some things fall by the wayside

which is what happened with my Orange List project. This year I just couldn't get into reading after the first few books and it has taken me up until the last three weeks to actually feel a yen for a little reading. So what got me between the covers again?

Oddly enough it was a combination of a little Terry Pratchet "I Shall Wear Midnight" and a dash of autobiography featuring Anthony Kiedis' "Scar Tissue".

I started reading again on my trip to Alberta. I took the girls with me to attend my Grandma's memorial. I'll post a little more on that soon. I absolutely have to share the elegant and beautiful urn that my uncle chose.

Another One Off the List

For some reason (personally I'm going with the theory that a one year old is not conducive to long periods of reading) I'm not getting through the books as fast as I'd like to but I've finished another, about three chapters in on one more and have three more ready to be picked up from the library.

Roopa Farooki's The Flying Man was a pretty good story. I read it in fits and starts, but when I was reading I was absorbed. The main character seems to have a split personality having been born the surviving twin of a still born brother in effect he has stolen the life force of his brother in the womb. He becomes throughout his life the charming grifter, making no firm attachments leaving a trail of wives and friends in his wake as he easily walks out the door without notice or farewells. (with the constant companion he refers to as my, he and we; perhaps the spirit of his twin who he carries in his head and speaks aloud to when he is alone)  finally ending up alone in a discount hotel presumably writing his life story for someone to find. As a character he isn't very likable and I found the characters of his family much more interesting. The parallel ending between our heroes death and his sun's movement forward with his life and how different each ones life was based on their choices was a perfect closing to the book.

I'm not sure that this book will cling to my brain but it was a good story.

• Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg 
• On the Floor by Aifric Campbell 
• The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen - On deck
• The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue 
• Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan - Finished
• The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
• The Flying Man by Roopa Farooki - Finished
• Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon 
• Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding 
• Gillespie and I by Jane Harris 
• The Translation of the Bones by Francesca Kay
• The Blue Book by A.L. Kennedy 
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Reading Now
  
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick - Finished
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
• There but for the by Ali Smith
• The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
• Tides of War by Stella Tillyard - On deck
• The Submission by Amy Waldman  - On deck

 While I was about half through Flying Man, I  started on Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus. I'm finding the tone to be somewhat similar to China Miéville. I'm enjoying it so far but then I'm a sucker for stories about magic. Are you reading along? Which book are you reading, what do you think of it?

Slow Goings but going none the less

I think I may have wildly overestimated my ability to get through the long list. I'm still at it though. The flying man is so far an absorbing read whenever I get a chance to be absorbed. The main character is a charming minor villain, leaving broken hearts and families behind his wandering feet.

I've started The Night Circus as well. When I say I've started I mean I've read the prologue and the first page of the first chapter. The premise is very promising but I haven't heard good things about it. I'll keep on it and let you know if I have anything bad to say about it. Tides of War is sitting on my kitchen table waiting for me to get through Flying Man before it can be started...

Are you reading along? What books are you reading, what are your thoughts? 

• Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg 
• On the Floor by Aifric Campbell - On deck
• The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen
• The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue 
• Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan - Finished
• The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
• The Flying Man by Roopa Farooki - about half through
• Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon 
• Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding 
• Gillespie and I by Jane Harris 
• The Translation of the Bones by Francesca Kay
• The Blue Book by A.L. Kennedy 
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - started
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick - Finished
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
• There but for the by Ali Smith
• The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
• Tides of War by Stella Tillyard - on deck
• The Submission by Amy Waldman 

Book Two: Foreign Bodies

And on to Book number three. I can't tell you what it seems to be about because I haven't even taken a look past the cover art. I'm super tired today since the Bean has been keeping odd hours, going to bed on her own in her own bed and then waking up two to three time a night and fighting going back to sleep. Between the husband and I, we are both exhausted.  I don't recall sleep training the Peanut to be this tricky... but on to the reading:

Foreign Bodies was filled to the brim with foreign bodies of all make and manner. From the intrusion of estranged family members in one characters living room to the literal foreign bodies that inhabit post war Paris. If I was an English Lit Student, this would be a great book to write an essay on based on the Foreign body theme alone. It was a good read; I'm just not sure that it's going to inhabit my brain the way a really superb book would.

Are you reading along? what book have you started on? Let me know what you've read and if you want what you thought about it here or in another Orange Prize labelled post. 

• Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg 
• On the Floor by Aifric Campbell - On deck
• The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen
• The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue 
• Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan - Finished
• The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
• The Flying Man by Roopa Farooki Starting
• Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon 
• Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding 
• Gillespie and I by Jane Harris 
• The Translation of the Bones by Francesca Kay
• The Blue Book by A.L. Kennedy 
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick - Finished
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
• There but for the by Ali Smith
• The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
• Tides of War by Stella Tillyard
• The Submission by Amy Waldman

Book one: Half Blood Blues and Foreign Bodies

So here's the list. I also have it on my last post as well. I'm posting it here again because I'm going to mark off the books as I've read them, about to read them or reading right now. When I went through the list the other day I was pleasantly surprised to see that Half Blood Blues could be marked off as read.

I finished the book a few months ago and it's one of those books that takes you in. Set during Nazi occupied France as well as in Germany and modern day. For some reason (possibly the referrals from my good friend who just happened to be obsessed with literature set during WW2) a lot of my most memorable reads over the course of the last six months have WW2 settings. Half Blood Blues tells the story of a group of black jazz musicians who escape to Paris. It hops back and forth between modern day when two of the characters are heading to a film festival celebrating the youngest member of the group and the events leading up to that member's capture by German soldiers in Paris. It's a book whose characters still hop into my mind here and there, as I go about my days; which to me, is a pretty good indication of it's booky goodness.

Yesterday I said I was starting off with On the Floor but that changed when the Husband brought home my library holds and Foreign Bodies was cracked open first. I'm enjoying it. I don't really like any of the characters (my vote is still out on the main character) but then I'm also enjoying not really liking them. The concept of the story is very interesting. Cynthia Ozick has taken the Henry James's The Ambassadors  and rewritten it, giving it new meaning. This is at least what it says on the book flap. As I said I'm not too keen on some of the characters but not because I'm not relating to them.  I expect to have the shading on Foreign Bodies at bright orange by early in the coming week if not by the end of the weekend. What are you reading now?

• Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg 
• On the Floor by Aifric Campbell - On deck
• The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen
• The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue 
• Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan - Finished
• The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
• The Flying Man by Roopa Farooki 
• Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon 
• Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding 
• Gillespie and I by Jane Harris 
• The Translation of the Bones by Francesca Kay
• The Blue Book by A.L. Kennedy 
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
• Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick - half way through
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
• There but for the by Ali Smith
• The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
• Tides of War by Stella Tillyard
• The Submission by Amy Waldman