The Compost Heap

Reading Log 2012

2012-01-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have decided to continue the reading log I began in 2010 and continued into 2011, listing all the books I complete in 2012. I will list by title, author, type of work, writer's country of origin, original date of publication with date of translation if not originally in English, and date read. An entry preceded by an (R) is a book that I am rereading, usually after many years. An asterisk indicates a book I particularly enjoyed. "SF/F" following "novel" means "Science Fiction/Fantasy"; "M" means "Mystery."

January:

*1. At the Point by Joseph Massey (poetry, U. S., 2011; January 1)

*2. Scar Night by Alan Campbell (novel SF/F -- Deepgate Codex Volume I, Scotland, 2006; January 1 - 4)

*3. Elegy For Kosovo by Ismail Kadare (connected short stories, Albania/France, 1998 in Albania and France, English translation of the Albanian 2000; January 5)

*4. The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata (novel, Japan, published 1954 in Japan, English translation 1970; January 6)

*5. The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett (novel, U. S., 1896; January 6 - 7)

*6. The Ipcress File by Len Deighton (novel M -- Secret File #1, England, 1962; January 7 - 9)

*7. The Wedding Wallah by Farahad Zama (novel -- Marriage Bureau #3, India/England, 2011; January 9 - 11)

*8. Madness of Flowers: A Novel of the City Imperishable by Jay Lake (novel SF/F -- City Imperishable #2, U. S., 2008; January 12 - 15)

*9. The Memory Chalet by Tony Judt (nonfiction essays -- memoir/cultural studies, England/U. S., 2010; January 15)

*10. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson (novel M -- Walt Longmire #2, U. S., 2007; January 16 - 17)

11. Secrets by Nuruddin Farah (novel -- Blood in the Sun trilogy Vol. 3, Somalia, 1998; January 18 - 20)

*12. The Other by Matthew Hughes (novel SF/F, England/Canada, 2011; January 20 - 21)

*13. Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson (novel, Germany/Netherlands, published Netherlands 1947, English translation 2010; January 22)

*14. Boneyards by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (novel SF/F -- Boss/stealth tech #3, U. S., 2012; January 22 - 23)

Read Log 2011

2011-05-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have decided to continue the reading log I began in 2010, listing all the books I complete in 2011. I will list by title, author, type of work, writer's country of origin, original date of publication with date of translation if not originally in English, and date read. An entry preceded by an (R) is a book that I am rereading, usually after many years. An asterisk indicates a book I particularly enjoyed. "SF/F" following "novel" means "Science Fiction/Fantasy"; "M" means "Mystery."

January:

*1. The Locked Room by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel M -- Martin Beck #8, Sweden, 1972 in Sweden, English translation 1973; January 1 - 2)

2. A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! by Harry Harrison (novel SF/F, U. S., 1972; January 2 - 3)

3. For A Few Demons More by Kim Harrison (novel -- Hollows #5, U. S., 2007; January 4 - 7)

4. The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna (novel, Finland, 1976 in Finland, English translation 1995; January 7)

*5. The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter (novel, U. S., 2009; January 8 - 10)

(R)6. The Gray Prince by Jack Vance (novel SF/F, U. S., 1974; January 10 - 11)

*7. Evening Clouds by Junzo Shono (novel, Japan, 1964 - 1965 in Japan, translation 2000; January 12 - 14)

*8. The Remarkable Exploits of Lancelot Biggs: Spaceman by Nelson Bond (novel SF/F, U. S., 1950; January 14 - 15)

*9. The Tenants of Moonbloom by Edward Lewis Wallant (novel, U. S., 1963; January 15 - 17)

*10. Conquered City by Victor Serge (novel, Belgium/Russia, 1932 in France in French, English translation 1976; January 17 - 19)

11. A Talent for War by Jack McDevitt (novel SF/F-- Alex Benedict #1, U. S., 1989; January 20 - 22)

12. Serving Crazy With Curry by Amulya Malladi (novel, India, 2004; January 23 - 25)

13. The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers (novel M -- Amanda Brown #1, Belgian Congo/U. S., 2009; January 26 - 27)

14. Human Nature by Jonathan Green (novel SF/F -- Ulysses Quicksilver #3, England, 2009; January 27 - 28)

*15. The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth (novel M-- John Madden #2, South Africa, 2004; January 28 - 29)

*(R)16. The Mating Season by P. G. Wodehouse (novel -- Jeeves #9, England, 1949; January 30 - 31)

February:

17. The Industrial Revolutionists: The Making of the Modern World, 1776 - 1914 by Gavin Weightman (nonfiction -- technological history/biography, England, 2007: February 1 - 4)

18. Polaris by Jack McDevitt (novel SF/F-- Alex Benedict #2, U. S., 2004; February 4 - 6)

*19. Free Air by Sinclair Lewis (novel, U. S., 1919; February 6 - 8)

*20. The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll (novel -- Agnes Browne Trilogy Book I, Ireland, 1994; February 9)

*21 Gifts by Nuruddin Farah (novel -- Blood in the Sun trilogy, Vol. 2, Somalia, 1993; February 9 - 10)

*22. Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick (novel SF/F, U. S., 1991; February 10 - 11)

*23. Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal (novella, Czechoslovakia, 1965 in Czechoslovakia, English translation 1968; February 11 - 12)

*24. The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia (novel SF/F, Russia/U. S., 2008; February 12 - 13)

25. The Headhunter's Daughter by Tamar Myers (novel M-- Amanda Brown #2, Belgian Congo/U. S., 2011; February 13 - 14)

*26. Cellophane by Marie Arana (novel, Peru, 2006; February 15 - 17)

*27. Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder (novel SF/F-- Virga Book I, Canada, 2006; February 18 - 20)

*28. The Tempest Tales: A Novel-in-Stories by Walter Mosley (fiction, U. S., 2008; February 20 - 21)

*(R)29. Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein (novel SF/F, U. S., 1941; February 21 - 22)

(R)30. Planets for Sale by A. E. van Vogt and E. Mayne Hull (novel SF/F, Canada & U. S., 1954; February 22 - 23)

*(R)31. Killdozer! by Theodore Sturgeon (novella SF/F, U. S., 1944; February 24)

32. The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izver (novel M -- Victor Legris #2, France, 2003 in France, English translation 2007; February 25 - 27)

(R)33. The Road to the Rim by A. Bertram Chandler (novel SF/F -- John Grimes #1, Australia, 1967; February 27)

34. Spawn of the Gun Pack by T. T. Flynn (novella, U. S., 1941; February 28)

March:

*35. Fighter Boys: The Battle of Britain, 1940 by Patrick Bishop (nonfiction -- history, England, 2004; March 1 - 4)

*36. Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland (novel M -- Inspector Pekkala #1, England, 2010; March 4 - 5)

*37. Sin Killer by Larry McMurtry (novel -- The Berrybender Narratives, Vol. I, U. S., 2002; March 5 - 6)

*(R)38. Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward (novel SF/F -- Cheela #1, U. S., 1980; March 7 - 8)

*39. Unforgiving Years by Victor Serge (novel, Belgium/Russia, 1971 in France in French, English translation 2008; March 9 - 13)

*40. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire (novel SF/F-- October Day #4, U. S., 2011; March 13 - 15)

41. When Titans Clashed: How The Red Army Stopped Hitler by David M. Glantz and Jonathan House (nonfiction -- history, U. S., 1995; March 16 - 19)

*42, Hay Day Canticle by David Zieroth (poetry -- chapbook, Canada, 2010; March 20)

*43. Fair Play by Tove Jansson (novel, Finland, 1982 in Finland, English translation 2007; March 20)

44. Emissaries from the Dead by Adam - Troy Castro (novel SF/F -- Andrea Cort #1, U. S., 2008; March 20 - 22)

*45, Ocean by Joseph Millar (poetry -- chapbook, U. S., 2010; March 21)

*46. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith (novel M-- Precious Ramotswe #11, Botswana, 2010; March 23 - 24)

*47. Cedar Cottage Suite by Sandy Shreve (poetry -- chapbook, Canada, 2010; March 24)

*(R)48. The Weapon Shops of Isher by A. E. Van Vogt (novel SF/F-- Isher #1, Canada, 1951; March 24 - 25)

*(R)49. The Weapon Makers by A. E. Van Vogt (novel SF/F-- Isher #2, Canada, 1952; March 25 - 26)

50. Morality Play by Barry Unsworth (novel, England, 1995; March 26 - 27)

*51. Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin (novel, Russia, 2006, English translation 2011; March 28 - 29)

*(R)52. A Choice of Gods by Clifford D. Simak (novel SF/F, U. S., 1972; March 29 - 30)

53. Duel to the Death by Christopher Anvil (novella SF/F, U. S., 1965; March 30 - 31)

54. A Question of Identity by Christopher Anvil (novella SF/F, U. S., 1995; March 31)

*55. Obituary of Light: The Sangan River Meditations by Susan Musgrave (poetry, Canada, 2009; March 31)

April:

*56. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (novel, India, 1956; April 1 - 2)

*(R)57. The Mixed Men by A. E. Van Vogt (novel SF/F, Canada, 1952; April 2 - 3)

*58. The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht (novel, Yugoslavia, 2011; April 4 - 7)

*(R)59. The City and The Stars by Arthur C. Clarke (novel SF/F, England, 1956; April 7 - 9)

*60. Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry by David Orr (non-fiction, U. S., 2011; April 10)

*61. Cop Killer by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel M -- Martin Beck #9, Sweden, 1974 in Sweden, translation 1975; April 11 - 12)

*62. The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh (nonfiction -- Buddhism/meditation, Vietnam, 1975 in Vietnamese, 1975 in English translation; April 13)

*63. The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet by Arturo Pérez - Reverte (novel -- Captain Alatriste #5, Spain, Spain in 2003, English translation 2003; April 14 - 16)

64. The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (novel, England, 1988; April 17)

(R)65. Hunters Out of Time by Joseph E. Kelleam (novel SF/F -- Jack Odin #1, U. S., 1959; April 18)

(R)66. Hunters Out of Space by Joseph E. Kelleam (novel SF/F-- Jack Odin #2. U. S., 1960; April 19)

*67. The Long Road Turns To Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh (nonfiction -- Buddhism/meditation, Vietnam, 1996; April 19)

*68. Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg (novel, U. S., 2006; April 20)

*(R)69. The Fairy Chessmen by Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore (novel SF/F, U. S., 1946; April 21)

*(R)70. The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare (drama -- romance, England, 1610/1611; April 22)

71. Cutting It Short by Bohumil Hrabal (novella, Czechoslovakia, 1976 in Czechoslovakia, English translation 1993; April 23

*(R)72. Sucker Bait by Isaac Asimov (novella SF/F, U. S., 1954; April 24)

*73. The Terrorists by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel M -- Martin Beck #10, Sweden, 1975 in Sweden, English translation 1976; April 24 - 26)

74. Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering by Ajahn Chah (nonfiction --Buddhism/meditation, Thailand, 2005; April 26)

*75. My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane (novel M -- Mike Hammer #2, U. S., 1950; April 27 - 28)

*76. The Art of Description: World into Word by Mark Doty (nonfiction -- poetry, U. S., 2010; April 28 - 29)

*77. The Word For World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (novel SF/F, U. S., 1976; April 29)

(R)78. The Green Queen by Margaret St. Clair (novel SF/F, U. S., 1956; April 30)

May:

*79. Norwood by Charles Portis (novel, U. S., 1966; May 1)

*(R)80. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (novel SF/F/M-- Lije Baley/R. Daneel Olivaw #1, U. S., 1953; May 1 - 2)

