Chatterbox Indulges Her Bibliomania -- The Ninth Episode!

After listening to the utter dysfunction in Washington that passes for good governance these days, my mind flew to this wonderful poem by Constantine Cavafy, a Greek who formed part of the Greek diaspora in Alexandria. He was a minority in many ways -- he was gay, and a Greek at a time when the Greeks were being shoved out of the Levant, but he wrote wonderful poetry, including this elegant and cynical opus, "Waiting for the Barbarians." Born in 1864, Cavafy died in 1933.

"Waiting for the Barbarians"
(Translation: Edmund Keeley)

What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum?

The barbarians are due here today.

Why isn't anything happening in the senate?
Why do the senators sit there without legislating?

Because the barbarians are coming today.
What laws can the senators make now?
Once the barbarians are here, they'll do the legislating.

Why did our emperor get up so early,
and why is he sitting at the city's main gate
on his throne, in state, wearing the crown?

Because the barbarians are coming today
and the emperor is waiting to receive their leader.
He has even prepared a scroll to give him,
replete with titles, with imposing names.

Why have our two consuls and praetors come out today
wearing their embroidered, their scarlet togas?
Why have they put on bracelets with so many amethysts,
and rings sparkling with magnificent emeralds?
Why are they carrying elegant canes
beautifully worked in silver and gold?

Because the barbarians are coming today
and things like that dazzle the barbarians.

Why don't our distinguished orators come forward as usual
to make their speeches, say what they have to say?

Because the barbarians are coming today
and they're bored by rhetoric and public speaking.

Why this sudden restlessness, this confusion?
(How serious people's faces have become.)
Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly,
everyone going home so lost in thought?

Because night has fallen and the barbarians have not come.
And some who have just returned from the border say
there are no barbarians any longer.

And now, what's going to happen to us without barbarians?
They were, those people, a kind of solution.

*Drum roll* please -- presenting the books!

I'm now on my third batch of 75 for 2011; for those curious about what I read in batches one and two, you can turn to my previous thread here and wend your way back...

Here's a running tally of the total number of books I've read so far in 2011:




Last year's tally hit 506 books; you can see the highlights on my profile page, along with the highlights of this year to date (a shorter list, sadly, at least thus far.)

And here's the number read for the third 75-book challenge of 2011. While I'll comment on everything I've read in these threads, you won't find the books for my 11 in 11 challenge listed below; you can make your way over to that group and peruse my thread if you're curious...




1. Island of Bones by Imogen Robertson, ****1/2, STARTED 6/19/11, FINISHED 6/23/11 (fiction)
2. (a) Chinese Dreams by Anand Giridharas, ****1/2, READ 6/23/11 (non-fiction)
(b) War Wounds by Jacques Leslie, ****, READ 6/23/11 (non-fiction)
(c) Pakistan and the Mumbai Terror Attacks by Sebastian Rotella, **** READ 6/23/11 (non-fiction)
3. Daphne by Justine Picardie, ****, STARTED 6/18/11, FINISHED 6/25/11 (fiction)
4. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson, ***, READ 6/27/11 (fiction)
5. French Leave by Anna Gavalda, ****, READ 6/29/11 (fiction)
6. Lie in the Dark by Dan Fesperman, ****, STARTED 6/26/11, FINISHED 6/29/11
7. (a) The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett, *** READ 6/28/11 (fiction)
(b) The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett, READ ***1/2, 6/29/11 (non-fiction)
8. 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson, ***1/2, STARTED 6/29/11, FINISHED 6/30/11 (fiction)
9. Caveat Emptor by Ruth Downie, ***1/2, STARTED 6/28/11, FINISHED 6/30/11 (fiction)
10. The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison, ***1/2, STARTED 7/1/11, FINISHED 7/2/11 (fiction)
11. A Most Dangerous Book by Christopher Krebs, ****1/2, STARTED 6/23/11, FINISHED 7/3/11 (non-fiction)
12. Bloodmoney by David Ignatius, ****1/2, STARTED 7/3/11, FINISHED 7/4/11 (fiction)
13. Stolen Lives by Jassy Mackenzie, ****1/2, STARTED 7/3/11, FINISHED 7/4/11 (fiction)
14. Unnatural Selection by Mara Hvistendahl, ****1/2, STARTED 7/4/11, FINISHED 7/7/11 (non-fiction)
15. The Murder of the Century by Paul Collins, ****, STARTED 7/5/11, FINISHED 7/8/11 (non-fiction)
16. Death and the Penguin by Andrei Kurkov, ****1/2, STARTED 7/8/11, FINISHED 7/9/11 (fiction)
17. Penguin Lost by Andrei Kurkov, ****, READ 7/9/11 (fiction)
18. Read My Hips by Kim Brittingham, ***1/2, STARTED 7/7/11, FINISHED 7/10/11 (non-fiction)
19. The Pericles Commission by Gary Corby, ****, STARTED 7/10/11, FINISHED 7/11/11 (fiction)
20. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, ****, STARTED 7/8/11, FINISHED 7/11/11 (fiction)
21. Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli, ****, READ 7/11/11 (fiction)
22. The Darcy Connection by Elizabeth Aston, ***, STARTED 7/4/11, FINISHED 7/12/11 (fiction)
23. Untold Story by Monica Ali, ***1/2, STARTED 7/11/11, FINISHED 7/13/11 (fiction)
24. Precious Objects by Alicia Oltuski, ***, STARTED 7/10/11, FINISHED 7/13/11 (non-fiction)
25. Only time Will Tell by Jeffery Archer, ***, STARTED 6/10/11, FINISHED 7/14/11 (fiction)
26. Nat Tate by William Boyd, **, READ 7/16/11 (fiction)
27. Mani by Patrick Leigh Fermor, ****, STARTED 7/2/11, FINISHED 7/16/11 (non-fiction)
28. Hunting Evil by Guy Walters, ***1/2, STARTED 7/15/11, FINISHED 7/17/11 (non-fiction)
29. Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton, ****, STARTED 7/15/11, FINISHED 7/18/11 (fiction)
30. Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner, ***, STARTED 7/16/11, FINISHED 7/18/11 (fiction)
32. Death in Venice & Tonio Kroger by Thomas Mann, ****1/2 and ***1/2, STARTED 7/17/11, FINISHED 7/19/11 (fiction)
33. Blue Monday by Nicci French, ***1/2, STARTED 7/19/11, FINISHED 7/21/11 (fiction)
34. The German Mujahid by Boualem Sansal, ****1/2, STARTED 7/18/11, FINISHED 7/21/11 (fiction)
35. The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton by Elizabeth Speller, ***1/2, READ 7/23/11 (fiction)
36. Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous, ****, STARTED 7/21/11, FINISHED 7/23/11 (fiction)
37. Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill, ****, STARTED 7/24/11, FINISHED 7/25/11 (fiction)
38. Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig, ****1/2, STARTED 7/23/11, FINISHED 7/25/11 (fiction)
39. The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt, ***1/2, STARTED 7/25/11, FINISHED 7/26/11 (fiction)
40. March by Geraldine Brooks, ****1/2, STARTED 7/25/11, FINISHED 7/26/11 (fiction)
41. The Magician King by Lev Grossman, ****1/2, STARTED 7/14/11, FINISHED 7/27/11 (fiction)
42. Far to Go by Alison Pick, ****, READ 7/27/11 (fiction)
43. The Serialist by David Gordon, ***, STARTED 7/26/11, FINISHED 7/28/11 (fiction)
44. The Sinner's Grand Tour by Tony Perrottet, ****, STARTED 7/23/11, FINISHED 7/28/11 (non-fiction)
45. The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier, ****, STARTED 7/15/11, FINISHED 7/26/11 (fiction)
46. The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart, ****, STARTED 7/26/11, FINISHED 7/29/11 (fiction)
47. The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen, ****1/2, STARTED 7/18/11, FINISHED 7/30/11 (fiction)
48. Reading Turgenev by William Trevor, ****, STARTED 7/27/11, FINISHED 7/30/11 (fiction)
49. The Second Messiah by Glenn Meade, ***, STARTED 7/20/11, FINISHED 7/31/11 (fiction)
50. Between the Sheets by Lesley McDowell, ***1/2, STARTED 7/25/11, FINISHED 7/31/11 (non-fiction)
51. Limassol by Yishai Sarid, ****, STARTED 8/1/11, FINISHED 8/2/11 (fiction)
52. The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly, ****, READ 8/1/11 (fiction)
53. Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan, ***1/2, STARTED 8/2/11, FINISHED 8/3/11 (fiction)
54. Two for Sorrow by Nicola Upson, ****, STARTED 8/2/11, FINISHED 8/6/11 (fiction)
55. Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray, ***1/2, STARTED 8/3/11, FINISHED 8/5/11 (fiction)
56. Little Bee by Chris Cleave, ****, READ 8/7/11 (fiction)
57. Sins of the Mother by Tara Hyland, ***, STARTED 8/7/11, FINISHED 8/8/11 (fiction)
58. Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson, ****1/2 STARTED 8/7/11, FINISHED 8/9/11 (fiction)
59. Death in the City of Light by David King, ***1/2, STARTED 8/2/11, FINISHED 8/11/11 (non-fiction)
60. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, ****1/2, STARTED 8/10/11, FINISHED 8/12/11 (fiction)
61. The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart, ****, STARTED 8/12/11, FINISHED 8/13/11 (fiction)
62. Amazing Disgrace by James Hamilton-Paterson, ****, STARTED 8/12/11, FINISHED 8/14/11 (fiction)
63. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan, ***1/2, STARTED 8/13/11, FINISHED 8/14/11 (fiction)
64. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (re-read), STARTED 8/10/11, FINISHED 8/15/11 (fiction)
65. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny, ***1/2, STARTED 8/14/11, FINISHED 8/15/11 (fiction)
66. The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers, ****1/2, STARTED 8/15/11, FINISHED 8/16/11 (fiction)
67. From the Land of the Moon by Milen Agus, ****, STARTED 8/15/11, FINISHED 8/16/11 (fiction)
68. Three Maids for a Crown by Ella March Chase, ***1/2, STARTED 8/15/11, FINISHED 8/17/11 (fiction)
69. Let's Kill Uncle by Rohan O'Grady, ****, STARTED 8/16/11, FINISHED 8/17/11 (fiction)
70. Snowdrops by A.D. Miller, ****1/2, STARTED 8/17/11, FINISHED 8/18/11 (fiction)
71. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, ***1/2, STARTED 8/13/11, FINISHED 8/19/11 (fiction)
72. A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd, ****, STARTED 8/20/11, FINISHED 8/22/11 (fiction)
73. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson, *****, STARTED 8/18/11, FINISHED 8/23/11 (fiction)
74. The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen, ****, STARTED 8/23/11, FINISHED 8/24/11 (fiction)
75. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz, ****, STARTED 8/24/11, FINISHED 8/25/11 (non-fiction)

So where are the barbarians? And what side are they on?

Robert

Hmmm, well, if we take the Congress analogy to its logical/illogical extreme, whatever frightened them into briefly behaving like rational people -- the Chinese? But I'll leave it up to your individual imaginations!

I'm just getting into Pereira Maintains, I've only seen good reviews about it. My edition was translated by Patrick Creagh, I just wonder if it was a different translator or the US publisher who decided to change such a pivotal word as 'maintains' to 'declares' or viceversa.

