Marissa's 2012 Reads

I've never kept a book journal before, so this will be an interesting experience. I read eclectically--somewhat more non-fiction than fiction for various reasons that I won't go into now.

My first completed read of the year was Simon Winchester's Atlantic: The Biography of an Ocean. I love his work and have read several, so this was not a surprise and was up to his usual high standards of research and fluent, comfortable writing. The method he used to organize such a huge subject was unusual and mostly worked, IMO, though it felt a tad forced at times. I have two older Winchesters on my TBR pile (Korea and Outposts) which I am looking forward to reading.

The second completed read was Dorothy Sayers' Clouds of Witness. This was my first Lord Peter Wimsey mystery; I found it enjoyable, though I wasn't totally blown away. The mystery aspect was well-crafted though there were a few coincidences that made me harrumph (coincidences are so much easier to believe in real life than they are in fiction, aren't they?) Where it fell down a bit for me was the writing--I don't think the settings and characterizations were as richly realized as they might have been, and the ones that were there sometimes verged on forced or melodramatic. All that said, I'm still planning on working my way through all the Lord Peter books to see how they evolve--I understand that this one was only her second.

Next up: Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D James, unless something else attracts my notice (ooh, shiny!) :)

(edited to correct a title)

I'll be lurking :) Glad to see you trying a book journal.

"I'll be lurking..."

Me too!

Of the Lord Peter Wimsey books, The Nine Tailors is probably the best, although I enjoyed Murder Must Advertise as well.

I will read your journals, and wish success to you with them! I am a mystery fan, and a Dorthy Sayers fan in particular, so I'm interested in reading your views.

fuzzi - I don't know if I've ever met another Sayers fan whose favorites were those, except me.

#4 you have, though I think I'd put The Five Red Herrings up there with The Nine Tailors. And I have a soft spot for Gaudy Night ;)

:)

My library has Whose Body? available for download. I've been eyeing it for a while now. But they don't have any other Wimseys in .mp3 format, only in .wma which won't download onto my player. So I'd have to request the rest from the library and rip the CDs. So I haven't bothered yet. But I take it they're worth it and I should just download the dang thing :o)

I think almost none of the Wimseys are out in any electronic format, apart from two which somehow missed US copyright and are in the public domain here.

I liked "Whose Body?" It is one that stands alone and it won't hurt to read it out of order or all by itself. Get it!

>4 MrsLee:,5: The nine tailors and Gaudy night are my favourites too! I don't really read mysteries as a rule, but the bellringing and women's college backgrounds are so well done that I loved both books.

I just won a lot of Wimseys on eBay :)...and Whose Body? is in a set of 50 classic mysteries I downloaded from B&N for $2.99. Death Comes to Pemberley was not holding my interest, so I've started Whose Body?

I'm not ordinarily a mystery reader either, Sakerfalcon, but these are such classics that I feel virtuous reading them. And I'm curious about how good mysteries are constructed, so it's educational. Right?

(At least that's what I'm telling my inner Puritan.)

Well, if it helps any, Sayers also translated Dante and some other very heavy classical stuff. She was quite the intellect.

#12 Not only translated Dante, but preserved the original metre and rhyme scheme, AND produced a result more readable that any other I've encountered. Now that's a serious achievement!

So my book ADD struck again, and I instead jumped into Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes by Evan Dawson. It's pretty much a niche book--you need to be interested in the region or in wine and winemaking to get much out of it. But if you are, it's delightful--well-written and lively, a combination of history, interview, and personal account. Dawson profiles the top winemakers around Seneca and Keuka Lakes, primarily, and discusses their place in the renaissance of New York State winemaking, where cool-weather wines like Rieslings and Gewurztraminers of world-class quality are being made. My son is in college a stone's throw from most of the wineries discussed, so we've visited them and tasted their wines; it was fun to get this inside look into them and the industry.

I'll get back into Whose Body? tomorrow. (ooh, that sounds weird, doesn't it?) :)

Finished Whose Body? this weekend. It was more an interesting read than a gripping one--a lot of meta-fictional stuff going on (all those "if this were a detective novel" lines) and some playing around with POV. Rather daring to reveal the murderer so early in the book and have the last part of the action focus on the net closing in on him.

Also read Connie Willis's new novelette All About Emily; I'm a huge Connie fan; even so, this was kind of a disappointment after the brilliant Inside Job.

Eric Horne's What the Butler Winked At--social history from the bottom looking up, by a former Victorian and Edwardian era butler. Interesting and informational sections interlarded with pontificating about modern mores and manners, and ultimately rather sad--unlike the butler in The Remains of the Day, Horne knew from very early on that he'd wasted his life and talents, but was trapped in his profession.

On to more Dorothy Sayers, and partway through Fiona MacCarthy's Last Curtsey, which I ran across somewhere here on LT. Quietly engaging, so far.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It is an anthology of Jane Austen-inspired short stories, and is a decidedly mixed bag. I didn't get the feeling that most of the authors who contributed had much idea about how to write a short, which is a very different art from writing novel-length fiction, so as a result the stories ranged from wonderful to this-makes-no-sense-whatsoever. My favorites were Janet Mullany's "Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah", Maya Slater's "Letters to Lydia", and Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway's "What Would Austen Do"--this last one is possibly being extended into a full-length YA novel, and I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Also pleasant were Beth Patillo's "When Only a Darcy Will Do" and Syrie James's "Jane Austen's Nightmare". If you're a fan of JA spin-offs (I'm not, particularly), you'll probably have more charitable feelings than I have. :)

Working on The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club and loving the plot premise around who died first.

(16) Marissa, now you've done it...I'm going to have to reread all the Wimsey books! ;)

I went on a Sayers reading jag back in the early 1970s and haven't read most of them since, even though I liked them.

It sounds as if you have picked some interesting titles. I thoroughly enjoy Dorothy L. Sayers. Remember that Whose Body was the first of the Wimsey novels and therefore it's on the weaker side of things. Personally I favor Strong Poison and Murder Must Advertise and Gaudy Night.

I'd like to hear more, though, about why you found the Connie Willis novella unsatisfying.

jillmwo, re All About Emily--I think the best word to describe it is underdeveloped, and not just in number of pages. The plotline is thin though it's based on an interesting premise--at what point does a robot/AI become human and have human rights?--and the resolution comes off as sentimental rather than inevitable, if that makes any sense. I think there were characters she could have better developed, like the robot's creator. In its favor, it still has her delightful trademark wit, and she has obvious fun weaving movie and theater references into the story, to good effect. It just doesn't match some of her other novellas, like Inside Job and Spice Pogrom, in quality and richness of storytelling (okay, maybe that one isn't a full fledged novella, but still).

Re Wimsey--yes, part of my Sayers reading project also involves observing how she matures as a writer. I think I'm going to try to read all the pre-Harriet stories first, then jump into Strong Poison et al, which I'm already familiar with thanks to PBS :)

Fuzzi...good! We can compare notes.

I've just started Whose Body read by Nadia May. I'm not too keen on her reading so far, but I'll keep going for now. There's enough DLS love here to keep me hopeful the story powers over the reader.

