Caty M's 2011 Reading - Chapter 2

Continuing from the first thread here.







Just thirteen books completed so far this year. Last year I was at 34 by this date, and the year before I was at 55. The combined effect of studying and a major book funk is certainly dramatic.

January
1. Encounters with God: In Quest of the Ancient Icons of Mary - Sister Wendy Beckett
2. The Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie
3. Beowulf - trans. Seamus Heaney
4. Red Bones - Ann Cleeves
5. No More Christian Nice Girl - Paul Coughlin and Jennifer Degler

February
6. Does my Head Look Big In This? - Randa Abdel-Fattah
7. The Divine Right of Kings - John Neville Figgis
8. Christianity under the Ancien Regime - W R Ward
9. The Church and the Age of Reason - CR Cragg
10. Restoration, Reformation and Reform 1660-1828: The Archbishops of Canterbury and their Diocese - J Gregory
11. The Night Bookmobile - Audrey Niffeneger
12. Silent in the Grave - Deanna Raybourn

DNF
Flashman - George MacDonald Fraser (January, 65 pages)

March

13. Fantasy Lover - Sherrilyn Kenyon
14. A Summer to Remember - Mary Balogh
15. The Frogs - Aristophanes
16. Indiscretions of Archie - PG Wodehouse
17. Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto - Liz Fielding
18. No Wind of Blame - Georgette Heyer
19. Back in Black - Lori Foster
20. Devil's Bride - Stephanie Laurens
21. Midnight Touch - Karen Kendall
22. The Rake - Georgina Devon

23. Storm Watch - Jill Shalvis
24. The Quest for Celtic Christianity - Donald Meek
25. The Dark Viscount - Deborah Simmons
26. Lord Portman's Troublesome Wife - Mary Nichols
27. The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy - James Anderson
28. Confessions of a Duchess - Nicola Cornick
29. Scandals of an Innocent - Nicola Cornick
30. Undoing of a Lady - Nicola Cornick
31. Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchett
32. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (FitzGerald paraphrase)

33. Jill the Reckless - PG Wodehouse
34. The Hunt Ball Mystery - William Magnay

April
35. Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500 - Charles Thomas
36. The Brontes went to Woolworths - Rachel Ferguson
37. Confessio of Saint Patrick
38. De excidio Britanniae - Gildas
39. Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell
40. Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
41. The Voyage of St Brendan - trans. J. J O'Meara
42. The Journal of Dora Damage - Belinda Starling
43. Rattle His Bones - Carola Dunn
44. Dead in the Water - Carola Dunn

45. Death at Wentwater Court - Carola Dunn
46. The Winter Garden Mystery - Carola Dunn
47. Requiem for a Mezzo - Carola Dunn

May
48. Murder on the Flying Scotsman - Carola Dunn
49. Damsel in Distress - Carola Dunn
50. Styx and Stones - Carola Dunn
51. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling
52. Christianity in Roman Britain: an Archaeology - David Petts
53. The Apocryphal Gospels: A Very Short Introduction - Paul Foster
54. The Scheme for Full Employment - Magnus Mills
55. Murder on the Eiffel Tower - Claude Izner
56. Owls Well That Ends Well - Donna Andrews
57. Life of St Columba - Adomnán of Iona

June

58. Communication and Commerce along the Western Sealanes AD400-800 - Jonathan Wooding
59. And Shall These Mute Stones Speak? - Charles Thomas
60. Eggs, Beans and Crumpets - PG Wodehouse
61. Dancing at Midnight - Julia Quinn
62. To Davy Jones Below - Carola Dunn
63. Just Like Heaven - Julia Quinn

DNF
Strip Tease - Carl Hiaasen - 59 pages

June 15: Booting out the out-of-date 'currently reading' list to split the completed list, which is getting very long and over-full of touchstones and annoying me when I update it. Up-to-date list in #125.

June

58. Communication and Commerce along the Western Sealanes AD400-800 - Jonathan Wooding
59. And Shall These Mute Stones Speak? - Charles Thomas
60. Eggs, Beans and Crumpets - PG Wodehouse
61. Dancing at Midnight - Julia Quinn
62. To Davy Jones Below - Carola Dunn
63. Just Like Heaven - Julia Quinn
64. The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes - Jennifer Cruise, Eileen Dreyer, Anne Stuart
65. Maps and Shadows - Krysia Jopek
66. The Chinese Shawl - Patricia Wentworth

July
67. Carpe Jugulum - Terry Pratchett
68. Sudden Vengeance (aka Frequent Hearses) - Edmund Crispin
69. The Long Divorce - Edmund Crispin

August
70. Miss Pym Disposes - Josephine Tey
71. Mrs Tim of the Regiment - DE Stevenson
72. The Thirteen Problems - Agatha Christie

September
73. Young Men in Spats - PG Wodehouse
74. To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis
75. The Unfinished Clue - Georgette Heyer

October
76. Death Walks in Eastrepps - Francis Beeding
77. The Tyler Mystery - Francis Durbridge

November
78. Celtic Theology: Humanity, World and God in Early Irish Writings - Thomas O'Loughlin
79. Evangelical is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy and Sacrament - Thomas Howard

New thread starred!

I can't believe you ever had 34 books read by this time! Sigh, I wish I could do that.

Got you starred!

De-lurking to say hi and wish that gradual de-funking process accelerates. :)

#4 Hi Rachel.

#5 Hi Marie. I'm finding it hard to believe, too.

#6 Thanks. :)

Yep. Your book funk reading record is my normal. Since I'm reading monsters at the moment (and they are all that I seem to be attracted to), I don't know that I'll even approach 75 this year. On the other hand, I'm happy, and that's what I wanted to say about reading the threads. When it begins to feel burdensome, stop! This is supposed to be fun, and it is, but I think everybody tops out from time to time. End homily.

Hi Caty! Got you starred!

I have 15 books read so far this year. Thought I was doing fabulous!
Last year at this time I'd never heard of LT! So I'm way ahead of myself.

Hi Peggy, hi Claudia.

#8 Since my total included four textbooks in February, I'm really at 9 for the year so far: this absolutely amazes me, and it's really unlike me not to be reading more, but I've stopped worrying about it. I've also stopped worrying about neglecting threads, although I miss everyone here when I'm not reading them, and I feel bad for neglecting people.

#9 If you're reading what you want to read, then you are doing fabulously, Claudia! :)

New thread! Glad to hear the book funk is starting to ease, and hoping it will go away completely soon.

Just wanted to say "Hi!" and that I think you are doing fabulous if you read 4 textbooks! That is a lot harder to read. Have a nice weekend!
--BJ

well I hope the rest of life besides the funk is going well, and may it depart soon!

My reading has really slowed down as well recently but you just have to accept that life gets in the way sometimes. I knew at the start of this year that I wasn't going to make the 75 number and I won't be busting my gut trying and it's nice to have the pressure off.

I wonder what it was about February that caused so many to struggle with reading this year?

I'm positive you'll get back on track Caty. I think it happens to all of us at one point or another. I've just found that the quality of what I do read is so much better since I've been on LT and had terrific suggestions from everyone here.

#11 Hello Heather. Thanks. :)

#12 Thanks BJ. :)

#13 Thanks Susan. :) Life in general is just sort of pottering along comfortably: no crises, nothing terribly exciting happening.

#14 There must be something about Februaries. Normally I read more than usual in February.

#15 Thanks, Bonnie. :)

It looks like fluff reading may be the thing to banish the book funk.

14 A Summer to Remember - Mary Balogh

Genre: Historical Romance
Published: 2002
Pages: 361
Acquired: BookMooch, July 2010
From the (3 month+) TBR pile? Yes
Why I read it now: I was watching the 'Books We Really Read' programme as part of the World Book Night evening on BBC2 last night. They were looking at crime, thrillers and romance. I have lots of crime fiction on the TBR pile, but I was left wondering whether there was any romance, not least since I don't appear to have been reading much of that lately. (Other than the last book, that is.) I had a rummage through the TBR pile and pulled this one out.

Rating: 4/5

Plot in brief: Regency England. Thirty-year-old Viscount Ravensburg - a highly independent man and a highly decorated soldier - is less than impressed by the news his father has picked out a wife for him and is all set to announce the engagement. He decided to find his own wife, and settles on the lady-like, somewhat aloof Lauren Edgeworth. Lauren is disinclined towards marriage, but she agrees to a temporary engagement to give Ravensburg time to persuade his family that he's perfectly capable of choosing his own wife - a scheme that, inevitably, does not quite go according to plan.

Comments: I like Mary Balogh's romances - she has the knack of constructing a strong plot and appealing characters without melodrama, histrionics or highly implausible plots. The character development is very good, although there were a couple of eyebrow-raising moments. And is it my imagination, or is Lauren very like Bewcastle?

Current TBR:non-TBR ratio = 11:4
Current TBR pile 639 (Still 639 *sigh* because I somehow overlooked adding this one to my TBR collection so it wasn't being counted.)

Fluff reading is so much fun. Glad you enjoyed your latest. :)

I'm glad you had a good fluff read to get you outta tha funk! Mary Balogh is pretty much my go to gal for funk removing fluff reads; that or an old favorite usually does the trick for me. :)

#18/19 Thanks :)

15. The Frogs - Aristophanes

Genre: Plays, Classics, Literature
Published: First performed 405BC
Pages: 60
Acquired: Free (public domain) ebook, December 2009
From the (3 month+) TBR pile? Yes
Why I read it now: It's short, and it's stored on my laptop so I didn't have to go upstairs to get something else to read.

Rating: 3.5/5

Comments: Wikipedia has a summary of the plot and significance that says more than I can. I found the play interesting, and quite amusing in places, but I struggled with an edition that had no footnotes and I missed a lot of the significance of what was happening. The political commentary was interesting, but I just dont enough of the context that Aristophanes was writing in to fully understand it. I shall have to try to track down a copy with notes.

Current TBR:non-TBR ratio = 12:4
Current TBR pile 638

16. Indiscretions of Archie - PG Wodehouse

Genre: Fiction, Humour, Happy Book
Published: 1921
Pages:279
Acquired: May 2010, Book Depository
From the (3 month+) TBR pile? Yes
Why I read it now: I picked it up in a month ago to try to break the book funk. It didn't work then, but now that the funk seems to be well on the way out I've managed to get it finished.

Rating: 4/5

Plot in one two sentences: Daniel Brewster is unimpressed with the Englishman who insults his New York hotel, even less impressed when said Englishman returns a couple of chapters later under the appellation Archie Moffam and married to the former Miss Brewster - and downright outraged when Archie causes chaos in his hotel with well-meaning schemes involving snakes, waiters, singers and painters. Is there anything young Archie can do that will please his irascible father-in-law?

Comments: Not one of Wodehouse's greatest, and it sometimes reads a little like a succession of short stories rather than a single narrative, but it's a nice story with some appealing characters and chuckle-inducing moments.

Current TBR:non-TBR ratio = 13:4
Current TBR pile 637

Found your new thread! Glad you found some books you enjoyed...:)

I'm so glad the book funk seems to be on the way out. And I like your 'happy book' genre.

I remember studying Aristophanes in classical studies at school and loving it. I suspect our teacher helped us with the context though. We also read The Wasps which is another great piece. Ah, good times.

#22 Hi Angela *waves hello*

#23 Thanks, Heather. :)

#24 That's good. :) I definitely want to read some of the others. I had planned to download the from Project Gutenberg, but I think now I shall have to invest in a print copy with notes and background information, or I shall miss at least half of the jokes and two-thirds of the political stuff.

More fluff. I just cannot get into anything that requires thinking.

17. Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto - Liz Fielding

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: 2010
Pages: 184
Acquired: Charity Shop, Monday.
From the (3 month+) TBR pile? Nope.
Why I read it now: All my other books require thinking.

Rating: 3/5

Plot in one sentence: Girl thinks she's living a fairytale with her prince - but when her prince turns out to be a frog she does a runner and ends up in the arms of a less wealthy, less glamorous but much nicer man.

Comments: Very frivolous, but some nice humour (the prince/frog thing comes from the book, not from me); the time-scale to the Happily Ever After is unconvincingly short, but I can completely see that characters getting there in the end. Insubstantial, and will date quickly, but a decent piece of fluff.

Current TBR:non-TBR ratio = 13:5
Current TBR pile 637

I totally get the need for reading something that doesn't require thinking. I'm in the midst of major projects for the end of term and I'm trying to keep to either comfort reading or fluff. Hope you enjoy your next read!

Hello Caty, I've been having a thread-funk although not a reading funk, so it's ages since I've checked in here. Like you, I miss the conversations and the people when I don't keep up with the threads but sometimes it gets too much. I'm glad to hear that fluff reading is helping to get you out of the book doldrums anyway.