The edition I read was called Pereira Declares and was also translated by Patrick Creagh. It was published in 1995. I believe there is a more recent edition called Pereira Maintains and I just assumed it had a different translator, but it doesn't sound that way. I really liked the book, but one thing about the translation bothered me: I was occasionally jarred by some slang terms which I didn't understand, and therefore couldn't tell if they were English slang that dated to the time of the novel, in the late 1930s, or were just awkward, I would be interested in knowing if readers of this newer version encountered this same issue.

Enjoyed the Cavafy hugely, thanks Suz. The barbarians . Maybe the coyotes know.

Delurking to say that I think it's beyond impressive the rate of books that you are able to devour each month. I always check out the Leap Frog on the TIOLI challenges and I'm usually hovering around the 4/5th lily pad gazing up at you on the 20th something and think...how that heck do you manage to accomplish that?? :)

Hi Suzanne - just checking into your new thread. Hope all is going well for you.

#6: Rebecca - my copy was published by Canongate in 2010 but the translation copyright is from 1995. I'll look out for the slang.

Must be the same translation then. I wonder why they changed the title and, presumably, the repetition of "Pereira declares" to "Pereira maintains"; that's what made me think it must be a new translation until I saw it was the same translator.

Hi Suz, got you starred. I'm joining Valerie in finally expressing my wonderment about how you manage to read so many books so quickly. So what's your trick? Are you a speed reader? Photographic memory? What?!?

Just a quick wave as I have a horrible migraine.

But the good news is that the interview went VERY well; agreed to an open-ended/flexible contributor arrangement to a newish website. Next step is for me to propose to them some stuff I can do. Ultimately, this COULD completely replace the income I lost in December when my column was canceled.

Now I'm going to lie down and take drugs.

(I'll be really quiet since you're in such pain...)

(congratulations)

(I'll be lying down too in a minute)

I'm here

lying down with drugs...yesss

whatever

;-}

Congrats on the successful interview, Suz. Sorry to hear you have another horrible migraine .... *tiptoes out*

Hoping I've tamed it enuf that I'll wake up tomorrow feeling better.

As for reading this much -- well, reading is my default mode. I'm not married and I don't have kids to cope with every day; so....

I do NOT speed read (that's an oxymoron, IMO). I have always been a fast reader (my mother used to have to ration my books.) And of course, not every book I read is War and Peace, to put it mildly!

The ARC of the new Louise Penny mystery arrived in the mail today while I was out...

Not married, no kids either (unless you count my pets), and not even working at this time, so you truly must have a gift.

Happy new thread! Happy getting out from under the headache! 'agreed to an open-ended/flexible contributor arrangement to a newish website" That sounds like a writer's dream!!! Congratulations on claiming it, and I hope that it more than makes up for the lost column.

Well, Peggy, open ended does mean they can tell me to piss off at a moment's notice. The $$/story isn't fab, and of course, there are no benefits. But it could be great, as it's one of those things that if it clicks, it will really work well. Keeping my fingers crossed.

So, now that I'm awake, I'm off to finish Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan. Jus tthe right kind of book to read while teetering on brink of migraine recovery...

Ilana, guess I'm just an obsessive-compulsive type. Friend of mine was seriously considering drastic intervention when I was in the dumps so much that I told him "I don't feel like reading today." Mebbe it's Charlotte, my alter ego, who reads while I sleep?

Adding to the congrats on the interview.... another tiptoe out.

OK, finished Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan, a veteran English chick lit author. Her books are uneven, IMO -- some are meh, some are very good, and this one is closer to being v. good than not. Of course, it's genre fiction, and we know our heroine will face obstacles to true lurve and success, but will triumph in the end. Isabel (Issy) Randall gets laid off from her job as a clerk in a property development firm and her relationship with her boss blows up on the same day. But ultimately she decides to pursue her passion for baking by opening the Cupcake Cafe -- lots of predictable trials and tribulations ensue, but it's a sweet narrative with lots of recipes in here for sweet baked goods, so I'll be holding on to it and trying the pear upside-down cake this winter... I ordered this from the UK a while ago in a big shipment to keep costs low; if you can get free shipping, it's a paperback that's fun & undemanding summer reading, but not one that I'd fork over 7 pounds in shipping costs to get hold of. If you're in the UK and you like chick lit, well, Jenny Colgan isn't Katie Fforde, but its fun and undemanding. 3.7 stars, mildly recommended for fans of the genre.

Off to read Death in the City of Light by David King. Or maybe the new Louise Penny?? Decisions, decisions...

Hoping the headache is gone by now, Suz!

Gah, no, it came back. so I spent the morning lying in bed, cursing the migraine gene.

Passing by...feel better soonest.

just keeping you on the radar ~

Mebbe it's Charlotte, my alter ego, who reads while I sleep?

Now, that seems like a more likely scenario to me. Guess I'll never live that one down eh? ;-)

The power of Three Pines will make you feel better, Suz .... reach for Louise Penny ...and a cool towel to place on your forehead.

Hope you feel better soon.

#26 me too :-)

From your poem....
Once the barbarians are here, they'll do the legislating.
Too right they will!

Ilana, nope, you won't!

At least you picked a more appealing nom de guerre than the mother of a friend of mine in high schoo. She was convinced my name was Gertrude. I discovered several decades later that Mrs. Saunders had a wee bit of a drinking problem, which might have explained that. But Gertrude??? Eeeek.

Sorry to hear the headache is still hanging around, Suz. Wish there was something I could do.

Gertrude is the name my mum and stepfather had given to their antique wood burning stove when they had a house in the country. I loved her very much on cold winter days when I sat by her in comfort reading my books.

Hope you feel better soon Suz.

Ilana, sadly, I am neither as attractive or utilitarian as a wood-burning stove!

I have only managed to read about 60 pages today. Went for a walk -- I now have to go to the Central Library to pick up my holds, as mine is closing for renovations next month -- but the noise at the library and their flickering lights took away all the benefits of the fresh air. Curses upon the migraine gene! *brandishing fist in mid-air*

Oof, much better day today. Headache definitely receding. But it's still hot & sticky outdoors -- suppose it was too much to ask for improvement in health AND weather!!

#34: I am glad to hear that the headache has receded. I hope it is completely gone by now!

Me too- curses on the migraine gene indeed!

Be Angry At The Sun


That public men publish falsehoods
Is nothing new. That America must accept
Like the historical republics corruption and empire
Has been known for years.

Be angry at the sun for setting
If these things anger you. Watch the wheel slope and turn,
They are all bound on the wheel, these people, those warriors.
This republic, Europe, Asia.

Observe them gesticulating,
Observe them going down. The gang serves lies, the passionate
Man plays his part; the cold passion for truth
Hunts in no pack.

You are not Catullus, you know,
To lampoon these crude sketches of Caesar. You are far
From Dante's feet, but even farther from his dirty
Political hatreds.

Let boys want pleasure, and men
Struggle for power, and women perhaps for fame,
And the servile to serve a Leader and the dupes to be duped.
Yours is not theirs.

-- Robinson Jeffers.

I first read this in Hunter S Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail"

Oooh, really like this. Especially the line "be angry at the sun for setting if these things anger you". I think I still prefer the Cavafy by a whisker, because that poem itself is less angry. But then, written in different times...

Quick book update:

Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is another fictional version of the life of Cleopatra's daughter and what happened to her after Octavian (aka Augustus) beat Anthony and Cleopatra. It came out after Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran, although the author makes a point in her own notes that it was written beforehand. In some ways, I preferred this version -- it's darker throughout, as Selene is forced to adapt to living in the Emperor's household. On the other hand, the emphasis on magic and the Isis religion felt handled too much as if they were all in the 21st century and part of a Gaia movement. I give this 3.4 stars, although I'll be looking forward to what Dray makes of Selene's life after she leaves Rome and heads to North Africa, a part that Moran's book didn't deal with but that Dray promises to unveil in a sequel.

Two for Sorrow is a fascinating and complex mystery by Nicola Upson, the third in a series featuring real-life crime novelist Josephine Tey caught up in fictional crimes. In this case, Upson has done an impressive job weaving together the past tale of two "baby farmers" hanged for murdering infants and the legacy that crime left on those around them, from the warders at the woman's prison in Holloway to their families. Indeed, the plot(s) all turn around the poison that secrets can contain -- and the length of time they are left undiscovered doesn't changed the interest in keeping them secret, as one unfortunate young woman will discover. It's impossible to do justice to the plot in a brief note, but I do recommend this series. 4.1 stars. (Part of the fun is spotting parts where Upson has introduced real-life characters from Tey's life and allows us to make the linkage to characters in her fiction!)

Now going to make some headway in Tony Horwitz's book about John Brown and Harper's Ferry.

Are the baby farmers named and are they real life ones? I read a novel called The Ghost of Lily Painter recently about baby farmers, which used the real names of two women who were hanged for their crimes.

Yes, the two baby farmers are Amelia Sach and Annie something. (The book is downstairs, and I'm not going to go down and hunt it up!) They were executed in 1903.

Yes, that's the same people as in The Ghost of Lily Painter, which I got from Amazon Vine.

I'll be interested to see what you think of it -- or have you read & reported back on it already and I just missed it??

I cannot wait to see what you think of Tony Horwitz's new book. He is one of my favorite nonfiction authors.

Finished Midnight Rising by Tony Horwitz, which was fabulous. Just a few thoughts here, as I'll be blogging about it and Geraldine Brooks's novel March together later this week. It's a great reminder that Brown was unusual for his time in really viewing blacks as equals, not just advocating an end to slavery and thinking about dumping freed slaves somewhere in Africa. It's also disconcerting how passionate beliefs can lead to war in a divided nation -- and frankly, it made me worry a bit about our current situation, even though the fault line isn't geographic (hopefully making "real" war moot.) I thought I knew the basic outlines of this story, but at points I didn't, and as always, Horwitz excelled at making the story come alive. This is the first of his books not to have his voice in it as an actor -- in the past, he has been present as someone exploring history, and this is a more conventional narrative. Very good, and timely. 4.4 stars. (And did you know that the great poet Langston Hughes is connected to one of the Harper's Ferry raiders??)

Midnight Rising sounds interesting; several years ago I read a biography of John Brown, john Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights by David Reynolds, and found it fascinating.

Sounds excellent, and no, I didn't know that Langston Hughes was descended from a Harper's Ferry raider. Some family!

Peggy, not technically descended from a raider. His grandmother, widow of one of the raiders, remarried; her grandson by that second marriage was Langston Hughes. As a baby, she would wrap him in her first-husband's shawl that still had bullet-holes in it...

45: I haven't read anything by either Geraldine Brooks or Tony Horowitz, but recently got Blue Latitudes when it was recommended by a friend, and now I'm noticing his name all over. The two books together look like a compelling combination. Interesting conversations in their house, I'll bet.

Uh just wondering here Suzanne but has that Tony Horowitz book actually been....published? I do believe, after consulting Amazon, that it won't come out until....well, look at that....OCTOBER! Well how do you like that ;-) And here you are raving about a book that is inaccessible....

Sorry, sorry, sorry -- it's an Amazon Vine book...

