Smiler: Fourteenth Time is the Charm!

Charles Burton Barber: Blond and Brunette Pug, 1879




Currently Reading:
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
The Canterbury Tales by Seymour Chwast
The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
Vermeer: The Complete Works by Arthur K. Wheelock
The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
♫ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens



My Threads
Part Un (Books 1-5)
Part Deux (Books 6-29)
Part Trois (Books 30-54)
Part Quatre (Books 55-72)
Part Cinq (Books 73-99)
Part Six (Books 100-110)
Part Sept (Books 111-128)
Part Huit (Books 129-145)
Part Neuf (Books 146-181)
Part Dix (Books 182-200)
Part Onze (Books 201-220)
#12 (Books 221-231)
#13 (Books 232-250)

11 in 11 Challenge:
Category #1: English Language Classics 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #2: Classic French Authors 7/11
Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #4: Visual Arts 8/11
Category #5: Books Published Since 2009 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #6: New To Me Authors 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #8: The Two World Wars and the Time In-Between 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #9: En Français 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions 11/11 - COMPLETED
Category #11: The Film Might Be Good But the Book is Better 11/11 - COMPLETED




Planned Group Reads in 2012

January: The Secret River by Kate Grenville (75ers) - Orange January
February: Fantasy February
March: Christine Falls by Benjamin Black, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (12/12)
April: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (12/12), David Copperfield (75ers)
May: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (12/12)
June: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (12/12, tutored read)
July:
August:
September:
October: Blindness by José Saramago
November:
December:

Books completed in December

258. ♫ Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell ★★★★⅞ (review) ☀
259. ♫ Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie ★★★ (review) ☀
260. ♫ Zoo Station by David Downing ★★★★½ (review) ☀
261. ♫ Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson ★★★★½ (review) ☀
262. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
263. ♫ The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell (rating & review coming soon) ☀
264. The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley (rating & review coming soon) ☀
265. The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett (rating & review coming soon) ☀ (TIOLI 5 reviews or less)
266. Yin la jalouse by Shen Qifeng, illustrated by Bobi + Bobi (rating & review coming soon) ☀ (TIOLI 5 reviews or less)
267. ♫ Silesian Station by David Downing (rating & review coming soon) ☀



My rating system:
★ - hated it (may or may not have finished it but listing it for the trouble)
★★ - it was just ok
★★★ - enjoyed it (good)
★★★★ - loved it! (very good)
★★★★★ - all-time favourite (blew me away—will read again)

⅛ ¼ ⅓ ½ ¾ ⅞

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
☀ = TIOLI

Suggested reads for December

☛✔ The Ghost Road by Pat Barker (TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book that has the exact same title as another book on LT) - Reading
☛♫ King Lear by William Shakespeare (TIOLI Challenge #6: King Lear by Gareth Hinds)
☛♫ Zoo Station by David Downing (TIOLI Challenge #6: Zoo Station: Adventures in East and West Berlin by Ian Walker)
☛♫ Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book with the word "last" or "final" in the title)
☛♫ The Last Child by John Hart (TIOLI Challenge #7)
☛ The Haunted Bookshop by Christophe Morley (TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book about books)
☛✔ Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa (TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book by an author with a surname of four syllables)
☛✔ The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago (TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book by an author with a surname of four syllables)
☛✔ Vermeer: The Complete Works by Arthur K. Wheelock (TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book with 5 or fewer reviews) - Reading
☛✔ The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson by David P. Silcox (TIOLI Challenge #15)
☛✔ L'Assomoir by Émile Zola (TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book in which alcohol or alcoholism is one of the major themes)
☛♫ 1984 by George Orwell (TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book for your 11 in 11 challenge - Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions)
☛♫ Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie (TIOLI Challenge #18: Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction)
☛✔ The World of Gloria Vanderbilt by Wendy Goodman (TIOLI Challenge #18: Category #4: Visual Arts)

More options:

☛♫ To Fear a Painted Devil by Ruth Rendell (TIOLI #2: Read a book with gods, deity, or celestial beings in the title; Devil)
☛♫ The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell (TIOLI #5: Read a book with Christmas or a word that can be formed using letters in Christmas; hit)
☛♫ Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert (TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book that has the exact same title as another book on LT)
☛♫ The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling (TIOLI Challenge #6)
☛♫ Silesian Station by David Downing (TIOLI Challenge #15) - Listening
☛♫ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens




Suggested reads for January

The Secret River by Kate Grenville (group read, Orange January, 12/12 Off the Shelf)
♫ Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (12/12 Non-Fiction)




* = must read
♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library
☛ = TIOLI

Books I've read so far in 2011:

January:
1. Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler (TIOLI) ★★★★ (review)
2. La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty) by Tahar Ben Jelloun (TIOLI) ★★★★ (review)
3. Regeneration - 1st of the Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker (TIOLI) ★★★★★ (review)
4. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane ★★★ (review)
5. Sanderson: The Essence of English Decoration by Mary Schoeser ★★★★½ (review)
6. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart (TIOLI) ★★★ (review)
7. Doors Open by Ian Rankin (TIOLI) ★★★ (review)
8. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson ★★★★ (review)
9. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon ★★★★ (review)
10. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt (TIOLI) ★★★★ (review)
11. Egon Schiele: The Leopold Collection by Rudolf Leopold (TIOLI) ★★★½ (review)
12. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (TIOLI, Group Read) ★★★ (review)
13. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket ★★★ (review)
14. The Arrival by Shaun Tan ★★★★★ (review)
15. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak ★★★★ (review)
16. The Bells by Richard Harvell ★★★★ (review)
17. Black and Blue by Ian Rankin ★★½ (TIOLI) (review)
18. ♫ Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens ★★★ (TIOLI) (review)
19. ♫ Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney ★★★★ (review)
20. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom ★★★★ (review)

February:
21. Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon ★★★ (review)
22. ♫ Skellig by David Almond ★★★ (review)
23. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman ★★★★★ (review)
24. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe ★★★½ (review)
25. ♫ The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman ★★★★★ (review)
26. ♫ The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West ★★★★½ (review)
27. ♫ The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ★★★★⅓ (review)
28. ♫ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll ★★★★½ (notes on the audiobook)
29. Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellström ★★★ (review)
30. The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers by Henry James ★★★★ (review)
31. ♫ The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie ★★★½ (review)
32. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski ★★★★ (review)
33. ♫ Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman ★★★★¼ (review)
34. La Fortune des Rougons by Émile Zola ★★★★ (review)
35. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ★★★★ (review)
36. ♫ The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton ★★★★ (review)
37. The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker ★★★⅘ (review)

March:
38. ♫ Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood ★★★⅘ (review)
39. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot ★★★★¼ (review)
40. ♫ The Help by Kathryn Stockett ★★★★⅓ (review)
41. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman ★★★¾ (review)
42. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko ★★★¾ (review)
43. ♫ The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie ★★★ (review)
44. Coraline by Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (review)
45. Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan ★★★★ (review)
46. Dead Souls by Ian Rankin ★★½ (review)
47. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney ★★½ (review)
48. ♫ Already Dead by Charlie Huston ★★★¾ (review)
49. ♫ The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman ★★★★⅓ (review)
50. ♫ Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene ★★★½ (review)
51. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman ★★★¾ (review)
52. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ★★⅚ (review)
53. My Reading Life by Pat Conroy ★★⅚ (review)
54. ♫ Tripwire by Lee Child ★★★★ (review)
55. The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri ★★★½ (review)
56. ♫ Matilda by Roald Dahl ★★★★ (review)
57. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James ★★★★½ (review)

April:
58. ♫ Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog) by Jerome K. Jerome ★★★★ (review)
59. Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman ★★½ (review)
60. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ★★★★⅝ (review)
61. ♫ Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain ★★★★ (review)
62. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ★★★★ (review)
63. Invisible River by Helena McEwen ★ (Read for Early Reviewers) (review)
64. ♫ Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn ★★★★⅓ (review)
65. ♫ Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson ★★★★⅞ (review)
66. ♫ Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh ★★★★⅓ (review)
67. La Curée (The Kill) by Émile Zola ★★★★⅓ (review)
68. ♫ The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse ★★⅘ (review)
69. The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton ★★½ (review)
70. Mockingjay (Hunger Games 3) by Suzanne Collins ★★★★ (review)
71. ♫ Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ★★★★⅞ (review)
72. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman ★★★★½ (review)
73. Apollo's Angels : A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans ★★★★½ (review)
74. ♫ Grass for His Pillow (Tales of the Otori: Book 2) by Lian Hearn ★★★½ (review)
75. ♫ The Fall of the House of Usher: The Pit and the Pendulum and Other Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe ★★★⅝ (review)
76. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway ★★★★ (review)
77. ♫ The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino ★★★⅓ (review)
78. Le Ventre de Paris (The Belly of Paris) by Émile Zola ★★★★⅓ (review)

May:
79. ♫ Animal Farm by George Orwell ★★★★★ (review)
80. Playback: A Graphic Novel by Raymond Chandler ★★¼ (review)
81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys ★★★★¼ (review)
82. ♫ Dubliners by James Joyce ★★★★ (review)
83. ♫ The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht ★★★★★ (review)
84. ♫ Gros-Câlin by Romain Gary ★★★★⅓ (review)
85. L'argent facile (Easy Money) - Stockholm Noir 1, by Jens Lapidus ★½ (review)
86. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo ★★★★ (review)
87. ♫ And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie ★★★★ (review)
88. Emma, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori ★★½ (review)
89. ♫ La petite fille de monsieur Linh (Monsieur Linh and His Child) by Philippe Claudel ★★★★½ (review)
90. Lost & Found by Shaun Tan ★★★★★ (review)
91. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain ★★★★ (review)
92. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen ★★★ (review)
93. ♫ Mansfield Park by Jane Austen ★★★¾ (review)
94. The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva ★★★¾ (review)
95. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger ★★½ (review)
96. Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba ★★★½ (review)
97. ♫ Killing Floor by Lee Child ★★★½ (review)
98. ♫ Flying Too High : a Phryne Fisher Mystery by Kerry Greenwood ★★★½ (review)
99. Silas Marner by George Eliot ★★★★ (review)
100. ♫ An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin ★★★★⅓ (review)

June
101. Le Chat du Rabbin: La Bar-Mitsva (The Rabbi's Cat, Book 1) ★★★★⅓ (review)
102. ♫ Les âmes grises (By a Slow River) by Philippe Claudel ★★★★½ (review)
103. Monstres Malades by Emmanuelle Houdart ★★★★ (review)
104. Le Chat du Rabbin: Le Malka des Lions (The Rabbi's Cat, Book 2) ★★★★ (review)
105. The Haunted Playground by Shaun Tan ★★★½ (review)
106. In Search of Klingsor by Jorge Volpi ★★½ (review)
107. ♫ The Prestige by Christopher Priest ★★★⅞ (review)
108. Le Chat du Rabbin: L'Exode (The Rabbi's Cat, Book 3) ★★★★ (review)
109. ♫ Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant ★★★★½ (review)
110. ♫ The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey ★★★★ (review)
111. The Tiger : A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant ★★★★ (review)
112. ♫ The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell ★★★¾ (review)
113. The Deadly Doll by Janine Burke ★★★★ (review)
114. ♫ Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach, read by Samuel L. Jackson ★★★★½ (review)
115. La Conquête de Plassans / The Conquest of Plassans by Émile Zola ★★★★⅓ (review)
116. The Art of Asking Your Boss for a Raise by Georges Perec ★★★ (review)
117. ♫ Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller ★★★½ (review)
118. Trapped by James Moloney ★★½ (review)
119. L'apprentissage amoureux by Laetitia Bourget ★★★★⅓ (review)
120. ♫ The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase (BBC Radio Collection) by Douglas Adams ★★★★★ (review)
121. Le Chat du Rabbin: Le Paradis terrestre (The Rabbi's Cat, Book 4) ★★★½ (review)

July
122. Blanche Neige by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★¾ (review) ☀
123. The Old Child by Jenny Erpenbeck ★★★½ (review)
124. ♫ Black Beauty by Anna Sewell ★★★½ (review) ☀
125. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo ★★★½ (review) ☀
126. The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin ★★★★ (review) ☀
127. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes ★★★★ (review) ☀
128. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo ★★★★★ (review)
129. ♫ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain ★★★★ (review) ☀
130. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame ★★★★ (review) ☀
131. L'enfant silence by by Cécile Roumiguière & Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★⅓ (review)
132. Le petit chaperon rouge (Little Red Riding Hood) by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★ (review) ☀
133. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan ★★★★ (review) ☀
134. Le Carnet Rouge by Benjamin Lacombe illustrated by Agata Kawa ★★★★¾ (review)
135. ♫ Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris ★★★★ (review) ☀
136. ♫ The Cat in the Hat and Other Dr. Seuss Favorites by Dr. Seuss ★★★★ (review) ☀
137. ♫ The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection by Roald Dahl ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
138. Le chat du rabbin 5: Jérusalem d'Afrique by Joann Sfar ★★★★⅓ (review)
139. Flotsam by David Wiesner ★★★★½ (review) ☀
140. The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo ★★★★⅓ (review)
141. Le bois de Klara / Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck ★★★½ (review) ☀
142. ♫ Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson ★★★ (review) ☀
143. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
144. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones ★★★½ (review) ☀
145. La funeste nuit d'Ernest by Sébastien Perez, Illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★ (review) ☀
146. Longs Cheveux by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★ (review)
147. Blues Bayou by Benjamin Lacombe illustrated by Daniela Cytryn ★★★★(review)
148. Cerise Griotte / Cherry and Olve by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★ (review)
149. Pourquoi la carapace de la tortue... ? by Mimi Barthélémy illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★ (review)
150. Les Amants Papillons by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★ (review)
151. La grande journée du petit Lin Yi / Lin Yi's Lantern by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★ (review)
152. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀

August
153. Hurricane by David Wiesner ★★★ (review)
154. Kite flier by Dennis Haseley ★★½ (review)
155. Tuesday by David Wiesner ★★★★ (review)
156. Sector 7 by David Wiesner ★★★★ (review)
157. June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner ★★★★½ (review)
158. La Petite Sorcière by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★½ (review) ☀
159. Grimoire de Sorcières by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★½ (review) ☀
160. ♫ Watership Down by Richard Adams ★★★½ (review) ☀
161. ♫ Charlotte's Web by E. B. White ★★½ (review) ☀
162. La mélodie des tuyaux by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★ (review) ☀
163. L'Esprit du temps, tome 1 by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★½ (review) ☀
164. L'Esprit du temps, tome 2 by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★ (review) ☀
165. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★★★★ (review) ☀
166. L'amoureux by Rébecca Dautremer ★★★ (review) ☀
167. Cyrano by Taï-Marc Le Thanh, illustrated by Rébecca Dautremer ★★★★ (review) ☀
168. Nasreddine by Odile Weulersse, illustrated by Rébecca Dautremer ★★★★½ (review) ☀
169. L'ange de grand père / Grandpa's Angel by Jutta Bauer ★★★★½ (review)
170. Selma by Jutta Bauer ★★★★⅞ (review) ☀
171. Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Woods by Jeff Lemire ★★★★ (review) ☀
172. ♫ A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith ★★★★½ (review) ☀
173. ♫ Once Upon A Time In The North by Philip Pullman ★★★★ (review) ☀
174. ♫ Brokeback Mountain by E. Annie Proulx ★★★★½ (review) ☀
175. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo ★★★★★ (review) ☀
176. La faute de l'abbé Mouret / The Sin of Father Mouret by Émile Zola ★★⅞ (review) ☀
177. Un Lion à Paris by Beatrice Alemagna ★★★★★ (review) ☀
178. Le trésor de Clara by Beatrice Alemagna ★★★½ (review) ☀
179. Le secret d'Ugolin by Beatrice Alemagna ★★★★ (review) ☀
180. Un jour, grand-père m'a donné un ruisseau by Gaëlle Perret, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★★ (review) ☀
181. Tristan et Iseult by Béatrice Fontanel, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★★ (review) ☀
182. ♫ Rules of Civility by Amor Towles ★★★ (review) ☀
183. Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer ★★★★ (review) ☀
184. ♫ The Scarecrow And His Servant by Philip Pullman ★★★ (review)
185. Renard & Renard (Kleines Glück & Wilde Welt) by Max Bolliger, illustrated by Klaus Ensikat ★★★★ (review)
186. Princesses oubliées ou inconnues... / The Secret Lives of Princesses by Philippe Lechermeier, illustrated by Rébecca Dautremer ★★★ (review) ☀
187. Tigre le Dévoué by Qifeng Shen, illustrated by Agata Kawa ★★★★ (review) ☀
188. Rossignol by Benjamin Perez, illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★ (review) ☀
189. Rose Blanche by Christophe Gallaz, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti ★★★★ (review) ☀
190. The Miracle of the Bears by Wolf Erlbruch ★★★ (review) ☀
191. The Fearsome Five by Wolf Erlbruch ★★★½ (review)
192. Histoire courte d'une goutte by Beatrice Alemagna ★★★¾ (review) ☀
193. L'enfant qui mangeait les nuages by Agnès Lestrade, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★★ (review) ☀
194. The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley, illustrated by Sophie Blackall ★★★½ (review)
195. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin ★★★★½ (review) ☀
196. Destins de Chiens by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★½ (review) ☀
197. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo ★★★★★ (review) ☀

September
198. ♫ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens ★★★½ (review) ☀
199. One City, Two Brothers by Chris Smith, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★¼ (review) ☀
200. Nasreddine & son âne by Odile Weulersse, illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer ★★★★ (review) ☀
201. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ★★★★★ (review) ☀
202. ♫ Still Life by Louise Penny ★★★ (review) ☀
203. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt ★★★★½ (review) ☀
204. ♫ The Hunter: A Parker Novel by Richard Stark ★★★★ (review) ☀
205. ♫ The Man with the Getaway Face Richard Stark ★★★★ (review) ☀
205. ♫ Die Trying by Lee Child ★★★½ (review) ☀
206. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton ★★★★ (review) ☀
207. I Am the Great Horse by Katherine Roberts ★★½ (review) ☀
208. The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi ★★★ (review) ☀
209. Bugs in a Blanket by Beatrice Alemagna ★★★ (review) ☀
210. J'ai le droit d'être un enfant by Alain Serres, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★ (review) ☀
211. The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo ★★★ (review) ☀
212. Fil de Fée by Philippe Lechermeier, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty ★★★ (review) ☀
213. ♫ Farm Boy by Michael Morpurgo ★★★ (review) ☀
214. ♫ The White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull ★★★⅞ (review) ☀
215. Pearl of China by Anchee Min ★★★½ (review) ☀
216. From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus ★★★★★ (review) ☀
217. ♫ The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey ★★★½ (review) ☀
218. ♫ Memento Mori by Muriel Spark ★★★★ (review) ☀
219. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes ★★ (review) ☀
220. Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli ★★★½ (review) ☀

October
221. ♫ Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear ★★★¼ (review) ☀
222. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling ★★★¼ (review) ☀
223. Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart ★★★½ (review) ☀
224. Dust by Arthur Slade ★★★★ (review) ☀
225. ♫ Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese ★★★★½ (review) ☀
226. ♫ The Bluest Eye by Tony Morrison ★★★★½ (review) ☀
227. ♫ Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ★★★¾ (review) ☀
228. Alexey Brodovitch by Kerry William Purcell ★★★★ (review) ☀
229. ♫ Summer by Edith Wharton ★★★ (review) ☀
230. Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires ★★★★½ (review) ☀
231. ♫ Kim by Rudyard Kipling ★★★½ (review) ☀
232. Chien de faïence (The Terracotta Dog) by Andrea Camilleri ★★★⅓ (review) ☀
233. ♫ Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
234. ♫ Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck ★★★★½ (review) ☀
235. Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires ★★★ (review) ☀

November
236. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson ★★★ (review) ☀
237. ♫ We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson ★★★½ (review) ☀
238. ♫ The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri ★★★¾ (review) ☀
239. Au pays du roi Arthur by Nicolas Cauchy, Illustations by Aurélia Fronty ★★★¾ (review)
240. ♫ Emma by Jane Austen ★★★★½ (review) ☀
241. ♫ Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley ★★★★ (review) ☀
242. ♫ Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey ★★★¾ (review) ☀
243. ♫ Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh ★★★ (review) ☀
244. ♫ Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers ★★★★ (review) ☀
245. La femme au miroir by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt ★★★½ (review) ☀
246. Me and You by Anthony Browne ★★★½ (review) ☀
247. ♫ The Outfit by Richard Stark ★★★½ (review) ☀
248. ♫ Brighton Rock by Graham Greene ★★★★¾ (review) ☀
249. ♫ A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark ★★★¾ (review) ☀
250. Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz ★★★★ (review) ☀
251. Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett ★★★★½ (review) ☀
252. Wolves by Emily Gravett ★★★★½ (review) ☀
253. Dogs by Emily Gravett ★★★★ (review)
254. ♫ American Gods by Neil Gaiman ★★½ (review) ☀
255. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti ★★★¾ (review) ☀
256. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★ (review) ☀
257. ♫ Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac ★★★★ (review) ☀

Note: touchstone books are rated 4.5 and up.