Among your 'currently reading' mentions, I recognise the Charles Thomas book on Roman Britain as one in my collection (not yet catalogued). And I'm due to read The Help for my real life book club next month, so have got my copy lined up but haven't started it yet.

Somehow placing a number on the tbr pile feels daunting. I admire your courage in doing so. I'm on a mission to get my books in order, but alas I know that I'll be discouraged at getting order to all these books that I have yet to read.

#26 Thanks. :)

#27 Hi Genny. I'm enjoying the Thomas book - I covered a lot of it when I was an undergrad, and I'm having fun revisiting it. I'm very glad I picked up a second-hand copy, though - if I had a library book and needed to take copious notes, I'd be going through it v-e-r-y, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.

#28 On the other hand, you might find lots of treasures that you'd forgotten about but are now really keen to read. *grin*

Catching up from the last week:

18. No Wind of Blame - Georgette Heyer
Crime. Re-read. Going in, I remembered how it was done, but not why or by whom; it stood up to re-reading pretty well. I didn't love it as much as I did the first time around, but I've only dropped the rating from 5 to 4.5 stars. Strong characters, some of which are wonderfully horrible or eccentric, and an ingenious plot.

Some more mindless fluff:
19. Back in Black - Lori Foster Contemporary romance. The series is feeling very tired. Didn't care about the characters and the pacing was pretty monotonous: not much tension at all. 2/5
20. Devil's Bride - Stephanie Laurens Historical Romance. This earlier story was much better than the later ones in the series that I read a few years ago. Strong characters, and strong character development. The emotional parts weren't drowned by the physical, which was welcome. 4/5
21. Midnight Touch - Karen Kendall Contemporary Romance. So-so. 3.5/5
22. The Rake - Georgina Devon Historical Romance. Fairly bad. 2/5
23. Storm Watch - Jill Shalvis Entertaining but implausible. 3/5

And some academic reading.
24. The Quest for Celtic Christianity - Donald Meek Meek's case is that much of what is pedalled as 'Celtic Christianity' at present is not Celtic and barely Christian. He argues - forcefully - that this vague spirituality bears little resemblance to the Christianity of the late Roman and early medieval Celtic Churches (plural) - diverse churches within the European and medieval Roman Catholic mainstream, notable for their emphasis on discipline and preoccupation with sin, judgement and penance. This was a very interesting book. Meek is a Gaelic-speaking Scot, a professor of Celtic with a background in Celtic languages and literature. He knows whereof he speaks. He's clear and informed, and sometimes wonderfully sarcastic. And he doesn't pull his punches. Some would argue that he is over-critical in his assessment of the modern Celtic Christianity, but he plainly endeavours to be fair. Recommended.

I think the book funk is technically over, but I shan't be content until I'm back regularly reading books that aren't either (a) mindless fluff or (b) on my reading list.

I wishlisted the book on Celtic Christianity because I have a daughter that reads all books Celtic. :)
--BJ

I've heard of Meek's book, and approve very much in prinicple though I've not got round to reading it. Having studied early Celtic history and literature as an undergrad, I have found myself over the years getting very impatient with the sentimental and vague notions of Celtic spirituality that have been popular in recent years. The phenomenon of that resurge in (not always very informed) enthusiasm is probably worth a study in its own right.

How have I managed not to post for two weeks? Sigh.

#31 I hope you find it informative, BJ.

#32 Genny, I think you'd appreciate the book: it sounds like you'd definitely agree with him.

The rest of the March reading to bring me up to date:

25. The Dark Viscount - Deborah Simmons
More fluff historical romance, this time with a Gothic twist. So-so. Irritating characters who need to pull themselves together (so, pretty standard for anything Gothic!) but a mostly reasonable plot. 3/5

26. Lord Portman's Troublesome Wife - Mary Nichols
Still more fluff historical romance. Not the worst thing I've read this year, but not particularly good. Mediocre plot and nothing memorable or engaging about the characters, but nothing dreadful about it. 2.5/5

27. The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy - James Anderson
Spoof of a 1930s country house mystery. Not bad at all. Quite amusing, and with an ingenious method of disposing of the body which had me giggling as the murderer calmly explained what they had done. Just didn't quite hang together for me, though. A bit too self-conscious, perhaps? 3.5/5 (And yes, there really is a blood-stained egg cosy in the story.)

28. Confessions of a Duchess - Nicola Cornick
29. Scandals of an Innocent - Nicola Cornick
30. Undoing of a Lady - Nicola Cornick
Trio of linked historical romances. I went into these with high expectations because I generally find the author reliable in producing a reasonable plot, strong characters, and a strong sense of period. The characters were strong, but two of the male leads were not at all likeable (in fact the male lead in the second book was positively loathable (which ought to be a word, even if it's not)), the female lead of the final book was not much better, and some of the dominant tropes were ones that I am not keen on at all.

However, I did get the strong historical atmosphere I expected, and some of the villains were really very entertaining. The first book was okay - a sound 3.5/5 - but the others scored a disappointing 2.5 and 1 respectively. I shall keep reading the author though: she's a very good writer of genre historical romance, even if this set pushed my "Ick!" buttons.

31. Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchett
Re-read. Still a 5/5. Hysterical. Immensely clever. Politics, secret societies and dragons. And either I caught quite a few allusions I missed the first time around or I had forgotten them completely. I can't decide whether Carrot or Errol is the more endearing: I'd quite like to take both of them home.

32. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (FitzGerald paraphrase)
I don't have a lot to say about this. It's nice poetry. ... Nope. Nothing constructive to add to that. 4/5

33. Jill the Reckless - PG Wodehouse
A strong story about a girl who loses all her money and gets dumped by her fiancé in a matter of hours, and decides to go on the stage. She's sensible, intelligent and likeable, and eventually she lives happily ever after. A more serious story than much of Wodehouse's output - witty and amusing but not exactly comic - and very enjoyable. 5/5

34. The Hunt Ball Mystery - William Magnay
A 1918 country house mystery that is so bad it is entertaining. The speech, the setup, the attitudes, the rationale behind working out what happening ... it could not be more Edwardian* if it tried. The amateur sleuths seriously rule out** a likely suspect who has unexplained bloodstains on her dress on the grounds that nice girls don't go round murdering people, and she comes from a very good family, so she couldn't possibly have murdered anyone.

The prose is also dire, and the opening sequence with characters having a major tantrum over the unutterable caddishness of the swine who insisted on going against all that is decent and assuming that it would be okay to share the only taxi at the station without asking them reduced me to fits of giggles, although I am sure that was far from the author's intention.

I have no idea how seriously the book was taken, how seriously it was meant to be taken, or how well it was received, in 1918. On intrinsic merit, it would get a 0.5 from me today, but the sheer entertainment that can be derived from a mystery this bad and from the way the period attitudes are displayed bump it up to a 2. I feel slightly guilty for laughing at it - but only slightly.

*Yes, I know it was published when George V was king; the attitudes are still Edwardian, if not Victorian.
**Not a comment on whether the suspect in question turns out to be guilty or innocent: they assume she has to be innocent.

Call me crazy, but I'm taking that review of The Hunt Ball Mystery as a strong recommendation!

And I'm glad to meet someone else who understands the attractions of writing that's so-bad-it's-good. :)

I'll soon be reaching Guards! Guards! in my Pratchett (re) read - Pyramids next. I'm glad that one has held up for you. It's one I haven't read yet, though have listed to radio adaptation fairly recently.

#34 Not crazy at all! (If you really want it, it's available from Project Gutenberg.)

ETA - I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Genny. I really enjoyed Pyramids. Will that one be a re-read or a first time read for you?

Pyramids is also a first time for me. Before LT my series reading was often very haphazard, now I'm able to check what I have and haven't read, and fill in the gaps.

Hi Caty!
You sure shook that book funk! Good for you...
Some of those books look pretty good and pretty awful. :)
Nice mix. LOL
Nice to see you back on LT.

I really like the sound of The Affair of the Bloodstained Tea Cosy, sounds very amusing.

I just downloaded The Hunt Ball Mystery from project gutenberg...because I like to laugh at ridiculous mysteries when I'm braindead or stressed. It's my brain candy. :)

I am just going to try and keep up with you from here on out. OK, Caty?

I've had someone else recommend The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy to me and it does sound like fun, but I feel like I really shouldn't start another mystery series whilst I have so many unread ones on my shelves...

And hooray for Guards! Guards! It's one of my favourites too.

#37 Well, I hope you enjoy it. (And I know the filling-in-gaps feeling well!)

#38 Thanks, Claudia. :)

#39 It is amusing. If you try it, I hope you like it.

#40 I won't say I hope you like it - but I do hope it gives you some laughs.

#41 Hi Stasia. *waves* Definitely OK. I'm spending less time here and I just can't stay caught up with the threads at all - so I can't imagine how many unread posts you've accumulated. It's lovely to see you back. *hugs*

#42 It's only a trilogy... Ahem. Sorry. Maybe you can save it up for later. *grin*

35. Christianity in Roman Britain to AD500 - Charles Thomas

Does exactly what it says on the tin. A comprehensive survey of the history and archaeology (the latter being much more extensive and informative than the former) of Christianity in Roman and sub-Roman Britain. Lucid, informative and readable, if not always particularly exciting.

Not a new book - it was published in 1981 - but it's one of the key background texts on my reading list: although there is newer work to supplement it, it's far from obsolete. And it has a vast bibliography, which is always helpful.

4/5

Hi Caty, glad you got through your book funk....in a big way. Very good.

#44: Thanks for the recommendation of that book, Caty. I am very interested in the subject matter. I will see if my local library has a copy.

#45 Thanks, Bonnie

#44 Hope you manage to find it!

I've been away on the residential for my course, which has been good but hasn't left much time for reading.

36 The Brontes went to Woolworths - Rachel Ferguson

3/5. It was okay, but I didn't love it. I found it weird rather than whimsical, and there was something mildly disturbing about the characters' difficulties in separating reality and invention. Imaginary friends, family in-jokes and characters feeling that they know the famous people they read about: these things are entirely comprehensible to me. Getting uppity because complete strangers don't know how to play your game or because the real person doesn't act like your invented character, that's just strange. Especially in adults.

Nice mix of reads! Your review of The Hunt Ball Mystery made me chuckle. I like it when you get one that is so bad it's good, but I recently had a read that was so bad it was terrible and that was just a disappointing waste (though I did have fun writing the review). Have you ever listened to any of the audio books of Terry Pratchett? Guards!, Guards! is one of the few that my library has and I had a blast listening to it at while working! I want an Errol. :)

47: I got that as an ER last year and agree that the word "weird" is pretty fitting. Still though, I thought some of the characters were kind of charming.

#48 No, I never have listened to any of the audio books.

#49 Yes, I did like the (real) Toddingtons and the second governess.

37. The Confessio of Saint Patrick with the Letter to Coroticus
38. De excidio Britanniae - Gildas

Neither of these was technically on my reading list, but they kept being referred to in books that are, so I tracked down ebooks of the public domain versions. Probably not the best translation in either case, but good enough for my current purposes. Finding a version of Gildas with part three included took some effort - and by the time I'd ploughed through it I wondered why I'd bothered. It surely doesn't require quite that many pages to say, 'you kings and clergy are not doing your jobs properly: pull yourselves together and start behaving the way you're all supposed to'?

39. Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell

Plenty of things that I found interesting and thought-provoking, and also plenty of things that I disagreed with - but at least I benefited from working out why I disagreed. Having dithered between giving it a 2.5 and giving it a 3, I'm going for 3/5.

40. Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Contemporary Romance. None of the characters is terribly likeable at first, but somehow it all works; I was probably more interested in whether the sisters were going to reach some sort of peaceable settlement and what was happening between the sister and her husband than in the relationship between the lead characters, but at least it kept me reading. 3/5.

41. The Voyage of Saint Brendan - trans. J. J O'Meara
For my course reading list. Very interesting if medieval hagiography and similar stuff is your thing. My edition has a mildly helpful but pretty basic introduction; I think I would have struggled to spot some of the Biblical imagery and understand some of the allegory if it hadn't been touched on in last week's lectures, and I am pretty sure I still missed a lot. The patterns of the journey and focus on liturgy and the monastic offices is interesting. (Well, it was to me, anyway. I'm guessing those people NOT studying church history would find it considerably less fascinating.)

ETA: I am ridiculously behind with all the threads. Ridiculously and massively behind. Weeks behind. About three threads behind for some people, and dozens of posts behind even in the quiet and peaceful corners of the group. I shall try to catch up soon, I promise.

Just stopping by to say hello Caty.

#52 don't worry about being so far behind reading threads - you're doing a great job reading real books and I know where to find you to come say hi!

Just saying Hello! :)

Hi Caty!