Hi Suz- I was curious about the same thing. I thought Midnight Rising didn't come out until later in the fall. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I loved his Confederates in the Attic, the only one of his, I have read.

*Whew!* Finally caught up through 2.5 threads! I have been following your blog mostly but got very behind over here.

Way back you mentioned Cue for Treason as a childhood favourite. I just spotted that in my library and have borrowed it. I read and loved his Red Towers of Granada in childhood, but that was all.l I didn't know he'd written so many others until Luci (I think it was) discussed him on her thread a while back.

Thanks for agreeing to read August Folly with me for the TIOLI friend read - looking forward to it.

Suz

I hope today is better for you and the headache is gone, gone, gone.

Headache seems to have vanished, Linda, thanks -- touching wood rapidly!!

Genny, I love Trease's books! He was incredibly prolific, although I don't think all of his books have ever been simultaneously in print. I think I've now read all of them except those aimed at v. young readers. Faves include Word to Caesar, Crown of Violet and its kinda sequel, The Hills of Varna, and Silver Guard. So if you see any of those lurking around in that library of yours...

Laughing out loud as I read Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Patterson. It's for my Europa Challenge.

Meanwhile, finally got around to reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It's one of those books that is incredibly compulsive reading while you're reading it; only afterwards do you recognize the flaws in the plot that were masked by the author's ability to pace the narrative and his command of two very different narrative voices. This was one of the books the folks at Politics & Prose convinced me to try last summer, and it maintains their hit rate. The others that I've read (only one to go,now!) included Justin Cronin's massive tome, The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas, and Bruno, Chief of Police, none of which I might have ever read without the push. I can't remember ever having such a successful bookshop experience that wasn't one I controlled from start to finish in terms of book selection!! Anyway -- if you've not been paying attention for a while, Little Bee is one of those novels everyone was buzzing about (whoops, sorry...) a year or two ago. An English yuppie couple are vacationing on a beach in Nigeria, when they encounter two young girls. What happens then, and the bond it creates between Sarah and Little Bee, and what follows when Little Bee shows up at Sarah's home two years later after spending most of the interval in a detention facility for those claiming to be refugees in the UK, is haunting and riveting. When you stand back and scrutinize the plot, there are plenty of holes and cases where Cleave just wants the reader to suspend disbelief, but I found that didn't bug me as much as it might have, because of the unputdownable book factor. (I walked along the sidewalk reading it...)

Little Bee is one of those books I bought all on fire to read, but still haven't gotten to. I am hoping to fit it into Stasia's TIOLI challenge this month; I have a couple short trips for work this month and it sounds like a good airplane book.

I read Little Bee last year. I totally agree about the suspension of belief with this book. While it was a compelling book, I did have a hard time with the escape from the UK refugee center.

Oooof. Busy day around here. Did a crash story on the markets for my new client, The Fiscal Times, had to talk about a complete overhaul of my board of directors story for Barron's, and still bashing away at book proposal.

Books? Reading? Whazzat??

That said, about halfway through Cooking with Fernet Branca and still laughing at its wit.

ETA: Just got some new books! Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman, my ER win from last month, and some books from the UK, including Half Blood Blues, one of the man-booker nominees!

Hi Suz, good to know you're busy with work. Surely that's a good thing, yes? And hoping your migraine continues to stay clear.

I got Little Bee from ER in 2008 and had to go back and read my review of it to jog my memory. Seems I agreed with you about the unputdownability factor and quite enjoyed it in general, though I don't have your expertise in analyzing what is wrong with books for the most part, so didn't point to any faults.

Hope you enjoy August Folly Thirkell is a great favorite of mine.

I've run into the 'book is not out yet' too -- The Magician King (coming out formally tomorrow) -- tried to buy it right after yr. review...... given how many books I have lined up, it's really not such a bad thing..... sigh.

The story: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/08/08/S-and-P-to-America-Ashes-Ashes...

Done and dusted within 3.5 hours, so I can still do this! *grin*

Great article. Automatic thoughts:

It does matter what the rest of the world thinks. (People who don't live in the US seem to be more aware of this.)

I feel disconnected from the mood in the US because all I have to go on is sensational and/or shallow reporting.

I really wish I had my garden in place. We might have to feed ourselves. (My response to that OMG! feeling I have.)

I'll be interested to know what you make of Half Blood Blues.

What interests me is the division of opinion between Moody's & S&P -- and, for that matter, the weird difference re downgrades on France (which has worse fundamentals) and the US. Not opining on this, just intrigued by it.

Very good article (and an interesting news site I will bookmark).

Tks Katie! This is one of the newer news websites out there and part of the push for non-profit journalism. Not as well known as ProPublica, but some former colleagues have teamed up with them. These are the people I went in to meet with last week.

Book du jour was underwhelming: Sins of the Mother was one of the books I had the option to download and read thanks to Simon & Schuster's galley grab program, as long as I finished it before publication day. It's kind of well-trod women's saga story -- Irish teenager, starstruck, is pregnant and alone in the late 1940s, flees to London; the story then follows her and her daughter, Cara, through lots of misadventures. All kinds of twists and turns, largely improbable but highly dramatic. Think cut-rate Penny Vincenzi (whose novels I kinda enjoy); this one was meh. 2.8 stars, not recommended.

Off to go blog about Nicola Upson, now!

I saw that Midnight Rising is one of the ER books available for August. I am hoping to get a copy!

John Brown's stock in history has gone up and down like - well I don't know what.

Madman or Messiah - or just bloody minded S.O.B.

Madman was the Conventional Wisdom when I was first studying history.

I'm very curious to read more about Brown.

Hi Suz: I wanted to let you know that I enjoy reading your blog. The strange thing is that it won't let me post comments.

I'm hoping to give Nicola Upson and Rennie Airth a try (thanks for the mystery author suggestions).

I thought what Horwitz did was very skillful -- he kind of combined both personae. His Brown is a monomaniac; someone incapable of realizing the horrific consequences of his mania for those around him. At the same time, Horwitz showed that as long as you weren't one of the people directly affected by him -- who gave him money, were part of his family, etc. -- he was a charismatic and committed activist. It actually made me ponder the people we think of as mad today -- and the people we view as committed activists in causes we admire. Brown may have been distinctive in that he was seen as both in his lifetime. And of course, his death in the kind of cause that so many people advocated in principle -- as long as they didn't have to put their lives on the line -- was the catalyst for a growing hard line opposition to slavery. I have to wonder whether the status quo might not have just staggered along for another decade or two awaiting some other kind of flashpoint, without Brown. Would Lincoln have been elected?

We forget today that just as World War II wasn't fought to save the Jews from Hitler, so the Civil War wasn't fought to free the slaves. It was the south that tried to walk out of the union, and it was that "rebellion" that unified the North, not slavery, even though slavery was the single most important issue by far. But would the war have been fought had the North had to take the initiative to break the union over "states' rights" and slavery? I wonder.

Linda, not sure what is afoot with comments -- I know Richard has had problems too, but I am not sure I know why. Are you following the blog? I know I have restricted comments to followers. If it's still not working, I'll see if I can get an answer from Blogger folks.

Book du jour: Cooking with Fernet Branca is a hilarious book by James Hamilton-Paterson, the first in a trilogy (I think?). Gerald Samper is contentedly at home high up above the Italian coast at Viareggio, toiling away on the final details of his ghosted bio of an obnoxious racecar driver and crafting such delicacies as chocolate-covered mussels and otter in lobster sauce, when he encounters Marta, a composer from Voynovia, who has bought the only nearby villa. The two embark on a hilarious Monty Pythonesque series of misunderstandings; they each think the other is a poseur or fraud; they blame their own penchant for quaffing large quantities of Fernet Branca on the other; they despite each other's culinary tastes and musical "ability", with Marta having the last word on the that subject... Marta on Gerry: "Who but Gerry ... could have nailed himself to his own fence?"; Gerry on Marta: "The Iron Curtain's Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle" who wears an item of clothing that reminds him of "a Bedouin traffic warden." Side characters are equally funny and quirky, offering just as much satirical commentary on contemporary society, including pop idol Nanty Riah, Gerry's next biographical subject, "scarred to exactly the right degree for a pop biographer", bleeding edge cinematic director Piero Pacini and Marta's nouveau Voyvonian gangster brother. 4.3 stars, can't wait to read the sequel. This is satire, rather than pure comedy, but it works its way slowly up to the full absurdity of the plot (like a lobster being lulled into a sense of complacency in a pot being slowly brought to a boil.) Oh, and you'll wince and grimace at some of Gerry's deeply bizarre culinary creations, and wonder about the advisability of him contentedly breakfasting on twig jam.

#70 - Glad to see your good review of Cooking with Fernet Branca. I picked it up on a whim at a Borders closing sale a few months ago. Okay, it wasn't a total whim - I will purchase almost any Europa without knowing anything about it. Same with NYRBs. When I tried to explain this to my husband, he said I was a "spine slut" :) But I like to see them all lined up together on their special shelves...

Suz, I'll check to see whether I'm following. I thought I was. I contribute to our dept-written blog so I'm always a bit leery about posting on others, too. You mentioned a twitter version. I can look into that.

One interesting point about the S&P downgrade. Not sure if you've seen anything but a co-worker who went to school with the head (I believe) of S&P tells me that he was an English lit major at Grinnell. I was surprised...just assumed that they were all finance people.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/downgrade_doer_was_no_biz_wiz_KyeAr...

I bought Cooking with Fernet Branca yesterday because of enthusiasm, including yours, for it here on LibraryThing, but I had already started Wuthering Heights so it'll be awhile before I read it.

Robert

Robert, I think you'll find "Fernet Branca" the perfect taste treat to follow all that wuthering and bleakness... :-) Not casting aspersions on the Brontes, just saying it's at completely the other end of the light/dark spectrum, while at the same time being very well-written satire.

Linda, that's amusing. Heaven knows, anyone investigating my credentials to write about finance would reel in horror -- especially if they went back to my college years when I flunked economics the first time around. But analyzing sovereign credit is as much about policy and policy formation as it is the hard quant stuff. Indeed, S&P cited as a reason for its downgrade the policy process in Washington, which I think should be viewed as a wake-up call, rather than being greeted with denial and rejection.

#74 That makes sense, Suz. We did get a chuckle out of the "revenge of the liberal arts majors" though.

Liberal arts education is sorely underrated. (IMO)

Suz I bought Fernet Branca (the book, not the alcohol, although if the kids keep fighting I might look for some soon) as soon as I'd read your review. Blast that Kindle!! I knew it was already on my WL and sure enough, I just checked and Caroline had recommended it. That's 2 Kindle buys because of her this week. It is really funny - I woke up at 2 am and couldn't sleep so read another chunk, and realised that his recipe style has to be a take-off of Nigella Lawson, whose books I love but in small doses.

Suzanne - I read the sequel to Cooking with Fernet Branca and it wasn't nearly as good as the first book which I really liked. Another fun read for me, though much lighter in tone was Tuscany for Beginners, it gets mixed ratings but I thought it was hilarious.

Message #61

Suzanne
What a great article!

I've actually ordered the sequel to Cooking with Fernet Branca, and have the third, Rancid Pansies, out from the library. I may go to a movie tomorrow so I can restrain myself from getting ahead of myself and reading #3 ahead of #2!

