November RandomCAT -- Books and the Big City
Converses2015 Category Challenge
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1RidgewayGirl
November is a good month to appreciate the things that can be done in cities. On a damp, grey day like today, give me a big city where I can catch a show or wander around a museum, somewhere where I can get my shopping done and enjoy a pot of tea, all within walking distance of a good bookstore.
So, this month, the RandomCAT is to read a book with the name of a city in the title. You can also use words that mean city, like metropolis, urban or cosmopolitan. Here are some examples to get you started, but there's a good chance you've got something on your TBR.
Happy reading! Let us know what you plan to read, have read, or just of any interesting books that fit the challenge.
2dudes22
Well this is a great theme. There should be lots to choose from. Is that paper cutting by Su Blackwell? He does a lot of those book paper cuts. Now to go look through my TBR pile. I'll be back.
3cbl_tn
I've got a few possibilities:
Alexandria by Lindsey Davis
Liza of Lambeth by W. Somerset Maugham
Vienna Twilight by Frank Tallis
Would A Rare Murder in Princeton count? Or is Princeton a town rather than a city?
Alexandria by Lindsey Davis
Liza of Lambeth by W. Somerset Maugham
Vienna Twilight by Frank Tallis
Would A Rare Murder in Princeton count? Or is Princeton a town rather than a city?
4RidgewayGirl
Betty, no. I found it on Pinterest, which attributes it to a high school student who had pictures of it published in an independent magazine. But I did pass some happy time browsing through Su Blackwell's website. Amazing stuff.
Carrie, Princeton totally counts.
Carrie, Princeton totally counts.
5LittleTaiko
Love this theme! Perfect time to read Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
6majkia
I'll be reading A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva.
7cbl_tn
>3 cbl_tn: >4 RidgewayGirl: Great! I'll listen to one of the three audiobooks (whatever is available when November rolls around) and add A Rare Murder in Princeton and also When London Was Capital of America from my TBRs.
9DeltaQueen50
Love the theme and the excuse to go paw through my books looking for a fit. I'll be back!
10christina_reads
I was planning to read Coventry by Helen Humphreys for the November HistoryCAT, but it looks like it will fit here as well! :)
11DeltaQueen50
I was surprised at how many choices I had but since Hawaii sounded nice for November, I am going to be reading Honolulu by Alan Brennert.
12rabbitprincess
My top three choices:
The Great Fire of London, by Samuel Pepys (in a handsome Penguin Little Black Classics edition)
A March on London, by G.A. Henty
Reykjavik Nights, by Arnaldur Indridason (although I have to read Strange Shores first)
The Great Fire of London, by Samuel Pepys (in a handsome Penguin Little Black Classics edition)
A March on London, by G.A. Henty
Reykjavik Nights, by Arnaldur Indridason (although I have to read Strange Shores first)
13Chrischi_HH
I love this theme! I don't have any fitting books on my tbr, though (probably because there are less than 40 books on it), but quite a few on my wishlist. Possibilities include:
Liverpool Street by Anne C. Voorhoeve
The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad
Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
The first three are available at the local library, so I'll probably go for one (or more) of these.
Liverpool Street by Anne C. Voorhoeve
The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad
Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
The first three are available at the local library, so I'll probably go for one (or more) of these.
14cbl_tn
>13 Chrischi_HH: I read Baking Cakes in Kigali earlier this year and loved it.
15Chrischi_HH
>14 cbl_tn: I know, it was your BB that hit me. :)
16LibraryCin
I like this... I will need to look closer at my tbr to see what's there. Someone already mentioned Honolulu and that is one option for me, but I'd like to see what other options I have, as well.
17dudes22
I could have sworn I had either The Bookseller of Kabul or Baking Cakes in Kigali in my TBR pile, but no. So I guess I'm going to go with Providence by Geoffrey Wolff.
18mathgirl40
Great theme! There are a few I'm considering:
The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell (who sadly passed away last week)
Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell (who sadly passed away last week)
Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
19thornton37814
I love the theme. I haven't had time to look through my TBR books to see what might fit!
20VioletBramble
Great theme. I'm planning to read The Cambridge Theorem by Tony Cape
21clue
I think I'll choose Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon
22Robertgreaves
hmmm, Rome, London or Pompeii?
23RidgewayGirl
>22 Robertgreaves: I will be visiting Pompeii at the end of November, so I vote Pompeii.
24LibraryCin
I have quite a few on my tbr that will fit, so I'm choosing from:
Tituba: Reluctant Witch of Salem / Elaine G. Breslaw
Sweet Valley Confidential / Francine Pascale (though a fictional city)
Why New Orleans Matters / Tom Piazza
Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood / Abby McDonald
Honolulu / Alan Brennert
Missoula / Jon Krakauer
Tituba would be nice to get to, as it's been on my tbr the longest, but a light, fluffy read is appealing at the moment, so I might go with the Jane Austen one. We'll see.