*(R)81. The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov (novel SF/F/M-- Lije Baley/R. Daneel Olivaw #2, U. S., 1956; May 2 - 3)

*82. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey (nonfiction -- nature/autobiography, U. S., 2010; May 4)

*83. The Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid (novel, Antigua, 1996; May 5)

84. Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar (novel SF/F-- The Bookman Histories #2, Israel, 2011; May 6 - 7)

*85. Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (novel M -- Sonchai Jitpleecheep #1, England/Hong Kong, 2003; May 8 - 9)

*86. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (novel M -- Walt Longmire #1, U. S., 2005; May 9)

87. The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi by Junichiro Tanizaki (novel, Japan, 1935 in Japan, English translation 1982; May 10)

*88. Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds (novel SF/F-- Revelation Space trilogy #3, Wales, 2003; May 11 - 14)

*89. The Waterworks by E. L. Doctorow (novel, U. S., 1994; May 14 - 15)

90. Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez (novel SF/F, U. S., 2008; May 15 - 16)

91. The Appointment by Herta Muller (novel, Romania, 1997, English translation 2001; May 16 - 17)

*92. Mindfulness in Plain English, Updated and Expanded Edition, by Bante Henepola Gunaratana (nonfiction -- Buddhism/meditation, Sri Lanka, 2002; May 18 - 19)

93. Zoo Station by David Downing (novel M -- John Russell #1, England, 2007; May 19 - 20)

94. Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham (novel M -- Albert Campion #8, England, 1937; May 21 - 22)

*95. Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographes, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them by Donovan Hohn (nonfiction -- travel/sociology/environmental studies/oceanography, U. S., 2011; May 22 - 25)

96. View from the Imperium by Jody Lynn Nye (novel SF/F, U. S., 2011; May 25 - 28)

97. What Distant Deeps by David Drake (novel SF/F -- RCN #8, U. S., 2010; May 29 - 30)

98. To Prime The Pump by A. Bertram Chandler (novelSF/F -- John Grimes #2, Australia, 1971; May 30 - 31)

*99. Our Appointment with Life: Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone by Thich Nhat Hanh (nonfiction -- Buddhism/meditation, Vietnam, 1990; May 31)

June:

*100. 1776 by David McCullough (nonfiction -- U. S. history, U. S., 2005; June 1 - 3)

*101. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (novel SF/F -- Peter Grant #1, England, 2011; June 4 - 5)

102. The Wandering Hill by Larry McMurtry (novel -- The Berrybender Narratives, Vol. 2, U. S., 2003; June 6 - 7)

*(R)103. Nerves by Lester Del Rey (novella SF/F, U. S., 1942; June 8)

104. The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez (novel, Argentina, 2007, English translation 2008; June 9)

*105. Thames: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd (nonfiction -- history/geography, England, 2007; June 10 - 13)

*106. The Hairy Ones Shall Dance by Manly Wade Wellman (novella SF/F, U. S., 1938; June 14)

*107. Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst (novel, U. S., 2010; June 15 - 16)

*108. The Secret Garden by Francs Hodgson Burnett (novel, England, 1911; June 16 - 17)

*109. Majestrum by Matthew Hughes (novel SF/F-- Henghis Hapthorn #1, England/Canada, 2006; June 18)

*110. Calm Things: Essays by Shawna Lemay (nonfiction -- Still life, Canada, 2008; June 19)

*111. Cascade Point by Timothy Zahn (novella SF/F, U. S., 1983; June 19)

*112. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (novel M -- Kurt Wallander #1, Sweden, 1991 in Sweden, English translation 1997; June 20 - 21)

*113. HMS Ulysses by Alistair Maclean (novel, England, 1955; June 22 - 23)

*114. Neuromancer by William Gibson (novel SF/F, U. S./Canada, 1984; June 24 - 26)

*115. Defect by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (novella SF/F, U. S., 2009; June 27)

*116. The Gates by John Connolly (novel, Ireland, 2009; June 28)

*117. You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh (nonfiction -- Buddhism/meditation, Viet Nam, 2001 in France, 2009 in English translation; June 29 - 30)

July:

118. City of Ruins by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (novel SF/F-- Boss/stealth tech #2, U. S., 2011; July 1 - 2)

*(R)119. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (novel, Scotland, 1908; July 2 - 4)

*120. The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin (novel M -- Erast Fandorin #4, Republic of Georgia, 1998 in Russia, English translation 2006; July 5 - 6)

*121. My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store by Ben Ryder Howe (nonfiction -- autobiography/cultural studies, U. S., 2010; July 6 - 7)

122. Ghosts of War by George Mann (novel SF/F -- The Ghost #2, England, 2011; July 7- 8)

123. South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (novel, Japan, 1992 in Japan, English translation 1999; July 8 - 9)

*124. Infernal Devices by K. W. Jeter (novel SF/F, U. S., 1979; July 9 - 11)

*125. Silesian Station by David Downing (novel M -- John Russell #2, England, 2008; July 11 - 13)

*126. The Gist Hunter & Other Stories by Matthew Hughes (short stories SF/F-- Henghis Hapthorn and others, England/Canada, 2005; July 13 - 14)

*127. All-Star Zeppelin Adventure Stories edited by David Moles & Jay Lake (Short stories, U. S., 2004; July 14 - 16)

*(R)128. The Time Machine: An Invention by H. G. Wells (novel SF/F, England, 1895; July 16)

*129. Morlock Night by K. W. Jeter (novel SF/F, U. S., 1979; July 16 - 17)

*130. Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand (novel, India, 1935; July 17)

131. Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead by Nick Drake (novel M -- Rahotep #1, England, 2006; July 18 - 20)

*132. Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free by John Ferling (nonfiction -- U. S. history, U. S., 2011; July 20 - 23)

133. Heart of Iron by Ekaterina Sedia (novel SF/F, Russia, 2011; July 24)

*134. Death of a Nationalist by Rebecca Pawel (novel M -- Sergeant Carlos Tejada #1, U. S., 2003; July 24 - 26)

135. Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez (novel SF/F, U. S., 2010; July 26)

*136. The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell (novel M -- Kurt Wallander #2, Sweden, 1992 in Sweden, English translation 2001; July 27 - 28)

(R)137. Murder in Space by David V. Reed (novel SF/F, U. S., 1944; July 28)

*138. Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (novel SF/F -- Darian Frey #1, England, 2009; July 28 - 30)

*139. The Spiral Labyrinth by Matthew Hughes (novel SF/F-- Henghis Hapthorn #2, England/Canada, 2007; July 30 - 31)

*(R)140. The Moon Moth by Jack Vance (novella SF/F, U. S., 1961; July 31)

August:

141. Samuel Adams: A Life by Ira Stoll (nonfiction -- biography, U. S., 2008; August 1 - 3)

*142. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (novel SF/F -- Tiffany Aching #1, England, 2003; August 3 - 4)

*(R)143. Marune: Alastor 933 by Jack Vance (novel SF/F , U. S., 1975; August 4)

*144. The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall (novel M -- Vish Puri #2, England/India, 2010; August 5 - 6)

*145. The Dead of Winter by Rennie Airth (novel M -- John Madden #3, South Africa/Italy, 2009; August 6 - 7)

*146. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (novel, Cuba/Italy, 1972 in Italian, English translation 1974; August 7)

*147. The Era 1947 - 1957: When the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers Ruled the World by Roger Kahn (nonfiction -- baseball history, U. S., 1993; August 7 - 9)

148. Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook (novel SF/F/M-- Garrett, P. I. #1, U. S., 1987; August 10 - 11)

*149. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (novel M -- Maisie Dobbs #5, England/U. S., 2008; August 11 - 13)

150. The Third Claw of God by Adam - Troy Castro (novel SF/F -- Andrea Cort #2, U. S., 2009; August 13 - 15)

*151. Hespira by Matthew Hughes (novel SF/F -- Henghis Hapthorn #3, England/Canada, 2009; August 15 - 16)

*152. Heartless by Gail Carriger (novel SF/F -- The Parasol Protectorate #4, U. S., 2011; August 16 - 17)

*153. Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer (nonfiction -- U. S. history, U. S., 1994; August 18 - 20)

*154. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (novel SF/F -- Peter Grant #2, England, 2011; August 20 - 21)

*155. You Know Me Al: A Busher's Letters by Ring Lardner (novel, U. S., 1914; August 22)

*156. The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World by Lucette Lagnado (nonfiction -- family memoir/cultural study, Egypt/U. S., 2007; August 23 - 26)

*(R)157. Protector by Larry Niven (novel SF/F -- Known Space series, U. S., 1973; August 26 - 27)

*158. The Woman Lit by Fireflies by Jim Harrison (novella, U. S., 1990; August 27 - 28)

159. The Montmartre Investigation by Claude Izner (novel M -- Victor Legris #3, France, 2003 in France, English translation 2008; August 28)

*160. Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill (novel M -- Dr. Siri Paiboun #7, England/Thailand, 2010; August 29 - 30)

*161. Giant Killer by A. Bertram Chandler (novella SF/F, Australia, 1945; August 30)

*162. What Dreams May Come by Manly Wade Wellman (novel SF/F -- John Thunstone #1, U. S., 1983; August 31)

September:

*(R)163. Ports of Call by Jack Vance (novel SF/F -- Myron Tany #1, U. S., 1998; September 1 - 4)

*164. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey (novel M -- Darko Dawson #1, Ghana/U. S., 2009; September 5)

*(R)165. Robur the Conqueror, or The Clipper of the Clouds by Jules Verne (novel SF/F -- Robur #1, France, 1886 in France, English translation 1887; September 6)

*(R)166. Master of the World by Jules Verne (novel SF/F -- Robur #2, France, 1904 in France, English translation 1911; September 7)

*167. The Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon by Louis L'Amour (novella, U. S., 1949; September 7)

*168. The Chisellers by Brendan O'Carroll (novel -- Agnes Browne Trilogy Book II, Ireland, 1995; September 7 - 8)

*169. Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky (nonfiction -- history/socioeconomic studies/ecology, U. S., 1997; September 8 - 9)

170. The Little Town Where Time Stood Still by Bohumil Hrabal (novella, Czechoslovakia, written 1973, first published 1978 in Austria, English translation 1993; September 9 - 10)

*(R)171. Crashlander by Larry Niven (short stories SF/F -- Beowulf Shaeffer/Known Space, U. S., 1994; September 10 - 11)

*172. Lurulu by Jack Vance (novel SF/F -- Myron Tany #2, U. S., 2004; September 11 - 12)

173. By Sorrow's River by Larry McMurtry (novel -- The Berrybender Narratives, Vol. 3, U. S., 2003; September 12 - 13)

*174. Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene (novel, England, 1969; September 13 - 14)

*175. First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph H. Ellis (nonfiction -- biography/U. S. history, U. S., 2010; September 14 - 17)

*176. Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber (novel SF/F, U. S., 1943; September 17 - 18)

*177. Botchan by Natsume Soseki (novel, Japan, 1906 in Japan, English translation 2005; September 19)

*178. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World by Dan Koeppel (nonfiction -- history/botany/socioeconomic studies, U. S., 2008; September 20 - 23)

*179. Z Is For Zombie by Theodore Roscoe (novel M, U. S., 1937; September 24 - 25)

180. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (novel, India, 1990; September 26)

*181. Pied Piper by Nevil Shute (novel, England/Australia, 1942; September 27 - 28)

182. Time Wants a Skeleton by Ross Rocklynne (novella SF/F, U. S., 1941; September 29)

*(R)183. The Silkie by A. E. van Vogt (novel SF/F, Canada, 1969; September 30)

October:

*184. When The Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka (novel, U. S., 2002; October 1)

*185. Home to Harlem by Claude McKay (novel, Jamaica, 1928; October 2)