Threaten to feed the kids with one of the recipes (crispy mice?) if they don't settle down, Cushla. Actually, probably reading the recipes to them would be the cool gross-out kind of thing that young kids like!

Book du jour: Tides of War by Stella Tillyard is one of those books that creeps up on you and you don't realize how hooked you've become on the narrative until you wander around with it in front of your nose and decide to keep reading until... whenever. Tillyard, who has written some excellent historical biography set in the late 18th century (Aristocrats is her best known opus, turned into a v. good mini-series) has turned her hand to fiction for the first time, with some unexpected results. This isn't potboiler fiction; indeed, the drama is understated throughout. Nor is it literary fiction. It's a quiet narrative about a time of immense personal transformation in the lives of her characters and the world they inhabit. When the novel opens in 1812, James Raven and some of his friends -- Major Yallop and surgeon David McBride -- are about to set out to join Lord Wellington in the latter stages of the Peninsula War. Their experiences there distance them from those they leave behind; meanwhile, Harriet Raven, one of the major characters, finds that independence suits her intellectual and personal curiosity more than she might have expected, even if her restlessness never seems to abate. Other key characters include Kitty Wellington, intent on carving out an independent existence rather than be viewed as the great man's chattel; her aide in this is Nathan Rothschild, the founder of that family's London branch. Tillyard moves effortlessly from the worlds of finance and science (the advent of the first gas lighting systems) to the battlefields of Spain and the back streets of Georgian London. By the end, while the fighting may have settled Napoleon's hash for good, there are questions looming about the kind of world to which the soldiers are returning, and new kinds of conflicts at home that emerge. As much of an intellectual challenge as a good novel -- recommended! 4.3 stars, for my 11 in 11 challenge.

Book du jour: Finally finished Death in the City of Light by David King. There's a good true crime story in there itching to come out, but the book never really delivers. The most intriguing elements of the story don't kick in until about halfway through, when it becomes clear that the murderer, Dr. Petiot, is trying to take advantage of the fact that his crimes were committed and discovered under the reign of the Gestapo, but that he didn't go on trial until after the Liberation, to claim that any murders he committed were of collaborators and as part of his alleged role in the resistance. The places where the true crime elements overlap with life in an occupied city were fascinating, the rest wavered between being a gruesome true crime story and segments (like details of what Sartre and de Beauvoir were doing) that just made wonder "what is this doing here?" Didn't help that the writing was on the stilted side. 3.3 stars for this, only recommended if you're really into historic crimes, in which case the intriguing bits may weigh more heavily in your estimation.

Adding Tides of War to the BlackHole in the hope that my local library will get a copy when the book is published in November :)

... or that you win it in this month's ER giveaway, Stasia!!

Hi Suzanne, just caught up on your blog again - I enjoyed Monday's post with all the recommendations for lesser-known mystery series. I've just acquired Raven Black via Bookmooch - can't remember where I heard about it from, it might have been Luci if not you. I certainly won't run out of new ideas of what to read next!

#83: True - but I am rather hoping for the Horwitz book :)

It can't have been me who recommended Raven Black - it's one of those many many books I've bought but have still to read.

Must have been Suzanne then in the first place!

Hi Suz- I've been seeing notices of Death in the City of Light and it did sound interesting. Since you have such impeccable taste, I may have to hold off that one. Have a great weekend.

Mark, if you like true crime books, this is likely to interest you. I'd never heard of the case and the backdrop is particularly intriguing. That said, I didn't find it all that well written or well structured, which surprised me. I'm assuming some of the issues will be cleaned up pre-publication, but the structural issues will probably linger.

Be back later to update my reading; just dragged in the door after a bunch of errands -- pies and pasties from Myers of Keswick (along with salt and vinegar crisps, Twiglets and orange Jacob Club biscuits!) Picked up library books; picked up migraine meds. I've had to switch back to the generic from the brand, which is not good as the generic, for some reason, make me groggier. But the good news is that instead of paying $480 for a month's supply, or $292 every two weeks or so, I can get about six or seven weeks' supply for $233. Even better, Target is giving me a special discount for folks who pay out of pocket -- bringing the cost down to only $84! or about $20 a week. That is incredible... almost as affordable as it would be in Canada. Although there I could get the brand... Sigh.

Congratulations on the $ break for meds! I wish you could have the same deal on the real thing with less drowsiness, but a lot less money is good.

I am always shocked to be reminded that people living in some parts of the world have to pay so much for medication. Especially for ongoing/chronic conditions. Next time I grumble about having to get my repeat prescriptions and pick up my monthly supply of tablets, I must remember to thank my lucky stars - or rather the founders of the NHS - for the fact that having a chronic condition means I get free prescriptions for any drugs (not just those I need for my thryroid function). I'm glad you've got a reasonably affordable deal at present.

I am glad to see you are getting a price break on the meds too, Suz. I hope the drowsiness thing is a side effect that will eventually go away.

Stasia, while I wish the drowsiness thing would vanish with time, it doesn't. I was taking the generics for about two years while working on the last book, as my money vanished over time, and while financially I was relieved, the impact really was more cumulative. When I was able to switch back to the brand last April or May, it made a whopping difference -- suddenly I had more energy and was able to focus more. Still, I suppose groggy is better than headachey or bankrupt!

The book du jour was The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart. I think I tried reading this waaay back when I was 12 or 13, borrowing my grandmother's copy. I know I had liked other of her books, but never managed to get into this one. Now I have absolutely no idea why I never tried again. While I'm not a fan of fantasy at all, these books downplay the magic in favor of the history and legend -- this Merlin and Arthur are very rooted in a specific time, about a century or so after the collapse of the Roman empire, as invaders begin to make life hell for residents of Britain but while the memory of Rome still lingers along with some of its villas and other buildings and even religious cults like that of Mithras. It's a time of turmoil, and that's what makes this book more than just a rehash of a possibly apocryphal legend from the early Middle Ages. I confess that having visited Tintagel made parts of this book more fun to read, but overall, I really enjoyed it; Mary Stewart's style works even better in these books than it does in her romantic suspense novels, and the additional upside is that unlike the latter (mostly written in the 50s and 60s), The Crystal Cave will never feel outdated. 4.3 stars, even though I'd say Arthurian fiction is still something I've no broader interest in at all. The downside? I now have two more books on my TBR list and I'm already reading The Hollow Hills. Thanks to calm, without whose TIOLI challenge I probably wouldn't have picked these up to try again!

ETA: The genealogy book proposal was finished this week (finally!), went to my agent (who loves it, but then do agents ever NOT love their clients' book proposals?) who sent it to my editor at Crown. He may not acquire it as he's a biz editor almost exclusively, but he'll probably have some other folks there take a look at it. I'll have to look at my contract, but it's either the editor or publisher who has right of first refusal on my next book. So, it will probably be a few weeks before there's any news but in the meantime, I can make the tweaks that will be needed in order to send it out to a wider array of publishers.

Happily, I've also got some assignments trickling in. None of them big money amounts, but collectively enuf to keep the lights turned on and (some amount) of groceries. Not enough to travel or eat out, alas.

I am sorry to hear that the drowsiness factor is going to be an ongoing thing for you, Suz. Groggy is definitely better than bankrupt I would think though :)

I need to re-read the Mary Stewart Arthurian books again. It has been a very long time since I read them.

We were just telling our niece today that she should read The Crystal Cave. One of my favorites.

Feel better.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Crystal Cave - I was the opposite of you, having read her Arthurian books in my teens but not any of the others until recently. I too liked the more realistic setting that got away from the late medieval trappings to an exploration of the chaos of the post-Roman empire. It must be 30 years since I've read them though - I wonder if I can fit in a re-read this month?

I know my dau would love the Stewarts if I could just get her started on them......

I've requested the Horowitz book from ER this month, although I probably won't get it. John Brown was my maternal grandfather's great-uncle on his mother's side, so I've always had an interest in him.

I loved the first three Arthurian books by Stewart--she wrote the fourth much later and I've never read it.

I remember reading the Stewart Arthurian books waaay back when, and liking them quite a lot. At a certain point, I felt as though I'd had enough, but I can't clearly call to mind when, or exactly why.

I loved the Stewarts way back when, but what I loved more was Rosemary Sutcliff and Sword at Sunset. Everybody has probably already read it, but even the one who doesn't want more Arthurian fiction should have a look if it's not familiar.

I didn't know there was a fourth! But I agree with Peggy, Sutcliff is even better.

Read the Stewart books years ago and loved them. I'm planning to make next year a year of lots of rereads, and I'm keeping those in mind.

Ooof, catching up... at least on my own thread!

Richard, I think you'd be amused by the character of Gerry Samper in the trilogy that begins with Cooking with Fernet Branca. I'd recommend tracking down that one. It's got a kind of wacky absurdity that you'd find tres amusant, and I'd be intrigued to hear your thoughts on the culinary concoctions...

I finished the second in both that trilogy and the Merlin trilogy; some brief thoughts.

Amazing Disgrace by James Hamilton-Branca isn't as amusing as the debut novel in the trilogy, but it's still very funny. There's just less of a strong theme running through it, and one of the elements that really made it click last time -- the alternate narratives by Gerry and Marta -- is absent this time around. The hapless Gerry is condemned to ghost the bio of the obnoxious one-armed solo mariner Millie Cleat (pun fully intentional on the author's part); he opines about that, about all kinds of other stuff; repines Marta's absence (he's worried she's been abducted under extraordinary rendition), but takes up with Adrian, a rather appealing oceanographer, and concocts dishes like Badger Wellington. There's a not terribly amusing subplot involving his decision to "scientifically test" some of those pills peddled on the Internet and subsequent misadventures. Still a 4-star book, though, and I'll be intrigued to see what happens to Gerry next in Rancid Pansies.

Also finished The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart. Again, not quite as strong as the debut novel in the trilogy. It begins immediately where its predecessor left off, so the reader is 200 pages into the book by the time the infant Arthur makes his debut. This is a broader canvas that Stewart paints on, which makes it sometimes feel unfocused, as when Merlin ventures overseas for years, but the strong point is still the depiction of the chaos and conflict left in Britain in the wake of the Roman departure. Again -- thankfully, from my point of view -- the magic and fantasy is kept to a minimum. I'm intrigued by the character of Morgause here, and I'll be curious to see what happens in #3, which is definitely now on my TBR list, although I don't know if I'll get to it this month or not.

Need to find time to read Huckleberry Finn in the next few days for RL book circle. Not a big Twain fan, though to be fair, the last time I tried to read any was 30 plus years ago, around the same time I failed to become enamored of Stewart's Arthurian trilogy.

Glad the rain/thunderstorms have finally arrived; as they showed up, the migraine decamped!! which is a fabulous feeling.

#103: Glad the rain/thunderstorms have finally arrived; as they showed up, the migraine decamped!! which is a fabulous feeling.

I am the opposite - my headaches come in with the storms :)

I tore through Mary Stewart's books in 6th and 7th grade.....what good stories! Haven't read any of them since, though.

You got me hooked on James Hamilton-Branca.....what an eccentric cast of characters! Titles on THE LIST!

Any respite from headache is a blessing! I can actually breathe today....

.

>103 Chatterbox: See my 2009 review.

