calm reading 75 and beyond in 2012 - part 1

Welcome to any visitors. I appreciate any comments and recommendations. I must admit to being a great lurker on other people's threads but I do try to say something occasionally. Though I tend to just sit in the corner and read:)


glitter-graphics.com

I'm aiming for a double 75 - so here's the ticker




I also take part in the 12 in 12 and the thread is here http://www.librarything.com/topic/127110

I will also be tracking number of books read per category here




The categories are

Current affairs - contemporary fiction (2 of 12)
About the past - non-fiction history (2 of 12)
Long ago and far away - historical fiction (medieval and earlier) (2 of 12)
More from the past - historical fiction (post-medieval) (1 of 12)
Chills down my spine - horror and mysteries (2 of 12)
Once upon a time - mythology, folklore and fairytales (1 of 12)
Unlikely things - fantasy (1 of 12)
New friends/Old friends - recommendations, early reviewers and re-reads that don't fit anywhere else (1 of 12)
To space and beyond - science fiction (1 of 12)
It's Greek to me - books in translation (1 of 12)
Need to know - non-fiction (1 of 12)
Great books I should have read - classics and prizewinners/nominees (1 of 12)

and I can't abandon last year's book worm so here he is



I look forward to another year of great reading.

Book list

No touchstones here, when there are comments they will be in the post numbered. I am also tracking number of pages and other challenges.

January

1) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (post 74) 502 pages (TIOLI; 12 in12; group read)
2) The Idea of Prehistory by Glyn Daniel (post 94) 190 pages (12 in 12)
3) The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight by Gina Ochsner (post 95) 370 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
4) Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley (post 111) 191 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
5) The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones (post 125) 257 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
6) Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah (post 133) 274 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
7) Sea Dragon Heir by Storm Constantine (post 134) 343 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
8) The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart (post 143) 340 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
9) Marvels and Magic edited by Richard Barber (post 171) 191 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
10) Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods by Jack Williamson (post 182) 184 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
11) Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris (post 189) 363 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
12) Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian (post 200) 510 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
13) People of the Lake: Mankind & Its Beginnings by Richard E. Leakey (post 210) 226 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
14) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (post 214) 318 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)

February

15) The Kingdom of the Wicked by Anthony Burgess (post 229) 391 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)
16) White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (post 245) 245 pages (TIOLI; 12 in 12)

Happy New Year! This is my first 2012 star.

Hi calm!

Have a great 2012!

Welcome back!

Hello Kerri, Madeline and Jim - hope you all have a great 2012!

I won't be posting here, much, until 1 January - it's still 2011 and I'm sticking with that group until the end of the year. Just couldn't resist the shiny new group:)

Hi Calm! Dropping in to leave my star

I'd just like to know how it got to be 2012 already. Okay, four days away, but that's basically 2012 in my book.

starred!

*waves*

Hi Chelle, Richard, Kara and Faith - good to *see* you all:)

Hi calm, nice to see you again. I'm aiming for more posting and less lurking this year!

Nice shiny new thread, calm! Glad to see bookworm made a comeback and although he gave up the top spot to the wise ole owl, it looks like a good (and peaceful) transition.

Hi Marilyn - thanks for posting. I lurk a lot more than I post and doubt if things will change much in 2012:)

Couldn't lose him Lynda:) I love that bookworm but I did fancy a slight change for 2012.

Getting ready and looking forward to seeing what you will be reading in 2012!

Thanks Genny - I'm looking forward to 2012 as well:)

I'm here Calm!! :)

I am here too!

Back for another year of lurking.

Hi Valerie, Stasia and Sandy - good to see you all:)

Hi Calm!

Calm Happy New Year and look forward to keeping up in 2012.

Hi Kath, Bonnie and Paul. Hope you all have a great 2012.

Happy New Year calm!!!

Hoping you have a great New Year!!

Happy New Year, Calm!

Happy New Year, calm. I came to affix a star and will be back!

Kara, Chelle, Stasia and Ilana - A Happy New Year to you all.

Hopefully I have found and starred all my visitors threads (except for Stasia as I'm not expecting that until a bit later in the month).

Well I think I've read/skimmed all the 2011 threads except for the North and South Group Read - I'm only on chapter 8 - time to start doing the same for 2012 - eeks!! Oh well once I'm caught up it won't be too bad:)

See you all later.

I too am hoping that my starring is caught up.. a bit nerve wracking.. not wanting to miss anyone
and thus lose them in the fray :)

Hope your new year is off to a good start !

Not caught up on all the starring yet - I lurk on a few but only post on the ones I don't want to lose:)

New Year here is a very wet and grey day - perfect for sitting at the computer and catching up with all the threads:)

#29: Look for me to have a thread around next Sunday, calm.

I lurk on a few but only post on the ones I don't want to lose:)

I am honored!

Happy New Year, calm! Wishing you all the best in 2012!

Sounds good to me Stasia:)

Never want to lose you Lynda I enjoy reading your threads:)

Another lurking star from me :)

Hi Bekka - I do a lot of lurking:)

Well as of 10.30 LT Time I have read all the 75 in 2012 threads but people are posting almost faster than I can keep up:) Of course this is the busiest week of the year and it does get easier.

Right this meme is doing the rounds again so let's see if I can come up with some answers:)

Describe yourself: Behind the Scenes at the Museum
How do you feel? The Mind in the Cave
Describe where you currently live: The Box of Delights
If you could go anywhere...? The Night Circus
Favorite form of transportation: Books that Changed the World
Your best friend is: The Darling Strumpet
You and your friends are: Strange Things
What's the weather like? Bee Season
Your favorite time of day: Awakening
What is life for you? A Time for Everything
You fear: The World Without Us
Best advice: So Many Ways to Begin
Thought for the day: If You Fall I Will Catch You
How you would like to die: The Last Enchantment
Your soul's present condition: Broken Evolution

love your "transportation"!

Skipping all the well wishes to drop my own lurking star...

Thanks Sandy - I had fun trying to fit titles to the questions and, for me, I thought that was a good one:)

Thanks Luxx. I like lurkers:)

Dropping by to wish you a Happy New Year, calm!

Happy New Year Calm!

Based on your message #31, I am honoured. :)

Happy New Year!

Hi Calm, I not sure I've been a frequent visitor before but intend to make a better effort to stop by. Love your "Shelves of Shame" designator. I have several here - maybe if I put a big sign up to nudge me whenever I walk by, I might get busy pulling some off of them. Also love the rocking book owl. Happy New Year!

Love your answers to the meme, calm, and agree with Sandy about the transportation method!

Thanks for stopping by.

Roni - Thank you and I hope you have the same.

Valerie - what can I say, I like your threads:)

Laura - Happy New Year to you as well.

Tina - thanks for that. I'm sure I "borrowed" Shelves of Shame from someone but don't remember who:) I've got that book case on the wall opposite the foot of my bed so I can't really ignore it:)

Of course it is overflowing and this is the only way I can get them all to fit



I love rocking chairs and owls so loved that gif when I found it.

Stasia - best way to travel - no queues, no people:)

Oh no... poor bookshelf...
I have been there myself.. sigh.

I agree with you.. best way to travel..

My problem with your bookshelf is that I can't see any titles!!! What is that one on the top left with
the red in the corner? it looks familiar.. (not like one read, but like one considered... )

I love rocking chairs too...

Hi Kath - the books stacks had been slightly re-arranged since I took the photo but that one is The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight - the red is actually a Waterstones 3 for 2 sticker - and it is still on the Shelves of Shame:) Though it might be a good one to read very soon ... but then I could say the same about everything there.

My 'Shelves of Shame' are not on shelves. Actually, those books take up an entire room, I think ;)

I guess rocking chair lovers tend to gravitate to each other cause I adore mine. I slide it close to the window on snowy days and enter a new world with every book I open.

I've attempted to put my books in alpha order but all I have discovered is, I need another bookshelf!! But when it's done it's going to be great!

I do not think there is any way mine are ever going to be organized enough to get them into alphabetical order. I just hope to have shelves for them all one day.

Ah! Organized book shelves. Books in an order. All straightened up, and dusted. There's a picture for my mind!

Happy Reading!

The best of luck reaching 150, a noble endeavor! I suppose if I avoid books like Infinite Jest I could just make it..... but I am a bit of a sucker for some of those 16-wheelers...... or should I say double-wide! Anyhow, I love that meme. I forget if you are supposed to use the books from .... the last month, year?

Well as of now I have read all the 75 threads - my we are a chatty bunch, but the only way I can keep up at the moment is to not post - hopefully things will quieten down in a few days.

Stasia - I think lack of shelf space is a common problem:) That area does overflow onto the floor occasionally:)

Lynda - I haven't got one but if I ever get my dream place I'll have a kitchen with a range cooker and a rocking chair and a whole room lined with floor to ceiling book shelves. Before LT my fiction books were in alpha order but now things are a little less organised.

