Yesterday we had our first snowfall -- fat, wet flakes that covered the grass but fortunately left the roads quite passable. It was a perfect day to spend indoors with a fire, which I was happy to do once I'd stocked up on groceries for the week ahead. The weather has also made it a nice weekend for reading, especially since I'm currently immersed in a "comfort read." I desperately needed this after a string of mediocre books. Last week I was well into David Storey's Saville, which, as a coming-of-age story set in a Yorkshire mining village, had potential. But I was continually reminded me of the Monty Python "Vocational Guidance Counselor" sketch. Saville was much like chartered accountancy:


I'm not even sure how I finished it. I kept waiting for a surprising twist, or some tension, but it just wasn't to be. I reached the end of my tether after 400 pages and realized the book was making me grumpy, so I decided to very lightly skim the remaining 100 pages. For more about Saville, read my review.

Fortunately, it looks like the entire month of December will be filled with fun comfort reads. Let's look at what lies ahead:

In the Bleak Midwinter, by Julia Spencer-Fleming: this is the first in a series of mysteries, which has been highly recommended by some dear friends. This is a genre I don't read often, but I have to say I'm enjoying this book a great deal. The protagonists are a police chief and a female Episcopal priest, who make for one of those odd-couple pairings that I've enjoyed in television mystery dramatizations like The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. These books take place in the New York mountains, and this particular novel is set in December, so it sort of feels like I'm there. Just the thing for a snowy weekend. I've even requested the next one from Paperbackswap.

I'm also planning to read two Virago Modern Classics: The Judge, by Rebecca West and Crossriggs, by Jane & Mary Findlater. I started The Judge earlier this year and set it aside, because it didn't suit my mood at the time. I thought I might return to it later and since it's well suited to the Women Unbound Challenge, now seems like the right time. I'm also reading Crossriggs for that challenge.


The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins: this is a very popular YA novel. I gave it to my younger daughter for Christmas last year; she loved it and is clamoring for the sequel, Catching Fire. She's convinced me I really need to read this book.


The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom: Calling holocaust literature a "comfort read" is a real stretch. I'm not sure if this will make my list in December; however, it's been on my shelves forever and I've heard such good things about this true story of faith. Maybe the Christmas season is a good time to read it. If you've read this book I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.

Finally, time permitting, I might read a bit of E.M. Forster as part of a LibraryThing monthly author read. I have a copy of A Room with a View lying around here somewhere and, as much as I loved the film with Helen Bonham-Carter, I'm sure I'd love this book.

So that's what December holds in store. Having finished all of my 2009 timed challenges and pegged a lot of my other reading goals, I'm looking forward to a relaxing month of reading.

What reading do you have in store for December?

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This has been a leisurely week; because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the office was closed Thursday & Friday. And then I decided to take Monday through Wednesday off as well, so I've had a luxurious week at home. I started Christmas and birthday shopping (my daughters were each born on either side of Christmas!), took care of a few chores around the house that had been begging for my attention, cooked a nice Thanksgiving meal, walked the dog, and ... let's see, what else? Oh yes! I read books! And now November is coming to a close. Let's look back on the month's reading:

• 6 books (72 YTD)
• 1,894 pages (21,786 YTD)
• 4 written by women
• 1 Booker Prize winner
• 1 Pulitzer Prize winner
• 1 Orange Prize nominee
• 1 Virago Modern Classics
• 1 from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list

More specifically, here's what I read this month:

• Le Grand Meaulnes - review ( )
• The Sugar House - review ( )
• Offshore - review ( )
• Angle of Repose - review ( )
• A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - review ( )
• The Emperor's Children - review ( )

Kind of a so-so month, really, although Angle of Repose will definitely make my 2010 Top 10 (possibly even Top 5). I was incredibly moved and inspired by this book and even now, two weeks later, Lyman Ward and his amazing grandparents continue to occupy my thoughts. I made the most of my week off from work by finishing two books: A Short History of Tractors... and The Emperor's Children. Although neither of these really knocked my socks off, I still felt some sense of accomplishment. Go figure. In November I also finished the last of my timed challenges for 2009: (Another) 1-percent Well-Read Challenge, in which I read 10 books from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list.