Books I had originally thought of reading this year (most of which I may or may not read in 2012...)

✔★ Prodigal Summer and/or The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
✔ Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky
✔ Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row by John Steinbeck --->keep for 2012
✔★ The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
✔♫★ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
✔♫★ Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
✔ A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
✔ The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
✔★ La Fortune des Rougons by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 1)
♫★ Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
♫★ Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
✔ The Moment of Seeing by Stephanie Comer
✔★ The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
✔ The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
✔ The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
✔ The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
✔ Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
✔ A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
✔ The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
✔★ The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky --->keep for 2012
✔★ Samarcande by Amin Maalouf
✔ La vie devant soi (The Life Before Us) by Romain Gary
✔ Stupeurs et tremblements Fear and Trembling by Amélie Nothomb
✔★ L'enfant de sable (The Sand Child) by Tahar Ben Jelloun
✔★ The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
✔ Crete by Barry Unsworth --->keep for 2012
✔★ Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
✔★ Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
♫★ The Difference Engine by William Gibson
✔★ The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi --->keep for 2012
✔★ One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
✔★ The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
✔★ The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
✔★ The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
✔ La Curée by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 2)
❉ Le Ventre de Paris by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 3)
❉ La Conquête de Plassans by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 4)
❉ La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 5)
❉ Son Excellence Eugène Rougon by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 6) - Unfinished
✔ L'Assomoir by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 7)
Une Page d'Amour by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 8)
✔ Nana by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 9)
✔ Pot-Bouille by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 10)
Au Bonheur des Dames by Émile Zola (Rougon-Macquart 11)
✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
❉ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
❉ Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
Cleopatra : A Life by Stacy Schiff
✔★ The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
✔★ The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
♫ The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman
✔★ L'élégance du hérisson by Muriel Barbery --->keep for 2012
✔ La forme de l'eau by Andrea Camilleri
✔ l'Excursion à Tindari by Andrea Camilleri
✔ L'enfant de Noé by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
La reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas --->keep for 2012
✔★ Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
✔★ The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
♫♞ A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
♫❉ An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
♫★ Animal Farm by George Orwell
♫❉ Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
♫♞ As You Like It by Shakespeare
♫❉ Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières
♫❉ Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo --->keep for 2012
✔ American Gods by Neil Gaiman
♫♞ Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
♫❉ Dubliners by James Joyce
♫❉ Gros-câlin by Romain Gary
♫★ Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon --->keep for 2012
♫❉ No Dominion by Charlie Huston (unfinished)
♫ Passing by Nella Larsen
♫❉ Tales Of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe
♫❉ Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
♫❉ The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (unfinished)
♫❉ The Blue Notebook by James Levine
♫♞ The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
♫❉ The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
♫❉ Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
♫❉ Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
♫❉ When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
✔★ The Tenant and the Motive by Javier Cercas
✔★ Possession by A.S. Byatt
✔★ The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa
✔★ Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa
✔★ Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker
✔★ There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya
✔★ Queenpin by Megan Abbott
✔★ The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson
✔★ Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill
✔★ The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace
✔★ The World of Gloria Vanderbilt by Wendy Goodman
✔★ Avedon Fashion 1944-2000 by Carol Squiers

✔ = off the shelf
♫ = audiobook (all acquired in 2011)
❉ = library
★ = acquired in 2011
♞ = performance

I'm first! :-)

Yay Ellen! :-)

As for me, I'm calling it a night. Taking Coco for his last hurrah of the day, then to bed with a book or two. And praying I wake up with a clear head in the morning.

Hi Ilana, I hope your head is better in the morning as well. We have the two grandkids stayng with us this weekend, and it's been hectic. Everyone has gone to bed now so I sipping a glass of wine and quickly scanning the threads. Enjoy your weekend.

Morning Ilana, I hope your head is better today.

Hi Ilana - the automatic thread continuation really works! No need to star again.

Ilana hit your new thread before the old one so failed to comment on the reviews. Well done four express reviews - one of my faves getting almost full marks and also a decent score for dear departed Ms Spark.

I also read new thread before old. Sorry you had a fruitless search in my catalogue for L de B; I'm afraid vast swathes of my collection are still uncatalogued. One reason I'm going to try to cut down on buying more books next year is so I have more time to catalogue the existing library!

Hi Ilana - hope you have a pain free day. Very good reviews at the end of your last thread.

*waves while passing by*

hello! :) Hope you woke up headache free today!!

Hi Ilana, you're the first one I've seen use the new thread continuation feature. Was it easy? And can you change the name of the new thread?

Hope you feel better today.

Hello to Judy, Genny, Paul, calm, Piyush, Chelle and Pat, thanks for dropping by!

The good news today is that my headache is a little bit more manageable, all things being relative. But the bad news is that I woke up in the middle of the night with a painful sore throat, so overall am not feeling very well again. This is one of those days when I wish someone could take care of Coco for me, because the thought of going outside, or even of getting off the couch at all, seems like more than I can bear. But bear it I must.

#8 Judy, I hope you're enjoying your grandkids' visit. Good to know you still get to relax and come visit us.

#11 Paul, I though I saw a discussion on a thread somewhere where someone (you?) said that Graham Greene was considered mass market reading in his time. Is that really so? Seems unbelievable somehow, but that would explain the Nobel snub. How horrid!

#12 Genny, I had hoped that cataloguing the books I have at home (mostly unread) would discourage me from buying more and focus on those I have, but we all know it doesn't quite work that way... *sigh*

#13 Pat, the thread continuation feature couldn't be easier. When you click it, it takes you to the same page you'd find when you click the "Post a new topic" option, so that you can name the thread any way you like and so on. It's practically made to measure for us 75ers who are constantly starting up new threads, and as you probably saw, makes it easier to keep track of threads you've already starred, so I encourage everyone to use it!

Hey, Ilana! Head is a bit better (good), but now the throat is going to pot - man, you cannot catch a break can you! Hope it doesn't develop into anything horrible.

I read all the ten (eleven, now) days that I missed and am pleased with self. My, you certainly have meaty threads. So many topics. I loved your scarab painting. If I'd been there, I would have snatched that puppy down off the wall for myself. (It wasn't one of the 4K ones, was it?) I love those old engravings of insects and animals - very science-y looking. For some reason I really love old, old photos of animals. I have one at work of a dog sitting on a chair in somebody's parlor. I grabbed it for myself when we were clearing out my grandparents' house. It's clearly a late 19th century photo and is mounted on a nice bit of cardboard. I've often wondered what the story was with that dog - he was clearly a beloved pet for I can't imagine my grandfather's family letting a dog sit on a chair inside the house, much less commissioning a photographer to come out from the city to do a portrait of him. He must have been much loved.

I saw way, way back that you enjoyed Brat Farrar and I wanted, when I finally plowed through everything, to recommend The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier to you. It's kind of on the same idea, but the reader knows from the beginning what is going on. It's my second favorite du Maurier book and I think it is much under-appreciated.

The thread continuation feature looks interesting, but knowing the snail's pace at which my threads progress it will undoubtedly be next year (probably around July, as usual) before I can test it out for myself.

Hope your afternoon is going well and I promise not to get so far behind again.

Just a quick hello....it's really awful that you feel so...awful...because I fell semi-human today....

{{{gentle hug}}}

Hi Ilana- Sorry to hear about the chronic pains! I wish I could wave my hand and have them disappear.
Like the new thread and I'm glad the continuation thingy worked! Yah!
Have you heard Martin Jarvis do any narration? I just heard him reading Good Omens and he did a fantastic job!

I've been resting on my couch all day today, drinking Greek mountain tea (from Crete) with lots of honey, and doing some reading with Coco and sometimes Mimi cuddled up with me. Being sick isn't always all bad, I guess. Headache has receded to just a dull pain, as opposed to screeching terror, and throat no longer feels so raw, so really, I have nothing to complain about.

I finished two books this evening: Pinocchio and The Night Circus. So it looks like I'll be returning it on time after all. I've been terrible as group read participant as haven't visited the threads at all this month... sometimes it's enough for me knowing that others are enjoying the book at the same time as me, and I didn't feel I wanted anyone else's input with this one as I was reading it. Still, I'm curious to see what others had to say about it now that I've finished it.

Just now when I checked my emails, I found out from my watercolours teacher that my scarab painting sold today! Must say I was very surprised by this and I'm dying to know who purchased it. I may or may not find out on Monday. I have class that day and will drop by the office to ask them.

*****

#18 Wow Charlotte, I'm impressed that you've made all that effort to keep on top of my threads, but of course I don't expect you to make all that effort on my account. I just tend to gab a lot, as you've probably noticed. Gosh, I'm trying to type a coherent response here and having a hard time finding words... I haven't really eaten today, as don't have much of an appetite, but I should probably consider having something for dinner as am getting quite spacey.

The dog photo does sound like it must have an interesting story behind it. Why don't you write it? I'll be first in line to want to read it!

I haven't read anything by Daphne du Maurier yet, even though I have Rebecca in my audio library as well as a couple other books on the wishlist. I'll go ahead and add The Scapegoat since you recommend it so highly. You say it's your second favourite, so of course I have to ask...?

#19 Ummm, Jude, am I guessing correctly when I assume that feeling semi-human is to be taken to mean that you feel reasonably well? In which case, I'm very happy for you. I'm not complaining about my state as long as I can still hang out here on LT and read books. I know how to keep my priorities straight, see?

#20 Mark, for some reason, I always think of Martin Jarvis as being one of my favourite narrators, but just now did a check on my library and am surprised to find I haven't actually listened to anything by him yet, other than lots and lots of samples on Audible. I've got several book narrated by him on my Audible wishlist, but unfortunately Good Omens isn't among the offerings here in Canada.

Not me Ilana with the mass market comment on Graham Greene. Also recall seeing that on the threads somewhere. His early "entertaiinnments" were aimed at a wider audience certainly but hardly mass market.
Congrats on selling "the bug" and hope it goes some way to clearing your ear nose and throat passages as this in turn will ease your headache. Take a hot toddy too!

Paul, I'm a fan of hot toddy's and actually made myself some last week when my throat was bothering me a bit. Excellent toddy's they were too as I made them with a very good Scotch, which, I do realize is probably a sin of some kind. But I haven't done groceries in ages and am all out of lemons, so having neat Scotch right now. Just hope it doesn't upset my head...

Don't worry Ilana if you drink enough of it you wont even remember your headache.

I'll be starting on Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa tonight. It feels like I've been meaning to read this book forever, though it won't fit on the December "book you've had on you TBR the longest" TIOLI challenge if I don't manage to finish it this month since I did only get it this year after all. Donna had suggested that one, and I hope I find it as fun as she did.

#24 LOL! I'm sipping it in teeny tiny sips because it's such strong stuff. A man's Scotch for sure. I usually like it on the rocks as dilutes it a bit, but I figure that's really getting too far away from the toddy concept. ;-)

> 21

Just now when I checked my emails, I found out from my watercolours teacher that my scarab painting sold today!

Hurray!! I knew it was good enough to sell.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Madeline. xx

Next, offer your blue butterfly painting for sale. That will sell easily as well. When you get rich, I'll become your agent. :)

However, continue to paint unusual insects. That will be your niche. (...says your future agent. Ha!)

That will be your niche.

well you seem to have the agent-speak down pat! :-)

LOL!!

Count me in as another fan of hot toddies. Also, I can't wait to get my copy of The Night Circus from the library. Last I checked, I was #191 in the queue, so it will be a while....

I was in one of my favorite indie bookshops yesterday (Elliott Bay Books) and thought about you, Ilana. A woman came in with an adorable little dog on leash. The dog was a Yorkie, I think, and perhaps not as cute as Coco, but his little face, his little jacket, and his apparent joy at being in the bookshop with his person..... well, it all just made me think of you and smile.

One of the books I impulsively bought yesterday is Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter -- it was on the bargain table. :-)

I hope the coming week sees you feeling better.

Congratulations on the sale of your watercolor, Illana.

I was so tempted to buy Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter yesterday, but given the number of books that had already leaped into my basket, I regretfully had to return it to my obese wish list and leave it for my next wallet wrecking foray into a bookstore.

I think I have a proper cold, but am somehow feeling a bit more energetic today.

Oh! I know why... no migraine! Funny, I just now noticed. I should say there's always a migraine, or a tension headache, but it's just a question of level of pain, and right now, it's manageable, yay!

Coco and I went to pick up a few documents at the library today. After a very fruitful conversation over on Suzanne's (Chatterbox) thread, I followed her advice and got a couple of audio recordings of plays by Shakespeare. I've always felt his work was sorely lacking from my repertory, considering how influential he was to the English language and to literature. I've heard bits and pieces of his plays before, but it's all Chinese to me, and whenever I've tried reading the plays, it just proved frustrating. Suzanne suggested I listen to his plays and others have suggested movies as well, with the reassurance that it's not necessary or expected that I understand everything right away. That makes sense to me. My mum used to give me "grown up" books to read when I was a kid and say something along those lines. I've gotten what they had at the library and so far have Hamlet and King Lear. The latter is a a great BBC production with Sir John Gielgud as King Lear, and Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, and Emma Thompson among the large cast. I'm not sure about the Hamlet production, which I'm listening to as I type this just to get a feel for it, as they've taken a contemporary approach, which I find even more confusing. But I'm excited about finally plunging in and discovering a world which I've always felt was beyond my reach.

#32 Ellen, I've only read the first chapter of Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter so far, but it's looking very promising. Will you be joining me on TIOLI for a shared read? I also very much look forward to The Elephant's Journey which seems like a wonderful treat to me. The world needs more stories about elephants, as far as I'm concerned. :-)

Glad to know that cute and happy little dogs remind you of me and Coco. My little sidekick sure has his fans. Someone suggested I have a Facebook page for him, saying it would no doubt be very popular, but I tried that with Mimi a couple of years ago and it proved more work than I was willing to put in.

#33 Speaking of wallet-wrecking forays, I've been on the verge of ordering some books for my giftee for Mark's Christmas gift exchange, and am also strongly considering joining SantaThing, then following that up with a little online shopping spree for myself, since my pay just came in this Friday!

Yay! Sold! Congrats, Ilana!
That scarab was a gorgeous bug - as bugs go ;-)

Good luck with Shakespeare... I always had a soft spot for him whether I understood or not. For whatever reason, I read a lot of his stuff in HS and early college. He must have been big in the 60's. I was even a king in one of his plays - all girl school.

Don't spend all your pay in one place! Please rest and feel better!

Ilana, good move to try audio recordings or films of Shakespeare plays. My father was an English professor and Shakespeare and Chaucer were his guys. I found both very challenging when I was growing up, but it helped when I learned to let it flow over me, stop worrying about whole passages I'd missed, and just enjoy what I got. The production of King Lear you describe sounds wonderful - but I tend to think that anything with Dame Judi Dench is likely to be excellent. Actually, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi (whom I will always see as Brother Cadfael, although he is certainly a better actor than that), Kenneth Branagh....... you can't go wrong!

#35 Claudia, I never studied Shakespeare in school, so was never 'properly' introduced to him. Didn't help probably that I went to school in Israel and then French school here in Montreal (college was in English, but for some reason, he was never on the menu there).

You've just reminded me... haven't done my shopping yet. Will have to go take care of that in a minute!

#36 As I was saying to Claudia, unlike you both, I didn't exactly grow up on Shakespeare, so this really is a whole new endeavour for me. I'm glad to hear from you that with all the background you had at home you still "learned to let it flow over me, stop worrying about whole passages I'd missed, and just enjoy what I got". Words to live by as I explore the mystery man's work.

I started listening to Nineteen Eighty Four narrated by my new love, Samuel West. What a treat. I remembered only how much I had loved this book when I read it for the first time back in 1984 (fittingly enough), and plunging back into it is proving to be quite the treat.

Speaking of treats, I also brought back I Want My Hat Back from the library today. Yes, another picture book recommended by Kerry, which will make for a perfect bedtime story in a short while.

Late to your new thread! Have fun with Shakespeare! It's a great adventure and gets better and better.

You're not late Luci, just started it yesterday. Last thread of the year and soon enough, when Jim gets the 2012 group started*, we have even more threads to look forward too—WOO!

*Assuming Jim is still up to organizing this nutty bunch.

I just went on a bit of a shopping spree tonight. I'll assess the damage tomorrow and list the goods too while I'm at it. Off to walk Coco, and bed (with a book or three).

Oh boy, can't wait to hear about your new goods. :-)
G'night for now.

The damages so far:

From Abe Books:

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

From BookDepository:

Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer
West with the Night by Beryl Markham
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

From Audible's current $4.95 sale:

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - it's 50 hours long!!
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen - more for the spoof on P&P than the zombies...

ok, it's not such a huge spree, but then there were 3 books for my giftee on Mark's swap (BookDepository made that possible with their low pricing!), and I'm signing up for SantaThing too... so that should take care of book-buying for 2011. Hopefully.

So much to catch up... New continued thread - I love this feature! And I love the picture, have to show it to my Mum when I see her this week. The pug looks so real!

Yay for the sold scarab!! And for the migraine having disappeared. Now I hope you'll get rid of that cold quickly!

Thanks to your recommendation I have listened to the audiobook of Miss Pettigrew lives for a day. I absolutely loved it. I'd say 'my best audiobook ever', which is the truth, but sounds a little less impressive when I admit it was only the third.

I'll read King Lear as a shared read for the December TIOLI. Though I've read many Shakespeare plays, somehow I've missed that one so far. I wanted to read some of his history plays this year, but got stuck early in the second Henryad. I am wondering if I'll ever get through those.

Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!



Right... off to my art class.

#44 Nathalie, looks like we cross-posted. Funny, because I was just thinking of you five minutes ago... I really have to run now, late as usual, but I'll reply to you later this evening. xx

I was actually thinking about getting that one from the audible sale, just for the fun of it... :-)

That cover is horrid.
I loved Let the Great World Spin when I read it last year.

De-lurking for a moment to say that I'm enjoying the Shakespeare discussion. I was fortunate indeed. When I was a high school Junior, we studied quite a bit of Shakespeare and the teacher was a real gem. She took us on a field trip across the border to see Richard Burton perform as Hamlet in Toronto (about 1.5 hrs from our school) and, well, as they say, the rest is history. I was a huge Shakespeare fan.

Nice haul; I loved West With the Night earlier this year.

Ilana- Nice book haul! I loved Let the Great World Spin and I listened to West With the Night awhile back and also thought it was terrific!

Hi Ilana. I'll second Mark on the greatness of your book haul. I have the audio of West With the Night which I will eventually get to, and Gone With the Wind is one of my all time favorites. I had my fourth or fifth reread of it last year, but I bet an audio would be interesting. I also enjoyed The Crocodile on the Sandbank when I first read it, it remains my favorite of her series.

Congrats on your art sale as well. Must feel good to be an paid artist!

Hi Ilana!
That's a respectable haul - I would have to sneak that many in the house a few at a time. ;-)

There's a couple there I have to read: "Great World" on WL and "Cholera" on shelf. Maybe in 2012...

Did you find out who bought your scarab? Does a good luck charm go with it?

Nice spree Ilana. Sometimes quality over quantity anytime (quantity not bad either).

Spent most of yesterday evening sorting through assorted piles of my books trying to locate the third Mar Junngstedt for the 12 in 12 challenge (Scandicrimesters) looked under J where really I had a right to expect it to be - nada - looked under the parts where I keep my more recent acquisitions which have not been sorted and placed - nada - remembered that SWMBO likes Mari Jungstedt and it appears that she has given the bloody thing to her Persian friend to read! Grrr

#44 I'm convinced the cold came on because I ran out of lemons last week. I have lemon water and/or hot toddies almost every day, and since I missed my dose several days in a row: cold. But it's really not so bad as far as those things go. As long as it doesn't get worse of course.

I'm up for doing a shared read of King Lear in December. For me it'll mean listen to it at least a couple of times, and at least one of those while following the written text as well (which I've already downloaded onto my iPhone from Project Gutenberg). Do you know if there's a challenge it'll fit into on TIOLI? I didn't have a chance to see what new challenges were posted today as this is my first visit of the day on LT...

I've been looking at that Pride & Prejudice and Zombies ever since I threw the book containing the original story at the wall (to have it then bounce back into my lap, more or less!) I'm sure I'll read it again someday and wonder how I could possibly not have ADORED it from the first, but in the meantime, I'm up for some zombie mayhem. Even though I'm not particularly fond of zombies. :-)

#48 Do you see what I do for you Ellen? You said you didn't like that cover, so I made it smaller. For you. Just for you. I think it's both gross and classy at once, if that's at all possible. :-)

#49 Bonnie, first of all, I should say congratulations on your daughter's recent marriage. I just went to have a look at your photos and my, what a beautiful bride she made! And your little pooch is a darling. Name?

