Larry's Party by Carol Shields (Jill)

Larry's Party
By Carol Shields

Larry's Party is my first Carol Shields book - but it certainly won't be my last. Admittedly, I was dreading this story. I envisioned a testosterone fest - thinking the book was about a self-involved male character who was a womanizer, cheater and full of himself. I couldn't have been further from the truth. Larry Weller was likeable, fallible and beautifully rendered in the hands of the talented Carol Shields.

The book chronicles the life of Larry Weller - an ordinary man with an unusual job. Larry creates mazes, and as he gets older, his work becomes highly sought after. Along the way, Larry gets married (twice), divorced (twice), has a son, moves and has a near-fatal health event. Each chapter focuses on one aspect of Larry's life. Sometimes we learn about his first marriage; other times we learn about the relationship with his son. The final chapter culminates into Larry's Party - a dinner party where he is circled by loved ones and friends - and gets a chance to see his many blessings.

Overall, I enjoyed Larry's Party. If I had to make a complaint, it was the constant repeating of information. I wasn't sure if Shields was trying to make each chapter standalone, but the constant reintroduction of known facts about Larry's life got on my nerves. It's a small complaint, really, and certainly wouldn't prevent me from recommending Larry's Party to other readers.

I look forward to reading more by Carol Shields and am glad to have read this Orange Prize winner. It's the type of character-driven fiction I always enjoy. ( )

Afterwards by Rachel Seiffert (Jill)

Afterwards
By Rachel Seiffert

I first became acquainted with Rachel Seiffert when I read her first book, The Dark Room. I was moved by her gentle narrative style, and I was eager to read her second book, Afterwards. Thankfully, Orange January gave me the opportunity to be immersed - once again - in Seiffert's writing.

Afterwards is the story of Alice, her grandfather and her boyfriend, Joseph. At the heart of the story, though, is the effect of post-traumatic stress on veterans. Alice's grandfather flew a bomber in Kenya, dropping bombs on dense forests where faceless people and animals were killed. Joseph was a British soldier who served in North Ireland and carried a deep guilt about his service. While Alice's grandfather had his wife (now deceased) to talk to, Joseph couldn't utter a word - not to Alice or anyone in his family. His silence was deafening, and Alice had to decide on living with the silence or living without Joseph.

I admire Seiffert for keeping the story real, including the ending, and touching on this important subject. The trauma of war on soldiers can't be ignored, and Seiffert does an admirable job showing that, especially with Joseph. The guilt was eating him alive, turning him into a different man. It was sad to watch his transformation as the book progressed.

Afterwards won't be for everyone. You have to become comfortable with Seiffert's writing style and presentation. Similar to Helen Humphreys, Seiffert packs a zillion punches into each word. Sparse but powerful, Afterwards is a story I won't soon forget. ( )

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel (Jill)

Beyond Black
By Hilary Mantel

I have to admit: I had a hard time writing this review. How can a book be intriguing and boring at the same time? That's the state I find myself in as I put together my thoughts on Beyond Black.

In summary, Beyond Black is the tale of Alison, a psychic, and her business partner/personal assistant, Colette. Their relationship reminded me of "The Odd Couple" - you couldn't get two more different people together. Alison was a big presence - vibrant, full-figured, sweet-smelling and congenial. Colette was a drab sidekick - beige, skinny and condescending. How they ended up together is still a mystery to me, even as I finished the book.

Alison is forever tormented by spirits. Her spirit guide, Morris, is a dirty pig, often found fondling himself (thank goodness only Alison could see him). As the story progresses, Mantel reveals that Alison knew Morris before his death, which opens up the intriguing parts of the book: Alison's tortuous childhood. Bit by bit, Mantel feeds the reader information about Alison's past - what was done to her and what she did. These bite-size nuggets help propel the story; however, it was not enough. Beyond Black is mixed with so much "non-action" that it overshadowed the compelling stuff.