'Tis the season for announcing 2010 challenges, and while I've definitely learned not to over-commit myself, I'm sure I'll participate in a few. I've already blogged about Women Unbound. If there's another 1-percent Well-Read Challenge, I'm in. And then there's Book Awards, which is scheduled to begin in February. And I've also spice up The Complete Booker perpetual challenge, by hosting a 2010 timed challenge with several ways enjoy Booker Prize winners & nominees.. Information and signups can be found here.

Also this week, after helping my husband start his own blog devoted to furniture building, I was possessed with a fit of creative inspiration, and decided to move my blog to Wordpress at the end of the year. This has provided endless opportunity for time-wasting tinkering over this holiday week, and I've found the work oddly satisfying. My current plan is to close the year at this location with all the usual "year in review" content, and "go live" at my new address on January 1. Look for more details about the move closer to the end of the year.

Today I'll be working a morning shift at the local bird rescue, and putting up Christmas decorations in the afternoon. By evening I should start to wrap my mind around returning to work on Monday, but I may just live in denial for a few more hours, and instead continue with my current read. David Storey's Saville is a coming-of-age story set in a British coal mining town during World War II. This is one of those books where you can escape into a different time, and a different world view, and kind of forget the present for a while.

I hope you've had a nice weekend filled with good reading. I'd love to hear about it; leave me a comment!

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I'm really excited about The Classics Circuit. The brainchild of Rebecca, The Classics Circuit "encourages the reading of classic works by celebrating them through book blogs," and is currently focused on older classics. The "celebrating" happens through blog tours focused on a specific author. I really enjoy reading classics, from "things you should have read in school," like Jane Austen and John Steinbeck, to 1001 Books You Must Read Before you Die, to the lesser-known but equally wonderful Virago Modern Classics. And the first two tours are going on right now!!!

• On Tour with Wilkie Collins, from November 2 to December 11
• On Tour with Elizabeth Gaskell, from November 16 to December 24

Well, I joined the circuit the minute I found out about it. I've been sitting on the sidelines for the current tours, visiting the tour stops, reading reviews, and reconnecting with books I've enjoyed, like Collins' The Woman in White and Gaskell's North and South. But when Edith Wharton was voted to visit The Classics Circuit in January, I knew I had to be actively involved. I've read and enjoyed Wharton's The Age of Innocence, Roman Fever and Other Stories, and House of Mirth. Looking over Wharton's books on LibraryThing, I thought The Reef looked good. And guess what, it's been published as a Virago Modern Classic! So of course I had to have it, and of course Amazon was more than willing to help me. The Virago edition has a beautiful cover, and the back cover description reads:

This sounds like it will be highly autobiographical, and I'm really looking forward to reading it. The Classics Circuit committee assigned me a "tour stop" on January 12, and I'm already very excited about it!


Be sure to stop by the current tours. You may discover a new favorite author!

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You might have noticed The Sunday Salon has been a bit under the weather of late. Last Sunday my Google Reader was completely devoid of posts, but Debra bribed the gremlins, so I am hopeful today's post will travel to feed readers far and wide. I've really come to appreciate and depend on this weekly ritual. While there are some Sundays that I am either too busy or uninspired, more often I find myself -- sometimes as early as Wednesday -- thinking about the upcoming Salon, and what I'd like to write about.

This weekend finds me wallowing in a truly excellent book: Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose. I've not read Stegner before, and I chose this book because of The Pulitzer Project (it won the prize for fiction in 1972). I have to admit when I checked this book out of my local library, I blanched at its 550+ pages. Having recently read an equally hefty prizewinner, Wolf Hall (read my review), I wasn't sure if I was up for another chunkster. But I was hooked before I'd read 20 pages! The narrator is Lyman Ward, an historian confined to a wheelchair who decides to write his family history, beginning when his grandparents settled in frontier California in 1868. His grandfather, Oliver Ward, was a mining engineer; his grandmother Susan, an artist and writer from the East Coast. The family history is primarily a story of their marriage and the events that held them together. The prose is beautiful, whether Stegner is describing the rich California scenery, or portraying Lyman's emotions and infirmities.