Finished Last Curtsey by Fiona MacCarthy and enjoyed it a great deal--part memoir, part history of a society in transition, part commentary on the death throes of the old British aristocracy. Whether or not it was, it felt 'honest', if that makes any sense, as the author was among those young women who were the last of the debutantes to curtsey to the Queen as a rite of coming of age. Her accounts of what happened to several of her cohorts post-1958 was especially striking--from joining the IRA and becoming a terrorist to marrying the Aga Khan (not the same woman, obviously.) :-D

My Book ADD struck again and I spent the day reading Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl. I'd somehow managed to read her later memoirs and missed this one; it was as engaging and delicious to read as all her other work. I sometimes wonder why so many people had much more interesting childhoods than I did, but maybe that's just in retrospect.

While away on vacation I read Debs at War by Anne de Courcy, about the experiences of upper class young women in WWII England, and My Own Country by Abraham Verghese, a memoir of his years as a doctor in eastern Tennessee as the AIDS epidemic entered the region--both excellent non-fiction in different ways, but both shared a compelling humanity. I especially recommend the Verghese.

About a hundred pages into The Nine Tailors and loving it--Sayers' writing is much better than in her first two Wimsey stories.

(23) The Nine Tailors is my favorite 'Wimsey' story. I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

It's probably time for a reread for me...it's been decades since I last read it.

I'm enjoying the bellringing aspects even though I know zero about the topic--but it's made me want to learn, just because the names are so wonderfully strange.

>25 Marissa_Doyle:: The author Robin McKinley is a keen bellringer and frequently writes about it on her blog. I have learned quite a lot about the subject from reading about it there, although I think to some extent it will always seem confusing to me! It did help me to better understand the ringing aspects of The nine tailors.

>26 Sakerfalcon: I'm going to do some digging around to see if I can find audio clips.

Snuck a re-read in while at exercise the last few days (love my Nook for reading while on an elliptical machine) of Connie Willis's Uncharted Territory. I just adore this story for its humor and the deep but quiet romance, and for its very clever plotting.

More love for Nine Tailors here. It's the one I gave my wife when she said she wanted to try reading a mystery.

Did she like it, jnwelch?

Now I want to learn bell ringing. I first heard about it on McKinley's blog as well but didn't find out more about it until just now. I don't suppose they do it in Canada do they?

*searches*

Yes they do! There's a bell ringing guild at one of our local churches. I'll have to look into this some more.

>29 fuzzi: Very much, fuzzi. She now reads mysteries all the time.

Just finished The Nine Tailors--great fun, though perhaps a little draggy at the end. But much better than the two I've read--the beginning in particular was wonderfully atmospheric, and while his lordship was a bit of a cipher, several characters were splendidly drawn, in particular Rev. and Mrs. Venables and Nobby Cranton. And the method of Deacon's death was oh-so-macabre.

What next, Marissa?

Hi fuzzi! I'm in the middle of The Family That Couldn't Sleep, about prions, then will get back into Sayers...may try Murder Must Advertise, since it was recommended above. I also really need to finish Outposts, as I have only one chapter left.

Finished The Family That Couldn't Sleep--interesting and well-written. I found the sections about the family mentioned in the title the most engaging parts of the book, though the author's discussion of some of the scientists involved in prion research was fascinating as well (N.B.--not all of them admirable human beings). Well done.

And now, Murder Must Advertise? :)

Yes'm. :)

ETA: It's off to a great start. I do like Sayers' openings--they're always different.

I'm enjoying watching your Sayers odyssey. :)

Me too, MrsLee.

It's fun to see someone else discover and enjoy a book that you love. :)

Murder Must Advertise is wonderful!

>40 jillmwo: I have to agree! I had a long train ride on Thursday and finished Murder Must Advertise on the way, and I think it's the best Lord Peter I've read yet--the characters were wonderfully drawn, Peter himself was really "there" rather than just being the sleuth, and it was delightfully witty. So which do you recommend next?

Halfway through Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII by Sarah Helm. I was riveted by Leo Marks' Between Silk and Cyanide and this discusses many of the same people who worked in the SOE, but from a different viewpoint. Well done.

Honestly, my favorite of all of the Sayers Wimsey-Vane books is Strong Poison, primarily because of Miss Climpson. It also sent me off to look up the story of King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid, which entailed a special visit to the Research Library at 42nd Street. It's the first time that you have a sense that Peter might not get everything he wants. Harriet isn't too enthusiastic about him during the trial.

Yep, after "Tailors" and "Murder" the trilogy of Peter and Harriot are my favorites. You will then have a good sense of him and want to fill in with all the rest of the stories, which are each fun in their own way.

Finished Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII--well-written and researched bio of an interesting, imperfect woman. Recommended if you have an interest in espionage or WWII history, though not as gripping as others. The author was obviously fascinated by her subject, but remained objective--this is no hagiography, but is written with compassion for Miss Atkins (as she preferred to be called) and especially for the women agents of F (France) section, many of who died grisly deaths at the hands of the Gestapo in places like Dachau and Ravensbruck.

Well into Strong Poison and enjoying it. My husband has joined my Sayers project and already jumped ahead to finish Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon, the cheater. :)

I enjoyed the Vera Atkins book too. Not exactly pleasure reading, but very interesting stuff.

:) I can't seem to get my husband to try Dorothy Sayers, but he did end up loving Rex Stout books with me.

Finished Strong Poison, and on to Have His Carcase next. I was a little surprised that there was so little Harriet in Strong Poison--it would have been good to see a little more of why Peter feel so head over heels for her, but maybe there will be more of that in Have His Carcase.

Mrs. Lee, I actually got my husband hooked on Georgette Heyer!

I am impressed! You will meet much more of Harriet in Have His Carcase and even more in Gaudy Night.

Finished Have His Carcase and found it something of a slog--the endless backing and forthing over the timetable of the crime, the pages of code-breaking...this one was less a mystery than it was an intellectual exercise. Hoping for better things from Gaudy Night, which is next on deck.

I'm beginning to get the idea that Sayers probably didn't like people very much--she was so callous about poor Mrs. Weldon in Have His Carcase, whom I thought was more to be pitied than sneered at.

It's been so long since I read those Sayer's books, Marissa, I can't really comment on them.

I do recall that my favorite Wimsey books were The Nine Tailors and Murder Must Advertise.

Finished Gaudy Night; my reaction is mixed. On the whole, I enjoyed it. But I found it very dated in a lot of ways, not the least all the 30s-era psychology, and I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief sufficiently to accept Annie's vendetta, nor did I have much patience for Harriet's ambivalence toward Peter--honestly, it took her five years to figure out that she really did love him? However, I loved Sayers' descriptions of Oxford, both physical and spiritual, and got a kick out of Peter's nephew. Best of all were the bits about Harriet's life as a writer--they ring amazingly true today, nearly 80 years later (the bit when Freddy Arbuthnot asks if she working on a new book and she has to struggle the urge to strangle him--priceless!)

On to Busman's Honeymoon, and then I may give Peter a bit of a rest.

