Maladies Interpreted, Tales Told, Space Explored

Maladies Interpreted, Tales Told, Space Explored

This week I finished listening to Lahiri's beautiful collection of short stories. I also finished a touching science fiction short story by Kowal. For today's National Readathon Day I read Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Most of my reading has been at night or on the weekend this week or in furtive 5-10 minute bursts between meetings when I have to sit and wait any way.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

What can I say? Nothing is really descriptive enough... These short stories are... Splendid. Superb. Subtle. Serious. Silly. Sonorous. Significant. Sublime. Sensual. Sensible.

Without a doubt the most enjoyable collection of short stories I've read in ages. The beautiful writing describes places and persons I've yet to see, but still feel I know their thoughts intimately now. The glimpses of Indian and Indian-American culture are priceless and thought-provoking.

I listened to this book on Audible. My only complaint is the 'chapters' of the audiobook do not correspond in any way to the short stories. Each ends in the middle of a chapter and the next begins. Nonsensical, that.  Musical interludes are inserted at the end and beginning of the audiobook chapters rather than the end or beginning of the short stories. The narrator is quite good, though, and I have not a single critical word to add.

This book is simply awesome.  Thanks, Saundra, for the suggestion!

9. The Handmaid's Tale [1985] by Margaret Atwood [Kindle].

This is a classic of dystopian speculative fiction. Interestingly, in the front of the book, the author thanks the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, for providing time and space. I had no idea Atwood had any tie to my home state.  This was my National Readathon Day book!


Fascinating and disturbing. A masterpiece of speculative fiction, Atwood's dystopian alternate history for the US was published nearly three decades ago. However, it's seemingly improbable society echoes with bits of our more recent reality, in terms of cause and effect as well as examples of extremism, anti-feminism, inequality, and misplaced fervor.

I read this book in a single day for the 2015 National Readathon. It was well worth the time. Many thanks to the two or three friends who suggested I read this first amongst Atwood's works.

Thanks Hilarie, Lisa, and Kendra for the recommendation!

8. The Lady Astronaut of Mars [2012] by Mary Robinette Kowal [Kindle].

This is a short story I downloaded for $0.99 on my iPhone's Kindle app so I'd have something short and interested to read this week in between meetings. It was a week full of meetings. I finished it today and it was delightful.


Kowal's captivating short story is a delight of science fiction and human emotions, especially the consequences of aging and the intersection of technology, exploration, and disaster.  I won't give any details so as to avoid spoilers but it is very good, although I'm sad it is only a short story and not a full novel It is well worth the $0.99 price on Kindle for a pleasant little reading interlude. I'll be looking for more works of this author!

Still going... like the Energizer Bunny

I am sure I have reached the point of ridiculousness when I have one book going on my iPhone Kindle app, one going on the iPhone audible app, another one or two on the Kindle paperwhite, and a fourth on the old style Kindle keyboard [one of our old keyboard Kindles recently died and this is the replacement I bought used since they are no longer made. For Kindle aficionados, this one is wifi only and that is driving me nuts as all of mine have previously had 3G - but these are hard to find and at least I found one and it works. I find the old Kindle easier on my eyes than my fancy newer one (the paperwhite), even though they have even fancier and newer Kindles out now].  In addition to the three books listed above finished this week (two today), I am still working on one that I've been reading for some time (it is very long!) and have started two more. 

4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

I have made more progress reading Middlemarch (40% read). I am mostly reading it at night in bed. Eliot spends a few chapters weaving the tapestry around a character or a few related characters then starts bringing in a new character every few chapters. This book has many many interesting characters!

In addition to my continuing read of Middlemarch, I have started two other books this week:

10. Americanah [2013] by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche [audible.com audiobook].

Because I have spent so much time walking back and forth across campus to meetings and such this week, I decided to start a new audiobook. This book won a the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 2013.  This book is the story of two young people from Nigeria who take different paths to escape the repressive regime and then later return to Nigeria and meet again. One immigrates to the USA and lives there for many years. The other to London. The story (so far) is told from the perspective of the female protagonist. 

11. The Knitting Book [] by Frederica Patmore and Vikki Haffenden [hardcover].

This is a reference book about knitting that is beautifully illustrated with a zillion photos. I'm getting educated on knitting and this one is much better than the earlier knitting book I read.

Open for Suggestions!

While I started compiling a potential 2015 reading list a couple of months ago, it is not written in stone and I am open for suggestions. Several of my friends have given me specific suggestions or links to lists of excellent books. Keep them coming!

I could use something light to read or something happy...?

Books Completed in 2015

Here is a list of completed books with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written on Goodreads and Amazon (or Audible).

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook] [review: Goodreads; Audible].
6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon]
3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook]. [review: Goodreads]
9. The Handmaid's Tale [1985] by Margaret Atwood [Kindle]. [review: Goodreads; Amazon]
8. The Lady Astronaut of Mars [2012] by Mary Robinette Kowal [Kindle]. [review: Goodreads; Amazon]

I suppose I also have to decide whether to number these in the order finished or in the order started? Decisions, decisions...  Numbers can be so confusing for me...

Dispossessed Possessed

Dispossessed Possessed

Since the semester is in full swing and we have made a commitment to be in bed at a reasonable hour on weeknights and up at an unreasonable hour to go swimming on weekday mornings, the reading progress has been a bit slow the past few days. However, I finished a book today. HOORAY!

