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March Summary and Plans for April

Post author By Jackie
Post date April 1, 2014
6 Comments on March Summary and Plans for April

March was a mixed month, mainly due to me trying the final books on the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist. Overall it included a fantastic range of books and it was nice to see the variety, despite the fact they weren’t all to my taste.

I also read a lot of solidly good reads and I particularly recommend Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol, a beautifully creepy book with a gripping plot that raises interesting questions about humanity – and it includes giant humanoid toads!

Book of the Month

Books Reviewed in March

Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt

Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Good Kings, Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum

Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies

The Dogs of Littlefield by Suzanne Berne

The Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

Plans for April

On Friday the longlist for the Desmond Elliott Prize (for debut fiction) will be announced. I’m going to be trying all the books on the list with Dan from Utterbiblio, Kaite Welsh, Heather from Between the Covers and Sarah Noakes. It will be interesting to compare notes and see if we reach the same decision as the real judges.

I’m currently reading two chunksters:

From the Fatherland With Love by Ryu Murakami
The Quick by Lauren Owen

They couldn’t be more different, but I’m loving them both so far.

I probably won’t have time for much else, but I’m sure I’ll be able to squeeze a random read in some where.

Have a wonderful April!

Tags Monthly Summary, Summary

Orange Prize Other

Who will be shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction?

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 26, 2014
13 Comments on Who will be shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction?

I’ve now tried all the books on the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for fiction longlist and overall I was very impressed by the quality of the books. It is probably the strongest year I’ve ever seen and narrowing it down to six books is a tough job. I cut it down to 11 books very easily, but deciding which 5 extra ones to remove was more science than judgement – something that probably doesn’t exist on a judging panel!

Here’s my prediction for the 2014 shortlist:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Reasons for my selection:

Eleven Days is outstanding and deserves to be put through, no questions asked.
Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies wouldn’t be out of place on the shortlist, but I don’t think they’ll pick two experimental books and I think A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing is the stronger of the two.
The Signature of All Things is the best piece of historical fiction on the longlist.
The Luminaries will glide onto the shortlist without any disagreement because of its ambition, scope and writing quality.
I don’t think they’ll put two books about immigration/identity through. Americanah is a fantastic character study, but I think The Lowland will pip it at the post.
The Goldfinch is loved by the majority of readers. I think several members of the judging panel will be rooting for it.
Burial Rites would probably have made the cut in previous years, but I think it is sadly outclassed this year. The Luminaries and The Signature of All Things take up all the historical fiction quota.
The Flamethrowers and All the Birds, Singing are also strong contenders. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either on the list, but I couldn’t justify removing any of my six to include them.
The longlist contained a few odd choices so I predict that I’ll be wrong and at least one left field book will make the cut. Possibly switching The Goldfinch for Still Life with Bread Crumbs?

Who do you think will make the Baileys Women’s Prize for fiction shortlist?

Other

My favourites have been released in paperback!

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 18, 2014
6 Comments on My favourites have been released in paperback!

Just a quick post to let you know that three of my favourite books from 2013 have now been published in paperback:

Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon

This book will make you look at disability, parenting and society in a whole new light. The world would be a better place if everyone read it.

My Notorious Life by Kate Manning

An atmospheric book set in 19th century New York. It deals with the controversial subject of abortion in a sensitive and thought-provoking way. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys intelligent story-telling.

Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach

One of the most modern books I’ve ever read. Its insights into social media use and online identity are so relevant to today’s society that it will make readers look at their online activity in a whole new light.

If you haven’t already, I hope this will encourage you to try them 😀

Other

Two Books with an Important Subject Matter

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 15, 2014
3 Comments on Two Books with an Important Subject Matter

I started writing reviews for these two books and realised I was saying the same things about both of them. In order to avoid repitition I’ve combined them into one post. They are very different in terms of style, but I hope when you reach the end of this post you’ll understand why I’ve paired them together.

Things that were different:

Good Kings, Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum

Winner of 2012 Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction

Five words from the blurb: institution, residents, juveniles, disabilities, mistreatment

Good Kings, Bad Kings is set in an institution for children with disabilities. Children and staff at the centre take turns to narrate each chapter, revealing the truth about life within its walls.

No one works at nursing home unless they’re scraping the underneath of the bottom of the barrel. The kid thing makes it easier though. People think there’s nothing more horrifying and depressing than a disabled child, but even when kids are all messed up and spazzed out and needy as hell there’s still a ton of good energy coming off them. They’re so funny and surprising and they are who they are.

The number of narrators was a slight issue for me as I found myself thrown into a new perspective just as I’d bonded with the person from the previous chapter. This fragmented approach meant it often felt more like a series of short stories than a novel and so I wasn’t as emotionally invested as I’d have liked.

Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

Five words from the blurb: Mexico, girls, kidnapping, mother, protect

Prayers for the Stolen is set in Mexico and shows the life of girls who fear being kidnapped by violent drug gangs. The girls deliberately make themselves ugly in an effort to be less appealing to the men who patrol the area in their big SUVs:

Now we make you ugly, my mother said. She whistled. Her mouth so close she sprayed my neck with her whistle-spit. I could smell beer. In the mirror I watched her move the piece of charcoal across my face. It’s a nasty life, she whispered.