Went back and finally finished Outposts--interesting, but I didn't think it as good as some of his others, in particular his geology-related books (which is his background, after all). Also finished Busman's Honeymoon, which was meh--though, as always, the murder/mystery aspect was excellent, the humor felt ponderous and the agonizing over their relationship seemed forced. I think I've sampled enough Sayers, and while I'm glad I did, I can't say I was blown away by her books. I think Murder Must Advertise and Strong Poison were my favorites.

On to When Miss Emmie was in Russia, about English governesses in Russia around the time of the Soviet revolution, and am also reading Maisie Dobbs on my Nook while at exercise. Liking it so far.

Finished When Miss Emmie was in Russia, which was enjoyable--the author's occasionally amateurish writing was made up for by the sheer interest and delightfulness of the governesses' stories.

On next to Singled Out: How Two Million British Women Survived without Men after the First World War--am curious as to whether the author is a relative of Harold and Nigel and Juliet Nicholson. If so, it bodes well.

(ETA: I see she's Vanessa Bell's grand-daughter. )

Finished Singled Out; have mixed reviews. The best parts were the individual women's stories; the author's synthesis was repetitive to the point of irritation. Kind of disappointing, as this is my favorite kind of non-fiction.

A Lethal Inheritance: While I learned a lot about the heritabilty of some types of mental illness and felt sorry for what the author and her family had lived through, I also found her unlikeable, which make reading it a somewhat odd experience.

Finished Dance Little Ladies as an adjunct read to Fiona McCarthy's Last Curtsey, about the phenomenon of "coming out" for upper class British girls. Enjoyable read, especially for the long passages of interviews the author did with everyone from debs of various decades (and their parents) to prominent band leaders and social columnists. Up next is Stella Margetson's The Long Party, on the same topic, and then on to something new.

Just did a count and have finished 26 books so far this year, which is a Good Thing.

I'm moving slooooow compared to you. I'm on my 12th book. But I seem to be picking up the pace on book listening. I'm on my 18th audiobook. Usually the paper books thump on the audio books.

I just reread your first post and was reminded you read and enjoyed Simon Winchester's Atlantic. I found it at the Sally Ann the other day, was tempted, but then put it back. Nuts! I'll have to go back this weekend and see if it's still there.

I should think your audio books would count as "books read", Sandragon!

I hadn't even noticed what I was doing there. I tend to think of listening to audiobooks as something to do when I can't actually read the preferred way, with a print book. I haven't had as much time this year to sit and relax with a print book, but I've been listening to audiobooks while walking the dog, gardening, doing other chores, or to fall asleep to because I'm too tired to keep my eyes open for a print book. I guess subconsciously I wasn't thinking they count. But actually I've read almost 30 books this year. Much better than I was giving myself credit for!

Finished Stella Margetson's The Long Party: High Society in the twenties & thirties. Written in an appropriately breezy style, but it felt rather superficial. I prefer her books on the 19th century.

Up next: Station X: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

Oooo, I bet I would like Station X. I love reading about that stuff.

Station X: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park was okay--I kind of felt like it was the cliff-notes version of a much longer and more detailed book, but was good as an overview of some of the technology and personalities involved. Doesn't hold a candle to Between Silk and Cyanide, which is by far the best book on WWII cryptography I've read (as well as one of the best books I've read, period.) I'm going to keep an eye out for something a little heftier on Bletchley Park. Any recommendations?

Up next (it arrived today and leapt, chamois-like, to the top of Mount TBR): Spies of the First World War, which looks very interesting. I've also been dipping into Parisians by Graham Robb as background for a book I'm about to start, and it's gorgeous.

Finished Maisie Dobbs; it took forever as I was reading it in short bursts while exercising. While the plot in general was good, I wasn't drawn in. It read more like a draft than a finished novel, with a lot of clunky writing and awkward structuring, and the somewhat omniscient style really kept me at arm's length from Maisie--I never felt I truly knew her or cared about her. Her growing up was a little too perfect--the sympathetic employer, the parent surrogate cook and butler, the wise mentor...it was unsatisfying. I'm debating whether to give a later book in the series a chance, to see whether they improve.

Spies of the First World War--halfway through, and honestly, all I can say is that it's a miracle the Allies won, except that the Central Powers were equally as inept when it came to intelligence work. Amazing how things changed in WWII. The author has a nicely dry sense of humor which keeps peeking out.

Must do a quick re-read of Tea with the Black Dragon as well.

I've read the first couple of books in the Maisie Dobbs series and can tell you that they do get better as you go along. I agree that the first one was a little *too* perfect, but there are subsequent ones that don't feel quite that way. To be fair, the first in a series always has to suffer through the introduction of secondary characters, etc. and establishing the backdrop overall.

Snuck in a re-read of To Say Nothing of the Dog just because it makes me happy. Then again, anything Connie Willis writes makes me happy, with just a couple of exceptions.

I got about two-thirds of the way through the second Maisie Dobbs book, Birds of a Feather, and just put it down because it wasn't keeping my interest. I don't think I'll try any more of her, though it makes me feel bad to say that.

Snuck The Gallery of Regrettable Food in for a little lightening up while reading something a tad heavier...it was silly fun, but almost too silly. I'd love to see a similar book written less from a "get the laughs" angle and more from a food history one...why the heck did the 50s and 60s have such awful food (at least in recipe books?) And why all the jello molds?

It was still good for a chuckle, though.

What a great title for a book. Too bad it only covers the 50s and 60s. :)

Yes, the title is what snagged me. "Regrettable" is such a wonderful pejorative, as pejoratives go. :)

Just finished up George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I. Fascinating read--a study of the personalities of three of the heads of state during the years leading up to the First World War, though as the author notes, it might have better been titled "Four Kings and a Queen", as Queen Victoria and Edward VII play roles just as large. What struck me was how poorly educated and prepared all three Kings were to take on their roles--intentionally so, it seemed. I knew Wilhelm was more or less certifiable, but I was less aware of just how responsible Nicholas was for creating his own (and Russia's) downfall...and the only thing that saved George V from doing the same was that he was a constitutional monarch with little actual power (though he caused enough harm as it was, championing the criminally incompetent General Haig, who was addicted to trench warfare, during the war). I see from other reviews that some people had difficulty with the style, as there was occasional repetition when events were recounted from different points of view, but I personally did not find it problematic. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the period.

Straight to my wishlist! Thanks, Marissa.

I have been eye-balling that title ever since it came out and your review just pushed me into the purchase. It's a fascinating period of history, isn't it?

It is fascinating...it's really the start of the modern age, because so much changed as a result of it. I hope you both enjoy it!

Read The Haunting of Maddy Clare after seeing it recommended in Katylit's thread, and agree with her that it was a fun read. Maybe not as scary as The Haunting of Hill House, which is my gold standard for horror, but a good read nonetheless.

Snuck in re-reads of A College of Magics and A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer, just because they're two of my favorite YA comfort reads...then went on to The Story of Charlotte's Web by Michael Sims, which was a lovely, gentle read, a sort of biography of the story as much as of White himself. It compares interestingly with Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style by Mark Garvey, which I read a couple of years ago and does sort of the same thing with The Elements of Style.