Karen - Organised, dusted and straightened up! I think I would need a helper:) I would rather be reading.

Lucy - well I got to 170 last year and quite a few of those were chunksters. I think the meme is meant to be answered by books read in the last year.

Happy New Year calm!

Found and starred!

Hi calm, found and starred by a fellow lurker :-)

Jen

I'm trying to figure out if I can afford to buy yet another new bookcase sometime soon!!

Happy New Year!! Sorry I am a little late but I am having trouble keeping up with this chatty group. Hope you have a fantastic 2012!

Happy New Year!! Sorry I am a little late but I am having trouble keeping up with this chatty group. Hope you have a fantastic 2012!

Thanks Heather

Lori - Good to see you here, hope you aren't too overwhelmed by this chatty group:)

Jen - I enjoyed lurking on your thread last year. Maybe this year I'll say something:) I've only been to Scotland once in my life and that was a day trip just across the border when I was a child, but I love the history and landscape - it was once a dream to have a place on one of the small islands on a loch:)

Suzanne - A common thought around here I'm sure. I was determined to keep my Shelves of Shame down to one (small) bookcase but I think if they were shelved correctly I would need many more! Maybe one day I'll get around to buying shelves but, to be honest, I'd rather spend the money on books:)

Berly - I hope you have a wonderful 2012. We are a chatty bunch, even just reading I can't quite keep up but, when things slow down a bit I'm going to try to post on other people's threads. At the moment it just feels like it adds to the confusion.

sorted in alpha order and dusted too??

interesting fantasy for my house.....I have a system of sorts in place..
and have considered alpha order, but the shelves are different sizes and
the books don't always fit where I would want them to. That would be way too stressful..
so I leave them all shelved according to my weird system... :P

My favorite rocker is my wicker porch rocker...

I so desperately need a bookshelf this year!!
I have one that my DH made for me but it is full :(
A mahogany hutch hides my others and my TBR are all over the place leaning precariously.
I want to see all of them in one place.....and obsessively alphabetize them :)
My goal for 2012!

All the bookcases in the world don't seem to be enough at the moment. :)

#33 I too am honoured!

As for shelves and bookcases, you all DO realize that no matter how many of those we get, we'll always manage to overflow anyway, right?

I have no more room for bookcases, but still have wall space for quite a few shelves. What I don't have is any sort of carpentry skills, so that I depend on my friend (same one who built the ones you can see on my profile), but she is always overloaded with projects, so I must wait... meanwhile, I'm still managing to avoid having to make piles on the floor, so far so good!

I have never, in all my life, managed to find a system that enabled me to keep books from being shoved into random, haphazard places.

My bedroom rocker is a Hitchcock painted number. Presently buried under books.

I try very hard to only have books that are on shelves.
It doesn't work of course. but I try. And I try to have them
so that I can read the spines. I usually manage that for most..
but not all. I try to not stack books on top of shelved books.
That doesn't really work either.. it is true. There are never enough shelves.
An ereader at least lets you hide some books....!

Maybe one day I'll get around to buying shelves but, to be honest, I'd rather spend the money on books:)

All too true, calm! My husband mentioned some bookshelves at his mom's house that we can abscound with and bring over to our house = amazon/book depository here I come!

Last year many of us posted pics of our porches, this year may be the year of the rocking chair.

I like that idea, Lynda!

Wow lots of visitors and I haven't even finished a book this year. Too busy trying to keep up with the chatty people:)

Kath - That was a few years ago and I wouldn't say dusted. If I ever get that big lottery win I will definitely be getting a cleaner! and that dream room. Now I have the remnants of the alpha order on a few book cases, a cupboard-ful piled up higgledy piggledy, my non-fiction shelves (not alpha but by subject), my tbr shelves and my favourites shelves. I can usually find what I'm looking for:)

Kara - Good luck with that, I'm sure that, if I had the shelf space, I would love to do the same ... with enough of a gap for new books that I wouldn't have to rearrange:)

Valerie - too true:)

Ilana - yes so far I am avoiding piles on the floor ... apart from the recently finished 2011 books that I still haven't got around to writing comments for ... they are in a pile near the computer so that I feel slightly guilty every time I look at them:)

Richard - Haphazard is fine but we can dream:)

Kath - Never enough shelves .. too true, it would be nice to be able to see all the spines, even if was just for a few days after getting them arranged though.

Haven't gone the e-reader route and doubt if I ever will, just love books made from paper:)

Lynda - Great that you can get more shelves - I'm sure you will have no problem filling them:)

As I said - no rocking chair, but some day, maybe ... would love a thread of them though:)

Hi Kath - you snuck in there while I was thinking of what to say to everyone. It is a great idea I would love to see it:)

At my house, books are furniture. They will probably never be organized, but I kind of like the challenge of trying to lay my hands on a particular book. I find so much other 'buried treasure' that way.

Hi Stasia - yes it can be fun to uncover 'Buried treasure':)

and I've finally finished my first book of the year - details coming soon.

1) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (27 December - 5 January)

This was my first Gaskell and, probably, won't be my last. It did take me longer to read than I expected but not because I didn't like it. The lead character, Margaret Hale, has been living with her aunt in London, more as a companion to her cousin than as part of the family and on her cousin's marriage she returns to her much loved home. Unfortunately her father, the local vicar, has a crisis of conscience and takes the family to a Northern industrial town where he finds work as a tutor.

There are lots of social issues raised in this novel and Margaret and her life is the bridge between the various themes. There are a lot of interesting characters and Gaskell handles the various ideas very well but it is also a dense read that bears reading slowly and carefully. I did find the ending a bit abrupt but that is a minor flaw and, overall, I would say that this is a novel well worth reading.

There are a lot of interesting characters and Gaskell handles the various ideas very well but it is also a dense read that bears reading slowly and carefully.
I have to agree with you there. Im half way through and feel like I'm wading a bit. (more to do with lack of decent chunks of reading time probably).

I know that when I read North and South I wished I had more knowledge of the English history behind it.

Interested by your review of North and South Calm as we finished it on the same day and came to pretty much the same conclusion. BTW don't you hate the fact that the touchstone always comes up with the monstrosity written by John Jakes first?

Megan - as it was originally serialised I guess it makes sense to read it slowly.

Stasia - I know a bit as I studied the Industrial Revolution in history class but that was a long time ago.

Paul - Haven't seen your thoughts yet I'll have to have a look for your thread and check out what you said.

yes Touchstones are funny - never know what is going to come up. I haven't read the Jakes and doubt if I will as I am not so strong on US history.

Now it's confession time and no I'm not taking part in the read more than you buy challenge:)

Today's haul - all "gently used", none from the library as I'm trying to read from my own shelves:)

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra - I enjoyed his Red Earth, Pouring Rain so have hopes for this chunkster:)

Sovereign by C. J. Sansom - I've now got 2 and 3 in the series and still haven't read the first but, from what I hear, I think I'm going to like them,

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson - I know this is book 2 of a series but, once again, I think it is one I'll like so will pick up the rest when I can.

Blackveil by Kristen Britain - Book 4 in a series, I still need book 3, but this time at least I have read 1 and 2... anyone noticing a theme here:)

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah - this has been mentioned on the China TIOLI thread - I might even get around to reading it this month:)

and Telling Tales edited by Nadine Gordimer - an anthology of short stories by a very impressive variety of authors.

Nice haul, calm!

Thanks Stasia - it was the last week of the buy one get one free offer at the shop where I buy most of my used books but I'm sure that won't stop me adding more books to the shelves every time I get into town:)

ditto what stas said !

Thanks Kath:)

passing through calm *waves*
congrats on the "gently used" additions to your book family :)

I just read and thumbed your review of Extremely Loud and found that we had a similar concern..
but different feelings of the book as a whole :)

Good thing that there are so many writers out there for each of us!
hope your weekend was good.

Hi Kara - *waves* back . One of the good reasons for living close to a University town - there are always lots of "gently used" books:)

Hi Kath - I noticed you only gave it 2 stars on your thread - I'll have to check out what you have to say about it. I think I might have been overly generous but I did like the writing and the inventiveness of the book.

It would be a strange world if we all reacted the same way to things.

As for the weekend I've been readathoning again so I'll be back with some book thoughts tomorrow or soon anyway:)

Hope you had a great weekend with Amy.

I was hoping to, but didn't really think I could readathon this weekend. So I ended up doing half a readathon .. read almost all day yesterday and finished 1Q84. But no reading time for me today as I finish up errands and then start to pack for my trip tomorrow.

What are you reading for the 'thon, calm?

