It's Monday - What are you Reading?

 

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I finished the following books:

• No Regrets:  The Life of Edith Piaf by Carolyn Burke
• The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
• Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga

  Books in Progress:

• How to Live by Sarah Bakewell
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Edith Grossman
• Going Bovine by Libba Bray
• The Siege by Helen Dunmore

  This is book club week for me:  Monday discussing Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and Wednesday discussing Don Quixote.  I'm still on a high from last weekend's readers' retreat, so the more I can talk about books the better!
 
  Also, check out my blog tomorrow for an exciting giveaway!

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I finished the following books:

1. Heart of Lies:  A Novel, by M.L. Malcolm
2. Paris was Ours:  Thirty-Two Writers Reflect on the City of Light, edited by Penelope Rowlands

  Books in Progress:

1. Don Quixote,  by Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Edith Grossman
2. How to Live:  A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer, by Sarah Bakewell
3. No Regrets:  The Life of Edith Piaf, by Carolyn Burke
4. The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady, by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

  So I've just returned from the most amazing weekend at the Books on the Nightstand Readers' Retreat.  Watch for my post about it later in the week, but suffice to say that it was an absolute delight to spend time with so many like-minded people.  My reading list has expanded exponentially talking to these fellow readers. 
 
  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I finished the following books:

• The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson
• The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle

  Books in Progress:

• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Edith Grossman
• How to Live:  A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell
• No Regrets:  The Life of Edith Piaf by Carolyn Burke
• Heart of Lies by M.L. Malcolm

  So a shorter work week this week because on Friday I am off to the Books on the Nightstand Readers' Retreat in Manchester, Vermont!  I am a broken record about this but I am SO looking forward to this weekend.  The dilemma is what suitcase to bring -- it has to be small enough to carry on the plane to avoid the baggage fees, but big enough (and strong enough!) to handle the load of books I will be coming home with .....

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

 

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

 
  This week I finished the following books:

• A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova
• Nothing to Envy:  Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
• The High Road by Terry Fallis

  Books in Progress:

• Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Edith Grossman
• The Great Typo Hunt:  Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson
• The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle

  Book Abandoned (for now):

• Bloodlands:  Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder.  I was just not in the frame of mind to continue reading about Stalin's efforts to kill Ukrainians; to say nothing about Hitler's antics.

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday - What are you Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.


  This week I finished the following books:

• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
• Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
  
    Books in Progress:

• Nothing to Envy:  Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
• Bloodlands:  Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder
• A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (translated by Edith Grossman)

  Look for my post on the Hemingway books on Tuesday as part of the Classics Circuit Lost Generation Tour.

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

 
  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.


  This week I finished the following books:

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo
• Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

  Books in Progress:

• Nothing to Envy:  Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

  I spent most of the week avoiding the television and its wall-to-wall Charlie Sheen coverage, but since Friday I haven't been able to stop watching the terrible scenes from Japan.  I can't imagine what the Japanese people are going through and wish I could do more than just keep them in my thoughts.

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.


  This week I finished the following books:

• Of Hockey and Hijab:  Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman by Sheema Khan
• A Man in Uniform by Kate Taylor

  Books in Progress:

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• Nothing to Envy:  Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

  As I write this I am watching a 25th anniversary concert of Les Miserables (which is FABULOUS) and am thinking about re-reading Victor Hugo's novel.  It's a chunkster, and I might not do it until the fall, but would anyone be interested in read-along?

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.


  This week I finished the following books:

• The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
• The Emperor of All Maladies:  A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
• Something Missing by Matthew Dicks
• The Gathering by Anne Enright

  Books in Progress:

• Nothing to Envy:  Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
• Of Hockey and Hijab:  Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman by Sheema Khan
• A Man in Uniform by Kate Taylor

  Books Abandoned:

• Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland 

          I have read and enjoyed other Vreeland novels but this one couldn't hold my interest through the first 30 pages.  I will try it again one day.

What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  I haven't participated in this meme for a while but I'm climbing out of my funk and am ready to rejoin the blogosphere.

