Wednesday, April 2, 2014

April: á la carte

This is a somewhat blurry picture of my little rollie cart that sits next to my desk. It has three tiers, all big enough to hold books. This month I've stacked all of the possible tbr books on the top shelf for easy access.  I know there's no way I'll get through them all but here are my self-imposed choices:

Everyday is for the Thief, by Teju Cole
Painted Devils, by Robert Aickman
1940, by Jay Neugeboren 
Made to Break, by D. Foy
Hotel Brasil, by Frei Betto
On Such a Full Sea, by Chang-Rae Lee
Malena, by Edgardo David Holzman
Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer, by Cyrus Mistry
Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, by Terry Teachout
Silence Once Begun,by Jesse Ball
The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown
Mapuche, by Caryl Ferey
Hild, by Nicola Griffith

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue is also on there -- that one I'll save for Friday's long airplane ride across the country, along with Galveston, by Nic Pizzolatto.  

I may not wholly stick by the plan, but it makes for a good outline of possibilities. 





6 comments:

  1. What an exciting and wide-ranging list. I can't wait to read the reviews, including of Frog Music.

    I put that one on reserve at the library, and have no idea what to expect. But then again that's why I am eager to open it up.

    Are you going to read Kate Atkinson's Life After Life? Friends and bloggers are raving about it.

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    1. You need to approach it with no expectations. It's very different -- I loved the historical detail, although I'm still churning this one around in my head.

      I have Life After Life, but it will be a while before I get to it.

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  2. I suggest one book: Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda. Rather than it being mainly a mystery, it is about a community, about characters, relationships, how different people react to a crisis. It's also about gentrification, racism and more. The writing is excellent and moving. It's set in contemporary Red Hook, Bklyn.

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  3. FYI: Janet Maslin just skewered "Frog Music" in the New York Times, on many fronts.

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    1. I'll read it after I write up my thoughts, but thanks for the heads up!

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    2. I always try to remind myself that book reviews are, above all else, a matter of opinion. For every Janet Maslin who hates a book, there's a Ron Charles who really likes it. So I don't take these things too seriously.

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Say what you will, but at least try to be nice about it.