Faster, Better, Stronger?

I didn't know that Annie Jones is the top competitive speed reader with a 2,246 wpm and 60% comprehension or that she has won the National Speed Reading Championship* a hefty six times.  This Guardian article was interesting for that piece of trivia and for the review of the speed reading app, Spritz.  Rob Boffard knocks out one of the Man Booker shortlist books in just under four and a quarter hours**.  I honestly don't know if I have the fortitude to sit that long with the intense focus that is apparently required when ramping up to 700 wpm.  I found the speed a little dizzying (and I don't think it was just the reading water).  There are some novels I'd love to spin through, but for others, I enjoy the time on the page, savoring the small effort and the time devoted to a simple pastime.  How about you?

*    I also didn't know there was a National Speed Reading Championship.
** This is shorter than the time to cook a turkey (old-school baked).

Lumineers to Luminaries

Congratulations Ms. Eleanor Catton!  She and her book, The Luminaries, received the 2013 Man Booker Prize yesterday.  I'm sure this title has been added to holiday wish lists around the globe.

Interesting note:  the (848 page, 2.6 pound) book's 12 sections were of decreasing length by about half the pages each section.

Something About Mary

The Man Booker Shortlist was named Tuesday.  Who will be your first read?

Image from Manbookerprize.com

Lucky 13

The end of July brings one of my favorite events during summer:  the Man Booker Longlist for 2013 has been announced.

My fall reading list has another thirteen.

And Then There Were Six

The Man Booker shortlist was announced yesterday and though Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel is getting press as a favorite, I'm still partial to Swimming Home by Deborah Levy.  Sadly, this was a book I was not able to purchase for my trusty Kindle so destiny likely brings a paper copy.  Though not keen to read another book about a lighthouse immediately, I do still have The Lighthouse in my list.  The winner will be announced the 16th of October.

Hope your week is progressing better than expected and that the cooler weather brings an extra smile or two your way.

What do you Mean?

With the Olympics and my own personal voyage, I someone missed the Long List announcement of the Man Booker Prize at the end of last month.  Occasionally a baker's dozen, this year we have a proper list of twelve.  My first click (no surprise to some of you) was Swimming Home by Deborah Levy.  The site's descriptive "Set in a summer villa, the story is tautly structured, taking place over a single week in which a group of beautiful, flawed tourists in the French Riviera come loose at the seams."  Count me in (when Amazon has stock).

In another award-winning news, GBC T1m celebrates another 365.25 days around the sun.  We wish him a day filled with sci-fi books, board games, great food, and family hugs.  Cheers!

Chat dans le Chapeau

Today called for whimsy, distraction. I mean, we're all just waiting for the announcement on the Man Booker Prize winner, right?

So, in those few extra minutes you have just before lunch, with your third cup of coffee, or at mid-afternoon tea, distract yourself with this Dr. Suess quiz from last month's Guardian. [Note to readers other than the GBC: despite the judgement you may have made from the amount of reading water we consume, we are also a group of quiz loving intellectual geeks at heart. Well, at least one of us is.]

Have a great week!

In-Titled

The Long List for the Man Booker prize was announced last week. There were a few familiar authors but most of the other thirteen would be new reads for me. The short list will be announced in just over a month, and it is from this list I usually pull a new read. (Last year it was Room.)

Perhaps just as entertaining is the complete list of titles submitted for the "create your own Man Booker prize worthy title" which includes 10 references to "Tiger", "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead," and "Life of 22/7." On that (constant) note, have a great end of week.

Trains Planes and Sore Heels

I finished Dorian Gray on the train which seemed an appropriately romantic tribute to Oscar Wilde. When I finished the last words, I could not immediately begin another work. I don't want to give too much away as it is an upcoming book club novel, but wow! As the reader moves through the last third of the book, s/he will begin to piece together the most likely ending, and as I read Wilde's words, I was amazed with his techniques and his imagery. It would be nearly four hours before I would pick up my next read.

In other literary news, Philip Roth was announced as the winner of the International Man Booker Prize today. (You may remember this was the contest which had a wee bit of controversy when the finalists were announced.) You may wish to add one of his titles to your summer book list.

Book'em? Dunno.

Most of you know that I have this terrible habit of checking email before I am even vertical. Usually, I check work news first, however this morning, I wanted to peruse through the list of International finalists for the Man Booker Prize. A list of thirteen was announced for this bi-annual award. To my surprise upon checking the news, our baker's dozen became a mathematical dozen due to John le Carre's withdrawal from the list. His statement's reasoning: he does not compete.

Respect the artist. Though I have only been following the MB prize for a little over ten years, I have no recollection of an author's withdrawal. Literary agents and writers with much more experience than me will be analyzing this statement in detail today. The Man Booker Chair, Rick Gekoski is leaving him on the finalist list.