Now, if I had had a teacher like yours who'd taken me to see none other than Richard Burton perform in Hamlet, I would have been a lifetime devotee of Shakespeare too... DUH! :-) Seriously though, you were very lucky to have that kind of early exposure to the bard. I'm going to try the audios and movies and so on, and if it's still too daunting for me, I might ask for a tutor from our new tutored read system which will be available for us 75ers soon. Wish me luck with that! And thanks for delurking, by the way!

#50 Mark, I almost bought the audio for West With the Night I don't know how many times. But they have two and I couldn't make up my mind which I liked best, so I settled for the paper version.

I've heard lots of great things about Let the Great World Spin, but before I knew about the book (or maybe before it had actually come out), I watched a documentary about Philippe Petit and his crazy stunt, from the planning stages to final execution, so I'm really curious to read the fictionalized interpretation with the tightrope walk between the towers holding a bunch of stories together, as I understand it.

#51 Judy, whenever I come across a title or author I'm not familiar with, I reference it here on LT and often check out the ratings and reviews (when available) or my friends and contacts. So this is how, once again, I ended up buying a book based on your appreciation of it. Thanks for rating the books, it's a useful tool!

#52 One of the great advantages about having only fourpaw partners living with me is that they're not the types for passing judgment (or, they can't voice them at any rate), so I can bring in as many books as I want, as often as I want to. Not that this is a good thing necessarily. I'm going to have to tone it down seriously starting very soon because am probably going to go visit my mum in France this coming April and need to save up. As it is I won't be able to afford Paris this time, I don't think, but I want to be able to take my mum out once in a while and have some spending money besides. So yeah. Less book hauls, more savings. There's a new concept. Maybe having sold the scarab will bring me luck and I'll win at the lottery soon?

It's much too late already. Have limited time on LT tomorrow as well... which mean, oy, big job catching up on the threads soon. But such is life. Hope you're all well and as happy as you can possibly be.

#53 LMAO Paul! One would think, out of ALL the books you have, that if your wife loaned out one puny little book you wouldn't take notice. Or so was her thinking, I'm willing to bet. Dear oh dear. What WILL you be able to read with so few other choices? I truly feel sorry for you dear, I do.

Ilana - if I wasn't so thick-skinned I would think your post was ladled with sarcasm! Isn't it typical the one book you are looking for is the one you can't get hold of?

#56 Sarcastic, moi ? I'm shocked that you could think such a thing Paul!

Isn't it typical the one book you are looking for is the one you can't get hold of?

So very true. I think it's probably a case of Murphy's law. Yesterday I was listing a bunch of books I have to give away for our next Montreal Book Bloggers meet up coming next week, and was desperately trying to find The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva, which according to my ever-so-thourough tagging was still in my possession. So either my tagging isn't as perfect as I like to think and I've already given it away, or it is indeed well hidden, but I can't tell you how much time I wasted with that.

*****

So I'll be getting ready to go meet my new friend Michelle at the café next to Paragraphe bookshop shortly. She's the British girl I had met a month or two ago at the same shop, who was going to try a book group, and was looking for Let the Great World Spin. Coco had taken care of the introductions, as per his usual. I was not very impressed with what she told me of her first encounter of the group; it seems most of the women aren't regular readers and are not overly fond of literary fiction, preferring chick lit and bestseller list type fare. Michelle told me she'd made a few astute, but rather obvious comments about Let the Great World Spin and that the women had told her she was quite the intellectual, so I don't think it's the place for me. However, Michelle herself being a lovely, bright and charming girl, I'm happy to get together with her whenever we have a chance. I'll be brining Coco with me, as have therapy later this afternoon and my doctor loves it when I bring him in. Coco needs the therapy quite badly. After all, he has to live with me poor thing, which is enough to land anyone in a therapist's chair! :-)

Hi Ilana, catching up on 100+ messages after a week away from your thread!

Going back to your last thread, thank you for the info and links about Tamara de Lempicka. I don't recall the name but her paintings do look familiar.

And I really enjoyed the paintings you made from The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities - my favourites were the scarab beetle and the blue butterfly.

Sorry also to hear about the mixup on the audio of Birds Without Wings (although the story did give me a chuckle), but I'm glad to think that means you might enjoy the unmixed-up version! I had a real streak of reading Louis de Benieres a few years ago but for some reason I haven't read any of his books for ages. I found Birds Without Wings to be beautifully written but very tragic.

This thread:

#17 I'm so sorry I gave you my cold! ;-) I really hope it goes soon.

#21 Congratulations on the painting sale!

My husband drinks hot toddies when he's ill, I always feel slightly dubious about the benefits when he does but if you all say it's standard medical practice then who am I to argue?

#34 We studied some Shakespeare at school and I enjoyed that but I find it almost impossible to read his plays. There's an annual amateur outdoor Shakespeare festival where I live and my parents got free tickets for years so I've seen quite a few of his plays and at the beginning I always feel like I'm not going to understand them and then suddenly something clicks and it makes sense. If I stopped to think about each individual sentence I think I would probably only understand about 50% but when it's acted well (and although it's an amateur festival they are fantastic) the whole thing sort of comes together in my head. Also, the BBC broadcast some great 30 min animated productions of Shakespeare's plays when I was a youngster and that also really helped.

So, the short version of the above, is that I think Suzanne's advice about watching/listening to the plays is good advice. And they were written to be performed rather than read (in my oh-so-not-very-humble opinion).

Sorry to hear you didn't get the opportunity to study Shakespeare when younger. There might be all kinds of great French authors you understand that we don't though?

My favourite film production (actually I think it might be the only film production of a Shakespeare play that I've seen but never mind) is Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson (again). And it's a comedy which I think always helps.

#36 "learned to let it flow over me, stop worrying about whole passages I'd missed, and just enjoy what I got"

Hah! Ellen, put it much more succinctly than I managed to!

#45 Grisly - enjoy!

#54 Oo, France! Where does your mum live? Just caught up on Paul's thread and saw you answered that question there.

#57 I hope you have a nice time with Michelle and I love the fact that your therapist likes you to bring Coco along.

Just stopping by -- good haul. I liked that Elizabeth Peters too. I must try the Branagh-Thompson Much Ado, that sounds like real fun!

Hey Ilana,
Just avoiding the monster project I should be working on --- thought I'd stop by. I hope you and Coco had fun with Michelle; she sounds like a good new friend to be developing. And *of course* your doc likes seeing Coco! Therapists need luv, too! :-)

eta: oh, and as I was at the bookstore (again) today purchasing just one book, I saw another woman with a little dog. Truly, this always makes me think of you and Coco, and makes me a bit envious, too, since I can't take my Abby with me when I go anywhere.

Ilana - the thought of Coco in the therapists chair trying to explain about the rigours of life caring for his mistress is precious! Lol!
Remember you telling of your meeting a young British book loving girl (now why would a red blooded British male remember that one so vividly?) and it sounds like you are both well off keeping away from the Chick-Lit clun.

Impressed by the thoroughness of Dee's post. Shakespeare is not really reading material (says I with all the plays on my shelves) but the combination of audio book to listen in concert with following along with the book is appealing.

Congratulations on your sale! Your artwork is amazing.

I've not been around but am here and catching up some...I recommend Travels with My Aunt to for a Graham Greene in a very light mood.

Still enjoying my audio books...most are short stories, so I can listen in short bursts...thanks to you and your recommendations.

Tutored reading? Eh? Tell all, Sweetie.

#58 catching up on 100+ messages

Heather, right there, that's really brave. When I fall behind on all the threads, I might breeze through what I've missed, but can rarely find the time to be quite as thorough as you are. That being said, don't stop! I love getting these recap messages from you, they're such a treat!

Now you mention my Cabinet of Natural Curiosities paintings, reminds me I haven't worked on any new pieces in a couple of weeks now, so I'll have to remedy to that this week.

What you say about Shakespeare's plays having been made to watched as performances rather than read makes absolute sense. I'm glad to know that even though you were schooled on Shakespeare (besides having him in your English genes), you also sometimes have trouble understanding him. I'm troubled by people who assure me that Shakespearean English is really very simple.

Sorry to hear you didn't get the opportunity to study Shakespeare when younger. There might be all kinds of great French authors you understand that we don't though?

We were moving around so much all the time when I was growing up that I missed out on many things. Not saying this in a *poor me* kind of way, because I also had a lot of life experiences from a young age (one day when I start writing fiction it'll be useful material. Or so I keep telling myself). As for the French authors, I appreciate the fact that I can read the original texts, even though sometimes I only understand about 85-90% of it when it comes to 19th century lit. When I was listening to Old Goriot last week, there were entire sections I didn't understand because of words and expressions which are very French and no longer in use (though people in France would probably understand them), and also when there are references made to current affairs of the time. Being bilingual certainly has many advantages, but I also find it nearly impossible to keep up with two such radically different and rich cultures, so I guess I should give myself a break for not 'getting' everything.

The movies version of Much Ado About Nothing is on my wishlist already, so it's just a matter of time before I actually watch it. I might end up having a mini Shakespeare festival of my own this coming year, and I'll certainly call on my British friends for some cues if need a little help.

Yes, mum lives 50 km from Toulouse. I haven't seen her in nearly a decade, which is hard to fathom. Time goes by so incredibly fast., but I guess I also have my reasons for not having made special efforts to make my way there again till now. Just as she had her reasons to leave in the first place. But neither of us is getting younger, so it's time. I'm very nervous about this trip, so you'll probably be hearing about it in the coming months.

Michelle and I had a lovely get-together. I took a picture and she said she didn't mind me putting it online, so here they are:

Ilana your young friend looks very nice but don't let her steal Coco! Always had a thing for redheads myself as I mistakenly informed SWMBO many moons ago. Firstly she scrutinises me closely for inappropriate looks at any red-heads we come into close contact with (not guilty by the way) and secondly it was the cause of one her more ill advised hair experiments. Gladly she has reverted more to type!

#59 Hi Lucy, I'll need to drop by to catch up with you soon. But then, I guess you'll be dropping by in my part of the world very soon, won't you? :-)

#60 Ellen, before I got Coco I used to wish I could bring Mimi around with me everywhere, because she's so inquisitive and generally lovely. I tried teaching her to walk on a leash when I first got her, but she didn't take to that, AT. ALL. Did you every try with Abby?

Feel free to drop by and hang out anytime you need to escape! :-)

#61 the thought of Coco in the therapists chair trying to explain about the rigours of life caring for his mistress is precious! Lol!

Paul, that's exactly what I had in mind too. For some reason, when I tell people I bring Coco because he's the one needing therapy, nobody seems to think it's funny, so relieved that you share my sensibilities there, or I'd think I'm nuts and need therapy myself. Lol! ;-)

If you had told me a year ago that I'd be listening to literary fiction and murder mysteries alike on audiobooks, I'd have told you you were nuts. I thought they were for lazy people who couldn't didn't really like reading but wanted to make themselves seem bookish. It brought to mind children's read-along cassette tapes from my childhood. So to think I'll be doing that with Shakespeare is even funnier to me, especially considering that *If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be listening to Shakespeare on audiobooks, and reading along too, I'd have told you...* etc.

Sorry Paul, I think my cold has gone to my head and with fatigue, I'm going a bit batty tonight. :-D

#62 Gail! So glad you came for a visit! I often listen to my audiobooks in short bursts too, like when I commute or take Coco out for a short walk. The trick with novels for me is to hit the automatic rewind option (which backs it up 30 seconds or up to a minute or two if you set it that way), so that the next time I listen I can review where I've just left off before continuing.

As for tutored reads, here is the thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/125440

Have to agree that Shakespeare demands to be seen/heard rather than read only. The only play I've read and not seen at some point or other is The Tempest. There's something (for me) about seeing people perform the plays that makes them so much easier to understand. And I don't think that the comedies are particularly comprehensible; comedy in any age has a pretty short shelf life because I think that it is something that is often only funny in it's time. My mother was always after me to read SJ Perelman and but most of the time I just couldn't 'get' him.

Love the Coco picture!

#64 No danger of Michelle stealing Coco I don't think, since she tells me she's not all that much into dogs, though she does find Coco quite adorable.

Ilana I think it's a case of the two of us being sane and the rest of em (75er's excluded) not!

>68 Smiler69:: ...though she does find Coco quite adorable. Yes, well, then we'll approve of Michelle as a friend for you. I think finding Coco adorable might be a minimalist litmus test for sanity and/or refined taste.

Ok, so I need to wind down and get to bed soon, but two things happened tonight and now I'm so worked up I don't know what to do.

The first thing was that I received my phone bill tonight (I get all my billing online) and had a minor freak out. There was the fee for my iPhone, which I was expecting and wasn't so bad with the three-year contract I'm locked into, but there was supposed to have been a $50 rebate that hadn't been applied, AND I got a $35 charge as an admin. fee that I didn't know about and must've been in the fine print. To make a very long story short, I called customer service, got a young girl who was mumbling so much I couldn't make out anything she was saying, and when I spoke to her supervisor he ended up being unhelpful. Which was basically the way a typical call to my phone provider goes. So I called back, hoping to land on someone more helpful and ended up speaking to the loveliest lady, and when I thanked her for being helpful and treading me like a human being, she said she'd been told that several times today by other clients and that she was just doing her job, though she did always keep in mind that she was a customer to, so she treated customers the way she'd like to be treated too. Amen to that. I asked if I could give her an official commendation somehow, so she passed me on to a supervisor who seemed to be taking copious notes of all the praise I heaped on this lady. Happy happy moment in the day.

Which was followed up by... *horrible, horrible horror movie music here* the apparition of a tiny and almost cute little bug walking along the ribbon detail of one of the pillows close to me on the sofa. I don't know that I can actually speak about this to anyone and am really freaking out. I picked it up with a piece of tissue, as it was evidently not a winged critter, and had a close look at it before releasing it outside (stupid, stupid, stupid). I'd never seen this type of bug before, but the absolute worst came to mind, and I looked up bed bugs on wikipedia just now. And this is where I break down and cry. I'm in absolute shock. I had heard there are epidemics of them there days and that they are ubiquitous in some of the finest hotels and homes, but never considered they might happen to me, since I haven't travelled anywhere in ages. I want to think this was the only one, but the odds are bad. A week ago, I had a insect bite on my ankle, which swelled up horribly (I always swell up from mosquito bites), and as I'd seen some mosquitoes about, I assumed that's what it was. It's too late now to do anything at this hour, but tomorrow I'm taking the vacuum cleaner to every single corner of the house. I feel like I've just been hit with the plague. I'll become even more of a pariah now. My best friend is supposed to come over on Friday, and I have to tell her she mustn't come. HELP!!!

Oh, Ilana, if it turns out to be so, I'm very sorry. What a major nuisance. I know the residence halls in several universities around the continent have had outbreaks --- and they can be eradicated. Vacuum, yes, and take the bag right outside, and then vacuum again and repeat. Wash all the sheets in hot water, and you may have to hire someone to come in and help..... It will not be fun, but it's possible to get rid of them.

AND there are other things that can be confused with bed bugs. This guide is pretty good:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/vector/bed-bug-guide.pdf

I hope it's not them, but if it is, we'll get you through this. Hugs being sent your way.

Oh Ilana, sorry to hear about the potential bed bug episode, Ellen's advice sounds good. Definitely consider getting someone in to help if you can afford to. Sympathy and hugs.

#72 Thanks so much for the link to the guide Ellen, it's very useful and at least I know what steps to take now. I'm so disgusted, I don't want to go to bed. But then, my sofa evidently isn't any safer. It's getting on to 3 a.m. so I'll have to go all the same or won't be able to function tomorrow. Thanks for the sympathy. I need it more than ever right now.

#73 I've been meaning to call in my cleaning lady for some time, as I'd told her I'd be doing the work myself for a while till cash flow got better (I prefer to buy books than paying her). But I need help. If the gods are smiling on me and I don't find evidence of an infestation tomorrow (too exhausted to muster up the energy for a thorough search now), I'll just go through a few cycles of intense cleaning in the coming days and weeks. Otherwise, must tell landlords downstairs and get exterminators in. Oy. My head hurts. I'd best go lie down... and let the bed bugs bite to their heart's desire. :-(

Iliana, hope you are sleeping peacefully and itch free right now. And I hope also that your late night visitor was some kind of intrepid lone wolf explorer b-bug who has frozen to death overnight. I, too thought that being a stay at home, never go anywhere type of person meant immunity for me and my little hovel.

Ilana- I also saw the film "Man on a Wire". It was excellent. Let the Great World Spin makes a nice companion piece. Glad you had a nice lunch with Michelle and thanks for sharing the photo.

Hi Ilana! Just getting caught up on threads. Congrats on selling your scarab art! I'm one of those people that would put a painting of a bug on my walls.

Sorry to hear about your bug! I sincerely hope it is not bedbugs! Although you did describe it as almost cute, so I would think it wouldn't be bedbugs. Pictures online of them don't look cute, to me anyway!

Good luck with the cleaning process today! Hope you got some sleep

Oh my gosh Ilana, so much going on on your thread! This bedbug scare is tough though -- I will await news. Nothing to be ashamed of. All you need is to have one sneak into your apt. from someone else's apt! When my dau. was little the lice scares were constant and maddening -- and parents always had the same reaction, half-freaked, half-ashamed that their child could have gotten any, but really, it's more amazing how few of them get around. Anyhow, I worry a little about the bedbug business nowadays every time I go to a hotel, even a nice one - all it takes is one client with a few in their suitcase and bingo!

I can't wait to meet the incomparable Coco. Michelle's story w/her book group sounds about par for the course. I've been rejected twice from groups for being 'too well read' . One woman bluntly said to me, "You'll just make me feel stupid." Sigh. Has Michelle thought of joining LT???

Oh, poor Ilana!
Just what you don't want to think about when you are tired to the bone. Bugs... and all the work to get rid of them :(
Makes me tired to think of it.

I fervently hope that was not a bedbug - inconvenience, expense, and sleep deprivation :PPP~~~ But - if it WAS a bedbug - I'll still love ya!
Maybe it was just something that came riding in on Coco???
Someone mentioned on a thread that library books can have bedbugs! Not common - but possible.

That link above looks excellent. (Thanks, Ellen) I'll have to save it - just in case. ICK.

#75 Charlotte, I too am praying it was a lone wolf-type bug this time. I'm exhausted today from going to sleep at 4 a.m. and couldn't muster up the energy to do anything today, especially as my cold has taken a turn for the worse. Drinking hot toddies and feeling sorry for myself has been on the agenda today. I'm allowed a pitty party once in a while, right?

#76 Hi Mark, hopefully I'll get to read Let The Great World Spin within the next year. With so many amazing selections to choose from right here at home, I keep making my job harder with every new purchase! :-)

#77 Thanks Chelle, evidently, the woman who purchased my scarab was also the type to put bug art on her wall... unless she bought it to burn it, which is also in the realm of possibilities. It wasn't that expensive after all. :-)

My description as the bed bug as "cute" is very relative. Contrary to appearances, I am NOT a fan of bugs and until recently was known to shriek like a girl whenever I saw one. I find centipedes in my tub on occasion, and as I'm a night creature, sometimes notice one crawling up a wall when my cat Mimi goes berserk trying to catch it. But partly because of my artwork, and this new book of curiosities I've gotten, I've become a little bit less afraid, and a little bit more curious about them. This bedbug in question was obviously not full grown, at around one-eight of an inch with a rounded shape, which initially made me think it was a ladybug. As it was so small, I wasn't threatened by it as I would have had I come across a full grown member of the species.. Now you know the whole story. :-)

#78 Lucy, I hope you'll still want to meet me this weekend when you come to Montreal... if you like, I'll make sure not to get close to you or hug you or anything before or after we meet? :-(

Coco is always a huge hit, but lately with his longer hair, he looks exactly like a teddy bear and people are going absolutely nuts for him. Lucky for me, he a mama's boy and seems happiest in my arms. What you can't see on the photo of him with Michelle above is that I actually had to take a few photos because the whole time he was crying and wanting me to pick him up!

I've never tried joining RL book groups because I always thought it must be difficult to find the right mix of people, who have similar interests and conversational styles that complement each other. I was a little surprised to hear that you were rejected from groups for being too clever, but then again, I shouldn't be because most people are intimidated when they find out I like to read and immediately assume I'm a snob and an intellectual. I've told Michelle about our jolly gang here on LT, but she is not quite as mad about reading as we all are here, , so she hasn't shown that much interest.