*186. The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky (non-fiction -- history/cultural studies, U. S., 1999; October 3 - 7)

187. Evolution Expects by Jonathan Green (novel SF/F -- Ulysses Quicksilver #4, England, 2009; October 8 - 9)

*188. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu (novel, Ethiopia/U. S., 2007; October 9 - 10)

189. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (novel SF/F -- Matt Cruse #1, Canada, 2004; October 10 - 12)

*190. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (novel, Scotland, 1886; October 13)

*191. The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri (novel M -- Inspector Montalbano #13, Italy, 2008 in Italy, English translation 2011; October 14)

*192. Riders of the Dawn by Louis L'Amour (novella, U. S., 1951; October 15)

*193. Somewhere a Band Is Playing by Ray Bradbury (novella, U. S., 2007; October 15)

*194. The Kingdom Beyond the Waves by Stephen Hunt (novel SF/F, Canada/England, 2008; October 16 - 20)

195. The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham (novel M -- Albert Campion #9, England, 1937; October 20 - 21)

*196. The Granny by Brendan O'Carroll (novel -- Agnes Browne Trilogy Book III, Ireland, 1996; October 21 - 22)

*197. The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance by Edmund de Waal (nonfiction -- biography/history/cultural studies/art, England, 2010; October 22 - 26)

*198. The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Giant Rat of Sumatra by Richard L. Boyer (novel M, U. S., 1976; October 26 - 28)

*199. From The Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury (novel SF/F, U. S., 2001; October 29 - 30)

200. Carnacki The Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson (Fiction SF/F -- short stories, England, 1914, complete edition 1947; October 31)

November:

*201. Crescent & Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds (Revised Edition) by Stephen Kinzer (nonfiction -- history/politics/culture, U. S., 2001, revised edition 2008; November 1 - 3)

202. What's For Dinner? by James Schuyler (novel, U. S., 1978; November 3 - 4)

203. Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel (novel SF/F -- Matt Cruse #2, Canada, 2006; November 5)

204. The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark (novel, Scotland, 1960; November 6)

*205. Death Most Definite by Trent Jamieson (novel SF/F -- The Business of Death trilogy #1, Australia, 2010; November 6 - 8)

206. Miss Dimple Disappears by Mignon F. Ballard (novel M, Dimple Kilpatrick #1, U. S., 2010; 9 - 11)

*207. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (novel SF/F & M -- Newbury & Hobbes Investigations #1, England, 2009; November 11 - 12)

*208. The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak (novel, France/Turkey, 2007; November 13 - 14)

*209. Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk (non-fiction -- memoir/cultural studies/history, Turkey, 2003 in Turkey, English translation 2004; November 15 - 19)

*210. Law of Return by Rebecca Pawel (novel M -- Sergeant Carlos Tejada #2, U. S., 2004; November 20 - 21)

*(R)211. Jack of Eagles by James Blish (novel SF/F, U. S., 1952; November 22)

*212. The Siege by Ismail Kadare (novel, Albania, published in Albanian in 1970 in Albania, revised French edition in France 1994, English translation of revised French edition 2008; November 23 - 26)

213. Folly and Glory by Larry McMurtry (novel -- The Berrybender Narratives, Vol. IV, U. S., 2004; November 27)

*(R)214. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (novel SF/F/M-- Lije Baley/R. Daneel Olivaw #3, U. S., 1983; November 28 - 30)

*215. Judgment Engine by Greg Bear (novella -- SF/F, U. S., 1995; November 30)

December:

*216. Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line by Martha A. Sandweiss (nonfiction -- biography/cultural studies, U. S., 2009; December 1 - 3)

*217. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire (novel SF/F -- October Daye #5, U. S., 2011; December 4 - 5)

*218. The Three-Arched Bridge by Ismail Kadare (novel, Albania, 1978 in Albania, English translation 1997; December 6)

*219. The Hard Way Up by A. Bertram Chandler (fiction -- short stories -- SF/F John Grimes #3, Australia, 1972; December 7)

*220. Breathe, You Are Alive! The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing by Thich Nhat Hanh (nonfiction -- meditation/Buddhism, Viet Nam, 1990; December 8)

*221. Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett (novel M -- Sonchai Jitpleecheep #2, England/Hong Kong, 2005; December 9 - 10)

*222. Chike and the River by Chinua Achebe (novel, Nigeria, 1966; December 10)

*223. The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Star of India by Carole Buggé (novel M, U. S., 1997; December 11)

*224. The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (novel SF/F -- Hollows #6, U. S., 2008; December 11 - 13)

*225. Kraken by China Miéville (novel SF/F, England, 2010; December 14 - 17)

*226. The File on H. by Ismail Kadare (novel, Albania, originally published in Albanian 1981, revised edition in French 1989, English translation from French revision 1996; December 18)

*227. The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Survival in Gloucester, America's Oldest Fishing Port and Most Original Town by Mark Kurlansky (nonfiction -- history/ecology/economics/culinary studies, U. S., 2008; December 19 - 20)

*228. Stettin Station by David Downing (novel M -- John Russell #3, England, 2009; December 20 - 21)

*229. Trial of Flowers: A Novel of the City Imperishable by Jay Lake (novel SF/F -- City Imperishable #1, U. S., 2006; December 22 - 24)

230. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (novel, Hungary/England, published in play form 1903 and as a novel 1905; December 25 - 27)

*231. The Many Conditions of Love by Farahad Zama (novel -- Marriage Bureau #2, India/England, 2009; December 28 - 29)

232. The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Veiled Detective by David Stuart Davies (novel M, England, 2004; December 29 - 30)

*233. Ten Nights' Dreams by Natsume Soseki (short stories, Japan, 1908 in Japan, English translation 2000: December 31)

234. Elementals by Ian R. MacLeod (novella SF/F, England, 2008; December 31)

*235. Areas of Fog by Joseph Massey (poetry, U. S., 2009; December 31)

NaPo 4/22

2011-04-21T18:18:00.001-07:00

"Etiquette"

The crow flaps down
beside the car-struck squirrel.
He pauses,
then seems almost to bow,
as if a formal introduction is obligatory
before making off
with someone's eyeball.

NaPo 4/21

2011-04-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

"Spark"

After the rain,

there's only hush;

residual trickle

from leafedge and twig

sussurates in the grass.

The night is mute

until

one cricket twinkles.

NaPo 4/20

2011-04-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

"Reveille"

A rattle of pops,

fusillade of joint cracks,

tendon clicks and creaks:

sleep-taut flesh folds, bends, twists,

yelps, yields --

sunrise yoga.

NaPo 4/19

2011-04-19T10:10:00.001-07:00

"Nectar"

The honeysuckle stretches its tendrils

into the sun,

blossoms unfolded for the bee;

you reach out for me,

blouse open

with your need.

NaPo 4/18

2011-04-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

"Recessional"

Wet brown leaves

paper the path,

flatten underfoot

missing fall's usual rustle.

Sometimes the end comes

with a hushed step.

NaPo 4/17

2011-04-19T10:08:00.002-07:00

"Remnants"

"Fiat lux."

Creation is always messy;

no one gets it right the first time.

Looking carefully, one will find what's left behind --

fractured attempts, twisted discards,

abortive bits.

See? The night sky is littered

with the detritus of light.

NaPo 4/16

2011-04-19T10:08:00.001-07:00

"Noon"

The glittering, intricate mechanism

of the yellowjacket

dawdles along in the sun,

sauntering back to the nest

for a short siesta.

NaPo 4/15

2011-04-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

"Weeds"

Sometimes I just want to forget

the names of things

for the wonder of rolling them on the tongue again

for the first time:

. . . .spatterdock

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . teasel

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vetch

NaPo 4/14

2011-04-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

"Fluffage"

"When I Ate Lucinda's Liver" shows disturbingly remarkable insight

into the role of erotic cannabalism in contemporary society.

* * *

I haven't been so deeply moved by a poetic discussion

of how to field dress a deer

since reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as an undergraduate.

* * *

Who could have imagined that replacing the head gasket on a Honda SOHC4

could be such an intense emotional rollercoaster?

* * *

I was truly enchanted by your profoundly poetic rendering

of the classic "Sam and Janet Evening"

knock-knock joke.

* * *

It would never have crossed my mind that so many different ways

of preparing frog legs as a gourmet delicacy

could have been so exhaustively rendered in rhyming dactylic hexameter triplets.

Seriously.

* * *

The notion of recasting The Iliad as a feud between rival Mafia families

is truly staggering,

as is the choice of the limerick

as the basic stanza pattern for the whole piece.

I simply cannot give adequate expression to my feelings

at the thought there are 23 books still to go.

* * *

NaPo 4/13

2011-04-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

"Film"

Moisture shrouds the rounded river pebble

by the path;

bare molecules deep, that sheath harbors the sun

within itself

and veils the stone with light.

Remarkable how the fragile

can contain such radiance.

NaPo 4/12

2011-04-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

"Straw"

What dire Offence from am'rous Causes springs, 
What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things . . . .
-- Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock, I, ll. 1- 2.

I didn't throw all your clothes out the apartment window
just because you've been carrying on with that skank Darisha;
I didn't back the truck over your DVD collection
just because you were out screwing her
while I was in the hospital giving birth to your son;
I didn't wrap your cellphone in three of his crappy diapers
just because you gave me the clap you got from her;
no, I'm finally and totally throwing your fat, lazy, sad ass out
because you gave her the same
diamondette necklace and plastic roses you gave me
for Valentine's Day.

NaPo 4/11

2011-04-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

"Syllabus"

X - Treme Yoga

This course is for those who have

nothing left to lose.

Please sign the Liability Release Form

and the Medical Power of Attorney

before beginning the first session.

Warm-up: The Look-I've-Found-A-Sweatbee-Nest Salutation

Pose I: The Spoiled Child's Tantrum

Pose II: The Feeding Anaconda Twist

Pose III: The Two-Humped Camel

Pose IV: The Buttered Crescent Roll

Pose V: The Contorted Flowering Quince

Pose VI: The Plummeting Mountaintop Bend

Pose VII: The Rotating Paddlewheel

Pose VIII: The Bewildered Squid

Pose IX: The I-Never-Thought-I'd-Get-To-See-That-Part-Of-My-Body Fold

Pose X: The Forward-Stretched Hexagonal Unfurling Lotus Blossom

Cool-down: The Defunct Jellyfish Flop

NaPo 4/10

2011-04-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

"Karma"

"Imagine yourself as a pebble . . . ."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

Ah, if only I were,

then I'd tell my enemies

with literal precision:

"Bite me!"

NaPo 4/9

2011-04-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

"Driftwood"

"Soon you, too, will lose

all interest in your past."

-- Susan Musgrave

All knots and scars assuaged

by the surge of the sea,

I lie at the tide's furthest reach,

unassailed and at rest.

NaPo 4/8

2011-04-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Today's attempt is a concrete piece which

wouldn't format properly here, so instead here's a

link which should take you to the piece (although

there have been occasional board glitches, so at

points the link might not work for a few minutes):

"Snuggle"

NaPo 4/7

2011-04-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

"Legacy"

Let's get this straight right now:
I have no intention of going quietly.
Dignity be damned, I fully intend to raise one hell of a ruckus;
it's going to take more than one team of horses
to drag me off, and even then they'd better be Percherons.

And make no mistake about it: I'm not going alone.
What's worse than being hauled off
is everything else going on just the same
without me.
Well, screw that! When I'm gone,
you're going to know it,
and you're never going to forget it.
Or me.

Because when I go, I'm taking out of the world with me
every last shred of wisteria --
root, vine, leaf, blossom, scent,
even any bees who happen to be mining nectar at the decisive moment.
There'll only be this great big blank wisteria-shaped hole
left behind in spring

We'll see who forgets who then.

