2005 book reading list

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May. 17th, 2005 | 07:18 pm

Finished
The Namesake* by Jhumpa Lahiri
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl †
Candy by Mian Mian*
Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez †
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena De Blasi †

Dropped
The Bookseller's Daughter by Pam Rosenthal (reeks of bad historical fanfic)
A Bridge Between Us* by Julie Shigekuni (Joy Luck Club, Japanese-American style)
Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle by Rosalind Miles (sucks more than the Guinevere books which I didn't think was possible)

Returned to Library
The Noodle Maker by Ma Jian*
Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin Mother by Lesley Hazleton
How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnick
Translations of Beauty by Mia Yun*
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
Travels with a Medieval Queen by Mary Taylor Simeti

* Asian/American Reading Project
† Library book
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Comments {6}

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from: anonymous
date: May. 21st, 2005 10:05 pm (UTC)
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I had to read "Brunschelli's (sp) Dome" for freshmen orienatation at my college last fall. My teacher wasn't too much into the book himself so we didn't have much work to do with it, but overall, I really despised the book and found it to be outside the normal scope of non-engineers even for a history buff like myself.

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tricianna

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from: [info]tricianna
date: May. 23rd, 2005 07:49 pm (UTC)
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Thanks for your input! The big reason why I picked up the Sistine Chapel book was because seeing it last year piqued my interest on the political wheeling and dealing that happened to make the ceiling happen. I do appreciate the warning though.

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タニア

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from: [info]passivesoul
date: May. 22nd, 2005 11:50 pm (UTC)
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Have you read the Interpreter of Maladies? I like her writing quite a bit, but I prefer Arundhati Roy's style... you should check out The God of Small Things, if you haven't already. It's ideal reading for hot weather, imo... if occasionally disturbing, as all genius is!

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tricianna

(no subject)

from: [info]tricianna
date: May. 22nd, 2005 11:54 pm (UTC)
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RE: Interpreter -- yup! I read it a few years back, and that's why I got very excited when I saw her novel at the bookstore. I've been really meaning to try The God of Small Things, but have yet to find a good rec/review. I'll give it a try now though!! Domo.

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(no subject)

from: anonymous
date: May. 23rd, 2005 07:45 pm (UTC)
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(same mouse as from first reply)

The books you two discussed sound as written by foreign/minority writers which reminds me of a really great book. Kartography. It's by an Indian writer (or is she from Pakistan?) and goes back in forth between the current day and her own childhood and then back to her parents' early marriage. A love story if I ever saw one even though its twisted and sad as they come.

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tricianna

(no subject)

from: [info]tricianna
date: May. 23rd, 2005 07:51 pm (UTC)
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Thanks for the rec! I'm always on the lookout for a good work by Asian authors, and Kartography seems like a good fit!

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