#79 Claudia, I was too tired (to the bone, as you say) to do much of anything today. And I figure one day shouldn't make all the difference. Or so I hope, anyway. Which reminds me, I should pick up the phone and call my cleaning lady pronto so she can come help me. I just don't have the courage to face all that cleaning on my own. But yes, it's one of those things that can hit any of us quite at random, so best be informed and prepared for the worst. Ugh.

Oh Ilana, so sorry to hear of your troubles. Hopefully you can eradicate them, but don't hesitate to call the exterminators if you need to, there's no point in suffering when help is available.

Hugs to you my friend.

On the book front, I'm very much enjoying Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, which is becoming more intriguing and amusing with each chapter. Am halfway through Nineteen Eighty Four, and though I remembered really loving it as a teenager, it's continues to surprise and shock me as an astounding work of great originality and inventiveness which is so grounded in the realm of possibilities all the while. This is when I'm really happy about my poor memory, which enables me to revisit works decades later and come to them completely fresh, with not the slightest vestige of recollection to get in the way. Some images from the movie have been burned into my brain though, so I keep expecting the inevitable horror that is to come.

I've been seemingly reading A Clash of Kings for months. I had decided to read it very slowly to enable me to read a lot of other books at the same time. Sometimes I'll read just one chapter per week, two or three at the most, which in a way reproduces the experience of watching the TV series just one installation at a time. I'm still able to keep the thread of the story too, though I might decide at one point to do some concentrated reading and wrap it up so I can move on to the next book in the series. Then again, if I stretch out this book right up until season 2 airs on HBO, it'll still be fresh in my mind, which could be very cool too.

#81 Judy, I'll be checking for signs of an infestation tomorrow. Somehow, I doubt it's at that stage because I've not had any insect bites save for the one I got last week. Insect bites always turn into huge welts on me, so I'd definitely notice if I was being bitten on a regular basis and this hasn't been the case. In the meantime, I've called my cleaning lady who made time for me this Friday. I'd cut back on her services these past few months to save on expenses, but I'll have her come in a few times to help me do some heavy cleaning. However, if I find the least sign of bed-bug presence in the tell-tale places as indicated in the NYC guide, I'll call exterminators right away and advise my landlords who live just downstairs from me.

In the meantime, my girlfriend Kimmy had called me yesterday and said she had time to get together on Friday, but I had a feeling she wouldn't want to come over if she knew about the current situation, so I called her just now to tell her about it. And sure enough...

She didn't say so specifically, but I think she doesn't want to see me at all, because she's afraid I might pass a bug onto her if she's in my vicinity. I guess I understand her, but it just breaks my heart all the same.

I was going to do rounds of threads this evening, but not exactly in the proper frame of mind right now... apologies all around. Will be lurking all the same.

I'm hoping that you beat this 'bug' thing before it gets started. Glad to hear that you are enjoying Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, it's one I read last year and I still haven't read more by Llosa.

Ilana, Sometimes people have a strong aversion to bugs and will do anything to avoid. It's not you .... and sad to say, I think bugs will eventually rule the world :PPPP
It's a good thing we don't know about most of them.

I do understand how depressing it feels thinking of the need to deep clean everything - just in case. *heavy sigh*

I'm freaking out now cuz we had a couple dozen large flies in the house last night and I don't know where they are coming from - it's the warm weather we are having, I expect. Come to find out, everyone in town is afflicted. Luckily those flies are dumb. They act like fainting goats. If you whack them and miss, they still fall. If you don't followup and beat the crap out of them, they just get up and fly away.
Oh, please winter - come quick!

Hi Ilana, I've only been remiss for three very busy days and I'm so far behind! I LOVE the picture at the top of your thread. I'm so glad you are liking Aunt Julia and I'm so sorry about the bug (I hope it was a Lone Ranger!) that kept you up all night. I worry about my husband bringing bedbugs home from his travels. Maybe I'll store his suitcase on the patio this winter! So far there hasn't been a problem but you never know.

I'd better get back to My Year of Meats for my book group tomorrow night. I'm so glad I joined this book at the library. I thought it would be easy to leave a group like that if it didn't pan out... and I've hardly missed a month since it began almost 3 years ago!

#85 Claudia, your description of the dumb flies as fainting goats made me smile, but I think I know the kind you're referring to. I've never seen them in the city, but remember them being in more rural areas in these parts. You're right that bugs will rule the world. Actually, they already do, only we humans are too busy proclaiming ourselves the higher species to notice.

Oy, I might have to start a new thead... this one is becoming bug infested! No more bug stories! :-p

#86 Donna, it's a good idea to keep the suitcases away from your main living area. Checking them before departure (and packing) and upon arrival is probably also advisable.

I remember reading My Year of Meats back in 2K (just checked—I've tagged it at Read in 1999) and finding it very good. It's a good choice for a book group as there is plenty of material do discuss. I'm happy for you that you found a great group. I guess there are better chances of finding people who truly love books and reading at the library than in most other places...

(((((((Ilana)))))))
I'm glad you're enjoying Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter ---- I plan to read it this month and it will be one of our shared reads. First, I have to complete The Sense of an Ending and then tackle The Stranger's Child as they are both library books and are coming due soon....

#88 Thanks for the hugs and notes Ellen. Aunt Julia is like nothing I've read before, which is what one should expect from a nobel author I suppose.

My planned reading for December looks something like this:

TIOLI #6: Read a book that has the exact same title as another book on LT

✔ The Ghost Road by Pat Barker (The Ghost Road by Tony Abbott)
♫ King Lear by William Shakespeare (King Lear by Gareth Hinds)
♫ Zoo Station by David Downing (Zoo Station: Adventures in East and West Berlin by Ian Walker)

TIOLI #7: Read a book with the word "last" or "final" in the title

♫ Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
♫ The Last Child by John Hart

TIOLI #9: Read a book about books

The Haunted Bookshop by Christophe Morley - Reading

TIOLI #13: Read a book by an author with a surname of four syllables

✔ Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa - Reading
✔ The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago

TIOLI #15: Read a book with 5 or fewer reviews

✔ The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson by David P. Silcox (2) (11/11 Category #4: Visual Arts)
✔ Vermeer: The Complete Works by Arthur K. Wheelock (0) (11/11 Category #4: Visual Arts)

TIOLI #17: Read a book in which alcohol or alcoholism is one of the major themes

✔ L'Assomoir by Émile Zola (11/11 Category #2: Classic French Authors)

TIOLI #18: Read a book for your 11 in 11 challenge

♫ 1984 by George Orwell (11/11 Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions) Listening
♫ Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie (11/11 Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction)
✔ The World of Gloria Vanderbilt by Wendy Goodman (11/11 Category #4: Visual Arts)

✔ = off the shelf
♫ = audiobook

Your enthusiasm for Aunt Julia is slowly moving it towards the top of my wishlist :-)

*leaves thread without mentioning bugs*

Wow- that'salotta reading!
I'll be veerrrrryy interested in what you think of The Elephant's Journey. On my WL and aching to read it - just a little nervous about it (after reading Blindness).

#91 :-)

#92 A lot of those selections are audiobooks Claudia, and I tend to get through those quite fast. All the same, I agree it is a somewhat ambitious list.

*****

Today I received a surprise book in the mail. It came from one of my uncles, now in his mid seventies (or more?), who has written his childhood memoirs about growing up in a Mennonite community in the great plains of Saskatchewan. He self-published and sent it out to those close to him as a way to pass on his heritage. Apparently the idea came to him to write it when one of his granddaughters asked him to tell her stories from his childhood. I don't know if I can fit it in this month, but I'll try to do so.

One of my favorite reads this year was the memoir of the father of one of our oldest friends here in our village in Vermont, those books can be wonderful. I have an 'aunt' too who wrote a book about each of her grandmothers and about her husband's grandmothers -- one of whom was also my grandmother. All very good books that give a great picture of the late 19th-early 20th century life in the mid-Atlantic region.

Hi Ilana- I like your December reading list! I loved both Major Pettigrew & The Last Child . I'm also curious about The Elephant's Journey. That one's been on my extended WL.
Good luck, my friend!

92> I'm just one person, but I did NOT love Blindness and thought I woudl never read another by Saramago. I'm so glad that I took the risk. I LOVED The Elephant's Journey. The two novels could hardly be more different -- other than the obvious literary brilliance of the author.

YAY! Thanks, Ellen. I'm encouraged. :)
Of course, first I have to actually get the book.

As always, Ilana, the sheer number of things you plan on reading is quite impressive. I am wallowing far behind you.

One last bug observation/question - is anybody else besieged by outdoor moths the way we are here in southern New England? Hoards of them gather around my house and garage after dark, flapping around, flying in my face and hoping to get inside when I open the door. This has been happening for the past 4 or 5 years now and it's kind of weird!

#94 I look forward to delving into this one, only, really hope he's a half decent writer with good stories to tell, because with my characteristic candour, I'd hate to have to say that I was less than impressed!

#95 Thanks Mark. I was aiming for a more humble list in December, but then got carried away again. So I'll need luck to get through them all. That and maybe less time on LT and more time actually reading? ;-)

#96 & 97 I haven't read Blindness yet, though I did read his first novel, Baltasar and Blimunda which I thought was quite good. I've got Blindness as required reading in 2012 and can't say I look forward to it, since I've been staying away from bleak books, but The Elephant's Journey seems like it's going to be quite the treat.

#98 Yes, well, it may look impressive now—I'm pretty good at making impressive lists but then comes implementation, which is a whole different story.

Can't help you with the moths Charlotte. Get lots of them in more clement weather, but it's been too cold up here for them lately. And didn't I say NO BUGS?!? :-p

*****

Finished 1984 tonight. I really loved the book, but the end is so unspeakably bleak, and even though I knew it was coming, my enthusiasm for the novel drastically faltered in the last stages. All the same, it was a good experience, especially since I got to listen to 10 hours + of Samuel West, my dream narrator. I'll be trying to get my hand on every other book he's worked on, regardless of whether it appeals to me or not, just for the pleasure of listening to his voice some more.

Tonight, as I take out Coco for a last weewee, I plan on starting Why Didn't They Ask Evans? as feeling the need for much lighter fare at this point.

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (aka The Boomerang Clue) is one of my favorite Christie novels. I hope you enjoy it!

Hi Ilana, of course after planning for a light December, I've overbooked myself too. I guess we just can't help it.

I recently read Why Didn't They Ask Evans? and I loved it, quite different from her usual fare, more of an adventurous romp. Hope you enjoy it.

Hi Ilana! Popping in to deliver you a little kitty since you liked it :)

Three threads behind. Oh dear.

102> Adorable!!!!!!

Just curious Ilana, did you read 1984 in anticipation of reading 1Q84? You may have already talked about this and I'm not aware of it. That's what I was planning on doing somewhere way down the road when #! - the book is available in pb and #2 - when I read something (anything) Murakami has previously written.

#100 Funny, because I recall you suggesting some Christie novels before and Why Didn't They Ask Evans? didn't come up then, I don't think. Or maybe it did and I overlooked it because it was already in my wishlist?

#101 Judy my dear, I think you don't realize how strong an influence you have on my reading life, because one of the reasons I got WDTAE was because of the glowing review you wrote about it. Just one book among a growing collection...

The reason I overbooked myself this month is because of my 11/11, which I'm desperate to complete. I got caught with my pants down on that one, because I was sure I had it in the bag throughout the year, so didn't list that many of my 75ers reads over there, which is how I'm now having to play catchup. Then again, when I started back in January, I had said I wasn't going to set a specific number of books, so I guess in that sense I did more than well already. Only 10 or 11 books to go now. I've lost count!

#102 Thanks Chelle! Now I have my very own animated kitty to stare at. Very very cute.

#103 Please don't worry about it Jeanne. It's a full time job trying to keep up with everyone here. But I'm sure you've missed lots of good stuff all the same. ;-)

#104 Ellen, I think I'd seen this kitty posted on Donna's thread was it (?) and commented on how he/she reminded me of my Mimi, who fancies herself quite the deadly huntress but never actually catches anything.

#105 Bonnie, 1984 had been among my TBR selections for a very long time, and then when 1Q84 came out, it gave me the excuse I was looking for, but even more conclusive than that was when I found that there was an audio version narrated by Samuel West—I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I've since read that 1Q84 is such a radical departure from Orwell's book that they don't really have anything in common, but I guess I'll find out when I feel brave enough to read this giant tome myself. There are lots of great options to go with as far as his earlier novels go, and I would definitely recommend you read at least a couple of those first. I've only read half a dozen of his novels at this point, but my favourites so far have been The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (the first book I read by him), Dance Dance Dance, South of the Border, West of the Sun, and Norwegian Wood. Prepare yourself for some very strange excursions into the mind of very quirky genius.

*****

I'm exhausted today. My cold still has a hold on me, but more importantly, my cleaning lady came in today so we could have a very thorough cleaning session, getting into every single nook and cranny and washing things I'd never even considered washing before, all in an effort to rid my home of the threat of the you-know-what's. Didn't see a single sign of them, so keeping my fingers crossed, but we were probably dealing with a lone ranger the other night. The most conclusive evidence is that evidence of their presence is NOT to be found on my body at all.

Then, I'm not sure how come, but I didn't get a chance to relax and sit at the computer until now, though I'm about to keel over from fatigue. I really should get to bed at a reasonable hour as I'll be meeting with one of our members Lucy / sibyx tomorrow, as she'll be in town for a visit. I gave Coco a thorough brushing today so he's all ready for the encounter.

Right, my apple crisp is calling me from the oven. Seems it's ready, and it's about time.

I just want to apologize for having so little book presence on my thread so far—over 105 messages and not a single book review, YIKES! Some are forthcoming, especially as they are leftovers from November, so I really should get them reviewed before 2012!

Right, 'night all!

Ilana, woefully behind but I sympathize with the bug bites, I always know when I've been bitten because mine swell up nicely as well. Hope you get a good sleep tonight.

Ilana- I hope you are feeling much better today! Enjoy your visit with Lucy. Take pix! Hugs!

>106 Smiler69: I have lots of favorite Christie novels... sometimes I overlook some of them. :) (The Man in the Brown Suit is another favorite.) Also, I posted somewhere (maybe here, maybe not) about Christie's most original mysteries, and although I love Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, it's not super creative like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

I should admit Ilana that i am hopeless about things like cameras -- at present I haven't got a functioning battery in mine.... it's sad, but there you have it.

I'm so glad for you that it was probably a singleton bug, although I am sure you will be nervous for months if not indefinitely!

I remember when Erni first came to us from her village in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia with the longest hair - unfortunately the poor girl was infested with hair lice! I didn't stop itching for a few days and washed my hair in dettol twice which is not to be recommended by the way. Ten years later she still has lustrous locks but no-one feels itchy anymore! (She's just passed me a delightful mug of steaming Earl Grey and I'm in a great mood today!)

Ilana, I hardly think you need to apologize for "falling behind" on writing reviews. I know I sometimes feel like writing a review and have the time, and sometimes I don't. I still haven't written a full review of The Elephant's Journey, one of my favorite reads of the year. I'm working on being okay with the possibility that I may not get that one written.

I hope the intruder does, indeed, turn out to be a lone ranger!

Glad the cleaning assault turned up nothing. Hope you and Lucy are having a great ol' time. Loved the animated kitty. Could she be trying to catch a mot- Nope, I won't say it, but it sure looks like one to me. And pretty darn cute, too (the kitty not the mot-).

Got back from meeting Lucy just a couple of hours ago. We got together downtown at the Indigo bookstore café. I somehow managed to sleep in till 11:30, and since we were supposed to meet at noon, I rushed over with Coco in a taxi. But I needn't have, because seems Lucy is just as prone to arrive late as I am. She came with her sister, and we talked about all sorts of things, including LT and books (a little), but since her sister doesn't understand our passion for LT, we didn't spend too much time gossiping either, though of course we had to do a little bit of that as well! :-)

She's a lovely lady and I'm very glad to have met her. She did mention that if ever there's an LT get-together in Boston, she wouldn't mind giving me a ride, which I think is most kind of her. We got big sis to take a few shots of us, and I've got one all ready to post already, but I told her I'd have her see the photos first, so just waiting for her approval.

Tonight I plan on getting some reading and reviews done. Those two aren't necessarily prone to happening in the same evening, but I can always try!

I'm seriously considering starting a new thread, because with this whole bug scare over, I don't want to have their presence even in thought. So while I encourage everyone to speak their mind and bring up any topic they like... PLEASE, I beg you, no more bugs!

#107 Hi Leonie, I slept very well indeed last night. In fact, I slept so well that I somehow missed my alarm clock!

#108 I did as you asked Mark. In fact, it's a good think Lucy reminded us as we were leaving the store otherwise we wouldn't have had the requisite books in the shot!

#109 I remember you mentioning The Man in the Brown Suit, because I went and put it on my wishlist both here and on Audible afterward. I read lost of Chrisitie novels in my teens and really liked them then. Now, I think I enjoy them more as a sort of easy break between more intense novels. It's nice to have different characters and a whole different premise in Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, I can't say I'm blown away either. Poor dame Christie's been copied so much since her day that the original has lost some of it's sparkle in the process.

#110 NO BUGS!

Seriously though, it was really nice meeting you today, along with your sister too. Lucky for us I always carry a camera on me thanks to my iPhone! Coco says hi! :-)

#111 Who is Erni? A live-in maid?

#112 Ellen, please please please DO write a review for The Elephant's Journey! I for one would love to read it. I can't wait to get into that book. As soon as I'm done with Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, which is proving to be quite a treat, I'll be plunging into Saramago's book next.

#113 Butterfly. It's a BUTTERFLY Charlotte. I'll allow butterflies here because everyone loves butterflies, but NO MORE BUGS!

PEOPLE, I don't care how good your bug story is... go tell it on some other thread! This space is now officially bug free! And amen to that! :-)

Hooray for bug-free spaces!

I'll start working on that review this evening, Ilana. Just for you. ;-)

Well, thank you, Ilana. It's always so nice to know that what you say about a book is being noticed. It's probably no surprise that I am reading an Agatha Christie right now, the seasonaly titled Hercule Poirot's Christmas.

Hope you get caught up on your sleep and than give us the pleasure of some of your reviews.

Ilana Erni is indeed our live in maid. She came to us at the age of 15 when she left her family on a small Indonesian island. She is actually more a member of the family really and has been with us for more than 10 years - follows us to the cinema (if it is a film she fancies), overseas holidays and so on and so on. Since she gets treble the wage paid statutorily to domestic helpers I don't think it would be quite appropriate to term her a servant - plus she makes a mean coffee and the spiciest food imaginable if SWMBO ever gives herself a day-off from cooking which is rarely. She is about the same age as my sister-in-law, Fifi, who also lives with us - I am therefore, with my son, completely outnumbered by the female of the species at home. Even the cats are 2-1 in favour of the ladies.

I'm here, I'm home, I chose picture #1, so Ilana can post it now. Coco steals the show!

We did almost forget to take pictures, a very close call. My only regret is that we didn't have time to wander around the bookstore or go to the other nearby secondhand bookstore but there will be other trips. Montreal is my main nearby city and with a sister there, it's easy! And now, of course, my own friend, even more incentive.

Off to bed in a second, but here is the photo as promised. Will be back to comment (and possibly review books...) tomorrow (that is, today, but later, after proper sleep)

Lovely lovely photo of the three of you.

We certainly are all bundled up! I have my earmuffs in my hand..... whipped them off at the last second.

#119 Lovely photo :-)

I want to comment on how glad I am that you haven't seen any evidence of the b***. Does that work?

Hope you sleep well and that your cold is on its way out.

Coco looks keen to get to the cookery section. Nice photo but it looks from the proliferation of garments that it is a tad chilly in Montreal at the moment. I have clients here tomorrow from Montreal one of whom I'm hoping will act as postman for me!

#115 I loved that review Ellen, thanks for going through the trouble. I sincerely hope I love The Elephant's Journey as much as you did, though judging by what you had to say about it, it's very likely that I will.

#116 Judy, for the past week now (or more) I've been promising myself from one day to the next to write to blasted reviews. I just need to set aside an hour or two to write some speed reviews the way I've been doing lately, would be nice to get all caught up once and for all, though of course it never works out that way!

#117 Erni does sound like she's become a cherished member of the family.

I *almost* feel sorry for you Paul for being outnumbered by the ladies, though considering how much personality you have, I'm sure you manage to hold your own just fine. And admit it, you wouldn't like having too much competition now would you? ;-)

#118 Lucy, I didn't realize that Montreal is the nearest big city for you, but I suppose it is now I think of it. The other photo was meant a bit as a joke as was so obviously taken before any of us was ready!

#120 Thanks Kerry, though I find Coco steals the show, as always!