Tituba: Reluctant Witch of Salem / Elaine G. Breslaw
Sweet Valley Confidential / Francine Pascale (though a fictional city)
Why New Orleans Matters / Tom Piazza
Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood / Abby McDonald
Honolulu / Alan Brennert
Missoula / Jon Krakauer
Tituba would be nice to get to, as it's been on my tbr the longest, but a light, fluffy read is appealing at the moment, so I might go with the Jane Austen one. We'll see.
25lkernagh
Love this RandomCAT! I have a number of choices for this one. Apparently I tend to acquire books with Venice in the title: The Eyes of Venice, The Good Thief's Guide to Venice, The Lion of Venice and The Midwife of Venice are all waiting on my bookshelves, but I think I might use this opportunity to finally read my copy Ian McEwan's Amsterdam.
27Roro8
I've started a book that fits perfectly Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton. At my current snail's pace it will definitely be November by the time I'm finished.
28RidgewayGirl
>26 Roro8: Of course! And fictional cities as well.
29RidgewayGirl
I've started The Woman from Bratislava by Leif Davidson. It's been on my tbr for some time.
30Roro8
I've finished Then We Take Berlin. Now I'm moving on to The Jewel of St Petersburg.
31Tara1Reads
Just some ideas:
Miami by Joan Didion
Slouching towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
West of Kabul, East of New York by Tamim Ansary
Petropolis by Anya Ulinich Petrópolis being a city in Brazil.
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Miami by Joan Didion
Slouching towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
West of Kabul, East of New York by Tamim Ansary
Petropolis by Anya Ulinich Petrópolis being a city in Brazil.
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
32VivienneR
I had many choices. The first one finished was The good thief's guide to Berlin by Chris Ewan.
The second was a short read: The London scene: six essays on London life by Virginia Woolf.
The second was a short read: The London scene: six essays on London life by Virginia Woolf.
33Dejah_Thoris
I'm reading A Dying Light in Corduba by Lindsey Davis now - Corduba being the Roman name for modern day Cordoba in Spain.
34dudes22
I've finished Providence by Geoffrey Wolff a story set in the capital of Rhode Island. I didn't finish it because the writing was so bad - very choppy and disjointed.
35mamzel
>24 LibraryCin: There is a very interesting article about Tituba in this month's Smithsonian.
36LibraryCin
>35 mamzel: Cool! Is that freely available online? Thanks!
37Chrischi_HH
I finished Baking Cakes in Kigali - a lovely journey to Rwanda!
38sallylou61
I just read West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder to Almanzo Wilder, San Francisco 1915.
Laura went to San Francisco to visit her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, and see the World's Fair (officially named the Panama-Pacific International Exposition). She sent letters back home to her husband, who was running their farm. Laura described her journey and the fair in vivid detail, noting particularly things she thought would interest Almanzo such as inventions and farming; she mentioned a milking machine.
Although this RandomCAT challenge is aimed at celebrating cities, Laura mentioned in several letters that although San Francisco was beautiful, she preferred their Missouri farm.
Laura went to San Francisco to visit her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, and see the World's Fair (officially named the Panama-Pacific International Exposition). She sent letters back home to her husband, who was running their farm. Laura described her journey and the fair in vivid detail, noting particularly things she thought would interest Almanzo such as inventions and farming; she mentioned a milking machine.
Although this RandomCAT challenge is aimed at celebrating cities, Laura mentioned in several letters that although San Francisco was beautiful, she preferred their Missouri farm.
40Robertgreaves
COMPLETED Pompeii: Boudicca in the Arena by Robert Colton
41MissWatson
I finished The merchants of Moscow, a bit of Russian economic history which didn't live up to expectations. Too many occasions of "The subject has not been studied properly yet".
42LibraryCin
The Cellist of Sarajevo / Steven Galloway
3.5 stars (2015 reread)
It is 1992 and a time of war in Sarajevo. 22 people who were simply standing in line for bread were killed when a bomb hit. A cellist saw it happen from his apartment across the street and decides to play on the street at the same time each day, for 22 days – one day for each of the people who died. The book actually follows three other people more closely: Arrow, a sniper; Kenan, who has a family and must make a potentially deadly trip every few days to retrieve water; and Dragan, who works at a bakery, and is able to eat for free at that bakery.
(2010: 3 stars). I can’t say I’m overly excited about the book. It was o.k., but not much really happened. I guess it kind of gave me a look at day-to-day life in a war zone. I found I couldn’t really connect with the characters, though. It often felt sort of surreal, like the characters themselves were watching a movie; it didn’t feel to me like they were living it, and I think that’s why I couldn’t connect. But, it was fast to read and it was interesting to learn in the afterword, that there really was a cellist in Sarajevo who played for 22 days in remembrance of the people in the bread line who died.
2015 Reread for my book club: 3.5 stars.
I originally read this five years ago and was underwhelmed. Maybe my expectations were too high from so many people loving it so much, I'm not sure. Back then, I rated it 3 stars (ok). I'm upping my rating slightly this time to “good”. I agree with my original review that not much really happened, but that it is a good look at regular people having to live in a war zone. I think I was able to “connect” with the characters a bit better this time. Or maybe my expectations just weren't as high.