Parts of Beyond Black were darn funny (my favorite scene was Princess Diana talking to Alison), but the most of it was too dark for my taste. The pace of Beyond Black was uneven, and I think it could have been tightened by a good 100 pages. But we all know that Mantel can write - and I look forward to reading my next Mantel selection, The Giant, O'Brien, very soon. ( )

Introduction and Plans for Orange January (Jenny)

Hi everyone! My name is Jenny and I have a blog called Reading Envy.  I enjoy nothing more than trying to read every book on a list - I annually read the nominees for the Booker, the National Book Award, the Hugo, and the Nebula, and have tried a few others here and there.  I thought it was only fitting that I started out my activity here by saying hello and posting a list!  This is a list of the books I plan to read in January 2012 for the challenge.

The first four are serving cross-purposes, as I'm also involved in a year-long Around the World reading challenge.  When I compared the lists, many were on the Orange Prize lists, so it was easy to put those first in line.  The other books I will list are books that qualify that are sitting around at home, just begging to be read.  Maybe this will help me knock off a few books from my to-read shelf!

• The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
• Frangipani by Celestine Hitiura Vaite
• A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
• Brick Lane by Monica Ali
• American Life by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson

This might be too ambitious, but that's how I'm going to start out!

As I went through the lists, I discovered that I have actually read quite a few of the Orange Prize nominees in the past few years.  Without hesitation I can say the favorite that I've read is The Powerbook by Jeanette Winterson, and you can see the others here.

The Orange January 2012 Giveaways

Check out the books I'll be giving away during Orange January 2012:

Winners:

When I Lived In Modern Times by Linda Grant (2000)
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (2010)

Shortlisted Books:

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett (1998)
Homestead by Rosina Lippi (2001)
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2004)
The Observations by Jane Harris (2007)
Lottery by Patricia Wood (2008)
Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman (2009)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2010)
Great House by Nicole Krauss (2011)

Longlisted books:

Gilgamesh by Joan London (2004)
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (2005)
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (2006)
A Mercy by Toni Morrison (2009)
The Personal History of Rachel DuPree by Ann Weingarber (2009)
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (2011)
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin (2011)

Finally, other books (maybe a future Orange Prize nominee?):

Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
The Last Nude by Ellis Avery
Untold Story by Monica Ali

Sound like fun? I hope so! I'll host my first giveaway on January 1, 2012. For more information, check out the Orange January 2012 blog post, or join us on our Facebook page and LibraryThing group.

Who's ready for Orange January 2012?

Orange January is when you pledge to read at least one Orange Prize winner or nominee during the month of January. It's a great time to explore fantastic books, win prizes and meet new friends. Check out my blog post for all the details!

Exciting Orange January News!

Hi everyone! Pardon the repost, but I wanted you all to check out some changes to Orange January 2011.

You can read my blog post here.

Thanks for participating!
Jill (mrstreme)

Orange January/July is now on Facebook

Come one, come all to the fan page for the Orange January/July Facebook page.

This is an interactive fan page - feel free to post pictures, events, links or join the discussion group. Have fun!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Jill)

The Lovely Bones
By Alice Sebold
Completed January 25, 2010

The Lovely Bones was the brazen debut by Alice Sebold, who told the story of Susie, a 14-year-old girl raped and murdered by her neighbor. Susie told her story from Heaven - or at least a section of Heaven - and through her eyes, she unraveled a complex story of love, loss and forgiveness.

When Susie entered Heaven, she went to an ideal physical location. However, most of Susie's fellow residents were ones who died from atrocious crimes such as Susie's. This special place in Heaven was intended for healing and letting go of human life. Susie missed her family enormously and watching their grief was heart-breaking for her. She also watched her murderer as he masterfully side-stepped the police and neighbors. Imagine how frustrating it would be to know the man who killed and raped you was not even a police suspect. Worse yet, imaging watching your family tear apart from your loss. It's a perspective of Heaven I had not considered, and Susie's tale left me a lot to think about.

The Lovely Bones was a true page-turner. For me, it was a spiritual novel. For others, it might be a crime story. Either way, Sebold did a marvelous job exposing Susie's family's grief - and showing that a family's ties are the strongest ones of all. ( )

The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville (Jill)

The Idea of Perfection
By Kate Grenville
Completed January 23, 2010

A word of caution to readers who haven't read The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville. It's like a wonderful homemade soup. You first add the ingredients, slowly stir and then after hours of simmering, it becomes a tasty delight. The Idea of Perfection took a few chapters to get going, but readers who stick with this story are in for a wonderful literary experience.