Hi Caro - I finished two books that I started before the readathon The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight by Gina Ochner and The Idea of Prehistory by Glyn Daniel. Then I read one of my SantaThing books Confessions of a Pagan Nun. I have also started Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah and Marvels and Magic which is volume one of British Myths and Legends edited by Richard Barber.

How's the Murakami? - I'm thinking of borrowing it from the library sometime this year.

Hope all your travels are hassle free:)

Yes, I agree the ending of North and South was a bit abrupt! She must have been told it was time to finish up! (Since it was a serial.)

drive-by *smooch*

Heavens, missed the fact that there was a readathon...

Last week was so hectic that I just collapsed in a heap at the end of it, and revived intermitently, but only to read, not scroll through LT. (Just getting around to that now.)

Thinking back to kath's comment earlier -- it is incredibly easy to misplace stuff on an e-reader!! the upside being that it doesn't take up physical space!!

Hi Lucy - I must say that as my edition ends with "end of Vol. 4" I wondered if something was missing - but no that is the complete text. Obviously the serialisation imposed limits on the writing and there is an interesting comment in the Preface to original edition Although these conditions were made as light as they well could be, the author found it impossible to develop the story in the manner originally intended and, more especially, was compelled to hurry events with an improbable rapidity toward the close. In some degree to remedy this obvious defect, various short passages have been inserted, and several new chapters added. It makes me wonder how different the story would have been without the constraint of the original format.

Thanks Richard *smooch*

Hi Suzanne - LT (well the 75ers) this past week or so has been absolutely hectic - over 8,000 messages in the 75ers alone so not difficult to miss things. I'm sure there will be more readathons during the year and hopefully things will be a bit less hectic for you. I hope your trip to St Croix will be good for you.

Can't comment on the e-reader:)

So, partly due to the readathon, I am now three books behind on comments - I hope to get at least one or two of them done later today.

Back later:)

>85 calm:

The thing is .. we all get to have different opinions and the what I love
about this group is that for the most part, we respect each others thoughts and
opinions. Hope it is a good monday for you :)

oh and time with Amy was great :)

Thanks Kath, hope you have a good Monday as well. I'm trying to get caught up with all the 75 threads and when I've done that hopefully I'll get to the book comments:)

2) The Idea of Prehistory by Glyn Daniel (3 - 7 January)

An interesting look at how bias and the techniques of archaeology have changed the perception of early man and how pre-literate society is thought of. This was first published in the 1960's and is a series of lectures that the author gave in the 1950's but as it is a look at the history of antiquarianism and prehistory it is still a good book though there have been many advances in the subject. I like the author's style and the way he presents the history he talks about. Though there are fifty years between the publication of this book and now many of the things he discusses are relevant to the study of antiquarians, collectors and archaeologists and, even though our understanding of prehistory has changed, I still think this is a good book.

3) The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight by Gina Ochsner (5 - 7 January)

In post-Soviet Russia a miscellaneous group of people live in a condemned apartment building and Gina Ochsner describes their lives. The possibility of some funding for the local Museum, where three of the tenants work, is talked about on the back cover but this is a minor part of the plot. This is a quirky and unsettling novel, a world of shortages, dreams and hopes as the mismatched people try to survive.

I can see this isn't going to be a novel for everyone. The muck and grime of daily life; the feral children; the touches of magical realism won't be to everyone's taste but I really liked this book. Bizarre as this is I like the way Gina Ochsner writes and the story she tells and I will definitely be looking for more of her work.

Calm - The Idea of Pre-History looks fascinating. Will be another for the overstretched hitlist.

Terrific book haul, calm.

I purposely ignored last weekends readathon as I was still undecorating the house and the temptation to read would have been too difficult to ignore.

You certainly are reading some interesting books this year but I will not succumb to BB's this early in the year, no matter how tempting.

Paul - For what it was, i.e. an old book, it was an interesting read obviously dated in some ways but still a good look back at the development of the study of prehistory.

Lynda - what can I say I can't resist that shop and the great prices of secondhand books. Most of them are going to be sitting on the "Shelves of Shame" for a while as I try to fill the gaps in the series:)

I think I just wanted to get a good start to the reading year and, as it is only me and the cats, the housework can always wait - as long as there are clean dishes and clothes and the bathroom isn't too messy:) Also I don't do the decoration thing so I had nothing (except the cards) to put away.

Very understandable on the BB front. I am trying to clear some books from the shelves and I'm also trying to get at least one book read in each category of my 1212 challenge every month. So there is going to be a mix of subjects and genres - we'll have to wait and see how well that works but I don't really fancy having to try to read a lot of books in any one category at the end of the year:)

And I finished another book and am nearly at the end of one more. I must try to keep up with the book comments. Back after I've seen what has been happening on LT recently and done a bit of housework:)

It doesn't surprise me that The Idea of Pre-History puts forth that idea. Science comes up with all sorts of things that are "fact" for years and they refuse to listen to anything but the accepted theory. I get so frustrated with it. It doesn't matter if it involves history, food or drugs or who knows what... information that is slanted by one "study" or another is thrown down in front of us daily, sometimes opposing studies are presented as fact in the same week. I get weary of it all...

Yes Kath - ideas of things or "facts" do seem to change rapidly and it does get wearisome. I'm not sure if there would ever be a consensus of opinion, people and ideas evolve but I think part of my fascination with the subject is the question of where we came from and how best to live as part of society and how to survive with a modicum of sanity amongst the changes.

If you learn the secret let me know. I sometimes get so weary of it all :(

>99 mckait:/100: We've done a lot of digging since the 60s, and procedures of scientific analysis have come a long, LONG way. So naturally, a better understanding of the data is going to lead to different, and more accurate, conclusions. It's not that "fact" in archaeology has changed so much as we have much better tools to understand the past. The good thing about archaeology and prehistory is that, because we must piece together the past, there are many different ideas out there about various aspects of history, many of which are not considered gospel, and many experts have "fun" arguing until they're blue in the face on different interpretations of the the past. In the end, the study of history through archaeology is quite a different science from the weekly opposing studies that seem to come out on food/drugs these days... we have to dig up history, carefully analyze and think about it and compare it to past elements from the same time period... it's not quite so easy as "commissioning a study" the way food & drug companies do! :)

But each generation thinks they have it right..
with all respect to archeologists everywhere...
I can't help but believe it is all just educated guessing.. and the chances of
getting it right? I don't know.. some things might be clear, but we will never be
able to crack the biggest mystery of all .. our own history. Not really...but that is just my opinion..

If we think we have it right, why keep searching? What's the point of science at all in that circumstance. You'll always get some arrogant so-and-so who thinks they know it all, but most are all too aware that we know so very little.

And actually, I'd say you've put your finger on the draw of archaeology: can we crack the mystery of our own history?

You can't not try.

The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight sounds like one I'd like. I noticed you reading it during the readathon and was looking out for your comments.

I don't think we should stop looking or trying..
Just stop thinking we know the answer for sure....

Hi calm!!!
my brain is mush right now so no thoughts on archaeology/history..........
just wanted to drop off a wave :)

Oh my there is a lot of conversation going on here:)

Kath - still looking but if I ever find out I'll share:)

On to the history/archaeology question I'm not sure how well I can express myself but here goes -

Faith - I guess the way I phrased things could be looked at that way but I know techniques and discoveries in archaeology have moved on but I think it is still relevant to look at the history of a subject and see how things used to be. Definitely talking about the latest "information" about diet or lifestyle is a completely different subject. It is still all part of a search into what makes us human and how society "ticks".

Kath - all we have are a few remains, the things that have survived through the years and they can't tell us how people thought but they can give us some idea of the objects they used, the food they ate, size of dwelling space, etc and then we use our imagination to fill in the blanks and there are many possible theories. We can't "know" for sure but I think a search for roots and identity seem to be part of being human and with new techniques and discoveries a little more of the past is revealed.

Jen - Too true, there are no definite answers but the speculation is good and I think it is important to keep an open mind. I really don't get on with people who think they "know" - that is only their opinion and if they (or any individual) can't accept the possibility of being "wrong" I think that is damaging.