So you better get your ass moving
and carpe your diem right now
if you want to enjoy it at least once more,
because I don't know just how long I've got left
and already this morning I'm feeling
a mite faint.
__________

NaPo 4/6

2011-04-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

"Pizzicato"

The dragonfly flickers

above the shimmering stream --

staccato run in pitch and silver.

NaPo 4/5

2011-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Debutante"

She descends the spiral staircase
of the lavender blossoms,
poises on the last to bow,
then rises to join the hive's cotillion
swirling in the sun.

NaPo 4/4

2011-04-03T19:38:00.001-07:00

"In . . . "

"In . . ."

1959, this poem, with its perfect DA
and its Chesterfields rolled up in its t-shirt sleeve,
would have pulled its Chevy up in front of your house
and honked its horn for you to come out,
and opened the door for you and your poodle skirt from inside,
making your parents more than a little nervous
as it gunned the engine and the worn-out glasspacks
growled away down the street
like a troubled rumble of distant thunder.
This poem would have rushed you out past the city limits
to the drive-in over the river and helped you into the back seat
and out of your poodle skirt and joined you
in fogging up the windows while teenaged werewolves
silently pursued their own passions unregarded
outside those windows in the damp darkness.
In other words, this poem would have poured out
all those passions for you that I would have
if it hadn't been 1959 and we hadn't only been 14
and I hadn't been scared to death of your father
and, to come right down to it, you.

NaPo 4/3

2011-04-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

"Enduring"

Even after the storm
has stripped the beech's leaves
and littered the ground with twigs,
the poison ivy vine still
cleaves to the trunk
like a guilty conscience.

NaPo Entry 4/2

2011-04-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

"Canticle"

Tattered tufts of cattails

lift above the rain-filled ditch,

prayer flags winterworn to threads

answered by wet green points thrust up

into light.

NaPoWriMo '11

2011-04-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here beginneth National Poetry Writing Month 2011:

"Prime"

Some mornings no sun

salutation can unknot

night's clenched jaw.

4/1

Reading Log 2011

2011-01-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have decided to continue the reading log I began in 2010, listing all the books I complete in 2011. I will list by title, author, type of work, writer's country of origin, original date of publication with date of translation if not originally in English, and date read. An entry preceded by an (R) is a book that I am rereading, usually after many years. An asterisk indicates a book I particularly enjoyed. I may also from time to time post short reviews of some of the works listed here; the titles of those works will be linked to the reviews.

January:

*1. The Locked Room by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #8, Sweden, 1972 in Sweden, English translation 1973; January 1 - 2)

2. A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! by Harry Harrison (novel, U. S., 1972; January 2 - 3)

3. For A Few Demons More by Kim Harrison (novel -- Hollows #5, U. S., 2007; January 4 - 7)

4. The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna (novel, Finland, 1976 in Finland, English translation 1995; January 7)

*5. The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter (novel, U. S., 2009; January 8 - 10)

(R)6. The Gray Prince by Jack Vance (novel, U. S., 1974; January 10 - 11)

*7. Evening Clouds by Junzo Shono (novel, Japan, 1964 - 1965 in Japan, translation 2000; January 12 - 14)

*8. The Remarkable Exploits of Lancelot Biggs: Spaceman by Nelson Bond (novel, U. S., 1950; January 14 - 15)

*9. The Tenants of Moonbloom by Edward Lewis Wallant (novel, U. S., 1963; January 15 - 17)

*10. Conquered City by Victor Serge (novel, Belgium/Russia, 1932 in France in French, English translation 1976; January 17 - 19)

11. A Talent for War by Jack McDevitt (novel -- Alex Benedict #1, U. S., 1989; January 20 - 22)

12. Serving Crazy With Curry by Amulya Malladi (novel, India, 2004; January 23 - 25)

13. The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers (novel -- Amanda Brown #1, Belgian Congo/U. S., 2009; January 26 - 27)

14. Human Nature by Jonathan Green (novel -- Ulysses Quicksilver #3, England, 2009; January 27 - 28)

*15. The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth (novel -- John Madden #2, South Africa, 2004; January 28 - 29)

*(R)16. The Mating Season by P. G. Wodehouse (novel -- Jeeves #9, England, 1949; January 30 - 31)

February:

17. The Industrial Revolutionists: The Making of the Modern World, 1776 - 1914 by Gavin Weightman (nonfiction -- technological history/biography, England, 2007: February 1 - 4)

18. Polaris by Jack McDevitt (novel -- Alex Benedict #2, U. S., 2004; February 4 - 6)

*19. Free Air by Sinclair Lewis (novel, U. S., 1919; February 6 - 8)

*20. The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll (novel -- Agnes Browne Trilogy Book I, Ireland, 1994; February 9)

*21 Gifts by Nuruddin Farah (novel -- Blood in the Sun trilogy, Vol. 2, Somalia, 1993; February 9 - 10)

*22. Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick (novel, U. S., 1991; February 10 - 11)

*23. Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal (novella, Czechoslovakia, 1965 in Czechoslovakia, English translation 1968; February 11 - 12)

*24. The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia (novel, Russia, 2008; February 12 - 13)

25. The Headhunter's Daughter by Tamar Myers (novel -- Amanda Brown #2, Belgian Congo/U. S., 2011; February 13 - 14)

*26. Cellophane by Marie Arana (novel, Peru, 2006; February 15 - 17)

*27. Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder (novel -- Virga Book I, Canada, 2006; February 18 - 20)

*28. The Tempest Tales: A Novel-in-Stories by Walter Mosley (fiction, U. S., 2008; February 20 - 21)

*(R)29. Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein (novel, U. S., 1941; February 21 - 22)

(R)30. Planets for Sale by A. E. van Vogt and E. Mayne Hull (novel, Canada & U. S., 1954; February 22 - 23)

*(R)31. Killdozer! by Theodore Sturgeon (novella, U. S., 1944; February 24)

32. The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izver (novel -- Victor Legris #2, France, 2003 in France, English translation 2007; February 25 - 27)

(R)33. The Road to the Rim by A. Bertram Chandler (novel -- John Grimes #1, Australia, 1967; February 27)

34. Spawn of the Gun Pack by T. T. Flynn (novella, U. S., 1941; February 28)

March:

*35. Fighter Boys: The Battle of Britain, 1940 by Patrick Bishop (nonfiction -- history, England, 2004; March 1 - 4)

*36. Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland (novel -- Inspector Pekkala #1, England, 2010; March 4 - 5)

*37. Sin Killer by Larry McMurtry (novel -- The Berrybender Narratives, Vol. I, U. S., 2002; March 5 - 6)

*(R)38. Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward (novel -- Cheela #1, U. S., 1980; March 7 - 8)

*39. Unforgiving Years by Victor Serge (novel, Belgium/Russia, 1971 in France in French, English translation 2008; March 9 - 13)

*40. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire (novel -- October Day #4, U. S., 2011; March 13 - 15)

41. When Titans Clashed: How The Red Army Stopped Hitler by David M. Glantz and Jonathan House (nonfiction -- history, U. S., 1995; March 16 - 19)

*42, Hay Day Canticle by David Zieroth (poetry -- chapbook, Canada, 2010; March 20)

*43. Fair Play by Tove Jansson (novel, Finland, 1982 in Finland, English translation 2007; March 20)

44. Emissaries from the Dead by Adam - Troy Castro (novel -- Andrea Cort #1, U. S., 2008; March 20 - 22)

*45, Ocean by Joseph Millar (poetry -- chapbook, U. S., 2010; March 21)

*46. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith (novel -- Precious Ramotswe #11, Botswana, 2010; March 23 - 24)

*47. Cedar Cottage Suite by Sandy Shreve (poetry -- chapbook, Canada, 2010; March 24)

*(R)48. The Weapon Shops of Isher by A. E. Van Vogt (novel -- Isher #1, Canada, 1951; March 24 - 25)

*(R)49. The Weapon Makers by A. E. Van Vogt (novel -- Isher #2, Canada, 1952; March 25 - 26)

50. Morality Play by Barry Unsworth (novel, England, 1995; March 26 - 27)

*51. Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin (novel, Russia, 2006, English translation 2011; March 28 - 29)

*(R)52. A Choice of Gods by Clifford D. Simak (novel, U. S., 1972; March 29 - 30)

53. Duel to the Death by Christopher Anvil (novella, U. S., 1965; March 30 - 31)

54. A Question of Identity by Christopher Anvil (novella, U. S., 1995; March 31)

*55. Obituary of Light: The Sangan River Meditations by Susan Musgrave (poetry, Canada, 2009; March 31)

April:

*56. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (novel, India, 1956; April 1 - 2)

*(R)57. The Mixed Men by A. E. Van Vogt (novel, Canada, 1952; April 2 - 3)

*58. The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht (novel, Yugoslavia, 2011; April 4 - 7)

*(R)59. The City and The Stars by Arthur C. Clarke (novel, England, 1956; April 7 - 9)

*60. Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry by David Orr (non-fiction, U. S., 2011; April 10)

*61. Cop Killer by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #9, Sweden, 1974 in Sweden, translation 1975; April 11 - 12)

*63. The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet by Arturo Pérez - Reverte (novel -- Captain Alatriste #5, Spain, Spain in 2003, English translation 2003; April 14 - 16)

64. The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (novel, England, 1988; April 17)

(R)65. Hunters Out of Time by Joseph E. Kelleam (novel -- Jack Odin #1, U. S., 1959; April 18)

(R)66. Hunters Out of Space by Joseph E. Kelleam (novel -- Jack Odin #2. U. S., 1960; April 19)

*67. The Long Road Turns To Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh (nonfiction -- Buddhism/meditation, Vietnam, 1996; April 19)

*68. Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg (novel, U. S., 2006; April 20)

*(R)69. The Fairy Chessmen by Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore (novel, U. S., 1946; April 21)

*(R)70. The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare (drama -- romance, England, 1610/1611; April 22)

71. Cutting It Short by Bohumil Hrabal (novella, Czechoslovakia, 1973 in Czechoslovakia, English translation 1993; April 23

*(R)72. Sucker Bait by Isaac Asimov (novella, U. S., 1954; April 24)

*73. The Terrorists by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #10, Sweden, 1975 in Sweden, English translation 1976; April 24 - 26)

74. Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering by Ajahn Chah (nonfiction --Buddhism/meditation, Thailand, 2005; April 26)

*75. My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane (novel -- Mike Hammer #2, U. S., 1950; April 27 - 28)

*76. The Art of Description: World into Word by Mark Doty (nonfiction -- poetry, U. S., 2010; April 28 - 29)

*77. The Word For World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (novel, U. S., 1976; April 29)

(R)78. The Green Queen by Margaret St. Clair (novel, U. S., 1956; April 30)

May:

*79. Norwood by Charles Portis (novel, U. S., 1966; May 1)

With the Passing of the Summer Solstice,

2010-06-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

there's a new collection of Some Summer Poems over in The Jackdaw's Nest.

Reading Log 2010

2010-06-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have decided to attempt to keep a reading log of all the books I complete in 2010, just as an experiment. I will list by title, author, type of work, writer's country of origin, original date of publication with date of translation if not originally in English, and date read. An entry preceded by an (R) is a book that I am rereading, usually after many years. An asterisk indicates a book I particularly enjoyed. I will also from time to time post short reviews of some of the works listed here; the titles of those works will be linked to the reviews.)

