Ivy's 2013 Reversion to Childhood

I've never done a themed challenge, but the idea for this one came to me a couple of weeks ago while I was putting away toys and books after my little granddaughter had gone home. Looking at The Four Puppies Who Wanted a Home, I got to wondering how much influence my favorite childhood books have had on me and my life, or whether my favorites were a reflection of innate interests and my environment. I didn't come to a conclusion; I suspect the answer is a combination, and also affected by which books were available to me.

I chose 13 favorite books, each by a different author. There were other favorites that didn't make this list, but these 13 were right at the top. It's a combination of picture books, books read to me by my father at ages 5-8, and books I read on my own at ages 8-11.

Each category may include fiction, non-fiction and mysteries. I'm setting a modest initial goal of 3 books in each of the first 9 categories, and 6 books in each of the 4 mystery categories, for a total of 51. After I see how the year is progressing, I may raise those goals.

My categories:

1. Anne of Green Gables: Recommendations
2. Beautiful Joe: Books Off My Shelves
3. The Four Puppies Who Wanted a Home: Because I Want To -- 3 completed May, 6 completed September
4. Hitty: Her First Hundred Years: History -- 3 completed January, 6 completed April
5. Downright Dencey: A Better World
6. Blue Willow: Disasters, Hardships, and Wars
7. The Good Master: Other Lands and Cultures -- 3 completed April
8. The Story of Live Dolls: Fantasy
9. Little Women: Classics and Prize Winners
10. The Mystery of the Gulls: US Mystery -- 6 completed September
11. The Secret Garden: British Mystery
12. The Surprise Doll: Foreign Lands Mystery
13. Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather: Series Continuation -- 6 completed June

Group Reads:

January: When Christ and His Saints Slept -- COMPLETED
March-May: The Count of Monte Cristo -- COMPLETED
March: All Quiet on the Western Front -- COMPLETED
March: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court -- COMPLETED
April: Time and Chance -- COMPLETED
June: The Song of Achilles -- COMPLETED
August: Devil's Brood -- COMPLETED
October: Lionheart
November: Frozen Heat

Year: Anne Perry
~~ No Graves As Yet -- COMPLETED
~~ Shoulder the Sky
~~ Christmas novellas

1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomey: Recommendations

Anne Shirley is perhaps the most beloved fictional heroine of all time, and she was mine as well. When I was nine, as I was setting off for the library, my mother suggested, in an off-hand way, “Why don’t you try Anne of Green Gables?” It was, of course, her favorite childhood book, too.

Some of the best books I’ve read have been recommended by other people. Most, if not all, of the books for this category will come from glowing recommendations on LT; I already have a huge list of books that I could put here, and I’m sure there are many more to come.

1. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (May, 2 1/2*)
2. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (June, 4*)
3.

2. Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders: Books Off My Shelves

Beautiful Joe is similar to Black Beauty, an “autobiography” written by a formerly abused dog, who was later owned by Ms Saunders’ brother and his family. It was, in fact, purposely written to bring awareness of cruelty to dogs, as Black Beauty had done for horses.

My parents did not believe in buying books that might be read only once: “That’s what libraries are for.” We had an encyclopedia, several atlases and dictionaries, a smattering of other reference books, and a great many children’s picture books -- but only a few novels, one of which was Beautiful Joe. My father, an animal lover, read it to each of his children when they turned 6, to make sure that they would never consider nor tolerate cruelty to animals.

1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (June, 4 1/2*)
2.
3.

3. The Four Puppies Who Wanted a Home by Dorothy & Marguerite Bryan: Because I Want To
3 COMPLETED: May
6 COMPLETED: September

Four cocker spaniel puppies in a pet shop are waiting to be adopted. Three find homes, until “only little Nixie was left in the pet shop, wishing for a home.” Finally, a little girl arrives and chooses Nixie, who “was sure that his was the very nicest home of all.”

This was one of my favorite pre-school picture books, and it’s currently my little granddaughter’s favorite (at my house). We’ve read it over and over, until both of us know it almost word for word. This category will be for old favorites, comfort reads, children’s books, or books that I just want to read right then.

1. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (January, 5*)
2. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster (Audio) (March, 4 1/2*)
3. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster (May, 4 1/2*)

4. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney (Audio) (August, 3*)
5. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Audio) (September, 5*)
6. The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (Audio) (September, 4 1/2*)

4. Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field: History
3 COMPLETED: January
6 COMPLETED: April

Hitty is a small wooden doll, carved from mountain ash, and this book follows her adventures for 100 years, through several owners and many locations, in the US and elsewhere.