Kath - I agree:)

~~~~~~

Back to other comments

Kerry - as I said it isn't an easy read but I found it strange and fascinating. If you don't mind magical realism and some rather weird goings on it is a good one. There is some history in there as well.

Kara - waves back. No need to comment on anything you don't want to:)

I love the subject of archaeology which I so much wanted to make my life's work but well that's another story........
I feel that learning about our past is archaeology in the reverse. With each new discovery we build upon our knowledge as we deconstruct the past and any professional in the field would and should anticipate that his or her find may be refuted by further discoveries.

I now return this thread to calm :0)

Lynda - me too but life has a way of not always going the way we expect:) Good point.

4) Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley (7 - 8 January)

A good work of historical fiction. This is the memoirs of Gwynneve writing in her cell at St Brigit's near Kildare in the sixth-century AD and covers the coming of Christianity to Ireland and the changes that brings to life and attitudes. Told in alternating "present day" and past chapters Gwynneve's story slowly builds to a chilling conclusion.

I really liked this story and Gwynneve's life. Her journey is a fascinating one and we are told of the impact that the new religion has on her life. I enjoyed what Kate Horsley has done in this work and will definitely read some more of her novels.

>108 calm:: Oh, yes, I wasn't disagreeing with you! I think it's entirely valid, if not critical, to understand the history of any subject in order to better understand the current information and current research/work. Sorry, I meant to address Kath in my reply specifically and neglected to do so.

I love how Lynda phrases it above: With each new discovery we build upon our knowledge as we deconstruct the past and any professional in the field would and should anticipate that his or her find may be refuted by further discoveries.

My experience with archaeologists has shown that this is indeed the case in that particular profession, among the vast majority of those working in the field. I can't say with any authority whether this is also true in other scientific professions, however!

>111 calm:: I also meant to say, this is on my wishlist already... someday I'll get to it! Thanks for the little review reminder. :)

Well you got me with two of your books this time: The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight and Confessions of a Pagan Nun. Thanks (I think).

Confessions looks good and nice review!
you hooked me with Gwynneve's story slowly builds to a chilling conclusion :)
added and thumbed!

ETA: the cover is pretty

#111 Here we go again - another addition to the wishlist from you!

Confessions of a Pagan Nun just jumped onto my pile calm. Now how did that happen?

Calm - I do so like the fact that you are reading things a little away from the mainstream! Confessions of a Pagan Nun looks to be another winner you have unearthed. Big fan of historical fiction and Ireland is of course dear to my heart given my ancestry. I have family from just north of Galway (Clifden) - as well as welsh cousins (from Ebbw Vale) a family that hails from Yorkshire on the paternal line (Hutton Cranswick) is in North Yorks and now, through marriage and children links with Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Phillipines through the various strands of my wife's family.
The development of science during the course of even my lifetime is staggering - I remember the old BASIC computer language and my first job as a Quantity Surveyor we had a special room to house "the computer" and only myself and one other junior staff knew how to switch it on never mind make use of it!

Confessions of a Pagan Nun...I read that one a year or three ago... and also another 1-2 of
hers, if I remember correctly.....

Faith - OK, sounds good. Lynda does have a way with words:)

If not for SantaThing I don't think I would have come across this book. A very good choice from my Santa:)

Deborah - hope you like them both. They are very different books.

Kara - yes it is an attractive cover and, I thought, it was a good book. Hope you like it.

Sandy, oh my this one is hitting a lot of people:)

Bonnie - and another one:)

Paul - I can't take credit for finding this one as I said to Faith it was my Santa, they made a good choice:) Very multicultural background you have there. As far as I know most of my roots come from the West Country (Wiltshire mainly) and Wales. Though there is a question 3 or 4 generations back as one of my maternal ancestors was a traveller.

Yes things scientific are changing very quickly. There weren't even any computers at my school but then it was a rather rural and old-fashioned Grammar school:)

Kath - well according to LT you have that one but you only gave it 2 stars, none of her other work in your catalogue though.

Yeah... I didn't want to mention that.. lol.. the 2 stars.. but I do think I read another one or two.. may not have bothered putting them in... I have a fair number of books not listed .. ooops!
Still, I could be wrong. I know that I had ( have? ) another one or two but I am not sure if I did actually read them. There was a lot about that book that I liked, but at the end of the day..

Oh well - not every book works and it is good to know others have differing opinions. Good to know that you didn't rule out reading more of her work. Cataloguing is never ending:)

I was very gung ho about cataloging in the beginning.. but
I have become rather lax. I don't think I ever got all of my
upstairs books in.. if any. Oh well.. I sometimes find myself putting in
books just as I read them these days, not as they come into the house.
And I never put in ebooks until I read them. Terrible.
:P

I get you about being gung ho about cataloguing when I first found LT - now I enter books as I get them but I still have a lot of cleaning up to do after those initial days:)

5) The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones (8 - 10 January)

As this book opens Lucy Fly is taken to a Japanese police station under suspicion of the murder of a fellow British girl, Lily. As we go back through Lucy's memories we definitely get the impression that she is capable of killing. This is not a comfortable read and Lucy's habit of referring to herself in the third person adds a certain degree of distance. Indeed she is a strange woman.

For a debut novel I found this a very atmospheric read. The descriptions of Japan and Lucy's reasons for living there are fully realised. I must say that Lucy is not a likeable character and, possibly, unreliable as a narrator. As the story unfolded I found myself wanting to know what happened to Lily. Is she the dismembered corpse or has something else happened to her? Did Lucy kill her?

Even though certain things made me uncomfortable I think that the way Susanna Jones writes is beautiful. The style of prose fits the story and I am interested to read more from this author.

just put Confessions of a Pagan Nun on reserve :)

Oh! I think you've shot me with a Book Bullet! I just put Confessions of a Pagan Nun on my wishlist.

If I remember, kara .... it was the end that I didn't like..
The story was a really good one.. but I am flighty enough to
allow the ending to make or break a book for me.. but that was for me..
it is probably perfect for the book.. or, I might be remembering incorrectly ..

Hmmm Earthquake Bird looks like on I might not like..
but I have to say that I am working on not wanting books..
I have way too many, lots of them free.. on ereaders..
and I am trying not to add to the stacks.

Hi calm, another wishlist hit for me with Confessions of a Pagan Nun.

Kara - Hope you like it and pleased that you can easily find a copy:)

Karen - This one seems to be hitting a lot of people.

Kath - The ending isn't happy but, in my opinion, it does fit with the way the story unfolded.

Did you meant to have the "not" in your thoughts about Earthquake Bird ... sounds like you are thinking about it:) It is a touch dark and unsettling if that helps.

Heather - oh my I've lost count of the number of people hit by that BB. I'm just lucky that my Santa found it as it was just my kind of book.

I must now say that I think the next book I talk about is probably not going to be a BB for anyone. Back later:)

Confessions looks almost irresistible..... I've taken a vow however to resist resist resist!!!

Good luck with that vow Lucy:)

Must say I'm struggling with book thoughts. I'll post covers and dates and see how I feel tomorrow. This is not helped by my favourite online game site adding Monopoly to its list of games - I can't stop playing ... eeks!

6) Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah (7 - 11 January)

Meh! I must admit that I don't read much autobiography, though I am interested in history, and I found this a bit of a slog to read. No doubt, that in her eyes at least, Adeline didn't have the best of childhoods. Wanting to be loved and accepted by her family is understandable and trying to live up to cultural expectations in a time of turbulent political and social changes isn't the easiest thing.

Adeline and most of her family left China for Hong Kong and the bits of this book that I found most interesting were the historical elements away from Adeline's own life. I also liked Aunt Baba - who remained in China. I managed to finish the book and enjoyed some of the history but, for me, her personal story comes across as whiny and Adeline Yen Mah's style of writing didn't really work for me.

7) Sea Dragon Heir by Storm Constantine (10 - 13 January)

Two hundred years before the action of the novel the kingdom of Caradore is conquered by Magravandias. The connection of the family Palindrake with the sea dragons has been subjugated to the Magravandian empire and the sons of Caradore become members of the Magravandian army. Twins Pharinet and Valraven Palindrake are at the centre of the story.

This is wonderfully descriptive fantasy with some, not too explicit, twisted sex. I loved the way the story unfolded and the change of view point half way through worked for me. It was interesting how seeing through a different perspective added to the story. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

*waves*
Monopoly online? hmmmm
do you play against others or the computer?
can you take a break from it or do you have to play until there is a winner?
the board game would last for days and we would break from it from time to time.
I bet it's fun :)

We used to have family game night once a month or so.. I used to beat the kids into submission when they got older.. and we would play. Monopoly was one choice.. more often it was Scrabble. We are
a ruthless bunch @ scrabble. Eventually, it go so Cory would always win. I hated The Game of Life.. :PPPP
so we rarely played it. I have not figured out how to play scrabble online.. or words with friends, either.. and I do not intend to try. At least not now.. :P