Hope you are well - just stopping by with a wave ~

Hi Heather, Sandy, Angela and Claudia! *waves*

Several books to catch up with:
42. The Journal of Dora Damage - Belinda Starling
Historical Fiction. When Dora's husband's illness reduces the family to penury, Dora takes over his bookbinding business, little suspecting that this move will bring her into contact with the seamy underbelly of Victorian London. Very atmospheric, but sometimes a little rudderless, which is perhaps not surprising given the number of themes it includes: Victorian medicine, social conditions, the role of women, race, slavery and pornography are all jostling with the minutiae of bookbinding for space. 3½ out of 5, with the caveat that it's definitely not for the squeamish.

43. Rattle His Bones - Carola Dunn
Number 8 in the series. Aristocratic journalist Daisy Dalrymple is writing an series of features on the Natural History Museum when during one of her research trips a curator has the misfortune to be murdered almost in front of her. Daisy places both her knowledge of the Museum and its staff as well as her deductive powers at the disposal of her fiancé DCI Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard in order to catch the killer.

I *loved* the period setting, the museum setting and the whodunnit. A beautifully written mystery. 4½ out of 5.

44. Dead in the Water - Carola Dunn
Number 6 in the series. Daisy and Alec are at Henley regatta when a rower expires dramatically during the fours - and since the deceased has been staying in the same house as Daisy (whose cousin's cousin is captain of the rowing squad) she finds herself thoroughly embroiled once again in trying to catch a killer. Not quite as good as Rattle His Bones, but the characters are strong, the setting is well portrayed, and it is still a good mystery. 4/5.

45. Death at Wentwater Court - Carola Dunn
Having enjoyed the two above, and with number three in the series waiting for me, I snatched up the remainder of the first eight in the series when I spotted them in the charity shop this morning. This is the first in the series and introduces Daisy and DCI Fletcher to us and to each other. It's a more typical country house murder story, but it's reasonably well written. The characters are perhaps a little less well developed that in the later stories, and the timing not quite as sharp. I was also a little disappointed in the ending - not in the explanation but in how it was handled. Nonetheless, it's a very sound historical mystery. 3½ out of 5, although edging towards a 4.

#57 Ooh, books! I like the sound of the Carola Dunn mysteries (although I need another mystery series to read like I need a hole in the head).

Ditto what Heather said!

Hello and Happy Friday to you Caty!

#58 I'm really enjoying them. But you probably didn't want to hear that...

#59 Happy Friday Saturday to you, too, Linda. :)

46. The Winter Garden Mystery - Carola Dunn
I keep trying to put these down, because I know that if I glut on eight of them not only will they start to become repetitive, but I shall also find myself heading over to Amazon to nab all those currently available on this side of the Atlantic.

It's not working. Not only have I finished off this one, I'm 64 pages into the next one.

Help.

Anyway, in this instalment, Daisy heads off to another country house to write another article for her magazine. Her hostess is an appalling snob and a complete dictator - and reminded me very much of Wodehouse's Agatha Gregson. The story has a solid plot, and very good characters: I thought once or twice that a couple of the characters were starting to look a bit cardboardy, but lo and behold they almost instantly revealed some hidden depths. The 1920s period setting continues to be excellent, and there are some nice humorous touches here and there, too. This one gets a 4/5.

But I really must give the series a rest after the next one.

"...after the next one."
LOLOL.... right! *grin*
Hi Caty! :)

I'm smiling thinking about you being completely hooked in an obviously well-written series and am slightly jealous that I'm not reading them too.

#61 Yes, I know. I'm not terribly optimistic about my chances.

#62 *grin* Look away now!

47. Requiem for a Mezzo - Carola Dunn
The third in the Daisy Dalrymple series. Daisy is given free tickets to a performance of Verdi's Requiem at the Albert Hall by her next door neighbour, who sings in the choir and whose sister (also Daisy's neighbour) is the solo mezzo.

Daisy does a little bit of agonizing over whether inviting Alec Fletcher to go with her is really the Done Thing - she may be progressive enough to defy her mother and choose to work for a living, but is she brave enough to ask Alec to escort her? Ask him she does, and they enjoy a glorious concert - right up until the moment the mezzo, Daisy's neighbour, takes a sip from her glass at the beginning of the Sanctus and immediately and violently expires on stage, the smashed glass leaving behind an odour suspiciously redolent of cyanide...

Another good addition to the series. This is a good mystery with some nice twists and turns, and the characters - both new and old - continue to be well written. I wouldn't like to comment on the accuracy of the musical details, but so far as I could tell the period detail remains strong.

I like that the author acknowledges the prevailing opinions of the era with regard to such things as race, class, sexual conduct, mental health and social and patriotic duty. In this book, a prominent subplot is an Eastern-European Jew living in London who encounters some strong (though by no means universal) anti-Semitic prejudice. The attitudes of the 1990s/2000s are not transplanted to the 1920s, neither are 'things they thought differently about back then' glossed over. While over the course of the series Daisy does sometimes seem to approach implausible niceness and anachronism in not sharing ANY of the 1920s attitudes that are unacceptable by the 1990s and early 21st century, she never quite gets there. Her character and behaviour are well-developed and consistent, and because the author is able to show Daisy's worldview and attitudes, and what underlies them, she remains a plausible character.

Another 4/5.

I am going to *try* to leave the remaining three in the TBR pile for a while and come back to them later - but since I have already been picking them up and flicking through the early pages, I suspect that I shall fail.

And the Daisy Dalrymple books are well and truly on the wishlist now. Bother.

I'm very entertained by your "barbell" reading -- fluff on one end of it and serious ecclesiastical history on the other!! Each necessary to satisfy one part of the brain cells...

I'm sorry now that I recently took a couple of duplicate Daisy books to the Notting Hill Book exchange, I would have sent you them, Heather. I bought some in the US years ago when I used to go to crime fiction conventions - Dunn is English and sets her work here but I think now lives in the US and we've reimported the books back over here - and then the first 8 were available as a bargain set from the Book People (probably for £8 or £10), don't know if they still are.

Hi Caty, I've missed your caustic wit on the threads this year but I know you're busy, busy, busy. Loved this:

It's not working. Not only have I finished off this one, I'm 64 pages into the next one.

Help.

Priceless.

ETA Of course I'll be adding this series to my teetering tower so your work here is done ;-)

#66 Yes they do - £9 (save £46.93!). Oh no, I was going to be good this month in preparation for a splurge in London. Must. Be. Strong.

Hey, Caty. Just checking in as I try and catch up a bit :)

#64 Sorry *grin*

#65 'Barbell' reading - that's a great way of putting it. And I definitely do find both necessary. If only it didn't take 7 items of fluff to counterbalance one literary or academic tome. Sigh.

#66 we've reimported the books back over here Don't know why it had to take so long. *Grumble, grumble, grumble...*

#67 *grin* I live to serve.

#68 If they're only £9, you could have the boxed set and still splurge a little. ;)

#69 Hi Stasia!

Right, the next six are:

48. Murder on the Flying Scotsman - Carola Dunn
Daisy sets off for Scotland, only to discover Alec's daughter Belinda has stowed away on the train - and when Belinda finds a body things get interesting. This was a very good contribution to the series: the overarching story progresses nicely, and the mystery is good. 4.5/5

49. Damsel in Distress - Carola Dunn
Philip Petrie was Daisy's late brother's best friend, and he and Daisy have always been friends. So when Philip's beloved, the daughter of an obscenely rich American car manufacturer, is kidnapped, and he dare not call in the police, it is to Daisy he turns. But Daisy just happens to have invited Chief Inspector Fletcher home for the weekend to meet her mother... Will they succeed in rescuing the fair Gloria? And will Daisy's mother approve of Alec? 4/5

50. Styx and Stones - Carola Dunn
When Daisy's brother-in-law starts receiving anonymous notes, he asks for her help in finding out who is responsible. Setting off for the country, and taking Belinda Fletcher with her for a holiday, Daisy begins to investigate - but things take a macabre turn when Daisy discovers a body, and when Alec turns up to see what his beloved and his daughter have gone tangled up in, the local police soon tangle him up in helping with their investigation. The family dynamic here are very well written, the undercurrent of humour is whirls and eddies and produced some definite giggles, and the whodunnit is pretty good too. 4.5/5

And now I've run out. :( I shall definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series.

51. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling
Definitely one of the weaker books in the series, I thought. While it does plenty to move the overarching narrative on, it's not terribly satisfying in and of itself. Some of the subplots were good - but I thought the ending was a let-down. Not in terms of what happened, but because it felt incomplete: too much of a set-up for the finale and not a complete story in its own right. The others all worked as independent stories as well as parts of the series; this one didn't. 3.5/5

52. Christianity in Roman Britain: an Archaeology - David Petts
Covers much of the same ground as the Thomas book from the other month, but updated. Not as much detail, and a bit repetitive at times, but not bad. Appallingly edited, though: punctuation, words and at one point I think a whole line missing.

53. The Apocryphal Gospels: A Very Short Introduction - Paul Foster
Like the rest of the VSI series, it does what it says on the tin: a broad introduction to the apocryphal gospels, dealing with content and context. The general conclusion is that the people who think these documents will get them closer to the historical Jesus than the canonical gospels are deluded - the documents are chronologically much later, and influenced by later concerns - but that the documents are very interesting and informative when it comes to the interests, concerns, movements and preoccupations of the second century church.

It could definitely have been better edited: I was momentarily confused and then somewhat entertained by the bit on page 45 that had a numbered list out of the blue, followed by the statement, "When reading the Gospel of Philip, three features quickly become apparent:" - which concluded the section. There'll be a copy editor somewhere kicking themself over that one.

Also has a short bibliography - which is fine but very short on background material, which I'd have preferred to see more of, assuming there is more out there to list - and some pretty useless references. The information in the references is fine, but they're not numbered or in any way indicated in the text. (*headdesk* Why, why, why do people do things like that? If you're going to tell me about the existence of a 'fascinating discussion' of the archaeology of the Oxyrhyncus site and the significance of the papyri, wouldn't it have been better to do it when you were telling me about the Oxyrhyncus site and the papyri, and not in a completely detached note a hundred pages later, which I had no way of knowing was there? I don't know whether that was a rubbish authorial decision or a rubbish editorial decision, but whichever it was - Aaarrrgghh. DON'T DO IT.)

Ahem. Rant over.

And incidentally it gets a 4/5. Although I was strongly tempted to dock serious points for the dodgy referencing. *Grump.*

Hmm, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is actually my favourite book in the series, but I can understand your qualms. Given your feelings on this one, I'm curious as to which one is your favourite?

#71: Love your rant, Caty, and completely agree with it!

#72 So far, The Goblet of Fire is my favourite. Just number 7 to go...

#73 *grin* It could just be that the numbers have gone missing, I suppose, but losing them from the text and from the references sections is quite an error to slip through. It would probably have bothered me less if it wasn't from such a reputable publisher: I'm not used to finding mistakes in OUP books!

#74: An OUP book?! Wow! That is terrible.

It's certainly not like them.

Anyway...

54. The Scheme for Full Employment - Magnus Mills

The Scheme works like clockwork: a vast fleet of vans transport goods between depots, everything is meticulously checked in and out, and everyone gets paid for their day's work. But the goods they're transporting rounds and round in circles are merely parts for more vans, and tensions are building between those who think it's acceptable to clock off a few minutes early and those who insist on the full eight hours...

This is a passable satire on the workplace and job creations schemes, but while the book has some good moments, it has a tendency to be a bit vague. It was okay, but it could have been really spectacular if it had been pushed a bit further. I kept thinking about what it might have been like if someone like Terry Pratchett had started with the same scenario, and the real book didn't come off well.

It's not bad. In fact, it's decently plotted and vaguely amusing. But its probably one to pick up if the library hasn't got the book you really went in for, rather than one to buy. 3/5.

#76: I think I will give that one a pass.

Better luck with your next read, Caty!

It's been a few years since I read the Harry Potter's and I honestly don't know which was is my favourite, although I definitely know is isn't either of the first 2 books. Is the Half-Blood Prince the one where we learn a lot about Snape's background? I do think I enjoyed that one a lot if it is.

>78 KiwiNyx: Snape's background is explained in the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Hi Caty! I'm as behind on the threads as you are, if not more so, but am glad I've finally caught up with yours. Loved your summary of Gildas - I never read the whole thing myself, just a few quotes here and there, but sounds like your summary is enough to get the gist of the whole thing. I dipped into the Voyage of St B too, as part of studying the Old Irish tradition of imrama (rowing around/peregrinatio) stories during my undergraduate degree - too many years ago. It's good to hear of other people who are interested in this stuff!

I'm trying to ignore the Carola Dunns at the other end of your 'barbell'! Too many series on the go already...

I'm sorry you won't be able to make it up to London this Friday for the meet up; let's hope we can arrange another one sometime, somewhere in the UK that is easily accessible from the North East and the South West!

#77 Thanks - although the next one turned out to be worse. *Sigh*

#78/79 I've been waiting for the character of Snape to make sense: it's good to know he will in the end.

