THE KEEP by Jennifer Egan

Danny visits his cousin, Howie, in Germany to help him with the castle he is renovating. Danny hasn't seen Howie in twenty years, not since he and another cousin left Howie to almost die in bad childhood prank. Now Howie is rich, married, and very successful. Punkster Danny has been living in NYC, bouncing from job to job and is now on the run from some mob guys.
Ray is the guy writing this story for a creative writing class in prison. His story alternates between that of Danny and Howie's.

The Keep is deliciously Gothic and creepy. But it is not your usual story and I almost didn't read it because reviews have been so mixed. I was given a push by a fellow tweeter and I am so glad I did.
Danny is such a great character, paranoid that Howie wants payback for the horrific childhood prank, obsessed with being connected to the outside world, so much so that he brings his own satellite dish to the castle and unfortunately loses it, rendering his laptop and satellite phone useless. And did I mention the Baroness? She comes with the castle, refusing to leave the Keep which is the tower part of the castle, inaccessible if the walls are breached.
Howie is a control freak millionaire, who wants to turn the castle into a type of spa that shuns the outside world. Then there is Mick, Howie's number two man, who resents Danny's presence.
Egan is such a great write and I was so drawn into this story, moving between the castle and prison, not sure what is reality and what is fiction. This is another book I stayed up late reading to try and finish. I really recommend giving this book a try.
It would have made my favorites of 2010 but there were so many great books to choose from. So it may not be on the list, but I loved it!
my rating 5/5

THE YEAR IN BOOKS- A Statistical Roundup

I stole this meme from Marie at The Boston Bibliophile- it looked fun!

How many books read in 2010? 103 as of 12/29. If I counted them all because I did think it was higher.  And lots of them were chunksters! But some were rereads though

How many fiction and non fiction?
only 7 were non-fiction and 96 were fiction. I'm not a big non-fiction reader

Male/Female author ratio? 
71 female and 32 male. Hmm, slightly skewed.


Favorite book of 2010?
If I had to choose- Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel or A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan or... well see previous post on 2010 favorites

Least favorite?
The Secret Keeper by Dorien Grey

Any that you simply couldn’t finish and why?
Murder at Longbourn by Tracey Kiely because parts were plagiarized from Bridget Jones's Diary

Oldest book read?
I guess North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Newest?
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

Longest and shortest book titles?
Longest: An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
Shortest: Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez


Longest and shortest books?
Longest: The Passage by Justin Cronin
shortest:The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff

How many books from the library?
maybe 15?

Any translated books?
none

Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?
Carl Hiaasen 3 books. Not my normal reads but helped me out of a reading drought
 
Any re-reads?
3 by Carol Goodman and 1 Agatha Christie. Also I think I reread Bridget Jones's Diary but didn't put on my list of 2010 reads

Favorite character of the year?
Martin Railsback Jr from Something Missing by Matthew Dicks or  Marie from Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky

Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?
The US, all over Britain, Australia, Egypt, Cuba, France, Russia, Taiwan, Quebec, Germany, Africa (can't remember which country), India, Spain, Italy, Mexico

Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?
I would probably not have run across Something Missing by Matthew Dicks but I can't remember which blog I found it on

Which author was new to you in 2010 that you now want to read the entire works of?
Sarah Waters

Which books are you annoyed you didn’t read?
Room by Emma Donoghue

Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?
I finally read something by John Irving- Last Night in Twisted River

Mini-review catch up!

I am way behind in reviews and way lazy at this time of year so it is mini-review time.

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex
This a a re-telling of the classic from the view of Mina. Now I haven't actually read the original Dracula, just seen movies, so I can't be sure of all the deviations and I really can't compare to the original. But I did like this well enough. It was spooky and atmospheric. Some reviews have complained that Dracula showed too late in the book but he didn't really. He was there all along, Mina just didn't know it. Dracula has been waiting for centuries and several lives of Mina for her to join him as an undead. It is part romantic love story, part Gothic thriller. And I am definitely going to read the original.
my rating 3.5/5

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
This is the story of four slave women who are brought by their masters to Ohio, to a vacation resort, leaving the wives behind. But Northern blacks are free in Ohio and the women learn about what it would be like to be free. But one thinks she truly loves her master and that if she stays, he will free her and their children. All the women struggle with the thought of running away. If they are caught, they can be punished or killed as well as their children.
 This was a look at slavery I had never seen before. It was unique and tragic and inspiring all in one book. I recommend picking this book up.
my rating 4/5