The book also gave an insight into the life of a community without men. The male members of the family had gone to America in order to make money, leaving the women to do everything by themselves. The large cast of characters meant I didn’t have a strong connection to any individual, but it was a vivid portrait of a whole society surviving in a harsh landscape.

Things that were the same:

Both books informed the reader about terrible events that are happening in the world and I’m pleased that I’m now more aware of these situations.
Both books had a good quality of writing. It was often direct, giving graphic information about the horrors the characters had to endure, but the darkness was never over-bearing.
The atmosphere and individual voice of the narrators was impressive and this led to a fantastic sense of place.
The only problem was that both books failed to maintain a forward momentum throughout. They had compelling sections, but also areas where I lost interest.

Overall

Both books highlighted important issues that deserve greater attention. The pacing and plot wasn’t perfect, but it is probably worth forgiving these issues in order to learn about these hidden societies.

Have you read either of these books?

What did you think of them?

Orange Prize Other

The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 7, 2014
16 Comments on The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist

The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist was announced overnight. I was impressed by the selection. I didn’t feel as though any major novels were left out and it was nice to see a few books that were new to me.

I’ve summarised my thoughts on those I’ve tried and found five words from the blurb for those I haven’t. Enjoy browsing the list!

Books I’ve tried:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

Five words from the blurb: botanical, explorer, woman, independent, evolution

My favourite 2013 fiction release. Gilbert is so good she can even make a story about moss interesting! I’m hoping this wins the prize.

Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter

Five words from the blurb: mother, soldier, Afghanistan, courage, love

Amazing writing which shows a mother’s relationship with her grown-up son. Fascinating information about US Navy SEAL training and society’s attitude to the armed forces. Highly recommended.

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

Five words from the blurb: India, brothers, crossroads, haunted, past

Gentle story about two Indian brothers who take different paths in life. It had some good scenes, but didn’t blow me away.

A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride

Five words from the blurb: experimental, girl, violence, personal, struggle

If you enjoyed Riddley Walker you’re in for a treat! I found the writing style too impenetrable to enjoy, but if you have the patience to persevere I’m sure you’ll be rewarded.

Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson

Five words from the blurb: London, Hungarian, relatives, strange, life

Quirky story about Hungarian family moving to London. Perfect for fans of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.

The Bear by Claire Cameron

Five words from the blurb: something, moving, shadows, woods, screams

Narrated by a five-year-old girl, this book was compelling but frustratingly simple.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Five words from the blurb: New York, wealthy, family, self-invention, suspense

I listened to the abridged BBC audio production of this one, but even that dragged! I don’t think Tartt is for me.

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

Five words from the blurb: plague, group, survives, bio-engineered, humans

This is the final book in Atwood’s dystopian trilogy. I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy Oryx and Crake (and so won’t be trying this one) but I’ve heard lots of good things so if you’re a fan of her other books then you’ll appreciate this.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Five words from the blurb: Iceland, murderer, remote, farm, execution

Fantastic piece of historical fiction, but I found it lacking the Icelandic mindset.

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

Five words from the blurb: fascination, motorcycles, art, dreamers, education, Italy

Fantastic writing, but too disjointed for me. If you have an interest in art or motorcycles you’ll probably love it.

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Five words from the blurb: New Zealand, goldfield, men, crime, mystery

Well researched ambitious novel, packed with interesting ideas. Unfortunately the pace was too slow for me.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Five words from the blurb: America, Nigeria, experiences, race, relationships

Fantastic characters, but plot was a little too simple for me.

Books that I haven’t tried yet:

The Undertaking by Audrey Magee

Five words from the blurb: German, soldier, Stalingrad, hierarchy, regime

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

Five words from the blurb: photographer, herione, unexpected, journey, love

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

Five words from the blurb: accident, killed, father, childhood, trouble

The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter

Five words from the blurb: India, notorious, son, missing, questions

The Dogs of Littlefield by Suzanne Berne

Five words from the blurb: dogs, poisoned, manicured, lawns, Massachussetts

All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

Five words from the blurb: British, farmhouse, beast, sheep, strange

Reasons She Goes to the Woods by Deborah Kay Davies

Five words from the blurb: childhood, escape, woods, mystery, normal

The Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto

Five words from the blurb: Pakistan, Afghan, border, war, choices

What do you think of the Baileys Women’s Prize for fiction longlist?

Other

February Summary and Plans for March

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 1, 2014
10 Comments on February Summary and Plans for March

February was a reasonable reading month for me. There were lots of enjoyable books, but nothing stood out above the others. This means that for the first time ever there is no book of the month. 🙁

Books Reviewed in February:

Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Wetlands by Charlotte Roache

Traveller of the Century by Andrés Neuman

The Dig by Cynan Jones

Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas

Season to Taste by Natalie Young

A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe

Plans for March

In preparation for the announcement of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction I’m reading as many contenders as possible. I’ve just finished The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt (review coming soon) and am half way through Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter and Good Kings, Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum. I then plan to try The Tell-tale Heart by Jill Dawson and any other interesting book that gets a mention in the run up to the prize. Once the longlist is announced I plan to try any that are new to me and mix them with a few of these books:

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

From the Fatherland With Love by Ryu Murakami

The Sound of One Hand Clapping by Richard Flanagan

Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

I hope you have a wonderful March!

Tags Monthly Summary, Summary