6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle].

Well, hooray but also boo. Boo because it's over. <WHINE>  This book is awesome. It's so awesome my pathetic description is only a whisper of how awesome it is. How does one write a review of such an awesome book, seriously?

This book is magnificent. It is my first time reading anything by Le Guin so perhaps that colors my experience.  While this is the fifth book in the Hainish Cycle, I am assured that it is a good place to start and the series need not be read in order. Reading it certainly did not feel like anything was missing or that I'd missed out on a backstory at all. Thank you so much, Louise, for suggesting this book!

The story chronicles the related people of twin planets, one a utopian sort of desert anarchy, previously colonized by settlers from the other, a more traditional, mostly capitalist planet with a wide range of natural resources and many different levels of socio-economic status. The narrative vividly contrasts various types of social organization and behavior, including freedom (and the lack of it), government (and the lack of it), mutual cooperation and competition, and so forth. While the differences seem stark at first, the subtleties become more apparent as more is revealed. It not only entertains but forces the reader to think about alternate ways of living that have been dismissed or not considered before.

The story is delivered mostly from the view of the protagonist, from two different periods in his life. The movement back and forth from his earlier life to his later life helps with a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the tale. The timelines come together eventually, of course, but the beauty of the book is in the wholeness of the telling.

The author occasionally creates words, or at least they appear to be created as they are new to me and not in dictionaries or wikipedia, but these created words have meanings that are obvious. They add to the beautiful fabric of the chronicle.  I have been keeping a list on my Kindle of both words that are new to me but found in dictionaries, and words that seem to be created by the author (also new to me!).

Read this book! Seriously. It costs less than six dollars for the Kindle and less than eight dollars in paperback.

Now, a more abiding question is: Why have I never read anything by Ursula Le Guin before?


4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

I have made a significant amount of progress reading Middlemarch, but it is a very lengthy book and I read only the Le Guin novel the past few days. I have read about one-fifth of the book so far. Currently, the author is again introducing in more detail new characters who have only been mentioned in passing in previous chapters. These character studies are entertaining and, often, are given in pieces and parts through the dialogue of other characters before a whole chapter is devoted just to describing the character more fully, and presumably more fairly. The current character of interest is the new young doctor in town, Mr. Lydgate.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

Only one short story remains in this book. I am sad it contains only nine, but the eight I have listened to so far have been quite stellar, fascinating in their depth of feeling, and expansive in the attention to individual and cultural details. 

It's time to start another book or two...

Open for Suggestions!

While I started compiling a potential 2015 reading list a couple of months ago, it is not written in stone and I am open for suggestions. Several of my friends have given me specific suggestions or links to lists of excellent books. Keep them coming!

Books Completed in 2015

Here is a list of completed books with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written on Goodreads and Amazon (or Audible).

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook] [review: Goodreads; Audible].
6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon]

I suppose I also have to decide whether to number these in the order finished or in the order started? Decisions, decisions...  Numbers can be so confusing for me...

Weekend Reading Report!

Friday's workfest and Saturday's hours of attempted technology-glitch-problem-solving and the weekend cooking spree ate into my weekend reading time. However, I did make progress on the Le Guin book and we finished listening to Stella Rimington's first novel (audiobook).

6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle].

The author moves back and forth beautifully from past to (perceived?) present in the life of the protagonist, Shevek.  In the most current segments, he's middle-aged and has gone to the other planet, Urras. He is the first person in 150 years to leave Annares for Urras. And, in intervening chapters he's a young adult who has moved to another city on Annares for further study in physics with a famous scholar, who is teaching him somewhat subversive habits in the process. Further details about both planets and their major geographic, social, political, and economic differences are revealed through these histories. The dichotomy of the planets and their differences is fascinating, as well as the bizarre differences in their social history and how the people from each planet seem to think about the other planet.


7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook].

Saturday night we finished our audiobook. It was fantastic! The ending a bit unexpected and the plots within plots that unfolded were exceedingly tangled and interesting. Now, I think, my husband wants to move on to the next novel in the Liz Carlyle series. I hadn't planned to read multiple books by the same author this year, but I may make an exception for this since my husband is enjoying the audiobooks so much.

If you like thrillers, suspense, or crime novels, or any of that sort of thing, read this book. Or, get the audiobook from audible.com. It has an excellent narrator.


4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

Only a little progress on Middlemarch since Friday.  I'll dive back into that one at bedtime tonight.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

I will return to my morning 'short story on audio with knitting' plan this week!

Open for Suggestions!

While I started compiling a potential 2015 reading list a couple of months ago, it is not written in stone and I am open for suggestions. Several of my friends have given me specific suggestions or links to lists of excellent books. Keep them coming!

Books Completed in 2015

Down here I will list the completed books with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written. I hope I can figure out how to link to my Amazon reviews eventually (Anyone? Anyone?). They are identical to my Goodreads reviews, really, but I know some people aren't on he Goodreads website. I suppose I also have to decide whether to number these in the order finished or in the order started? Decisions, decisions...  Numbers can be so confusing for me...

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook].

Work is interfering with my reading...

