Time to catch up with the reading posts

The list 1-48

1. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft.
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.
3. Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman
4. The Kiss by Anton Chekhov
5. An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood by Jimmy Carter
6. The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich
7. Man and His Symbols: Approaching the Unconscious by Carl Jung
8. Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins
9. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
10. Breakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote
11. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
12: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
13: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
14: The Iliad by Homer
15. A Child Called "It" One Child's Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer
16: Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford
17: Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books by Lynn Sharon Schwartz
18. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
19. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
20: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
21: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Zeale Hurston
22. The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas L. Friedman
23. The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood
24. The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
25: Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
26: The Hanged Man's Song by John Sanford.
27: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov.
28: The Haunting by Shirley Jackson
29. Why Not Me by Al Franken
30. Mucho Mojo by Joe Lansdale
31. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.
32. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer.
33. Two Bear Mambo by Joe R. Lansdale
34. Mystery on Everest by Audrey Salkeld
35. Mortal Prey by John Sanford
36. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
37. Hidden Prey by John Sanford
38. Naked Prey by John Sanford
39. Black Sunday by Thomas Harris
40. Apt Pupil by Stephen King.
41. Bad Chili by Joe R. Lansdale
42. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
43. Rumble Tumble by Joe R. Lansdale.
44. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
45. Brave New World by Aldus Huxley
46. What I Lived For by Joyce Carol Oates
47. The Green Man by Kingsley Amis
48. Captains Outrageous by Joe Lansdale


49.The Riddle of Violence by Kenneth Kaunda, President of Zambia
This book is profoundly good. I intend to write some separate posts about it. Kaunda was a lifelong follower of Gandhi, deeply religious and committed to non-violence. In this book, he discusses, in very plain, practical language, his struggles with the limits of what non-violence can accomplish, and how a political leader must consider all the tools at his disposal to meet the needs of his people - including those who do not share his commitment to non-violent strategies. No easy answers, but it's one of the most accessible, sincere and thought-provoking discussions of the issue I've ever read. Highly recommended to both hawks and doves. There's a middle ground here where both sides could finally start talking.

50. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Revisiting the high school requirements. When I first read it, I was distracted by the caricatures of class, and missed most of the beauty of the language and the tender, tragic relationships. I listened to it on tape, which really helped emphasize the poetic writing. Beautiful.

51. Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen
A very quiet, contemplative book about a nun who experiences stigmata and the impact it has on her order. It was OK, but I kept thinking that the male author wasn't telling the story the way a female author would. The book is all about the issues, the ideas, and very little about character or relationships. In a convent, I would think that their entire world would be defined by their relationships - to Jesus/God and to each other. I would expect the details of specific situations to be much less important.

52. Villages by John Updike. I really enjoyed this. And elderly man's reflections on his life, with lots of attention to his relationships with women, with an emphasis on his sexual development. Graphic, yes, but also sweet, honest and poetic in a way that Phillip Roth is not. Also of interest to anyone involved with computers, and how the the science and industry developed from the 1950s to today.

53. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. A re-read to refresh myself on the details before I plunge into the new book. I like this one a lot - very honest portrayal of teen boy angst, preoccupation with self and general cluelessness. Hard to pull off with your hero. I do wish someone would dare to suggest editing. It is so over-written in points I could slap her. We don't need a bite-by-bite description of everything that Ron puts in his mouth - just get on with the story, already!