Finished Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. I have no idea what all the buzz is about this novel; it's a fairly pedestrian novel about the various dysfunctions of an Irish-American clan revolving around events one summer at their beach compound in Maine. Bit of a yawn, really; if an author is going to deal with such predictable topics as family secrets and guilt, etc., something about the novel needs to be fresh. Not much here. The writing is reasonably good, though, even though the novel is forgettable. 3.3 stars, not really recommended. I think it made my head start throbbing again...

Awe, sorry to see you did not care much for Maine as I have it on my wishlist. I'm expecting to read poetic lines about the sights and sounds of Maine. Are my expectations met/too high or would I be disappointed?

Am afraid that it's more full of poetic lines about angst and conflict and family relationships... The setting felt almost incidental to me. You'd be better off reading Nancy Thayer's books about Nantucket -- they aren't very good as novels, but they're better when it comes to the descriptive stuff!

I have Maine in the BlackHole. I guess I will take it right back out again.

I hope the headache stayed at bay, Suz!

Hi Suz, catching up on your thread, *puf puf* I read Huck Finn recently and quite enjoyed it. Mind you, I listened to the audio version performed by Elija Wood from Audible, and must say he really made the character come alive. /this message is NOT sponsored by Audible.com

Remembering reading the Mary Stewart Arthurian books many years ago and liking them. But the forth one - The Wicked Day without Merlin - is cold pancakes without honey and very hard to get through. Guess Stewart thought she had to finish the story.

I would have been just as happy with the trilogy.

Though I love Authurian fantasy and read all of them. If you like Young Adult you might dip into The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. Plucky kids in modern day battle the Dark with a modern day Merlin - I's such a sucker for stuff like that.

93: Congrats on getting the book proposal finished! And best wishes for getting it accepted. (Catching up... was not exactly off the grid, but ignoring it for a few days.)

I'm not at all an Arthurian fantasy fan; I will probably finish the Mary Stewart trilogy but that's it. Nor am I much of a YA reader. I couldn't even finish The Sword in the Stone back in the day...

Still, there are exceptions to every rule, and mine is the Harry Potter novels. I think I enjoy them because they are modeled so closely on the classic English boarding school narrative, complete with games and midnight feasts. Of course, the big difference is that the kids are wizards... Anyway, I have just finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; at some point I'll see the second half of the film and wanted to remind myself about how much better (because they are more detailed) the books are! I particularly like this one because of the race/chase element -- in addition to the puzzle that Harry, Ron and Hermione must solve, there's an element of being up against the clock. I enjoyed the re-read, but it will probably be a while before I delve back into them again.

I'm also about to start re-reading The Girl Who Played With Fire, about two years after I first read it. The first book in the series held up extraordinarily well, so I'm hoping this will, too.

Finished A Trick of the Light, the about-to-be-published Three Pines book by Louise Penny. The previous book showed me that the author could do more interesting things than just write about characters that might be people we'd like to know but really don't resemble anyone we do now, any more than the idealized (yet strangely murderous) village of Three Pines is like any town we know. I freely admit that I still don't get the whole Three Pines cult thing, and despite really enjoying the last book, am back to being underwhelmed. You can read my reasons why on my blog: http://uncommonreading.blogspot.com/2011/08/mystery-monday-return-to-three-pines....

The groggy factor from the generic meds has made today an impossible day. Either I was headachey or so woozy that I couldn't think straight. If this keeps up I'll end up jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. I got NOTHING done today.

Got an electronic galley of the new Philippa Gregory novel today and was amused to note that she is now using her title - Dr. Philippa Gregory -- in the author's bio. Guess she figured it would put a stop to the comments about historical inaccuracies?? If so, she's probably very wrong. And I don't know a single scholar who fusses about being called Dr. so and so the way she has been in her new books... Oh, by the way, my issues with her historical accuracy have little to do with The Boleyn Girl; I am very annoyed, however, with her trying to make Elizabeth Woodville and her mother kind of witches and at her misrepresenting what the historical record says about Jacquetta Woodville. (Gregory notes in prior novels that she was named a witch; in fact, the king's archives explicitly clear her of any allegations. So unless Gregory has sole access to some previously undiscovered archive...)

I was interested in reading Philippa Gregory's novels a while back, because I do like historical fiction quite a bit and want to gain a better understand of the Tudor period, but I took her off the whishlist when I found out she wasn't all that reliable as far as factual information goes. The last thing I need is to get the bones of the story mixed up from the get-go. Once I know a bit more what's what, I might indulge just for the fun of the ride. In the meantime, Linda (Whisper1) sent me Beware, Princess Elizabeth which is a small YA book by Carolyn Meyer and quite gripping I must say.

Ilana, if you're interested in the Tudors, a starting point is Jean Plaidy. You could also read The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George, Legacy by Susan Kay (about Elizabeth I), The Ivy Crown, about Catherine Parr, and the series of three books by Margaret Irwin about the young Elizabeth, starting with Young Bess. Unlike others, I have no problem with The Other Boleyn Girl, as I think the historical "liberties" she takes are either squarely within the realms of the possible or else utterly irrelevant to the bigger story she has imagined (such as the birth order of the Boleyn siblings and even the parentage of Mary Boleyn's two children.) The Queen's Fool has more inaccuracies and The Virgin's Lover is downright silly, but no more so than several other popular historical novels that go to the absurd lengths of having Elizabeth give birth to a child. The Constant Princess has little foundation in fact, but again, it's an intriguing alternate possibility -- certainly there is no evidence, and thus no evidence against her theory. I can't pick any factual holes in The Other Queen, and actually found it interesting, insofar as she does a good job of portraying the clash between the old nobility and the "new people" who the Tudors had cultivated. (Hilary Mantel deals with a similar issue in Wolf Hall. The one I would recommend outright is The Boleyn Inheritance, which is lively and quite accurate; much better than any other novels I've read focusing on the same period (including the utterly absurd one by Diane Haeger.) It's when Gregory gets to her obsession with witchcraft and the Plantagenets that I just roll my eyes in annoyance. Also, her theories about the princes in the tower are almost certainly dead wrong (it's not a matter for interpretation, but of facts) and there are several other points where she chooses to dispose of inconvenient facts to make the story better. There's a big difference between using gaps in what we do/don't/can never know to draw plausible theories, and simply saying, oh, this sounds like fun, so I'll do it. I don't think she crosses that line in a significant way -- or at least no more so than many contemporary historical novelists do -- until this most recent series.

ETA: One note re Jean Plaidy. In many ways, she is the 'bread and butter' of historical fiction - she hewed faithfully to the history and research available at the time she was writing, and one of the reasons I haven't re-read many of her books is that nowadays I find them a bit boring - they feel like plain vanilla chronicles dressed up with dialog. Also, in some cases, the historical research done in the 40 plus years since some of these books were written have made some of them out of date. Finally, she was largely drawing on secondary sources. Still, I think it's worth reading the books about Margaret Tudor (Henry VIII's sister) that was originally published as The Thistle and the Rose and maybe the one about Thomas More, originally published as St. Thomas's Eve. There's also one about Philip of Spain and Mary Tudor, The Spanish Bridegroom, but I think the better novels about her (Henry VIII's elder daughter) are a series by Hilda Lewis. They are still out of print, but findable.

I would urge caution when reading a lot of contemporary HF authors. Increasingly, they seem to be disposing of inconvenient facts or inventing deeply bizarre scenarios. An indicator of how things are trending is the fact that the latest crop of Jean Plaidy re-issues contains bizarre anachronisms -- the book about Queen Anne shows her wearing costumes that went out of style 150 years before her birth.

ETA: to AVOID at all costs, Carolly Erickson's novels. I don't care that she calls them "historical entertainments"; they take real lives and invent stuff around them. Like Mary Queen of Scots running away to raise her daughter in a French farmhouse before voluntarily returning to be executed. I've met people who believe they are true, speaking of getting one's facts mixed up...

Enough of that... Finished another book, which was an unputdownable page-turner, The Testament of Jessie Lamb. This was my second Man Booker nominee, and while I don't think it's short-list material, it was a compelling dystopian read. I'll be blogging about it sometime this week and will post a link here when I do. I'm giving it 4.3 stars (I'm feeling generous as it was nice to have a book that just flew by after a couple that didn't). Do pick it up whenever it's released here if you are intrigued by dystopian books.

They are back to digging up the street with jackhammers again; wonder if I'll manage any sleep???

That's funny about Dr Philippa Gregory. The lady doth protest too much?! Good summary of Tudor historical fiction. I read loads of Jean Plaidy back in the day, but I agree I would't want to re-read any of those now.

I enjoyed that summary too, Suz. I read The Other Boleyn Girl and enjoyed it well enough, but have been put off by her other books because of all the flap. Well, that and there's just too many other books begging for my attention!

Wow Suz, thanks for all that info! I'll come back to take copious notes. Margaret George was strongly recommended to me over on Deborah's thread a while back, and I think I'd enjoy her books, once I get over my fear of big volumes. From what you say, Jean Plaidy seems like a great source to get the facts straight, but from your description of her novels and your appreciation of them, I fear they probably wouldn't hold my interest either. In any case, after a quick search on in the library archives, it seems the only one available at this time is Margaret George and I don't know how much digging I'm prepared to do, considering how many other books on my shelf I really want to get to before adding more to the wish list.

I'd never considered the Tudors as a topic I'd be interested in reading on, up until I joined this group, which was after I attempted to read Wolf Hall for the first time and found myself completely out of my depth. I put it aside and decided I'd return to it once I'd gotten enough background story to be able to fully appreciate it.

Yes, Wolf Hall is better as a novel if you know the history and a bit about the characters. Then it's fun, as you can ponder Mantel's decisions on how to portray her characters and second guess them! There's also a history by Alison Weir that focuses on Henry VIII and his court, which is interesting.

Genny, I had to splutter when I saw the Dr. Philippa Gregory... You just know it's directed at her critics, who won't be swayed by titles but rather by the contents of the books. I think I'll have to read the new one pronto, just so I can weigh in...

My blog review of The Testament of Jessie Lamb can be seen here:
http://uncommonreading.blogspot.com/2011/08/novel-that-will-haunt-you-long-after...

And yes, I did actually dream about it!!

Hmm, might be a good idea for me to take a look at the Alison Weir. I feel with Wolf Hall which I am reading right now, that I know just enough to think I know more than I actually do.......

Some books you can appreciate, but never really love, and that was the case with my book du jour, From the Land of the Moon by Milen Agus, an impressive debut novel that never really captivated me as much as it could have. Ultimately, it's about the irrationality of love, and the intersection between love and art. As the main character, known only as "my Grandmother" (the story is told through the eyes/voice of her granddaughter) ponders, love is "the principal thing"; without it, nothing much matters. Love comes late to the grandmother, in the shape of the Veteran, when she is in her 30s and already married to a man she can't love (but who 'buys' brothel-like services from her.) She miscarries her children because they aren't part of "the principal thing" -- until her son is born, nine months after her return from the spa/treatment center where she met the Veteran. There are a lot of issues dealt with here in this novella, including some intriguing stuff about the reliability of narrators (or lack thereof), but while I greatly appreciated the caliber of the writing and the craft involved, I was never swept up in it. Oh well... 3.9 stars.

I think I'm going to be reading a lot of historical fiction in the coming weeks -- as well as the new Philippa Gregory novel I have several other new/newish books to devour, set all over the map.