Wikipedia defines angle of repose as "the maximum angle of a stable slope determined by friction, cohesion and the shapes of the particles." Um, that's not helpful (and physics never was my thing). However, Wikipedia's article about this book says, "the title is an engineering term for the angle at which soil finally settles after, for example, being dumped from a mine as tailings." That's a little better. Oliver Ward worked in mines across the American West, and given the nomadic lifestyle required of his profession, I can see how the angle of repose would be an apt metaphor for this novel.

It will take me a few more days to finish Angle of Repose, but I'm also thinking about what's next. I have one timed reading challenge left in 2009, the (Another) 1% Well-Read Challenge, so I think I'll wrap that up with A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka. Following that I have a couple books from my stacks that I'd like to read. But that's a subject for another time. I'll be back next Sunday with thoughts on Tractors and anything else that comes to mind.

Where is your reading taking you this weekend?
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This week has been all about women's literature -- at least, that's what has been front and center on my reading radar. I've come across several interesting items worth sharing with my Sunday Salon friends today.

In last Sunday's post, I mentioned the Women Unbound challenge, simply as something I found tempting and was likely to sign up for. Do you know, after publishing that post I couldn't get the challenge out of my head? I realized there are loads of books already on my shelves that would qualify, not to mention all the great suggestions I've seen from other participants. About an hour later, I had signed up and posted my reading list for the challenge! As the week progressed, I kept thinking about this challenge, about women and society, about the relationship between power and gender ... I could go on. Clearly I needed to get something out of my system. So, I posted the start-of-challenge meme, and read my first book of the challenge: Antonia White's The Sugar House (read my review). Antonia White wrote a series of autobiographical novels published as Virago Modern Classics. The first, Frost in May, was the story of a young girl educated in a convent in the early 20th century (reviewed here). This was a pretty classic boarding school novel with strong Roman Catholic overtones. In the second novel, The Lost Traveller, the girl finishes school and takes a job as a governess. The "girl as governess" theme is a common one, but The Lost Traveller was less about the governess experience, and more about the protagonist's changing relationship with her parents, and her own growth and independence (reviewed here). The Sugar House continues in that vein, as she gains more experience with romantic relationships, and begins to discover her own sexuality. I've found each book well-written and thought-provoking, and am looking forward to reading the final book, Beyond the Glass.

This week also marked the opening of an exhibit at The Morgan Library in New York City: A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy. I learned of it through Austenprose, who wrote this excellent post. My teenage daughter is quite an Austen fan, and is also really excited about this exhibit. A day trip to New York is ever so doable for us (much easier than visiting Austen's homeland!), so I'm hoping to fit it into our family schedule, perhaps over the Christmas holidays.

And finally, after you read this post you must immediately visit Belletrista, where the second issue has just hit the press. Belletrista is a celebration of women writers from around the world. I crowed about the first issue in a Sunday Salon post back in September, and have found the second to be just as rich and delightful. Having just finished reading Wolf Hall, I especially enjoyed Carolyn Kelly's The Man Booker Prize and Other Musings. And the reviews ... oh my. Let's just say my wishlist is growing exponentially thanks to Belletrista -- it's a good thing Christmas is coming! This issue also includes features on Nobel winner Herta Müller, the Giller Prize, Ugandan writers, biographies of women writers, holiday shopping suggestions, and the "new and notable" section. I've already decided that one of my 2010 reading goals will be all about reading books reviewed on Belletrista. My greatest challenge will be narrowing down my choices!