On to Laurie King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice, after which I might sneak in a re-read of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell just because it's a favorite. Summer is a good time for re-reads of favorites.

Oh, GREAT! I love The Beekeeper's Apprentice, I hope you enjoy it as well.

When I see a copy of it for resale, I usually buy it to give to someone, that's how much I love that book. It's gotta be in my top 10 or 15 books.

Okay, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell sucked me in before I could get far on Beekeeper (which I am re-starting now). It's been a few years since I read JS and Mr N, so it was wonderful to just fall back into her brilliantly alternate Regency world. I especially love the bits set around JS's role in the Napoleonic Wars (moving Brussels!), the sly bits of humor larded through the story, and the elaborate history of magic she wove. Definitely one of my top ten all-time favorites.

I loved JS and Mr N, also Beekeeper. Hope that is a good one for you, too.

#73 - I really have to get to that one of these days. Everyone seems to love it so, and it sounds exactly like my kind of thing. I have a hard time accessing my books easily now that my son has basically 'taken over' the great room, where most of my shelves are. And my brain is leaky. I also have The Beekeeper's Apprentice waiting to be read, somewhere...

(75) Read it! Read it! :)

Oh... The mind is willing, but the attention span is weak. And LT and FaceBook are so shiny!

(edited for typo)

Clamairy, people either seem to love it or hate it. It's very long, and you sort of have to just fall into the world Clarke creates...and you also have to pay attention, because she slips little bits and pieces in at odd times that illuminate plot points elsewhere. It's a big, gorgeous tapestry of a book.

Yes, clamairy, you must read both of them!

MrsLee, I am two chapters into The Beekeeper's Apprentice and am totally in love. Which isn't easy for me to do anymore. Anyway, I'm sufficiently in love that when I stopped into Barnes & Noble to pick up the new Terry Pratchett for my son, I picked up the next two Mary Russells for me.

Marissa, YES!!!

I bought most of those books online, through abebooks.com...saved a lot of $$$.

One of the occupational hazards of being a writer, I've found, is that I read fiction like a writer now, always taking anything I read apart and seeing if it works...which means that it's very hard to read just for the pleasure and relaxation of it. So when I find a book that sucks me in so that I don't start pulling it apart but can just plunge into the experience...ah! Much to my delight, The Beekeeper's Apprentice did just that from the first couple of paragraphs--I knew from about page two that I could relax into this book like a big feather bed and get carried along for the ride (sorry for the mixed metaphor there--a feather bed on wheels, I suppose). Mary Russell's voice is flawless, and Holmes's so vividly himself...the humor is like a glass of prosecco, sparkling and both tart and sweet, and the plotting excellent. I'm so glad this is a series...in fact, I just finished book 2, A Monstrous Regiment of Women which I found equally delightful, and I've already embarked on book 3, A Letter of Mary. I'm going to try to save a few for a long flight I have at the end of July, but it may be a near thing. A heartfelt thank you to all who recommended these books!

Woo! I'm SO glad you are loving that series...I did too. I don't recall who told me about it (was probably here) but I'm thrilled to find such a wonderful set of books.

I'm another fan of the Russell/Holmes books. I haven't read the latest 3 yet, but I've slowly been rereading the rest. Next up is Justice Hall which is one of my favourites, along with O Jerusalem. King's writing is beautiful.

I really liked Locked Rooms, too.

Why does one feel like a proud parent when someone discovers an author and series they have long loved? :) I'm glad you are enjoying these!

Heh--I'm always terrified when I praise a favorite book to the skies and encourage someone else to read it, lest they loathe it. Thankfully that hasn't happened here yet. :)

Completed The Moor (Mary Russell #4) which was great fun as I've an interest in Dartmoor, and forgot to mention finishing A Letter of Mary, which I only had a small gripe with, wishing she'd worked the letter a little more deeply into the plot. No matter--I'm gobbling these up like candy! Am already a quarter of the way through O Jerusalem.

Ah, O Jerusalem!

So, I take it you LIKE these books, hmm? ;)

Just a little bit, fuzzi...

I had the same issue with Letter of Mary but still raced through it.

Polished off O Jerusalem, Justice Hall, and The Game...lord, those books are addicting! I'm saving the last few for a trip, but I don't want to!

So instead I turned to The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which was a pleasant (if rather short) diversion, sort of an African Miss Read, and a re-read of Susanna Clarke's the Ladies of Grace Adieu. I also have historian Stella Tillyard's novel Tides of War to tackle--anyone read it yet?

:grinning: I love that you love those books, Marissa. I bought them all used, through online sources, and have reread them a couple times in a year.

I've not read any of the other books you have mentioned, sorry.

Have you read The Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson? I enjoyed that book, and its sequel, the name of which escapes me at this moment.

Also, I have read the recent 'dog' mysteries by Spencer Quinn, starting with the first, Dog On It. They're very entertaining, and addictive, too. I've finished reading all four and am waiting for a number five to appear. :)

Oh, The Baker Street Letters looks wonderful! That's going on my Nook...

I just lookedbit up: The Brothers of Baker Street is the second book.

The Baker Street Letters was a fun, quick read. The pacing was a little too break-neck for me and I wish there had been a little more about the letters worked into the story (and not just the one that drives the plot), but I liked how Reggie's character grew--he starts out as kind of a jerk, and by the end shows that maybe he isn't after all and has potential for further growth. I may pick up the next one shortly.

I also finished Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith, second in the Mma Ramotswe series started in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Again, a very quick read--they're short, and written in a rather simplistic style that I'm not sure I much cared for, though the characters themselves are charming. Something about that simplicitiy of style bothers me--I hope it's not meant to be condescending. In a way, it reminds me of the "hi-lo" books written for older children who have difficulty reading, where the subject matter is of interest to their chronological age while the vocab and grammar are on a lower reading level. Hmm. Just not sure about these though I know they're hugely popular...I suppose I ought to sample one of his other series to see if it carries across all his work, or is just for the African books.

Partway through Thrones, Dominations, which was started by Dorothy Sayers and completed by a different author. It's rather odd--I'm on page 94 and almost nothing has happened, but there have been some amusing characters along the way. There's also very little Peter in it so far.

Looking forward to next week when I can jump into the rest of the Mary Russell books!!

Marissa, I liked the second book, The Brothers of Baker Street more than the first. See my review by clicking on the title. :)

Alexander McCall Smith's other works are very different. I read once that these books are very popular in Botswana, so I don't think the people there feel any condescension on his part. I believe he either grew up there or spent a good deal of his life there and has a great love for the people.

One of the mistakes people make with these is thinking that there will be a great mystery in it somewhere. Even though they are about a detective agency, the soul of the stories are the women and how they view life and the people around them. Things get more complicated in some ways further in. I think they reflect the attitudes, customs and mores of the people very well from other things I have read and people I have known from Cote d Ivoire, Mali and Kenya. The simplicity is there, but not in a bad way, more in a less distractions sort of way. IMO. :) Sorry to go on about it. I do enjoy the books very much, I find them a pleasant escape.

