September 9: What I'm Reading Now

Since I've finished a few books, I have started (or will be starting soon) several new books.  Sometimes I agonize over the choice, but I had very specific books in mind this time around.  I've just started reading Mary Lee Settle's Choices.  This is a book I have long had on my bookshelves and is very deserving to be read finally, but it was Susan who prompted me to pick it up now rather than let it continue to languish and look stylish peeking out from the shelf. 

As you might have noticed I tend to be very influenced in reading choices by what other readers recommend or happen to be reading.  This is good and bad--good as it's always nice to pick up a book based on the opinion of someone whose tastes are similar to mine, but bad as then it seems like it is the same book(s) that make the rounds in the book blogosphere.  Susan was right when she wondered why an author like Settle who is an award winning author is not talked about at all with a career that has spanned decades.  So, now I will mention her, too.  I think I need to read more of these authors who sit quietly on my shelves that no one else seems to notice rather than always the same books that get talked up by so many other readers.  Choices has always appealed to me and I am not sure why I have waited so long to read it--"it is the saga of one woman's journey through the maelstrom of the twentieth century."  It begins in 1931 and follows the protagonist across continents and decades--a woman who might well simply have been content to be a debutante but chose instead to lead a life concerned with social justice and equality.  I think this won't necessarily be a fast read (for me anyway), but I think it is going to be an enjoyable and worthy one.    

Since I don't read a lot of nonfiction, I tend to spend a lot of time deciding what to read when I am ready to pick up a new book.  I can blame Stefanie for making my choice so much easier this time around.  She had been reading Jane Austen's Mansfield Park tempting me to read something by her as well.  As I already have a classic started I didn't want to pick up another one (I have two unread Austen novels to look forward to still by the way), so why not read about Austen instead.  I've had Claire Harman's Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World sitting next to my bed for most of the summer.  I think it is not exactly a conventional straightforward biography, but also looks at her "lasting cultural impact".  I've not read anything about Austen, so this seems like a good place to start and should quench my thirst for something Austen-esque to read.

The other new book I've added to my pile is Natasha Solomons's Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English.  So, yes, this is one that has made the rounds already, but it sounds like a charming sort of read and I'm always up for that sort of story.  It's about a German immigrant to England after WWII who wants desperately to assimilate into the culture--his crowning glory being to belong to a golf club.  I suspect it's his name and former nationality that keeps him out of the established clubs, so he decides to build one himself!

I actually have a little system of reading where I will spend most of my reading time with just a few books and then rotate into the queue what I have on my nightstand as books are finished and new ones are introduced.  So the books I've been taking with me to work (where I do most of my reading--not actually at work, mind you--but on breaks, lunch, my bus rides and the gym!) or reading at bedtime are Wilkie Collins's No Name (of course!), Cathi Unsworth's Bad Penny Blues (back to 1960s London), Andrew Taylor's An Air that Kills (my current mystery), and for the gym--James McGee's The Ratcatcher, which should prove to be a quick, easy and very entertaining read.  Since there is a decidedly brisk feel in the air in the mornings these days, it seems only right that I have a mixture of mysteries, crime novels, thrillers and a little sensationalism going at the moment. 

What are you reading these days?  And do you also get tempted by what others are reading or stick with your own reading plans?

Comments

[Penny]

Some very intriguing reads you have there.
I just finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which was a wonderful story about a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl in Seattle, WA at the outset of WWII. I loved it and recommend it and will be posting on it soon. Next - just started The Help, which we will discuss in our book group in a few weeks.

[Danielle]

Penny--You are the second person to recommend The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, so I have got in line for it at the library (#29!). I have seen it mentioned around, but never quite knew what it was about--thanks. I so have The Help--I had to have a bunch of the titles from the Orange Prize longlist and have yet to read a single one of them!

[Marg]

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was quite a good read. Interesting to see the perspective of someone who wasn't directly involved in fighting but who was still impacted in it so majorly.

Mr Rosenblum is a book that I have on my TBR list. I did have it out of the library at one point, but had to return it.

[Danielle]

Marg--I also had Mr Rosenblum out from the library and as there was a line for it I knew I had to return it and figured I wouldn't finish it. However, the publisher kindly ended up sending me a copy so I could read it and not feel rushed. So now I get to take my time with it! I am at the end of the line with "The Hotel..." as I never paid proper attention to what the book was about and it sounds very good. Oh well, by the time I get it hopefully I will have fewer library books. Doubtful, but you never know!

[Caroline]

I am intrigued by Choices. But also with the Nicholson from your last post. Have to give them a closer look.
I was thinking about what you wrote, everybody reviewing the same books. I think people like to re-read a review of a book they already read. I do. Makes me remember things I forgot and see it another way. Sure it will not serve as an introduction to an author. I am faced with another problem, I don't know if I should review books that have not been translated yet or might never be. If I don't I will have much less books to review. Decisions, decisions.