I'm another falling for the charms of Confessions of a Pagan Nun. I loved Credo when I read it a few years ago and this looks to cover an even earlier period.

Nice thread! The idea of prehistory and The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight go to my wishlist

Kara - against the computer, up to three "opponents" and three levels of difficulty. I don't think you can save the game but most of my games have been against one opponent and I think the longest game was just under two hours so far. They have also been over in less than 30 minutes though:)

I am completely addicted though - I've missed playing board games and this is great fun.

Kath - Family game sessions were fun. Don't think I've heard of The Game of Life but we definitely played Scrabble and many others.

Kerry - Yes Confessions of a Pagan Nun is, I think, a century or so earlier - and a lot shorter:)

Nick - thanks, hope you enjoy them.

Another day lost playing that game ... but then it is freezing here and I'm sure I'll soon cut back on the number of games I play ... maybe:)

We used to play Scrabble a lot when we were growing up. My father even found a piece of molding similar to the Scrabble tile tray so all five of us could play, but my brother wasn't really interested. (As the youngest and the only boy, he was a bit behind us in vocabulary and decided he'd rather do something else.) We played a helpful and kind version of the game - no challenges, and if we were stuck, we could always turn our tray around and crowd-source a good word.

My sister Roberta has gotten me hooked on Words with Friends, which is essentially the same game, except that the premium squares are in different locations and the point values for some of the tiles are also different.

We played other board games as kids, but mostly Scrabble. Each year when we attend the Wonderful World of Words weekend at Mohonk Mountain House, we try out new board games, but we don't have any other people to play them with at home. Maybe some of my friends would enjoy it, but no one ever brings up the suggestion. Perhaps I'll add that to my New Year's Resolution list!

we just called it Life but here is a picture...

Judy - yes my memories of board games are from childhood, so it is nice to find a way of playing that doesn't involve other people:)

Doesn't look familiar Kara but there have been lots of games over the years that I have never played.

One of the missing book comments has been done. I'll try to get to the other one later and then see how I do. I have caught up on all the 75ers threads - but the only way I can do it is by not posting:(

Time for a bit of a break from the computer.

8) The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart (14 - 16 January)

Beautiful and sad. Jane Urquhart paints a wonderful picture of early Twentieth century North America and Canada, mainly around the shore of Lake Superior. There are also pieces set in New York and World War I France. The main character is a cold man, Austin Fraser, an objective observer who sublimates his life to his art, unable to connect emotionally to those around him.

Reminiscing about his life from his house in Rochester we are treated to his picture of the lives of some of his friends and acquaintances. Jane Urquhart writes beautiful prose, fitting for the life of an artist and, given Austin's distance, as much of the lives of the other characters as is plausible.

This was the third of Urquhart's books that I have read and I will carry on reading her books. I was disappointed by her debut, The Whirlpool, but this and The Stone Carvers are a pleasure to read.

Calm just to throw a game into the mix - pals used to get together regularly to play trivial pursuits.

Paul - That one came out after the family had broken apart so I didn't play it often:( The few times I have played I did quite enjoy it but I don't see it as one you keep playing - unless you keep updating the version to get new questions:)

calm - My family has been playing Trivial Pursuit several times a year with the same set for 20 years, actually. Because of the way the cards are set up (I think 5 different possible questions on each card) it's very rare to get the same question more than once. If you played it every week or something, I can see needing new cards eventually, but not too soon even then.

Thanks for that blue. I guess I haven't played it enough and forgot that aspect of the game.

You're welcome. It's not my favorite game ever. I just play it because it's one of the few games my sister actually likes :)

I don't mind general knowledge quizzes but I tend to just watch them on TV not play against real people:)

And to bring it back to books - I have filled in comments for all the books I have read so far this year.

I love Trivial Pursuit! My husband and I have multiple variations and play each other. We have had lots of luck picking them up at yard sales or on clearance. They are so expensive otherwise!

sorry about Falling Leaves calm
I will keep Sea Dragon Heir on my radar :)
I think I will try The Stone Carvers by Urquhart first, that one looks more to my liking and go from there :)

ETA: I started The Wood Wife last night :)

I think you are right about Trivial Pursuit getting dated...
in fact, I tossed out or old set recently. I have to say it was not my favorite game..
My current favorite game other than Scrabble is Balderdash.

At first glace I read The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart as The Underpants.
I need to stop watching tv while on the computer!

Carrie - More game talk! I seem to have started something here:)

Kara - it just wasn't for me. Judy (DeltaQueen50) read the YA version Chinese Cinderella and that seems to be a better format for the story.

I thought Sea Dragon Heir was a very good fantasy, not as weird as her Wraeththu series (at least from what I remember from many years ago).

The Stone Carvers was my first Urquhart and I thought it was very good. She has definitely developed as a writer, as I said I found her debut disappointing but whether that was because I knew she could do better I couldn't say.

Kath - and another game I haven't heard of:) Probably not surprising as most of my game playing was as a child:)

The Underpants sounds like a very different book:)

Mahjong, Farkle or card games like Hearts or Bridge. Monopoly always took too long and with an eight-year age spread between kids, we had disastrous results: the oldest would play independently, middle child would need a parent to help and the littlest one would just come along and wipe all the pieces off the board! LOL. We have not tried again now that they are older.

#134: Adding that one to the BlackHole. It looks pretty good!

I love board games and own about 200 or so, but most of mine are not of the casual gaming variety. My current favorite is a game called Elder Sign: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/100423/elder-sign

Ooops - haven't been to my own thread for a few days! Minor excuse of a carpal tunnel flare up that is making it painful to type:(

Berly - We played lots of card games too - rummy, cribbage, etc. and it is hard to balance what to play with a range of ages ... and if the pets try to get involved as well:)

Stasia - Hope you like it and at least the whole trilogy has been published:) I really started something mentioning my online Monopoly distraction - I guess gaming is a popular subject:)

And ... as there is a Readthon this weekend ... I have finished a couple more books. Thoughts coming after the weekend.

SO glad I am impervious to the allure of games..... several interesting books here, the Constantine and the Urquhart.

*waving as she passes by on her way to the Read-A-Thon*

Hi calm! Board games always struck me as silly because my parents didn't like them. Also, my sisters were more like aunts because they were so much older than me, that playing against them wasn't any fun for anyone.

Then came Trivial Pursuit...*evil Muttley laugh*

Lucy - Hope you like the books and so pleased that not everybody has the *game* bug:)

Karen - hope you had a good readathon.

Richard - My parents liked games so I suppose it was a family thing.

Back later with book thoughts.

Sorry to hear that your carpal tunnel is bugging you. Hope that doesn't affect your reading time!

Hey Calm, after all this hullabaloo over the nun I've succumbed to it's allure and added to WL and then you came along with The Underpainter another fOr the WL. This is a very dangerous Place to hang out.

Gasp, my son has just begun to beat me at checkers. He strategizes his every move and me thinks he's now too smart to ever regain my crown.

yep...Scrabble became less fun when Cory started beating everyone ll the time!!
He still does darn it

hope you feel better calm!

I do not like being beaten at Scrabble but it does happen. And I am a total loser at Words with Friends. You can challenge me if you could use some ego boosting. I am sure you'll beat me.

Send me a PM, and I'll let you in on my secret identity on Face Book. hehehehehe

Why do you think Words With Friends is different for you from Scrabble? I've been playing WWF with my sister, and we seem to both score more points than we used to score in Scrabble (although we rarely played head-to-head, as I recall). It's interesting that you have such a different experience.

I think Words with Friends purposefully gives horrible letter combinations. I've seldom gotten all vowels in Scrabble, but it often happens to me in WwF. And I think the squares with double points etc. seem harder to get to...

ETA: I probably play against smarter people, or more educated people, people with larger vocabularies, when I play Words with Friends.

No way! I am currently playing no facebook games at all.. and I plan to keep it that way!
Have fun with it though. I have Wordjong and Bookworm on my iPad... that is bad enough :P
I was disappointed with the wordjong game.. I like the one on the paid popcap site better. I used to log in as my sister and play hers all the time :) it was big and easy to see and different all the time. The one
you get at the app store is the teeny one that gives a new puzzle once a day :(

Hello visitors:) Still painful to type so I'll keep this short. I am still reading everyone's threads but not posting .... hope to be OK soon. Book thoughts can wait:)

Chelle - still playing up - difficult to type:(

Lynda - Hope you find the books and enjoy them when you do:)

Those children do grow up and start getting better at things:)

Kath - LOL

Thanks Kara - so do I:)

Karen - so pleased I'm not on Facebook - sounds like there are more games to become addicted to.

Judy and Karen - can't add anything to that conversation.

Kath - never heard of Wordjong and I have played Bookworm but it is not a favourite.

I agree that the premium squares seem harder to get to- and then there's the assumption factor. It took me a while to realize where the triple word premiums were on the board.