Although it is the 1930 Newbery Award winner, it’s a problematic book because the language and some of Hitty’s experiences are somewhat difficult for independent reading at the age that most enjoys the story of the doll. But my father read Hitty to me when I was 6 or 7, and I in turn read it to each of my daughters at that age, and we all consider it a favorite book.

This category will probably be mostly US and British history and historical fiction, and may include mysteries with historical settings, since I also have some more specific history categories (5, 6 & perhaps 7).

1. Origins of Arthurian Romances by Flint F. Johnson (January, 3*)
2. When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman (Henry II & Eleanor #1) (January, 4 1/2*)
3. Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick (January, 3 1/2*)

4. A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick (Marshal #1) (February, 4*)
5. Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick (Fitzwarin #1) (April, 4*)
6. Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman (Henry II & Eleanor #2) (April, 4*)

7. The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick (Marshal #2) (May, 4 1/2*)
8. Behold the Marshal by R.W. Hamilton (May, 3*)
9. Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman (Henry II & Eleanor #3) (August, 4*)
10. For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick (Marshal #2 1/2) (September, 3 1/2*)

5. Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedeker: A Better World

A 1928 Newbery Honor Book, this was another book recommended by my mother, and it was also a childhood favorite of children’s author Beverly Cleary. Dencey is a Quaker girl living on Nantucket, spunky and adventurous, who befriends a boy who is something of an outcast and disapproved of by the straight-laced community.

This category will include religion, discovery, innovation and pioneers. The religion part comes from Downright Dencey (also a discovery for me, since this was my introduction to the Quaker faith), but the category mostly applies to the sequel The Beckoning Road (which isn’t nearly as good). In that book, Dencey’s family journeys west and joins the utopian community at New Harmony, IN, which was founded by Caroline Dale Snedeker’s gg grandfather Robert Owen.

1. Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky (May, 4*)
2. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson (July, 3 1/2*)
3.

The Bible:
~~ "The Book of Job" (April)
~~ "Proverbs" (May)

Possibles:
~~The New Harmony books that it doesn't look like I will read in 2012
Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes... by Thea Cooper

6. Blue Willow by Doris Gates: Disasters, Hardships, and Wars

In the midst of the Great Depression, Janey’s family has migrated to California after they lose their farm to the ravages of the Dust Bowl. Her only treasured possession is a blue willow plate that had belonged to her deceased mother.

Another Newbery Honor Book (1941), I loved this story of hardship, perseverance and hope when I was 6 or so, and still loved it when I re-read it a few years ago. I’ve expanded the category a bit to include disasters and wars.

1. 40,000 to One by Ben Petrick (February, 4*)
2. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (March, 5*)
3.

Possibles:
~~ The disaster books that I don't get to in 2012

7. The Good Master by Kate Seredy: Other Lands and Cultures
3 COMPLETED: April

Yet another Newbery Honor Book (1936), The Good Master is set in Hungary before WW I, and is yet another book about a spirited, adventurous little girl, who is sent to live with her uncle in the country after the death of her mother.

Because of this book’s Hungarian setting, and the exploration of customs and folklore of that country, this category will be for books set in foreign locations or about other cultures, including Native American.

1. Afghanistan: The Apostle by Brad Thor (Scot Harvath #8) (March, 4*)
2. Egypt: The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead by Dr Ramses Seleem (March, 4*)
3. N. Africa (Morocco): Hell's Legionnaire by L. Ron Hubbard (Audio) (April, 3*)

4. China: The Devil -- with Wings by L. Ron Hubbard (Audio) (May, 3*)

8. The Story of Live Dolls by Josephine Scribner Gates: Fantasy

What little girl, who loves her dolls, doesn’t dream of them coming to life? In this magical story, all the dolls in the village become alive, to the joy of Janie and her friends. First published in 1901, the setting is perhaps dated, but the story still delighted me in the 1950s.

1. The Twelve by Justin Cronin (Passage #2) (February, 3*)
2.
3.

Possibles:
~~ hopefully the 6th George R.R. Martin book

9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: Classics and Prize Winners

A list of favorite childhood books must include Little Women, though I had a hard time assigning a category to it. I had many other favorites not on this list that might be categorized with Little Women; when I was in grade school, I loved books about families in other times or of other religions, or about large families. Now, though I still enjoy these other aspects, I read few books which focus on family.

So, although all of my chosen books might be considered classics, Little Women is perhaps the most classic, and this category will be for classics (loosely defined) or prize winners.

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (March, 4 1/2*)
2. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (Audio) (April, 2 1/2*)
3.