Not quite so much reading today because so much work is to be done for the new semester, which begins Monday. However, early this morning (too early, actually, as I woke up before 4am) I listened to another short story and did a bit of knitting.


3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

"Mrs. Sen" is a beautiful if somewhat sad portrayal of the emotions felt by immigrants to America, in this case, a housewife. It illustrates the joy in little reminders of home, as well as some Indian cultural details. The theme is loneliness, really, but not of just being alone, but of being so far from everything and everyone a person knows and loves. It is beautiful and touching.

I continue to slowly read my way through these two books published a century apart, Middlemarch and The Dispossessed.


4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

At this point in Middlemarch, new characters are being introduced. The Vincys, Mary Garth, Mr. Featherstone, etc. but, clearly, their lives are or will be intertwined with other previously introduced characters very shortly.

6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle].

In The Dispossessed, our protagonist is about to leave his friends to continue his research elsewhere with some great scientist. His friends have thrown him a party and all are waxing philosophical. That sounds like just about any novel, really, but the philosophizing is quite singular because of the nature of their planet's non-propertied utopian and egalitarian social order characterized by the concept of mutual aid, cured diseases, and the prevention of hunger and injustice.

7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook].

No time today for listening to the newest audiobook, At Risk, though. Since the husband and I are listening together it might await the next long drive in the car, perhaps next weekend.

Open for Suggestions!

While I started compiling a potential 2015 reading list a couple of months ago, it is not written in stone and I am open for suggestions. Several of my friends have given me specific suggestions or links to lists of excellent books. Keep them coming!

Books Completed in 2015

Down here I will list the completed books with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written. I hope I can figure out how to link to my Amazon reviews eventually (Anyone? Anyone?). They are identical to my Goodreads reviews, really, but I know some people aren't on he Goodreads website. I suppose I also have to decide whether to number these in the order finished or in the order started? Decisions, decisions...  Numbers can be so confusing for me...

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].

Adventures in Audio

Yesterday we drove from Orange Beach, Alabama to our home in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Normally this drive is about 660 miles. Yesterday, though, in rural Mississippi about 12 miles west of Yahoo City (Where my husband earnestly would like to see a Piggly Wiggly...) we came to a bridge that was closed for the day. Yes, just for the day. As we were on a small state road, and in Mississippi this means a really small ill paved two lane road, we had to find our own detour. Although the workers had blocked the bridge and put up a sign indicating the bridge would only be closed from 7am to 5pm on this particular day, they hadn't bothered to mark a detour. Therefore, we used google maps to find one. Remember, this is rural Mississippi in the Delta region. This took an inordinate amount of time because we had to back track quite a bit, the next bridge over that river (I think it is the Yazoo River?) was 15 miles away as the crow flies (that's a guess) and many of the roads marked on Google maps are not paved and, in fact, are not even roads. Seriously. Just a path between fields... We do not go off road in our little Honda, of course. We drove through some tiny towns and lots of rural nowhere and it added about an hour to our drive, I suspect.

Anyhow, this misadventure, as well as a stop to accept and make a bunch of important phone calls (can't be driving in rural Arkansas and be sure to have continuous good mobile phone coverage) meant our drive was nearly 14 hours total, or way longer than usual. What on earth does this have to do with reading, since this is a blog about reading? WELL, it means we listened to many hours of a new audiobook!

New Audiobook Adventure!

My husband is such a nice man, he agreed to help me in my year of reading women authors. He let me choose a woman-authored audiobook for our drive home, rather than our usual long drive audiobooks (unabridged Tom Clancy thrillers, mostly). So, I chose a female-authored thriller:

7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook]. Rimington is a former Director General in the British Security Service (MI5) who writes novels relating to that setting with particular attention to counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism. 

This book is the first in a series that follows the career of Liz Carlyle, a fictional (of course) employee of MI5. So far it is exciting, interesting, adventurous, funny, a bit scary, detailed, and suspenseful, with an interesting mixture of subtle and not so subtle characters.   The narrator, Jennifer McMahon, reads beautifully, using a convincing range of accents.

Continuing Reading Projects

At bedtime, I also read a very little bit of the other two books I currently have going on Kindle , but not enough to really say anything new about these:

4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle].

I did not listen to any short stories yesterday since we dove right into the driving first thing in the morning. So, I still have several short stories left to go in this book:

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

I will definitely listen to another one on Thursday!

Open for Suggestions!

While I started compiling a potential 2015 reading list a couple of months ago, it is not written in stone and I am open for suggestions. Several of my friends have given me specific suggestions or links to lists of excellent books. Keep them coming!

Books Completed in 2015

Down here I will list the completed books with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written. I hope I can figure out how to link to my Amazon reviews eventually (Anyone? Anyone?). They are identical to my Goodreads reviews, really, but I know some people aren't on he Goodreads website. I suppose I also have to decide whether to number these in the order finished or in the order started? Decisions, decisions...  Numbers can be so confusing for me...

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].

And so it ends...

So, my holiday is over. By the time you are reading this we will be driving home or even perhaps arrived home! My last day of the holiday was spent reading, knitting, sitting on the beach, and a few other holiday-worthy activities with the husband and the mother.

