Book project 2010: update #25

Well, here we are again in the closing few days of the year. The Christmas presents are wrapped, my fridge is stocked with goodies, work is winding down (sort of) and unbelieveably I have now been writing these book posts for almost a year. And what fun it's been! I do realise though that at some point in the near future I have to revisit this list and see if I can actually pick my ultimate book list for 2010. I'm looking forward to it!

The Half Brother by Lars Saaybe Christensen


If I was going on Mastermind I wouldn’t choose Norway as my “special subject”. I know very little about the country, but after reading this book I would at least like to be able to read Norwegian. This is a magnificent, hugely readable story about an ordinary-yet-extraordinary Norwegian family, set over several decades, but I wonder whether it hasn’t suffered a little in the translation. If language weaves a rich tapestry, a poorly chosen word or phrase is the niggling moth hole which mars the masterpiece. There is no doubt however that Barnum, screenwriter, drunk, person-of-short-structure and sibling to enigmatic half-brother Fred, is an unusual and engaging lead character. Or is it Fred that drives the narrative, even in his absences? Intriguing.

Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell.

Oh, my, they breed ‘em tough in the Ozarks. Ree Dolly, a child-woman whose cares outweigh the resources she has to fend for her two younger brothers and mentally failing mother after her father, a “crank” cook (Crystal Meth), disappears, is one hell of a tough chick. With the family home on the line and winter closing in, Ree confronts the violence, lawlessness and in-bred secrecy of this isolate mountain community as she attempts to find her missing father before they lose everything. Unusually for me I read this book after seeing the movie, a haunting, heartbreaking adaptation which has recently screened here in Sydney. Even more unusually, I can’t choose between them – both are brilliant.

The Fashion Pack by Marion Hume

Fashion! Turn to the left
Fashion! Turn to the right
Oooh, fashion!
We are the goon squad
and we're coming to town
Beep-beep
Beep-beep

After two serious reads and a hellish move I confess I wanted a little fluff in my life, so what better than this insider view of the international fashion scene from former Australian Vogue editor Marion Hume. Having been on the periphery (row Z) of this scene myself, I can relate to the truth beneath the froth of this book, but honestly, this is not a book to analyse too carefully - it's just fun!

Now pass me the Champagne darling, a girl's got to have some sustenence, you know...

Book project 2010: update #24

I hate moving and moving hates me. Yep, I'm moving house on Saturday, which means I am currently in packing box hell (including 14 of books). Wish me luck...

On the other hand, I love reading. Here's what I've been immersing myself in this fortnight...

The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll

This is a sweet, lyrical novel about love, loss, ghosts and magic, set in an obscure town in a forgotten region of the Baltic. The story of “Good Mayor” Tibo Krovic, who is in love with his lonely, married secretary Agathe, nothing much happens for most of the book but you can’t help be enchanted by it.

Fall on your knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

This was apparently a Canadian bestseller and I can see why. A complex family drama spanning several generations, Fall on your knees is beautifully written with a raft of engaging, colourful characters and a multi-textured plot that keeps readers on their toes.

The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro

The follow-up novel to The Strain, The Fall is a fast-paced and blood curdlingly entertaining read. I’ve said this before but these are seriously nasty vampires...

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

This book has a lot in common with Talking about Jane Austen in Baghdad which I read earlier this year. In fact I thought the Austen book was this book when I picked it up. Again this a memoir about the effect that reading and talking about forbidden works of Western literature has on the lives of women living in fraught (to say the least) circumstances. As the women in Nafisi’s book group, students drawn from all walks of life, begin to open up about the novels they’re reading, their own stories are revealed. At its heart this is a book about dreams and disappointments, and the everyday lives of women living in revolutionary Iran. Mesmerising.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

I came to Kingsolver’s work late but honestly, I think Kingsolver could make a shopping list riveting reading. As demonstrated in The Poisonwood Bible (featured in my first ever Book Project post!), the author has the most beautiful grasp of language and characterisation. I’m only about half way through this tale of a young American-Mexican making himself useful in the household of muralist Diego Rivera and painter Frida Kahlo but it’s quickly proving itself a contender for Book of the Year.