#121 I was having such a bad hair day (mind you, they all are) that I was just as happy to keep the hat on! :-)

#122 Heather, it'll do, but just. ;-)

I slept like a queen and had to resist the urge to sleep the whole afternoon. It's a lovely day out and hopefully Coco and I will get a little bit of exposure to the little bit of sunshine we've got while we make our way to the library soon.

#123 Paul, it was either the cookery section or he was just desperate to get out of my arms and onto his own four feet, as he'd been sitting on my lap for the last couple of hours. Even lap dogs need a bit of exercise once in a while, though I ended up carrying him in my arms a while longer while we were in the immediate downtown area.

It's definitely not warm in these parts right now, and is only going to get colder and colder, but I've had a tendency to overdress compared to most people I see walking about. For some reason, I'm not tolerating the cold very well this year. When the real cold comes in, I'll have my fur hat, turtlenecks and proper mitts out as well. With the scarf and fur-lined hood covering up most of my face too of course.

Hello lovely! What a gorgeous photo of the girls! Coco is a scene-stealer, though!

Great photo, thanks for sharing. It does look cold but you both look gorgeous in your winter clothes. I think I prefer the cold to the muggy heat we're beginning to get now, just for the clothes alone.

#125 Prue! Lovely to see you in these parts.

My role in life is now so clear: I was put here on earth to be Coco's assistant. Could be much worse. ;-)

#126 I used to favour summer, but as my bones gather years, I find I'm most comfortable in temperate weather. I'm really happiest in early autumn, when one takes out one's sweaters and light jackets, boots and scarves and takes in the smells of fallen leaves in complete comfort. That season is here and gone in the blink of an eye, which makes it all the more precious.

Right. 19:30... means I'm setting a goal of, let's see... SEVEN reviews within the next 75 minutes. As several of these are children's books, I think I can do it.

Ready... set.... GO!

Hi Ilana- Hope I'm not interrupting anything! Hee hee. Thanks for sharing the photo. It was great that you two got to meet up. Good luck on the reviews my friend!

251. Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett ★★★★½
(Read for November TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book found by mashing 2 tags—one seldom-used tag; one much-used tag; children's literature, mice)

What a wonderful discovery Emily Gravett is! This highly original book, with it's pages cut out with keyholes and gnarled edges and colouring that were lovingly achieved by having real-life mice *do their thing* on paper is a real delight. Little Mouse takes us through a self-help book that lists various phobias and encourages the reader (meaning Little Mouse) to fill in the page with drawings and impressions to highly amusing effect. It's easy to see why this book won a prestigious award. Many thanks go to Kerry (avatiakh) for introducing me to this illustrator/author. A great gift idea for lovers of children's literature.










252. Wolves by Emily Gravett ★★★★½
(Read for November TIOLI Challenge #3; children's literature, wolves)

The book that launched Gravett's career, and it's easy to see why. A rabbit borrows a book about wolves from the library, but the line between fiction and reality becomes so blurred that rabbit's very life is in peril. Two different endings: one for the hearty, the other for the sensitive reader. A howling good book. (bad pun, I know)










253. Dogs by Emily Gravett ★★★★

Rounding off my mini Emily Gravett festival is a charming book that celebrates dogs of all shapes and sizes. Ideal for dog lovers.

254. ♫ American Gods by Neil Gaiman ★★½
(Read for TIOLI Challenge #3: found by mashing 2 tags; one seldom-used, one much-used and 11/11 Category #7: Big and Scary: books over 400 pages)

I consider myself a Neil Gaiman fan, but not all his material appeals to me, and this is one book that I won't likely be revisiting. The very idea of reviewing it and having to say that a man named Shadow comes out of prison a day early when his wife is murdered to be approached by a man named Wednesday who seems to know everything about him and hires him as his sidekick, and then turns out to be a god involved in a battle between the gods of old and the new gods (of drugs, internet, etc) is just... *ugh*. Sorry, can't do it. Two-and-a-half stars, because there were lots of brilliant flashes, but on the whole, I dreaded and couldn't wait for the end. The fact that the tenth anniversary edition I listened to on audio was supplemented with 12,000 words that were cut out from the original edition probably didn't help much.






255. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti ★★★¾
(Read for TIOLI Challenge #3: tagmash challenge; Puppets, Children's Literature

I borrowed this one from the library to have a look at Roberto Innocenti's work, which I've admired in another book called Rose Blanche. His highly detailed watercolour illustrations are a thing to behold, and imbued with both a sense of realism and real poetry, a combination very rarely achieved successfully in visual arts. The story itself was filled with surprises. I must have only been exposed to the Disney version in my childhood, because the original by Carlo Collodi was so filled with twist and turns, violence, unfortunate adventures, and reversals of fate, that it stretched credulity beyond the limit. At times the didactic aspect of the story that the author never fails to drive home became truly annoying, but there's no denying the tale of a puppet who wished more than anything to become a boy is highly original.






256. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★
(Group read, also read for November TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book with an animal mentioned on page 50, and 11/11 Category #5: Books Published Since 2009)

A very appealing story set in the late 19th century, about two young magicians who are pitted against each other in a contest which was imposed on them in childhood and to which they don't know the rules nor how the winner will be chosen. The characters are engaging and the descriptions of Le Cirque de Rêves, which is the venue in which both magicians can show off their talents truly is enchanting. One wishes one could climb into the pages of the book and explore it for oneself. For all that, I found there were aspects of this novel which prevented me from being fully engaged. A certain superficiality perhaps. I kept seeing the circus in my mind's eye, and the story unfolded as if in a movie, which is a good quality, but somehow it failed to touch my soul. All the same, a greatly entertaining read and I wouldn't be surprised to see the film version before long.

Right. I've still got 15 minutes to go and only one scheduled review left to do, but I forgot to factor in Boardwalk Empire on HBO and more importantly, Coco's walk. I'll be back to finish up later.

You are doing really well at catching up, Ilana! I think you disliked American Gods more than I, although I never really warmed to the book. Also I think I liked Night Circus a little more, I was truly carried away by this book.

Your children's illustrated books are lovely, but of course, the best picture is the one of you, Lucy and Coco!

Love the reviews. The kids book look lovely

Bravo on the reviews, Ilana. I've never heard of Emily Gravett but you've sold me on her books and my library has lots of them!

Thanks for posting the picture of your meetup with Lucy. It's a great picture but I have to admit, Coco is a scene stealer!

#129 Hey Mark! I was hard at work when you posted your message. Trying to stay abreast of my own reading is a constant challenge. Maybe I should create a group called 112 reviews in 2012, whaddaya think?

#133 Judy, considering that American Gods mostly made me wish I was reading/listening to something else, I think my rating was quite generous. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it. But I mostly felt like the audience for it was... other people, but not me for sure!

#134 Thanks Chelle. When comes time to write reviews, I always find it amusing how much I mix things up in terms of reading choices. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

#135 Pat, I hope you enjoy Emily Gravett's books when you get to them. The one that initially got my attention was The Rabbit Problem, when Kerry reviewed it on her thread, but I've been waiting in line for it ever since. Looks like it might be coming my way some time next week.

Coco is a superstar. I had organic t-bone steak tonight, something which I never have (I rarely eat red meat) and he seemed extremely pleased when I gave him some of the bone with plenty of meat still attached to chew on. Nothing but the best for my baby.

*****

I started on Zoo Station by David Downing on audio last night, and somehow managed to get halfway through it already. I'm finding the story of John Russel, a British journalist living and working in Germany in 1939 to be quite gripping. The kind of spy story that inspires me to do a bunch of ironing and even some sewing repairs—thing I try to avoid doing at all cost usually—just so I can have long uninterrupted listening sessions. It had been on my wishlist for a very long time, so it's nice to find it was worth the wait. They didn't have any of the books in this (so far) four-book series at the library, so I was very happy to find they had the first three on Audible.

Ilana - quite busy for the next few days as I have Clients here from Scotland and Canada so some of my visitations will be a little snatched.

#124 The competition (no competition) is just fine for me. Only one male ego and a burgeoning juvenile one in Kyran to cope with in the house. Some of the ladies (well one in particular) have the more testosterone than the fellas if truth be known - I'll call myself a modern man to excuse my obvius lack of cave-man tendencies.
Coco is lucky in his choice of assistant as he gets to visit all the nice book shops.
Book reviews are splendid in their colour, information, eclecticism and independence of view.
Zoo Station will have to be fast forwarded as I have not seen one review that is short of stellar yet.

Those illustrations are just gorgeous. I'm getting all inspired, thank you for posting.

So I know I'm 138 messages behind in saying this, but I love the woman and the pug picture at the beginning of this thread. It's really representative of my favorite type of art: Victorian-era, fairly realistic, with rich colors.

Just running through some threads before our trip and wanted to say a very Merry Christmas to you, my dear friend.

#138 Glad to be of help Leonie :-)

#139 That picture seems to fit my mood this month.

#140 Thanks so much for dropping by Gail!

*****

Tonight, I WILL get to bed earlier than usual. I'm mostly saying this to myself as an affirmation, before I forget. This morning I woke up with such dark circles that I looked like I'd been punched in both eyes. No so very pretty.

Keeping it short and sweet to list the latest books that have come home to me:

From the library:

♫ Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert - includes A Simple Heart, which features Flaubert's famous parrot (as preparation by the Julian Barnes novel called, fittingly enough, Flaubert's Parrot)
♫ Hamlet Prince of Denmark by Shakespeare - another version of the play, this time performed by Anton Lesser and a full cast.
♫ The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis - didn't like my first experience with C. S. Lewis, but I'm blaming it on a narrator who truly got on my nerves. Kenneth Branagh should help me appreciate this one much more. Or so I hope.
♫ Flaubert: A Life by Geoffrey Wall

In the mailbox:

Madame Sousatzka by Bernice Rubens (recommended by Kerry/avatiakh)
Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer (also rec'd by Kerry)
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann




I'll be back tomorrow, good night everyone!

Whew, I have certainly fallen behind.
Nice photo of you, Lucy, and Coco!
I will be looking up Emily Gravett for sure!
I have my first-ever Gaiman waiting to be read when I can get to it (it's a library book, so I should get to it in the next couple of weeks....). It's The Graveyard Book, which Mark recommended. Have you read that one?
And finally - I checked and I'm still in the queue at the library for The Night Circus. I'm 520th in line.... on 105 copies...... clearly a very popular read!

Ilana- I'm so glad you enjoyed The Night Circus. It was a lovely read. Sorry American Gods was such a dud to you. I did not think it was perfect but found much in it, to love. It's definitely not for everyone.

Thank you for posting that lovely picture, Ilana. I like the unwritten rule of photos because it makes our online group much closer. The warm smiles make up for the cold weather! I woke up to our first light snowfall this morning.

I enjoyed your blizzard of reviews - as always. I'm so glad I listened to myself for a change and passed on American Gods as I'm sure my reaction would have been similar to yours.

Try and stay warm. These cold days are perfect for snuggling with fur friends and a good book!

The Emily Gravett books look lovely and it looks like my local library has quite a few so I will try and remember to venture into the kiddies section next time I'm there.

#141 I have a copy of Madame Sousatzka on Kerry's recommendation too. I'm looking forward to reading it...next year!

I'll add my vote of appreciation for your photo too -- especially having met you and Coco!

Hi Ilana!
Great picture of you, Coco, and Lucy!
and - Great reviews!
It is now confirmed to me... you are a deep thinker, way deep!
I am pretty serious myself - but I had fun with Night Circus. Sounds like you did get some fun out of it... so that's a good thing.
I didn't think it was deep either, but sometimes your soul needs some wide-eyed amazement!

(btw, I'm still looking for my purpose in life)

What a lovely photo! Thanks for posting it. And, thanks for such a wonderful thread, filled with books, great conversation and lovely illustrations!

#142 Ellen, The Graveyard Book is among my favourite reads of this year, it was suggested to me by Mark as well and turned me into an instant Gaiman fan. The second book I read by him was Neverwhere, which was also lots of fun, though The Graveyard Book is pretty hard to beat. Good luck getting your hands on The Night Circus, it certainly is the book of the moment, it seems.

#143 Mark, I wasn't upset about not absolutely loving American Gods. They can't all be winners for me after all. For some reason, that novel really struck me as being very much geared to a male readership. The Night Circus was a lot of fun, though sorry I didn't participate in the group discussion. Sometimes I'm really keen on joining in, and other times I'm happy just knowing I'm reading a book at the same time as a bunch of other pals.

#144 Hi Donna, I don't know about how 'unwritten' that rule is, I've seen people clamouring for photos whenever there is mention of a get-together often enough to drive home the importance of getting ours taken...

Somehow, I doubt very much you'd have been a fan of American Gods too Donna. But that's ok—you have plenty of other options to keep you reading for the rest of your days, as do we all here, to be sure!

#145 Heather, I'm impatiently waiting to receive notification that The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett is ready to be picked up from the library, which should be any day now. I'm fairly confident that you'll enjoy her books to and will keep my eyes peeled for your comments.

2012 is right around the corner isn't it? Already one week of December gone... and with just three weeks left to us this year, it's looking more and more like whatever else is on our TBRs will have to wait till next year! I'm looking forward to discovering Bernice Reubens for sure.

#146 Lucy, I gave Coco a bath yesterday, as he got filthy walking around our rainy and muddy roads yesterday. He smells so good now that I wish I'd thought of wasting him before he met you, but then you'd have kidnapped him from me for sure! :-)

#147 btw, I'm still looking for my purpose in life

Yes well... something I'll be doing that for the rest of my days too, and as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing—means we're unpredictable. Or something.

#148 You're sweet Linda. Thanks for dropping by and being such an appreciative audience!

*****

Right. Another day gone. Not sure where it went actually. I remember waking up, I remember walking Coco, and I remember eating food of some sort. So where did the whole rest of the day go? I prepared a blog post, some photos I took this weekend on my way home from my meeting with Lucy and her sister. No wonder I don't blog much these days, the way I do it, it's so incredibly time consuming! Some of it was spent listening to—and finishing—Zoo Station by David Downing. I really enjoyed that a lot, and am already looking forward to book 2, Silesian Station. It's on my Audible wishlist and it's just a question of days and hours till I break down and get it. I've just read the synopsis and I can't wait.

Just remembered I received two books in the mail today... but didn't open the packages yet! YIKES! Be right back...

I'll be adding West with the Night and Love in the Time of Cholera to my monster TBR. The second is a re-read, but since it's been at least 20 years since the first time, I think I'm due. I just hope I don't ruin my fond memories of it in the process, as happened with One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Couldn't keep my eyes open to finish a chapter last night, and just as tired now, so no time to do the rounds if I want to get at least a little bit of reading in... hope I'm forgiven.

About to start another audiobook as I take Coco out for a last call... what will it be, I wonder?

That last comment makes me wonder how you choose your audio books. Random selection? It also made me realize that you must listen to them on your walks, what a great idea.

Those are both great books! The latter being my favorite Marquez.

I am seriously thinking of tackling audible.com today. I get so fearful of setting up and using new things but then later I think, what was my problem! My own audio books are just getting to be too random as I am utterly dependent on what is at my local library. On the other hand, random can lead to discoveries.....

Oh yes, clean doggo, that is the best! I always think, "Why don't I do this more often?" But alas, I seem to forget that as the weeks go by!

I've never read Love in the Time of Cholera or One Hundred Years of Solitude. I own the latter and they have both been on my list for an embarrassingly long time.....

Thanks to you, Ilana, I have definitely made up my mind re: reading American Gods. Not doing it. Sounds stupid. Thanks for taking the reading bullet

Ellen- Maybe we can read Love in the Time of Cholera together, at some point! I have not read him yet. Our list is growing. LOL.

Lisa, I'd love it. If the three of us (plus any others?) did a group read, I might be more likely to push through the challenge of reading it.

#151 Leonie, I make a pre-selection of audiobooks every month based on what I feel like listening to and what fits into various TIOLI challenges. Then I upload that selection onto my iPhone and choose according to my mood and what narrator I most feel like listening to, that sort of thing. Sometimes none of them will do and I go back to my audio library to upload different selections altogether. But I started on Major Pettigrew's Last Stand last night when I took out Coco (yes, I ALWAYS listen to audiobooks when I take him outside) and have been really enjoying it.

#152 Lucy, I think most of us feel that way about trying new things. We fear what we don't know after all. I'm curious now to find out whether you went ahead with it? I know what you mean about random choices leading to discoveries... I pretty much live my whole life on random for that reason, but then, sometimes one wants to make choices too, and it's nice having both options. I've not looked back since I signed up to Audible. And if anything, they're great to sample audiobooks from the library, to decided whether an certain narrator appeals or not.

#153 Ellen, I discovered both books a lifetime ago, when I was a design student and just discovering the world at large. He certainly contributed to opening my mind to new possibilities.

#154 You know Charlotte, I wouldn't have put it that way, but now you've said it, I guess that's what I came away with. But of course, that's a very limited view, and I certainly didn't do the book justice in my rant review. That being said, I don't feel guilty about deterring you from reading it as I know you probably have too many reading options, as we all do.

#155/56 I'll probably be reading LitToC in May, when the 12/12 group will be doing a GR of it, so how about then? I'm seriously going to have to put down all these planned reads somewhere to keep track because the year is filling up with reading commitments pretty fast.

Good Morning Ilana, sorry for my absence (and for not answering your post #54). I was in Germany, where I got a really nasty flu with a high fever, and I only once checked into LT for a book update.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the bug didn't bring any friends, and that your house remains bug-free forever! I read that government leaflet - what a nightmare!

I had added King Lear to a different challenge, but can change it. I am planning to read/watch it this weekend. I had taken book and DVD to Germany with me, but Shakespeare is not the stuff I like to read when sick. My parents are here this week, but they leave on Saturday, then my December reading can start.

I have to re-read Pinocchio, the Italian version is sitting on my shelf. I grew up with that story (book and many TV versions), and then when the Disney movie was shown in a local theater I couldn't enjoy it at all, far too pastel-colored and sweet compared to the original.

I am writing you a PN later - I only now checked my non-business e-mail.
But I can hear my parents in the kitchen, so it's time to get up and make breakfast (it's only 8:00 am and it's a holiday...)

The sampling definitely looks worth it! I usually have to take two or three audiobooks with me from the library in case I hate smeone's voice. The real problem is AFTER I sign up -- will I use it, will I choose a book, load it, then do whatever it is I have to do to make my i-pod work in the car.... (this will require dragging in the spousal unit.....). Maybe I should get him to do that step first and then the others will melt away?

Ilana very interesting discussion regarding audio books which I have never tried and, given my Luddite tendencies not sure I would be very capable with. Where do you download your choices from as the few I have seen in the shops here are extortionately expensive?

#158 Nathalie, I'm sorry to hear you were so sick and hope you're all better now.

As for the b**, it seems it was just a scare—one individual that lost it's way somehow—and that the coast is clear. I'm trying to put the incident behind me as just a very bad dream.

I don't mind switching King Lear over to whatever other challenge you'd put it in either. I keep wanting to listen to it, but first I'll have to get at least superficially acquainted with the characters and storyline so I can at least have some cue of what's going on.

8 a.m. is certainly NOT my idea of a decent time to get up during a holiday, but I guess you are a much more efficient family than mine is!

#159 Lucy, I'd say you should recruit the spousal unit first to join your cause and go through the other steps once the coast is clear. The good news about sampling is that you can do it anytime it's convenient and need not worry about tech difficulties. I use the site for that purpose a whole lot, because if I don't like a narrator, I refuse to put myself through the torture of listening to an entire recording. Mind you, I've done so once or twice and my appreciation of the book suffered greatly for it.

#160 Paul, you've no doubt seen me mention Audible.com here so often I fear people will assume I benefit from some sort of deal with them for doing so. They're a subsidiary of Amazon where you can download mp3 versions—meaning the recordings are formatted to listen to on any sort of mp3 player (so there are no CDs involved, one of the reasons it's much cheaper). When you sign up for one of their membership plans, the prices become very interesting indeed, and their frequent sales are also of molto interest.

257. ♫ Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac ★★★★
(Read for November TIOLI Challenge #3: tagmash; 19th c, poverty and 11/11 Category #2: Classic French Authors)

When an elegant Monsieur Goriot first moves into Madame Vauquer's shabby boarding house, the middle-aged woman is impressed with his expensive clothes and the costly furniture and accessories he has brought with him to his ample rooms, which are among the best her humble lodgings have to offer. She considers he might be a good prospect for her, but in very little time, Goriot is visibly reduced, has moved into her cheapest quarters and sold off all his silverware, and she, along with the other lodgers, take to making fun of the old man to his face, and accusing him of seeing prostitutes when two elegant ladies come to visit him on occasion. The truth is that the old man has given away all his worldly possessions so that his two grown daughters could have the best of everything, have brilliant marriages, and be important members of Parisian high society in the early 19th century. Only one of Old Goriot's fellow lodgers, Eugene de Rastignac—a young law student—takes a real interest in the old man, and before long, the ambitious youth finds himself wrapped up in Goriot's family drama. A searing criticism about a society more interested in appearances than in individual wellbeing, and a moving portrayal of the extremes to which a father will go out of love for his children.