The very first thing this morning, I listened to another short story from this book while knitting, which I think is a lovely way to start the day and I vow to do that occasionally even after the holiday is over.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

Today's short story was titled "Sexy." It was pretty sexy. It also illustrated that the word sexy may have many different meanings. It was an interesting mixture of wild, ordinary, and subtle. I shall not say more lest I ruin the story for you. Like the others, this story is beautifully written by the author and also well read by the narrator.

In print (well, close enough, on the Kindle), I am reading two very different books simultaneously.

4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

As previously mentioned some of the male characters are annoying in their anti-female bias, most obviously illustrated in the belief that women do not have the brain power to understand things beyond music and the arts. Harrumph. However, this is set in Victorian England so I shall attempt to refrain from offense but rather read deeper into the author's commentary on that time period and its social mores.

The other book I am reading couldnotbe more different, because it is science fiction, set in a fictional time and place (space?). However, it is similar in that one of the two worlds/civilizations described thus far has been used to illustrate very limited roles for women, while the other has been used to describe extreme equality, sort of. Fascinating stuff!

6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle] is a utopian science fiction novel first published in 1974. It won the Nebula Award for best novel, as well as Hugo and Locus Awards. I do not really know what all these awards are about (I'll look them up!) but the Hugo award is almost always a guarantee of a book I will enjoy.  This book explores a variety of societal themes, such as capitalism, individualism, collectivism, and so forth. While this was the fifth novel published in Le Guin's Hainish Cycle, it's the first novel in the chronological story.

Le Guin is an American author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mostly science fiction and fantasy. She generally writes about fictional worlds with alternate politics, gender politics, religions, etc.

The Big Problem

The problem for me here is that both books [Middlemarch and The Dispossessed] are fascinating and I want to read them both but have to choose. I am reading a chapter or two in one and then a chapter or two in the other, as a compromise.  Perhaps I will not start another print [Kindle] book until I have finished at least one of these.

Open for Suggestions!

While I started compiling a potential 2015 reading list a couple of months ago, it is not written in stone and I am open for suggestions. Several of my friends have given me specific suggestions or links to lists of excellent books. Keep them coming!

Books Completed in 2015

Down here I will list the completed books with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written. I hope I can figure out how to link to my Amazon reviews eventually (Anyone? Anyone?). They are identical to my Goodreads reviews, really, but I know some people aren't on he Goodreads website. I suppose I also have to decide whether to number these in the order finished or in the order started? Decisions, decisions...  Numbers can be so confusing for me...

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].

P.S.

I have increased the font size of the blog. I hope it is more readable now.

A Holiday Lament

Why do the holidays have to come to an end, or rather why must my holiday end? I have two more days (Monday and Tuesday) with plenty of time free for reading (or whatever) and I am making the most of it. So, today I read parts of three books and shall read a fourth at bedtime.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

Today I listened (while knitting, which is a nice way to start the day) to the fourth short story, "A Real Durwan,"which was a reminder of the often selfish, brusque, and uncaring nature of humans.

4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

Oh the first two main male characters in this book just annoy me to no end. Yes, I know it's set in the 1800s, so I shouldn't be surprised at their attitudes toward women, but still.

5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon]

Today, I finished Helen Keller's first memoir, written when she was about 21. Keller's first memoir describes her first twenty or so years, penned whilst she studied at Radcliffe. Reading about her unique process of learning and of studying is fascinating. Her ability to turn a descriptive phrase, her acquaintance with famous and interesting people, and her love of nature and literature are nicely intertwined in an enlightening narrative.

Although I had no idea this would be a book about books, Keller so frequently refers to books she has read and enjoyed (or not) that it really is that, as well.

6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle] [insert descriptive info here and who suggested it and so forth, which I will, perhaps tomorrow... ;o) ]

Ah, immersing myself in a new world (universe?) and new peoples and cultures and technologies. It's heady!

Books Completed in 2015

Down here I will list the completed books with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written. I hope I can figure out how to link to my Amazon reviews eventually (Anyone? Anyone?). They are identical to my Goodreads reviews, really, but I know some people aren't on he Goodreads website. I suppose I also have to decide whether to number these in the order finished or in the order started? Decisions, decisions...  Numbers can be so confusing for me...

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].

Not stuck in the 1800s...

Not stuck in the 1800s...

Sunday, I listened to another short story from this audiobook:

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

The third story, which is also the title story (and , is quite a commentary on the human condition, the lives we lead, the lives we wish we led, and the mental gymnastics we go through in fantasizing the one with the other. As in the other stories, the writing is sublime and the ending is a bit different than you might expect.

4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle].

I've barely made a dent in this one yet, as it's rather a lengthy book but the two main sister characters have been inter

5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle].

I've read about one-third of this book so far. Keller's writing is so descriptive. It's stunning really. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her to become so adept with language.  At this point in the story she's been to Boston twice, had a year or more with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and, finally, met other people who can sign like she is being taught to sign. She also experienced the ocean for the first time.  I am also learning new words as I read this book (not that unusual for me but still!).

So, for my next book, I'm going to start reading something that is not set in the 1800s. I need some more science fiction so I believe the next book will be this one:

6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle].

Books Completed in 2015

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].

A tale of two books

A tale of two books

I finished reading two books Saturday (1/3). One fiction, one non-fiction. One extraordinarily good, one very meh. Here are my reviews, such as they are.