I never did warm up to Thrones and Dominations, will be interested to see what you think.

That makes me feel better, MrsLee. I did like the episodic nature of the books rather than having an overarching plot--they're almost like an African version of Miss Read's Thrush Green stories or Cranford.

Thrones, Dominations was okay--of course, the murder happened right after I posted above from page 94. :) It wasn't as tightly plotted as I'm used to from Miss Sayers and lacked some of the humor, but it was a decent read. I'm onto the next Wimsey continuation by Jill Paton Walsh, A Presumption of Death and I think I'm enjoying it more, partly from the depiction of English daily life during the "phony war" early days of WWII, and partly because it's making Harriet Vane Wimsey much more human.

I'm mulling over why these continuations of an iconic author's world and characters are more successful (at least IMO) than those, say, written around Jane Austen's, apropos of a thread on the I Love Jane Austen board about Pride and Prejudice continuations (and specifically why P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley fell flat for me.

I agree with your assessment of Thrones, Dominations as being decent but not more than that. I could tell that it *was* at least formed by Sayers, but it wasn't a replacement for real Sayers. I couldn't decide if it was due to the flow or issues with the more modern language.

So what was "off" in Death comes to Pemberley?

Jillmwo, I think what I missed was Jane Austen's sparkling, satirical touch--there was always a glint in her eye, and that sense of humor and fun was totally missing from the P.D. James. Somehow Austen and murder just don't mix, for me.

Finished A Presumption of Death, which I liked, and The Attenbury Emeralds, which I have decidedly mixed feelings about. The mystery aspect was excellent--twisty and turny, but solveable if you're paying attention. However, I think Walsh totally fell down as far as the characters of Harriet and Peter go; they're simply not Sayers' characters anymore, which I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at, but which was still disappointing. SPOILER ALERT: In particular, I didn't think Peter's going all democratically-minded and not wanting to be called "Your Grace" and so on after Gerald's death was completely out of character for someone of his class and upbringing. And I could never picture him allowing his son to address Bunter by his first name.

On to some some intriguing looking non-fiction--Prairie Fever: British Aristocrats in the American West 1830-1890, and Van Reid's new self-published installment in the Moosepath League series of novels, Moss Farm.

>103 Marissa_Doyle: I found the Jill Paton Walsh continuations disappointing, too. You're right, it's the characterizations of Harriet and Peter that don't ring true.

Finished Prairie Fever: British Aristocrats in the American West 1830-1890. A good overview of the phenomenon as well a a good jumping off point to investigate a few of the characters and communities more deeply (already was familiar with Moreton Frewen from reading a biography of the Jerome sisters). Well written, with enough anecdotes to keep the flow amusing (hey, it's summer, right?)

On to High Rising, as I want to read all of the Barsetshire novels...I do wish Angela Thirkell's books were available for the Nook.

Polished off Locked Rooms in the Mary Russell series and am on to The Language of Bees; with these later books in the series I've found that I don't like them as well at the beginning but get sucked in nevertheless--perhaps because they're less character-driven and more plot driven...?

Marissa, I noticed the same thing, that they don't start as well as the earlier books, but I do want to find out what is in store for Holmes and Russell, so I keep reading.

You have described the difference between the earlier and later books in this series: that's what I was trying to articulate, but could not. Thanks!

Locked Rooms is one of my favorites, after the first couple in the series, and O Jerusalem.

Did you hear that there is a new book coming out next month? Woo!

I saw that, fuzzi, and I can't wait! I'm part-way through The God of the Hive and it's a nail-biter--she's a fiendish plotter. I may need to go back to Angela Thirkell for a rest before reading Pirate King and the new one in September.

I've got to give The Beekeeper's Apprentice another try. I quit partway through it, due to difficult life circumstances quite a few years ago. I've got it, just not gotten back to it.

Oh, it's so good, majkia. I have reread it several times already. I wound up buying all the books in the series (used!). The only one I have not yet read is Pirate King: I borrowed it from the library, but didn't get to read it.

Definitely try it, majkia! I'm so glad to have found this series, thanks to LTers.

Finished Pirate King, the last (until next month) installment in the Mary Russell series. It was a tad on the surreal and occasionally absurd side, but I suspect that she had fun writing it and I'm okay with that--I don't want her to get burned out and stop writing this series!

Also polished off Full Dark House, the first of the Bryant and May Peculiar Crimes mysteries--some good writing here though it could have been tightened a little, and the main characters are a lot of fun. I'm definitely going to continue with these.

I just glanced through your thread, and you seem to have been reading many of my favorite books lately! I enjoyed Full Dark House too, and another of his books as well, I don't have them in order, but I find they read OK as individual novels, too.

I also had some of the same thoughts you did about Pirate King, I laughed my way through it. :) In a good way.

Marissa, if you're looking for more Mary Russell you may want to try The Art of Detection. It's a Kate Martinelli mystery, another series by Laurie King, set in modern day San Francisco, but Mary Russell makes an appearance in this one. I prefer Mary to Kate, I find the Kate mysteries can be darker, but I still enjoyed them.

Edited for very bad grammar.

Thank you, Sandragon--I was wondering about them. It's been kind of funny--I've never been a mystery reader, but that's mostly what I've read this summer. Nice to shake things up a bit.

I'm on the second Bryant and May book, MrsLee--The Water Room. Will report back. :)

Read Moss Farm, Van Reid's recently self-published installment in the delightful Moosepath League series set in 1890s Maine. It's the sixth published entry, though chronologically it should be #2. A bit of a slow start, but it soon settled into the gently humorous intertwining of multiple plot threads that Mr. Reid is so good at. If you haven't read this series and are looking for an old-fashioned (no violence or swearing or sex) but not at all priggish read, I highly recommend them.

The Water Room is temporarily on hold while I sneak another Angela Thirkell in--Growing Up. She's a good follow-up to the Moosepath books.

I *liked* much of Angela Thirkell when I read her back in the '80's. She's relatively gentle in writing about English village life. But so much of her stuff is out of print these days!

Actually, they're back in print (trade paperback) through Moyer Bell--the only issue I've had with them is that they're pretty typo-ridden, which gets irksome after a while. Rather like the Georgette Heyer reprints being released by Sourcebooks.

Finished the Thirkell, The Water Room, and Seventy-seven Clocks. I love Christopher Fowler's smart, sinuous plotting and his humor, but there's something missing in them for me, some element that would make them completely satisfying, and I'm not sure what it is. I'm going to continue the series, though, because they're still good reads.

The Uninvited Guests was an odd little read, sort of an English version of magical realism. I'm not entirely sure what I think of it; it was a mercurial sort of book, sometimes funny, sometimes overdone (is "overwrought" an alternate adjectival form of "overwritten"?), with some lovely descriptive passages and some rather muddled themes, with everything tied up neatly (and in deus ex machina fashion) at the end--one of the few times that I haven't been very happy with a "happily ever after" ending. Probably not for everyone, but if you have a liking for early 20th century English country house settings, it might be worth checking out.

The uninvited guests is on my tbr pile. I've seen mixed praise similar to yours in other places, but I do like "big country house" books so will try and get to it soon.

