Books Read in November 2011
I spent about a quarter of my reading time this month making my way through two volumes of poetry: Dante’s Inferno and Seth Steinzor’s To Join the Lost. Consequently, my total book count is a little low. There were a couple of four star reads, but nothing absolutely outstanding.
1. The Book of Lies: A Novel 
Genre: Fiction, 20th Century Historical Fiction 
Set on Guernsey in the Channel Islands in 1985 and, in memories and flashback, during the German occupation of the Islands during WWII. Told from the point of view of a teenaged girl who is hiding her involvement with the death of a school mate. A well-told story with lots of new-to-me information.
2. The Spare Room: A Novel
Genre: Fiction
This novel by Australian author Garner, is based on her personal experience of helping a friend with cancer through the last months of her life, spent living in Garner’s titular spare room. Because it feels like non-fiction, some of the emotions seemed too personal for print. A book to make you think about death, friendship, and emotional honesty.
3. To Join the Lost
Genre: Poetry
A modern envisioning of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, by a Jewish-agnostic-Buddhist. See my review here.
4. State of Wonder
Genre: Fiction 
Much-hyped novel set in the Amazon as drug company employee goes looking for a missing research doctor. Not what I expected: it was a little far-fetched, but the writing is beautiful.
5. Grey Mask
Genre: Vintage Mystery
The very first Miss Maud Silver mystery, written in and set in 1928. Decent mystery, interesting to see Miss Silver in the early days before the character was fully developed.
6. The Inferno (The Divine Comedy, Volume 1, Hell)
Genre: Poetry, Classic 
Approached through lots and lots of footnotes (how else can you read a 14th century Italian poet?) I felt I couldn’t really judge the poetry because of the translation issue. Dante imagined a place of eternal torments based on the teachings of his church, and peopled it with 14th century Florentines and ancient Greeks. Judgemental, narrow in historical approach and doctrinally cringe-worthy.
7. The Distant Hours
Genre: Women’s fiction, 20th century historical fiction
Set in England 1992 and 1942, this was promising but fell so short of delivering. Chock-full of contrived and unbelievable coincidences and mysteries. Not at all up to the standard of The House at Riverton which I enjoyed so much. Even the final ‘reveal’, which is always brilliant in a Morton novel, couldn’t save it.
8. The Bishop Murder Case
Genre: Vintage mystery
Philo Vance mystery #4 but the first available to me in the Nova Scotia library system. Published in 1928. I know Vance is supposed to be a ‘dandy’ but the book seemed to me to be a vehicle for Van Dine to show off his knowledge of mathematics. Mystery was okay, time & setting (NYC) were delightful.
For my Canadian readers:
The Book Of Lies
The Spare Room
To Join the Lost
State Of Wonder
Grey Mask
The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
Distant Hours
The Bishop Murder Case (a Philo Vance mystery)
Kindle Editions:
The Book of Lies
State of Wonder
Grey Mask: A Miss Silver Mystery (Book One)
Dant’s Divine Comedy (all three books) for .99 cents
The Distant Hours
The Bishop Murder Case: A Philo Vance Story
I did enjoy The spare room … very personal, very honest, but that’s what I like about Garner, that and the beautiful writing that goes with it.
Yes, I read Garner on your recommendation, Sue. I did enjoy it very much.
Wow. Dante?!! I’m impressed.
I read The Spare Room too, and wrote about it. If you want to read the blog entry:
http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/2009/04/spare-room-by-helen-garner.html
I expect you have already read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. (I have to look up the title every single time. I just can’t seem to keep those words in my head!)
Beautiful review of The Spare Room, Nan – thanks for linking to it.
As for the Guernsey Literary &PPPS, yes I have read it and I think I liked The Book of Lies more. Someone in my Facebook group of Guernsey-Families-Spread-About-the-Globe has recommended that I read The Soldier’s Wife, so that’s now on my list.
Oh – & Dante – translated, of course, with copious footnotes. With footnotes, it’s not much worse than reading Shakespeare. I tackled him to read concurrently with To Join the Lost.
Anytime you read poetry it will slow down your reading. I’m impressed though!! I’m curious now about The Book of Lies.
The more research I do since I finished The Book of Lies, Mrs. J., the more impressed I am with it. It certainly has stayed with me.