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton was read on my Kindle (paperwhite). 5/5 stars.

This book is completely brill(iant). Seriously. Why haven't I read this author's books before? Have they been magically hiding from me until 2015? Oh my.  

This is an exceedingly clever sort of coming-of-age, adolescent angst, magical realistic, science fiction festival of awesomeness. The thoughts and ideas and experiences of the central character [Mori] are just what are expected from a traumatized teenaged daughter of divorced parents (one of which is a witch) in late 1970s Wales and England.  

The author's ability to turn a phrase while simultaneously reviewing classic science fiction and interpreting teen-aged emotions is incredible, magical, other-worldly... Well, you get the idea. 

If you have not yet read this book, read it now. It's $2.99 on Kindle as I'm writing this! GO! Read! Or, get it from the library or Inter Library Loan! Read it. You'll enjoy every word. 

2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters was also read on my Kindle (paperwhite). 2/5 stars.

This is billed as a book for beginning knitters. It has lots of useful basic info in the first three chapters, especially about yarns and needles and so forth. The chapter on actual stitches seems way more than beginner level, though. The ideas that a beginner is going to a) learn from a description in a book, and b) learn to knit and purl pretty much simultaneously, seem pretty insane to me. Teach the newbie the knit stitch. Then use the knit stitch over and over in some simple projects (washcloth? scarf?). Only then should they be confused with the purl stitch, much less mixing up knitting and purling. Seriously. 

Honestly, learning to knit (and purl) is easier via youtube videos and online video knitting tutorials than from a book. Of course, it is probably easier to learn from another human in person but not everyone has that opportunity.  

The fifth chapter included discussion of color theory that was just way out of place and not very useful in the Kindle format I read. It's a beginner book about knitting so color theory is just a major tangent really. 

The last chapter is supposed to be beginning patterns and projects and few of them seem beginning level to me (a beginning).  The washcloth and scarf are far down the list of projects and should be first. Seriously. 

However, I did learn loads of useful things about yarns and needles and sizes and so forth, especially in the first three chapters (of six total).   I was put off by the number of typos, though, which usually reflects more on the editor than the author. Why doesn't someone hire me to edit their books? Honestly, some of those are pretty blatant. 

Since this book was free (it happened to be free as part of a box set on the Kindle a few days ago and Erin K. told me about it), it's worth at least two stars on the basis of those first three informative chapters, but the heart of the matter, how to knit, is probably not delivered in the best way possible in chapter four and beyond that the level is not beginner, but something more advanced than that.

Reading onward

I'm still working on book 3 and listened to one more short story today.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook].

The stories are lovely, the writing is elegant, and the narration is superb. The Audible audiobook is narrated by Matilda Novak.

At bedtime (1/3) started two more books.

4. Middlemarch 1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) is one of the masterpieces of English fiction, a Victorian novel of social criticism. I am embarrassed to admit that I don't recall ever reading it nor even reading anything by Eliot. Is that possible? Honestly, this surely is not true as I had a solid high school education at E. B. Erwin and we read many books of English literature. Perhaps I just have a faulty memory, which is, of course, quite likely, as anyone who knows me well will attest. This is quite a lengthy book [Wikipedia says 904 pages]  and will take some time to read, I suspect.

5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller is likely a biography I should have read long ago as a native Alabamian. Keller is, of course, famously known for her struggle to communicate after losing her hearing and her sight as a very young child and as the first deaf blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree. A native of Tuscumbia, Alabama, in this book she recounts her life up to the age of 21. She wrote it while in college at Radcliffe. She lived into her eighties, but it is this book that describes her upbringing and struggles to break out of the shell of silence and darkness that engulfed her as a child.

Clearly, the next book I start reading should be something more contemporary and with a heavy dose of entertainment...

I Love Audiobooks

I Love Audiobooks...

Doesn't everyone love audiobooks? Honestly, it's a different experience for me than actually reading a book but it's still BOOKS! And it requires no hands or eyes, which is handy at times. I love audiobooks mostly for the convenience. I can listen to a book while engaging in other activities that are not conducive to actually reading a book, such as driving or knitting or exercising.

I am not new to audiobooks. I have had quite a few over the years, back when they were only on CD, and before that on tape (yes, tape, I really am that old). The growth of Internet technology, devices, and applications, however, has made audiobooks even easier to buy and play. Hello Audible.com! Hello iPods and iPads and iPhones and all the other brands of such devices (OK, I have a few too many i-things...).

All this technology has also made audiobooks much more affordable. I recall how expensive those books on CD were!  Audible (an Amazon company) works on a monthly fee ($14.95 if you haven't taken advantage of a really good promotion) for which you get one book to download each month and 30% of any additional books downloaded. Frequent promotions, however, allow things like "Get two books for one credit (one credit is a month's membership) if you choose them from this list" sorts of things (I got lucky with the two for one thing yesterday, in fact, and downloaded two books from this year's reading list). Occasionally free books are offered as well.

Until recently, audiobooks have served a singular purpose in our (meaning mine and Andrew's) lives: Entertainment for long car travel (and, a time or two, air travel). Andrew and I both love spy thrillers and we have listened to just about every Tom Clancy novel in the Jack Ryan (and related) universe, mostly on the roads between Fort Smith and Houston (for his doctor appointments) and between Fort Smith and Alabama (for family visits and vacations) and a few other places. I dare you to do the math on how many hours that means we have driven. We generally buy the unabridged versions, by the way.