Was wandering around Barnes and Noble last week and picked up Mr. Churchill's Secretary on a whim, because I like WWII stories. While the story had some good plot twists, the writing left a great deal to be desired, as did the character development. I had a conversation with a friend recently on what is iimportant to us in a book, and we both agreed that if the writing is clunky and amateurish, no amount of fabulous plotting can make up for the bad prose...while I know others for whom a cracking plot makes up for many sins. Interesting on how readers differ.

Now I'm rereading The Unknown Ajax, just because it makes me happy.

122: I'm with you, Marissa. If the author is sloppy, misuses words, gets coy and precious, can't handle dialogue, or commits any number of other sins, I can't stay with him or her. I have to put the book down. Not every author can write brilliantly or even excellently, but readers should be able to count on competence, which can be attained with the help of an editor.

I will hang in there with a slow, cerebral narrative in which not very much happens overtly for the sake of a beautiful piece of writing. My husband is just the opposite: he can be very forgiving of mechanical and stylistic defects as long as he thinks it's a good story.

And we were both English majors. In fact, he majored in creative writing, whereas my major was a more traditional literary curriculum. It appears, therefore, not to be a difference in education or orientation but simply taste and personal preference.

I'm in the "forgiving if it's a good story" camp.

Well, as it happens, I had just ordered Mr. Churchill's Secretary myself to see if it would work for the library book group I do. It sounds like something that will sit on the shelf a while until I'm desperate to fill a hole in the schedule.

Well, your mileage may totally vary, jillmwo...it just didn't work for me.

I'm working on another Bryant and May, Ten Second Staircase...after that, I may try to fit in The Rook which my son highly recommended...any input on it? And on Sept. 4, the new Laurie King/Mary Russell installment releases! O frabjous day!

126> I just finished The Rook - loved it! Highly recommended.

Okay, Ten Second Staircase was awesome--possibly my favorite of the series yet. I think it's because Bryant came across as more human and understandable in this installment.

On to a spot of non-fiction to cleanse the palate--Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies is amazing, 2/3 of the way through--smoothly written, suspenseful, and at times hilarious (the role of pigeons in espionage!), but at the same time humane and understanding of human strength and weakness. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in WWII or espionage. Ben Macintyre also wrote Agent Zig-Zag--this is much better.

Oh I'm glad to hear Bryant and May continues to please you. I discovered the first one and loved it but haven't gotten further.

They improve as they go along, majkia--the characterization and depth or "heart" gets better, while retaining all the twisty plotting and humor.

Finished the next Bryant and May, White Corridor, and am on to The Victoria Vanishes.

I have to ask you, Marissa, what you mean by "as they go along." In what order are you taking them? I'm asking because of the article I cited here
http://www.librarything.com/topic/141700#3575895
and the impression I had from reading the earliest one that I was coming in right in the middle of things.

I'm reading them in the order in which they were published (and are numbered)--I don't really understand how there would be a better place to start. The first book does start in the middle of things, but substantial portions of it flash back to the PCU's founding and first case, so it works as the start perfectly well, in my opinion.

That makes sense to me, but it seems the author doesn't agree.

I get the point of what he says--chronologically, they do jump around a bit--but it's also interesting to read them in publication order to see how Fowler develops as a writer and how his relationship with his characters alters over time.

BTW--I gave Laurie R. King's Kate Martinelli books a try, starting with the first--and it just didn't grab me. It might be a matter of setting--I much prefer the historical to the contemporary--but Kate herself didn't grab me, either. Ah, well.

That's one of her earliest novels, and it is rather grim. I preferred the next one in the series, called To Play The Fool but still featuring Kate Martinelli. Or you might try one of her stand-alone novels. There's a recent one called Touchstone that is only about five years old. And another stand-alone novel entitled A Darker Place.

I find most of King's other works to be grim and darker than the Russel/Holmes works. I did enjoy Folly, shades of Du' Maurier suspense in that one and its sequel.

Lots of catching up to do!

First, gobbled up Garment of Shadows. A lot of reader reviews zapped it for being too heavy on the politics and history, but I thought it was fascinating, knowing so little about Morocco's history as I do. I can totally see why King wanted to put Russell and Holmes there...and now I'm dying to know where she sends them next! There's obviously the business in Japan that she hasn't yet written about...and surely she's building up to some showdown with Mycroft...?

I bought The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements when it was on sale on my Nook. I tried to read it--really, I did. It's exactly the kind of non-fiction I love, marrying science and history...but I have this huge mental block against chemistry that made reading the long sections on electron shells just excruciating. I hope someone else will read this and say how wonderful it is, and maybe I'll be able to try again. The fact that I tried to read it while sitting in the Registry of Motor Vehicles for two hours waiting for my daughters to take their permit exams may not have helped matters. :)

Also snuck a few Georgette Heyers in there as comfort reads. Sometimes you just have to.

Am about to start Shades of Milk and Honey...anyone read this one?

I totally agree with you about Georgette Heyer! Perfect comfort reading - definitely belongs on the "Well-written fluff" thread.

I haven't read Shades of milk and honey, but it is on my wish list. I look forward to finding out your thoughts regarding it.

I loved Garment of Shadows as well, and did not find it unbelievable or contrived. I agree that the relatively small dose of politics (early 1920s, Morocco) was fascinating, and I also enjoyed the description of the architecture and society. It wasn't my favorite, but I felt it was a return to what made the series so popular to date: the interactions between Holmes and Russell, something that I feel has been missing from the recent additions to the series.

My comfort reads are heavy on Louis L'Amour. I think I've read a book or two by Georgette Heyer, she's sort of like Marian Chesney, right?

Yes, though I haven't read any Marian Chesney. GH is more or less the inventor of the Regency romance...the one who set the pattern for their being as much comedies of manners as love stories.

Also, re-read a book from childhood that has totally escaped being messed with by the Suck Fairy--The Perilous Gard. Callou callay!

Shades of Milk and Honey wasn't bad, but very uneven. I found the pacing erratic--painfully slow for the first two-thirds of the book, then a muddled rush at the denouement. I also disliked the attempt to imitate an early 19th century, Austenian writing style--color me curmudgeonly, but it's extremely difficult to do without introducing stylistic anachronisms that stand out like sore thumbs...and JA's signature humor and satirical touch was completely absent. The characters were meh--I found it difficult to really empathize with any of them. The best part of the story was how magic or "glamour" was handled and described--that was interesting and very well done. I gather that there's a sequel, but the characters didn't draw me in enough to want to continue the series.

On to The Rook while waiting for a few books mentioned by Katylit and Sakerfalcon to be released in the US. :)

Finshed The Rook--I hated for it to end, but had to finish it because I couldn't do anything else until I had. :) It was wonderful--definitely one of my top three reads this year. The writing was excellent--I didn't do any internal editing as I read--but the best part was the sheer exuberance and creativity of the world-building and the undercurrent of sly and sometimes downright silly humor, without ever tipping into "too much" (which IMO is where Jasper Fforde often goes, alas). Very, very highly recommended contemporary fantasy. The only problem with it is that I'm not sure what to read next, because it's one tough act to follow. Maybe a spot of non-fiction will cleanse the palate.

