2010' lists, and after reading it, I'm not surprised. Admittedly, there were sections when I thought all the hype around this book was overplayed, save for a few interesting character studies in the beginning I was searching for the reasons behind all the plaudits, but the book really came into its own in the second half where it felt like Cronin truly hit his stride and the book just took off. Often that can be the downfall of a book, the story gets to complicated and the writer loses control, but Cronin was able to keep it all reined in and really delivered a hell of a read. I say that despite the (SPOILER ALERT) cliff-hanger ending (I hate that) setting up the first of two planned sequels which I'm already itching to read. I just hope that he doesn't lose scope when trying to fit it all in, because if the set up at the end of the book is any indication, he is being very ambitious to think he can fit all of it in, as succesfully, in only two books, though I wouldn't complain if it grew to more.

2011 Global Reading Challenge North America #1

ANOTHER contender for best read of the year. This book has been sitting on my shelf for about 6 or 7 months now, and I just never 'felt in the mood' for a collection of short stories. I actually used this challenge as an excuse to get it over with and off my shelf, and it turned out to be addictively readable that I was through its 265 pages in less than a day.

The stories are all about the African American experience, but not in a trite way where these truly emotional, affecting experiences become uneffective. And how was this done? Not through any fancy nouveau fiction styling, but through simplicity. As the NY Times review on the front cover says, "This is the old-time religion of storytelling." I would even modify that accolade a bit by saying this is the immortal art of storytelling, because I think these stories will resonate just as well in the decades to come. That's because Packer used her language, her words, so effectively, her similes felt fresh, not cliched and over tread, and her characters felt REAL.

I've read a few very good collections of short stories that have made me permanent fans of those writers and anything they write, but only one other collection has impressed, endeared and captured me the way this one has, and that was Jhumpa Lahiri's 'Unaccustomed Earth'.

Random Read #1

Just a fun, take a break, dependable read. I've read all of Eisler's previous books, and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. His writing, which is all steeped in the world of espionage, has an air of authenticity given Eisler's stint in C.I.A.

This is the second book in Eisler's second series, the Treven series. The first book focused on both brothers, Alex, an attorney, and Ben, an elite soldier/assassin, while this one is exclusively about Ben. For long time Eisler fans, which I am, we also see the hints of the return of John Rain, who starred in the first six of Eisler's novels. When I read that, I couldn't help but smile, because as good as Eisler's 'Treven' books have been, they still seem to pale in comparison to the 'Rain' books.

I will always recommend this author to anyone seeking a 'fun' read, and this book does not make me question that. But, here's hoping John Rain does make his triumphant return in the next novel.

2011 Global Reading Challenge South America #1

Wow! Let's start off with that. Another amazing book, and another contender, already, for the best book i'll read all year, which brings the tally to 2, and its only January 15th! 'The House of the Spirits' is of the beautiful and tragic love story of 4 generations of the Trueba family. One review on the back of my paperback copy read "-a book about one family and one country that is a book about the world and becomes the world in a book", and I am hard pressed to summarize it better. I'll try by using the authors own words as a line of one of the last pages reads "-and so on down through the centuries in an unending tale of sorrow, blood, and love."

Allende undoubtedly owes some thanks to Marquez as some inspiration came from his masterwork "100 Years of Solitude" (a families generations long tale of love, loss, conquest, and death beginning and ending with the patriarch). I will say that 'The House of the Spirits' seems based more in the real world, with more direct lines to real world events, while Marquez's was more allegorical, more a fairy tale interpretation of the world. Even writing this I'm questioning myself, as Allende's book is filled with ghosts, fortune tellers, and clairvoyants, but, in my defense, something about it just 'felt' more rooted in reality. Opinions will vary, but read both before calling me out, lol.

2011 Global Reading Challenge Europe #1

This is the best book I've read so far this year, granted its only the third, but I think It'll be a strong contender far the rest of the year as well. That's for one simple reason, this books complex simplicity. 'I'm Gone' has so much going on in its 195 pages; it's the story of a fifty something womanizer with a bad heart, there are love affairs and hurt feelings, business deals in the world of fine art, travel to exotic places, and encounters with strange people, there are mysteries and disappearances, murder, and even an art heist.