10. The Mystery of the Gulls by Phyllis A. Whitney: US Mystery
6 COMPLETED: September

The Mystery of the Gulls was my own discovery at the library, and I’m pretty sure it was the first mystery that I read. I loved it, read every other book by Phyllis Whitney that I could find (into adulthood; I was delighted when I discovered that she also wrote adult mysteries), and every other book in the children’s library that was titled “Mystery of…” or “Secret of… .”

1. A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle (Derrick Storm #1) (April, 3*)
2. A Raging Storm by Richard Castle (Derrick Storm #2) (April, 3*)
3. A Bloody Storm by Richard Castle (Derrick Storm #3) (April, 3*)
4. The Dive Bomber by L. Ron Hubbard (Audio) (April, 3*)
5. Trouble on His Wings by L. Ron Hubbard (Audio) (May, 3 1/2*)
6. Cat House: Adventures of a Real Estate Madam by MK Sandoval (September, 3*)

11. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: British Mystery

I was sad to leave A Little Princess off this list, because I loved it, but in some ways I preferred the mystery aspects of The Secret Garden. This is the only book on this list that I have not re-read as an adult, so maybe The Secret Garden will be one I read for this category.

1. Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #9) (April, 4 1/2*)
2. An Unholy Communion by Donna Fletcher Crow (Monastery Murders #3) (April, 4*)
~~ "An East End Murder" by Charles Finch (Charles Lenox prequel short story) (May)
3. No Graves as Yet by Anne Perry (WW I #1) (June, 3 1/2*)
4. A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch (Charles Lenox #5) (July, 3 1/2*)
5. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (July, 3 1/2*)
6.

12. The Surprise Doll by Morrell Gipson: Foreign Lands Mystery

In my very favorite pre-school book, Mary has 6 dolls that her sea captain father has brought from foreign lands, one for each day of the week except Sunday, each from a different country, and each of whom looks a little bit like Mary. So Mary sets out with her dolls to the doll-maker, who promises to make her a special doll for Sunday. What the doll will look like is a pretty big mystery for a 2 or 3-year-old (at least on the first reading), the suspense is beautifully handled, and the introduction to other countries is outstanding.

1. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #7) (February, 3 1/2*)
2. The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #8) (February, 4*)
3.
4.
5.
6.

13. Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather by Dorothy Kunhardt: Series Continuation
6 COMPLETED: June

Dorothy Kunhardt is best known for her iconic Pat the Bunny. Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather is for slightly older children, and is a peculiar, somewhat disjointed story about a little old lady who lives with a beautiful puffin named Paul, and who wants a sunflower to put in her vase. When Paul disappears, Mrs. Ticklefeather summons a policeman who follows a strange set of clues, and collects a few strange items, until he locates Paul – with a sunflower in his mouth -- just before his head is going to be chopped off.

The clues, red herrings and improbability of this “detective” story seem to be a good match with the mystery series that I enjoy so much.

1. The Hangman by Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache, novella after #6) (February, 3 1/2*)
2. Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy (White House Chef #6) (March, 4*)
3. Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen #15) (March, 4*)
4. New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (Eve Dallas #33) (May, 4 1/2*)
5. Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb (Eve Dallas #34) (May, 3 1/2*)
6. Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb (Eve Dallas #35) (June, 3 1/2*)

In case I need it...

I love your categories. Children's books are a perennial favourite for me. Though most of your category choice books are new to me, Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden are two of my absolute favourites.

Looking forward to seeing what books you end up reading.

I'm going to try to add book covers to these categories, and I'll add more possibilities later, when I see what I end up reading during the rest of 2012. There are a lot of "Candidates" from 2012 that will eventually end up here, along with some others that I know I want to read next year.

>17 PawsforThought: Thanks, PawsforThought! Those two are right at the top for me, too.

Love your screen name. I once had a cat named Thought... so we could provide Food for Thought.

Love the theme for your 2013 challenge Ivy! Like PawsforThought, a number of the books you mentioned are new to me.... either that or my memory stalls around my favorites from my later childhood/early teens. Great to see you set up for 2013.

Haha! That's brilliant. I'm quite fond of my screen name, it's one of the better ideas I've had.

Great categories, Ivy! Some of your book/category headings are unfamiliar to me but sound intriguing. I suspect a few will end up on my wishlist!

So glad to see you back here, Ivy, and with a theme, no less. I've never done a theme before either.

Love the categories, as usual. Especially like the disasters/wars one. Why didn't I think of combining that one? I've done disasters a few times before but haven't seen all that many books I'm eager to read in that area and military/war should keep me busy for a few years.

Thanks, Lori, Carrie & Linda!