I don't know about letter combinations. I can recall 'Hawaiian' all vowel hands and 'Polish' or all spiky consonant hands when playing conventional Scrabble. As a programmer, I hesitate to ascribe any deliberate actions to tile selection, but I don't know the relative numbers of letters in WWF. That might be different, which would skew the draw in ways different from Scrabble.

9) Marvels and Magic edited by Richard Barber (7 - 21 January)

This is the first of the three volume British Myths and Legends collection. Richard Barber has chosen a mixture of sources and translations and presented them in chronological order. Thus we start with myths about the origins of Britain and move on, in this volume, to early history and the marvels and magic of the title.

I enjoyed most of the entries and even came across some unfamiliar tales. This is not the kind of book to read straight through but dipping in and reading a story here and a story there is a pleasant way to spend some time.

This being a Folio edition is a beautifully produced book and the occasional illustrations by John Vernon Lloyd are a nice addition to the text.

Sorry to hear about your carpal tunnel flare up calm :-(

Marvels and Magic sounds interesting - was that a second hand find? One of the Oxfam bookshops nearby has a Folio shelf - I try and walk past it with my eyes closed!

checking in on you!
hoping your feeling better :)

Hi Heather - Not mine as I borrowed the set from a family member. I just started the second volume and it is very interesting. I would love to own more Folios but they are a bit pricey - I tend to stick with cheap second hand paperbacks.

Hi Kara - A bit better, at least I can move my fingers:)

Also I managed to get to town today and visited the library - I got a copy of The Wayward Bus for the Steinbeckathon; London Under by Peter Ackroyd (kkunker's five star review put this on my want to read list) and White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi. I picked this up on the basis of Rebecca's review of Mr Fox as Oyeyemi sounds like an author whose work I'll like and this was the one on the shelf.

Of course I managed to get a couple of books for the Shelves of Shame
The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal - Thanks to Caro (cameling) who read this recently.
The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald - picked up because it was shortlisted for the Booker in 1990.

Confession over:)

Time to see if I can do a bit of "speed lurking" - love whoever coined that phrase:)

*lurking my way pass.. *

*smooch* for ouchies

SO sympathetic

extra *smooch*

no penance needed for confession ;)

Hi Karen thanks for posting on your lurk:)

Thanks Richard *smooches* for you as well.

Kara - Speaking of confessions how's the book going?

Well my speed lurk is complete - lots of interest going on but I'm saving my typing for here as I don't want to aggravate the problem. Will try and resume my occasional posting sometime soon.

Just trying to say I'm not ignoring you:)

very good so far :)
different but I like it!

Sounds good Kara, pleased you like it. I am always slightly apprehensive when someone picks up something on my recommendation.

Going to try to catch up on some book thoughts today - I've got four books to catch up on and have nearly finished Bel Canto as well (probably tonight or tomorrow). So here goes with the first.

Hey calm, I've had my eye on London Under and look forward to your review of it.
I gave up on Bel Canto this month. I fear I missed a goodie.
Sending Pain be Gone whammies your way :o)

10) Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods by Jack Williamson (21 - 22 January)

A very readable 1970's science fiction novel. Genetic engineering has led to a society of premen - the descendants of unaltered humanity; trumen - "perfected" people who are stronger, smarter and more healthy; mumen - mutated people engineered for different environments and specialities and the Gods - an immortal species. There are rumours of a fourth kind of genetically engineered human - the ultiman but the gods have destroyed the Creators, a family closely involved with the genetic engineering, and suppress all mention of them. Two young premen live on the final reservation of humanity and this is their story.

A very entertaining read. I like the use of some of the writings of the Creators at the start of each chapter. This is a good and reasonably paced story with a well realised future world. I'm definitely going to have to add some more Williamson to my shelves.

Hi Lynda - as it's a library book I'll be getting to it reasonably soon. Looks interesting though.

Sorry to hear you gave up on Bel Canto. I'm really enjoying it so far.

Thanks for the Pain be Gone whammies.

#182 - That sounds interesting. I don't believe I've heard of him. Also, is there anything more awful/more awesome (I'm not really sure which) than sci-fi covers from the 60s and 70s? There should be a coffee table table book featuring the best examples, if there isn't one already.

The books on our shelves get bored if we don't get them new friends now and then.
No, really...

Kerry - from the fanasticfiction website http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/jack-williamson/

Jack Williamson has been in the forefront of science fiction since his first published story in 1928. Williamson is the acclaimed author of such trailblazing science fiction as The Humanoids and The Legion of Time. The Oxford English Dictionary credits Williamson with inventing the terms "genetic engineering" (in Dragon's Island) and "terraforming" (in Seetee Ship). His seminal novel Darker Than You Think was a landmark speculation on the nature of shape-changing.

His last book was published in 2005 and he died in 2006 at the age of 98!

I've definitely missed out on him as well. Sounds like he should be better known. I have got one more of his books on the Shelves of Shame and hope to find some more of his work.

I love those old covers - I'm sure there must be collections of cover art somewhere:)

Sorry Kath - not ignoring you. Just took too long to research my last post.

Definitely books need new friends and there are so many possibilities out there:)

#186 - Thanks for that info. It sounds like he's had a long and prolific career!

11) Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris (22 - 24 January)

This is another wonderful novel from Joanne Harris. Interweaving the past and the present of Framboise Simon, a widow who has returned to the village which she left as a young girl during WWII. Keeping her past hidden she tries to make a life in her old family home but the secrets she is keeping threaten everything she holds dear,

I love the way that Joanne Harris manages to create closed communities. In this instance a small village in rural France. Her characters are strong and varied and the way she tells her stories is very evocative. Unlike Chocolat there is no magic but the feeling of a small town and the descriptions of food are still there. Both strands of the story are strong. The occupation of France during WWII and the actions of Framboise and her siblings seem plausible and the woman she becomes flows naturally from those traumatic events.

Varied as they are I haven't been disappointed in any of Joanne Harris's novels. In my opinion she is a talented writer and I really look forward to reading more of her work.

That's alright Kerri. He definitely seems to have had a long and successful writing career.

I've only read a few Joanne Harris but so far, I've liked the ones that I've read, but I'm wild about Five Quarters of the Orange which I thought was a much stronger work than Chocolat. I've got Blueeyedboy in my TBR Tower. I really should get to that. I thought Blackberry Wine was just ok though.

Have you read The Girl with No Shadow yet? And if so, is it a good sequel to Chocolat?

snap on Blueyedboy - that's on my Shelves of Shame:)

Agree on Five Quarters being stronger than Chocolat but I did like Blackberry Wine. I think my favourite, so far, is Holy Fools - but that's at least partly because of my love of Historical fiction.

Edit to add: Yes I've read The Girl With No Shadow and I actually thought it was slightly better than Chocolat.

ooh....better than Chocolat? *toodles off to add this to my obese wish list*

yes and I just found out there is a third about Vianne due out this year. No information on LT yet but here is a fantastic fiction link

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/joanne-harris/peaches-for-monsieur-le-cure.h...

Oh yes! It was when you mentioned Chocolat that I remembered Joanne Harris. I loved Chocolat and will look for her other books.

Hi there. I read your review of Jack Williamson in the Hot Reviews section and thought I might comment. His books are loaded with great ideas but some are not the greatest of stories overall. The Humanoids is a particular favorite worth getting a hold of if you can find it, or the similar 'With Folded Hands' short story. Both about the perils of creating robots to care and work for us silly humans. Isn't it a shame that these great SF stories of a distant future still use old fashioned magnetic tape for recording data? Oh well. Anyhoo, JW's The Stonehenge Gate came up a bit short for me, but I have a feeling that he would have written sequels to finish that great tale if he had lived long enough. Apparently 98 years just isn't enough time to finish everything. I haven't read a huge selection of his works but he is a favorite of mine. Clever sums his style up in a word.

Ironically, I rather like owls as well. A quick count reveals five on my bookshelves, along with two gnomes, two Animaniacs toys, three three-piece rocks, one out of juice Elvis lighter and a slide rule. All in the same room as my grandmother's swivel rocker from the old sunroom.

Lynda - hope you like more of Joanne Harris's books, they're not all like Chocolat ;)

Ryan - thanks for stopping by, I'm always surprised at ending up in the Hot Reviews but thanks for letting me know. I don't know how I missed Williamson when I was younger as I used to read tons of SF in my teens but it is always good to find a "new to me" author and I hope to be able to find more of his books. Thanks for the recommendations.

Talking of owls someone sent me this link http://www.wimp.com/catowl/
If anybody clicks I would say turn the sound down but it is rather cute.

Off to check out a few threads, hopefully back with some book thoughts later. As I thought I finished Bel Canto last night so now I have three owing:(

Back later.

I am really looking forward to your thoughts on Bel Canto. That is one that has
been highly praised here but I always look at it and feel "meh" towards it..

I really liked it Kath - but can't explain why ... yet:)

12) Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian (16 - 25 January)

This is a difficult novel to describe, but I won't go far wrong by quoting this :-

You've slapped together travel notes, moralistic ramblings, feelings, notes, jottings, untheoretical discussions, unfable-like fables, copied out some folk songs, added some legend-like nonsense of your own, and are calling it fiction! (page 453)