For all that activity those 195 pages should feel uncomfortably jammed full of seemingly unconnected events, and under a different writers pen I'm fairly confident I'd be hear saying just that, that this book was the work of a confused an erratic author that was completely unable to decide what sort of book to write, so he just wrote everything. But, I'm not hear saying that, Echenoz has put all these things into a book, a short one at that, and made it fit seamlessly, and that goes back to that complex simplicity I spoke of, because that is life, a lot can happen and some of the time we're at a loss to explain why.

This was the first book I've read by Jean Echenoz, but it will not be that last. Furthermore, I cannot recommend this book anymore fervently, the descriptions are beautiful, the pacing fantastic, and the story itself is great.

2011 Gothic Reading Challenge #1

Alright, let me start off by saying that The Alienist was not a terrible read, but I did find myself wandering quite a bit as I read it. On this latter point I blame myself, because one compliment Carr unarguably deserves is that he can set a scene. I frequently found myself transported to the various scenes and settings of this book, 1890's Manhattan. The characterization was also pretty admirable, both real historical and purely fictitious characters well fleshed out, which gave their stories weight, as I was then invested in them as real.

My complaints begin with Carr's introduction of forensics of the age. Not to suggest it wasn't interesting to see the disparity between what was considered normal and radical forensics at the time, just that the pace slowed considerably whenever it was brought up. And that leads to the second complaint, overall pacing. In the first act the book moved swiftly, as is to be expected of any introductory faze of a thriller. The third act was fantastically paced, and I couldn't help but finish that last third in less than a day. But, it seemed that in the second act, the bulk of the investigation into the killings, the pacing was just off. I understand that in the real world investigations take time and are generally speaking monotonous things, but this is a book, a thriller no less, and to go nearly 100 pages, a 5th of the book, without any significant events seems like an odd choice.

Again, even with all that said, this was NOT a bad read. Perhaps my problems with its pacing were simply that, MY problems, and maybe it was a poor choice to read something meant for a mass audience after reading more academic works, but I stand by my criticism of the central pacing.

Overall rating: Good Vacation Read

David Foster Wallace, author of 'Infinte Jest', talking about the future of fiction.

2011 Global Reading Challenge Africa #1

Well, here goes. The first book I picked to read for the challenge was Coetzee's Dusklands. While technically two novellas, 'The Vietnam Project' and 'The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee', I think it works best as it is presented, as one work because of how the two different men's experiences reflect off of each other.

'The Vietnam Project', the first of the two, is about a man tasked with constructing a more effective form of psychological warfare against the Vietcong and the disastrous effects this has on his mental well being. Through exposure to the worst the war had to offer Dawn, the main character, seems to begin to detest all life, eventually going crazy.

The second story, 'The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee' is about an 18th century Dutchmen landowner in Africa on an elephant hunting expedition. When he falls ill he is taken in by a native village he had earlier come into conflict with. His pride as a white man explorer amongst savages again brings him into conflict with them and they expel him from the village, but keep all his supplies, cattle, guns, and food, and all but one of his slaves desert him and stay with these people. On the long trek home, and after his last remaining slave falls ill and he leaves him, Jacobus encounters a fire for life at the most basic level, calling himself a white bushman, romping in the dirt, naked except for his shoes, which he won't forgo, and even entertains the idea of abandoning his properties remaining a wild man, but decides better of it and returns home extinguishing that fire.

Either story on its own is great, but when read in succession they further illuminate the madness that these two men encounter. A fantastic, though at times tedious, read, and well worth your time and patience

Also going to try and complete a few more book challenges this year. Here's the rundown.

1.Chunkster Reading Challenge

Definition of a Chunkster:

• A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) ... A chunkster should be a challenge.
• If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more ... The average large type book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.

I'm going for Level 4- Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to EIGHT or more Chunksters of which three tomes MUST be 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

2. Gothic Reading Challenge

There is nothing better than a great Gothic read - crumbling old castles, mysterious legends, shadowy characters, supernatural beings and unexplainable events, make for some of the most haunting and captivating reading imaginable.

Not sure what level I'll be shooting for, but whichever it should be fun

3.Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge

I'm going for 'Super-Frog' level, which means I'll be shooting to read everything available in english that Murakami has written.

Here's more info on 2011 Global Reading Challenge

First Book in Global Reading Challenge

Just started reading J.M. Coetzee's 'Dusklands', making it my first entry into the global reading challenge. Coetzee is a South African writer, though he is now living in Australia. I'm counting it as my first African entry.