January:

(R)1. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (novel, U. S., 1826; Jan. 1 - 4)

2. Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace by Leonard Mlodinow (nonfiction -- mathematics/physics, U. S., 2001; Jan. 4 - 6)

3. The Red Carpet: Bangalore Stories by Lavanya Sankaran (short stories, India, 2005; Jan. 7-8)

*4. The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri (novel -- Inspector Montalbano mystery series #11, Italy, 2006 in Sicily, translation 2009; Jan. 8)

5. A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines by Janna Levin (novel, U. S., 2006; Jan. 9 - 10)

6. Slip by Sina Queyras (poetry, Canada, 2001; Jan. 10)

7. Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design by Henry Petroski (nonfiction -- engineering/design, U. S., 2003; Jan. 11 - 12)

8. A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe (novel, Japan, 1964 in Japan, translation 1969; Jan. 13)

(R)9. Dilvish, The Damned by Roger Zelazny (short stories -- Dilvish #1, U. S., 1982; Jan. 14)

(R)10. The Changing Land by Roger Zelazny (novel -- Dilvish #2, U. S., 1981; Jan. 15)

*11. A River Sutra by Gita Mehta (novel, India, 1993; Jan. 16)

12. Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan (nonfiction -- biography, U. S., 2002; Jan. 17 - 19)

*13. Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman (novel, Russia, 1989 in Russia, translation 2009; Jan. 20 - 21)

14. School for Love by Olivia Manning (novel, England, 1951; Jan. 21 - 22)

(R)15. Bad Blood at Black Range by John Callahan (novel, U. S., 1956; Jan. 23)

16. The Great Chain of Life by Joseph Wood Krutch (nonfiction -- biology/nature, U. S., 1956; Jan. 23 - 24)

17. Dew in the Morning by Shimmer Chinodya (novel, Zimbabwe, 1982; Jan. 24 - 25)

18. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (novel, Finland, 1972 in Finland, translation 1974; Jan. 25 - 26)

*19. Pen, Sword, Camisole: A Fable to Kindle a Hope by Jorge Amado (novel, Brazil, 1980 in Brazil, translation 1985; Jan. 26 - 27)

20. The Zero Stone by Andre Norton (novel -- Murdoc Jern #1, U. S., 1968; Jan. 28 - 29)

*21. Karma Cola: Marketing The Mystic East by Gita Mehta (nonfiction -- travel/cultural studies, India, 1979; Jan. 29)

*22. Kim by Rudyard Kipling (novel, India/England, 1901; Jan. 30 - 31)

February:

23. Uncharted Stars by Andre Norton (novel -- Murdoc Jern #2, U. S., 1969; Feb. 1)

24. The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell (novel, U. S., 1945; Feb. 2)

*(R)25. As You Like It by William Shakespeare (drama -- comedy, England, 1599 or 1600; Feb. 3)

*26. Bombay Time by Thrity Umrigar (novel, India, 2001; Feb. 3 - 5)

27. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (novel, U. S., 1988; Feb. 5 - 6)

*28. Maps by Nuruddin Farah (novel -- Blood in the Sun trilogy, Vol. I, Somalia, 1986; Feb. 7 - 9)

*(R)29. The Faerie Queene: Book VI by Sir Edmund Spenser (Epic poem, England, 1596; Feb. 10)

30. Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor (nonfiction -- religion/meditation, Scotland, 1997; Feb. 11)

31. Desolation Road by Ian McDonald (novel, England, 1988; Feb. 12 - 13)

32. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (novel, Czechoslovakia, 1984 in English translation, first publication in Czech 1985 in Canada; Feb. 14 - 15)

33. The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany (novel, Egypt, 2002 in Egypt, 2004 in English translation; Feb. 16)

*34. Auntie Mame ( An Irreverent Escapade) by Patrick Dennis (novel, U. S., 1955; Feb. 17 - 18)

35. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin (short stories, Pakistan, 2009; Feb. 19 - 20)

*36. Sonnets by Camille Martin (poetry, Canada, 2010; Feb. 21)

37. Rosemary And Rue by Seanan McGuire (novel -- October Daye #1, U. S., 2009; Feb. 21 - 23)

38. A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (novel -- October Daye #2, U. S. , 2010; Feb. 23)

*39. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (novel, U. S., 2009; Feb. 24 - 26)

40. The Foundation Pit by Andrey Platonov (novel, Soviet Union, 2000 in Russia, translation 2009; Feb. 27 - 28)

March:

41. Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (novel -- Boss/stealth tech #1, U. S. , 2009; March 1 - 2)

*42. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (novel, U. S., 1937; March 3)

43. Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes by Christopher Hibbert (nonfiction -- U. S. history, Great Britain, 1990; March 4 - 7)

44. One Day on Mars by Travis S. Taylor (novel, U. S., 2007; March 8 - 10)

*45. Esther's Inheritance by Sandor Marai (novel, Hungary, 1939 in Hungary, translation 2008; March 10)

46. Wedding Song by Naguib Mahfouz (novel, Egypt, 1981 in Egypt, translation 1984; March 11)

47. The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham (novel -- Albert Campion #1, England, 1929; March 12 - 13)

*48. Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within by Kim Addonizio (nonfiction -- creativity/poetrywriting, U. S., 2009; March 13 - 14)

49. The Implacable Order of Things by Jose Luis Peixoto (novel, Portugal, 2000 in Portugal, translation 2007 in England, 2008 in the U. S.; March 15)

*50. As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires by Bruce Weber (nonfiction -- baseball, U. S., 2009; March 16 - 19)

51. Mutineers' Moon by David Weber (novel -- Dahak #1, U. S. , 1991; March 20 - 21)

*52. The Infinities by John Banville (novel, Ireland, 2009; March 21 - 22)

*(R)53. The High Crusade by Poul Anderson (novel, U. S., 1960; March 23)

*54. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith (novel -- Precious Ramotswe #10, Zimbabwe, 2009; March 23 - 24)

55. Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham (novel -- Albert Campion #2, England, 1930; March 24 - 26)

56. So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba (novel, Senegal, 1980 in Senegal, 1981 in English translation; March 26)

57. Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron (nonfiction -- travel/cultural studies, Scotland, 2006; March 27 - 29)

58. The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino (fiction, Italy, 1957 in Italy, English translation 1959; March 30)

*59. What We Carry by Dorianne Laux (poetry, U. S., 1994; March 30)

*60. Smoke by Dorianne Laux (poetry, U. S., 2000; March 31)

*61. Facts About The Moon by Dorianne Laux (poetry, U. S., 2006; March 31)

April:

62. Look for the Lady by Margery Allingham (novel -- Albert Campion #3, England, 1931; April 1 - 2)

*63. The Matisse Stories by A. S. Byatt (short stories, England, 1993; April 3)

64. Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore (novel, U. S., 1997; April 4 - 5)

(R)65. Siege of the Unseen by A. E. van Vogt (novel, Canada, 1959; April 6)

66. But Didn't We Have Fun? An Informal History of Baseball's Pioneer Era, 1843 -1870 by Peter Morris (nonfiction -- baseball history, U. S., 2008; April 6 - 8)

*67. Slowness by Milan Kundera (novel, Czechoslovakia, 1995 in France, English translation 1996; April 9)

68. Darker Than Amber by John D. MacDonald (novel -- Travis McGee #7, U. S., 1966; April 10 - 11)

69. Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds (novel -- Revelation Space trilogy Vol. 2, Wales, 2002; April 12 - 18)

*70. For Love of the Game by Michael Shaara (novel, U. S., 1991; April 19)

71, Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham (novel -- Albert Campion #4, England, 1931; April 20 - 22)

*72. The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall (novel -- Vish Puri #1, England/India, 2009; April 23 - 24)

73. Monster by A. Lee Martinez (novel, U. S., 2009; April 24 - 25)

*74. Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid (novel, Antigua, 1990; April 26)

*75. All-Night Lingo Tango by Barbara Hamby (poetry, U. S., 2009; April 26)

76. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (novel, U. S., 1968; April 27)

77. From Doon With Death by Ruth Rendell (novel -- Inspector Wexford #1, England, 1964: April 28)

*78. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (novel -- Easy Rawlins #1, U. S., 1990; April 29)

(R)79. Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny (novel, U. S., 1971; April 30)

May:

*80. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe (novel, England, 1958; May 1 - 2)

*81. American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph J. Ellis (nonfiction -- U. S. history, U. S., 2007; May 3 - 9)

82. Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham (novel -- Albert Campion #5, England, 1933; May 10 - 12)

*83. Ignorance by Milan Kundera (novel, Czechoslovakia, 2000 in France, English translation 2002; May 12 - 13)

*84. Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa (novel, Japan, 1996 in Japan, English translation 2010; May 13 - 14)

*85. Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton (novel, South Africa, 1948; May 14 - 15)

86. The Armageddon Inheritance by David Weber (novel -- Dahak #2, U. S., 1994; May 16 - 17)

(R)87. Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny ( novel, U. S., 1969; May 17)

88. Revolutionary Characters: What Made The Founders Different by Gordon S. Wood (nonfiction -- history/biography, U. S., 2006; May 18 - 25)

89. The Battle of Forever by A. E. van Vogt (novel, Canada, 1971; May 26)

90. The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson (novel, Finland, 1972 in Finland, translation 2009; May 27 - 28)

91. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (novel -- Commissario Brunetti #1, U. S., 1992; May 29 - 30)

92. Identity by Milan Kundera (novel, Czechoslovakia, 1997 in France, English translation 1998; May 30)

(R)93. The Nemesis from Terra by Leigh Brackett (novel, U. S., 1961; May 31)

June:

94. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker (novel -- Bruno #1, England, 2008; June 1 - 3)

95. Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance by Richard Powers (novel, U. S., 1985; June 3 - 6)

*96. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (novel -- Dr. Siri Paiboun #1, England/U. S., 2004; June 6 - 7)

*97. Thirty - Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill (novel -- Dr. Siri Paiboun #2, England/U. S., 2005; June 7 - 8)

98. The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain by Maria Rosa Menocal (nonfiction -- history, Cuba, 2002; June 9 - 11)

*(R)99. The Tragedy of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (drama -- tragedy, England, between 1607 and 1609; June 12)

*(R)100. Nemesis by Isaac Asimov (novel, U. S., 1989; June 13 - 15)

*101. Year of the Snake by Lee Ann Roripaugh (poetry, U. S., 2004; June 15)

*102. On the Cusp of a Dangerous Year by Lee Ann Roripaugh (poetry, U. S., 2009; June 16)

*103. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (novel, U. S., 1945; June 15 - 16)

*104. The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri (novel, India, 2001; June 17 - 18)

*105. Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert Kaplan (nonfiction -- history/cultural studies, U. S., 1993 with revised edition 2005; June 19 - 21)

*106. Arrowroot by Junichiro Tanizaki (short novel, Japan, 1931, translation 1982; June 21)

107. Judgment on Deltchev by Eric Ambler (novel, England, 1951; June 21 - 22)

*108. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (novel -- Dr. Siri Paiboun #3, England/U. S., 2006; June 22 - 23)

109. The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry by Mario Livio (nonfiction -- mathematics, U. S., 2005; June 23 - 26)

*110. The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick (short stories, U. S., 1989; June 26)

(R)111. The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett (novel, U. S., 1953; June 26 - 27)

*(R)112. The Run by John Hay (nonfiction -- biology/nature studies, U. S., 1959; June 27 - 28)

113. Corpse Pose by Diana Killian (novel -- Mantra for Murder #1, U. S., 2008; June 28)

114. Murder on the Eightfold Path by Diana Killian (novel -- Mantra for Murder #3, U. S., 2010; June 28 - 29)

*115. Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill (novel -- Dr. Siri Paiboun #4, England/U. S., 2007; June 29 -30)

July:

*116. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (novel -- Dr. Siri Paiboun #5, England/U. S., 2008; July 1)