The only book I can't seem to get into is Huck Finn, which I need to finish by Thurs eve for book circle...

I am in no way tempted to read another Philippa Gregory book, Dr. or no. One was too many for me!

Kindle sale alert! Nearly all the Georgette Heyer books -- Regency romances and the mysteries -- are available for only $1.99 on Kindle now through August 21. Be careful -- a handful of them are inexplicably still $9.99 or so, and if you don't want to get carried away, just double check before clicking "buy".

Hi Suz- I really enjoyed your review of The Testament of Jessie Lamb. This one goes on the WL. Hey, I finally started Three Day Road. You loved these books right?

Hi Suz ... you mentioned craving fresh pasties in Darryl's thread a few days ago. There's none I know of in NYC, but if you like fresh Australian meat pies, there's the Tuck Shop on St Mark's Place between 1st and Ave A. I love making a stop there whenever I'm in Manhattan if I can.

I'm going way back to the YA thing. I don't read them either. I don't think that Sword at Sunset really is YA. It might have been back when it was first published, but it is certainly not now. No magic. Wonderful recreation of Roman Britain after the Romans left. I promise.
And now I'm off to see what of GH is available on Kindle that I don't have already. Thank you, as always, Suz!

Mark, I absolutely adored Boyden's novels. I'm saving his short stories to read on a very rainy day, when I need some wonderful prose.

Caro, I'm not a big meat pie fan -- at least, I really intensely dislike the Canadian version, tortiere, which is a kind of spiced meat pie. I did find some OK pasties and good sausage rolls at Myers' of Keswick and plan to go back this weekend, if poss.

Books du jour:

Three Maids for a Crown by Ella March Chase was a freebie book from my publisher; I was interested in it because it is about all the Grey sisters, not just Lady Jane Grey (she who was queen of England for 9 days and ended up losing her head, age 16.) Her sisters, Catherine and Mary, tend to get short shrift and yet they had interesting stories themselves -- potential heirs to both Mary Tudor and Elizabeth, whatever they did they would never really escape being pawns. That said, this is just a serviceable book; while I enjoyed the bits narrated by Mary Grey, it never transcended the genre. 3.3 stars, perfectly OK and takes very few liberties with history. If you're curious about the history and haven't read much about these players, it's likely to be fascinating; I did enjoy the rather critical look at Elizabeth, who is usually seen through a hagiographic lens these days. A better novel about Jane Grey is that written by Alison Weir, however; put side by side with that, this one looks anaemic.

In contrast, Let's Kill Uncle by Rohan O'Grady was a fascinating and fun novel. Young Barnaby Gaunt knows his uncle is evil and plans to kill him; he is the sole person standing between evil Uncle Sylvester and a $10 million inheritance. So when 10 year old Barnaby is dispatched to an island off the coast of British Columbia to spend the summer with his uncle, he is desperate to protect himself. His chief ally is another child, young Christie, sent off by her own mother for the summer; the two young rabblerousers get the reputation of being troublemakers and perhaps not altogether truthful -- they are just children with vivid imaginations, aren't they? So the two resolve to take matters into their own hands, and somehow find a way to dispatch Uncle before Uncle can bump them off. It's quite clear to the reader that this is no figment of the two children's imagination and O'Grady does a great job of portraying the gulf between adults and the real world of children who feel threatened. Their odd companions are a mentally handicapped man (the island is bereft of real children, as the only man to return from WW2 is the bachelor who is the Mountie presence on the island) and a one-eared cougar, who loathes humans and yet who can't seem to escape their relentless eagerness to befriend him. In contrast, Uncle is strangely vulpine... The climax is great, and the ending better still. I really enjoyed this novel; it was something utterly different. It would make a great YA novel, too, I imagine. It's part of the same YA series that produced the hilarious and quirky Miss Hargreaves. A bonus: it's set in the same islands painted by Emily Dickinson; the ones once inhabited by the Nootka, Kwakiutl and Coast Salish peoples off the coast of Vancouver Island, and the author makes the setting very vivid. 4.2 stars, recommended.

I hope you are feeling better today, Suz!

Just finished an excellent novel -- the best Man Booker candidate I have read yet; Snowdrops by A.D. Miller.
It's reviewed over here on the blog:
http://uncommonreading.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-russia-there-are-only-crime-stori...

#131: I have seen mixed reviews of Snowdrops. One of these days I will have to get my hands on a copy of the book so I can decide for myself.

Great review of Snowdrops, Suz! I really wish I could have loved it the way you did, but it fell flat for me. Oh well, we can't all have the same favourite books!

Ahhh book lists...

I'll look at your review of Snowdrops after I read it, probably sometime next month.

I'm going to put the O'Grady on the wishlist for my dau -- try it out on her at Xmas. And maybe Miss Hargreaves too.

I had pulled some quotes from Let's Kill Uncle about One-Ear, the cougar, to show how infuriating these children were to everyone, and the kind of paradox between their very real plight and the fact that they can't get any support from the adults around them.

One Ear "hadn’t slept a wink for two days, just dropping off when they barged in. He had had to force himself to eat lunch, even though it had given him heartburn.” The children aren’t frightened of him, and he figures that even if they knew he’d killed another child, they still wouldn’t leave him in peace. “That horror of a boy would only want to know if (the child) tasted different … and the girl, with playful reproach, would, as usual call him a great big naughty kitty cat. Traps, dogs, guns, hunger, and now in his declining years, them. The eternal outlaw blinked back the never distant tears. He sank on to his belly and closed his eyes. If he couldn’t eat them, he could at least ignore them.” To escape the children, One Ear realizes, “he’d have to start sleeping in trees, he thought with despair. At his age.” And this is a 300-pound man-eating cougar "speaking"!

I can see why Snowdrops is divisive. I don't know about hype, as I really hadn't heard much about it beyond it being an Amazon Vine option (I passed on it then) and then seeing it as a longlist book. So I didn't see it as having to live up to anything. I do think that some of the criticism misses the point -- an overly plain vanilla plot that never really generates intrigue but that the reader can see through is probably accurate as a description, but the point isn't the actual action, it's the psychological transformation of Nick as he himself describes looking back in hindsight. Part of the interest here for me is the way the author portrays the growth of his own self-awareness. The story is really about that, and not a conventional narrative; anyone who dismisses it because he thinks the plot doesn't have enough real suspense for the reader in terms of the action, or who finds the main character unappealing, kinda misses the point, I think. The novel's real strength is that we are trapped in this man's brain, as he almost tortures himself, running and re-running these intense experiences -- perhaps banal to others but vital for him -- and judging himself. There are certainly characters who are 'types', like his journalist friend and the Cossack, but they are types because those types actually exist.

Snowdrops spoilers ahead

------------

I get that Snowdrops isn't about the action, but I still think that it isn't quite good enough to just be a psychological novel - it takes real skill to construct a novel that focuses solely on the development of one character, particularly when it is written in first person. I thought the writing very good, but not good enough to make me care about Nick's transformation. He could have done just about anything, and I wouldn't have really batted an eye. I think for this very intense, one character novel to work, readers need to care about the actions the character takes. It's not that you have to like the character, but you should have an interest in him, and I wasn't at all interested in Nick. He was boring, and kind of an idiot, and it didn't matter to me that he was becoming a corrupt person. I also didn't think he was very tortured - he never seems to regret what he did, and he mentions at the end that he misses Moscow, and Masha, and his life there. That was sort of the last straw for me - here he is making this grand confession, but I feel as though he would make the same mistakes all over again.

------------

End of spoilers

Cait -- I completely agree with his ultimate lack of regret -- which ironically made me more intrigued. He recognizes on one level that he has done stuff that horrifies him -- and yet he really misses the level of intensity at which he lived his life in Moscow, that he hadn't experienced before or since, and that showed him what could be. I think you're right that a novel where we experience everything through the eyes of one character demands more of the reader, but we probably differ as to what it demands. I found that what piqued my curiosity was Nick's own reluctance to admit the full truth to himself and our ability, as the reader, to see between the lines of what is scripted as a confession. It's kind of the ultimate in stupid humanity; when someone recognizes the harm they cause, but want to deny the full extent of what that says about them as a human being; like saying, yeah, I drove drunk but the kid I knocked off his bike only injured his leg. In a way, the whole thing is like a glimpse inside the mind of the ultimate rationalizer.

I think you are right, Suz - we saw the same things in the novel, we just reacted to them differently. This conversation was great fun; I wish they occurred more often on LT! It is so hard, with so many people in the group, to be reading the same book. That's one reason why I like the awards season - more people are talking about the same group of novels.

Cait, absolutely! What are you going to be reading next? We do seem to overlap a lot, just with a gap in timing sometimes.

I just finished The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, which left me underwhelmed. Maybe the elements in this novel that I found to be flaws were intentional, part of Perrotta's efforts to make a point. But even so, it didn't work as a narrative. In brief, it's a novel that starts with a Rapture like "Sudden Departure", millions of people vanishing around the world. And it's not just the righteous -- preachers are bitter at being left behind while atheists, celebrities and Muslims are wafted off... somewhere. The story really takes place three years later. There's no tribulation, nothing really to show that such a massive event took place, except for absence -- the loss of those individuals, and the physical and psychological void that replaced their presence in the lives of those they knew and loved. Essentially, this novel deals with the efforts to come to grips with the event, through the prism of one small city and one family within it -- mother goes off to join the Guilty Remnant, a cult-type group with a mission to stop others from getting back to normal, while the rest of the family try in their various ways to redefine what the new normal is. And that's really the problem. Perrotta has a clever idea or conceit, and a lot of stuff flows from that -- the novel is a series of answers to a giant "what if?" question. But he doesn't do a good enough job bringing them together to make this a real novel -- I felt as if I was drifting along, hopping from one character's narrative to the next. The "climax" was really a series of short sharp shocks very late in the book, which took me aback a bit in one case, but then left me still feeling uncertain about what Perrotta was trying to do with this book. I know he's the chronicler of the suburban mundane, and there are certainly moments of wit and tremendous style, but it seems as if he exhausted his creativity with the concept and didn't have any left over to work on the execution. I read The Abstinence Teacher last year, and found it to be far more integrated a narrative, so I don't think it's the author but rather a mismatch between what he tackles in his writing and this particular idea. There are elements of brilliant writing (such as Laurie's religious revelation, which prompts her decision to join the Guilty Remnant: "God's intrusion into her life couldn't have been any clearer if He'd addressed her from a burning bush") which makes this a 3.4 star book rather than 3 stars, but it's still weak. That message from God? That's about all Perrotta tells us, so we're left to fill in the gaps; we get glimpses into character and motivation, but not enough and not consistently enough. Ho hum. I may go back to re-reading about Lisbeth Salander. At least that has the virtue of strong characterization and a defined plotline....

Suz and Cait - I enjoyed your back and forth about Snowdrops. I had it out from the library but had to return it before I was able to read it; I wasn't certain I'd try for it again given the mixed reviews, but your divergent opinions make me want to decide one way or the other (or another!) for myself.

What Katie said! Now if only my local library would get a copy.

Stasia, have you looked into inter-library loans? Is your library system set up for that? I was surprised to get a book from Adelphi University via ILL recently.

Katie, the book is definitely worth an effort. I found it a memorable read, and it's reasonably short and very well structured, making it quick. (So even if you loathe it, you won't have spent too much time on it!!)