Well that's the week that was. Today promises to be rather busy with humdrum chores, and a bit of work that needs doing before the actual workweek begins. I'm sure I'll manage to slip in a bit of reading, too ;-) What are you doing and reading today?

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I'm pretty tired of rainy weekend weather, but if there's a silver lining it's the ability to curl up in a chair and read. And thanks to the time change in the US, I was up earlier than usual (so much for grabbing that extra hour of sleep). So why not spend the hour blogging? It's time to look back on October, so here's the month that was:

• 6 books (66 YTD)
• 1,768 pages (19,892 YTD)
• 2 written by women
• 3 Booker Prize winner
• 1 Pulitzer Prize winner
• 0 Virago Modern Classics
• 1 from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list
• 0 from a "new" country for my Reading Across Borders and Lost in Translation challenges

And what did I read?

• Empire Falls - review ( )
• The Snow Goose - review ( )
• Disgrace - review ( )
• Rites of Passage - review ( )
• To the Lighthouse - review ( )
• Wolf Hall - review ( )

This was an average month in terms of quantity, and not bad at all for quality. The Snow Goose was a surprise, because as a children's book I hadn't expected it to be as moving as it was. I was most excited about Wolf Hall, the 2009 Booker Prize winner, and it certainly lived up to expectations.

I also finished the Book Awards III challenge, which involved reading 5 books representing 5 different awards (read my wrap-up post here). I only have one more timed challenge in progress, but I've been tempted to start another: the Women Unbound Challenge. So much of my reading centers on books by women authors, finding ones that fit the "women's studies" theme shouldn't be too difficult. I haven't officially signed up yet, but I'd be crazy not to. Look for my challenge post soon.

Normally when I finish a book I dive right into my next read. But Wolf Hall is the kind of book that hangs around in your consciousness for a while. I finished it Friday night and I still have Cromwell on the brain. However, I did take a brief dip into my next book and sometime later today I will truly commit myself to it. I'll be reading Le Grand Meaulnes, a French coming-of-age story (translated into English). It was the debut novel for author Henri Alain-Fournier. Sadly, he was killed in action during World War I. After just 20 pages or so I can feel myself getting into the rhythm of this book, and am pretty sure I'm going to enjoy it.
Where is your reading taking you today?

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Hello everyone!  It's been a cold and blustery weekend which usually makes for good reading time.  But it's also been a busy weekend, with lots of little things to get done.  And I had my bi-weekly volunteer shift at the local bird rescue as well.  So with all that I'm just now sitting down to dash off my Salon post.

Did you miss my post last week?  There was a gremlin in the Yahoo pipe.  A million thanks to Debra for sorting it out.  I think the post eventually came through on Tuesday.  So, what did you miss?  I chatted a bit about a recent read, Empire Falls, raved about a moving children's book, The Snow Goose, and teed up my next two reads which were both Booker Prize winners:  Coetzee's Disgrace, and Golding's Rites of Passage.

Now here we are a week later, and I'm pleased to say I have finished both of those books.  I'm not a huge Coetzee fan, but I liked Disgrace more than expected (read my review).  The Golding was a bit better.  Similar to Lord of the Flies, Rites of Passage profiles an isolated microcosm of society (in this case, they are "isolated" on a ship bound from England to Australia).  I realized just a few pages in that I'd seen a BBC dramatization of Rites of Passage a couple years ago.  It was quite true to the book, and I also enjoyed Golding's writing.  You can find my review here.

Last week I also patted myself on the back for being quick to reserve the 2009 Booker Prize winner at my library.  Wolf Hall was released in the US this week and I was #5 in the queue.  On Friday I logged on to the library system, not expecting much, and found that my reservation was already "in transit"!  This means I might have it in my hands in the next few days, perhaps even tomorrow!!!  This is great timing: not only am I dying to read it, but I'm going to be travelling next weekend and it will be great to lose myself in a good book en route.