3.5 stars (2015 reread)
It is 1992 and a time of war in Sarajevo. 22 people who were simply standing in line for bread were killed when a bomb hit. A cellist saw it happen from his apartment across the street and decides to play on the street at the same time each day, for 22 days – one day for each of the people who died. The book actually follows three other people more closely: Arrow, a sniper; Kenan, who has a family and must make a potentially deadly trip every few days to retrieve water; and Dragan, who works at a bakery, and is able to eat for free at that bakery.
(2010: 3 stars). I can’t say I’m overly excited about the book. It was o.k., but not much really happened. I guess it kind of gave me a look at day-to-day life in a war zone. I found I couldn’t really connect with the characters, though. It often felt sort of surreal, like the characters themselves were watching a movie; it didn’t feel to me like they were living it, and I think that’s why I couldn’t connect. But, it was fast to read and it was interesting to learn in the afterword, that there really was a cellist in Sarajevo who played for 22 days in remembrance of the people in the bread line who died.
2015 Reread for my book club: 3.5 stars.
I originally read this five years ago and was underwhelmed. Maybe my expectations were too high from so many people loving it so much, I'm not sure. Back then, I rated it 3 stars (ok). I'm upping my rating slightly this time to “good”. I agree with my original review that not much really happened, but that it is a good look at regular people having to live in a war zone. I think I was able to “connect” with the characters a bit better this time. Or maybe my expectations just weren't as high.
43Kristelh
Read Johnstown Flood for this CAT.
44staci426
I finished two books, The Vicar of Wakefield by Olvier Goldsmith and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. Both were very enjoyable.
45Kristelh
>44 staci426: I recently read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it and also it would be a good option for the Dewey read in January with a DDS of 070.92
46Roro8
I just got The Little Paris Bookshop from the library. I hope I get to read it before the month is over.
47LibraryCin
Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood / Abby McDonald
4 stars
Hallie and Grace are sisters. Their father has just died, so they and their mother are forced to find a new place to live, so they move to L.A. to live with family there. The overly dramatic sister Hallie wants to be an actress so it excited to be in L.A. The serious sister, Grace, has to leave the boy she has fallen for.
This was an ARC I obtained a couple of years ago. It has, of course, been published since, so I'm not sure what – if anything – was changed. I enjoyed this. It was light and fluffy YA/chick lit. The book alternated viewpoints between Hallie and Grace, and given that Grace was so much more like me, I enjoyed her sections more, but Hallie did (somewhat) grow on me – or at least her storyline did!
4 stars
Hallie and Grace are sisters. Their father has just died, so they and their mother are forced to find a new place to live, so they move to L.A. to live with family there. The overly dramatic sister Hallie wants to be an actress so it excited to be in L.A. The serious sister, Grace, has to leave the boy she has fallen for.
This was an ARC I obtained a couple of years ago. It has, of course, been published since, so I'm not sure what – if anything – was changed. I enjoyed this. It was light and fluffy YA/chick lit. The book alternated viewpoints between Hallie and Grace, and given that Grace was so much more like me, I enjoyed her sections more, but Hallie did (somewhat) grow on me – or at least her storyline did!
48LittleTaiko
Finished Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino which has been on my shelf for a couple of years. It was interesting but overall I just didn't get it. Not one of his best in my opinion.
49countrylife
>46 Roro8: : Ro, I had The Little Paris Bookshop on hold at my library, too, but it didn't become available in time for this challenge. Did you like it?
My RandomCAT books for this month ended up being:
Florence Gordon by Brian Morton (Florence, Italy)
Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy Hepinstall (Shiloh, TN or IL)
A Man Called Trent by Louis L'Amour (Trent, Italy)
The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book by Wendy Welch (Big Stone Gap, VA)
Flora by Gail Godwin (Flora, IL)
My RandomCAT books for this month ended up being:
Florence Gordon by Brian Morton (Florence, Italy)
Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy Hepinstall (Shiloh, TN or IL)
A Man Called Trent by Louis L'Amour (Trent, Italy)
The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book by Wendy Welch (Big Stone Gap, VA)
Flora by Gail Godwin (Flora, IL)
50Roro8
>49 countrylife: I didn't get a chance to read The Little Paris Bookshop before it was due back. Due to it being such a popular book at the moment I could only have it for two weeks. There was heaps going on with my children in those two weeks so I didn't even start it. I felt especially bad as the librarian had recommended it and I sent it back unread.
51thornton37814
>50 Roro8: Well, there is always later! Hopefully you can get to it later.
52mathgirl40
For this challenge, I finished The Man from Beijing, which I didn't like as much as Mankell's other books. There wasn't a whole lot about Beijing, either.
I also finished Jane Jacob's classic book on urban planning, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which was a really informative and thought-provoking read. I posted more extensive thoughts on it in my thread.
I'm still working on Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan, which is extremely interesting but also very long and dense.
I also finished Jane Jacob's classic book on urban planning, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which was a really informative and thought-provoking read. I posted more extensive thoughts on it in my thread.
I'm still working on Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan, which is extremely interesting but also very long and dense.