Sunday Salon

Additions To My Library

1. Number9Dream by David Mitchell


2. I Don't: A Contrarian History of Marriage by Susan Squire (reviewed in The Week)

Finished Reading This Week

1. The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow: see last week's Sunday Salon for a review.


2. Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen: A very interesting book all the way to the end. However, it was quite quirky, almost to the point of strange. 3.75/5


3. Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir transl. from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder: A mystery novel that was quite good. The Icelandic element added a touch of the exotic. However, either due to things lost in translation or poor translation, the prose and dialog seemed clumsy at times. But, I am looking forward to when they publish her next book in English. 4.00/5


4. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan: Really good. A compelling enough read that I finished it in one day. As one of the blurb on the cover said: "darkly comic". 4.25/5

Currently Reading
I Don't: A Contrarian History of Marriage by Susan Squire. I started it in the book store and want to finish it as soon as possible. The intro and first chapter a quite amusing at times. I look forward to the rest of Squire's scathing commentary on the patriarchal idea of marriage.

Challenges Update

The What's In A Name Challenge:

1. A book with an animal in its title: Throne of the Eagle (done)


2. A book with a first name in its title: The Lais of Marie de France (done)


3. A book with a place in its title: Amsterdam (done)


4. A book with a weather event in its title: Atmospheric Disturbances (done)


5. A Book with a color in its title: White Noise by Don DeLillo (done)


6. A book with a plant in its title: ???

I have also started the Man Booker Challenge (six Man Booker winners, short/long listed):

1. The Sea by John Bainville (done)


2. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (done)


3. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (done)


4. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood


5. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch


6. Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes

The Seconds Challenge

I have a tentative list of the books I want to read for this challenge:

1. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan


2. Black Swan by Nassim Taleb


3. Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton


4. Number9Dream by David Mitchell

The Japanese Lit Challenge 2

I don't quite know what to read for this, maybe:

1. Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata


2. Something by Murakami


3. Something by Kirino