Even though I finished Rites of Passage just yesterday, I can't sit idle waiting for my library request.  So I started Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse this morning.  It will probably take me 'til about page 50 before I get into the rhythm of her language, but I so enjoy her writing.  And my past seven books have been written by men -- very unusual for me -- so I'm happy to be reconnecting with the feminine voice.  And who better than Virginia Woolf?

What are you reading this week?

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This is another test, trying to help Debra figure out why some TSS posts aren't being picked up by Yahoo Pipes.  Like, for example, my original October 11 Sunday Salon post and a test post on Monday.

This is only a test !

I'm testing something.  Seems like my October 11 Sunday Salon post didn't get picked up by the Yahoo Pipes widgety thingy that normally broadcasts these posts.  Just thought I'd try again to see if this one makes it through.

If you subscribe directly to this blog, then you would have seen it.  If you read it through the Sunday Salon feed, you might have missed it.  You can find my post here.

Hello everyone, I've just returned from a nice family day out.  Indian food is one of our absolute favorite things, and today our collective tummies were craving curry.  But we don't have an Indian restaurant close to home.  Daughter #1 to the rescue:  she had a considerable amount of babysitting money burning a hole in her pocket, and reminded us that our favorite Indian place is just a couple miles from a mall.  So we did a bit of teenage girl clothes-shopping, and then hit the restaurant and stuffed ourselves.  Dinner will definitely be a catch-as-catch-can affair today!

I'm hoping to spend the evening curled up with a book.  This week was a busy one and I didn't have as much time for reading as I would have liked (is there ever enough time?!).  I did finish Richard Russo's Empire Falls, a deserving Pulitzer Prize winner (read my review).  At 483 pages, it's a long-ish book, but I found myself with some inexplicable difficulty reading more than, say, 20 pages at a sitting.  It wasn't until about page 400 that I realized why.  My reading "stamina" improved immensely when I put on my reading glasses!  About a year ago my contact lens prescription was adjusted and this allowed me to do without reading glasses for a while.  But age has crept up on me again.  Sigh ... !

After Empire Falls I slipped in a short read: a children's book called The Snow Goose.  This incredibly moving novella inspired writer William Fiennes to follow North American snow geese on their spring migration, a subject he wrote about in his memoir, The Snow Geese.  Both the memoir and its inspiration were 5-star reads for me.  The novella also evoked strong emotions and memories from my childhood.  I vividly remember a television dramatization of The Snow Goose, in an era of only a few channels and infrequent re-runs.  It was terribly sad, and yet I loved it.  I hoped it would become an annual TV tradition, like A Charlie Brown Christmas.  But it was not to be; I never saw it on TV again, and it's never been released on VHS or DVD.  So it was a real pleasure to read the book, which evoked the same strong emotions & tears as the film. My review of The Snow Geese (memoir) can be found here, and my review of The Snow Goose (novella), here.

Next subject: if you follow literary prizes, you'll know the Booker Prize was awarded this week.  This is one of my favorite prizes, and I was very happy to see it go to Hilary Mantel for her novel of Tudor England, Wolf Hall.  I'm envious of my English friends who read through the longlist in the two months before the winner was announced.  Wolf Hall isn't even available in the US until Tuesday!  Yes, I know, I know, I could have ordered it from The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!), but I have a real aversion to buying new.  Fortunately, my county's library system is on the ball.  Minutes after hte prize was announced, I logged on to find they had a few copies on order, and four people had already lined up to read it.  I added my name to the list as #5.  I've been patting myself on the back ever since, because there are now 39 people on the waiting list!  I should be able to get my hands on a copy within a couple of weeks ... woo hoo!

Meanwhile, I'll be keeping myself busy with a couple of other Booker Prize winners.  At the moment I'm reading J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace, the 1999 winner, and finding it more interesting than I'd expected.  Next up is William Golding's Rites of Passage, which won the prize in 1980. I'm making pretty good progress towards completing the winners list, although I won't cross the finish line until next year.  But that reminds me:  if you're interested in reading Booker Prize winners & nominees, I invite you to join my perpetual challenge, The Complete Booker.  New members are always welcome, even if you don't want to commit to reading the entire list.  And between the winners and nominees, you're sure to find some great literature.  Hope to see you there!