Ilana - I've gotten a Samuel West audio from the library to try, Part of the furniture by Mary Wesley, though I won't get to it for a while. Currently my favourite narrator is John Lee, I'm listening to my third Alastair Reynolds by audio as he is just brilliant.

I've been meaning to read Old Goriot since reading Irène Némirovsky's David Golder which I think covers similar ground.
I loved revisiting the Emily Gravett illustrations here.

Kerry, I haven't had the opportunity to listen to a full John Lee recording yet, though I do have three books in my current collection narrated by him. They are The City and the City by China Miéville, The White Tiger (which I read in book form and loved) and Flaubert: A Life, a biography I'll only get to once I've actually read some of Flaubert's books. I managed to borrow some recorded short stories of his at the library and have had Madame Bovary on my shelf forever...

I also have Part of the Furniture, and also don't know when I'll get to it.

David Golder was on my wishlist, though I might have put it on my Amazon list and not here, but I've rectified that. I'm actually more tempted to start with that novel than Suite Française, but that's just because I'm under the impression that the latter might be too morose for me.

delurking to say hi to you and Coco

Hi Claudia! I came over from your thread just now. Sorry I don't have much going on right now. Keeping a low profile in general. Spirits are down, but I know I have no right to feel sorry for myself.

"Spirits are down, but I know I have no right to feel sorry for myself."
Ditto. Something in the air? :(
hugs

C'mon, my friend, keep your chin up! You are in a Happy Place here! Did I ever tell you, I found a copy of Suite Française. It looks very good. Also, I've had a copy of The White Tiger in the stacks forever! Hugs!

#167 Claudia, I don't know about you, but once in a while (ok, often, actually) I just get overwhelmed with my situation and have no idea how I'm supposed to move forward and become an active member of society again, or whatever it is they're calling it these days. I've had my head stuck in the sand for a long while now, and while there are many clear advantage to this position, I do get uncomfortable with it too. I guess this a good thing, because God forbid I should become complacent about things.

#168 Mark, didn't I send you that copy of Suite Française? I think I remember doing so, but then, my memory is far from reliable. I absolutely loved The White Tiger when I read it the first time and I hope you do too. I remember laughing a lot throughout, even though it was quite tragic as well.

*****

Getting together with my GF Kimmy tomorrow for a lunch date, which might be just what the doctor ordered. Then on Saturday, the Montreal Book Bloggers are having another get-together, during which we'll be exchanging books. I think I must've reserved two dozen titles or so, as one member keeps listing all this great literary fiction, much of which is on my wishlist. I'll be listing the books as soon as they come into the house of course.

I've been really enjoying Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and am already halfway through.

Head's been throbbing all day, and staring at the screen doesn't help, so I'm off to read now. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter beckons, as do a few other books I've got going.

Just swinging by to say hi, Ilana. I hope the head stops throbbing and that the spirits rise soon.
xoxoxo

Sorry to hear that you aren't feeling good.

Hope the head stops throbbing and that you and Coco (who is the star of that picture), though the humans and books look pretty good too:) have a good day.

Hi Ilana- hope you woke up today pain-free. I'm pretty sure you sent me something else instead. I remember picking up my current copy at a resale shop. I better make sure I don't have 2 copies. LOL.
I'm glad you are enjoying Major Pettigrew. I loved it.

Hi Ilana! Hope you enjoy your lunch plans today and hope your headache is gone!

Adding my voice to the well wishers.

Hi Ilana!
Feeling kinda better this am - hope you are too. Know exactly what you are saying. Have a great time at lunch! :)

I really liked Suite Francaise.

Best wishes for the weekend Ilana. Rarely suffer from illness I am glad to report and my headaches are normally SWMBO induced. Chin-up as Mark said you have the benefit of the cool Quebecois air and the icing sugar carpet outside your bedroom window.

Salutations to Ellen, calm, Mark, Chelle, Lucy, Claudia and Paul (and to all you lurkers out there).

I woke up feeling much better today, though still blue, but had a lovely time with my GF who always seems to be happy to spend time with me, no matter what mood I'm in. We don't see each other very often, maybe once a month or so? so we always have plenty to talk about when we see each other. She gave me a lovely vintage Wedgewood bone china tea set (teapot, sugar and milk dishes). A beautiful soft pink shade with subtle gold trim. The teapot has a rather unusual shape. I'll have to invite friends over for tea more often so I can use it once in a while.

I got home late in the evening and then did *fun* things like budgeting (eeeeeeek!) and figuring out how my computer works and so on (*big yawn*). Nothing too exciting, no. And now it's late, so no time to catch up or tell tales and whatnot, I'm afraid.

Tomorrow is our Montreal Book Bloggers get-together and I'll be bringing home a huge load of books... yay! I'll be sure to list them when I get back.

#170 Thanks Ellen. Sending you warm hugs.

#171 I love the kitty cats calm, thank you so much for sharing them here... they even look a little bit like my own kitties! I fell hopelessly behind on your thread and have no idea how to catch up with you, any advice?

#172 Mark, I was almost certain I'd sent you Suite Française, and even checked on BM to see if there was any trace there, but no such luck. What on earth did I do with it if it's not with you? I want to get my hands on the original French version, though will probably borrow it from the library. They had an audio version at one point, will have to look into that...

Major Pettigrew is almost TOO charming, but I'm letting the charm operate since it's so hard to resist. :-)

#173 Lunch was a fancy (read: expensive) affair at the Holt Renfrew café. It's not exactly a regular hangout, but once in a while it's fun to join the "ladies who lunch". It was all women with maybe one token gay man today and Kim made me laugh when she said it sounded like a hen house (she said it in French: poulailler, not sure how it translates actually)

#174 Thanks Lucy, that's sweet. Looks like you might have roped me in on the Michel de Montaigne reading. Should be interesting. It might help make me become smarter, even. ;-)

#175 Claudia, let's hope we both continue well for at least a little while. ;-)

#176 Most of all Paul, I have the huge benefit of all you wonderful LT friends who support me in sickness and in health! xoxo

Sounds like you had a good day. I read David Golder as I found it in a used bookstore in Tel Aviv when I was desperate for something to read and it was a very quick but intense, more of a novella in length. I'm sure that Old Goriot was mentioned in the introduction.
I don't think I'd describe Suite Francaise as morose, I found it interesting and beautifully written.

#178 Thanks for your comment on Suite Française Kerry. It encourages me to want to discover it for myself more than before. I'll make a point of reading it in the new year.

You seem plenty smart enough to me! I hate the way some writers get 'mystificated' to the point that people assume they have to be super-brilliant to read them. Together we will demystify le pauvre!

That's a helpful Pere Goriot review, Ilana, thanks. I've thought about reading that more than once but didn't have enough of a feel for what it was about. Now I do.

Glad you're feeling better today - hope you have a good weekend.

#180 I hate the way some writers get 'mystificated' to the point that people assume they have to be super-brilliant to read them

I am often one of these people I'm afraid. For example, I'm always a little bit nervous about reading Nobel laureates for the first time, and have often been surprised with the fact that I enjoyed the experience very much. I don't know why even avid book readers feel some works of fiction are too clever for them, but I'm sure there are legions of us.

Together we will demystify le pauvre!

Sounds like a great plan. I'm thinking I may get the original of the Montaigne essays and read the modern translation only if I feel I've missed too much with the old French. I'm tempted to say I'll read the English translation as well just to compare, but that might be a slightly larger undertaking than what I had in mind. ;-)

#181 That's a great compliment Joe, I'm glad I was able to sum up the book adequately enough to give you a general impression of the narrative.
I just looked up the wikipedia page about it, which is of course filled with interesting facts and additional information.

Today's Montreal Book Bloggers get-together was fun. We were a small group, with maybe only ten of us in attendance, but of course we all had good chats, and most of us walked away with a bunch of 'new to us' books. One of our members listed loads of literary fiction, with many titles already on my wishlist, so I greedily jumped on everything I thought might appeal to me. We got together in the same restaurant as last time, i.e. right next to Indigo, where most of us went to have a look at what's new and hot, and take advantage of their sales. Afterward, one of our members, Avis, and I crossed the street over to Kiehl's so that I could pick up my free lip balm and a bunch of free samples. I'm on their email list and they often have promotions to attract clients into their stores. The staff is genuinely friendly and I always end up conversing with them, and when the girl helping me, Ashley, found out we were part of a book club, she asked for some recommendations. Right off the top of my head I suggested The Night Circus and The Paris Wife as two easy and fun 'sure bet' reads. But the surprising part was that she ended up giving us a bunch of great recommendations too. How do you call book bullets in the real world? Anyway, I got hit with a few.


Here is my loot:

From Amanda

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver - I now have a total of three books by Kingsolver on my tbr
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin - this novel got so much positive feedback on LT that I must discover it for myself
Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante - a literary thriller? Count me in!
The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis - Would definitely fit into Darryl's current 'similar title' TIOLI challenge.
Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson - takes us through one hundred years of Scandinavian history
Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton - Donna's enthusiasm for this author definitely rubbed off on me
The Magicians by Lev Grossman - am very intrigued about this one, although (because?) it got mixed reviews
The Bastard of Istanbul Elif Şafak - I had The Flea Palace on my wishlist, but may as well start out with the more popular of the two
American Pastoral by Philip Roth - such a controversial writer! Many seem to very much dislike him... we shall see
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler - truth is, I got this one because it won the Pulitzer prize (1989) and is on the Guardian 1000 list (love)
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warran - yeah sure, there's the Pulitzer prize but hey, it's on Esquire's 75 Books Every Man Should Read list!
The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri - intrigued with the story and was on the 2001 Booker Prize Longlist


From Avis

The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock - this one is an ARC which I got because of Jude's (jdthloue) review


From Cat

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld - never mind that I haven't read Leviathan yet, I'll get there soon enough!


From Indigo

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston - Avis found this one. I'm not sure about it—a novel told in scrapbook form. The visuals are stunning, but if I don't get into it in the first few pages, I'll either return it or gift it. It has an excellent rating here on LT (4.32)


Book Suggestions from Ashley at Kiehl's

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin - set in 50s Paris, a young man at grips with his homosexuality
Italian Shoes - I think she meant the Henning Mankell novel, but have to check. It could also be the novel by Frank Paci.
Women, Food and God and
Feeding the Hungry Heart by Geneen Roth - "I don't like self-help books, but Geneen Roth is really different" she said.

Wow, you really scored, Ilana. I've heard that Hanna's Daughters is really good, and I am planning on reading Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter next year for my 12 in 12 Challenge. Sounds like you are having a good weekend.

Some great books there Ilana - oh how I wish for such posibilities in Kuala Lumpur - a book club would be a quite lonely place for me here! 20 books on your list of which I have a few but have only read Breathing Lessons. It was my first Anne Tyler and I enjoed its wry subtlety.

I just finished The Bluest Eye and found it confusing. Thanks for your review which helped provide insights!

#184 Hi Judy, great to hear from you! Yes, these get-togethers definitely pay off in terms of book hauls, aside from being pleasant social occasions. Doesn't get much better than free books, does it? ;-)

I have indeed been having a nice weekend so far and am very thankful for it.

#185 Paul, a book club of one would still appeal to me if that one person was as charming and well-read as you are! And of course, you have LT, which is a vast and more exciting book club than any we're even likely to come across in RL in our lifetimes... and beyond! I'm excited about quite a few of these books. When I'll be getting to them is a different story. And where to put them in the meantime at this point is a mystery.

#186 Linda, I got your PM message and am sorry you didn't have a great experience with The Bluest Eye. It's true Morrison's world can seem very bleak, which is how I felt about her first two novels, but I think something "clicked" with this one and it helped me see beyond the horror and zoom in on the simple beauty that life has to offer us even in the direst of circumstances. Now if only I could focus on that 24/7 in my own life, I'd be pretty well set. :-)

I finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand not very long ago. I really enjoyed this book, and more than I had expected I would, because I was concerned I'd find it overly cute, but it worked for me here. I even had a tear in the corner of my eye with the last words. Charming.

Next up: probably something by Ruth Rendell... The Crocodile Bird is already uploaded on my iPhone along with other books, so I'll probably go with that for a short distraction before jumping into something longer.

Great haul of books, I'm also intrigued by the mixed reviews on The Magicians and have it on my tbr pile. Looks like I'll have to read Major Pettigrew.

Hi Ilana. Your bloggers lunch sounds like fun, and what a great list of books you got! I have the Lacuna on my wishlist too!

Ilana- What another great book haul! Congrats. Some good titles there.

Hi Ilana, glad to hear you had a good time with your friend and at the book bloggers get together. And what a great book haul!

I hope you enjoy The Lacuna, I've only read three of Barbara Kingsolver's books but she's gone on my favourites authors list on the strength of those three and The Lacuna was one of my top favourite books from last year.

I've added Pere Goriot to my wishlist as well. I'd like to widen my current British 19th century obsession by adding some French authors.

I very very much liked The Magicians - many of the things others objected to I liked, the homages to various other antecedents plus what I see as an american grittiness PLUS the also peculiarly american obsession with, for lack of a better word, 'usefulness' -- Rowling makes adult life for wizards seem either slightly daft (studying muggles) or dangerous (fighting evil wizards) - but what does one live for if one can use magic and have, essentially, everything one needs? These questions seemed to hover on the margins of the first book, esp. a scary emptiness in being an adult wizard, and as I am hoarding the second one, i don't know how Grossman addresses any of it fully, which I am assuming he tries to in the 2nd...... Anyway, it was also a ripping good story, so I was happy.

What a great haul Ilana. All the King's Men was one of my Top Reads last year and I have it on my reread shelf. I was charmed by Major Pettigrew.

I'm interested in what you think of The magicians too - I'm definitely in the "dislike" column.

Funnily, I think it did raise many of the questions @sibyx mentions, I just didn't feel it answered any of them! However, lots of other people really enjoyed it. I think my main issue was that I really couldn't empathise with the main character.

#187 Flattery gets you everywhere (blushing). Had probably my last blow out until 2012's frugality. 19 books in a book sale here that cost me less than $3 a book.

Hi Ilana,
The Montreal Book Bloggers meeting sounds fun -- and you got some interesting loot there! I have American Pastoral on my TBR pile and will be interested to see if I like it. I know he is considered to be an excellent novelist but I've been waiting for the "right" mood to take him up. I'm not sure exactly what that mood needs to be, but......

Wow! Great weekend for you! Books and friends! Hope that perked you up considerably :)

The books you scored look great - such an interesting variety. Might you need a new bookshelf now? lol -though not so funny if you don't have the room? Such a problem *heavy sigh*. :}

Ilana, I'm glad Major Pettigrew worked for you. I suspect that timing and real life kept me from enjoying it as much as I could have. I have a lovely HC and may keep it for loaning out (everyone else loves it - as you know) and a possible reread when I'm in the mood for a charming book. I didn't quite know how to finish that sentence as everything else I was thinking sounded snarky!

What a great book gathering you had. And another book haul. Excellent! I'm not a big fan of Philip Roth but I did enjoy his American Pastoral. I read and liked Hanna's Daughters years ago. It was a keeper! The Lacuna was another hit for me. I loved that you got book tips while shopping. We book lovers have to keep our ears open all the time, don't we?

Stopping by to say hello

#189 Kerry, I especially liked the audio version of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand as read by Bill Wallis. Much recommended.

#190 Chelle, I don't often get to meet other books nuts like me in the flesh, so this group provides a great opportunity for that. Mind you, we seem to have wildly different reading tastes, so I'm glad for this one member who reads lots of literary fiction.

#191 Thanks Mark!

#192 Heather, I've only read Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible so far, but that it was a great book. I predict I'll be reading more by her in 2011 since I didn't do so in 2011.

#193 Lucy, I really appreciate your views on The Magicians, which makes me want to discover it all the more. Up until now, I'd mostly read remarks by people who were rather underwhelmed by it. I'll add you as a recommender of this book in my tags.

#194 Thanks Bonnie. I'm definitely intrigued by All the King's Men and hope I like it as much as you did. I'll add you as a recommender for that book.

#195 Thanks for you comments on The Magicians Athabasca, I can't wait to find out how I'll feel about it myself!

#196 Good going on that sale Paul. Your last blowout though, are you sure? After all, there are more than two weeks left in December still... ;-)

#197 I'm not sure exactly what that mood needs to be

Ellen, sounds to me like we should make American Pastoral a shared read in 2012 so we can discover that together and give each other support, if need be. Yes?

#198 Claudia, that was indeed a great weekend, only now I'm just completely exhausted, which is one reason I haven't been around the last couple of days.

I don't know how you guessed I needed more shelves, but this is indeed the case. And I DO have the perfect spot for a bunch of new shelves, only my friend who can help me with that is booked solid with projects, so I'll have to sit tight for a while and keep piling them up somehow. Or stop getting any more for a while, which might be the safer route as my piles are threatening to topple at any moment now.

#199 Donna, I don't think I've ever seen a snarky comment by you, and I'd be terribly curious to know what kind of snarky comment a book as innocuous as Major Pettigrew might inspire. Maybe it was too bland for you? Might I get a cue from your review?

#200 Hi Linda!

*****

So I had a very good last few days, only my energy is running super low, which is one reason I haven't been around lately. Yesterday we had our last art class of the Fall term, and we're off for the next five weeks or so, though I've promised myself to spend time on art projects during the break.

Today I have to fight tooth and nail not to just crawl back into bed, though I may give in and have a long nap at some point, as I did yesterday. Hopefully I'll be back very soon to try to catch up with some of you and write reviews which are (how shocking!) late as usual. lol

I'm afraid you caught me out there Ilana - I have actually not been a good boy since Sunday and added 5 more from my hitlist on Monday lunch time in a further sale!!! Ann Radcliffe, Jules Verne, Virginia Woolf, Harriet Beecher Stowe and London Boulevard by Ken Bruen.

LOL! Good going Paul! I'm glad I didn't officially state that I wasn't going to purchase any more books, because I already have my eye on several of them as we speak (which have accidentally made it into my shopping cart, wouldn't you know!

I've also succumbed to the allure of the shopping basket!

At this point Kerry, I'm not sure if I should try to give a good example by abstaining... I keep promising myself to be more reasonable starting in January and worry that if I cut back too soon I'll want to do some 'revenge' shopping in the new year just for having tried to curb my compulsions too early! *sigh*

Is it any wonder I had to take out a loan today or risk starving during the holidays? :-|

I'll want to do some 'revenge' shopping in the new year
I'm also feeling the compulsion to buy because my NY resolution will be to buy much less. Just so silly, I cannot possibly need all these books. I should only buy books worth collecting and those not available from the library.

I don't want to see either you or Coco starving over the holidays. Keep well.

Book News

I finished Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter yesterday and was glad to see the back of that book to be honest. As much as I enjoyed it most of the way, it became less and less coherent which was the point of it all, but it also ended up being a slog in the end.

The Haunted Bookshop is proving to be less than exciting, though I'm pushing myself to finish that one too, if only to complete one more TIOLI read.

Now I have to make an extremely hard decision which is which of two books I can't wait to read to go with first: The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago which sounds like it was written specifically for the likes of me, or The Ghost Road, which I've been looking forward to for several years now, ever since it originally made it onto my wishlist. I've read the two first books and liked them quite a lot and would like to finish the trilogy this year. If only I wasn't so incredibly slow at getting through print books! Then again, it might be helpful if I gave myself more reading time as one hour just before sleep might not be quite enough or be the most productive time of day either.

On the audiobook front, I just finished The Crocodile Bird, my first Ruth Rendell book which I thought was quite amazing. The ending was ever so slightly underwhelming, but then again, the way she arrived to it was definitely worth the detour and it's likely I'll list is among my favourite books of the year (this will probably end up being quite a long list). Not sure which audio to follow it up with now. There is certainly no lack of options in my huge collection, though I may end up getting North and South from Audible and join in the group read. Or then again, might I get Steve Jobs for a complete change of pace? Or go for another Balzac to help get me closer to completing my 11/11 challenge? There's also Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert which might help get me there and then there's... well, I'm sure you get my point by now.

Received in the mail yesterday: From the Mouth of the Whale, an ER book:

"The year is 1625. Iceland is a world darkened by superstition, poverty and cruelty. Men of science marvel over a unicorn's horn, poor folk worship the Virgin in secret and both books and men art burnt.

Jónas Pálmason, a poet and self-taught healer, has been condemned to exile for heretical conduct..." (from the back cover)

The author Sjón won the Nordic Council's Literature Prize, which is the equivalent of the Booker Prize, apparently. He was also nominated for an Oscar for song lyrics he wrote for Björk for the film Dancer in the Dark.