Marissa, I've been playing catch-up with everyone's reading and see from your reviews so many books I've read or want to read. Especially The Last Curtsey, that sounds wonderful! My grandmother was presented to the Queen and had an illustrious future ahead of her, until she met my P&O stewart grandfather and they emigrated to Canada and she never looked back. I loved listening to her stories and this sounds like a perfect addition to those.

I've had The Beekeeper's Apprentice on audio for awhile and keep trying to listen to it, but the narrator portrays Sherlock with the most annoying voice, very high-pitched and distracting, so I've never been able to finish it. Now, with so many recommendations from sandragon, you, fuzzi, MrsLee et al, I'm going to try it again in dead-tree form.

Oh yes, give it a dead tree chance. Narrators can make or break an audio book, regardless of the story.

I agree with MrsLee.

Yes, definitely give it a try on paper!

And you'll enjoy The Last Curtsey--what fun to have your grandmother's stories to go with it!

Got about halfway through Germs, Genes & Civilization and put it down. The epidemeiological end of the book was okay, if inelegantly written--there are much better books out there on the subject. But the second half was this biologist's ideas on how epidemics may have shaped history worldwide...except his grasp of history seemed to be based on a 8th grade-level general history of the world textbook. Annoying to the point that I would have pitched it at the wall had it not been downloaded on my Nook.

I've got Charlotte Markham and Spillover (which got a glowing review in the NYT) up next, and debating whether to try the new Mark Helprin after that.

Oooo, there is a downside to an eReader! How can you vent your anger at a poorly executed story/book? Hitting the "delete" button doesn't give the same satisfaction!

147: If you're debating, that suggests that you've had a mixed experience with Mark Helprin's past work. Care to elaborate?

Meredy, his Winter's Tale is one of my favorite books ever, and his retelling of Swan Lake was heartbreakingly beautiful...but I was unimpressed by Memoir from Antproof Case and Freddy and Frederica. And the reviews for In Sunlight and In Shadow are mixed--the NYT review actually refers to the books's clunky prose, which is a shocker for Helprin. I expect I will read it, but not sure how quickly I'll get to it.

150: Interesting, Marissa. I felt the same way about Winter's Tale (and I even have this among my tags for the book: "lens arrows (p. 359)"), enough so that when I lent it to someone who didn't return it I bought another copy. But I didn't care for Memoir from Antproof Case or A Soldier of the Great War, and I thought Refiner's Fire was okay but not especially great.

Maybe the reality is either (a) that this author couldn't repeat the achievement of Winter's Tale or (b) that he never meant to--that the experiment that he conceived and carried out so beautifully in that story was a one-time thing. In which case we look in vain among his later works for a similar experience and may as well move on. What do you think?

It's the "clunky prose" bit that I found troubling...while I haven't been in love with some of his other work, I've always admired how the man puts words together. If that has failed him, then I'm sad.

I finished Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling, and have decidedly mixed feelings about it. The plot and its twists were very good, and the sheer weirdness of the other worlds well done. But it kind of fell down on the Victorian setting and the characterization, and the writing/word choice was funky enough at times to make me wonder if English wasn't the author's first language. The parts of the book set in The Ending were probably the best, IMO, and I did enjoy the references to H.P. Lovecraft (Mr. Whatly and Arkham House).

Ah! You captured it Marissa. I did enjoy Charlotte, very much, but yup, I totally agree with you, just couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me about the book. There is NO way a Victorian governess would ever have presumed to used her employer's first name, nor would he have offered it. I did love the way The Ending was created and operated though.

Took a long time to read Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen, but it was worth every minute. Probably not for everyone, but if you have any interest in epidemiology (which I find fascinating) and the history and future of zoonoses (human diseases with animal origins), it's an excellent if sobering read. His writing style was delightfully engaging, intelligent, never too technical on one side or condescending on the other--I'm definitely going to look into his other work.

In honor of the season, I also read Alex Sokoloff's The Harrowing--it was a quick read. Her college campus didn't seem very realistic, but the plot was interesting and it was suspenseful without resorting to too much gore, which isn't my thing. I've moved onto Christopher Fowler's Hell Train, another horror novel, which is gorier so far, but Fowler is such a good writer that it isn't offensive. He's the author of the Bryant and May books, which is why I picked this one up.

Hi, I've read Quammen's Wild Thoughts from Wild Places, which I enjoyed, but didn't realise the extent of his output, which seems pretty varied. I'm not sure I'd seek out the book you mentioned first, but some of his other books look rather interesting.
As a side note, the most popular of his books on LT is about biogeography, and I've just read Neil Gaiman's short story - from his collection Smoke and Mirrors - called The Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, in which the titular character is a biogeologist, and her departure is most unusual, and rather fine. That was rather off-topic, but I am enjoying the Gaiman!

I picked up his book on island ecology, but haven't read it yet--probably the same one you mentioned, gaidheal01. I'm saving it for when I have more brainpower on tap (busy as heck IRL).

That being said, time to play catch-up!

Hell Train was a fun horror read--a little squicky, but again, he's such a good writer that he can get away with it. Some good plot twists, both in the story and the story-within-a-story, and a fun homage to the British horror film house, Hammer Studios.

Since I enjoyed Double Cross so much I picked up another of Macintyre's WWII books, Operation Mincemeat which was just as engrossing and well-written and -researched--about the amazing deception pulled by British intelligence in the lead-up to the invasion of Sicily using the dead body of a purported British intelligence officer with a briefcase full of "top secret" letters which led the Germans to think that Allied landings would take place in Greece and Sardinia, rather than Sicily...and thereby allowed the invasion to take place almost unopposed. Great read, and further proof that truth can definitely be stranger than fiction.

And next a pure delight of a story, complete with bad guys getting their comeuppances and happily ever afters for the good guys, without ever crossing the line into saccharine...Miss Buncle's Book is set in a "typical" English village in the early 1930s. The eponymous Miss Buncle is feeling the pinch of hard economic times, and decides to write a book as a way to bolster her finances. She follows the dictum "write what you know" and draws a very thinly veiled picture of her village in her book (which of course becomes a huge bestseller), with explosive results. One of those books that makes you giggle at times, and finish with a smile on your face.

Quammen has 4 collections of natural history essays that are very enjoyable; Quammen is one of my favourite writers. I find his non-essay books a bit more of a slog to get through but still interesting, so I'll be grabbing Spillover at some point.

His essay collections are: Natural Acts, Wild Thoughts from Wild Places, The Boilerplate Rhino, and Flight of the Iguana.

Miss Buncle's Book - I've been thinking about picking this book up and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it. Sounds like my kind of book.

I haven't tried his essays yet, sandragon, but I see that I ought to. I did download The Song of the Dodo which I will probably get to later in the year. And yes, Miss Buncle was a total mini-vacation of a book. :)

Up next: Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West.

Finished Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West and was disappointed. While the author had amazing material to work with (lots of letters) and did a good job of explaining and describing background details and events, the main story itself of the two Smith grads who come to teach in a "frontier" school itself falls flat--the main characters never come to life. A not very good handling of some very good material, alas.