Best wishes for a great week of reading ...
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Every time I write one of these wrap-up posts, I marvel at how quickly the time is passing.  It's now autumn in Pennsylvania, my favorite season.  I'm closing in on my reading goals for 2009, and really enjoying it.  Although I have to say, September wasn't the best month for me.  I read a lot of books, but had a run of several mediocre reads.  So I was feeling pretty grumpy when towards the end of the month I read William Fiennes' wonderful memoir, The Snow Geese.  My grumpiness disappeared, and I felt motivated to read again.  Isn't it funny how a single book can do that? 

Well, this being a wrap-up post, it's time for some statistics.  If that doesn't interest you, just scroll down to the end for a bit about what I'm reading now.  But if you're a numbers geek like me, read on for my September stats:

• The Curate's Wife - review ( )
• Jamaica Inn - review ( )
• My Cousin Rachel - review ( )
• Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - review ( )
• One of Ours - review ( )
• The Long Goodbye - review ( )
• The Snow Geese - review ( )
• The Uncommon Reader - review ( )

• 22 books, 60 YTD
• 6,651 pages, 18,124 YTD
• 15 written by women, 41 YTD
• 4 from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list, 14 YTD
• 2 Booker Prize winners, 7 YTD (2009 goal: 12)
• 5 Orange Prize winners/shortlisters, 9 YTD (2009 goal: 8)
• 2 Pulitzer Prize winners, 4 YTD (2009 goal: 6)
• 4 Virago Modern Classics, 8 YTD (2009 goal: 10)
• 0 from a "new" country for my Reading Across Borders and Lost in Translation challenges, 6 YTD (2009 goal: 10) ... I kind of gave up on this goal during third quarter
• 7 "just for fun" -- not associated with any particular reading goal!  I've read 21 YTD.

• Home - review ( )
• Rebecca - review ( )
• Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout - review ( )
• Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates - review ( )
• The Snow Geese, by William Fiennes - review ( )

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If you'd like to read more about this book, dovegreyreader wrote an excellent review and was lucky enough to interview the author!

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Happy Sunday to one and all!  After two days of nearly constant rain, it seems just possible that southeastern Pennsylvania will see sunshine today.  I'm still waiting for the sun to peek out from behind the clouds, but at least it's not so wet.  And I have a whole day spread out before me with no particular plans.  I don't even have any chores to do ... I confess I'm a bit at a loss as to how this happened, and how to take advantage of it.  Ideas?

This week my reading centered on Daphne Du Maurier, since she is the featured author in LibraryThing's "Monthly Author Reads" group.  I finished Jamaica Inn over the long holiday weekend, and My Cousin Rachel just yesterday.  I quite enjoyed Jamaica Inn -- the characters were interesting, and the plot twisted and turned enough to hold my interest (you can read my review here).  My Cousin Rachel was another story entirely.  Daphne Du Maurier has such an excellent reputation; why did she write a poor imitation of her classic Rebecca?  As I was out running errands yesterday, I had an imaginary conversation with Mrs. Du Maurier about this travesty, which led me to write my review in the form of a letter.  She hasn't answered me yet ... I'll be sure to report in here if she does ;-)

Last night I was still brooding over My Cousin Rachel, and couldn't bring myself to start another book.  Today I'm ready to face the literary world again, and I've picked up the next book in my stack from the library:  Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, by Roddy Doyle.  This won the Booker Prize in 1993, so reading it brings me that much closer to finishing the Booker winners list.  And it will be a nice change of pace from gothic mysteries.  Have you read this book?  What did you think of it?

Finally, I'm gearing up for Book Blogger Appreciation Week, which begins tomorrow.  There are scores of blogs vying for honors across a number of categories.  Voting ended last night, and I'm really excited to hear about the winners.  There will also be blogger interviews and give-aways, so it promises to be lots of fun.  I'm planning blog posts for most days of the week, be sure to come back for a visit!