In other words, I must make room for this one in January. Then there's also The Canterbury Tales, another ER book which is now overdue for a review. This one is a graphic novel by Seymour Chwast and will be an introduction of sorts to Chaucer's work.

Three YA novels brought back from the library on Sunday:
The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales by Chris Van Allsburg - recommended by Linda / Whisper1 recently
The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett - a popup book that looks like too much fun to let it just sit there for another day; taking this one to bed with me tonight. :-)

That's quite a decision, Ilana. Two books that I also plan to read. Perhaps you should go with The Ghost Road so that you do get the trilogy finished. You could plan on The Elephant's Journey for the week between Christmas and New Years. But I am eager to hear about either book as they are both in my future so no pressure.

I am glad you enjoyed your first Ruth Rendell. She has an amazing amount of books, and also writes under the name Barbara Vine, so you have many books to choose from there.

I was quite good this year following my plan of not buying many new books, but I don't count in all those free classics I loaded onto my Kindle lately. Getting free books is not buying, or is it?

But now there are so many modern books on my watchlist recommended on the many threads here, that I am sure in for some "revenge shopping" early next year as well. And I still got all those beautiful Lacombes on my watchlist.

Your book bloggers meet-up sounds wonderful. And what a great list of recommendations!

Ilana - Maybe we could make the NY resolution - a New York resolution; I don't see any way I'll be visiting the Big Apple in 2012 but if I do I won't buy any books there promise. The Canterbury Tales in Graphic format would be interesting and borderline pornographic if my memory of some of the Tales is accurate. I remember doing the Merchant's Tale for my A Level English Literature and seem to recall it being largely about illicit sex and the cuckolding of unsuspecting and incompetent husbands. Dirty old blighter got away with the subject matter of his stories due to the largely incomprehensible language used!

Ilana, in response to your comment on sibyx's thread, I don't think there's any correlation whatsoever between intelligence and a burning desire to read Montaigne's essays! Looking at your reading above, I'd say you're reading plenty of things at least as hard to "get". I am always getting suggestions from your thread.

Hi Ilana!
You always have an amazing line-up of books to get to - I am so much slower and know I will run out of eyesight before I run out of books. Then, I will be forced to learn to listen! Might not be such a bad thing. ;-)
Keep smiling and don't forget to eat!

Interesting NY resolution, Paul. *grin*

>210 PaulCranswick: Now that's a book-buying resolution I could make! Although, I don't really have a problem with buying too many books... that is to say, I have no room for new books, but I do manage to come in at or under budget each month in book purchases.

Ilana- As usual, I love your line-up of books. I also would like to squeeze in The Elephant's Journey before year's end. I read Regeneration quite a few years ago and would love to continue that trilogy. Everyone seems to love it.

I so concur with Janet!

Ilana, having said that I wasn't sure what to recommend, I find myself hoping you read The Ghost Road next. I'm almost done with it and I believe Lisa will be reading it this month, too. I read Regeneration last February and The Eye in the Door over the summer, so I'm feeling like the trilogy is serving as a kind of scaffolding for my LT year. For me, at least, wrapping up the three of them all in 2011 feels satisfying.

I'm right in there with everyone else regarding the buying of books. I bought four new books yesterday, somewhat impulsively (and compulsively, perhaps) -- all for the Author Theme Reads of 2012. The U Bookstore must love to see me coming in the door.....

I hope your energy increases, Ilana. I know mine flags this time of year, just because of the short days. Since I'm staying home today, I may get to take a nap at some point. Abby would like that. (grin)

I'm not allowing myself an energy crisis until Dec. 29th when my house is empty (except for Lucky, DH, and me) once again. I have cookies to bake, carpeting to steam clean, and lots of groceries to stock up on in the next week. So why am I reading an unputdownable book right now? I'm loving Sea of Poppies. I've resorted to alternating between the print and audio versions so I can multi-task! A little trick I picked up from you re the audio, Ilana.

Oh yeah, I'll join in on the resolution not to buy any books in New York City next year. Lol!

#208 Judy, I think I'll follow your advice and go with The Ghost Road. I have just a few more pages to go with The Haunted Bookshop and then jumping into Pat Barker's book tonight. I'm having trouble concentrating lately, so one book at a time is probably all I can manage right now.

On the audiobook front, I finally decided to go with Silesian Station by David Downing. This series had been on my wishlist for a long time, and after listening to the first book Zoo Station this month, I couldn't resist jumping into the next instalment, something I do very very rarely. So far I'm captivated.

#209 Nathalie, of course free books don't count as purchases, but they do count as acquisitions, meaning they contribute to growing your tbr and make reading off the shelf that much more of a challenge! For this reason, I think I'll be limiting my book-borrowing at the library next year as well, as I'd really like to go through as many of the titles I already have as possible. But as we all know, resolutions are only made to be broken, so I won't be too rigid about it as want to provoke the least "revenge" buying or acquiring as I can. Wish me luck with that! :-)

#210 I don't see any way I'll be visiting the Big Apple in 2012 but if I do I won't buy any books there promise.

YOU Paul? Go to NYC and not purchase books?!? ROFLMAO!!! Yeah right... When the cows teach the pigs to read and write!!! :-D

I'm not joining any such resolution. I haven't been to NYC in far too long, going on five years in the spring and I can guarantee you that if I did go (no such plans at present and not likely this year or next), then I'd be hitting bookstores in a big way. For one thing, I've never been to The Strand, and one of my favourite places is Rizzoli, just off 5th Avenue for great art books and such.

All the best of luck with that. God forbid some opportunity did bring you to those parts. I'd just love to see the list of new titles you'd come back with! ;-)

I wouldn't be surprised to find a pornographic twist in Seymour Chwast's Canterbury Tales. He's never shied away from a little gentle controversy as far as I know. Please don't get the wrong idea or anything, but your comment gives me that extra motivation I needed to crack that book open! :-)

Speaking of Chwast, I purchased this fantastic book he put together called Push Pin Graphic: A Quarter Century of Innovative Design and Illustration sometime before joining LT in November of 2007. He and Milton Glaser (of the "I Love NY" logo fame, among others) were co-founders of the Push Pin Studios, which were huge in the design and advertising worlds from the 50s through the 80s. Having taken a workshop with Glaser in NY and being a huge fan of this brilliant man, I can't believe I haven't cracked that book open yet. Sheesh, talk about being overbooked!

Ilana, I finished The Ghost Road this morning. It was an even easier read than the first two in the trilogy, less nuanced, but a very nice finale for the story of William Rivers and Billy Prior.

#211 I don't think there's any correlation whatsoever between intelligence and a burning desire to read Montaigne's essays!

You may not believe me Janet, but I found your comment very reassuring. I always feel like I don't challenge myself enough, so it's good to have feedback confirming this is not necessarily the case. I'm constantly swinging between being an overachiever and then being a total slacker. The two couldn't be more opposite, but you'd be surprised at how many other creatives I've known who tend to be the same way!

By the way, I find it hugely flattering that you get book ideas from me. I didn't know that of course, since I guess you mostly tend to be a lurker, but of course that's fine with me too. ;-)

#212 Claudia dear, please don't fret and go imagining that there's a chance in hell that I'll manage to actually read all those books this month! I just love making lists and challenging myself, but I mostly don't mind not completing those lists. That being said, I've promised myself less LT and more reading and art making from now on, so wish me luck with that. You all are so much fun, it's really hard to tear myself away from this place.

#213 but I do manage to come in at or under budget each month in book purchases.

I don't have a book budget, because I shouldn't be spending on ANYTHING, period and concentrating on paying off all that credit they love to give me. But if I did have a budget, it's a sure bet I'd bust it, so I'm very impressed with your discipline.

#214 Mark, the Regeneration trilogy is just so brilliant and different from anything I've read before, that I'm surprised you weren't compelled to continue with it sooner. As for The Elephant's Journey, I think I'll try to slot it in right after, though I might also be tempted to read L'Assomoir by Zola first, as I'm lagging behind in my French classics category for my 11/11 challenge.

#215 :-)

#216 Ellen, I will grant your wish and read the last chapter of the Regeneration Trilogy starting tonight. Your mention of when you read the first two books inspired me to look at when I read them, and seems it was in January and February. Can't believe I've waited so long to get to the last The Ghost Road, especially considering that one was the first to make it onto my wishlist when I saw it had won the Booker Prize.

As for book-buying, I went ahead and purchased a few more audiobooks last night: North and South, read by the wonderful Juliet Stevenson (so I can join the group read), A Christmas Carol, read by Tim Curry, after I saw Paul mention reading it on his thread and Steve Jobs, which I've been meaning to get to the moment it was released. I'll probably start on that one last to make it count toward my non-fiction 12/12 category. Non-Fiction books read this year (excluding art books): 4. Surely I can do better than that next year!

#217 Donna, I wish I could just spur myself on and keep my energy up by sheer determination, but unfortunately, energy lags seem to be part of my makeup—something I've suffered from as far back as I can remember. I've asked doctors about this countless times, and I'm convinced that having had mononucleosis at the ripe old age of three messed something up in my system. When fatigue takes over, no effort of will can push it away. When I was a toddler I cried and cried about it, but over the years I've just learned to live with it.

As always though, you are continually a source of inspiration as an example of living I can continue to strive for.

I can't wait to get to Sea of Poppies, especially with all the positive feedback I've been hearing about it this month. I'll put it on my January reading list and hopefully manage to actually read it first thing next year...

#219 Ellen, I was busily typing away at the post just above, so didn't see your comment till now. You've convinced me to make The Ghost Road a priority. Somehow, I'm absolutely certain it won't disappoint.

Yeah to be entirely frank Ilana if I was lucky enough to get a visit to New York next year my resolutions would be thrown to the winds - When the cows teach the pigs to read and write! haha the school system in Kuala Lumpur is unlikely to stretch to that with the Hindu and Muslim teachers unlikely to be fighting over the task! If by some ingenious trick of fate I did get as far as New York and The Strand I would have to nip across to Montreal and help you out in clearing the shelves over in your home town!

Haha also on your motivation to get to Chwast's book - is that his real name by the way?

Hey Ilana, I mentioned your possible Steinbeck-at-thon in 2012 on Mark's thread and it got some good love. Do you have a plan? May/can I help?

You reminded me I got an old German audioversion of The Christmas Carol. I'll take that with me next week when I travel to my parents for the holidays. Last year we read the book to each other, so this year we can just lean back and listen (and fall asleep within minutes).

Re. audiobooks: my internet connection at home has been really bad those last weeks, which makes audible downloads quite difficult. Last night I downloaded a very short audiobook (The Third Man by Graham Greene) to check if it works at all and went to sleep. This morning I saw it had downloaded completely, but it refused to open in my iTunes. Have you ever had this problem?

You're right about the tbr stack. There are so many great classics on my Kindle now that I'd love to start them all at once. But as I am already reading four books I have to force myself to finish at least one of those before starting a new one. I really have to continue with my Zolas in January, I wish I could read French a bit faster.

Edit: tried that download again and this time it worked, so it must have been my internet connection, not the audible format

Ok, one of my New Year's Resolutions will be to delurk here more often! The lurking is a product of the fact that I often think I don't have anything to say for myself, particularly if I haven't read the books being chatted about. But I can try. Oh, and if you do go ahead with a Steinbeck thing, I think I would be interested in that.

Ilana- I planned on starting the audio of A Christmas Carol but the tracks were jumbled up, so I have to fix them. My copy is read by Frank Muller. Ring a bell?

#222 Paul, I looked it up on Wikipedia just to be sure, and the answer is yes, I believe Chwast is his real name. He's Jewish, so the name is undoubtedly of European descent and may have been truncated at some point, either by him or by a previous generations.

I've read the first few tales and stopped at The Wife of Bath, which is where I'll pick up again if I don't gobble up the rest of the evening socializing with you wonderful people.

#223 Ellen, I don't know if you read my little meltdown rant over on your thread before you came back here, but the short answer is, yes, I would appreciate some help very much. Basically, I'm stumped as far as planning goes. As I mentioned before, it was simple enough for the Austenathon organizers to figure out a plan with six major novels over twelve months. But when it comes to Steinbeck's bibliography it's not so simple to sort out. Starting the threads is no trouble at all for me, but if you have a yen for planning, I am all ears.

#224 Nathalie, I've never had troubles listening to any of the Audible files, or not thus far in any case... So the problem very likely was with the unreliable connection. That must be very frustrating. I'm besides myself the rare times my internet connection goes down or wonky, but then it costs me a pretty penny too, so I expect their service to be tops. And speaking of service, should you ever have trouble with an Audible file, their customer service is quite responsive, so don't hesitate to contact them. I've written to them a few times about adding some titles to their catalogue, and they usually get back to me within 24 hours.

Re: the tbr stacks, when I discovered last week that my iPhone was a perfectly good eReader, I rushed over to Project Gutenberg and downloaded a bunch of free books. I started with those Shakespeare plays I have as audio versions so I could read along, but then was inspired to get quite a few others more too. At this point I think I have to stay away from eBooks for as long as possible, because if I get into those I'll NEVER get to my own stacks!

And speaking of Shakespeare, I've started reading King Lear to familiarize myself with the characters so that I'd have a better idea of who is talking when I get to the audio performance. So far have only read Act I Scene I, but I won't hesitate to refer to SparkNotes to help me figure out what's what. It almost feels like I'm going back to school! :-)

#225 Janet, your comments are always welcome, whether about specific books, to make suggestions or join into any of the discussions here. That being said, I do plenty of lurking on LT too, especially on days when I'm not feeling particularly chatty.

I'd more or less given up on the Steinbeckathon for lack or organizational capacities, but now Ellen's ressucitated discussions about it and offered to help it looks like it might happen. My idea is to have it over the whole year so that people can have plenty of time to get to his novels. They're having a Steinbeck month in September over at the 12/12 group, but I like to mix things up a lot and wouldn't be very keen on reading mostly from the same author in any given month.

#226 Mark, Frank Muller does in fact ring a bell. I discovered him when I got the audio for All Quiet on the Western Front, which I haven't listened to yet, but liked the sound of him from the sample enough to look up his other audiobooks. I might get All the Pretty Horses read by him when I decide to get back to the trilogy, since I read that book a couple of years ago now and would like to have it fresh in mind before moving to The Crossing. Something else to add to the 2012 list. :-)

Ilana, as far as the Steinbeck-a-thon goes, it sounds like a great opportunity for some shared leadership! I don't have the technical finesse that you have, but I'm already stirring up some "organizational" ideas. Will write more on my lunch break today..... we can come up with something that works with the 12/12 group's plan for September. I'll check out their plan.

Ellen, as far as I know, there is no plan for Steinbeck over at 12/12. They've just decided on that month to read Steinbeck. I haven't checked to see if there's a specific thread on the topic mind you.

*****

It was raining all day yesterday and part of the night and into this morning, but the sun has decided to come out now. I'll take advantage of the daylight to take Coco out for a walk, but when I come back I'll do another of my speed review things, seeing as I'm already 9 review behind and wouldn't want to be left with too many reviews to write for December books once we're into the new year.

OK friends, it's that time of the moon cycle when the review muse decides to alight on my shoulder, or when I decide to grab her by the wings and FORCE her to whisper into my ear under threat of torture. The month is already halfway done and I'll be darned if I end up with this many reviews backlogged when the New Year is upon us.

Full disclosure: I'm slightly-to-very tipsy right now, so not sure if said reviews, whatever length they end up being will make any sense. For all I know, I'll read them again tomorrow and be so ashamed I won't want to show my face (so to speak) in these parts for a while. But it's worth it. I'm not by any means "a drinker", but once in a while I indulge and get myself a nice bottle of Whisky or some liqueur and today grabbed a nice big bottle of Bailey's, which came with a promotional mug, and so just HAD to make myself some coffee and Bailey's of course. I didn't use the mug as thought that was a bit much, so used the dainty coffee cups my mum passed on to me, and which I never use, but three (or is it four, or five?) cups later, life seems very rosy and silly and random—which really isn't much different from how I usually look at it, only I might slur my words a little bit more and make even less sense that usual, so apologies all around.

Right. It's 7:10 p.m. right now and I'm nine reviews behind. Coco will need a walk within 80-90 minutes for sure, so let's see if I can knock them all out before he starts begging me for release...

Full disclosure: I'm slightly-to-very tipsy right now, so not sure if said reviews, whatever length they end up being will make any sense.

Ooh, this could get interesting!

258. ♫ Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell ★★★★⅞
(Read for TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book for your 11 in 11 challenge and obviously for 11/11 challenge Category #10: Sooner Than Later: Recent Acquisitions)

This was a re-read for me, and last time I read the novel and saw the movie was, fittingly enough, back in 1984 during my high-school days. Thanks to my faulty memory and the accumulation of years, I remembered virtually nothing of the story, save for a few crucial and indelible parts, so it was like discovering a new novel all over again. What amazed us then and continues to amaze now is how much foresight Orwell had. Big Brother might not have the same face as that displayed in the ubiquitous posters in the story, but he is among us and rules our world. Or that's how I feel about it when in a more cynical mood. In other ways, one can't help but feel relieved that there is a thing such as the "free world" which none of us should take for granted.

The story itself seems very basic. A man called Winston Smith is an intellectual working for the Party in the land of Oceania. Life is strictly regimented for Party members with tv screens everywhere observing their every move and seemingly able to read their very thoughts as well. Winston remembers a time in childhood before the Party had taken over, but this is his damnation. Because in the current world of Big Brother, the past is continually being edited and re-edited to fit the latest ideology embraced by the Party, and Big Brother must always be made to look as though his foresight is infallible, hence, a full-time job re-writing newspaper articles and entire books and changing photos and burning any evidence which might prove that the Party isn't all that it claims to be. Enter Julia, a woman whom Winston first thinks might be spying on him. In this world, children are raised to spy on their parents and deliver them to the hands of the Though Police if they are found to deviate in any way from the Party line. But Julia ends up being opposed to the party, a subversive who takes chances yet embodies all that the Party most prizes: complete adherence to it's principles, wherein only the Party must dominate and the individual be quashed to fit into a militaristic mould, in a world wherein the reigning slogans are WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Winston and Julia become lovers, which in and of itself is a subversive act, because in Oceania, sex is not something to be enjoyed, but endured for the sake of bringing new Party members into the world. It is self-evident that things must turn out badly for the pair, and they do, though they both know from the beginning that the Ministry of Love, which is in charge of torturing dissidents to death, will catch them them sooner or later.

The concepts and terms in this book are difficult to describe and explain neatly in a short review. Even for those who have never been exposed to this work before, there are many notions which are familiar, because they have become part of the vernacular since the publication of the novel in 1949, such as Big Brother, Doublethink, Thoughtcrime and Newspeak. There is no question that Orwell's ideas were informed by the Soviet and Nazi totalitarian regimes of his time, and yet he clearly understood that all such regimes share common belief systems at the core.

I loved the fist three quarters of the novel, which took us into Winston's mind, his workplace and routines and describe this bleak world he is an observer and unwilling participant of. The final part of the novel, which takes us into the nightmarish edifice of the Ministry of Love, and describes the inhumane treatment Winston is subjected to in order to "rehabilitate" him, is hard to witness, especially when one knows that similar treatment has, and continues to take place in many parts of the world, so that I was quite anxious for the suffering to end. All the same, this is an excellent novel, and a very important one which should be required reading for everyone as an effective argument for why freedom of speech and thought and movement are things none of us should take for granted and must seek to defend at all cost.

The audio version narrated by Samuel West is highly recommended.

#231 Ooh, this could get interesting!

Only if you enjoy the ramblings of a drunkard! LOL! :-D

259. ♫ Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie ★★★
(Read for TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book for your 11 in 11 challenge, which completes 11/11 Category #3: Mysteries & Crime Fiction)

This Agatha Christie novel came highly recommended, and I must admit that the appeal of reading and AC novel which doesn't feature either Poirot or Miss Marple was appealing, since I'd never indulged in any of those before. When a man is discovered at the bottom of a cliff in the last minutes before his death, the only clue to his demise are his last words: "Why didn't they ask Evans?". Bobby and Francis, two young inhabitants of the village where the presumed accident has taken place, can't resist the opportunity to uncover what aristocratic and thrill-seeking Francis hopes is a vile crime, and together they set about getting involved in what is a highly convoluted, yet satisfying plot, involving a young woman who's picture is found in the victim's pocket, and a suspicious temperamental doctor who runs a clinic for drug addicts. I would have given this mystery novel a higher rating were it not for the dialogue, which I found painfully bad. This was probably emphasized by the fact that I took in the audiobook version, but is in no way attributable to the narrator, who did a very competent job. Definitely recommended for Agatha Christie fans. Less so for newcomers.