*117. Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (novel, U. S., 1954; July 1 - 2)

118. Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa (novel, Peru, 1993 in Spanish, English translation 1996; July 2 - 3)

*119. Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America by Jack Rakove (nonfiction -- history/biographical studies, U. S., 2010; July 4 - 8)

120. Changeless by Gail Carriger (novel -- The Parasol Protectorate #2, U. S., 2010; July 9 - 10)

121. Frida Kahlo: Beneath the Mirror by Gerry Souter (nonfiction -- biography, U. S., 2005; July 11)

*122. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (novel, Pakistan, 2007; July 12 - 13)

123. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama (novel, India, 2009; July 14 - 15)

*124. Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside (novel, England, 1995; July 15 - 17)

*(R)125. Sentinels from Space by Eric Frank Russell (novel, England, 1953; July 17 - 18)

(R)126. One Against Herculum by Jerry Sohl (novel, U. S., 1959; July 18)

127. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth (novel -- John Madden #1, South Africa, 1999; July 18 - 19)

128. An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage (non-fiction -- history/agricultural science, England, 2009; July 20 - 22)

*129. The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill (novel -- Dr. Siri Paiboun #6, England/U. S., 2009; July 22)

*130. City of Thieves by David Benioff (novel, U. S., 2008; July 23 - 24)

131. Midnight's Daughter by Karen Chance (novel -- Dorrie Basarab #1, U. S., 2008; July 25 - 26)

132. Summer of '49 by David Halberstam (nonfiction -- baseball history, U. S., 1989; July 27 - 29)

133. Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham (novel -- Albert Campion #6, England, 1934; July 29)

134. Death's Mistress by Karen Chance (novel -- Dorrie Basarab #2, U. S., 2010; July 30 - 31)

(R)135. And Then The Town Took Off by Richard Wilson (novel, U. S., 1960; July 31)

August:

*136. The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad by Harrison E. Salisbury (nonfiction -- history. U. S., 1969; August 1 - 7)

*(R)137. Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #1, Sweden, 1965 in Sweden, translation 1967; August 8 - 9)

*138. Population: 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry (nonfiction -- autobiography/social-cultural commentary, U. S., 2002; August 10 - 11)

(R)139. The Earth Gods Are Coming by Kenneth Bulmer (novel, England, 1960; August 11- 12)

*140. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez (novel, Argentina, 2003 in Argentina, translation 2005; August 12)

141. When Winter Returns by Kathryn Miller Haines (novel -- Rosie Winter #4, U. S., 2010; August 13 - 14)

*142. I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson (novel, Norway, 2008 in Norway, translation 2010; August 14 - 15)

*143. Flickering Shadows by Kwadwo Agymah Kamau (novel, Barbados, 1996; August 15 - 17)

*144. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais ( novel, U. S., 2010; August 17 - 19)

*(R)145. Joy in the Morning by P. G. Wodehouse (novel -- Jeeves #8, England, 1946; August 20 - 21)

*146. Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami (novel, Morocco, 2005; August 21 - 22)

(R)147. The Secret Martians by Jack Sharkey (novel, U. S., 1960; August 22)

*148. The Three Cornered World (Kusa Makura) by Natsume Soseki (novel, Japan, 1906 in Japanese, English translation 1965; August 23 - 25)

*(R)149. Meeting at Infinity by John Brunner (novel, England, 1961; August 26 - 27)

150. James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic, Third Edition by Jack N. Rakove (nonfiction -- history/biography, U. S., 2007; August 27 - 29)

151. Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz (novel, Egypt, 1967 in Arabic, English translation 1978; August 30)

(R)152. The Skynappers by John Brunner (novel, England, 1960; August 31)

September:

*153. Last Orders by Graham Swift (novel, England, 1996; September 1 - 2)

154. In The Stormy Red Sky by David Drake (novel -- RCN #7, U. S., 2009; September 2 - 4)

*155. The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago (novel, Portugal, 2008 in Portuguese, 2010 in English translation; September 5 - 6)

156. The City & The City by China Miéville (novel, England, 2009; September 7 - 9)

157. Summer World: A Season of Bounty by Bernd Heinrich (nonfiction -- biology/nature studies, U. S., 2009; September 9 - 11)

*(R)158. Address: Centauri by F. L. Wallace (novel, U. S., 1955; September 11 - 12)

*159. Skylark by Dezso Kosztolányi (novel, Hungary, 1924 in Hungary, English translation 1993; September 13)

*160. The Man Who Went Up In Smoke by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #2, Sweden, 1966 in Sweden, translation 1969; September 13 - 14)

*(R)161. The World Swappers by John Brunner (novel, England, 1959; September 15)

162. Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner (novel -- Victor Legris #1, France, 2003 in France, English translation 2007; September 15 - 17)

*163. Shimmering in a Transformed Light: Writing the Still Life by Rosemary Lloyd (nonfiction -- literature/painting, U. S., 2005; September 17 - 18)

164. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather (novel, U. S., 1923; September 18)

165. An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire (novel -- October Daye #3, U. S., 2010; September 18 - 20)

*166. Too Late the Phalarope by Alan Paton (novel, 1953, South Africa; September 20 - 21)

*167. This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann (novel, Ireland, 1998; September 21 - 22)

168. The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia (novel, Russia, 2007; September 23 - 24)

*169. Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus by Robert D. Kaplan (nonfiction -- travel/history, U. S., 2000; September 25 - 26)

(R)170. Empire Star by Samuel R. Delany (novel, U. S., 1966; September 26 - 27)

(R)171. The Ballad of Beta-2 by Samuel R. Delany (novel, U. S., 1965; September 27)

*172. The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning (novel -- Fortunes of War: The Balkan Trilogy, Volume I; England, 1960; September 28 - 29)

*(R)173. The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell (novel, England, 1962; September 30)

October:

174. The Winter War: Russia's Invasion of Finland, 1939 - 40 by Robert Edwards (nonfiction -- history, England, 2008; October 1 - 2)

(R)175. Seven from the Stars by Marion Zimmer Bradley (novel, U. S., 1962; October 3)

176. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchatt (novel -- Discworld #32, England, 2009; October 4 - 6)

*177. Q & A by Vikas Swarup (novel, India, 2005; October 7 - 8)

178. Spade & Archer: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon by Joe Gores (novel, U. S., 2009; October 8 - 9)

*(R)179. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (novel**, U. S., 1929 - 1930; October 9) [**This is actually the original magazine version, serialized in Black Mask Magazine in 5 parts between September 1929 and January 1930 and reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories, edited by Otto Penzler and published September 2010]

*180. Morte D'Urban by J. F. Powers (novel, U. S., 1962; October 10 - 12)

181. Meditation Now Or Never by Steve Hagen (non-fiction, U. S., 2007; October 12 - 13)

*182. Blameless by Gail Carriger (novel -- The Parasol Protectorate #3, U. S., 2010; October 13 - 14)

183. Stalin's Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of World War II on the Eastern Front by Constantine Pleshakov (nonfiction -- history, Russia, 2006; October 15 - 19)

*(R)184. The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov (novel, U. S., 1952; October 19 - 20)

*185. City of Glass by Paul Auster (novel -- The New York Trilogy Vol. 1, U. S., 1985; October 20 - 21)

*186. The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #3, Sweden, 1967 in Sweden, translation 1968; October 21 - 22)

*(R)187. Talents, Incorporated by Murray Leinster (novel, U. S., 1962; October 23)

*188. The Name of the Flower by Kuniko Mukoda (short stories, Japan, published in Japan between 1981 and 1985, English translation 1994; October 23 - 24)

*(R)189. Threshold of Eternity by John Brunner (novel, England, 1959; October 25)

*190. The Stalin Epigram by Robert Littell (novel, U. S., 2009; October 26 - 28)

*191. Trick of the Light by Rob Thurman (novel -- Trickster #1, U. S., 2009; October 29 - 31)

November:

*(R)192. Claimed by Francis Stevens (novel, U. S., 1920; November 1 - 2)

*193. The Case of Comrade Tulayev by Victor Serge (novel, Belgium/Russia, published in France 1949, English translation 1950; November 3 - 7)

*194. The Track of Sand by Andrea Camilleri (novel -- Inspector Montalbano mystery series #12, Italy, 2007 in Sicily, translation 2010; November 7 - 8)

*(R)195. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson (novel, Sweden, originally published in Sweden in two parts 1941 & 1945, English translation 1955; November 9 - 13)

196. Wicked River: The Mississippi When It Last Ran Wild by Lee Sandlin (nonfiction -- history, U. S., 2010; November 14 - 17)

*197. The Grimrose Path by Rob Thurman (novel -- Trickster #2, U. S., 2010; November 18 - 19)

*198. The Third Man by Graham Greene (novel, England, 1950; November 20)

*(R)199. Cosmic Engineers by Clifford D. Simak (novel, U. S., 1950; November 20 - 21)

200. Tun - Huang by Yasushi Inoue (novel, Japan, 1959, English translation 1978; November 22 - 24)

*201. Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (novel -- Maisie Dobbs #4, England, 2006; November 24 - 25)

*202. The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #4, Sweden, 1968 in Sweden, translation 1970; November 26)

*203. Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham (novel -- Albert Campion #7, England, 1936; November 27 - 28)

204. The Case of the Peerless Peer by Philip José Farmer (novel, U. S., 1974; November 29)

*(R)205. Double Star by Robert Heinlein (novel, U. S., 1956; November 30)

*(R)206. Magic, Inc. by Robert Heinlein (short novel, U. S., 1940; November 30)

December:

207. American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence by Pauline Maier (nonfiction -- history, U. S., 1997; December 1 - 6)

208. The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar (novel -- The Bookman Histories #1, Israel, 2010; December 6 - 7)

*(R)209. The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #5, Sweden, 1969 in Sweden, translation 1969; December 8)

*(R)210. True Grit by Charles Portis (novel, U. S., 1968; December 9)

*211. The Stones Cry Out by Hikaru Okuizumi (novel, Japan, 1993 in Japan, translation in 1999; December 9 - 10)

212. Unnatural History by Jonathan Green (novel -- Ulysses Quicksilver #1, England, 2007; December 11 - 12)

213. The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (novel -- Inspector Grant #1, England, 1929; December 13 - 14)

214. The Horns of Ruin by Tim Akers (novel, U. S., 2010; December 14 - 15)

*215. Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami (novel, Japan, 1999, English translation 2001; December 15)

216. Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann (novel -- The Ghost #1, England, 2010; December 15 - 16)

*217. The Dog of the South by Charles Portis (novel, U. S., 1979; December 16 - 17)

218. Leviathan Rising by Jonathan Green (novel -- Ulysses Quicksilver #2, England, 2008; December 18 - 19)

*(R)219. Henry IV, Part I by William Shakespeare (drama -- history, England, 1597; December 19)

*220. Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #6, Sweden, 1970 in Sweden, translation 1971; December 20 - 21)

221. Heirs of Empire by David Weber (novel -- Dahak #3, U. S., 1996; December 21 - 24)

*222. The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt (novel, England, 2007; December 25 - 28)

*223. The Abominable Man by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (novel -- Martin Beck #7, Sweden, 1971 in Sweden, translation 1972; December 29 - 30)

*(R)224. The Dying Earth by Jack Vance (fiction -- interconnected short stories, U. S., 1950; December 30 - 31)

Avatar Review #12

2010-06-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

is now online. Enjoy.

New in Jackdaw's Nest

2010-05-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

"Twelve Poems with Flowers."

New in "The Jackdaw's Nest"

2010-04-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Twelve Poems With Three-Word Titles.