And as I wrap up this post, I'm pleased to say the sun is out ... hooray!
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My ratings have also been true to form; this year only 10% of my books have received less than a 3-star rating.  I've reflected on this a little bit (maybe because it's back-to-school time?!)  I don't think I'm necessarily an easy grader -- I know crap when I see it!  I like to think it's because I carefully choose my books, and I select types of books I've enjoyed in the past, like prizewinners and classics.  Maybe I'm not being adventurous enough?  As I mentioned last week, I have put my Reading Across Borders perpetual challenge on the back burner.  This means I'm not reading as much literature in translation and biases my reading more towards the US and Great Britain.  But it also gives me just that little bit of extra freedom to go where my mood takes me.  Those who commented last week felt that was pretty important. Reading should be fun, right?!  So, following my mood, I began September by reading The Curate's Wife, the sequel to Jenny Wren.  I am glad I did.  I enjoyed it even more than Jenny Wren (read my review), and felt the two books were best read back-to-back.  Now I'm reading Daphne DuMaurier, as part of a group read on LibraryThing.  My current read is Jamaica Inn, and I'm going to follow this with My Cousin Rachel.  Please stop by later this week for a review or two!

What are you reading this week?
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Even though the days are hot and sticky, there's an imperceptible feeling in the air:  summer is on its way out.  The days are just that much shorter.  Many of my garden vegetables have run their course; only the tomatoes and root vegetables remain.  Conversations are turning to back-to-school shopping.  I don't really mind all of this -- autumn is actually my favorite season of the year.  But my reading choices do change a bit in the summer, tending towards somewhat lighter fare.  It's been ages since I've read a book in translation, for example.  But not to worry, I'll get back to that.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying the last of my summer reads.  They're not typical beach novels by any stretch.  But for the most part, I am choosing books that I already know I'm going to enjoy.  Two great examples are Cold Comfort Farm (review) and Olive Kitteridge (review).  The former was a light-hearted, almost slapstick romp through the English countryside.  I didn't like it as much as I thought i would, based on rave reviews from fellow readers.  But it was definitely fun.  Olive Kitteridge was, quite simply, excellent literary fiction and quite deserving of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize.  I found Olive's character complex, moving, and endearing despite her rough edges. 

Right now I'm reading Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road.   Almost a year ago, I read an excellent review  of this book, written by Trevor at The Mookse and the Gripes.  I have been looking forward to it ever since.  This is a poignant story of a couple's marriage.  I'll save further comment for my review, but suffice to say I've been zipping through this book since I started it on Friday.  My next book this month will be a Virago Modern Classic, Ruth Adam's I'm not Complaining, which recounts a teacher's experiences in an English school.  I expect a bit of wit and wisdom, and it fits with the "back to school" mindset beginning to descend on my family.

So that's it for this week.  Are you enjoying your summer reading?
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July was a wonderful month for reading.  I took two weeks off of work, so I had a lot more time to curl up with my books.  And it was Orange July, a reading event associated with the Orange Prize Project.  The idea is to read at least one winner or contender for the Orange Prize.  If you read my Orange Prize retrospective, you'll know I read 5 winners, achieving my 2009 goal to finish the winners list.  This was summer reading at its finest!  I read 2 more books than an average month, and about 500 more pages.  Here are my complete July stats:

• 8 books (46 YTD)
• 2,468 pages (13,941 YTD)
• 7 written by women
• 5 Orange Prize winners
• 1 from the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list
• 0 from a "new" country for my Reading Across Borders and Lost in Translation challenges

And my July reads, in the order I read them:

• A Crime in the Neighborhood - review ( )
• Larry's Party - review ( )
• Home - review ( )
• A Spell of Winter - review ( )
• Fugitive Pieces - review ( )
• The Judge - did not finish
• Rebecca - review ( )
• A Walk in the Woods -review ( )

Marilynne Robinson's Home was my favorite book this month.  And I really didn't have a "least favorite" -- even The Judge is well-written, it just didn't fit my summer reading mood.  And speaking of summer, I have some interesting books lined up for the dog days of August.  I kicked off the month with Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm, which several like-minded readers have praised.  And it's on the "1001 Books you Must Read Before you Die" list, so I'll check another one off this seemingly never-ending list of mostly great literature.  I'm also planning to read a Booker winner, a Pulitzer winner, and a Virago Modern Classic.  Keep checking back here for reviews and Sunday Salon posts!