  This week I am reading the following books:

• The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
• The Emperor of All Maladies:  A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
• Nothing to Envy:  Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
• Something Missing by Matthew Dicks

   On Friday I attended the taping of Oprah's Book Club discussion of Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities which was interesting (I've only read parts of each of them but I will read them both - eventually).  The show is not one that will be aired on television but will be available as a webisode on her website starting Tuesday 2/22 if you are interested.  I'm not a huge Oprah fan, but my sister-in-law came in from Toronto to join me and she loved the whole experience; I loved it because she brought my 14 month-old nieces with her (oh, and my brother too) so I got some much needed cuddling and playtime with the little ones.


   What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.


  This week I finished the following books:

• The Speed of Light by Elizabeth Rosner
• Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves

  Books in Progress:

• War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy -- I am in the epilogue and so have only about 100 more pages to go!
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
• L'Origine de la Violence by Fabrice Humbert  -- yes, it's in French; though I have to look up words here and there I am impressed that I am able to follow what is going on in the story.  It is a very good book.

 This last week was rough coming back from the holidays and having to work a (gasp) FIVE DAY WEEK!  This week doesn't look to be much better, but I am looking forward to finishing W&P.  There is also a small (medium) chance that I might be going on a tour of France in September and I am working on the details of that and it always helps to have something to look forward to.

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I finished the following books:

• The Homecoming Party by Carmine Abate
• Walking Israel:  A Personal Search for the Soul of a Nation by Martin Fletcher

  Books in progress:

• War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy (page 950ish!)
• Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon
• And the Show Went On:  Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Alan Riding

  I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas.  Mine was very quiet; although I love celebrating the holiday with my nieces and nephew every few years it's nice to be able to stay home and just relax.  This week at work I'll be busy co-ordinating our annual physical inventory, so things are going to be a bit crazy in my world.

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

 
  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.


  This week I finished one book:  Crossing the Heart of Africa by Julian Smith, which I will be reviewing later this week.

  Books in Progress:

• The Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon (I'm dipping in and out of it as I have time, some of the stories so far are really good, others just aren't my cup of tea)
• War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy

  I am quite impressed with my progress so far with War & Peace.  I am on page 595 and so far am ahead of my 160 page/week pace.  Unlike other long classics I've attempted recently (Ulysses and Proust's In Search of Lost Time), this novel is easier to follow and one that I can read pretty much anywhere.  And it is very enjoyable.

  This week I also prepared my reading lists for three challenges in 2011:  What's in a Name Challenge 4, Back to the Classics Challenge, and the TBR Pile Challenge.  With only one exception, which I can pick up at the library, these books will be from my to-read shelves.  There are a few more challenges that I might join, but I need to give it some more thought.

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I finished the following books:

• Great House by Nicole Krauss
• Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross

 Books in progress:

• War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy  (page 285!)
• The Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon

 My life will sort of return back to normal this week.  We got back from Toronto yesterday and had a fabulous time at my nieces' first birthday party (and I got lots of cuddles).  My parents are heading home tomorrow and I'm (sadly) returning to work tomorrow but it will be nice to get back into the regular routine.

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I only finished one book:  Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King.  I'm hoping to make it to my non-fiction book group to discuss it.

   Books in progress:

• The Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon
• Great House by Nicole Krauss
• War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy (I've finished Volume I, Part 1!)

   I did some War & Peace math and determined that to finish it in time for our discussion of it in January, I will need to read about 160 pages a week.  Not entirely unreasonable, but for me it is not the type of novel I can just dip in and out of -- I need a block of time to properly concentrate on it.  Plus even in paperback it is heavy and not one that can be carried around easily.

   My parents are still visiting after a quiet Thanksgiving with them and my in-laws.  On Thursday we are all heading up to Toronto to celebrate the first birthday of my twin nieces which will be a lot of fun. 