For May-Day: "Corinna's Going A-Maying" by Robert Herrick

2010-04-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

GET up, get up for shame! The blooming morn
Upon her wings presents the god unshorn.: See how Aurora throws her fair; Fresh-quilted colors through the air.; Get up, sweet slug-a-bed, and see; The dew bespangling herb and tree!
Each flower has wept and bowed toward the east
Above an hour since, yet you not drest;: Nay! not so much as out of bed?; When all the birds have matins said; And sung their thankful hymns, 'tis sin,; Nay, profanation, to keep in,
Whenas a thousand virgins on this day
Spring sooner than the lark, to fetch in May.
Rise and put on your foliage, and be seen
To come forth, like the springtime, fresh and green,: And sweet as Flora. Take no care; For jewels for your gown or hair.; Fear not; the leaves will strew; Gems in abundance upon you.
Besides, the childhood of the day has kept
Against you come, some orient pearls unwept.: Come, and receive them while the light; Hangs on the dew-locks of the night;; And Titan on the eastern hill; Retires himself, or else stands still
Till you come forth! Wash, dress, be brief in praying;
Few beads are best when once we go a-Maying.
Come, my Corinna, come; and coming, mark
How each field turns a street, each street a park,: Made green and trimmed with trees! see how; Devotion gives each house a bough; Or branch! each porch, each door, ere this,; An ark, a tabernacle is,
Made up of whitethorn neatly interwove,
As if here were those cooler shades of love.: Can such delights be in the street; And open fields, and we not see't?; Come, we'll abroad; and let's obey; The proclamation made for May,
And sin no more, as we have done, by staying;
But, my Corinna, come, let's go a-Maying.
There's not a budding boy or girl this day
But is got up and gone to bring in May.: A deal of youth ere this is come; Back, and with white-thorn laden home.; Some have dispatched their cakes and cream,; Before that we have left to dream;
And some have wept and wooed, and plighted troth,
And chose their priest, ere we can cast off sloth.: Many a green-gown has been given,; Many a kiss, both odd and even;; Many a glance, too, has been sent; From out of the eye, love's firmament;
Many a jest told of the keys betraying
This night, and locks picked; yet we're not a-Maying!
Come, let us go, while we are in our prime,
And take the harmless folly of the time!: We shall grow old apace, and die; Before we know our liberty.; Our life is short, and our days run; As fast away as does the sun.
And, as a vapor or a drop of rain,
Once lost, can ne'er be found again,: So when you or I are made; A fable, song, or fleeting shade,; All love, all liking, all delight; Lies drowned with us in endless night.
Then, while time serves, and we are but decaying,
Come, my Corinna, come, let's go a-Maying.

For April

2010-04-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Everything at The Compost Heap and The Jackdaw's Nest except the Reading Log is on hiatus because of the insanity that is National Poetry Writing Month. Back in time for May Day or thereabouts.

New for Mid-March in Jackdaw's Nest

2010-03-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

"Twenty More Poems with 3-Line Stanzas."

Three New Recipes

2010-03-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

in "The Recipe Box."

Marinated Olive, Red Pepper, and Artichoke Heart Salad

Bourbon - Molasses Strip Steak

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

I Have Two Poems

2010-03-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

in the new issue of soundzine.

Now in "The Jackdaw's Nest"

2010-02-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

The 100th post: Twelve March Poems.

Brief Review: "Auntie Mame" by Patrick Dennis

2010-02-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

Auntie Mame (An Irreverent Escapade) by Patrick Dennis, 1955

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale" Auntie Mame.

After 55 years, what is there to say that hasn't already been said? Very little if anything, I suspect, so I won't even try; I'll just state categorically that Auntie Mame may well be the funniest comic novel ever written by an American, or, if not that, still one of a very tiny handful which head any list of the funniest and best. Mame Dennis (later Burnside), woman of exquisite modern tastes and cultural refinement, strong liberal inclinations and fierce opposition to hypocrisy in all its forms, almost boundless optimism even if not always the most profound insight into others' characters, is one of the great comic creations of the 20th century who throws herself without hesitation or restraint into experiencing life and who is essentially unflappable even when things go seriously awry, as they sometimes do. I have the feeling that, were Mame seriously religious, she would undoubtedly choose to be Lutheran just so she could adopt as her own motto Martin Luther's dictum pecca fortiter -- "sin bravely," not because she's particularly a sinner, but because she commits herself totally to whatever she undertakes, without reservation (and sometimes without forethought).

The novel in fact focuses on the relation that develops between Mame and her nephew -- one Patrick Dennis -- who is committed to her keeping as his legal guardian when Patrick becomes an orphan at the age of 10 in 1928 and follows them and their adventures up until 1955. That relationship, as one might imagine, has its ups and downs, with Patrick at moments passionately idolizing his Aunt while at others driven entirely to distraction by her behavior; it's at those latter moments he is fully convinced that he is actually her guardian or at least has to act as if he were. But the very real love between the two never falters, not even when, on the eve of his high school graduation from a strict, stuffy private school, she imperils him by showing up with a young pregnant woman she's taken under her wing, insists that he sneak off campus twice a day to shop and take the mother-to-be for long walks, and registers her in the local hotel as -- of course -- Mrs. Patrick Dennis, a situation naturally discovered by the primmest and stuffiest of prim and stuffy headmasters.

The humor derives not only from the plotting and the complex, problematical situations which Mame (and sometimes Patrick) create but also from the writing itself, which is lively, witty, and masterful. When the newly-arrived Patrick informs Mame that he doesn't understand many of the words she uses, she's delighted at the opportunity of "molding a little new life!" and hands him a pencil and pad which he's to keep at all times and write down any words she uses he doesn't understand so she can explain them to him, thereby developing his vocabulary. Of course, she hands him the pad with her usual grand sweeping gesture which knocks over the coffee pot, whereupon "I immediately wrote down six new words which Auntie Mame said to scratch out and forget."

Auntie Mame is a work that comes the closest of any American novel I can recall having read to the work of P. G. Wodehouse; Wodehouse's intricate plotting, his ability to characterize stereotypical characters as individuals, and the wonderful humor of his prose are all attributes one also finds in Dennis's work. But Dennis differs from Wodehouse, as well, in his forthrightness in dealing at times with what were very controversial (and generally not publicly addressed) issues at the time the book was published; Mame's relentless and remorseless taking on of the antisemitism and racial bigotry of Patrick's prospective father-in-law at one point is one instance. Dennis, in fact, deserves recognition for his willingness to address such issues in the mid-1950s; he was one of the few writers at the time who did so.

But it is most as comedy that Auntie Mame stands out from so much other work, and it is as a -- possibly the -- superb American comic novel that it deserves to be remembered. And read.

The Clover, Bee, and Reverie Poetry Challenge 2010

2010-02-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have just discovered and will be participating in the Clover, Bee, and Reverie Poetry Challenge 2010; this link includes the rules. I will be participating at the "Sonnet" level, which means reading 14 books, with 2 groups of 2 books related to each other in some way and 1 group of 4 books related in some way.

10.

11.

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14.

Brief Review: "Maps" by Nuruddin Farah

2010-02-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Maps by Nurrudin Farah (Volume I of the Blood in the Sun trilogy), 1986

Maps develops the theme of identity in its many manifestations -- personal, family, and national -- through a simple story which is narrated through stylistically complex means, and in so doing explores the various aspects of its central theme in depth while raising significant questions about the multiple nature of identity.

The story itself focuses on the central character, Askar, who is born in the disputed African region of Ogaden of parents from that region, which is the scene of ongoing, sporadic conflict between Ethiopia, which was granted control of Ogaden following World War II, and Somalia which claims it as Somalian territory because it's inhabited by Somali-speaking people. Orphaned immediately at birth, Askar is taken in by Misra, herself an exile from Ethiopia and raised by her until about age 7 or 8. He develops an incredibly close relationship with Misra and comes to see her as his birth-mother, even though he know she isn't. Then, when full-scale war breaks out between Somalia and Ethiopia (in 1977-1978), he is sent to the family of his birth-mother's brother in Mogadishu where he is taken in and raised as his uncle and aunt's own child, they being childless; again, he comes to develop a close relationship with them, as well. His uncle wishes for him to receive a college education and become a teacher, but other family relatives want him to join the Ogaden resistance movement (in which his father had died) and carry on where his father left off in seeking to free the Ogaden from Ethiopia. On the eve of his decision regarding his future course of action, Misra arrives in Mogadishu and wishes to see him; this event complicates his life and his decision because she is believed to have betrayed a resistance cell to the Ethiopians and caused the deaths of 600 people. His final meeting with her and he subsequent fate lay the groundwork for his ultimate decision as to who he is in all its senses and to what he will commit himself.

The stylistic complexity of Maps reveals itself in a number of ways. Most obviously, the work employs three differing points of view -- first person, second person, and third person, all focused on Askar himself and each permitting him to be seen and understood from multiple perspectives., much more so than would have been possible in seeing him from a single point of view. (The justification for the multiple perspective is made clear in the closing paragraph of the story, and to my mind at least works.) The multiple viewpoints allow for a variety of interior views of Askar and his meditations on various aspects of the central theme of identity, beginning with questions about the relationship that exists between mother and child both physical and emotional, and opening out into questions of personal identity and later issues of family, "tribe," and national identity, as well. These interior meditations are really the center of the work, with the narrative serving to present occasions for Askar's attempts to understand his place in a complex world of multiple and often shifting identities. Another important element lies in the maps of the title, a subject which fascinates Askar and which come to embody in a number of ways the various concepts of identity.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Narah's previous trilogy Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship, I was impressed to see how much Narah had developed as a writer by the time he wrote Maps, which represents a significant growth in his skill. I was impressed even more with Maps than with the previous trilogy, and look forward to reading the remaining two volumes -- Gifts and Secrets -- in the near future.

Now in "The Jackdaw's Nest"

2010-02-06T23:56:00.000-08:00

"Fifteen Poems from Europe."

Brief Review: "Bombay Time" by Thrity Umrigar

2010-02-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

Bombay Time by Thrity Umrigar, 2001.

Bombay Time shows us a small group of closely-connected people, all members of the minority Parsi community and all life-long (or near life-long) residents of a single apartment building -- Wadi Baug -- in turn-of-the-millennium Bombay. The novel focuses on a single important event, the wedding of a young man who has grown up in Wadi Baug, and reveals to us the life stories of almost a dozen of the residents, leading in every case up to each's participation in the wedding feast and, most important, a special gathering of this group following the feast for a gift for each prepared by the bridegroom's father. We learn a great deal about each of these individuals, following their lives in most cases over 30 to 40 years, and come to see their desires, their hopes, their successes and failures, and what they think of themselves and each other after a lifetime together as neighbors and in a sense as members of a kind of extended family. Reflecting on their own lives, some members of the group at least come to a better understanding of themselves and their own lives, particularly after Jimmy Kanga presents them with his gift, and some, although not all, are changed for the better as a result. However, at the end of the novel, the outside world of modern Bombay (now Mumbai, of course), the world of poverty, violence, hunger, and despair, breaks in upon them all in a forceful and unexpected way, and reveals that there is still a larger world which threatens the small, familial world of Wadi Baug, with the result that the novel ends on a rather ambiguous note.

I enjoyed the novel and the exploration of the individual characters who make up the community of Wadi Baug; it's another novel -- like A River Sutra I reviewed earlier -- which presents us with a cross-section of a portion of Indian society, here on a smaller scale than in A River Sutra and confined to a single ethnic group, but still pleasurable to experience. I recommend Bombay Time.

Brief Review: "Pen, Sword, Camisole" by Jorge Amado

2010-01-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

Pen, Sword, Camisole: A Fable to Kindle a Hope by Jorge Amado, originally published in Brazil in 1980, translation from the Portuguese by Helen R. Lane in 1985.