How is your summer reading shaping up?  Found any favorites?

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But alas, my eager anticipation was short-lived. The prose was dense. The plot moved along at a dreadfully slow pace. I made it halfway through this book's 430 pages, when my mind started to wander towards my next read. And that next read was just way too tempting.  I haven't completely written off The Judge -- perhaps it's just not a good summer read?

Anyone curious as to which book tempted me away?  Of course I'll tell you:  Daphne duMaurier's classic, Rebecca.  I've lost count of how many people have looked at me in wide-eyed astonishment when they learn I haven't yet read this book.  And no, I haven't seen the Oscar-winning film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock, either.  What rock have I been living under?  It's time to correct this woeful situation.  Rebecca is a compelling tale of a young woman who marries a widower she meets in Monte Carlo.  They return to his Cornwall estate, which is filled with memories of his late wife, Rebecca.  There's a huge creepiness factor among some of the household staff, most notably a Mrs. Danvers who intimidates our main character right from the beginning.  The main character is a fish out of water among her husband's more refined society, and she's rather mousy and a bit of a doormat.  So I'm not sure she's all that likeable, but one can't help being sympathetic at her predicament.  There's also a bit of suspense to this story and all in all, it's a very enjoyable summer read. 

Speaking of summer reads, the other day I was looking ahead to August, what I'd consider the last month of summer, and how to make the most of it.  After my experience with The Judge, I'm giving careful consideration to my reading choices as I want them to be fun reads, and definitely not too heavy.  To start with, I'm in a rather long library queue for Olive Kitteridge, but I'm also looking forward to reading Cold Comfort Farm a bit sooner.

How about you?  For those in the northern hemisphere, how do you plan to wind up your summer reading?
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Reaching this milestone also got me thinking about the Orange Prize list.  I can see how women's writing has matured over the life of the prize.  The more recent winners are more likely to forge new ground in some way.  For example, A Spell of Winter is a pretty routine novel.  Nothing wrong with it, but it covers familiar territory. Fugitive Pieces deals with the holocaust, but even in the late 1990s there was already a fair amount of literature on that subject.  On the other hand, Half of a Yellow Sun is set during the Biafran civil war in Nigeria.  Most of the readers with whom I've discussed this book knew next to nothing about Nigeria or its political environment prior to reading the book.  And if you've read (or even heard about) We Need to Talk About Kevin, you'll know it is unique in its exploration of the emotional trauma associated with a school shooting. 

Typical of prize lists, I have my favorites.  In considering this question, I turned to LibraryThing, the font of all knowledge concerning my reading.  I filtered my library on Orange winners, and sorted by rating.  With any luck, you'll see the resulting list here.  Perusing this list, I find my heart and my memories match the data:  my favorite Orange Prize winners were The Idea of Perfection, and the 2009 winner, Home.  Each garnered a 5-star rating.  They were followed closely by Half of a Yellow Sun (4.5 stars).  5 books received 4 stars, so overall these books have been above average reads !

And I'm not finished with the Orange Prize, either.  Thanks to Jill at The Magic Lasso for envisioning and sponsoring Orange July and its sister event, Orange January.  I intend to make the most of these fun months to discover more women's literature.  Looking ahead, I plan to read each year's winner as it is announced.  And of course there are the shortlists -- I'd like to read most of these too (and I'm already on my way). 

Have you read any Orange Prize winners?  Which ones were your favorites?
Now I'm off to try those muffins ...
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