#80 We had some interesting lectures looking at peregrinatio at the last residential session for my course: the literature and the theology of it seem fascinating. I am very tempted to go back to it and read up on it some more when I've finished my current unit.

55. Murder on the Eiffel Tower - Clause Izner
The first in the Victor Legris series. I nearly gave up on this one several times in the first 70-80 pages, and I was jotting down notes of what was wrong with it ready to justify having quit:

Flat, dull, tedious. Too much narrative description. Too many characters flitting around in disparate scenes that are never pulled together. Poor characterisation - unengaging, and unengaged with what is happening. Stilted prose - though that could just be the translation. Going from the internal thoughts of character A, on to B, then to C, and finally back to B not only within one scene but within one page - and the last two within the same paragraph - is just one symptom of amateurish composition.

All those impressions of the first eighty pages still stand. But actually, after that point, it did improve a little. Not enough to make it, you know, good or anything. But it did get a bit better.

The narrative was pretty uninspiring all the way through, the characters were irritating and irrational and the denouement was flimsy - but stuff did actually happen and I didn't notice any other scenes where multiple points of view induced literary whiplash. It seemed to be trying to be literary and to be genre fiction, and failed to do either properly, although the historical detail seems pretty good. The 'sleuth' Victor Legris irritated me a lot, however. As a sleuth he jumps to conclusions, harbours suspension and throws about accusations on exceedingly flimsy grounds; as a character I didn't like him much either.

This book gets a 2/5. I have the next two books in the series. When I was about to give up on this one, I was just going to get rid of the other two unread. However, they both have a higher average rating than this one, and I'm thinking I might - just possibly - give the second one a go to see if it is better. Hmm.

OK, I am skipping Murder on the Eiffel Tower. Sorry your next read did not turn out better for you, Caty! Maybe the third time is the charm?

>81 Eat_Read_Knit: I also gave Murder on the Eiffel Tower only 2 stars when I read it a couple of years ago. I didn't find the sleuth likable at all. I felt other people had a better handle on the situation than he did.

#82 I hope so!

#83 Yes, I think you're right about other people having a better grasp of it all than Legris.

I think I'm going to pass The Montmartre Investigation and The Père-Lachaise Mystery straight on to the charity shop without bothering to read them. They were BookMooch acquisitions, so it's not as though I spent much to acquire them.

#81 Hooray, a mystery series I can safely avoid!

I think I've got #1 of the Izner books on my TBR tower... darnit. I think I paid real $$ for it too!

#85 *grin* Does that mean I'm forgiven for the previous one? ;)

#86 Well, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. Somebody somewhere has given it 5 stars. (Okay, so 11 have given it 1 star, But still...)

Anyway, all three have gone to the charity shop, along with a whole box of other books. I *ought* to have some space on the shelf on the shelf now, but I can't actually see any. Hmm.

None of the dozens of books I have on the go appeal to me tonight. I'm wondering whether to start Wolf Hall (which I've been promising myself I'll get to "any moment now" since February last year) or The Worst Journey in the World, which I received for my birthday earlier this month.

Decisions, decisions...

I have The Worst Journey in the World here to read too! If you decide on that one, would you like a reading partner?

#87 Of course :-)

I just gave two stars to another Gallic Books novel, soppy stuff mixed with a crime caper and some supernatural stuff. I rather liked the supernatural bit actually, it was more convincing than the supposedly realistic bit, and an interesting idea.

#88 Yes, please! I've only reached page xvii so far - I'm just about to start Cherry-Garrard's own introduction.

#89 Good!

56. Owls Well That Ends Well - Donna Andrews

Meg Lanslow and her family are having the world's biggest and most chaotic yard sale, which becomes even more chaotic when a body turns up in a trunk.

I didn't like this as much as the first two in the series. I've got the Flamingos around here somewhere, so I'll read that one, but unless it's better than the three I've read I probably shan't seek out any more of them. I don't dislike them, but I've got plenty of other things to read that I either know or expect will be better. 3/5

#90 I've not come across any of their other books. Who was the author? (Not that I intend to read it if it's a two-star book. I'm just curious.)

Had to laugh, I bought Wolf Hall about the same time as you and it is still sitting on my bedside table, as yet unread. It's a chunkster that demands headspace and a scary thought but I can't have had that much headspace for a while now.

#93 I'm glad it's not just me!

Okay, another book-for-study to add to the list. Definitely the best of the medieval texts I've read for this unit.

57. Life of St Columba - Adomnán of Iona

Written c697 by a successor and distant relative of Columba, this is a work very much in the tradition of the early medieval saints' lives. Which is to say, there's a strong emphasis on the miraculous and supernatural. But it's far more 'normal' than some of the really left-field Vitae, and in passing has quite a bit of interesting detail about life, work and worship at Iona under Columba. Adomnán is very big on saying who his sources were, and often comments on where events purportedly took place, even if he rarely mentions the dates.

The translation (by Richard Sharpe from penguin Classics) is very readable, and occasionally amusing. It also has 270 pages of introduction, maps, genealogical tables, notes, further reading and index - two thirds of the book, with only one third being the actual text. But the historical and linguistic information in the notes and introduction is fascinating as well as extensive, and I really enjoyed reading it all.

My favourite story has to be this one:

{II 29} Of a knife which St Columba blessed with the sign of the Lord's cross.

Once, one of the brethren ... came to the saint while he was engaged in copying a manuscript and asked him:
'Please bless this implement which I have in my hand.'
St Columba did not look up, but continued to keep his eyes on the book from which he was copying. However, he reached out his hand a little way and, still holding his pen, made the sign of the cross. ... later St Columba asked Diarmait, his loyal servant:
'What was the implement I blessed for our brother?'
'A knife', said Diarmait, 'for the slaughtering of bulls or cattle.'
'I trust in my Lord,' added St Columba, 'that the implement I have blessed will not harm man or beast.'
No more than an hour had gone by before the saint's word was proved entirely true. ... Though {the monk with the knife} tried three times {to slaughter a bullock}, pressing very hard with the knife, yet he found he was unable to get the knife through the skin. (pp177-8)

I love the picture of this preoccupied monk not bothering to look up from the book he's working on, but instead issuing blessings willy-nilly which he then has to go to all the bother of a miracle to clarify/undo.

Recommended for medievalists and church history geeks. :D

Hi Caty!
Have been lurking lately - but just had to de-lurk to tell you I love that blessing of the knife story!

And I have so many books I want to get to - also "promising myself I'll get to "any moment now"
Ever hopeful... ;-)

Since I am interested in church history, I will look for Life of St. Columba. Thanks, Caty!

#94 The Life of St. Columba sounds interesting and you've reminded me that I already have some Penguin Classic books on early church history that I've been meaning to read for a while now.

#95 Hi Claudia! I'm glad it's not just me.

#96 Hope you enjoy it, Stasia.

#97 *peeks at your library* The Eusebius and the desert fathers have been flitting around the edge of the things I want to read for a while, so now I've wishlisted them. I might even find time to read them one day...

Love the St Columba story too. I bought that Penguin Classics edition of the Life of St Columba while in Iona a few years back, and remember reading some or all of the introduction on the train on the way home, but I don't think I ever got round to reading the text itself - thanks for the prompt for another book I need to get back to!

I have been enjoying your reviews. :)

#99 You're welcome!

#100 Thanks, BJ. :)

A few more to add. First a couple of books off the reading list for my current essay. There are lots of others, but these are the ones I read completely, rather than read part of and skimmed or skipped the rest:

58. Communication and Commerce along the Western Sealanes AD400-800 - Jonathan Wooding
59. And Shall These Mute Stones Speak? - Charles Thomas

And some light relief from study in the form of some PG Wodehouse short stories. I liked the early ones, but the last three with Ukridge I was less keen on.

60. Eggs, Beans and Crumpets - PG Wodehouse

And a DNF:

Strip Tease - Carl Hiaasen. I made it to page 59, but I didn't care what happened and I didn;t like the characters so I gave up there.

And the current essay is now finished, and you are all safe from more scholarly tomes about Celtic saints and lumps of carved rock. For the next few weeks, I shall be reverting to non-academic reading and worrying whether I've passed the module.

ETA and I might actually get round to catching up on some threads, too.

#102: For the next few weeks, I shall be reverting to non-academic reading and worrying whether I've passed the module.

Woot! for the reading. Boo! on the worrying :)

Well done on finishing the essay - hope you find some good light reading to distract you from the worrying!

#103 *grin*

#104 Thanks, Genny.

Okay, some mindless fluff:

61. Dancing at Midnight - Julia Quinn

Historical Romance. Re-read. Didn't like it as much this time as I did last time, but it was nice to curl up with something frivolous for a couple of hours this morning so it served its purpose. 3/5

Mindless fluff after a major essay I think is a national requirement. At least I'm sure that was the rule when I was studying.

#106 If it's not, it ought to be!

62. To Davy Jones Below - Carola Dunn

I had some money for my birthday last month and spent some of it on this, the next book in the Daisy Dalrymple series.

Spoiler warning for the series, although not for the book



At Daisy and Alec's wedding reception, Philip's father-in-law Caleb Arbuckle and Alec's Superintendent reveal a little scheme they've put together to get Alec's professional assistance for a little project a certain J Edgar Hoover is working on, and give the newly-weds an extended honeymoon on the Arbuckle acres at the same time.

Soon after the boat leaves, while Alec is struck down by seasickness and Philip and Gloria are getting rather competitive over quoits and snooker and every other game on board ship, people start falling overboard in suspicious circumstances. The Captain asks Alec to investigate, but with every patch of rough weather keeping Alec in his and Daisy's cabin with dry toast and a bucket, it falls to Daisy to do most of the investigating...

ETA And it gets a 4/5. Enjoyable, and strong characters as always, but the timing was a bit off and the ending, while ingenious, was a bit of a deus ex machina

63. Just Like heaven - Julia Quinn

This was the other book I bought with the birthday money. A nice historical romance: gentle and amusing, the first of the new Smythe-Smith books sees one of the violinists from those musicales fall in love with her brother's best friend. Nice story, with some Bridgerton cameos. 4.5/5

#108: Bridgerton cameos? I will have to look for that one. I very much enjoy Quinn's Bridgerton series.

#109 Yes, it's nice to see the Bridgertons back. Colin and Gregory make brief appearances in this one.

#110: Arg! Just saw that it is the first book in a proposed quartet! I hate that. I really do. I cannot read it until all the books are done. Just cannot do it.

At least it's only four, not another eight!

A very good point!

Congratulations on finishing your essay Caty and a belated happy birthday.

Thanks, Heather. :)

Can I canvass some opinions, please? It seems as though everyone I know is currently in one of two groups. The groups are roughly evenly balanced.

Those is group (a) are telling me all about what they're up to on Facebook and Twitter and how wonderful it all, is, and that I really ought to sign up.

Those in group (b) are telling me that they've quit using them because the sites are a massive black hole into which all their free time is being sucked, or because of privacy concerns, or that they'd never use them because they the mere concept unhealthy and bizarre.

I always said I wasn't going to join either - too much of a timewaster and I'm not keen on the "all my life is public, let me tell about every detail" facet - but I'm starting to weaken. Those of you who belong, what do you like/dislike about them?

I just joined Twitter, and I'm not sure how that will end up adding real value to my life. I did it basically as a "platform builder" for book reviewing and ultimately for marketing a second book. It does seem to be a way of making connections with interesting people you might not otherwise meet, but there are a lot maniacal tweeters who seem to live with their smart phones in hand, tweeting away, and a lot of what they say just isn't that interesting! It's like listening to cocktail party chatter.

Re Facebook, I've been a member for several years now, and am addicted, I admit. That doesn't mean that I spend hours on it, mind you -- I spend far less time there than here on LT. Most important for me is that it's a one-stop way of keeping in touch with my very scattered friends -- Indonesia, Qatar, India, Europe, Japan, China, all over North America, etc. etc. I've got friends from elementary school (the UK), high school (Belgium) and college (Canada). I've got work friends from all over. I can keep track of what they are up with their jobs, their families, their trips, etc. Nope, it doesn't replace personal contact, but once we're out of our 20s, and people form tighter groups when they are married and raising families in other cities, it's wonderful to stay in touch at all. I've reinforced and rebuilt old friendships, and formed new ones. People that might have flitted through my life have become a part of it, even if not at the core.

Like ALL Internet social networking sites, it is what you want to make it. If you're trying to build a business or a brand, you can do amazing and extensive things with it. That's not how I see FB; I restrict friends to people I know in some way and ban "random friending". I'm careful with my privacy controls, and will turn to PMs for more personal stuff. I really just use it as a communication hub.