There are a host of items where you will find me pushing myself to be better or stronger, but I am not a competitive writer. This news sound bite has me asking the question: do you compete and if so, for what end?

Answer: Man Booker Award

As I read its co-nominee, The Room, The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson was named the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction winner last week in London. In searching for more information about the book, I discovered this NYT excerpt of Chapter 1. This morning I read through the opening paragraphs, and my favorite line thus far: "She shattered his calm."

Sometimes it only takes one line to get added to the book list. Congrats Mr. Jacobson.

Pick Three

I spent some time last evening perusing my handy excel sheet of must reads and the amazon site for ideas for my next novel. I am ever tempted by the Man Booker titles and the front-runner thus far is Room by Emma Donoghue. It is also available for the Kindle whereas sadly, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss is not. (Advantage Donoghue.) I also have a few classics pending: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Jane Eyre. Another option is Perfume by Patrick Suskind, but I am not certain I want to read about murder on my upcoming travels. For scary reads, I like to be in control of my dead bolts. If you have any other suggestions, let me know.

Name that Tune

Yesterday the Man Booker Longlist was announced. This is one of my favorite book lists as it usually includes a wide range of selections. The dozen includes two authors I have previously read: Peter Carey (his comma-less True History of the Kelly Gang) and David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas). The titles of the lucky 13 (not an error) are interesting: C by Tom McCarthy, The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson, and The Stars in the Bright Sky by Alan Warner to name a few. What's in a name? Sometimes more than you think.

May Ramble

In addition to this being an exciting week for GBC members, it was a time of recognition for Troubles by J.G. Farrell. The title received the Lost Man Booker Prize on May 19. This award was created to honour books published in 1970 when the rules of award changed. (So many things changed in the seventies.)

The Independent Publisher Book Award winners will be honored this upcoming week as well. A comprehensive list of authors and titles can be found here. I was hoping to report that I had read at least one of them, but I must currently remain silent on this issue.

Finally, to conclude this series of marginally related thoughts, NPR explores Meghan Daum's book Life Would be Perfect if I Lived in that House with this link. An excerpt of the book is also included. As I share Daum's fondness for Little House on the Prairie, this book has now been added to my reading list.

My summer reading will quite certainly carry into autumn. Enjoy the week.

The Seventh Tale

By now, you likely know I am a fan of the Man Booker Awards. This year's prize for fiction was awarded to Hilary Mantel for Wolf Hall which is a look at 1500s England and the rise of Thomas Cromwell. (I am certain my sister would enjoy this book.)

In other news, I have begun our October book club selection, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I started reading the book an hour before a meeting yesterday and had to keep a sharp eye on my watch to ensure I did not lose myself in the story. When I finally stopped reading (ending on the chapter "Meeting Miss Winter") so I could review the meeting material, I am certain the receptionist did not hear me sigh. I am presently at the half-way mark and understand GBC Kim's enthusiasm to complete the book.

A sunny day is underway; hope you enjoy it.

July's Lucky 13

Two updates for you today:

* I have just under one hundred pages remaining in The Northern Clemency and today I've found reasons not to read. I'm not certain as to whether this was a conscious decision in order to delay completion of the book or that merely, I have had more pressing things to do. (I do suspect the former as I enjoy savoring those last few pages as the sun begins its downward set.)

* The 2009 Man Booker Longlist was released today and there is always something to appreciate about a long dozen (also called a baker's dozen). I'm sure that I'll find a few to peruse from the list and I hope you will as well.

Happy Reading!

Journey North

I have long thought that Sundays lent themselves to reading, particularly a rainy, gray day like today. I have picked up The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher as my next read. With its nearly 600 pages of prose, perhaps my mind was subconsciously preparing for North and South. I’m one sixth (easy math) into the story which, thus far, has begun the tale of two families in the area of Sheffield, UK. This book was short-listed for the 2008 Man Booker Prize and Hensher’s The Mulberry Empire also received a nod for the 2002 Longlist. I sense a mid-afternoon break for tea in my future. Cheers!

June Croon

One of the fun things about reading A Year in High Heels was that it gave me a few more books to add to my reading list this summer. A visit to the library this week left me with The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler and True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. The Jane Austen Book Club is six characters meet six (obvious) books; many of you may have already read it or seen the movie. If so, I’m behind you on both counts, so don’t spoil the ending. The latter book is the story of Australia’s Ned Kelly and was the 2001 winner of the Man Booker Prize. Although I haven’t yet started reading this book, I am already a fan as it still has the book pocket for the checkout card.

Also, you may be interested in “John Adams Unbound” which is being exhibited at the Nashville Library in the Courtyard Gallery. We are one of only twenty libraries which were selected to host and the show is closing June 25th. As we near the 4th, it might be worthwhile to take a look back.