but it is more than this. It is a journey through late Twentieth century China and a look at the human condition. Don't go into this expecting a straightforward story - just go with the flow; take your time and, in my opinion, it is worth it.

This is sitting in my TBR piles and probably I should crack her open soon. Good review.

Thanks Karen.

#200 That sounds interesting calm - I'll add it to my library list.

Calm suddenly your thread is chugging along at a heck of a pace. Thanks for the review of Soul Mountain which I have so far not gone for as it has a reputation of being "difficult".
Hope you are feeling better and are enjoying your weekend - mine's over already - about to shower and go to the office.

I'm so happy you loved Soul Mountain - I rarely encounter anyone else who also really liked it!

Heather - definitely interesting, hope you can find a copy:)

Paul - I'm glad I didn' know about Soul Moutain's reputation for being "difficult". I wouldn't call it an easy read or one to rush through but, if you fancy a meandering read, I think it is worth it.

Have a good day at the office and I was so pleased to see the picture of Bambi on your thread - picked up ears, clear eyes and looking alert bodes well for him:)

Really Lucy - that's strange. I wonder why that is. I think it is a very good book but then we all react differently to things and I suppose it isn't the easiest of reads.

Off to check out some threads and, maybe, I'll be back later with some book thoughts:)

At 510 pages, I think I'll pass on Soul Mountain. Hope your TC pain has subsided :)

just popping in to catch up and say hi :)

Hi Kath:)

13) People of the Lake: Mankind & Its Beginnings by Richard E. Leakey (21 - 25 January)

This was published in 1978 and obviously there have been more discoveries and methods of investigating the history of mankind since then. Despite that I think that this is still a very readable hypothesis about the beginnings of homo sapiens.

Covering both Richard Leakey's archaeological dig at Lake Turkana and a study of how man might have developed. This also looks at other primates and how society could have evolved -community, diet, language and relationships are all discussed.

There is an index and there are a couple of maps for the sites of fossil remains and some black and white photos of Richard Leakey and his work at Lake Turkana. Unfortunately there is no bibliography or further reading suggestions.

I remember that... I read it way back in the dim past..........good.

Hi Kath - it was good:)

In other news I snagged something from ER this month - Drifting House by Krys Lee of course I'm still waiting for last month's The Girl in the Box by Sheila Dalton. They'll probably turn up at the same time:)

Lately it has taken much longer to receive the books, imo...
I am currently caught up.. but for a while I had 3 books not arrived!

Now I just have the one I won today not arrived, and one other that I need to review. I feel much better..
even though the books were not here, it made me antsy that they were "won" and not reviewed. I know..
crazy.

14) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (25 - 27 January)

In an unnamed South American country a group of people are taken hostage this novel tells the story. There are a lot of people involved but I didn't feel like any of them were fully described and, to be honest, not much really happens. It is really difficult to say exactly why this book is more powerful than that brief comment suggests but I really did like this, until the epilogue - which I thought was unnecessary. There was something incredibly moving about the way the story unfolds - from the terrorists failed plan to kidnap the president which leaves them with a houseful of unexpected hostages; to the reactions of those taken hostage and then the drift of days and weeks as negotiations fail. This is a beautifully told story and I am so pleased that I have read it and I will definitely be reading more Ann Patchett.

Hi again Kath - I don't try for something from ER every month and I have had some turn up incredible quickly but, so far, I've never had more than one review to do. Unless both turn up reasonably soon I probably won't request anything from the next batch as I don't want to feel obligated to read and write a review for that many books.

Edit to say - I'm now caught up with book comments for everything I have read so far this year. Maybe I'll be able to relax and read something else now:)

Finally getting caught up here - sad to learn that you suffer from carpal tunnel. I'm lucky that I've mostly avoided that problem - I hope that you'll be able to find some lasting relief soon.

Soul Mountain looks very good, but the library doesn't have it. Is it a new release? If I get it on an ILL, I'll only get to keep it a week, no renewals, and I don't think that will be long enough. People of the Lake has got my fingers itching to see if IT is available.

Hi Sandy - Soul Montain was first published in Chinese in 1990 and translated into English in 2000 - so not a new release:)

I tend to buy my books second hand so am more likely to be reading "old" books rather than new releases, unless I can get them from the library:)

About the carpal - I must admit that it is one reason I don't post much on other people's threads though I would like to be more talkative.

I was diagnosed about three or four years ago and about a year later with cervical spondylitis so I'm never entirely sure which is causing the flare up:(
I just wish I knew what causes it to be more troublesome at times. Most of the time I can manage with pain relief and surgical collar/wrist support but occasionally nothing helps.

Well, if they haven't gotten Soul Mountain after all this time, I doubt they will soon. Darn. I'll keep looking for it.

It seems I used to hear a lot about people having surgery to correct the carpal tunnel, with good results I thought. But not so much lately. Don't they do that anymore? But with the complication of the spondylitis, that just sounds miserable. Sad face, indeed.

#210 You've reminded that I have Richard Leakey's The Origin of Humankind unread on my shelves from my science reading phase, oh about 15 years ago. I've just checked and it's from 1994 so that's actually 18 years ago isn't it - yikes!

#214 I love the cover you've posted for Bel Canto. I really liked that one too. I was ok with the epilogue but I know that most people thought it was unnecessary.

Wow you've read lots of book since my last visit!
>200 calm: I read this ages ago and I love your review. I feel the same way, I have yet to finish his other one One Man's Bible though....wasn't enjoying the journey enough it seems.
Shame about Falling Leaves, I had it in my mind that that would be a good one...

Hi Calm! Glad to see you enjoyed Bel Canto. It's funny some of the best books don't have much of a plot line, nothing much happens!

pagan nun................4.5 stars!
gave deserved kudos to you on my thread :)

Bel Canto.....have it, loaned it to my mama, need to get it back so I can read it!

just catching up while I can :)

Wishing I had stuck with Bel Canto. Maybe next Orange celebration.

My husband had CT surgery a few years ago. Seems to be ok but now he suffers from tendonitis in his fingers. Surgery there was not quite so successful and will probably need to have another go at it.

Sandy - hope you manage to find a copy someday.

I'm severely phobic of hospitals and with the added complication I'll only have an operation if absolutely necessary.

Heather - that was the only Leakey book that I have on my shelves, though I'm slowly reading all the ancient history/ archaeology type books after years of only reading fiction:)

Well that was the cover on my book:) I'm not sure about the epilogue the bit before was so powerful that I wasn't sure if it was necessary - I might need to think about it a bit more.

Megan - good to know that someone else feels the same way. I haven't come across any of his other work yet but I hope to someday.

I thought the same about Falling Leaves but it just didn't work for me though other people have a different opinion:)

Thanks Chelle - it was very good:)

So pleased to hear that Kara - it's probably silly but I do worry a bit when someone picks up a book on my recommendation.

Hope you can manage to get Bel Canto back sometime - I cheat and don't loan a book out unless I've read it:)

Thanks for stopping by Kath - take care of yourself and don't worry too much about keeping up. You have enough to do at the moment.

Lynda - I heard that unless you keep up with the exercises that carpal can come back again - so I'm in no hurry to get it done - unless I start have trouble holding a book and my reading begins to suffer.

Well I had to go for a medical today so took some time to go to the library and came home with God's Philosophers (for Janet memorial read) and Blow on a Dead Man's Embers by Mari Strachan as I really liked her debut, The Earth Hums in B Flat, when I read it. I din't add anything to the shelves of shame this time:)

January Summary

Books read = 14

11 fiction
3 nonfiction

Pages read = 4259

1) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell -
2) The Idea of Prehistory by Glyn Daniel
3) The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flightby Gina Ochsner
4) Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley
5) The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones
6) Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah
7) Sea Dragon Heir by Storm Constantine
8) The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart
9) Marvels and Magic edited by Richard Barber
10) Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods by Jack Williamson
11) Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
12) Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian
13) People of the Lake: Mankind & Its Beginnings by Richard E. Leakey
14) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I'm happy to say that 13 of them fitted into TIOLI categories, I managed my target of at least one per category in my 12 in 12 challenge and that they were all off the shelf and that I read far more good books than bad:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Books into the house in January = 11

Onto my shelves

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
Sovereign by C. J. Sansom
The Confusion by Neal Stephenson
Blackveil by Kristen Britain
Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah - read this one
Telling Tales edited by Nadine Gordimer
The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance by Edmund de Waal
The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald

Borrowed from the library

The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck
London Under by Peter Ackroyd
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

I think that is a reasonable ratio of new to me books versus read books. If I keep it up the shelves of shame will slowly be unloaded - making room for more books:)