My husband Andrew is the indefatigable driver of many Honda Fit cars (we are on our third) innumerable miles (probably something over 100,000 now) as long as he has an audiobook playing (and occasionally meals, plus a chocolate bar and a can of Coca-cola if it's getting to be late night). Seriously, Andrew can drive all day (12 hours!) and all I have to do is keep the audiobook playing (easy peasy), stop and restart it when appropriate (also simple), feed him now and then (he reminds me if I forget), and agree to nature breaks (which we all need). How awesome is that?

That's been the extent, mostly, of our audiobooks use, though - in the car. The only other use has been when I was doing frequent driving around town when he was too ill to drive (or his immune system was too weak to get out in public) and I listened to a couple of audiobooks on my own in the car in small segments that way. One was Without Remorse, my favorite of the older Tom Clancy thrillers (note, this book is not for children nor for the squeamish), and the other was Tolkein's The Fellowship of the Ring which I happened to listen to around the time the first Hobbit movie came out and which made me very angry watching that movie because they incorporated so much info from FOTR that isn't even part of The Hobbit (the book). However, I digress.

[Aside about book listening technology in the car] In the car... let me be clear for those who are not technology-minded and now need to learn such important though simple details: in your car, if it is not ancient, somewhere, is an audio plug to which a simple cable (an 'auxiliary audio cable,' available just about anywhere for $10 or so) will connect whatever device on which you like to play audiobooks or music, such as an iPod, iPhone, iPad, whatever to your car sound system. Why would you want to know this? Why would you want to use this? Because suddenly the whole world of music and books and live-streams events becomes available to you through your car's audio system. Your car has one of these, believe me. It might be hidden somewhere odd (like inside the compartment of the arm rest in Mama's Cadillac, or beside the car charger port behind the center console cup holders in one or more of our Hondas) or it might be part of the sound system bank of buttons and knobs. You do not have to own a fancy vehicle for it to have this feature. We drive Hondas. We drive the cheapest Honda model made, in fact: the Fit. Our cheap little car has this feature. Your vehicle probably does, too, unless, of course, you are driving a vintage Beetle or something old and fun.

[Aside having nothing to do with books, skip if you like] Here's another use for such a little auxiliary audio cable in your car:  You can live stream commentary of live athletic events via apps on a phone (or other device).  Why would you want to do this? Well, because some interesting events might not be available by radio or you might be traveling too far for radio stations to be easy to find. For example, I recall riding down I-40 one June morning a few years ago listening to live (uninterrupted by commercials!) commentary of Thor Hushovd winning a mountain stage (only cycling folks will know how bizarre that really is) of the Tour de France.  The beautiful and eccentric accents of Phil and Paul (famous British cycling commentators) came through in stereo in the car. How awesome is that?  Other live events you might want to listen to this way include Auburn football games via the AU Gameday App or whatever other apps exist for sports or events you love.

Ok, so I have digressed from my digression. Sorry about that. Back to books, especially books by women authors.

Audiobooks for 2015

So, yesterday I went looking for audiobooks on Audible that were on my 2015 to-read list or otherwise met my planned criteria and found a lovely two-for-one-credit deal on these two:

• Interpreter of Maladies [1999], a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Indian American author. She was born in London to Indian immigrant parents from West Bengal, India. Her family moved to the USA when she was a toddler.
• Americanah [2013], a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about a Nigerian woman who emigrates to the USA for higher education and work. This work was well received by critics in 2013 and won several prestigious awards.

Why these books? Well, both of these authors were already on my radar, although not necessarily for these particular works. Both have published other works, as well. In addition to being authors whose work I have not read, they were both born outside of the USA and write from their own cultural perspective which is, presumably, quite different from my own. I have a tendency, which I am trying to change, to read mostly American and British authors' works. Plus, it was two-for-one-credit day and they were both on the (short) list of qualifying books.

I also spent a further credit on the book below. The thing about credits is this: one is generated each month and if you let too many pile up, you lose some which is a waste of money already spent, and I am not going to let that happen, although I like to always have at least one credit available in case something suddenly pops up that needs to be downloaded for whatever reason, such as sudden travel.

• If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O [1990], by Sharyn McCrumb, a southern American author (North Carolina). This particular novel is the first in a series set in the Appalachian mountains and won a prize or two when it was originally published.

So this author is American and even Southern, which already makes me interested, but I have never read her work. This is the first in a series which means if I enjoy it there are many more already written and waiting for me to read (in 2016 or later...). Does it get any better than that?

Of course, I'm not that likely to listen to lots of audiobooks very quickly, so these might end up on the back burner for a while, or not. Who knows? Of course, if I can talk my husband into helping me with my focus on women authors, perhaps we can listen to some of these while traveling in the car, but I hate to force my strange tastes in books on him when he's a sitting duck as the driver and he is used to the action and thrills of Tom Clancy to help the miles pass more easily, but we shall see. Perhaps I should look for spy thrillers written by women. There's an idea for another day [<Makes a note to ask my goodreads Orion group friends and librarian friend Jason about this!>].

