January Reading Roundup

In the first month of 2012, as usual, I didn't get quite as far as I would have liked in my reading progress.   Travel, illness and catching up on things here at home sort of took care of more reading time, as did evenings watching my new dvds bringing to life the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri.  But all in all, it was a pretty decent month, and I'm okay with how far I actually got.

Rounding up the month, here's the summary:


translated general fiction
Scars, by Juan Jose Saers (read, not reviewed)

fiction from the U.S.
A Walk Across the Sun, by Corban Addison
The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain
The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson
Running the Rift, by Naomi Benaron 
The Last Storyteller, by Frank Delaney (review coming 02/07)

fiction from New Zealand
Hand Me Down World, by Lloyd Jones

fiction from the UK
How It All Began, by Penelope Lively (just finished, so review shortly)


Russian crime fiction



The State Counsellor, by Boris Akunin
The Coronation, by Boris Akunin
She Lover of Death, by Boris Akunin
He Lover of Death, by Boris Akunin

crime fiction from the UK
Bloodline, by Mark Billingham


other book-related stuff:
1) my book group read Swamplandia!, by Karen Russell.  All agreed on liking it; some of us found it a bit boggy (no pun intended) due to too much overdescriptiveness

2) Added to the Amazon wishlist this month: (once again, some pretty obscure stuff!):
 When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man,  by Nick Dybek
Narcopolis, by Jeet Thayil


3) Books bought this month:
Marigold: The Lost Chance for Peace in Vietnam, by James Hershberg
The Stone Virgins, by Yvonne Vera

Obviously I'm trying to stick to my pledge to lessen my tbr load.

4) Currently reading:
The Silent Oligarch, by Chris Morgan Jones
Chinaman, by Shehan Karunatilaka
The Diamond Chariot, by Boris Akunin

That's  it ... hopefully February will be less other stuff and more reading!