One cool thing about FB, is that I've been able to introduce friends to each other who have common interests, etc. but who live in different places. The bottom line is that it's as much as a time sink as you let it be, and you disclose as much as you want to and limit the people you want to read it. I'm not the kind of person who will spend hours on the phone every day updating all my friends about my joys, triumphs, woes, etc. -- how dull! -- and so I think (hope!) that my FB page reflects that. I'll post links to my reviews for non-LT types to read; I'll post links to stuff I write and things that I run across that seem interesting. I'll keep people up to date on what I'm doing. I'll monitor what friends are up to. Today, a college friend in Nova Scotia had a birthday -- I was able to send her FB greetings. Nope, it's not the same as a phone call, but honestly, I probably wouldn't have done that anyway -- finding a time to talk that wouldn't conflict with her family plans, and my plans, etc. is just too tricky for all but the closest of pals these days. And as for cards -- how many REAL birthday cards do you get these days??

Well, that's my two pennies' worth of thought on the subject! I'm not going to chivvy you in any way, but I'd just say that you need to think about what these sites are and how YOU could use them to add value to your life. Because the advantages and hassles will be very specific to your experience.

Thank you very much for all those thoughts, Suzanne. I shall definitely have a think about it. :)

I have never used Twitter so I cannot comment on it, but I do use Facebook. I like it for finding out what is going on with my far flung family members. I also admit being addicted to Farmville :)

I don't use either one, and don't have any plans to do so. I find I'd rather spend my on-line time here on LT talking to people I've never (or rarely) met face-to-face about real common interests than on FB talking to RL people I've rarely thought about in years of being apart. Although I'll admit it is a nice way for families and friends to exchange quick news and photos, and my husband takes care of that for us. I'm happy to let him do it. But I just don't care about posts like one from my SIL announcing that she and my brother had taken the kids out for ice cream. From her phone. At the ice cream parlor. Describing everyone's order in detail. No thanks. I'd rather come hear and find out what Caty has been reading.

A friend of mine shares that approach -- it was his birthday today, and he was griping that instead of calling or sending "real" cards, people were just posting birthday greetings on FB. I agree I don't give two hoots about where someone is eating or with whom, or what, but my feed somehow seems to winnow out silly stuff like that. And if I do see them, I gloss over them. Some days, I'll spend five minutes on FB; other days an hour but almost never more than that, even cumulatively. Today was an exception, because I was sending out notices about my blog launch, but something I consider major would need to be happening that I want to communicate about to do more than post once and perhaps check back in during down moments two or three times. It's a time filler rather than a time waster, I think. But I can see how it could become a time sink, especially if you are addicted to some of the games (sorry, Stasia!)

After less than a week on Twitter, I confess I'm getting very irritated by one Tweeter who compulsively retweets about EVERYTHING that crosses her desk. I'm especially uninterested in "life tweets" -- i.e. here's who I met for drinks or dinner. Just reminds me that I have no life!

Suzanne, I think that what you've described in #117 above sounds reasonable - sort of a public journal of your interests and activities. The things you'd be talking about in a phone conversation with your friends. You wouldn't call them up to let them know you were out with someone else and having a great time. I guess I'm not familiar with everything it will do - I know my husband will sometimes spend hours (definitely not daily - just once in a while) reading about people he hasn't seen or talked to in years and will be so excited at "finding" them again and encourages me to do the same. There have been some he has genuinely re-established relationships with and that is good for him. But I guess I just prefer to maintain a smaller circle of acquaintances. Plus, it makes me a little nervous that photos with name captions can be posted out there for anyone to see - combined with all the personal data that always seems to be listed, too. I like my privacy too much. However, it is a great way for parents to keep track of what the kids are doing, since they (well, mine anyway) will shamelessly post ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!

Caty, if you're interested, give it a try. If you don't like it, you can always delete everything and close down the page, can't you? You shouldn't listen to my opinions - my family thinks I'm the most technology-adverse person on the planet. They claim that, if it were up to me, we'd go back to horse and buggy transportation!

#121: I am addicted to LT too, Suz, so I am balanced, right? lol

Thanks, everyone. :)

#119 Stasia, after hearing an acquaintance say she was in the middle of 7 games of scrabble (I think - 7 games of something, anyway) and someone at church comment on how my brother always beats their score at some game or another, I am not at all surprised to hear you (or anyone else) admitting to a slight preoccupation with the games.

#120 Sandy, horse and buggy might take a little longer to get you there, and I have no idea whether the hay would cost more or less than the petrol/gas, but at least the capacity for complicated and expensive mechanical (or worse, electrical) breakdown is gone! I reckon the advantages and disadvantages are probably about equal. (I have on more than one occasion threatened to chuck my laptop out of the window and take up a quill pen and a bottle of ink.)

#120/121 Yes, the details who's eating what for dinner and with whom would drive me mad, too.

#123 *grin*

Okay, I have joined twitter. I joined under my real name and am now having horrible anxieties about that, and wishing I'd picked a pseudonym. I've already ticked the privacy box and refused several following requests from complete strangers. I could understand wanting to follow someone you don't know when they've written something interesting, but I haven't posted anything at all yet. Why would you (abstract you) want to follow someone who hasn't said anything unless they've already followed you, or you know them from somewhere else?

Somehow posted accidentally before I was finished, and for some reason the thread is trying to eat that last post and won't let me have the whole thing back to edit, so I shall finish the thought in a separate post...

If anyone I actually know here wants to follow me - I probably will actually say something over there at some point - then I'll accept you.

I have picked out quite a few 'institutions' to follow, but not many people (mostly people whose blogs I already read), and no-one without checking whether they seem to have a tendency to produce inane babble. I'll probably start following some LTers as well.

Since I have evicted my old 'currently reading' list from the #3 top of the thread to make more space for completed reads, I thought I'd add an updated version. The differences from the last one are mostly due to things I've given up on and reshelved to try again from scratch later, rather than because I've finished many of them:

Currently reading:

With some degree of activity:
The Elements of New Testament Greek - Jeremy Duff
An African in Greenland - Tete-Michel Kpomassie
Mon Vieux et Moi - Pierre Gagnon - picked this one up again in the last few days, and enjoying it a lot
A History of Christianity - Diarmaid MacCulloch
The Small House at Allington - Anthony Trollope - getting through this quite fast at the moment
The Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Christian Theology: An Introduction - Alister McGrath
Revelations of Divine Love - Julian of Norwich - left over from the Lent group read. Whoops.
Cakes and Ale - Somerset Maugham
Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel
The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry
Our Tragic Universe - Scarlett Thomas
The Church in Anglo-Saxon Society - John Blair
The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene

Will get back to at some point:
The Student's Catullus (Group read)
The Curse of the Pharaohs - Elizabeth Peters
A Preaching Workbook - David Day
The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church - Vladimir Lossky
A Novel Bookstore - Laurence Cosse
Maps and Shadows - Krysia Jopek (ER book with massively overdue review)
Night Train to Lisbon - Pascal Mercier
The Christian Atheist - Craig Groeschel
The Breeze of the Centuries - Michael Reeves
The Victorian Governess - Kathryn Hughes
Artists in Crime - Ngaio Marsh
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (trans Armitage)
The Earth: An Intimate History - Richard Fortey
Prayer: Does it make any difference? - Philip Yancey
The (selected) Sermons of John Donne (ed. Gill)
The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault
The Double - Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
Trilobite - Richard Fortey
Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo - Julia Stuart
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet - David Mitchell

I thought Twitter sounded a bit stupid when I first heard of it, but it's a good place for entering easy competitions for free books and stallking authors, and I waste a lot more time there than on Facebook now.

I think Facebook is great for catching up with people you would like to keep in touch with but haven't, including online and real friends and acquaintances - ones who read the same books, ones who had babies at the same time, people you were at school and university with, relatives you haven't seen for a while. One friend I found again through Facebook now lives a few miles from my mum and we've met up two or three times - we don't necessarily see each other that often but it's nice to know we can get in touch when we feel like it.

#127 Thanks, Luci. I am very bad at keeping in touch with people. Hmmm.

I use both Facebook and Twitter. And I do not spend excessive amounts of time on either of them, but I do appreciate what they do for me.

On Facebook, I just look at it every couple of days or once a month depending on what is going on in my life. It helps me keep in touch with my brother's family and my sister, who is currently on a yacht and only gets on Facebook about once a week to tell me where she is at and that she is still alive. I avoid all the political and religion discussions that my friends have. You have to be my friend to see anything in my account. I also like to see peoples photos of their travels. Seems like most people just post those on FB now. I also receive a lot of invitations to parties and charity events on FB.

On Twitter, I have an account but I only use it to monitor other accounts. This started out as something I was doing for work. Now, I follow accounts like Nationals baseball, some movie studios, and an account that tells you where the food trucks are located. I also follow LibraryThing! No one follows me. I do not accept requests and I do not say anything.

What makes this really a useful tool for me, is that I have a Smart Phone. I can look at my tweets and FB when I am walking home from work or out at lunch. I do not have to be sitting at my desk at work or get on the computer at home. I am super busy at work, and I hate getting on the computer when I am at home since I sat in front of one at work all day.

In the end, you can make it as usful as you want it to be. I would not worry too much about the privacy issues. Just don't put anything out there that you are concerned about people knowing. Honestly, you have to be a hermit with no electricity to be completely free of privacy problems in any industrialized country. We are constantly on camera, no matter what we do. You will just have to behave yourself!

Thank you, Jennifer.

I really appreciate everyone's sensible advice, and the time and effort you've all gone to over it during the past few days. Still pondering Facebook, though...

And I always behave myself impeccably. *snicker*

#130: I wonder why I do not believe that last statement?

Hi Caty - just checking in!

I'm on Facebook and I feel it is a tool that can either be used or misused. It's a nice way for me to see pictures of my scattered friends (like Suz said) and keep up with what's going on with them. I go on every few days for a couple of minutes and see what everyone has posted. Occasionally I put a couple of pictures on there. But I've given up on FB games because they started to take too much time and became an energy drain. I can definitely see how FB can be addictive and too time consuming, and if it became that way for me I'd have to take a step back. I've never tried Twitter. I'm sure you will find what works best for you. :)

I don't really have much to add because I'm not on Facebook or Twitter but good on you for thinking it through very carefully before you take the plunge. I agree with many commenters, it can be used as a tool or it can be misused and serves only to fritter time, I've seen both uses and feel I get enough of social media through passive viewing.

While I have a facebook account, I am reluctant to post a lot on it. Years ago, when I was mid 20's, I had a very scary experience with a much older man who stalked me.

#133 Thanks.

#134 How horrible! I'm not surprised you're very cautious after that.

ETA: I found this on Twitter this morning - writers commenting on their own memorable holiday reads in the Guardian's books section. I particularly like Ian Rankin's comment on War and Peace: "The book was also handy for crushing bitey insects."

64. Re-read of The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart and Eileen Dreyer

I first read this in 2008 and gave it a 4.5; I've revised this to a 4. Still enjoyable chick lit/paranormal romance, though.

I have been reading, I just haven't been finishing anything much. I've got through a fair chunk of The Small House at Allington, plus a small amount of The Power and the Glory, Revelations of Divine Love and some more of the introduction to The Worst Journey in the World.

65. Maps and Shadows - Krysia Jopek

Finally, finally finished this massively overdue ER book.

It's not that I disliked this book. I didn't. The story that it tells is compelling and important, and the prose and poetry are good. But it's not good fiction. It's marketed as a novel, but it seems to be a very lightly fictionalised memoir. And it would have been better written as a work of non-fiction.

It's often hard to remember that this is supposed to be fiction and supposed to be told from multiple perspectives. There is a single voice telling the story - or rather, the multiple voices are so similar as to be indistinguishable. The emotions and experiences differ - but the authorial voice is the same.

The prose is heavily narrative, very descriptive. Vivid, beautiful description, both informative and touching - but always narrative rather than experience, always told rather than shown. The book is also surprisingly short: the various vignettes show something of the reality of the family's deportation and lives as soldiers and refugees, but they never really allow much connection with the people.

This is not a bad book. The author is plainly both skilled as a writer and passionate about that part of her family's history. But this book ought to have been written either as a work of non-fiction or as a more heavily fictionalised account. As either, it could have been immensely powerful. As it is, it falls between the two and, while sometimes powerful, more often feels awkward.

3/5

Just realised that I forgot to add a book I finished a few weeks ago. Late May or early June, I think. I shall have to try to remember what it was like:

66. The Chinese Shawl - Patricia Wentworth

This mystery was first published in 1943, and it's lasted pretty well. It's pretty much a country house mystery, with retired governess Miss Silver investigating the death of the selfish, rapacious and sexually predatory Tanis Lyle. Tanis is loathed by pretty much all her family and acquaintances - especially the women whose husbands she has ensnared and the men who have escaped her clutches - so there is no shortage of suspects. I didn't warm to the main character Laura as much as I think I was supposed to, nor to Carey, but I did like Miss Silver.