[litlove]

I have both Clare Harman's book on Austen and the Mr Rosenblum book to read so will look forward very much to your reviews of those. And Choices sounds fascinating. I am hugely influenced by what other bloggers are reading and come away from their posts promising myself I'll pick up this or that book very soon. The problem is finding the time for all that reading I long to do!

[Liz F]

I hope that you are enjoying Ratcatcher - it's not great literature but it is a really good story that moves along at quite a gallop! There are at least another two books out about the same character with another due out here in the UK fairly soon and they would make a good TV series - Richard Armitage would be a brilliant Hawkwood!
My library are a bit slow at getting the Peirene Press books so I have only read Beside The Sea so far - it is very sad but it is beautifully written and I'm glad that I read it.

[Kathy]

I'm currently reading (as you know) Bleak House, Three Cups of Tea (NF story of Greg Mortenson and his efforts to build a school--schools? I am only at the beginning of the book--in Pakistan) and The Clocks, by Agatha Christie (a comfort read). I have two or three other books in various stages that I'm reading for blog post ideas or article ideas for freelance projects. I also have Delight, by J.B. Priestly, on my nightstand and I dip into it before bed every now and then. I love to read about what everyone else is reading--it introduces me to authors and books I wouldn't necessarily pick up, but I won't blindly read others' recommendations unless I think I'll enjoy the read. Life is too short to read books that you can't "get into" when there are so many that you can really connect with. I've gotten MANY recommendations from your blog, so thank you!

[Stefanie]

I am always glad to be blamed for book choices :) I do have a tendency to pick up books other people rave about and then I start to get frantic because the books I have been wanting to read aren't getting read so I end up going through cycles which can sometimes be frustrating even if the books are really good.

[Karen]

I loved Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English. Charming and heartbreaking all at once. Hope you enjoy it.

[catharina]

Lately I divert very easily from my own reading plans... F.i. just now I think Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English has to be checked out immediately:). I am reading Stef Penney The Tenderness of Wolves and have Graham Greene The End Of The Affair waiting.

[Debby]

I have added many books to my library and wishlist based on your and Dorothy's and others' recommendations! These are books I would have liked to read anyway, only I hadn't heard about many of them until we were introduced. :)

Buying and reading are two different things...I like to get the books when I see them at the used book store, but I don't always start them right away. I'm usually in the middle of something else and, especially lately, try to read what I'm in the mood to read. Otherwise it takes me forever to finish even a fast read.

I've been going through mysteries like candy!

[Heather]

I definitely add books to my (ever-growing) TBR list based on what others recommend or are reading lately, though it often takes me a while to actually get around to reading them! The exception is if I'm at the library and browsing the new books section - if I see a book that was mentioned recently and sounded good - whether I heard about it on a book blog or in the New Yorker or from a friend - I'll often grab it.

Right now I'm reading English Hours by Henry James, which is wonderful (though I'm not very far into it, but he's always wonderful, I think!). It's nonfiction - essays about traveling in England, written at different points over the course of his career. I picked it up at a used bookstore in San Francisco when I was there on vacation in late August and am very glad that I did.

[SFP]

Yay, I'm so glad you're going to read the Mary Lee Settle. I think she's wonderful.

I've been trying to decide when I'm going to read more Settle, and more Doris Lessing, and get started back on my Rebecca West project. I'm way too easily influenced by talk about new books, which is why I keep thinking I ought to step totally away from the blogging world (and on-line shopping!) for a month or two at least, so that I can regain a bit of focus in my reading.

I'm on the waiting list for the Solomon at the public library.

[Dorothy W.]

I always like hearing about your reading methods and how you balance so many books at once. I'm curious about Jane's Fame as well, and even checked it out of the library, but didn't have time to read it. It's surely a great story about how her reputation has changed and developed over time.

[Danielle]