Thanks to all the people who comment (and lurk) here. I'm just sorry that I can't say much on other people's threads at the moment - but I do read them. I hope to have some good days soon and be able to delurk:)

Now onto February.

I might frighten myself if I admitted how many books come in each month.....

Hi Lucy - well I always post when new books come into the house and the state of my TBR shelves means that I have to try to balance the numbers. It is scary to total them up though:)

Well it took me about a week to read a book with less than 400 pages, I must admit to not being able to concentrate very much recently but still that is shocking for me. And I haven't been reading anything else to account for it:(

I'll post the cover, title and reading dates for now and go away and think about some comments.



15) The Kingdom of the Wicked by Anthony Burgess (28 January - 2 February)

This is fiction but Burgess has used a variety of original sources - Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus and the Acts of the Apostles to tell the story of the early years of Christianity and a series of Roman emperors from Tiberius to Vespasian. This is a not a pleasant story to read and Burgess doesn't sugar coat any of the history. That said it is a fascinating look at the first years of Christianity, its trials and tribulations, the persecution and differences in opinion between its earliest adherents. Mixing this with Roman history doesn't make for the easiest of reads as he switches from character to character, though Burgess does follow a chronological sequence.

I'm not sorry to have read this and I can appreciate what Burgess has done but I can't strongly recommend this book to anybody. If you know anything about the period there isn't anything particularly new here and I didn't find his style the most readable. Definitely well researched and it was interesting but not enough to make me search out the other books he has written about this period of history.

Hi, Calm; just catching up on your thread and of course adding a couple of books to the WL.

You had some great reading in January.

Thanks Gail - I hope you like whatever BB's have hot you:)

great stats! you had a ton of 4&5 star reads, good month!

calm so far the books that I have read per your recommendation I have either really liked or loved. I think part of it is your reviews, you say just enough for me to know if I will be interested and not too much to spoil it :)

Bel Canto among others I have loaned out to my mom will come home soon :) My mother treats books like I treat books so I have no worries when they are in her possession. I know she started Canto....might need push her to finish so I can read it :)

Chelle - not a bad month but there were no five star reads - those are the ones I don't want to put down and can't wait to get back to if I have to do something else. The ones that hit something in me just right. Lots of four/four and a half reads though:)

Kara - that's very good to hear. I hate spoilers so sometimes worry that I don't say enough about the book. Hope your mother finishes Bel Canto soon.

In other news I think it was at least partly Kingdom of the Wicked that led to last week's mini book slump - I have finished White is for Witching already and I only started it yesterday morning and I have read the introduction and first chapter of God's Philosophers for the JanetinLondon memorial read. When a nonfiction work reads easier than a novel there was something about that novel that didn't click for me:)

It's going to take me a while to think about what to say on the Oyeyemi - not an easy one to express my feelings for but I suppose I can say it was very strange but good,

Time to see what else has been happening in LTland - back later:)

Hi calm. Glad to hear the mini bookslump is over. Stay warm this weekend - I saw on the news that parts of Wales were down to -12 degrees last night.

That sort of book fugue has happened to me a few times lately. Annoying..

Wow! is it that cold there/ I can't remember.. do you have a fireplace?

Hi Heather - it has been a bit cold but I'm near the coast so it doesn't normally get too bad here. Though last year was awful and I was snowed in for a while. At the moment it is raining heavily and I expect it will be really icy come morning. Just the sort of day to sit near a log fire with the laptop, catch up on all the threads ... and maybe get some reading done:)

In other news - my December ER has finally arrived. A bit strange as it had the wrong name with my address, was sent from Canada to Wales but had a Deutsch Post label on the package - bizarre but at least it is the right book. I opened it very carefully in case I had to do a return to sender.

Still speed lurking:)

Hi Kath - cross posted. Just checked - According to the weather map it is 3 degrees at the moment and it doesn't look like temps are expected to fall below freezing here.

Yes got a nice multifuel stove - just chucked another log on - nice and toasty and the cats love it:)

I am sitting by my little pellet stove now, too, thinking of you. Brrrr, you've got it cold. We are having a little patch of clear weather which means our nights are really colder, and our days are lovely, almost warm. So, as it is early morning here right now, I'm loving the stove.

Hmm.......intriguing.......I know Royal Mail sometimes does odd things but.........Deutsch Post?!

Then again, I did once get a parcel from Porthcawl to Suffolk with a 'query address' label on it stating they had tried to deliver it somewhere in Scotland. My address was perfectly fine however.

Hope you're not too cold. It's tried to thaw over here in the east of England: our icicles have been dripping, but its now freezing again. They say the snow is on the way. I don't want it :( us not so hardy East Anglians aren't very good in bad weather.

Maggie - after all the warnings it has been pretty mild here today:) I would like to see some snow sometime this year.

Jenny - it was rather strange, no idea why it went via Germany but it did get here somehow:)

Some really strange things go on with the post sometimes.

It seems strange that the east is getting hit so hard but then the weather has been very strange recently.

I hope your temps level out and that you get a nice fluffy snow.. just enough..
and only after you are all stocked up and snugged in with your cats and your books.

Yowzaa, your January recap has me seeing stars! So glad it was such a great month of reading for you!

I've not chosen any ER's of late because I've got four I still need to read and review but I did chose the book on Black Holes for this month and all crossables are crossed in the hope of winning this one.

The sun is shining brightly in my neck of the woods today and no snow on the ground or forecasted. Indeed a weird winter!

Kath - I'm close enough to the coast that really severe weather is rare - though another half a mile inland makes a big difference. That said I do like being snowed in:)

I'm always stocked up though I would probably miss the fresh stuff if I was trapped for too long:)

Lynda - Yes when I posted that I began to think it was a bit too much. I'll have to see if I can find some more subtle stars if I do the same for February - that green is a bit too much for me in that quantity.

The ER selection for the UK isn't normally that great - I think I've had only a few months that I have wanted more than one and several when there was nothing of interest si I doubt if I'll ever be overbooked by ERs:) Hope you win you choice this month.

Enjoy your sun and I hope you get some snow (if you want some)

16) White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (3 - 4 February)

Strange and disturbing; wonderfully crafted with multiple narrators; some serious issues and a confusing storyline make this a hard book to talk about. Oyeyemi doesn't tell a simple story and the voices slip from one to the next building up an atmospheric tale of haunting and madness.

I think that maybe there is just slightly too much going on in this novel for it to be a complete success. That said I really wanted to carry on reading, for me a sign of a book that clicks somehow. So I'm ambivalent about my feelings. I'll definitely read more from Oyeyemi though as I really liked the way she writes.

We're most definitely snowed in! Our ducks weren't too impressed this morning. Got at least 6 inches and it's drifted a lot as well.

Hope that you're snowed in if you want to be - and you can escape if you want :)

Jenny - hope you get a thaw soon - for the ducks sake if nothing else:)

When I was living in England I had a parcel that was posted in the nearest town (three miles away) and came to me via Budapest.

Yes, the one in Hungary. I never really understood how that happened.

-12C is what I call "too cold for sanity or leaving the house". Brr!

White is for Witching........love the title!
haunting and madness? my cuppa :)
need to check my library before I add it!

ETA they have it :) so it's added and I read the brief summary my library gave and it looks good but I will keep your thoughts in mind!

liked the cover....but wont be rushing out to get this one based on your review. Cant win 'em all!

I think you folks in Europe stole my winter! I'm sitting here in Michigan with 40-50 degree days (F, of course, 4 to 8-ish C) no snow and muddy lawn everywhere. How are we supposed to go ice fishing? I see that winter weather is harsh everywhere from Wales to Romania to Rome itself. Give it back! If we don't get a good freeze around here all of the surface water siphons off through the rivers too fast and we have a very dry spring with poor early growth. Bad for the trees and whatnot.

I was watching Everton vs. Manchester City and the referees had to call the groundskeepers in to shovel snow off of the lines on the field. I don't know if you are into the soccer or not, but I really enjoy watching Swansea play when I get a chance. Lots of skill and precision without being pompously French like Arsenal. I hope Swansea has a nice long and successful run in the Premier League.

Hang in there through the winter and keep yourselves safe over there. Spring always rolls around eventually.

Hi Kathy - Once again the mystery of the PO strikes - that is one long detour:)

I noticed that some parts of the UK had -12 forecast overnight that is very cold. Not that bad here fortunately.

Kara - I'm not sure if I can totally recommend it. I liked reading it but it was also very strange. But I hope you like it.

Megan - don't blame you:)

Ryan - Not sure what the temp is here at the moment, had a spot of ground frost this morning but the east of the UK is getting hit by stuff from the continent. Normally where I am gets the tail-end of the system from across the Atlantic. So that probably explains why it is milder than last year.

Not a sports fan but pleased that you enjoy watching a Welsh team:)

And I guess it is about time to click on the new continue button. Hope I don't mess up:)