Not up the standard of Agatha Christie or Dorothy L Sayers, to my mind, but not bad at all. 4/5

I know I read some of Wentworth's books 30+ years ago, but I don't remember if I read that one. I've probably forgotten it by now anyway. I've added it to my wish list as I love country house mysteries!

Remember all those books on the Celtic church? I've just had the essay back that I was reading them for. Provisional mark of 74. That's a distinction in this markscheme. I was convinced I'd failed to get any coherent grasp on the thing at all, and was going to be lucky to scrape a 50. Either I am hallucinating, or I am better at this than I thought. :D

I have pinched the enormous meme from Suz and Luxx.

Favourite childhood book? My Bedtime Book of Two-Minute Stories. Or if we’re talking slightly later childhood, probably something by Enid Blyton. After about the age of 10 or 11, Jane Eyre.

What are you reading right now? You want a list? Add to those 34 Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey, Finding Sanctuary by Christopher Jamison, The Reformation: A Very Short Introduction and Church and People: England 1450-1660 by Claire Cross.

Bad book habit? Um, starting books and not finishing them? *grin*

Do you have an e-reader Nope – but I do occasionally read public domain ebooks on the computer.

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once I don’t know – I’ve never managed to just read one at a time.

Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog They’ve changed during that period, but I don’t know that they’ve changed because of the blog. Commenting on books has made me think more about what I’ve been reading, but I’ve been doing that here as well as more than on the blog. I think the biggest change has come from all the recommendations and conversation at LT, which has definitely changed what I read and how I think about it.

Least favourite book you read this year (so far)? I’ve had two DNFs so far this year, so I suppose it must be one of them: Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser or Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen. Also loathed The Undoing of a Lady by Nicola Cornick.

Favourite book you’ve read this year? I’ve had four 5-star reads: Jill the Reckless by PG Wodehouse, Adomnán’s Life of Columba, Beowulf in the Heaney translation, and Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. Couldn’t possibly choose between them.

How often do you read out of your comfort zone More often that I used to, but not as often as I ought.

What is your reading comfort zone? 19th-20th century British Lit, classic crime, historical fiction, some fairly tame romance.

Can you read on the bus? Yes.

Favourite place to read? In bed.

What is your policy on book lending?. Sometimes lend. Depending what it is and who wants to borrow it.

Do you ever dog-ear books? No – but I do splay them open face down instead sof using a bookmark, which is even worse for them.

Do you ever write in the margins of your books? Very frequently with non-fiction. And I use highlighters. Never with fiction, unless studying it or reviewing it. If I’m reviewing it, I only write in it if it’s a galley. I’m not sure why. The galley thing is actually quite odd.. Hmmm.

What is your favourite language to read in? English. The only other language I can read in is French, and that’s an effort these days.

What makes you love a book? Fiction? Some vague combination of well-written characters, a plausible and well-structured plot and an appealing prose style. If it’s non-fiction – clarity of expression, strength of argument and proper footnoting.

What will inspire you to recommend a book? Loving it. See above.

Favourite genre?. Varies. Overall, though, probably classic crime.

Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)? Biography

Favourite biography?. You had to ask that, didn’t you? Hmm. Can I count memoirs? Dry Store Room 1 by Richard Fortey. If it has to be a biography in the technical sense, LT tells me my highest rated is J.J. Scarisbrick’s biography of Henry VIII.

Have you ever read a self-help book? Probably. Not for years, though.

Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? Don’t know. Frankly, I can’t think of anything I’ve read this year that has been particularly inspirational.

Favourite reading snack? None. The crumbs would get in between the pages. … Did I manage that deadpan? Current favourite snack which I am trying very hard NOT to eat (and frequently failing) is Hobnob Chocolate Flapjack biscuits. To be eaten while reading and whenever else possible.

How often do you agree with critics about a book? Sometimes. Unless they’ve backed up their comments with extensive evidence, I tend not to take much notice one way or the other, because it’s so often just a matter of taste.

How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? Guilty. Always horribly guilty. The author’s put a lot of work in to their book, and I hate to think of them being hurt by negative comments. But sometimes I just don't like the book and to give it a bad rating and not say why, or to only rate and review good books, would be unfair and misleading.

If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? At various times I have tried (or am trying) to gain some level of fluency in reading Welsh, German, Latin, Icelandic/ Norse and New Testament Greek. So far, no notable success - although I am working on the Greek and (occasionally) the Latin. I’d quite like to learn Spanish and Italian too. That’s probably enough to be going on with, yes?

Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? I don’t have a good track record with finishing difficult and enormous tomes, so if we’re talking about completed books, probably Les Miserables. Quite easy to read, once I got into it, but my hardback is a seriously huge doorstep of a book, and the early chapters are not the easiest to get through.

Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?. Anything by James Joyce, probably. Or possibly 2666.

Favourite Poet? John Donne

Favourite fictional character? Bertie Wooster. Or maybe Lord Peter Wimsey. Or possibly Lord Vetinari. Or maybe Anne Elliott. Or possibly Hugo Darracott. Or Jeeves. Or…

Favourite fictional villain?. I am sure there are lots of truly horrible villains out there who it would be travesty to overlook, but for some reason my mind went straight to the superbly oily and conniving Obadiah Slope.

Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Could be anything. I usually take a mix of books.

The longest I’ve gone without reading. A couple of days in the middle of a major book funk.

Name a book that you could/would not finish. I have lots in my ‘try again later’ pile, but the winner has to be War and Peace. I have had about 6 attempts at it, and never made it to the end.

What distracts you easily when you’re reading? If it’s a really good book, not much at all. If it’s fluff, I am easily distracted by the radio, the internet, things happening around me, etc.

Favourite film adaptation of a novel? If I’m allowed a TV series, the Jeremy Irons Brideshead Revisted. If I’m not, the Ciaran Hinds/Amanda Root film of Persuasion.

Most disappointing film adaptation Just about any of the most recent Agatha Christie adaptations, in which either the sleuth or the culprit is different from the book. I have yet to see one where both are different, but I expect it’s just a matter of time.

The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? Don’t know exactly. Probably about £80 when I’ve had Christmas/birthday vouchers to spend.

How often do you skim a book before reading it? If I’m buying it from a real bookshop, about 90% of the time I will have a quick skim through before I buy it. Immediately before reading it? Very rarely.

Do you like to keep your books organized? In principle, yes. In practice, I don’t have enough space so they’re jammed in whichever way lets me get the most on a shelf.

Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them Keep. Unless I’m absolutely positive I’m never going to read it again. And even then I change my mind and end up buying it again five years later.

A book you didn’t expect to like but did? Can’t think of one. I expected The Life of Columba to be a chore that I had to get through but absolutely loved reading it. Does that count?

A book that you expected to like but didn’t? Mrs Dalloway. I didn’t hate it, but it was a terrible slog to get through it, and I thought it would be much more interesting than it turned out to be.

Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading? Anything by PG Wodehouse

Loved your answers to the meme, Caty. I also enjoyed the FB discussion. I'm on there to keep in touch with my host of cousins whom I rarely see. They are an interesting bunch. I rarely post except to share pictures of my grandchildren.

I refuse to sign up for Twitter because I don't want cyber-people following me around. Besides, I'd bore them to tears. Let's see... walked the dog... read the newspaper... watered my plants. Boring!

141: I felt the same way about Mrs. Dalloway and haven't revisited Virginia Woolf since, unfortunately.

#142 Thanks, Donna. I love your profile photo with Haley, by the way. You have grandchildren worth showing off!

I keep having to make myself *not* tweet about that kind of stuff. I did decide to leave the comments on coffee deprivation and large spiders up there, rather than deleting them. Some of the people who want to follow me surprise me, though. The people I know from LT or elsewhere - understand that. That's good. I like that. The people I've followed - yup, that too. The people with similar interests - perfectly comprehensible. The people with no discernible interests in common - really very odd, because I'm really not that interesting. The people who are plainly advertising something - I'm not sure whether I'm more amused by the ones who follow for a day and then disappear, or the ones who stay!

#143 Oh, good. I'm glad it wasn't just me. :D

#140 Well done on (provisionally) getting a distinction for your Celtic essay! When do you find out the final mark?

Thanks, Heather. I think the marks are final when everything has been moderated at the very end of the academic year. The two markers both gave the same mark, so I don't think it's likely to change much, if at all.

Congrats! I don't suppose you're going to post it somewhere so the rest of us can share its distinctiveness? :)

Thanks, Jim. And no, it's not going public. Sorry. :)

After a few months' break from TIOLI - it was starting to feel like a chore - I am diving back in. Planned reads are:

Challenge 5:
Bricks and Mortar - Helen Ashton

Challenge 9:
Our Tragic Universe - Scarlett Thomas (overdue ER)

Challenge 16:
Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood (Booker 96/Orange 97)

Challenge 19: I rolled a 1 to give Books about books
Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages - Henry Noel Humphreys

Challenge 20: I'm reading something I should borrow from @calm
A Vindication of the Rights of Women - Mary Wollestonecraft
and/or The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame

Alias Grace is soooo good - one of my favourites. I hope you like it!

Ditto on Alias Grace. Enjoy!

Make me a third on Alias Grace. :D

Finished a re-read of Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum. Review to come later. Possibly.

#150, 151, 152 Thanks!

You've inspired me to add Alias Grace to the TIOLI challenge too. I've been meaning to read it for absolutely ages.

Glad you enjoyed your reread of Carpe Jugulum. I've been toying with the idea of rereading all the guards/night watch books in preparation for the release of Snuff in October but there are 7 of them so I might have left it a bit late...

#154 Yay! Although, having said that, I haven't actually read more than the first couple of pages yet...

Seven between now and October ... I make that one every couple of weeks ... possible, but it might be pushing it at bit!

68. Sudden Vengeance (aka Frequent Hearses) - Edmund Crispin

When an actress throws herself off a bridge, and soon after that one of her colleagues drops dead in a meeting, the police start digging. And Gervase Fen, who is also working on the film as a script advisor, can't help 'helping' the police.

A decent, but not great, mystery. The plot is a bit flat, the characters are passable but not great, and Gervase Fen is just sort of flitting around the edges rather than getting stuck in. Crispin's writing is solid, but there are a few unfortunate metaphors and the language and humour are not particularly sparkling. One for fans only, I think. 3.5/5

#140 Well done on the Celtic essay - that's brilliant, and you have obviously been underestimating your abilities! I'm sorry you're not going to post it somewhere - I'd be very interested to read it...

Carpe Jugulum is one of the ones I have read, will be re-reading but not for a good six months probably, as I gradually work my way through (Eric is next up).

And chiming in late on the Facebook/Twitter conversation: I am signed up with both, but have never really got into Twitter, except on a few occasions when following a group of friends sending regular updates from a pilgrimage, or during the heavy snow when my sister told me about a snowfall map created by people tweeting their postcode and a number from 1-10 to indicate how heavy the snow was, and you could see the snow storms in real time moving across the country. That was fun. But yes, I don't get the random strangers following me thing.

Facebook I am more active with, but much less so since starting to use these Talk features on LT. I use it to keep in touch with all the people I'd have on my Christmas card list if I ever got time to do Christmas cards! It's great for linking with groups of friends from former stages of life who are now living at a distance. I'm not too worried about the privacy side - I do make sure my details are only accessible to friends, and I don't post things that I wouldn't want anyone to read. What I find more difficult to manage is keeping personal life separate from working life, because I see Facebook as something to help me remember and make a bit of time for people outside of the context of the parish and my congregation. Though I sometimes get friend requests especially from younger members of my church, I make a rule of not being 'friends' with people from my current congregation - though I am in touch though it with some members of former congregations. And some of my more local Facebook friends are fellow clergy in nearby churches, so there is some overlap of work and leisure. But then it's one of the peculiarities of clergy life that these lines get very blurred anyway...

Timewasting - yes, it has been at times, especially when I used to play a couple of the games a lot (I got into that in a big way when I was ill and off work for a while, but have weaned myself off them more or less now, mainly because it's more enjoyable and productive to 'waste' time reading threads and posting on here).

One of these days I'd like to do some proper thinking and reading, and write a (theological) reflection on the social networking phenomenon and concepts of and practice of friendship. Years ago when I was training I wrote my dissertation on the theology of friendship, but this was before the days of Facebook friends, texting, Skype or any of the newer technological possibilities for enabling connections. I think there are certainly some blessings to be found, as well as some dangers to avoid. Many clergy seem very 'anti' the whole thing, and lamenting the decline in real face to face relationships with so much online stuff going on. But I expect some of them were lamenting the invention of letter-writing back in the day, let alone the telephone! And we know in this group that online friendships are real, and valuable, even if they different somehow from 'real life' friendships. Facebook status updates, posting holiday photos, and commenting on the same when friends post them, may not be as good as 'writing a proper letter', ringing up for a good long chat, or best of all, meeting up face to face - but if we only do any of these very rarely if at all, then the drip feed of lesser online contact helps keep a sense of connection alive and gives us some idea of where friends are at.

