I read a lot this last week, aided by two very very very long travel days (for example, on 12/29 we left Jerusalem at 7pm ET and got home at 5pm ET).
The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy – Priscilla Gilman (A gorgeously written story about love between a mother and child. Well, about love, period. with lots of quotes from and references to my favorite poet. I highly recommend!)
The Cat’s Table – Michael Ondaatje (I couldn’t put this down. It’s lyrical and haunting. I’m reminded that Ondaatje is my favorite novelist, and that I adore prose by poets.)
Admission – Jean Hantz Korelitz (Fun read, with lots of details about a place I love, Princeton)
The First Secret of Edwin Hoff – AB Bourne (Written by a friend, thriller set in Cambridge/Boston, entertaining)
The Underside of Joy – Sere Prince Halverson (An ARC of novel released 1/12/12 – stay tuned for my review. This is beautiful!!)
The Help – Kathryn Stockett (I finally read this, which I’ve been resisting for some reason. Very entertaining)
Amy and Isabelle – Elizabeth Strout (I seem to be reading her books in reverse order. This is lovely, though I didn’t adore it as passionately as I did Abide With Me)
Shadow Tag – Louise Erdrich (I’m still in the middle of this)
What did you read this holiday?
I started, and did not finish (which is unusual for me), The Art of Fielding. I know it’s a much buzzed about book, but I completely lost interest. It was such a Franzen-Foer-esque novel. The writing is great, but in my opinion the character development is done from such a male point of view. That is fine, but I can’t really relate enough to make me want to stick it out for 500 pages. Then I tried to read The Tiger’s Wife. Again, how could someone, in my job, not read such a highly acclaimed book? But, again — argh — could not stick it out. That one I will try again — I think I’m just in holiday mind fog. So I started reading a WWII mystery thriller called the Berlin Trilogy by Philip Kerr. Just up my alley for this holiday week. I shall try Tea again in January. Cannot wait to read underside of Joy. Want to read Anti-Romantic Child too — was written by a friend of a friend, and another friend reached out to the author after recognizing her son and was met with such warmth and support by the author that I am already inclined to love her/the book. So glad you are back safe and sound! xoxo
Welcome back and what an inspiring list!! I so want to cross off all my to-do’s and read everything on here!! I have been slightly obsessed with house purging projects this week so I’ve left myself too little time for reading. Fortunately, my reading moments have been filled with A Gift of an Ordinary Day so they’ve been lovely.
And I just have to comment on Kathryn’s comment- I also started and didn’t finish The Art of Fielding and I too couldn’t stop thinking about how Franzen-esque it was. I had the same feeling I had while plodding through Freedom.
Oh and another comment/question for you and your readers. Kindle? I’ve been dabbling with mine and am still torn? Sometimes I love it, sometimes I’m not sure. Where are you all? Did you carry all those books with you to Israel?
Lindsey, thank you. Thank you.
I get lots of books from your reading list.
I am not a kindle user. I carried all those books!! (well I bought the last 3 there).
Lindsey, I’m so grateful to you for all the wonderful reading suggestions over the past year. It’s the best gift any of us can receive!
I just finished a wonderful book, that I feel like you will love. It’s called ‘This Life is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and A Family Undone.’ Melissa Coleman has a beautiful, incredibly rich writing style that often times reminds me of your style.
I won’t tell you too much about it, but it’s a heartbreaking, gloriously told story about a family trying to help spearhead the organic farming movement, through homesteading, in the early 1970s. I finished it yesterday, and it’s still quietly filling most of my thoughts.
Thanks so much for sharing all that you do, with us. Much Peace and Love in 2012.
I’ve read Blue Nights by Joan Didion, The Evolution of Faith by Philip Gulley, Wild Comfort by Kathleen Dean Moore, Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan and pure fluff The Christmas Singing cy Cindy Woodsmall…
I loved the Gilman book. Her devotion to her children was palpable. The Cat’s Table sounds really good. I’ll be adding it to my list. I always tend to avoid super hyped books so I’ve also avoided The Help.
I read the double issue of People Magazine on Christmas Day, from cover to cover, with no interruptions. Pure mind-candy, and pure decadence.
I just hit the library today and checked out two Joan Didion novels. I also got a Jack Kornfield book for Christmas. Can’t wait to dig into all.
Welcome home!xo
I read A Circle of Quiet (finally!) by Madeleine L’Engle. Loved it. Then, since I didn’t get it for Christmas, I ordered myself Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James, and I can’t wait to read that! Also have Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, on my TBR from the library pile, and I can’t wait to get to that.
Lindsey,
You asked what I thought of Blue Nights…I wasn’t impressed to be honest. It seemed very disjointed, and repetitive. She focused mostly on her daughter’s younger years, hinting at her struggles with mental illness but never really fleshing Quintana out as a person. In fact, I finished the book unsure of what exactly caused Q’s death. Of course, it’s worth noting that Didion was suffering from unexplained neurological deficits during the writing of this book.
Almost done with The Gift of an Ordinary Day. I know I should have read this a long time ago, but I think it ended up in my hands at just the right time – we are just setting out on the SAT/College Search process. Next up is The Art of Fielding. I really struggled with Shadow Tag.
Years ago I heard Michael Ondaatje read his poems at The Brattle – talk about swoon!
Let’s hope this is just the start to another year filled good books.