I can't keep up

check your email

;-}

#235 No worries doll, I don't expect you too. Check your inbox, there's something there for you. xx :-)

Right, well, I've failed miserably at attaining my goal of 9 reviews in 80 minutes or whatever, but hey, I've got two-and-a-half of them written already, which is better than nuthink!

I must free Willy, or... Coco's thingy in this case, but will come back to post more reviews. Zoo Station is on the way, and then I promise I'll at least try to post a whole slew of really brief ones.

Ta taaa!

Ilana- You seem to be hanging in there pretty good. Not to sloshy! I came up with an idea for the Steinbeck-athon over on my thread! It could use a couple tweaks, but it's a start.

I like your planned Group Reads for 2012. I might also join you on Love in the Time of Cholera. I've been meaning to get to this one FOREVER! I love the nudges we give each other over here!

#230 Good for you Ms. Bailey! Hope I stay as literate as you managed with your Orwell review after a similar occasional binge. Did notice a slight deterioration as you got to #237 but I guess the Baileys was there to be finished. Hope Coco's thingy is able to operate with sufficient haste such that I can see the much anticipated review of Zoo Station!

;-}

237: I must free Willy, or... Coco's thingy in this case...

You are tipsy, Ilana! And awfully dang cute, to boot.

Mark and I have been brainstorming a bit over on his thread - check it out and let us know what you think. The Steinbeck-a-thon was originally your idea, so please do share your thoughts.

Hugs for a good weekend, dear.

260. ♫ Zoo Station by David Downing ★★★★½
(Read for TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book that has the exact same title as another book on LT: Zoo Station: Adventures in East and West Berlin by Ian Walker)

I wouldn't have called myself a spy novel fan before reading this novel in which suspense and mystery are masterfully combined with historical events. The story begins on New Year 1939, exactly nine months before Hitler's invasion of Poland. British journalist John Russell has been living in Berlin since the early 20s, having fought in WWI and doing his best ever since to put the memories of trench warfare behind him. The Nazis have become all-powerful, with 1938s Kristallnacht—an attack on Germany's and Austria's Jews during which more than 1,500 synagogues were ransacked, and more than 250 set on fire—still very fresh in everyone's memory. Jews are no longer allowed to earn a salary and are turned away from restaurants and most public places, dissidents of the Third Reich are sent to concentration camps and rarely returned to freedom in one piece, if at all. Considering all this, Russell knows he should leave Germany and seek shelter either in Britain or better yet, in the United States, where his American mother is living, but this option doesn't seem possible to him, since his twelve-year-old German son by a German ex-wife, Paul, along with the love of his life, Effy—a minor film star and local celebrity—won't likely be able to leave with him.

When he is coerced by a Soviet operative who requests he write articles for Russian newspapers, things take an even more dangerous turn for him. One of his neighbours, a young American journalist has hit upon a potentially explosive story—and one that is likely to get him killed—a reliable witness has given him documents confirming that the Nazis have been killing off disabled and mentally deficient children as part of their plan to purify the race, while keeping the parents in the dark as to the true cause of death. Russell knows better than to get involved, but before long he feels morally obliged to take on the documents. He's also taken on a private tutoring engagement to try to make ends meet—teaching English to two Jewish sisters who's parents want to send to England. He becomes attached to the family and does all he can to help them, even as the father, a doctor who is no longer allowed to treat patients, is taken into a concentration camp under false charges. All these plot elements are woven together in an expert manner, and I found myself invested in the fates of these characters who are trying to survive in very dangerous times. The impeding sense of doom is very real, all the more so because while we know the historical facts, Downing does a commendable job of convincing us that the outcome is as yet unknown by presenting us with credible stories of individuals doing their best to survive. Captivating.

Gosh, that review took me forever. Glad it's out of the way. Only six more to go, but whether that'll get done tonight is looking more and more doubtful.

#238 Hi Mark, it would appear that Bailey's doesn't cause actual drunkenness, which isn't such a good thing because it'll only encourage me to keep drinking, and I'm sure to feel the effects when I wake up tomorrow... though I hope I get away with my mini-binge unscathed. I'll swing by your thread in a moment or two.

#239 Paul, sorry it took so long to finally post that dang review. I had about half of it down, but then had to take care of dinner when I got back from our walk, and when I settled down to finish it I realized I had to rewrite the whole thing for it to make any kind of sense. Of course I'm in no condition to really be a judge of that, and I'm sure I left out some really important bits, but then, you lot are a very forgiving crowd, I'm sure. ;-)

#240 Heh heh. Me be a happy drunk. *Hips!* :-)

#241 Ok, the stars seem to point to an imminent visit over on Mark's thread. Am taking myself there no later than right now.

I hope you have a great—and especially restful—weekend my dear.

Zoo Station looks excellent!

Right. It's super late, but I'll throw in one last review for now since I already wrote it in my head while I was walking Coco.






261. ♫ Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson ★★★★½

Major Ernest Pettigrew, a sixty-eight year old widower who hasn't yet gotten over the death of his wife six year hence, has just lost his younger brother quite suddenly and is understandably very upset about the news. When he sets out to leave his house and drive over to his sister-in-law's, he is taken by a temporary malaise, just as the local shopkeeper, Mrs Ali stops by his house, and the kind middle-aged lady helps the Major recover, even offering to drive him to his brother's funerals when he doesn't feel able to do so himself. And so a beautiful friendship is born. An unlikely friendship, with differing class and ethnic backgrounds (she's Pakistani) combined with life in a small English village, making such a pairing fodder for plenty of gossip and disapproval among the Major's friends and neighbours. The Major's insufferable financier son is also opposed to their union, which doesn't fit into his notion of a career or socially enhancing manoeuvre, as is Mrs Ali's nephew, who helps her in the shop and has recently returned from studies in Pakistan having renewed his Muslim faith with extreme vigour.

This story sounded like it had all the makings of an unbearably cute lovey-dovey story that should have gottten royally on my nerves. But I was quite thrown off my grumpy old maid stance by characters that seemed genuine and rather likeable (some of them), or wonderfully despicable, all facing real-life situations and difficulties of the sort we can all relate to, all the while knowing love must prevail. I was prepared to take in the inevitable happy ending with a healthy dose of grumpy condescension, but there were plenty of unforeseen complications along the way that made getting there quite a fun trip. To top it all off, I just adored having this story read to by Bill Wallis, who does a fine job of interpreting each character, and making a charming story that much more enjoyable. A very enthusiastic HURRAY!!!

#244 I certainly thought so! :-)

Very good reviews Ilana - I would certainly have been far less articulate with such a heady cocktail imbibed!

Good heavens, Ilana!
Great reviews... pass some of that Baileys/coffee concoction over here! It's magic! ;-)
Hope you are feeling chipper this AM ;-)

What a good review of Major Pettigrew, Ilana. I'm glad you liked it. It's become one of my favorites. I may have to try it on audiobook - that sure sounds good.

#247 Thanks Paul darling. It seems that Bailey's quite agrees with me, the only problem being it certainly didn't help me cut down on my usual tendency to blab on and on... :-)

#248 My theory about the Bailey's/coffee combo Claudia is that the alcohol and caffeine cancel each other out, so really, it's almost like just drinking water. lol. I'm feeling quite fine today, even though as per my usual, I ended up sleeping through the whole morning, but I blame that on late night reading and not alcohol or caffeine.

#249 Joe, Major Pettigrew will be featured as one of my favourites of the year. It probably helped that I came at it with no real expectations, even thinking I mightn't like it. But the Major himself won me over right from the start with his combination of grumpiness and tender heart and major foibles (that obsession with the guns!) which made him seem so familiar, and yet he was full of surprises too. I really did like quite a lot. And I don't mean to insist, but Bill Wallis seemed like the perfect casting, with a voice that suited the Major to a T.

*****

Right, so I haven't gone and read the last dozen comments or so and so not absolutely certain that I didn't make an utter fool of myself last night, but somehow, I don't feel any shame today, so it mustn't have been so bad. No doubt I was probably quite very silly, but then, that's not much different from my usual disposition (when I'm not being maudlin, that is), and I bet if I hadn't told you all I'd been imbibing, no one would have been able to tell the difference. There's still plenty of Bailey's left, so I can't promise I won't be repeating that performance by the way... ;-)

Yesterday when I went to do some errands in the farmer's market area, I had intended to purchase a bundle of evergreen branches from the Christmas tree people. But as I was walking next to the forest of trees, I came across a huge container filled to the brim with tree cuttings, and when I asked if I could help myself they said to go right ahead. I felt a little bit self-conscious picking through what was essentially a garbage container, but a minute or two after I started helping myself, other respectable looking people came along and started doing the same. This didn't quite offset the cost of the Bailey's bottle, but it was a small symbolic saving all the same. Looks like I'll be doing some sort of decorating in the coming days. But first, I'm intent on getting all my reviews done as really want to go into the new year with a clean slate!

These were all top-notch reviews! I hope you are feeling none the worse for the Bailey's today!
I've sort of held off of Pettigrew, but that is obviously silly, reading yr. review. The Downing sounds like a good one for the gift wishlist -- I have a brother who particurly loves ww2 thriller/mysteries.

We have a bit of snow today, not much, but enough to cover the ground in white again after it all got rained away the other day.

I fully understand your Bailey's/Coffee Theory! It is exactly the same as my Kahlua/Hot Cocoa Theory and by extension, the combination of wine then coffee when I go out to eat.... altogether known as the "Cancellation Theory"!
Well done, Ilana! Such scientific minds! :)

Okay, the first thought was "How can I have missed 23 posts in less than a day??"

Then I realized that
a) I never tried Bailey's and coffee together and that
b) I feel inspired to try it, but the shops are closed, and this being Italy they'll remain closed till Monday. So - no Bailey's. Maybe a coffee and a whisky will do?

Then I read your reviews, which are not only as great as always, I also admire your ability to write when "slightly-to-very- tipsy". It's about 10 years since I did that the last time and the results were very, very embarrassing.

I share your thoughts on "1984" and "Pettigrew" (though I could have done with a little less dramatic development towards the ending and so rated Pettigrew 'only' with 4 stars). I think I'll avoid the Agatha Christie, but Zoo Station goes to the wishlist.

What @Deern said!! (Where's the LIKE button on this thing?) I think the problem may be not enough Baileys!

#251 Lucy, I'm doing fine today, considering, which isn't necessarily a good thing, as it only encourages me to start all over again...

We had a fine sprinkling of snow late last night, but there isn't much left of it today, just mostly a crackling sensation when one steps in grassy areas. However, it was cold enough to justify Coco's sweater purchases... now he just needs loads of snow to run around in like a bunny. I'll have to catch him on video so I can show just how cute he is when he's at it!

I don't consider myself a fan of romance novels, and tend to get very grouchy when I'm not in the mood for "cute", but I should have known that a contemporary British romance like Major Pettigrew would be dry enough for my sensibilities. No wonder the sanest relationship I ever had was with a British guy who happened to have been an RAF officer!

I'm so sorry I haven't responded to your PM. Just realizing this now. A PUPPY?! REALLY?!? How exciting!

#252 Claudia, scientific my foot! Some of us will stop at nothing to justify holiday abuses. Shameless of us, really. I don't have a car, nor children who are likely to be scarred by memories of my drunken rages, so I'm good to go and can happily drink myself into a gentle stupor, just as long as Coco reminds me to get him outside and the cats keep meowing loud enough to remind me to feed them.

#253 23 posts is nothing Nathalie. Some people in these parts (and I won't name names) sometimes have as many as twice that, or more, on any given day, which I find truly discouraging. That being said, I can't believe I'm at over 250 posts already. I certainly have the gift of gab, don't I. You lot shouldn't encourage me! I'm really not sure whether I should start a new thread at this point, or just stick with this one till the end of the year. See? Problems like these are what drive me to drink. ;-)

I'm not sure I had tried coffee and Bailey's before either, as the rare times I get that drink, I tend to like it on the rocks. But since they were giving away mugs with every bottle as part of a holiday promotion, I figured I just had to try it. Coffee and whisky works. As does a nice hot lemon toddy. At least with that last option, you can claim it's for medicinal use. :-)

#254 Not enough Bailey's—now there's a sensible woman! JUST the nudge I needed to hit the bottle again. He heh.

Ilana- I loved Major Pettigrew! And I loved your review! I already have Zoo Station on the WL. I don't want to read to much about it but I'm sure your review is spot-on.
Thanks for all the Steinbeck input! I think we have a great plan in place.

Thanks Mark! I'm really glad Ellen got the ball moving again on the Steinbackthon and that you'll be taking on a part of it too. I'm not sure why we ended up working out the details on your thread, but then again, it's likely to get noticed by a lot more people there, so it's just as well.

For those who haven't visited Mark's thread yet, the Steinbeckathon for 2012 is looking something like the following at this point (though I'm still awaiting Ellen's last word on it):

January: Cannery Row (208*) - Ilana/Smiler69**
February: The Wayward Bus (288) - Mark/msf59
March: The Winter of Our Discontent (304) - Lynda/Carmenere
April: The Moon is Down (112) - Linda/lindapanzo
May: The Grapes of Wrath (496) - Ellen/EBT1002
June: Of Mice and Men (112) -
July: East of Eden (640) - Ellen
August: The Red Pony (112) - Ilana
September: In Dubious Battle (384) - Mark
October: Tortilla Flat (224) -
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl (256 + 96) - Ilana
December: Sweet Thursday (288) - Mark

* approximate # of pages
** names indicate who will be heading up the threads and group reads (blanks are still tbd).

Anyone is welcome to join in at any point, for as many or as few books as is desired.

*****

I was going to write up more reviews, but the day's flown by and now I'll need to get Coco out and make sure to be back on time to watch Elizabeth I (part 1) with Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons starting at 8 p.m.

Hi Ilana, catching up on all the reviews and chats over here. Great reviews by the way and written with the help of Mr Bailey, I am impressed. I love Baileys on the rocks..

#258 Hi Leonie! I'm much overdue for a visit in your neck of the woods. Am being a very bad girl and have a Mr Bailey's on the rocks right now. I know... I'm a lush. But considering how seldom I drink, I have to be bad once in a while, right?

*****

Elizabeth I (part 1) was quite good. Now will try to get a few more reviews out as fast as possible as I want to get to bed reasonably early and get as much reading in as I can before conking out. Let's see how many reviews I can get done in the next 30 minutes...

262. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa ★★★★⅓
(Read for TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book by an author with a surname of four syllables)

Marito is a young law student living in Lima, Peru, who makes a living at one of the local radio stations by plagiarizing news items from the newspapers for the hourly newscasts. When the owners of the station hire the famous Bolivian radio personality Pedro Camacho, Marito is fascinated by the dwarf-like scriptwriter and actor, who can work at a manic pace and produce scripts for six different radio serials per day with apparently no effort, though it becomes apparent from the content of the serials as the months go by that Camacho is going through a serious meltdown. Marito has aspirations of moving into a Parisian hovel and becoming a literary sensation one day, and while he labours over short stories that he's never quite satisfied with, he can't help but ask himself whether Camacho is not the better writer of the two; he might produce nothing but drivel, but the fact is he spends his days and nights doing nothing but writing, which surely must weight in the balance? His fascination with Camacho is only equaled by his obsession for his 'aunt' Julia (she's actually his uncle's ex-wife). Julia, like Camacho, and also hails from Bolivia, but after a failed marriage, she has moved to Lima to try to find herself another husband, a role that Marito hopes to take on himself, even though he's thirteen years her junior and a relationship between the two is bound to create a scandal with the family.

One of the best parts of the novel is the alternation between Marito's narration and episodes from Camacho's serials, which go from being over the top soap opera fare to complete insane so to speak "postmodern" happenings, but the heroes of his scripts are always described as being "in the prime of his life—his fifties" and of "broad forehead, aquiline nose, penetrating gaze, the very soul of rectitude and goodness." This was a highly original novel, and the first half in my opinion belonged to Camacho completely, both the character himself and his zany creations, and as these became more and more convoluted as he slowly but surely lost his mind, young Marito and aunt Julia's love affair took on the allure of a soap opera script on steroids, which all told, made for plenty of hilarious moments, so I couldn't help but be disappointed with an ending that seemed to belong to another book altogether and fell completely flat. Still much recommended—it's not likely to be like anything else you've read before. Thanks to Donna for recommending this one.

****

Right. So...

Minutes spent writing reviews: 43
Number of reviews written: 1

This is not going at all as I planned. Maybe less alcohol and more caffeine might do the trick next time.

Loved your review of 1984. I have no good memories of that book as i never wanted to read it, but my mother insisted that I do so. At that time many, many years ago it came across as so grim and forbidding and depressing that I did not like it. Truthfully I don't think that I ever could like it, but just the same I think that your review was perfect and if I'd never read the book before I would read it now. Maybe I will read it again and try to see it with your review in mind.

Also enjoyed your Major Pettigrew's Last Stand review as well and think I will get it. Have been resisting it for a long time - it just seemed too popular and too many people were reading it. But now seems like the right time for acquisition.

Congrats on your greenery find. How nice that you are able to make use of stuff that's been tossed out. Nothing like fresh evergreen in the house - smell wise. I have been reduced to the world's tiniest decorated tree as Willie raises particular hell with anything of a decent size. He will chew on wires and try to climb trees even if they aren't real and no amount of gentle reproof (i.e. screaming) will make him quit. The one he allows me to have now is apparently not worthy of his notice. Yay 18 inch tree!

Ilana- I really appreciate all the work you've done on the Steinbeckathon. Hey, a dream came true! You can put down Lynda (Carmenere) for March too! Hugs!

Yes, me too, I'm getting more and more tempted to join in......!

Inspired by yr. example we had some hot toddies last night..... and given the plunging thermometer I think more of them will be in order! I like rum in hot tea quite a bit, whiskey, or almost any liquer at all, in coffee.... have to try kahlua and cocoa. I used to like putting Kahlua on vanilla ice cream..... can't indulge in that any more!

Good review of Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Ilana. I enjoyed it, too, and agree it's unlike anything I've read before. I may try to join you all for at least some of the Steinbeckathon; I'm woefully under-read when it comes to him.

Great team work on your 'Beckathon! I'm intrigued.
I'll start looking for Steinbeck books I don't have - cheap hopefully. I'm turning into such a Mainer!

Happy Sunday!

#261 many years ago it came across as so grim and forbidding and depressing that I did not like it.

Charlotte, there's no question that the world Orwell depicted was as you describe it, but he did it so very brilliantly that I cherished the opportunity to revisit a corner of the mind of the genius who came up with such a complex, yet wholly approachable (forbidding, yet approachable, hmmm) novel.

I was sure glad to be joined by other decent-looking folks when I decided to help myself to what was essentially a garbage heap. I see people (not so decent looking) do so every day, and when I feel especially grim, start fearing the day that I'll have to do the same just to survive. God forbid. But for the sake of that wonderful fresh pine smell, I'm willing to overcome even my worst fears! :-)

Your tree sounds delightful by the way.

#262 Mark, I've added on Lynda in March, both here and on your thread too. Now it looks like we just need someone for June and October. I'm sure those spots won't be too difficult to fill. And please, all the credit goes to Ellen in this case, because had it not been for her offer to help, I would have let my many neuroses get in the way of getting the thing going by myself! lol

#263 Well, Lucy, the good news is you can decided now, or you can decide later—whenever suits you basically. And as we'll be covering a good selection of his work, there should definitely be something to your taste in there.

I'm glad to know I'm leading you to drink by example (??). What a bad influence I am! But I blame it on the season. I've never tried Kahlua and Cocoa either, but it sure sounds yummy. When I had my cold a couple of weeks ago I polished off the last of my Cuban rhum making those hot toddies and then had to turn to a very expensive bottle of whiskey I'd been meaning to sip ever so slowly, but which also made for most beneficial medicine. ;-) Now all this talk of booze is making me want to hit the liquor store again... good thing Christmas comes around just once a year. And please, if I start making even less sense than usual in the coming days, would you give me a gentle nudge? ;-)

#264 I'm glad you liked the review for Aunt Julia Joe. The second I'd hit "post message" I thought of so many other things I'd wanted to say about it, but since nobody pays me overtime for writing those reviews, I decided to leave well enough alone. I agree about Steinbeck, I too have been remiss in exploring more work by this literary giant, which is why this thing came to be. I don't know that I'll be able to, or be inclined to read all the books we'll cover over the year, for the simple reason that I don't always like to follow plans (even my own), but at least the intention is there.

#265 Claudia, I have indeed had quite a nice Sunday. Only too bad it has to end, but hopefully the week ahead will be a nice continuation of this day.

*****

Right, I was going to just keep going with this thread till the end of the month, but I figure if I start a new one, it'll give some people a chance to start from scratch. I know from experience there's nothing so intimidating as 250+ messages to try to catch up on...