My local library branch, which is literally across the street from me (I walk two houses up to the corner, cross a main street, and it's on the other corner), is closing for several weeks (six, eight, who knows?) for some renovations. For a month or so, I've had to direct all my holds to the Central branch, which is either a 35 minute walk each way or a subway ride ($2.25 each way). The walk is nicer, but it means crossing Grand Army Plaza, which is a bit perilous thanks to construction and a lack of pedestrian crossings at a couple of points. ( You have to cross about five major roads, at least two of which require jay-running/sprinting.) It's a big hassle compared to what I've become used to -- admittedly, I've been spoiled! I certainly can't spare the time to just drop in any more -- any trip is going to be a planned occasion now.

Waiting to hear about a friend's cardiac surgery. It's a fairly straightforward procedure; no reason to be alarmed or anxious, except for the fact that no surgery is ever risk-free. I would have heard already had there been a problem, so no news is good news. All being well, they'll spring him tomorrow and then I'm on home care duty from sometime tomorrow thru Sunday. So that's my weekend, and if you don't hear from me much, I'll catch up on Monday!

#144: Suz, my local library does have ILL, but it is such a huge hassle and I already have so many books readily available that I need to read that I hate to use it.

Good luck to your friend!

I'm just starting Pigeon English, which, according to the TIOLI wiki, you are also reading! Then I think I will start Jamrach's Menagerie or A Cupboard Full of Coats... or The Sense of an Ending. Hopefully somewhere in there will be a Booker novel that I will be crazy about!

Hope everything goes well with your friend; enjoy your weekend Suz!

Suz, I was happy to see your review of Let's Kill Uncle. I've been wanting to get that book since I saw it on offer on ER, but then, I've got three other Bloomsbury Group books waiting on my shelves and I made a deal with myself that I have to read at least one of those before I order more. I've got Miss Hargreaves, you've mentioned, as well as The Brontës Went to Woolworth's and Henrietta's War. Read any of those?

I've been withholding the following comment for a while but will come out with it now. I just came back from reading your review of Snowdrops, but only got halfway through (an interesting first half too) and had to stop. For some reason, I have a really hard time reading on a black background, and before long it does a real number on me, screws up my eyes and makes me feel nauseous. So I copied the text, posted it into my mail app where I made the text black. I can't believe I'm saying this. As a designer and art director, I used to make fun of people who complain about illegible text. Now I'm one of them. That's middle age for you! Loved the review by the way. I tried to post a comment there saying it's the first review that makes me want to read the book, but for some reason don't think it worked.

Thanks for your terrific review of Snowdrops, Suz. I love the fact that you and cait had such a great discussion about it which makes the book all the more desirable. I'll wishlist and hope to get to it sometime soon.

Suz -- I'm having this AHA! moment thanks to you. YEARS AND YEARS ago, 1966, in fact, when I was 12 I saw this MOVIE about a boy who had to kill this uncle of his before the uncle killed him....... sound familiar? I LOVED that movie, and no one I have ever talked to has ever heard of it, and I would try to find it once in awhile with no luck, but this time I found THIS !!!!! So now I am running off to Netflix with my fingers crossed!

I think it was made into a movie, and that Christie was played by the same girl who was in "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Sorry about the typeface, Sib... I've adapted it as much as I can, and the background needs to be black or I lose the fabulous wallpaper with books...

I found a copy of Snowdrops in the children's section of a used bookstore yesterday so felt I had to give it a proper home especially after reading your review. I like books that divide opinion so look forward to reading it.
I've asked my library to purchase a copy of Let's Kill Uncle though I wasn't sure if to specify it as a YA book with that title, so played safe and ticked the adult box.

Confess I'm a bit shocked that Snowdrops was in the children's section! It's anything but... On the other hand, Let's Kill Uncle would be fine as a YA read, except for the basic idea of kids killing adults.

? Wasn't me who said anything about your typeface -- I assume on your blog?

Oh, sorry, meant to say Ilana... I've been battling acute fatigue for two days now; not enuf sleep and too much on my plate. Obviously lack of focus is kicking in!

Yes, I was the cranky complainer. T'was me. Hope you get what sounds like much needed rest Suz.

#152: Probably was shelved there by a browsing customer. The library has ordered three copies of Let's Kill Uncle, so I'll be able to read it soon. Hope you are feeling better.

N'ah, just zonked. The friend who had the surgery is in a fair amt of pain -- the op took 4 hours instead of 2 and they were rooting around in there, so probably more muscle tissue got messed around with. So nights are a bit restless and I'm a light sleeper anyway. Hopefully it will be OK for me to be at home tonight, though I expect I still be coming & going to help with food 'n stuff. Though I have a lot of work to get through this week, too... Ho hum...

How are you feeling today, Suz? Managed to get some rest yesterday?

That would be a "no", Caro. I'm not even going to make it home until tomorrow. But I'm going to grab a nap right around now...

Staggering in to note that I've somehow managed to finish two books. Made it home for an hour or so today but now back doing "friend sitting" or whatever one calls this kinda stuff.

Finished A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd, the third in the series of mysteries featuring Bess Crawford, which I think is the best in this particular series to date. (though I still prefer his other series, featuring Hamish the ghost...) What made this click for me is that this is the most we've seen of Bess as a WWI nurse in the field, making it less about dashing around the countryside solving mysteries whenever she gets leave. I still don't think Bess is a terrifically well-rounded character, and a last minute twist came completely out of the blue (thus changing whatever one might have thought about who the culprit could be), but the underlying story is solid and interesting. Still, for mystery fans only, and really only for fans of the author. 3.8 stars, mildly recommended.

Re-read The Girl who Played With Fire and found I still love it. Last time I had to wait six months in order to read book #3, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest; this time I can launch right into a re-read as I think the two books are really one, with the narrative in the latter picking up right where the former left off. Not much else to say, other than that it's a great book for summer if you like page turning suspense. Yes, it's violent, but that's in the nature of the subjects/characters.

I find it interestingly odd that some are touting Jo Nesbo as the next Steig Larsson. The two are such different writers! Lisbeth Salander could not be any more different to Harry Hole than a goat is to a giraffe. Their writing styles are so completely different. Oh wait.. yeah, they're both Swedish.

I call the phenom "Scandi-crime"... If someone is Scandinavian and writing mysteries or thrillers, they automatically become "the next Stieg Larsson". Enough, already!

There was a documentary on BBC4 TV repeated recently about the scandinavian crime writing boom. I watched it back in December when it was first broadcast. As I recall, it stated that Jo Nesbo's main inspiration is American crime/thrillers and it argued that stylistically he is quite different from many of the other authors featured in the programme. As I haven't yet read any Nesbo, I don't know how accurate that view is.

Isn't Jo Nesbo Norwegian?

Yup, and then there's Karin Fossum (Norwegian), Arnaldur Indridason (Icelandic); I'm sure there are some Danes and Finns in the mix if I could only think of them.

Leif Davidsen is Danish, Pernille Rygg is another Norwegian.

Is Nesbo Norwegian? I thought he was Swedish. Oops.

There's also Hakan Nesser and Ake Edwardson, both Swedish crime thriller authors too.

Well, seriously, who wouldn't jump on the Scandinavian crime-writing boom if they could? Wouldn't you want to be "the next Stieg Larsson"?

>160 Chatterbox: A great book "for summer"? How precious. --How about just a great book? Who does better in that genre than Larsson? Danes, Finns, Icelandics? No, Larsson is the best, and he could have continued to prove it if he hadn't died.

Wow, Becky. OK, tackling 'em one at a time. Really truly, I'd rather be the first me than the next somebody else. I have no desire to be described as "the next Michael Lewis", for instance. And sure it's a great book, but can I argue that it's a great book for summer because it's the kind that you can read on a beach and put down and pick up on vacation with people all around you and it doesn't matter??

OK, moving right along...

Finished The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen. It's a book I thought would just be brain candy but actually turned out to be more of a page-turner than anticipated and more than just "Fatal Attraction" redux. None of the characters are likeable; still it's hard not to empathize with Clive's panic that Sally will upset the even path of his life (he's just won a major literary award; he's about to renew his marriage vows) by outing not only their affair (which he's just ended abruptly) but his serial womanizing. And it's hard not to empathize with Sally, who can't understand how someone could go from being protective and loving (over the course of five years) to icy and contemptuous. The points that both make are great, and would apply to any relationship -- when someone suddenly declares it's over, how do you process the pain and how to do you reconcile the claims of love with the current reality? Sally could be a woman with a boyfriend or a husband in the same situation; making her the "other woman" in this novel injects another element of tension. And yet both she and Clive are utterly selfish and obtuse to the other players in their lives... I couldn't relate to Sally's behavior; I found I could to at least some of her emotions, if not to their extremes. And I could relate all too easily to the friends and family telling her briskly to pull herself together, but failing to really commit to helping her do that beyond telling her she needs help. To me, while Clive apparently holds it together much better than Sally -- after all, the decision to end the affair is his -- he doesn't emerge as any more pleasant an individual. This is really a novel about the pain and damage people can cause each other, and it's much better than "Fatal Attraction" because it doesn't portray either individual as a two-dimensional caricature. It's painful to read, but in a world where people don't like to admit how often this kind of stuff happens, it's refreshing in an odd way to trip over a book that deals with the topic, albeit in a kind of melodramatic way. 3.8 stars, recommended to anyone looking for a something completely different.

ETA: I am now HOME! for the first time for more than 45 minutes, since Saturday, when I began helping out my post-surgery friend. Which means I will have time and quiet to work and, hopefully, READ! Whew. Thought this might have run until Monday, but not Wednesday... just amazing the # of little things that need to be done/dealt with in this kind of situation.

Well, if you can be "the first me," then go for it. I wouldn't mind my publisher calling me "the next Stieg Larsson."

Welcome home, Suz!

FYI, I don't think I'm going to be able to read The Dogs of Rome for our joint TIOLI read. My husband is reading the latest George R.R. Martin tome on my Kindle (he read the first four in paperback and got wrist strain) and he's kind of a slow reader.... Sorry to have to flake out.

PS: I also distinguish between good books and good books for summer.

Must feel good to be home Suzanne, because there sure ain't nothing like home.

So, I've accumulated a bunch of Europa Editions books from the library in the past couple of weeks, now it's just a matter of finding time to read them. I may not have participated in your challenge, but it inspired me to seek them out, which, as far as I'm concerned, is just as good. The titles I've got are From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus, For Grace Received by Valeria Parrella, and Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli. Funny, I just now noticed that all three are Italian. Have you read any of them?

Ilana, I've read both From the Land of the Moon and Carte Blanche; they are very different, with the latter being a slim noirish detective novel set in the final days of Mussolini's regime, and the former a very literary novel which revolves around the perennial theme of the (un)reliable narrator. I liked both; definitely found Lucarelli's far more straightforward & I'm still puzzling over Agus's novella and its multiple layers of meaning.

I'm not sure I'll get to The Dogs of Rome either, Katie... I've got two non-renewable library books to finish first, and a stack of work that is really quite frightening. It looks as if I'll be starting a weekly column for The Fiscal Times this weekend (it will show up on Mondays); this weekend will be my trial run; I have some Barron's stuff running and another feature due Monday. And I'm at least two days behind...