The book centered on two unforgettable characters - Douglas Cheeseman, an engineer, and Harley Savage, a textile expert. Both characters were visiting a small town in New South Wales on congruent missions. Douglas was dispatched to the town to demolish and rebuild an old timber bridge while Harley was there to help the town create a heritage museum. Eventually, Douglas and Harley crossed paths, and a slow love story began to develop.

Douglas and Harley shared low self-esteem and a lot of romantic baggage. Douglas was divorced, and his first wife called him a "bridge bore." Harley had three husbands - two she divorced and Husband #3 killed himself. Neither felt worthy of love and relationships, and worried obsessively about their social skills. Slowly, Grenville put both characters into story lines together, showing their vulnerabilities and general awkwardness. As the story progressed, they eventually shed - layer by layer - their doubts and insecurities.

While Douglas and Harley were sorting out their feelings, lives and inadequacies, Grenville threw in a third character, Felicity Porcelline. Felicity, on the surface, was the opposite of Douglas and Harley. She was attractive - and knew it - and spent hours trying to preserve her appearance. While she looked great on the outside, Grenville showed readers what was inside Felicity - obsessive, compulsive behavior about kitchen floors and buttons; an unnatural conflict about wrinkles, lines and creases, and what causes them; and constant need for reassurance that she's still attractive to men. Felicity was like porcelain (I wonder if Grenville chose her last name intentionally) - beautiful but fragile. And in that way, all of the characters shared this fragile-like state, though wrapped up externally in different packages.

Through this character-driven story, Grenville showed readers that perfection is nothing more than an idea - a perception held by an individual. The perfect face, perfect marriage and even a perfect bridge are never really perfect. Anyone can find a flaw. However, it's the flaws that make those things so interesting. Fans of Kate Grenville or readers who enjoy intelligent story lines will love The Idea of Perfection. I know I did. ( )

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Jill)

The Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver
Completed January 19, 2010

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver was the story of the Price family who lived in the Congo during the country’s quest for independence. The Prices, led by their patriarch, Nathan, traveled from Georgia to Congo on a Baptist mission. Nathan was hell-bent to convert the “savages” to Christianity, dragging his reluctant wife and four daughters to West Africa to fulfill his desire to be a Good Man.

The story was told by the four female Prices – and their views on Nathan were less than stellar. Only his wife, Orleanna, occasionally offered a different view of the man who was depicted so terribly by others. This brings me to my first wish for The Poisonwood Bible - that Nathan had his own voice. He probably would have remained a dispicable character, but I think it would have added more dimension to him.

My second wish for The Poisonwood Bible was for it to be shorter. This is often my gripe for books greater than 350 pages. For certain, Kingsolver did a great job keeping the story’s momentum to page 350. However, the last 150 pages or so were hard to read. A great tragedy occurred in the Price family, the climax was reached, but the story kept going. I felt the last 150 pages were Kingsolver’s attempt to tell more about Congolese history than the Prices’ story. Having read Kingsolver’s essays, I know she often is disappointed with the United States’ involvement in foreign counties. As I finished those last 150 pages, I couldn’t help but think those pages were written more to advance Kingsolver’s views than good storytelling.

So, a book needing more dimension, less pages and less political agendas would normally not be considered a good book by me, but that is not the case for The Poisonwood Bible. It was a good book, filled with lively characters, an elucidation of Congolese traditions and an exploration on what happens to countries bullied by larger powers. Kingsolver is a gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more of her stories. ( )

The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews (Jill)

The Flying Troutmans
By Miriam Toews
Completed January 8, 2010

Imagine you’re a 28-year-old women, facing a break-up with your Parisian boyfriend, and getting an urgent call from your mentally ill sister: Please come to Manitoba and take care of the kids. This was the case for young Hattie and the beginning of the family saga, The Flying Troutmans.