   What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  Books finished this week:

• Purge by Sofi Oksanen.
• Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

  Books in Progress:

• Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon
• Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King
• War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy  -- only 35 pages in but I think I will enjoy it, once I get a handle on all of the characters

  Because of Thanksgiving, this is a short work week (though I do have to go to work on Friday -- boo), but with the holiday and my parents arriving on Tuesday for a visit, it's going to be a busy one nonetheless.  I hope to find some quiet reading time.  Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it.... don't eat too much!

It's Monday - What are You Reading?

 
  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I finished the following books:

• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• Silas Marner:  The Weaver of Raveloe by George Eliot
• The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson

  Books in Progress:

• Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King
• Purge by Sofi Oksanen
• The Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon

  Also -- ta da -- I will be starting War & Peace sometime this week.  I've started on the introduction but haven't gotten to page one of the novel yet.  I'm actually looking forward to it -- there was a great blog post last week on The Blue Bookcase with tips on reading this novel and that gave me a boost.

  This week is reading group week -- I have meetings on Monday & Wednesday -- and I have to start thinking about cleaning my house in preparation for Thanksgiving next week (we are having dinner at our house and my parents will be visiting from Winnipeg) so I will likely be a busy beaver with hopefully a few minutes to spare for reading.  Oh, and my Blogiversary is next Sunday, so I'm also planning something for that. 

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are you Reading?

 
  It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

  This week I finished the following books:

• Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
• Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
• The Violin of Auschwitz:  A Novel by Maria Angels Anglada
• The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

 (I was having a rough week, and reading seemed to be my only solace; of course the subject matter of most of these titles were a little on the bleak side, so I don't know how much help it was....)

   Books in Progress:

• Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon (he was to have attended a reading from this anthology for the Chicago Humanities Festival yesterday, but sadly his one-year old daughter died earlier in the week and he understandably was not there; the presentation still went on and it was ok, but it was a subdued atmosphere).
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson
• Silas Marner:  The Weaver of Raveloe by George Eliot

  Hopefully this week will be better than the last -- on Saturday I will be volunteering at my library book sale (yeah, I know, fox in charge of the hen-house) so if I need to feel better I can just spend a little money for a lot of new (to me) books.

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

This week I finished the following books:

• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
• Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones
• At Home:  A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

 Books in Progress:

• Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
• Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
• Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder
• Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon

  On Saturday I will be attending a reading of the Best European Fiction as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, so I'm going to try and get through as much of it as I can before then.  It should be an interesting event.

  What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What are You Reading?

It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

This week I only finished one book:  Emma, by Jane Austen.  I didn't really like it, but it was a good book for our classics group discussion; I'm also told that it improves upon re-reading, so maybe one day I will go back to it.

Books in progress:

• Fall of Giants by Ken Follett.  I'm about 2/3 of the way through and enjoy it very much.  This is the first book of an anticipated trilogy and I already am eagerly awaiting the next one.  Oh, and I really need to read The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End too.
• Dracula by Bram Stoker.  I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this, as I don't normally go for the creepy, gothic stuff. 
• At Home:  A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson.  I borrowed this from the library, but it is so full of interesting facts and trivia that I might just need to purchase this at some point. 
• Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon.  I wish I could read more literature in their original languages, but this anthology provides a broad sample of translated works of which we aren't too familiar in the US

Once I've one or two of these of of my plate I am very eager to start Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones.  I was very lucky to have received a signed copy from a Twitter giveaway (thank you Claire Armitstead and The Guardian!) and there will be a discussion of the book on Twitter with the hashtag #HMDWchat.  The book has a very interesting premise so I am looking forward to reading and discussing it.

What are you reading this week?

It's Monday -- What Are You Reading?

It's Monday - What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at bookjourney to allow us to share with others in the book-loving cyberworld what is on our reading plates.

Books finished:

• Russian Winter by Daphne Kolotay
• The Debba by Avner Mandelman
• Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig

Books in Progress:

• Emma by Jane Austen (need to finish by Wednesday for book club discussion and I'm struggling through it)
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• At Home:  A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
• Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
• Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon

I will be starting a new "series" of posts this week, called A Blogger Recommended, where I will write a post/review about a book that I read based on the post/review of another blogger.  I hope that you check it out ....

What are you reading this week?