Sorry, long rambling thoughts, but if you are still wondering about Facebook, I hope they are of some use.

*Waving* at Caty!

Kudos on the Celtic essay!

Hi Caty!
Let me add my congrats on your high score for your Celtic essay - and furthermore say I am not as surprised by it as you were. You worked hard and this is your reward! Wish I could read it too.

Genny, Interesting thoughts on friendship. I am hoping it is true that..."...online friendships are real, and valuable, even if they different somehow from 'real life' friendships...". I agree with your assessment that there is value in all kinds of communication to maintain connection. It sometimes seems very hard for me to not have some physical closeness with online friends to complete the relationship. The "theology of friendship" sounds like a wonderful dissertation.

#159 It sometimes seems very hard for me to not have some physical closeness with online friends to complete the relationship

I agree, and that is why so many of us on here, although we had never met before LT, seem to be keen to get to the occasional real-life meet up, to 'flesh out' the connections we have made, and at one remove again we enjoy seeing photos of such meet ups to at least put faces to names. But we wouldn't be bothering to do this if there wasn't already something real and valuable about the connections we have made online, even if they feel a little incomplete without it. I do find this a fascinating area to reflect on...

69. The Long Divorce - Edmund Crispin

The sleepy village of Cotten Abbas is woken up very suddenly when a spate of anonymous letters begin to circulate. As tensions rise, the visiting Mr Datchery begins to ask questions - but when the letters are followed by a suicide and a murder, both his investigation and that of the police become urgent and serious. Can the person to whom so much of the evidence points really be guilty? Is there a conspiracy? And who is Mr Datchery really?

This was a better mystery than Sudden Vengeance/Frequent Hearses. Gervase Fen is more involved, the characters and plot are strong, and there are some pleasing conundrums and red herrings. The daft cat Lavender is quite entertaining, and there's the usual humour in the writing. I probably ought to have been able to work out the solution, but although I managed to join some of the dots I missed some of the others, so the ending was pleasantly tense and dramatic.

This isn't the best Fen novel that I've read, but neither is it the worst, and for me it scores somewhere between a 4 and a 4.5.

#157 Thanks for those thoughts, Genny. :)

a (theological) reflection on the social networking phenomenon and concepts of and practice of friendship

That sounds like an interesting idea!

#157/158/159 And thanks everyone for the congrats on the essay mark.

Right, I'm off to catch up with a few threads. Horribly behind again...

#161: I really must read more of Crispin's books!

You should start following Margaret Atwood on Twitter -- she does great "tweets", very funny.

How are you liking Mon vieux et moi? That was a book that I loved reading late last year...

I do like the sound of Crispin's books. I actually got The Case of the Gilded Fly out from the library a couple of months ago but didn't have time to read it and had to return it. I'm definitely going to get it out again though.

#163 Do! I think there are more of them in print in the US than there are over here, because the last couple I've read have been imported editions.

#164 I shall track her down. (I must also get on with reading her book - not doing very well on that front at the moment.) I'm enjoying Mon vieux et moi, but it's slow going because I keep deciding that it's too much effort at the end of the day and picking up something in English. Which is silly, really, because although it is much slower than reading English I'm only having to look up a couple of words per page.

#165 Good! I hope you enjoy it: I did like that one, although it wasn't my favourite.

Well, I've caught up on a few threads this afternoon, but I'm still weeks behind on a lot of others. I shall try to catch up a few threads at a time over the next few days.

I know what you mean. Thanks for stopping by mine recently. I'm hopelessly behind, even though I'm working less than before. At least we are still reading! :)

Hi Caty, Good to read that you and at least one other who posted here on your thread did not like Mrs Dalloway. I just finished it - wanted to like it far more than I did.

I don't Facebook or Twitter, and that works just fine for me. I can spend a LOT of time right here on LT.

Hi Caty! More great reviews. And congrats on your Celtic essay!

Hello Caty! I'm behind on threads too - and woefully behind on reviews as usual. But still reading...

I hate those threads where I turn my back for three or four days and then read "170 new posts". ARGHHHHH

#168 I'm not even reading much at the moment. I don't quite know where the time is going.

#169 wanted to like it far more than I did. That was exactly how I felt.

#170 *waves hello* Thanks. :)

#171 Hi Genny. Thanks for dropping by. :)

#172 It's the ones where the unread count stops going up that bother me: it usually means a new thread - which by the time I get to it has become three new threads.

And in other news, I finally finished a book.

70. Miss Pym Disposes - Jospehine Tey

For a crime novel, the crime is a very small part of the book. It takes place very near the end, and there is little in the way of investigation. The bulk of the book involves the titular Miss Pym - a psychologist or sorts, and a former teacher - visiting a physical training college for girls, and getting to know the staff and students, and becoming a part of the community. The characters - not just sketched but sustained in detail through the books - are very strong.

First published in 1946, it's very interesting as a period piece: the atmosphere and attitudes of the period are displayed in detail, although it seems more 1930s than 40s, and I am curious to know whether it was written before or during the war and only published after. There's a lot of detail on the structure and functioning of the college which reflects the author's own experience.

The plot is, I think, the weakest part. Or possibly the strongest, depending on how you look at it. There is a lot of deliberate vagueness and ambiguity, and those who like to know exactly whodunnit, and how, and why, will be disappointed. Those who like things a little less clear cut may find it very intriguing. The decision-making - of the college principal throughout the book, and of Miss Pym in certain places but particularly at the end - is also interesting. The title plays on the phrase "man proposes, God disposes", and Miss Pym certainly does a lot of the disposing - playing God, if you like - throughout the book. The arbitrary decisions of the principal (and one decision in particular) also fit into this theme. Miss Pym herself discusses this with another character at one point: how and why should people make decisions? Should they take a course of action to help one person, knowing another could be harmed - or do they allow the first to be injured to keep the other safe?

It's really not much of a crime novel. But it is a passably interesting novel on the theme of ethics.

Oh, and it gets a 3.5/5.

Nice review, Caty. I will have to re-read that book some time.

I probably won't pick that one up, but a very nice review, Caty. :)

#175/176 Thanks, both of you. :)

#174 Thanks for another well-thought out review, Caty.

I'm glad to see you posting again, Caty. LT does get a bit overwhelming at times. But we miss our friends when they take vacations from the site and rejoice when they return.

Some interesting thoughts on Facebook and Twitter. I'm on FB but I rarely update over there and only visit on those rare occasions when someone posts on my wall. Too much fluffy stuff from some of my "people" with too much time on their hands, but they might say the same about me here on LT. ;-)

*waves hello to Caty*

#178 Thanks!

#179 Thanks Donna. I shall have to try to be around here more. :)

#180 *waves back*

71. Mrs Tim of the Regiment - DE Stevenson

Mrs Tim's diary is a lovely account of life as an officer's wife in the 1930s. A fictionalised and expanded-upon version of Stevenson's own diaries, it's charming and humorous, and full of wonderful characters. Hester Christie is simultaneously very practical and switched-on, and completely oblivious to some of the undercurrents swirling around her. Her family and friends are (mostly) lovely, and her descriptions of all their (mostly) quiet, domestic adventures are most pleasing to read. 5/5

Those who enjoyed Diary of a Provincial Lady, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Stevenson's own Miss Buncle's Book or anything by Barbara Pym should definitely track down a copy of Mrs Tim at the earliest possible moment. I really hope that the remaining Mrs Tim books are reprinted.

#182: I own that one. I just need to track down where I put it. I am glad to see that you enjoyed the book, Caty!

182- I want to read that one! Glad to hear it was good. :)

#183/184 I hope you both enjoy it. I think you both will.

I like the humour in this scene:

'I suppose you'll have no further use for us after Friday,' Guthrie says, looking up from a plate piled with bacon, and running with tomato juice. 'Once that husband of yours is here, we lesser mortals will have to take a back seat.'
I reply primly that Tim and I are old married folk, and completely inured to each other's charms.
'Look at her, mother - she's blushing,' says the dreadful man with a grin.
'I'm not blushing,' I retort indignantly. 'My skin is so fair that when I eat tomatoes they show through.'

#185: I like the humor in that scene too, Caty. Thanks for sharing it.

#182 I very much want that one and I also hope publishers continue to reprint more of D E Stevenson's books.

#186 You're welcome

#187 Hope you manage to track down a copy, Heather.

Plodding onwards... 72. The Thirteen Problems - Agatha Christie

A set of Miss Marple short stories from the 1930s, varying from okay to ingenious. It was a new Christie to me, which is very unusual because I've read most of them at some point in the last 20 years. Genny just wrote a good review of this one; I've given it 3 ½ out of 5, because I found too many of the stories too easy to work out, but I did enjoy reading it.

I have pruned my Currently Reading pile down to those books I've actually looked at in the last few weeks, plus those I've committed to read for something or other. Still in double figures. *headdesk* This doesn't even include reading that comes under study or preaching prep. And I can't actually get interested in any of it at the moment. Sigh.

And I can't actually get interested in any of it at the moment. Sigh Oh dear! I do hope you find something that calls out to be read soo, whether it is on the official list or not!

I find that the 'Currently Reading' feature is nearly always filled up with books that I started reading months and months ago but for various reasons have not touched for ages. The books that I am really currently reading normally get read too quickly to be added to that collection, and go straight from 'To Read' into the general collection with a 'read 2011' tag etc. But I never like to remove them from 'currently reading' because I have this idea that I will get back to them one day, and meanwhile that collection is my 'guilt list' to remind me what I have abandoned! I'm not quite sure this is how the feature is meant to be used, but that's how it works for me...

Yes, I do exactly that. It was becoming my 'I haven't touched it for six months but I'll get back to it eventually' collection. :)

I've had a bookmark about a quarter of the way through a book - which shall remain unnamed until I finish it - for *ahem* several (fill in your own number) months now. The sad thing is that I really like the book. I can't quite figure out this malaise regarding _____ (unnamed book). It's good to know that I'm not alone in this respect. ;-)

Sorry to hear about the continuing book funk Caty.

The sad thing is that I really like the book.

*nods* I find I just drift away from many, many more books than I deliberately abandon. Even books I'm really enjoying.

Thanks, Heather. I've just realised I've finished 6 books in the last two months. That's ... maybe ... 1/6 or so of my usual reading? That's pretty much unprecedented.

ETA - and I haven't really been thinking that I was *in* a book funk, just that I wasn't getting through much. I think 15-20% of the usual rate definitely counts as a funk, though!

We've certainly missed you posting about your interesting reads! I do hope normality is restored soon, mainly for your sake, but also so that we can enjoy what you've been reading too.

Awww, thanks, Genny. :)

#195 Definitely sounds like a funk. I'm also guilty of having certain books lingering in my so called currently reading collection but that's normally because I've got distracted with another book. I can normally cure book funks by giving up on my list of books I 'should' be reading and doing some comfort reading but I don't think I've had a period of not reading for a while. That's possibly not very helpful to hear though!

Would it be worth trying some more of the Carola Dunn series to see if that will break the funk?

#196 And what Genny said.

Would it be worth trying some more of the Carola Dunn series to see if that will break the funk?

If I see some in the library or second-hand, I may try that. But by about the seventh one I was starting to find them somewhat samey, so I think it's quite likely that if I try reading more now I will find them less enjoyable. (I want to read them eventually, but I think I need a longer break.)

And thanks. :)

Short stories seem to be working. I'm getting through Young Men in Spats with reasonable speed.

*goes to hunt down all other volumes of short stories in TBR pile*

#200 Woo hoo!

#200: Glad to hear that there is good news on the funk front!

#200 That is good news! I knew there was a reason for short stories to exist!

#201, 202, 203 :D

73. Young Men in Spats - PG Wodehouse
Not the best set of Wodehouse short stories I've read, but not bad. Favourites were:
- the story of Freddie Widgeon falling foul of a small child who liked to pretend to be people out of books,
- the two Drones club members who accidentally exchanged hats twice without noticing, and as a direct result ended up exchanging fianc&eacutees (but did notice that),
- the man who won the girl by pretending to be his own ghost,
- and the man who got the girl chiefly through his ability to accidentally set things on fire.

Overall, a 4/5.

I am going to try Wodehouse again one of these centuries :)

I am afraid to ask how The Worst Journey in the World is going . . .

The Worst Journey in the World is very happy, sitting with lots of other books for company in the middle if my 'must pick this up again and get on with it' pile. I'm still in the introduction. Haven't touched it for ages. I'll pick it up again soon. Sorry.

Didn't Carola Dunn start another series? Maybe you could try that??

