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.

  It looks like I had a slow week last week as I only finished one book - A Long Long Time Ago & Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka - but it was worth it.  I'm trying to put my thoughts together about it so I can write a post about it -- in the meantime, check it out, you will be glad you did.

 Books that I've started last week and carry into this week:

•  Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac - for my Classics reading group meeting on Wednesday
• Driftless by David Rhodes - for my book group meeting next Monday
• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie - for thelittlereader's June/July readalong
• I'll Mature When I'm Dead by Dave Barry - because I needed some levity in my reading and Dave Barry is hilarious

This week, I begin my insane quest to read Ulysses - watch for my first post on Wednesday (aka Bloomsday, June 16th); and if I am able I'd also like to start on The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, which is for a non-fiction reading group at my library that I think I will finally be able to attend.

Before I forget, I'd like to thank Christina at chrisbookarama who generously sent me a copy of The Awakening by Kate Chopin.  I am a mail geek as much as I am a book geek, so seeing the package in my mailbox was a doubly pleasant surprise.

What are you reading this week?

Printers' Row Lit Fest

I'll say it up front -- I'm a dork.

One of the highlights of the summer for me is the Printers' Row Lit Fest in downtown Chicago, which was held this weekend.  Despite a bit of rain and cooler than expected temperatures, it was a wonderful day for books and the authors who write them.

I went to a few author events:
       Barbara Ehrenreich
       Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who after signing my copy of Half of a Yellow Sun was gracious enough to write down a few names of other modern African authors:

        Brigid Pasulka, Dan Chaon, and Katharine Weber - an interesting discussion on how identity played a role in their novels.

 

      After the author events I purchased a few books that I didn't already own or haven't read:

• Half of a Yellow Sun
• True Confections by Katharine Weber
• Triangle by Katharine Weber

     (I've read Chaon's Await Your Reply and have You remind me of me on the to-read shelf; I just finished Pasulka's A Long Long Time Ago & Essentially True which was fantastic (review soon!);  I've also read Ehrenreich's Bright-sided)

      In addition to the author events there are many used and new booksellers and publishers with tables along a few blocks of South Dearborn Street (the historic Printers' Row of Chicago) selling books.  Thankfully most of them only take cash, and I bring only a budgeted amount, so I only bought two more books:

• Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (he was at the Lit Fest as well, but his slot was before I discovered this book and realized that I might like to hear him speak)
• The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop:  a memoir, a history by Lewis Buzbee (I'm a sucker for books about bookshops)

     I keep telling myself that I should stay the weekend in Chicago and take in the Sunday programs as well, and one year I will do that.  Anyone interested in joining me?

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - thoughts

Let me just say this -- Lisbeth Salander is not a likeable person, but I so want to be her.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the third installment in Stieg Larsson's trilogy featuring this amazing character, is another exciting read from start to finish.  I don't want to reveal too much about the book in case anyone hasn't read the first two books (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Girl Who Played with Fire) - and I think you do need to read them before starting on the third - so I'll just say that the story picked up quite seamlessly from the end of the second book.  In this novel, the focus wasn't so much on Mikael Blomqvist, the quirky journalist; but rather on Salander and several other very strong female characters:  Erika Berger, Blomqvist's colleague; Annika Giannini, Blomqvist's sister and Salander's attorney; Monica Figuerola, a police officer aiding in the investigation; and Susanne Linder, an employee with the security firm for which Salander did some consulting work.

But it is Salander who just makes the book for me.  She has been through so much - well, CRAP - in her life so her reluctance to speak to anyone in authority is well justified; but it is the way she finds ways to stick it to those who have wronged her that just make me wish that I could have her strength and assertiveness (and her computer smarts) even for a little while.

It is unfortunate that Larsson passed away before he was able to bask in the amazing success of this series.  I would love to see where he may have taken these characters, and what other stories he had to tell.

It's Monday -- What are you Reading

It's Monday -- What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila to let book bloggers share what they are reading and find some new books as well.

Last week I finished the following books:
     A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks (thoughts here)
     The God of Animals by Aryn Kile
     The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (awesome!!!)

And this week I'm reading:
    A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka
    Driftless by David Rhodes
    Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac

This weekend is the Printer's Row Lit Fest in downtown Chicago and I am looking forward to hearing some great authors speak and picking up a new book (or two, or ten......)

What are you reading?

We have a winner!

Congratulations, Lisa!  You have won my giveaway for The Knife Sharpener's Bell.

I will be sending an e-mail shortly.

A Week in December - thoughts

A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks is an interesting novel.  Set in present-day London, it is about the loosely and not-so-loosely connected lives of a number of the city's residents -- among them a financier who can't make enough money, his wife, their teenage son, an impoverished solicitor, a Tube driver, a young Muslim man and his parents, and an extremely cynical book reviewer.  The novel is a bit of a send-up of modern life: greed, social interactions, reality television and even terrorism. 

I enjoyed reading this book, not so much for the characters - none of whom I found particulary likeable - but for the way Faulks altered my perceptions of who and what is good or evil.  What looks one way at the beginning of the novel doesn't always seem so clearly defined at the end.

The only other novel I've read by Faulks is Birdsong, the story of which is very different from this recent book.  I'm impressed with his ability to write so well of such different periods. 

June's Reading List and Extended Giveaway

Ok, in my attempt to get slightly more organized with my reading and blogging habits I am going to post my monthly "required" reading (for book groups, challenges etc) so that I can be held publicly accountable for what I've committed to read!

My big "project" for June (and July, August, probably September....) is to read Ulysses by James Joyce, beginning on Bloomsday (June 16th).  I am going to read a little bit (at least 20 pages) every day and blog about my progress each week.  If anyone is crazy enough interested in joining me please do!  If I can figure out how one of those linky things work I will put one up on my first post; otherwise I'll just look forward to your comments on the posts. 

Here is the rest of June's reading list:

For Book Groups

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
Driftless by David Rhodes
Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac

For littlereader's Readalong

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

I also am trying to find a book for June's World Party but this month's stop is in Liberia and the pickings are slim.  Any suggestions?

Of course I have several (hundred) books on my shelves to choose from in between all of these ones.

Now if I can only figure out a way to read while at my desk at work .....

Extended Giveaway
   In my post reviewing The Knife Sharpener's Bell (here), I offered to give away my copy of the book to a random commenter.  I kind of forgot that with BEA and the Memorial Day holiday those people with lives were not hovering around their computer so I am extending my offer to a random commenter to this or the original post (please include e-mail address) until June 7. 
  I was very excited to see that the lone commenter to the review post was the author herself so I did not feel too neglected .....