Currently Reading (or Listening)

So, I purchased these three audiobooks yesterday and downloaded a couple of them to my iPad. I decided to start with Interpreter of Maladies since it is a collection of short stories and might be easier to enjoy in segments in between the other books I am reading and whilst knitting. So this is book three started for 2015. Here are the books I'm reading or listening too so far and some thoughts about them. I will get in the habit of listing in this fashion the books that are currently being read.

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton is being read on my Kindle (paperwhite). I'm one-third of the way through and this book is delightful, set in England and Wales in the 1970s with a dose of magic. Why have I never read this author's work before? Who can I blame this on? I'm thinking perhaps on Margaret S. or Erin K., who both admitted their love for Jo Walton to me yesterday.  I would love to sit down and read it right through to the end, but I'm trying to savor it a bit more slowly.

2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters is also being read on my Kindle (paperwhite). It's useful and interesting to me, a beginning knitter, but why on earth did she wait until chapter 4 (of 6) to first explain the knit and purl stitches? I have no idea. I think this book was probably written to promote knitting for a particular yarn manufacturer whose yarn and patterns appear on all the examples. I'm reading a chapter or so a day. While the order of chapters seems odd to me (a real beginner working on only my second simple knitting project), the book is informative and it was FREE. Did I mention it was free?

3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], a collection of short stories by Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook]. I listened to part of the first short story last night. It's beautifully written (and nicely read by the narrator whose name I will look up eventually) and concerns the angst and emotional difficulty of a young Indian American couple after losing their first child (stillborn?). Strangely, I assumed I was only halfway through the story because the audible app showed that I was about half way through the chapter. I stupidly assumed a chapter in the audiobook would be a story in the regular book (or a chapter in most other books I have read both in audio and hard copy). But no. I sat down to listen to the rest of the story this morning and found only a minute or two was left. Then,  the second story started right up (after a read of the story title) even though the app shows it's still playing chapter 1. So, I then researched the book a bit and found it has nine short stories, total, but the audiobook is organized in six chapters. Seriously? I find that very confusing. It's certainly not the fault of the author or the book or even the editor, but of whomever organized the audiobook version. Nine short stories should be nine chapters in an audiobook, of course, so the listener can choose to start at the beginning of any of the stories. Humph!

Another book to read, another format, another device...

In keeping with the technology theme of today's blog post, I downloaded yet another book using yet another sort of technology and yet another app.  I downloaded 

• the life-changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing [2014] by Marie Kondō [Seriously, the title is in all lower case letters], translated from the Japanese by Cathy Hirano. This is one of those 'how to declutter and organize' books that is supposed to be quite different because of its Japanese sensibility or perhaps because of the author's personality. I don't know which, yet. 

I figure this is one of those books in which I'll read a chapter at a time when the mood strikes me. I downloaded it in iBooks on my (old) iPad mainly because I thought it might be more readable in iBooks than in the Kindle. Occasionally this is true, especially for books with pictures or diagrams, but might not apply to this book. I don't like to read for long periods of time on the iPad (it's too bright) but since this isn't a novel, it's probably in no danger of prompting a continuous reading-fest.  Once I start it, I'll officially add it to the numbered list.

Deciding who and what

Deciding who and what to read...

I actually awoke thinking about this. How nerdy can I be? Seriously? Who wakes up at 6-something a.m on New Year's Day thinking about setting rules for the year's reading plan? I do, that's who...

I have some goals for my year of reading women authors' works, though perhaps goals is too strong a word as I might change any of them at any time, if it suits me, because... I can.

1. Read only works by women. This is rather the purpose, yes? I'd like to think this is the easy part but as only about half of the one hundred plus books I read in 2014 were by women and most of those were written by only three or four authors, I really will have to make a conscious effort, most likely.
2. Read works by women I have never read anything by before (that is a horrible sentence, I know....). I do have a tendency to find an author who interests me and read or even reread everything they have written (Jane Austen comes to mine), even if that becomes a ridiculous endeavor (I'm looking at you Anthony Trollope and partially blaming that particular insanity on my friend David E.) or just consumes too much time. In 2014, for example, I (mostly) reread all of Sue Grafton's alphabetic detective novels. Starting these helped me get out of the mental slump in which I found myself after a serious illness in summer. They are interesting but not too terribly intellectually challenging. I don't mean that disparagingly, just that I rarely need to look up a new word or grasp a totally new concept when reading them. The entertainment is more about the story, the characters, and the mystery, but not so much on expanding my mind or extending my vocabulary. 
3. Read works written in a wide variety of time periods. My penchant for reading a series of works by a single author is complemented by my often stupid focus on one period of time. This might be the present (Who doesn't want to read cool new contemporary books?) or reading one author then reading books by his or her contemporaries.
4. Read works written in a wide variety of time periods and set in a variety of time periods. My penchant for reading a series of works by a single author is complemented by my often stupid focus on one historical period that interests me (World War II, for example). In 2014, I read a number of books, both fiction and non-fiction, with WWII settings, such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Night by Elie Wiesel, The Nazi Officer's Wife, and Monuments Men (no, I haven't seen the movie).
5. Read works from a variety of genres. While I believe I read a reasonable wide ranging set of book genres types, I do have a habit of getting too focused at times (see items 2 through 4 above) and sometimes that focus is on one particular type of writing. For example, in 2014 I read (or listened to) a ridiculous number of detective/mystery/suspense novels and spy/thrillers, not only because of working my way through all of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series (Hooray! A female author and a female protagonist!) but also due to finding Christine Kling (Who suggested her to me? I don't recall but THANK YOU!) and reading all her books, and reading some excellent first novels in the spy/thriller genre (Amy Lynn by Jack July, The Old Spook by Charles Ameringer). Of course, our habit (meaning my husband's and mine) of listening to unabridged audiobook versions of Tom Clancy novels when traveling cross country adds even more to my time in this genre [We particularly enjoy Clancy's novels in the John Clark/Jack Ryan/Jack Jr. series]. I am not complaining because audiobooks have helped us through a lot of necessary and stressful travel the past couple of years, including many trips to/from Houston for my husband's cancer treatment (I could go off on my love of audiobooks and Audible.com here but I will refrain...). Another genre I love is science fiction (Douglas Adams, or Neal Stephenson, anyone?) and fantasy (Stephen R. Lawhead, Stephen R. Donaldson, G. Norman Lippert...). Although at least a quarter of my 2014 reading falls into the SF/fantasy realm, none of the books were written by women. Why is that?
6. Read works of a variety of types. I do love fiction and, particular types of fiction, but I should read more non-fiction so I'm going to make a conscious effort to include non-fiction here. Additionally, I know very little of poetry (although I can quote some of Edward Lear's less juicy limericks!) and I read no poetry at all in 2014 so I want to read a bit of poetry this year, as well. Variety is the spice of life, right? So, I'm going to work on variety in several ways.