Back to fiction...also read The Innocent Spy by Laura Wilson and found it an enjoyable detective yarn set during the "Phony War" and early days of the London Blitz in WWII. Lots of good twists and turns plot-wise, though I ultimately wasn't very drawn in by the characters and was irritated by the numerous plot threads just left hanging and unresolved at the end of this (rather long) story.

Just finished Susanna Kearlsey's The Shadowy Horses. It was just what I needed while getting over some periodontal surgery, being an easy, quick read...rather in the tradition of Mary Stewart, but lacking the suspense and tension of her books, and being heavier-handed on the paranormal elements (which just didn't quite work for me here, even though I like ghosts and supernatural-tinged fiction). Mary Stewart Lite, if you will. So while it was a good book for right now, I'm not sure if I'll read any more of her work.

Feeling at loose ends on what to read next, even though I have Oliver Sacks' new book and one or two others awaiting on the Nook...it may be time to head for a comfort read while the mouth heals.

*lurking*

My TBR list continues to grow!

Miss Buncle Married is the follow-up to Miss Buncle's Book...while it was fun to spend time with Miss Buncle (or Mrs. Abbott, as she is now) once more, the book doesn't have much plot to it and therefore falls a little flat. Still, it's a gentle, pleasant read for when you happen to need one of those. :)

On to Oliver Sacks's Hallucinations.

But was the humor handled as well in Miss Buncle Married as in Miss Buncle's Book? I thoroughly enjoyed the latter and would be so disappointed if the bubbly fizz I found in Book was lacking in Married. Gentle pleasant reads are not as plentiful as one might hope (at least in my experience).

Well, there was less opportunity for humor since there was less of a plot--it's about Barbara and her husband buying a house in a new town, fixing it up, and getting to know their neighbors, with some subplots about the aforementioned neighbors. So yes on the Gentle Pleasant Read aspect, but much less Giggling Out Loud.

(162) @GeorgiaDawn smirked My TBR list continues to grow!

Oh, so like you think you're SO different, like you're SO speshul?



:D

Now, now, ladies... :)

Finished Oliver Sacks's newest, Hallucinations. It's somewhat similar to his last one, Musicophilia in that it's a sort of overview of a subject and lacking the deeper human connection of some of his other books like An Anthropologist on Mars, but I don't think it would be possible for him to ever write a borig book--still plenty here to fascinate and to leave you thinking and marveling about the complexity of the human brain. He's in his early 80s now--I hope he'll continue hale and hearty enough to continue to write.

The FitzOsbornes at War is the third book in a YA trilogy about a fictional island "kingdom" and its royal family in the years building up to and over the second world war. I liked the first book, A Brief History of Montmaray, the best--it reminded me a lot of I Capture the Castle. The second book was meh, but I enjoyed the third a bit more, though it was perhaps a little longer than it needed to be.

On to Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour since the FitzOsbornes put me back into a WWII reading mood.

Citizens of London was superlative--exhaustively researched but never bogged down in the sheer amount of information presented. It's sort of the story of the war, told via three important Americans living in London--Edward R. Murrow of CBS, Averell Harriman who was determined to get his finger in as many pies as possible, and most interesting to me, John Winant, the ambassador to Britain who took over from Joseph Kennedy (and who could not have contrasted more extremely with his predecessor). Very highly recommended if you have an interest in the era.

Onto Edmund Crispin's The Moving Toyshop, which was called one of the five best mysteries of all time by P.D. James. Very '30s style so far...

And I think I'm at 84 completed books for the year, or thereabouts...which is a lot more than I expected. Maybe I'll try for 90 by December 31. :)

Wow! I'm impressed with your completion rate.

I enjoyed The Moving Toyshop on the basis of its humor. I am not sure I quite share James' view that its one of the five best of all time. But it was fun to read and, as you note, very much in that "bright young thing" vein of the '30's.

Citizens of London sounds intriguing, particularly if it doesn't bog down.

I kind of got bogged down with The Moving Toyshop--I suppose I ought to try to get back into it. :(

In the meanwhile, completed American Lady: The Life of Susan Mary Alsop, which read more like a very long article than a book--I'm not entirely sure if that's because of the relative slightness of the subject matter (Alsop was much more an observer of events than a participant or catalyst) or just the author's style.

On to And If I Perish about American Army nurses in World War II--some good writing, and wonderful stories told with immediacy and verve.

Ah, I've been wanting to read the Miss Buncle's Book books too. Glad to hear your recommendation. And Citizens of London sounds very interesting too.

I have found that the key to reading the Edmund Crispin mysteries is to keep bouncing merrily along but avoid looking too closely at the seams...

That makes sense, jillmwo...being in the right mood for it would probably help too, I think. I'm in a mood for earnest books right now, for some reason. I'll try it again at a future date.

Finished And If I Perish, which was excellent--well-researched and readable, never dipping into melodrama but maintaining a sympathetic viewpoint throughout. I should mention that it only covers nurses in the European theater, not the Pacific.

On to Troublesome Young Men, which so far is as well-written and interesting as Citizens of London. I'm amused by the fact that one of the key players was Barbara Cartland's little brother.

Finished Troublesome Young Men, and if possible it was even better than Citizens of London; I'm going to have to go back and find the rest of Lynne Olson's backlist. It details the political situation in England 1937-1940, during which Neville Chamberlain seemed to do his best to ensure that Britain wouldn't win the coming war with Hitler, mostly because he refused to believe that war would happen. He would have gotten on well with Nixon, as he thought nothing of wiretapping his political opponents and doing all that he could to hamstring the careers of anyone who opposed him. Britain's government under him was perilously close to totalitarian (he even dictated what news the BBC reported), as Harold Nicholson pointed out in a diary entry, which was ironic considering what they were theoretically opposing across the channel. Very highly recommended.

On to Angela Lambert's 1939: The Last Season of Peace just because I seem to be stuck in this period, and then possibly on to a little geology with Cascadia's Fault. I'm revising a book, so it's non-fiction for me till I'm done.

I rather enjoyed 1939: The Last Season of Peace. It is a rather lightweight social history, but still an engaging read.

Jillmwo, I liked it because as she went through the season's events. she slipped in bits about what was happening in Europe and in politics--the juxtaposition and reminders were thought-provoking.

Enjoyed Cascadia's Fault, but I'm kinda geeky that way.

Also slipped in Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts, about the American ambassador to the Third Reich, William Dodd, and his family during the thirties. Not as good as his Isaac's Storm, which was an extraordinary book, but a balanced look at a dysfunctional family and a perhaps unsuitable ambassador yet good man in a horribly difficult situation.

Stats for 2012:

85 new reads completed
16 re-reads
10 stopped reading because my interest wandered

Favorite reads of the year--Laurie King's Mary Russell books, The Rook, and non-fiction by David Quammen, Ben Macintyre, and Lynne Olson.

Which is more than I expected to read. I think having an e-reader helped enormously with that...and now, onward to a new year, already underway in a delightful murder mystery. :) Bye!!