It is nice to be home, although my home is considerably more chaotic than my friend's home. I suspect the regular attendance of a cleaning lady is the difference... On the other hand, my friend is a TV addict, so I've been relishing an evening sans TV and where I can just "be", in (relative) peace and quiet. One of these eons will catch up on everyone else's threads: thanks for continuing to visit despite my selfishness!

The two library books that are due back are A Jane Austen Education, which is light & lively and much better than I had expected, and Stealing Rembrandts, which is also v. good. So reading them pronto (to save on overdue fees...) will be no hardship!

My entire phone service just crashed -- landline and DSL in one fell swoop. Can't even find out what is going on. oh yes, and it's deadline time. And it will take until next week to get someone out here to look at it.

Oh my. I hope for your sake you can manage without too much... well, headaches. Hope it gets fixed asap.

I'm curious, did you continue with Lucarelli's trilogy after Carte Blanche?

Ilana, haven't read any more Lucarelli, but I do plan to. Just had other stuff on my plate to read through...

This is going to be an entertaining few days here... Between the phone issue, work deadlines and Irene approaching at warp speed...

Suzanne, blessings on you for looking after your friend - not an easy task! I'm more concerned about Irene hitting NYC. Batten down! Get in supplies and candles and flashlights!! Take care!!!!!

Peggy, my dear, I'm more worried about YOU and Irene! I trust you're taking precautions yourself and will stay safe??? And let us know when it passes?

I did go out to buy a flashlight. Brought it home, inserted the big giant battery, screwed on the top -- and it doesn't turn on. I swear, today has been one thing after another, starting with a 7 a.m. phone interview with a source when I was barely awake. I'm almost at the point of hysterical laughter. But not quite.

Book du jour: A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz is subtitled "How six novels taught me about love, friendship and the things that really matter". Looking back after reading this, you realize there is nothing terribly novel about the conclusion the author reaches about his own life, but the book itself, with its glimpses into the novels, into Austen's life and that of the novel, feels lively and entertaining, so much so that you don't really care. The author credits Austen's novels for helping him grow up, mature and find true love and while I'm sure there's an element of, ahem, creativity in that analysis, it did make me want to hand out copies to a few people I know in need of some of the lessons here! In Deresiewicz's view, friends are people who are willing to tell you uncomfortable truths (Persuasion); love is something that evolves and not about romantic swoons (Sense and Sensibility), while life isn't always about being happy but has a lot to do with being useful and content. (Mansfield Park) This made me want to read the author's other book, about Austen and the romantic poets. 4.1 stars, recommended -- and thus finishes my third batch of 75 books! I'll wait to start a new thread until I've reported back on my next two books, which probably will fit into my 11 in 11 challenge, and then start a new thread and a new 75-challenge!

Glad to see the positive review of A Jane Austen Education - I have it ready and waiting for when I finish reading the major novels this year...

Congrats on the third batch Suz. Interesting life lessons to be gleaned from Austen. Now if only I could start appreciating her novels more...

#178: I'm almost at the point of hysterical laughter. But not quite.

I am not sure whether to wish you get to that point - or not. . .

>181 alcottacre: I vote "not". Hysterical laughter on the streets of Brooklyn would probably buy her a visit to the psychiatric ER at Kings County Medical Center.

They might have wifi

>183 mckait: ROTFL!

And I'm quite sure they're on higher ground, with their own generators and not as many windows to shatter in hurricane-force winds!

and phone service.

Actually, the one potential problem is Jasper's insulin. It has to stay refrigerated, but if the power goes out...

Got my bottled water. Still need to get flashlights working, stock up on some non-perishables and get some plastic sheets to tape over windows, just in case.

Call your pharmacy. I believe that insulin can be left unrefrigerated for a period of time..

187: Insulin isn't that vulnerable. I had a diabetic cat for several years, and worried if I forgot to put the insulin back into the refrigerator, but the vet said this wasn't a problem, room temperature is OK for awhile. http://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/does-insulin-need-124775.html confirms. When I moved and had to transport it, I put it in styrofoam container with ice.

Holy Cow! I just saw they're shutting down mass transit on Saturday afternoon in NYC?! I hope for your sake and everyone else's it turns out to be a much tamer affair than expected. I guess most people will be staying shut up at home, so not like anyone will really miss the bus and subway but still, talk about the city being at a standstill. Unbelievable!

Thanks for the reassurance re the insulin! I've now got my non-perishable food; need to make a run to Target to get kitty litter, diapers for the kid upstairs (neighbor's munchkin). Phone interview at 4 p.m., then may head into Manhattan for one or two things, including ice packs. Can't forget that I'm likely to end up with a killer migraine...
Got the LAST plastic drop sheets at the local hardware store.

Just delurking to add my 2 cents - I'm a diabetes educator - inslin is good at room temperature for 30 days.
Plastic drop sheets - oh no -- I must go searching for some tomorrow before the complete shut down of the city. I never thought of those.

It's a miracle I thought of them...
So why does my vet throw a fit at the idea of my leaving the insulin out on the table overnight?? gah... I've probably ended up spending $300 extra for all the times I've done that...
Just checked the forecast; we're scheduled for 21 hours of tropical storm type winds, from Sat night until Sunday night.

Is your cat on some special made just for him/her insulin or the regular human variety? Insulin that you haven't opened should be refrigerated until you start using that vial. Once opened it's good for 30 days refrigerated or not. Don't let it get hot though. In the old days we used to refrigerate all the time -- hence ice packs for traveling. The companies that store and transport insulin to your pharmacy have never refrigerated insulin.

Having worked for .. lets see.. a total of 10 or so vets over a period of 7 years, in a multi vet practice..I just want to say that I am not surprised. Remember this. Any questions about meds are BEST answered
by a pharmacist. I worked as a pharmacy tech too, at one time. Those are very knowledgeable folks.. they know much more about meds that the average doctor.. I am so sorry to hear that your vet gave you bad information. I always offer my expertise :) without the slightest bit of hesitation to my own vet .I know much more about k-9 Addison's than any of the local vets. I have educated myself in order to keep my dog healthy. Many of the "older" vets were just misinformed since vet school.. as it used to be considered a small dog illness. Others? well..So do not hesitate to find the info on a reliable website, perhaps a diabetes site, and/ or get the info from the pharmacist and inform your vet. You will be doing a service to those who come after you. The vet will eventually forgive you for his own misinformation. Probably.

Stay safe, Suz!

Suz, hope you weather the hurricane ok. Stay safe!!

Gargantuan massive migraine, probably due to hurricane. Would like to shoot myself, but guns are illegal here.

The downpour just started; no wind yet. Subway is shutting down; curfew kicks in for 24 hours at 9 p.m.

feel better.

Hope you feel better soon and that the hurricane leaves everyone (and everything) unscathed.

Hope you're doing okay, Suz.

Take care Suz. Hope you're feeling better soon!

I've maxed out the meds dosage, really hoping they help. Think I cld cope with hurrican prospect better with no headache.

{{{{{{Suz}}}}}

gentle, quiet hugs

Thanks, all, for the hugs & moral support -- it really does help. The migraine seems (touch wood) to be abating somewhat, so I'll dash to post a book update for the past several days before that changes and I lose power!

The first three books are for my 11 in 11 challenge; the final one will be the first in my new 75-book challenge. I'll try to start a new thread for that later on tonight, when that's possible & I have a bit more energy.

Finished The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn sometime earlier this week (it's been a bit nuts, between looking after a friend post-surgery, lotsa work, and earthquakes, and hurricanes, so I can't remember which day.) Liked it, see why it's a classic, but while I chuckled along, and relished it, I didn't love it. I wonder if it's better as an audiobook?? 4.3 stars for me.

Stealing Rembrandts by Anthony Amore had an intriguing premise -- using the sagas involving various stolen works by Rembrandt - the world's most stolen artist -- to explore the issues behind art theft. At times very well-written, and certainly provocative when it comes to the issues, it didn't quite take off for me. Perhaps because it felt so earnest without every being gripping in tone? Still, worth reading for art world afficionados. 3.7 stars.

George, Wilhelm and Nicholas by Miranda Carter is an excellent group biography of three relatives of Queen Victoria, three emperors in the waning days of real monarchical power, and how their lives intersected and how each confronted different challenges (or the same challenge in different ways.) I emerged with surprisingly little sympathy for Nicholas II of Russia - I ended up feeling he probably deserved his fate not so much for being hapless but for the arrogance that accompanied his stupidity. World War I concludes this v. good and well-researched bio, a war that would claim two of the three men as victims. The only downside: the details of political manoeuvering occasionally become tedious, but not often enough to spoil an excellent narrative. 4.2 stars.

The Irish Princess by Karen Harper was an impulse choice from the library yesterday afternoon, and was exactly the right level of mindlessness to help me cope with the last 24 hours. The story is about Gera Fitzgerald, the daughter of the de facto rulers of the Pale of Ireland, and her family's fate under the Tudors. Despite the occasionally purple prose and cliches, I enjoyed this more than expected, largely because it's an utterly unfamiliar story to me and thus a new twist on the Tudors. Lots that's overwrought and implausible (the book opens with Gera pondering stabbing Henry VIII as he lies on his deathbed, standing over him...) but a nice mindless read. Recommended for historical fiction fans, mildly. 3.4 stars.

Just wanted to see how you were (headache and hurricane). Hooray for drugs working!

I've seen that book by Miranda Carter here and will add it to my wish list. I really enjoyed her biography of Anthony Blunt a few years ago.

Glad to hear that the migraine is abating. I hope that keeps up!

Glad to hear you're not having to deal with both Irene and a thundering migraine, Suz. Good reading planned for the day?

Mindless read is perfect for a hurricane imp..
Glad you are feeling better and safe and sound.

Glad you are better. Hope you are getting through the storm ok.

Hi Suz. Glad the migraine seems to be under control.

Irene is vanishing, and on cue, the migraine has returned! I think I'm going to start naming these bloody things, just like tropical storms. This one can be Migraine Abigail; it's def a cat 3 to be so stubborn and painful.

Back to bed; the worst of the storm is over; I have power. Fingers crossed for everyone else, but it's now only a tropical storm, and most of us have ridden those out before on the coast -- just a nasty storm. No damage that I can see but I haven't been out yet.

Glad the storm is abating, sorry the migraine isn't. The second half of that low pressure system actually drops lower than the first, and is probably aggravating it. Hope it gets better soon.

I'm sorry to hear the migraine is resurfacing, Suz ....especially when Irene's cleared out of Brooklyn.

Roni, that explains a lot! A number of friends who don't usually get these beasts, or even don't get headaches, are e-mailing me today to tell me they have bad headaches and asking what to do...

It's starting to clear again now, thank heavens. Hopefully I'll have one of those wonderful days tomorrow that I occasionally get post migraine, when I feel great and I have a surge (not a storm surge!) of energy! Farewell, Migraine Abigail...

Off to eat some sandwiches and make a dent in my non-perishables, and hopefully do some reading!

Sorry to hear the migraine's come back - but glad (again) to hear it's beginning to go again.

OK, folks, it's moving time once more. I'm already started on my fourth batch of 75 books (completed the first book of that book on Saturday), so, given that I'm already up to 216 posts, figured it's time to relocate. You can find me over here.