Hattie was a good aunt but didn’t have much maternal instinct. 15-year-old Logan was moody – torn between wanting love and affection, and giving the world the finger. His sister, Thebes, was percocious, artistic and loveable. Together, they committed Min to a psychiatric hospital, climbed into their van and headed to South Dakota, then California, to search for the kids’ father. Secretly, Hattie didn’t think she could take care of the the kids and hoped that their father could help out.

With the road as their guide, the three learned about each other. Hattie fumbled her way through managing Logan’s moods and Thebes’ constant talking. They collectively and privately worried about Min, who we learn more about through Hattie’s childhood stories. On the surface, Hattie, Logan and Thebes seemed to be three distinct pieces; however, as the story ended, they learned their connection as family and love for Min was enough to hold them together.

Miriam Toews carefully crafted a story that showed how family members live with a mentally ill family member, and her choice of dialogue and characters were spot on. As you get to know the characters, you start to care for them. Toews chose a very youthful narrative and dialogue style, and I wonder how The Flying Troutmans could impact a young adult audience. For any reader, this book was quick and quirky – certainly not without flaws – but if you love the proverbial family road trip story, then this is the book for you. ( )

The Outcast by Sadie Jones (Jill)

The Outcast
By Sadie Jones
Completed January 1, 2010

Lewis Aldridge was an outcast – shunned by his father who reminded him too much of his deceased wife, bewildered by his young stepmother and largely ignored by his peers in his home village. Alone and hurt, Lewis became a man torn between the hatred he felt for being cast out and the desperation to feel accepted. In her debut novel, The Outcast, Sadie Jones exposed parts of Lewis’s soul who were hard to read about, but like a bad car accident, you keep looking, hoping to learn more.

Lewis will be a character that I won’t soon forget. Most of the time, he was a character worthy of sympathy – a terrible victim of cirumstance that was acting out against society. Then, Lewis would show uglier colors and deeper flaws. He did unforgiveable things. And his bad reputation made him the target for any accusation – from rape to theft – whether he committed the crimes or not.

As I finished The Outcast, I realized that Lewis was not the only “outcast” in this book. His parents were sad and lost too. His friends’ parents, the Carmichaels, were unscrupable. When Lewis made this realization, he felt even more broken. The only good in the world, for him, was 15-year-old Kit Carmichael, who was the constant recipient of her father’s physical abuse. He was determined to help her, despite the personal costs.

It’s hard to say one could “enjoy” this book. The characters, though real, were tragic. Their destinies did not seem optimistic. But the ending left you with a glimmer of hope that the strength of the human spirit could endure all. ( )

Orange January is Here!

Nothing shatters those post-holiday blues like a great month of reading! It's time for the second annual Orange January!

What's on tap for my reading month? Well, here are some of my possibilities:

WINNERS:
Larry's Party (1998)
When I Lived in Modern Times (2000)
The Idea of Perfection (2001)

SHORT LIST:
The Poisonwood Bible (1999)
Purple Hibiscus (2004)
The Accidental (2006)
The Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers (2007)
The Outcast (2008)

LONG LIST:
The Lovely Bones (2003)
What I Loved (2003)
The Flying Troutmans (2009)

What are you reading for Orange January?

Ready for Orange January?!?!?

It is hard to believe that January is right around the corner, especially if you're like me and too preoccupied with getting ready for the holidays.

But keep this in the back of your mind as you shop, bake, wrap, and read: Orange January!

Last summer, I hosted Orange July, which was a personal challenge to read books nominated for or had won the Orange Prize. Many of my fellow readers joined me, and a lot of fantastic books were read. Since that time, Wendy at Caribousmom has started the Yahoo Orange Prize Group, and we've declared that there should be two months in a year dedicated to reading Orange Prize Books - and waa laa, Orange January was born!

The rules are simple: Commit to read at least one book that has been nominated for or won the Orange Prize. Some readers devote the entire month to Orange books while other readers read one or two. It's a personal challenge, so make it work for you. The point is to discover some great fiction by talented female writers.

I hope you will join us on our Orange adventure!