Caroline--I like reading other readers' thoughts on a book I've read as well and will often get more insight into a book that way. It's funny how a book will come out and then lots of people will be talking about it at about the same time--I do like reading along like this, but it is also nice to read and talk about books that are less popular or known. I would love to hear about German and French books--I'm always curious about what other people in other countries are reading as so little gets translated into English. A French blogger, who is on my sidebar--Smithereens occasionally writes about books she reads in French, but she also writes a lot about English language books she reads. Maybe you could drop an occasional one in?
Litlove--That is a problem I have as well. If I read about a book that sounds tempting I don't just write the title down for later, I usually want it now! How to fit in all the books I want to read--this is why I end up with so many books started at once.
Liz--I was thinking how Ratcatcher would make a good movie, too! There is something very visual about the story--all those nasty, dirty alleyways and inns with street urchins running about picking pockets! It is a very fun read. I like all sorts of books--it may not be highbrow but it is very entertaining and I need those as much as the other books I read! I'm very much looking forward to starting those Peirene books--maybe I'll pick one up this weekend.
Kathy--I am reading a book of short stories by Agatha Christie, though to be honest I am more in the mood for one of her novels! Your reading habit sound very much like mine. I tend to only pick up books that others are talking about if it appeals, too. Occasionally I will take a chance on a book that I wouldn't normally read, but I am still pretty choosy about those books. It sounds like you have a nice variety of reads going at the moment! And glad you found a few reads here as well! :)
Stefanie--Every time you mentioned Mansfield Park I wanted to pick up my copy as well. The Jane bio should work out, though. So you have that guilt thing too when you are reading books someone else tempted you by and then see the books from your own piles wondering why you set them aside. I have this problem, too. :)
Karen--I have a feeling I am going to like Mr Rosenblum and I do love books that fit into that charming category--I've been looking forward to this one!
Catharina--I've just started Mr Rosenblum and think it is going to be very enjoyable reading--though am just at the beginning still. I loved Stef Penney's book--it was such a visual story and a page turner, too. You'll have to let me know what you think when you get to it. I had put off reading it for so long and then it ended up being a favorite book of the year. Have only read Up at the Villa by Greene but would like to read more!
Debby--I have also discovered new to me authors and many new books via blogs. I sometimes wonder how I ever god by before! :) I also tend to set aside books I buy used--or library sale books. I pick them up when I am in the mood, and I am also very much in the mood for mysteries. At the moment I am reading a mystery by Andrew Taylor set in post-WWII England and am glued to it.
Heather--I need to be better at writing titles down and not trying to acquire them the moment I see someone talking about them!! The Henry James sounds great--I've only read a couple of his novels. I like the sound of travel essays, so will have to look it up!
SFP--I've already started the Settle book and like her writing style. I'm not sure why I didn't read this before as the setting and time period are just what I like. Thanks for the little nudge. My library has a bio of Settle which looks interesting, too. I thought you had finished reading all of Rebecca West's books--you were on a roll a while back--I need to read more, and I have a couple by Lessing on my shelves, too. I would probably get more read if I didn't blog most days of the week--it's a fine balance, isn't it. I need more reading time, too.
Dorothy--I probably have a strange way of organizing my reading pile and what gets read first, or how many at once. But it seems to be working at the moment as I have been working my way through the pile fairly steadily (not really fast, but that's okay, steady is good, too). I think Jane's Fame is going to be taking a look at Jane and pop culture--it sounds like an interesting slant in any case and maybe a good place to start. I still have the Tomalin bio as well.

[Caroline]

Thanks for your suggestion. I will. I think I mentioned somewhere that I used to work for an editor. I used to read books in foreign languages and evaluate if they should be translated into German. I know what applies for the German market. Translations are way more costly than original language that's why editors are cautious.

[Danielle]

Caroline--You did mention that--I wonder how you decided what would be best to translate into German. I guess it would depend on how well it would sell to German readers. I wonder if more books get translated into other languages than other languages getting translated into English. I know there are American bloggers and writers/readers who lament the low number of translated works. I don't think they are also marketed very well here either. I can see why publishers would be cautious, but I still wouldn't mind more variety in the US--it seems like there are more smaller presses in the UK willing to publish only translated works than what we have here.

[Caroline]

I was actually thinking I might dedicate one of this week's posts to this topic as I am sure readers (and writers) would be curious to know what are the criteria. When it comes to the American market, I am really not sure. I can only guess. I was really surprised to see that Delius, for example, was translated. Maybe the setting? And trends. I will need to think some more about it. And, of course, you need people who read all those languages to evaluate.

[BuriedInPrint]

I just finished Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections and just started Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End; I'm midway through about six others as well and need a tidy-up weekend! I'm often influenced by the books that others discuss and am terrible for requesting them from the library with full intention of diving in, without determining whether that's actually possible given what I'm already reading at that moment.

[Danielle]

Caroline--I think a lot of readers are interested in reading more books in translation, so it would be interesting to see what the criteria are. Unfortunately the Delius is not yet available in the US (I think there are more UK publishers concentrating on foreign books than here in the US, but I could be wrong). I'll be curious to see what you write and will have to do a bit of investigating on the US side of things.
BuriedinPrint--I was organizing this past weekend and came across the Franzen book on my shelves, so I moved it to a prominent place so it will be handy for when I get to it. I've heard about the Ferris and am curious about it as well. I got through cycles too when I have several that are at midpoints and I want to finish them and catch up. Of course then I just start a bunch of new books and it starts all over again. I'm also really bad about not waiting to pick up a book I've read about, but just requesting it and then wondering how I am going to squeeze it in with everything else I have started. Glad I'm not alone! :)

[Heather]

I read Mr. Rosenblum earlier this year and it is a lovely book. It may be my favorite book of the yaer so far. I've haven't read anything bad published by Reagan Arthur yet! Here is my review, if you care to read it. :)

It just occurred to me that you probably don't know who I am! I was the Heather at A High and Hidden Place (I see it's in your sidebar). I got my own domain and changed my blog name about a year ago. :)

[Heather]

And here is that link. Whoops!

http://www.capriciousreader.com/?p=4370

[Danielle]

Heather--I have updated my links--so glad you stopped by and let me know you changed names--no I can follow along properly! My reading has been a little off kilter this past week, so I need to properly start the Solomons book--I've only read a bit unfortunately.