Happily my book funks tend to be short-lived as the TBR mountains have reached such vast heights. Literally: I have seven or eight piles of books, each of which is about 20 books high, on my office floor. The Verizon repair guy looked at them today and recoiled. "You really READ all those?" I was tempted to answer that it was my version of a modern art installation, but doubt he'd appreciate the irony, if he got it at all. Which, I realize, makes me nasty snarky. Oh well...

#206: No worries. I have plenty to read in the meantime. Just thought I would ask so that I can make sure I stay abreast of you rather than falling behind.

#207 Yes, I think the library has a couple of them. I shall undoubtedly try them at some point.

#208 I think at this point you would have to be un-reading to fall behind me. It's getting slightly better, but I've had single weeks where I've read more than I've managed between the end of June and now.

#209: I am un-reading that particular book right now. I am glad to hear that things are getting better, even if only slightly so, Caty. I know how terrible book funks can be.

I've been reading a fictional story of an Arctic expedition and whilst it has made me interested in the real expeditions that took place, I've found the fictional tale quite harrowing and I'm not sure whether I could bring myself to read a non-fiction account knowing that it happened to real people. Or not without lots of happy books to balance it out anyway.

74. To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis

Entertaining, amusing, convoluted. The future, time travel, the Blitz, Jerome K Jerome, cats, chaos, hideous neo-Gothic church architecture, goldfish, mystery novels, romance entanglements and (of course) the dog.

To Say Nothing of the Dog is very different to Willis's Doomsday Book, which it follows in the series. To Say Nothing has farce and mad professors and goldfish collectors where Doomsday has plague and death and a lot of serious emotional stuff - but both are built on the basic premise of historians from the future travelling into the past and stuff Going Wrong while they are there.

I liked Domesday Book a lot, but I did think it was a bit slow and repetitive at times. To Say Nothing can also be a bit repetitive, but it's a bit of a farce so this is much less annoying: you expect farces to have parts where people are going back and forth and round and round in circles over and over again. To Say Nothing was also slow at times, but again this worked because of the style of the book: it consciously mimics Three Men in a Boat, where slowness is part of the charm because the whole point of the thing is the journey and not the destination. In short, the most significant flaws of Doomsday Book were not completely eradicated in this book, but that didn't actually matter.

To Say Nothing of the Dog has some wonderful characters, including the irritating and spoiled upper-class Victorians, the put-upon servants and the confused historians. Some are such pure embodiments of literary tropes and stereotypes that they'd completely fail if this book had a serious tone, but because it's quite frivolous the characters all fit in the context. What's more, the characters never slip at all. The plot requires some concentration at times, and can also get quite silly, but accompanying the historians of the future as they chase around Victorian Oxfordshire looking for a hideous piece of ornamental cast-iron is a lot of fun.

All in all, this is a great romp through history and literature. And I do like a character who has a proper appreciation for Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey.

4.5/5

That one sounds like a lot of fun.

I've not manage to get to any of Connie Willis' yet - am looking forward to that one!

Loved your review of To Say Nothing of the Dog. Interesting enough, I just finished Doomsday Book today. I liked it but boy does she need some serious editing. I bet you could have trimmed 200 pages off that book.

Just checking in with you and hope the funk is totally gone soon.

I'm glad you mentioned the books you LIKE, but you've been having trouble finishing - I thought I was the only one!

There is a book (possibly two) that I started, and I enjoyed it so far, and everyone here at LT recommends to me...and for some reason I can't get past the first 1/4 without drifting away. I'm not sure if it's unreasonable expectations (too much hype), or if I'm trying to savor it to make it last, or if it just isn't the right book for me.

But I am glad I'm not the only one that happens to!

PS- I have To Say Nothing of the Dog here on my shelves - thanks for the review. :)

#213 It is, carly!

#214 Hi Genny. I hope you enjoy when you get to it - which you should try to do soon!

#215 Hello Mark. Yes, I think DB could definitely have done with losing quite a few pages!

#216 Hi Angela. It's definitely not just you! (I hope it's not just you and me!) I hope you enjoy To Say Nothing of the Dog when you get to it. :)

#217 Yes Ma'am! The only trouble is, I don't have a copy in my TBR pile yet, and I'm trying to avoid adding to the pile since it already has 400+ books in it. Perhaps I could see if the library has it...

Hi Caty, Just saying hi and hoping that the 'ole book funk is not still hanging around.

#218 Good thinking.

#219 It is, but I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just reading what I fancy reading, and not bothering about numbers etc. There'll come a point where I suddenly realise I've read 17 books in a month and realise the funk's gone, and I'll be pleased, but it doesn't really matter whether that's next month or next April.

However, despite the perseverance of the funk, and thanks to a re-read, I have crawled my way to 75.

75. The Unfinished Clue - Georgette Heyer

This is a Heyer mystery that I remembered really liking, but I read it long enough ago that I couldn't remember the details of whodunnit. I could remember why but not who; I thought I remembered who, but I had the wrong one of two options.

When retired General Sir Arthur Billington-Smith is stabbed in his study, there is no shortage of possible suspects. Could his young second wife, whom he bullied relentlessly, have killed him? Or his son from his first marriage, disinherited that very day over a scandalous engagement? How far would the son's fianceacute;e go to capture a rich husband? Did the General's debt-ridden nephew have anything to do with his untimely demise? Or indeed the distant cousin in love with the General's wife? And where does the woman the General was pursuing - not to mention her jealous husband - fit in to the picture? And can the urbane Inspector Harding, sent down from Scotland Yard to investigate, keep his mind on the job and away from certain feminine distractions in the General's house, long enough to work it out?

A good mystery, well-plotted and with some great characters. A few of the characters are stereotypes, but in some cases this is played with and used positively. The identity of the murderer stretches credulity a bit, but it's still a very entertaining story.

Previously rated as a 5/5; I wondered whether to drop it to a 4.5, but I think I shall keep it as a 5 based on the entertainment value.

Congrats on 75 despite your book funk! I'm still crossing my fingers for you that it will lift one of these days. I've only read one Heyer book but I hope to be more familiar with her works this year.

Congratulations on reading 75 books, especially considering the book funk.

Hooray, 75! Hope your next one is enjoyable too.

Thank you Marie, Heather and Genny. :)

Congrats on reaching the magic number!

Congratulations!! Book funk be gone.

Congratulations on reaching 75! And thanks for the Georgette Heyer recommendation. You are one of the people here who are to blame for my falling in love with her books this past year.

Rah, rah! 75!!!
I confess to getting a couple of Heyer titles for my Kindle when they were going cheap earlier this month.

#226 Thank you. :)

#227 Thank you. :)

#228 Thank you. And you're welcome. :)

#229 Thank you. And that sounds like a sound investment! :)

Congrats!

Thanks, Jim!

Boo for funks, but yay for 75, and hooray for a good Georgette Heyer mystery. I love those!

Congrats on reaching 75!!

Thanks, Angela. Thanks, Chelle.

Congratulations, Caty!

Thanks, Darryl!

76. Death Walks in Eastrepps - Francis Beeding (1931)

A dark and complex mystery, with a lot of twists and turns. I wasn't expecting the final denouement to be as it was: I could spot the red herrings, but had only the most fleeting of suspicions of the culprit and was really very surprised. There's a lot of tension - a lot of tension at various points throughout the book, and while both the style and indeed the plot of the book are very much of the period, it's a very good read for fans of classic mysteries. 5/5

That's an author I haven't heard of at all... *Goes off to have a look further....*

*Returns having found out that Francis Beeding is the pen name of co-authors Hilary St. George Saunders and John Palmer.*

Genny, according to the biographical info in the book, they wrote 30+ novels together in the 20s, 30s and 40s, as well as both writing individually and with other partners under various names. Busy men!

77. The Tyler Mystery - Francis Durbridge

Mediocre-to-poor mystery (obviously) in which there is very little tension, very little sleuthing, and the mildly annoying characters wander around at a constant pace occasionally stumbling over clues to solve a half-hearted and chaotic conspiracy. Passes the time if you're stuck without anything much else - but on the whole, don't bother. 2.5/5

Caty, I finished Death Walks In Eastrepps just this morning - still pondering the review. It puzzled me, too - I felt that you can tell what's it's not about much more easily than you can tell what it is about, if that makes sense. :)

***warning of very mild spoilers***

#242 Do you mean that when they arrest character A you know it can't be that person, and then they arrest character B and you know it can't be that person either, but you never get much of a hint about who it actually is or why?

Also spoiler-ish

Person A was too easy. I assumed someone was out to get Person B but wasn't sure how or why.

Still spoilerish

I did wonder if it might be Person B, until it really started looking like it was. Then I knew it couldn't be.

#242, et seq. - Thanks, you two. I'd managed to avoid this BB by not looking too closely at Caty's original comments, although I knew deep down it was something I wanted to read. Now you've forced me to pay attention and actually add the book to the wishlist and try to locate a copy somewhere, since the local library does not own it.

Oh, hurrah! - I hardly ever get to BB someone! How exciting!

.

Even more spoiler-ish-ness

After, like you, wavering away from Person B, I did correctly identify Person C...

#246 *grin* I hope you manage to find a copy, Sandy.

spoilerishness continues

I did notice Person C was on the spot quite conveniently in a couple of cases, but it never occurred to me that it really was them - and certainly not for that particular reason. And given that it was so easy for Friend of B and the lawyer to spot the incriminating evidence once they had the original item, I was very surprised Scotland Yard never did.

Spoiler-iffic head-shake:

Ah, but they had their man, so they wouldn't have been looking - only the defence would have, who didn't get the chance. (And I'm pretty sure that these days the defence gets access to all original material; I wonder when that changed?) It's also possible that all the individual papers weren't collected into a single file until - ahem - afterwards.

This is fun. I hope we get to read mysteries together again some time. :)

It is fun. :)

Yes, the defence would definitely be able to spot that clue now.

ETA - new thread will be coming shortly, but not this evening.

Will avoid The Tyler Mystery but all this spoilerish enthusiasm for the Beeding book (I wonder how they came to choose that pen name) makes me definitely want to add it to my wishlist...

Hi Caty, just wondering how you are as things have gone a bit quiet on your thread. Missing you!

#252 What Genny said.

Aww, thank you both. :) I'm fine. Just not around much and not reading much at the moment, for all sorts of reasons. The last few weeks have been a bit mad, but I will try to catch up with people's threads some time very soon.

Incidentally, I'm stuck in the middle of The Ivy Tree, Diary of a Provincial Lady and Snuff. When I finish any of them, I'll be sure to mention it.

*cough*

Still fine. Still very busy. Still not finished any more books. (The last is either highly amusing, or not remotely amusing at all. Or possibly both simultaneously.)

Glad to hear you're fine :-)

Also glad to hear from you! Still missing you on here - but I know there are times when work/study/other real life things take over from LT.

Does not having finished books mean you are starting lots but not settling, or not having much time for reading at all?

I hope the busyness is good busyness, and that either way you'll have a bit of respite from it soon.

I'm not reading very much at all. I've been reading Snuff since it came out, to the exclusion of everything else, and I'm still only a third of the way through.

I've had my head in a goodly number of textbooks, though.

ETA - and thanks. :)

*ahem* Drumroll please.

I've finished a book. Okay, it's an academic tome and probably not of interest to anyone else, but nonetheless I've read the thing from cover to cover.

78. Celtic Theology: Humanity, World and God in Early Irish Writings - Thomas O'Loughlin

It was interesting. And reasonably easygoing. If you think the subject sounds interesting it's probably worth a read. But I don't think there's much need to expand on that verdict here.

259: *claps*

Don't worry, even in your book funk you've still read way more books than me. :)

#260 Thanks. :)

79. Evangelical is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy and Sacrament - Thomas Howard.

Excellent. The description on the work page is pretty accurate and comprehensive. If that topic sounds interesting to you, it's worth reading.

Hi Caty, I'm impressed with the recent reads, especially that you can read them in a row. Are you still in a book funk?

#262 I'm definitely still in a funk when it comes to reading fiction - 150 pages or so in about 7 weeks - but I seem to be managing to read non-fiction more successfully. Which is just as well given the deadlines I have looming. :)

Hi Caty - you've been finishing books!

#261 That one sounds interesting if I ever get out of my Christianity related reading funk :-)

Merry Christmas, Caty!

Merry Christmas Caty!

Merry Christmas, Caty!

>265 kidzdoc:, 266, 267 Thanks. Merry Christmas back to you all.

Merry Christmas everyone. :)

Wishing you a blessed Christmas, and peace and joy in the year to come!

Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Caty.

#269, 270. Thanks, Genny and Heather. Same to you. :)

So, I started a 2012 thread. Partly because my chances of finishing any more books this year are somewhere between minuscule and microscopic.

There has been a book finished in December. Yes, just the one. Something theological that doesn't need talking about. So that's 80 for the year. Less than half of last year's total, and a third of the 2009 total. *Shrugs* Life is complicated at the moment, and there are many textbooks. What can you do?