Like other of Amado's novels, Pen, Sword, Camisole combines comic farce, biting satire, and life-affirming joy in one work that is a delight to read. The novel is set in Brazil in late 1940 and early 1941, a time when the country was under the control of a rigid dictatorship with clear totalitarian leanings as well as close connections to Nazi Germany. The Chief of National Security is one Colonel Sampaio Pereira who delights in the nickname bestowed upon him by his enemies, the "Brazilian Goebbels," and whose greatest ambition -- aside from participating in the worldwide triumph of Nazism -- is to be chosen a member of the illustrious Brazilian Academy of Letters. The death in occupied Paris of the great Brazilian poet Antonio Bruno creates a vacancy among the 40 members, and the Colonel, through his sycophantic ally Lisandro Leite (already a member of the Academy), begins his campaign to be elected. However, a number of Academy members can't stand the thought of the liberal, peace-loving Bruno being replaced by a self-proclaimed Nazi; two of them in particular, Afranio Portela and Evandro Nunes dos Santos, take it upon themselves to prevent his election and found a committee to launch a counteroffensive.They find a higher-ranking army officer with literary accomplishments to run against Sampaio Pereira, one General Waldomiro Moreira, and persuade him to run for the vacant position; they employ several different tactics, including convincing several of the deceased Bruno's former mistresses to help "persuade" some of the undecided Academicians to vote against the Nazi (the pen may be mightier than the sword, but the camisole quite possibly is mightier than both). Plot and counterplot on both sides swirl, tangle, and intertwine in farcical profusion, and the outcome hangs uncertainly in the balance, right up until a totally unexpected occurrence radically alters the entire situation, and the Afranio - Evandro committee suddenly finds itself having to drastically change course in midstream with little time left in which to do so.

The novel is a excellent satire of academic and social pretension as well as of Brazil's "New State" (as it was called during the late 1930s and 40s) and a thoroughly enjoyable comic romp. But, as always with Amado, there is also joy; here, it takes the form of several accounts by Bruno's former lovers of their relationships with him and how, through him, they came to recognize and embrace the joy that is the essence of being alive, as Bruno himself believed. It is this combination of comedy, satire, and joyous recognition that marks Amado's best works, and Pen, Sword, Camisole belongs solidly among them.

Not That It Matters Really, But

2010-01-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

the site counter just hit:

66666

Brief Review: "Everything Flows" by Vasily Grossman

2010-01-21T14:36:00.001-08:00

Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman, written during the early 1960s but suppressed by the Soviet government; finally published in Russia in 1989; translation by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler with Anna Astanyan 2009.

The last novel of Vasily Grossman, completed as he was dying of stomach cancer in 1964, Everything Flows is a scathing indictment of Soviet Russia and its leadership, especially under Lenin and Stalin. The novel is rather loosely structured and follows the central character Ivan Grigoryevitch once he is released after 30 years in prison and the Siberian workcamps for crimes against the state of which he was in fact falsely accused. Lost in a world he knows virtually nothing about, he briefly encounters a few individuals, particularly his cousin, a successful Soviet scientist, as well as Pinegin, the man who had falsely accused him; in each case, we are given insight into each of those individuals and what each has done (and has sacrificed) in order to survive and prosper in Stalin's Russia. He finally finds a home with Anna Sergeyevna, a war widow, and a job as a metalworker in a small machine shop. Becoming lovers for a brief period before she dies of cancer, she reveals to him her experiences as a Soviet official in the Ukraine during the Terror, the period during 1932 - 1933 when Stalin caused the starvation of millions of Ukrainians and what the consequences were to the Ukraine as well as to herself. He spends much of his time thinking about what he learned from his experiences in the camps, and it's these meditations that form the central focus of the novel. His speculations take a number of forms in the work: a short mental drama in which a series of informers reveal why they became informers; a number of brief narratives seen from the point of view of various individuals suffering under Soviet rule (including a wife and mother arrested for failing to inform on her husband and a middle-aged farmer who with his wife and infant son starve during the Ukraine Terror); and a series of journal entries, essentially essays, in which he evaluates the characters of Lenin, Stalin, and Russia itself, and, after reviewing Russian history, comes to understand something of how his homeland has fallen into the state in which it exists under Stalin and his successors. Eventually, he comes to believe:

"The evolution of the West was fertilized by the growth of freedom; Russia's evolution was fertilized by the growth of slavery. This is the abyss that divides Russia and the West" (p. 179).

Ivan Grigoryevitch doesn't know if Russia can ever escape from the cycle that has trapped it from its earliest history. However, despite doubts as to that possibility, he does believe absolutely in what he comes to call the "sacred law of life": "There is no end in the world for the sake of which it is permissible to sacrifice human freedom" (p. 164).

As a novel, Everything Flows is episodic in nature with little narrative progression; however, many of the episodes which take place in the central character's memory or imagination are powerful, painful embodiments of the experiences of those who were arrested, imprisoned, interrogated, and sentenced to serve in the Siberian workcamps. In this respect, I'd say it's easily as powerful as Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. And its damning first-hand analysis of the Soviet State is the final legacy of of a writer who loved his country and hated what it had become in the hands of those he viewed as the most despicable of warlords and powermongers. Everything Flows is not an easy book to read; it is a book I recommend without reservation.

NOTE: There's an excellent interview with Robert Chandler, the translator, here (thanks to Frank Wilson).

For Those Attracted To The Word "The"

2010-01-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

Twelve Poems Beginning With The Word The now over in The Jackdaw's Nest.

Brief Review: "A River Sutra" by Gita Mehta

2010-01-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

A River Sutra by Gita Mehta, 1993.

I found this work to be a fascinating and enthralling novel that presents a cross-section of Indian society, both traditional and contemporary. The unnamed narrator is a highly placed civil servant in later middle age, a widower without children, who has tired of the constant activity required by his position and who, wishing to live a simpler and more contemplative life, requests reassignment as a manager of a government-operated rest house located in a rural area along the Narmada River, often regarded as the most sacred of all India's sacred rivers. Having a great deal of free time in this position, he takes long walks in the countryside and along the river and encounters many different individuals with whom he strikes up conversations and who tell him their stories. In the course of the work, we meet people of many different religions -- Hindu, Muslim, Jain -- and a broad spectrum of social and class backgrounds, from the most learned and wealthy to the least educated and poor, and gain at least a glimpse into the complex society that makes up India. In some way or another, all are connected to the river and the beliefs and traditions which surround it, a fact which helps to provide insight into the nature of the sacred and its role in Indian culture. At the same time, the narrator himself is coming to learn more about himself than he has ever realized previously.

I have recently begun to read work by Indian writers, something I really had not done previously. I found that this novel has given me a better understanding of India and its fantastically complex culture than anything I've read previously. I also found it to be a rather breathtaking work that drew me in and along with it from the very beginning. I enjoyed it immensely and cannot recommend it highly enough.

Charity Navigator's List of Vetted Charities for Haiti Relief

2010-01-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

can be found here.

The Clinton Foundation. is another.

Yoga: Day 1

2010-01-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

ouch

First Jackdaw's Nest of 2010 Is Up

2010-01-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

Twelve Poems with Food in Them.

Reading Log 2010

2010-01-04T09:08:00.001-08:00

January:

(R)1. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (novel, U. S., 1826; Jan. 1 - 4)

2. Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace by Leonard Mlodinow (nonfiction -- mathematics/physics, U. S., 2001; Jan. 4 - 6)

3. The Red Carpet: Bangalore Stories by Lavanya Sankaran (short stories, India, 2005; Jan. 7-8)

*4. The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri (novel -- Inspector Montalbano mystery series #11, Italy, 2006 in Sicily, translation 2009; Jan. 8)

5. A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines by Janna Levin (novel, U. S., 2006; Jan. 9 - 10)

6. Slip by Sina Queyras (poetry, Canada, 2001; Jan. 10)

7. Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design by Henry Petroski (nonfiction -- engineering/design, U. S., 2003; Jan. 11 - 12)

8. A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe (novel, Japan, 1964 in Japan, translation 1969; Jan. 13)

(R)9. Dilvish, The Damned by Roger Zelazny (short stories -- Dilvish #1, U. S., 1982; Jan. 14)

(R)10. The Changing Land by Roger Zelazny (novel -- Dilvish #2, U. S., 1981; Jan. 15)

*11. A River Sutra by Gita Mehta (novel, India, 1993; Jan. 16)

12. Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan (nonfiction -- biography, U. S., 2002; Jan. 17 - 19)

*13. Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman (novel, Russia, 1989 in Russia, translation 2009; Jan. 20 - 21)

14. School for Love by Olivia Manning (novel, England, 1951; Jan. 21 - 22)

(R)15. Bad Blood at Black Range by John Callahan (novel, U. S., 1956; Jan. 23)

16. The Great Chain of Life by Joseph Wood Krutch (nonfiction -- biology/nature, U. S., 1956; Jan. 23 - 24)

17. Dew in the Morning by Shimmer Chinodya (novel, Zimbabwe, 1982; Jan. 24 - 25)

18. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (novel, Finland, 1972 in Finland, translation 1974; Jan. 25 - 26)

*19. Pen, Sword, Camisole: A Fable to Kindle a Hope by Jorge Amado (novel, Brazil, 1980 in Brazil, translation 1985; Jan. 26 - 27)

20. The Zero Stone by Andre Norton (novel -- Murdoc Jern #1, U. S., 1968; Jan. 28 - 29)

*21. Karma Cola: Marketing The Mystic East by Gita Mehta (nonfiction -- travel/cultural studies, India, 1979; Jan. 29)

*22. Kim by Rudyard Kipling (novel, India/England, 1901; Jan. 30 - 31)

February:

23. Uncharted Stars by Andre Norton (novel -- Murdoc Jern #2, U. S., 1969; Feb. 1)

24. The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell (novel, U. S., 1945; Feb. 2)

*(R)25. As You Like It by William Shakespeare (drama -- comedy, England, 1599 or 1600; Feb. 3)

*26. Bombay Time by Thrity Umrigar (novel, India, 2001; Feb. 3 - 5)

27. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (novel, U. S., 1988; Feb. 5 - 6)

*28. Maps by Nuruddin Farah (novel -- Blood in the Sun trilogy, Vol. I, Somalia, 1986; Feb. 7 - 9)

*(R)29. The Faerie Queene: Book VI by Sir Edmund Spenser (Epic poem, England, 1596; Feb. 10)

30. Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor (nonfiction -- religion/meditation, Scotland, 1997; Feb. 11)

31. Desolation Road by Ian McDonald (novel, England, 1988; Feb. 12 - 13)

32. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (novel, Czechoslovakia, 1984 in English translation, first publication in Czech 1985 in Canada; Feb. 14 - 15)

33. The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany (novel, Egypt, 2002 in Egypt, 2004 in English translation; Feb. 16)

*34. Auntie Mame ( An Irreverent Escapade) by Patrick Dennis (novel, U. S., 1955; Feb. 17 - 18)

35. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin (short stories, Pakistan, 2009; Feb. 19 - 20)

*36. Sonnets by Camille Martin (poetry, Canada, 2010; Feb. 21)

37. Rosemary And Rue by Seanan McGuire (novel -- October Daye #1, U. S., 2009; Feb. 21 - 23)

38. A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (novel -- October Daye #2, U. S. , 2010; Feb. 23)

*39. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (novel, U. S., 2009; Feb. 24 - 26)

40. The Foundation Pit by Andrey Platonov (novel, Soviet Union, 2000 in Russia, translation 2009; Feb. 27 - 28)

March:

41. Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (novel, U. S. , 2009; March 1 - 2)