The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson
Lily Moore returns to NYC from her year working abroad in Spain because her sister, Claudia is dead. But when Lily goes to the morgue to identify Claudia, it isn't her sister lying there. This woman had been calling herself Claudia and living in Claudia's apartment. But who is this woman and where is the real Claudia Moore?
This was a pretty good mystery that delved deeper into the characters of Lily and Claudia than your usual fare. There were lots of suspects and plot twists. Some of the characters were a little too much for me. The one that really bothered me was Lily's ex-fiance, Martin. He was so smarmy and creepy, I just could not stand it. That took away a little something for me. But the plot did keep me engaged!
my rating 3.5/5

31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan

Harvey Burdell was a wealthy dentist and all around sketchy guy who is murdered in his home in Manhattan in 1857. Emma Cunningham, a widow living with Harvey and her two daughters, is accused of the crime.
The novel moves back and forth between Emma's story leading up to the murder and that of Henry Clinton, the lawyer who takes on her case to make sure she is given a fair trial. While I loved the setting and historical aspects and the plot was interesting, it just did not grab me as I had hoped. It wasn't quite the thriller I had expected. I didn't realize until the end that this was based on a true story. I never connected with Emma and this may have been the downfall for me. Parts seemed  unfinished when the book was done and left me unsatisfied.
my rating 2.5/5

MY FAVORITE READS OF 2010

Here my favorite reads of the last year, not in any particular order. I just could not narrow it down to ten! What can I say, I've read a lot of great books this year. I hope 2011 can compete.

                                                                    

Waiting For Columbus  by Thomas Trofimuk
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke 
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
  The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray 
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Day for Night by Frederrick Reiken
Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese 
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Affinity by Sarah Waters
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky

                                                                                 
And here are some runner-ups that I did not want to leave out!

SOMETHING MISSING by Matthew Dicks

Martin Railsback is a burglar. But he is not your ordinary burglar. Martin breaks into homes and takes only what he needs and won't be  missed. He chooses his clients, as he calls those whom he burgles, very carefully. They must have money, but not too much as Martin believes the very wealthy keep track of everything they own. They can't have kids, maids, and they must be married couples. Martin has a lot of rules. But this has enabled him to keep the same clients for years, without them ever suspecting that their home has been broken into several times. Martin will take toiletries, food, and the occasional piece of jewelry or other expensive item that won't be missed.

Martin is very obsessive-compulsive and plans everything carefully. Until the one day when he accidentally knocks a client's electric toothbrush into the toilet. Now, he could just take it out and put it back. But Martin can't bear to think of her then using that toothbrush. So now he has to go off script and replace it. This sets in motion a series of events that lead Martin to start helping his clients and changes his carefully constructed world.

Every so often I will come across a gem of a book. Something Missing is one of those gems. I have read some great literary fiction this year and I'm not saying this is better than those. But it was such a great, charming, engaging, and quirky book. I love, love, loved Martin. He is such a great character and this was such an unusual story that had an unexpected poignancy to it. Of course, now I also think that I have a burglar, that would explain missing pens, socks, and other small items I was sure I had that I can't find.

Some might find the details of Martin's carefully planned out procedures a little slow reading but it does pick up. I find the details important in defining Martin's character. It is also helpful if you are planning a burglary! I loved all the inside info into his clients' lives, there is a lot people can tell about us just from looking through our homes, more than you would think.

I read this in two sittings and was sorry when it was over but it left me feeling very satisfied. This is one I will reread often. I highly recommend this very entertaining and sweet novel. I also plan on reading the author's next work, Unexpectedly, Milo.

my rating 4.5/5

RUSSIAN WINTER by Daphne Kalotay

Nina Revskaya is the former Russian ballerina known as "The Butterfly". Now 79 and in a wheelchair, living in Boston, she has decided to auction off her famous jewelry collection and donate the proceeds to the Boston Ballet. But Nina's decision is not so much an act of charity as it is a way of letting go of her past.
This beautifully told story takes us to Nina's past in the Soviet Union, as a dancer for the Bolshoi Ballet, her marriage to a Russian poet, Viktor Elsin, and her eventual defection to the West. In the present, we meet Drew Brooks who works at the auction house and digs into the history of Nina's jewelry. We have Grigori Solodin, a professor of Russian studies, who donates to the auction an amber pendant that seems to be part of a set that is in Nina's possession. The past story is told from Nina's eyes, the present from Nina, Drew, and Grigori and the mystery and secrets unfold in pieces.

It took me a few chapters to get into this book, but I then I was drawn into the world of these characters and this poignant story.
I especially enjoyed reading about Nina's time in the Soviet Union, a dedicated ballerina who tries to be oblivious the changes around her in a country full of  fear, where the secret police are watching and listening to everyone. Nina in the present is bitter and lonely. Drew ended a marriage that left her unsatisfied and now has a new life, one her mother doesn't understand. Grigori is still mourning the loss of his wife two years after her death and is desperate to speak to Nina but she refuses.
I loved the ballet scenes, the mystery and history of the amber jewelry, a look at the Soviet Union in transition, everything!