Thus end my rules or goals for the present. As previously mentioned, I might change them at any time if a change will improve my reading experience but I do want to stick with female authors this year. 

I do enjoy reading books by people I know, with whom I have corresponded, or who are known by people I know. Connections are an important part of life and I don't mean that in the 19th century British sort of "her family has connections" way but rather the broader inter-connectedness of humans. In 2014 I read a history book by my date to the senior prom (Dan P., now a history professor), a fascinating memoir by a cycling friend (Scott Thigpen's Trail Magic and the Art of Soft Pedaling), two excellent first novels (thrillers) by writers with whom I've traded messages on goodreads (mentioned above), and a lovely mystery novel (Janice MacDonald's The Roar of the Crowd) by an acquaintance of a friend (Kelly M.), for starters. So, this year's reading will probably include a few books by friends or friends of friends, just because.

Another rule, or rather preference, is that the books are available in ebook format. I need font control, people, I really do. On my Kindle, eight font sizes are available and I tend to read the sixth one (third from the über large end!), which is a sign, you know, of something...  That is not to imply that I will not read hard copy books (Neither Ukraine: A History nor In the Shadow of Hitler were available as ebooks in 2014 and some books, such as dual language readers or books with lots of illustrations or maps, are better in hard copy for sure).

Getting Started

So, getting started, here are my first two books begun this year:

1. Among Others by Jo Walton is an award winning novel of fantasy published in 2011. It has won a host of awards including the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel (2012),  and the British Fantasy Award. 

I don't recall who suggested this book to me (although it was probably someone from my academic circles, a group I've pumped for suggestions) but a Hugo Award is generally a guarantee that it is a book I will enjoy reading. Furthermore, as I am learning (I've read about 15% of the book thus far), it is, secondarily, a book about books, wherein the protagonist is a voracious reader and is reading real books (i.e. those that actually exist outside the fictional setting of the novel). What's not to love? I read a (non-fiction) book about reading books [The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller] to finish off 2014 and quite enjoyed it so that added twist is a major bonus.

2. Knitting for Beginners by Susan Wilters is exactly what it sounds like, a book about knitting for the initiated. I took up knitting a few weeks ago thanks to, or perhaps, to be blamed on, my friend Jennifer F. I know next to nothing and my knitting friends seem to think "Find a youtube video!" is the answer to every question I pose. Now, that is not bad advice, but I like to really understand what I'm doing, if possible, and to have reference material to hand. 

So, I've started this knitting book, mostly due to my friend Erin K. who posted the link to me on Facebook a day or so ago at a time when the set (it's part of a set of three) was free for the Kindle. Free? Did someone say free? I jumped right on that, of course, and it is no longer free one day later (Sorry to disappoint! But it is free for borrowing for Amazon Prime users, if that helps.). Thus far I have read one chapter (of six) and am learning some fundamentals about materials, mostly, such as needles and yarns. I don't know a thing about the author but the book was free, the first chapter is quite readable, and the accompanying photos are clear, even in black and white on my Kindle Paperwhite.

I will probably start another book or two today or tomorrow since the first few days in January are the end of my winter break from my real job, which is that of accounting professor. So, I will try to read as much as possible in the first week of January before the Spring semester rush begins in earnest.  Surely, I'm not unusual in having more than one book going at a time. While I do not often read similar books (same genre, same period, etc.) simultaneously, I often have several disparate books going at once. Since a few of the books/authors I want to read this year are available on Audible.com, I will likely have one audio book going at times (the better to knit to?) as well as several books on the Kindle and perhaps, now and then, one in hardcopy.