Pam’s Roundup for 2009 and 2010 plans

Here is my roundup for 2009 and my plans for 2010!  Links are to reviews on my blog.

1. When Will There Be Good News?  by Kate Atkinson (CSM 2008, NYT 2008, PW 2008)
2. The Likeness by Tana French (CSM 2008,  PW 2008)
3. Serena  by Ron Rash (CSM 2008, PW 2008,)
4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (CSM 2008,  PW 2008)
5. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa (2009 ALA, NYT 2008, PW 2008)

I didn’t actually read the last book, but I did read several other notable books that I didn’t have on my original list:

1. No One Heard Her Scream by Jordan Dane (PW 2008)
2. Outliers by Maclom Gladwell (PW 2008)
3. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (PW 2007)
4. Columbine by Dave Cullen (2010 ALA, NYT 2009, PW 2009)

This year, I have again settled on five, with the hope that I actually read many more than this. 

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.  (Man Booker Prize, CSM Best Books 2009,  2010 Tournament of Books, and NYT Most Notable 2009)
2. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips. (CSM Best Books 2009,  NYT 2009 Notable Books,  2010 Tournament of Books, PW 2009 Best Books)
3. Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr.  (CSM Best Books 2009)
4. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.  (NYT Notable Books 2009,  2010 Tournament of Books,  PW 2009 Best Books)
5. Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls.  (NYT Notable Books 2009, 2010 Tournament of Books)

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

When Will There Be Good News?: A Novelis the second novel that I've read by Kate Atkinson. As I was reading it, I realized that it is written very similar to Case Histories: A Novel, her other book that I've read. Not necessarily in the story line, but in the way that the story is presented. It is an intriguing style and one that I really enjoy.

To picture her style, imagine a few pieces of yarn, laid side by side, and parallel. They go on for a while not touching and the one overlaps one, and then another overlaps another. This continues slowly until eventually all of the pieces of yarn are woven together. This is what her writing is like. At first, you don't see how the characters are related at all. And I admit, that I am sometimes confused, but then you start having these a-ha moments. Where you think...hey, what a minute, is she the girl that he saw at the beach?

From Amazon:
In Atkinson's stellar third novel to feature ex-cop turned PI Jackson Brodie (after One Good Turn), unrelated characters and plot lines collide with momentous results. On a country road, six-year-old Joanna Mason is the only survivor of a knife attack that leaves her mother and two siblings dead. Thirty years later, after boarding the wrong train in Yorkshire, Brodie is almost killed when the train crashes. He's saved by 16-year-old Regina Reggie Chase, the nanny of Dr. Joanna Hunter, née Mason. In the chaos following the crash, Brodie ends up with the wallet of Andrew Decker, the recently released man convicted of murdering the Mason family. Enter DCI Louise Monroe, Brodie's former love interest, who's tracking Decker because of a recent case involving a similar family and crime. When Dr. Hunter disappears, Reggie is convinced she's been kidnapped and enlists the reluctant Brodie to track her down. A lesser author would buckle under so many story lines, but Atkinson juggles them brilliantly, simultaneously tying up loose ends from Turn and opening new doors for further Brodie misadventures.

I know it sounds confusing and convoluted, but she does it so subtly, it isn't jarring at all. After reading the Amazon reviews, I realized that there are 3 books, so I am definitely going to find the second one.

I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Pam's List for 2009

As I finished my first book on my list, I realized that I hadn't posted my list!

Last year, I chose mostly from the NYT list, but I was not pleased with a few of my reads. So, this year, I am pulling my list mainly from the 2008 Publisher's Weekly Best List. I expect the list to grow as I finish books and am able to add more, but to begin, I am safely starting with 5 (practically guaranteeing myself success)!

1. When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson.
2. The Likeness by Tara French.
3. Serena by Ron Rash.
4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
5. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Tree of Smoke

The inside of the jacket:
This is the story of William "Skip" Sand, CIA - engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong - and the disasters that befall him. This is also the story of the Houston brothers, Bill and James, young men who drift out of the Arizona desert and into a war where the line between disinformation and delusion has blurred away. In its vision of human folly, this is a story like nothing in our literature.

I don't normally enjoy (or even attempt) books with a war as the setting, but this book was an enjoyable read. The characters were all well developed and the dialogue was believable and witty. So, even though I was occasionally lost on who was spying on whom, and whose side everyone was one, it was still an entertaining read. My review on my blog can be found here.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

I've posted a full review here. After reading other reviews on this book, I've decided that you either love it, or you don't understand what all the fuss is about. I fall into the "don't understand what all the fuss is about" group. The book was not bad or awful, I just didn't become involved with the characters or the story. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it, because many people found it outstanding, it was just not for me.

Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

The book jacket describes this book as "At once a gripping whodunit, a love story, an homage to 1940s noir and an exploration of the mysteries of exile and redemption." The book may be all those things to some people, but I had a very hard time getting involved in it. The storyline is interesting, but the book is filled with Yiddish phrases and unfamiliar names. I spent most of my time trying to use context clues to figure out what the words meant and trying to remember who each character was. Because the character names were unfamiliar to me, they didn't keep a solid hold in my mind. The writing is very good and certain ideas and phrases were appealing, but overall, I did not really enjoy reading this book. I would rate it a 2.5 out of 5.0

Full review here:

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

If, like me, you loved Empire Falls, then you will love Bridge of Sighs. The format is similar: small town, wonderful characters, just a little slice of life. I tend to fall into Russo's books, feeling like I'm walking along the same streets as the characters. I highly recommend this, as I said, especially if you enjoyed Empire Falls. My blog review is here.

Joe Hill, Heart-Shaped Box

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. The main character of the book is Judas Coyne, an aging death-metal rock star. He collects unusual and macabre items, such as a cookbook for cannibals, a used hangman's noose, and even a snuff film. So, when he reads an ad on the internet for someone selling their stepfather's ghost, he can't help himself. For $1000, he purchases the dead man's suit, which arrives in a black heart-shaped box. Suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door...seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang...standing outside his window...staring out from his widescreen TV. The ghost sits waiting, with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from his fingers.

My full review is at my blog.