The more I read, the more I loved this novel. It is part mystery, part historical fiction, with well developed characters, a moving story, and great writing. I highly recommend this book.

my rating 4.5/5

THE SHERLOCKIAN by Graham Moore

Harold White is the newest member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the most exclusive of the various Sherlockian groups. The Sherlockians are devoted fans and scholars of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle, memorizing every story, even writing papers for Sherlockian journals (think Trekkies).

They meet annually and this year in New York, Irregular Alex Cale has declared that he found the lost Conan Doyle diary, the one from the fall of 1900, before Conan Doyle restarted his Holmes stories, after the Great Hiatus, as it is referred to by Sherlockians, the seven years after Holmes was killed off and before he was then resurrected. This is one of the great mysteries of the devout Sherlockians and even of the Conan Doyle family. Conan Doyle was an avid diary keeper and this is the only one missing.

Alex Cale shows up the night before he is to present the lost diary to the other Sherlockians. He tells Harold and another Irregular that he thinks he is being followed. The next day, Alex is found dead in his hotel room and the diary is nowhere to be found. Sebastian Conan Doyle, a great-grandson, has also been looking for this diary. He hires Harold and a reported named Sarah, to find Alex's killer and locate the diary.

Back in 1900, Arthur Conan Doyle is trying to live in peace after he killed off Sherlock Holmes to the dismay of Britain. He despise Holmes and those that think he is real. Seven years after Holmes' fall off a cliff, Conan Doyle receives a letter bomb. In the package with the bomb is a newspaper clipping about a murder of a girl in Whitechapel. Arthur enlists the aid of his close friend Bram Stoker to investigate this murder, thinking the murderer is also the sender of the letter bomb. Arthur is convinced that he can do a better job than Scotland Yard and discovers another girl murdered. This leads Arthur and Bram all over London, looking for the killer of these girls.

The Sherlockian is a fun, engaging romp of a mystery, with short chapters alternating between Harold in London 2010 looking for the lost diary and Arthur Conan Doyle in London 1900 looking for a murderer. I thought the Arthur chapters were more atmospheric and had better characters than the present chapters.

I haven't read many Sherlock Holmes stories and was not aware of much about Arthur Conan Doyle. I loved how much he hated Holmes and was thrilled to kill him off only to be encountered by strangers on the street wearing black arm bands, in mourning for their lost detective.

There were lots of mysteries to be solved, some more obvious than others. It was also a look at obsession and its downfall and how we are better off not knowing some things.

I enjoyed this fast-paced historical fiction mystery. I look forward to reading more of this author.

my rating 4/5

WHAT I LEARNED IN 2010 ABOUT READING AND WHAT'S UP FOR 2011

I'm doing this post a little early because there are still some other end of year posts I want to do and I don't want them all posted at the end of the year. 

2010 so far-I met my 100 book reading goal, surpassed it actually. Some were rereads but there were some rereads I didn't count so it evens out. I also read a lot of chunksters and have learned not to fear them! I surprised myself with how many books I read this year, as I had a couple of long dry spells. But then there were times when I was just on, reading book after book after book as if my life depended on it. I love when that happens.

I have cut back on my multiple book reading style. I think I read faster, one book at a time. I have also learned that I read faster on my Kindle. I don't know why, I just do.
I bought 49 ebooks so far this year and have read 45 of them. That by far surpasses my bought paper books to read paper books ratio. That probably has to do with the immediacy of the ebooks. I don't download books I might want to read, I download books I want to read RIGHT NOW! Plus, I only buy one at a time. I stockpile paperbooks, but not ebooks. I also think the sample feature of the ebooks keeps me from buying books that turn into DNF's.

Speaking of DNF's, most of those were paper books but there were not that many this year. I think that is because I did not read that many review books and did not complete most reading challenges. I am the type of person that needs to read according to my mood and what I want to read. So I did not do well for the reading challenges, in fact, I gave them up about half-way though the year.

Which leads me to 2011 goals- none, really. I am not participating in any reading challenges. I want to read more classics but only as I feel like it, not because I feel like it checks something off. I don't want to read a book because it fits a certain requirement, I end up resenting that book. Challenges just don't fit in with the way I read books. However, I am going to try to expand my horizons a little, maybe try an Urban Fantasy book or that Steampunk I hear so much about. But if I do great, if not, oh, well.

I am also not accepting any books for review. My reading preference is literary fiction and I usually don't get offered those books for review. Plus, I hate feeling obligated and there are still a few books I promised to review, but never finished because they just were not what I wanted to read.  So rather than waste my time and the authors time, I just won't read review books this year. I don't really count LibraryThing because I only request books I am interested in, and I don't feel guilty if I don't read them.

Last year, there was a lot of talk about Reading Deliberately for 2010. I think that is what I have accomplished. I have focused on books that I want to read. I like seeing a book recommendation on twitter or a blog that appeals to me and read it by the next week. Too often I read about people with such a tight reading schedule that they can't  fit in something new that comes to their attention. That to me is very sad. It is nice to get free books but not if it means giving up your reading freedom.
So I will continue to read deliberately, reading what I want when I want.

So what are your goals for 2011? What did you learn this year?

Coming up in December- my favorite books of 2010. Also some other lists I haven't thought of yet.

AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY by Steve Martin

Lacey Yeager, an up and coming art dealer, is the protagonist of Steve Martin's latest work, which spans about fifteen years in the New York City art world. Daniel Franks, is the narrator writing the book to excise Lacey from his mind.
We follow Lacey from her entry-level  job at Sotheby's to a high end gallery on the Upper East Side, to Chelsea, where Lacey opens her own gallery.

Martin takes us deep into the art world, to the behind the scenes look at auction houses, to the houses of collectors, even to international dealings. We learn about expensive European art, the Picasos, the Van Goghs to the modern pop art of Andy Warhol and a new movement. Martin also takes us through the financial ups and downs of the art world as it shifts from conservative to modern art, survives 9/11 and the stock market crash of 2008. We follow Lacey's life as it parallels to this world.

Lacey and Daniel became friends in college and both end up in Manhattan, Lacey as a dealer, Daniel as a writer of art. Lacey is young, smart, ambitious, slightly manipulative, and beautiful.

Her walk-on role at Sotheby's stood in contrast to her starring role in the East Village bars and cafes. After her practiced and perfected subway ride home, which was timed like a ballet-her foot forward, the subway car opening just in time to catch her-she knew the bar lights were coming on, voices were raised, music edging out onto the sidewalks. She felt like the one bright light, the spot-lit girl scattering fairy dust...

Though I really enjoyed this book, I can't say I had a lot of love for the characters. Daniel is pretty boring. But I did not find Lacey as evil as I think the author intended her to be portrayed. Yes, she is ambitious but I'm sure no more than any up and coming art dealer that wants to make a name for themselves. Lacey has a relationship with a wealthy French art dealer who is madly in love with her, though Lacey does not return his affection to that degree. But she doesn't use him for anything other than sex and fun nor does she make him any promises. But somehow I felt that this relationship was supposed to epitomize Lacey's amorality, which I just did not see.

Near the beginning of the book, we learn that Lacey has come into a significant amount of money, but we are not told how. This event is alluded to throughout the book until we finally learn how that came about. This was another time that I think was supposed make me dislike Lacey, but it was rather a let down after the long build up. I won't spoil it, but it was not the crime of the century. The fact that Daniel played a role which eventually comes to haunt him, did not make me feel sympathetic to him. Really, at no point in this book did I see anything to justify Daniel's resentment of Lacey.

Although I did not see Lacey as I think the author meant me to, I still very much enjoyed this book and the very detailed look into the art world. Martin's writing is excellent as always. However, the story lacked the poignancy of Shopgirl, in part because of its  main focus on art and partly because there really was no connection with the characters. Some of the minor characters were interesting, especially the collectors, but neither Lacey nor Daniel had much depth. If I had not been interested in the art aspects, I probably would not have liked this novel. This work is not for everyone, I could see many being bored; if they aren't interested in art, they won't like this book. It seemed as if Martin wanted to write about the art world that he loves and the characters were just something to tell the story around.

I think my review makes it sound as if I liked the book less than I did. But I didn't, it just wasn't the book it was made out to be.

my rating 4/5

WHAT ALICE KNEW: A Most Curious Tale of Henry James and Jack the Ripper by Paula Marantz Cohen

In this historical mystery, Henry James, his sister Alice and his brother William try to solve the identity of Jack the Ripper. William lives in America but has come to London at the request of Scotland Yard to help them solve these crimes, using his psychological training. Alice, who is bedridden is determined to help, using information from William's investigation and Henry's observations. Other historical figures also make appearances: Mark Twain, John Singer Sergeant, Oscar Wilde, and Walter Sickert.

The story is told through the eyes of each of the James'. I loved being in London, 1888. The author did a fantastic job of creating that atmosphere; the art, the literature,the theater, and of making real characters come alive in this fictional novel.
I thought the author also nicely portrayed how politics played a role in the search for the killer and how the police looked at psychology as an investigative tool at that time.Though mostly bedridden, one does not feel sorry for Alice, she is very smart and is happy with her life. She definitely  knows how to keep her brothers in line as they argue about who Jack's real identity is. The dialogue is sharp and witty and clever.

What Alice Knew is an interesting look at one of history's biggest mysteries, while being very entertaining. I don't know how factual the book actually is, but I don't really care. It kept me engaged and interested.

my rating 4/5