These books have been part of my life and memories for so long that it seems strange to me that they are unfamiliar to others. But that was part of my original musings... What if, at the age of 3, I hadn't experienced the fascination of dolls from foreign countries in The Surprise Doll? How did the spirited independence of these heroines influence some of my later choices? And what about the books I didn't read... would that have changed my life in different ways? Or did I especially like these books because of my own interests? I don't know, but I do see correlations between my favorite childhood books and my later life and interests.

Linda, I too was pleased about grouping disasters and wars, and other hardships. It seemed pretty obvious when I realized that the previous Downright Dencey category (which I originally titled differently) was about people trying to make things better, and the Blue Willow category was about people surviving when bad things happen, whether natural or man-made -- in Blue Willow it was both: the natural disaster of the drought and Dust Bowl and the man caused Great Depression. One of the problems with my 2012 Challenge (besides not reading enough) was that I made my categories too narrow, and I was determined not to do that for 2013.

That was fun to add the book covers! There's no listing on LT for Four Puppies, so I guess I'll have to figure out how to scan and upload that one (some other day). The funny thing about these covers is that, except for the picture books, I'm pretty sure that the books I first read just had plain library covers, though some were illustrated or had frontispieces. Beautiful Joe was a small red book with a line drawing of the dog on the front. Anyway, it was fun choosing the pictures that fit my impression of the books!

Glad to see the Good Master here. My 6th grade teacher read it to my class and it's been a favorite since. Have you read the sequel, The singing tree?

Nice way to honor books that made such an impact on you. The only one I read when young was Little Women. (Didn't everyone?) I was not aware of Newbery and Caldecott awards as a child. Missed all of them.

>26 Bjace: Beth, I didn't even know there was a sequel until I re-read The Good Master a few years ago. As an adult, I liked The Singing Tree even better -- thought it was an outstanding commentary on the ravages of WW I. I was in the habit of reading every book by an author I liked, so I have to assume that my small town library didn't have any other books by Kate Seredy. When I re-read the Anne of Green Gable series a couple of years ago, I discovered that I hadn't read (my library hadn't had) the last 2 books of the series.

>27 mamzel: Thanks, mamzel! I wasn't really aware of the awards, either, and I was suprised to discover (when my girls were small) that so many of my favorite books were Newbery books. My father chose the books he read to us; I don't know how he chose them, but in retrospect I wonder if he had a list of the Newbery awards. Another of the many, many questions that I never thought to ask (he died in 1988).

Just checking in, starring your thread for future reference.

Love your theme, childhood is such a magical time, especially the books that were and still are precious to us. Charlotte's Web and James and the Giant Peach were my faves, along with Little Women of course.

I've read several of the books you are using as category names. Love your theme.

Seconding (thirding? fourthing?) what everyone else is saying - what a lovely theme!! I now want to go back and list my childhood favorites!

Thanks, Lisa, Lori & Eva!

> Lisa, I really liked Charlotte's Web, but I think I read it too late for maximum appeal -- I was 11 or 12. I read it to my girls when they were younger than that and they loved it (and also the cartoon movie). They also really enjoyed Roald Dahl, which I didn't read as a child. That's probably another factor that enters into favorites: reading them at just the right time.

> Eva, feel free to post your favorites here! I love seeing what books other people loved, and it gives me ideas for my granddaughters, too.

Since we're sharing childhood favourites...

The books I remember most fondly from my childhood (various ages) are Spotty; Harriet the Spy; The Little Mailman of Bayberry Lane; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Winnie-the-Pooh (In Which Piglet Is Entirely Surrounded by Water); The Secret Garden; Madicken and Where the Wild Things Are. But that is really only scratching the surface. There are dozens and dozens other that make me all sentimental talking or thinking about them.

It's hard to not include pretty much everything you can remember reading as a child (perhaps a sign of age....), but the ones that spring to mind immediately are in the picturebook category: Children of the Forest, Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender, and Who will comfort Toffle? and in the chapterbook category: Narnia Chronicles, Mio, My Son, The Brothers Lionheart, and quite a few authors I can't find translated into English. Also, fairy tales were my mum's and hence my favorites, so loads of Brothers Grimm, H.C. Andersen, and The Arabian Nights. I now want to go back to childhood (because that's when summer break was endless...) and reread everything I read then! :)

I second every single book you just listed. Love them all dearly. My copy of Brothers Grimm is so worn the back has fallen off and been replaced with duct tape.

Also, as I've stated elsewhere on LT, every single book ever by Maria Gripe. My love for her knows no bounds.

I could have sworn I read Maria Gripe as a child, but when I look at her books, I can't remember even one of them so I must not have. Odd to have missed her, right?! I did get around to Tordyveln flyger i skymningen last year and have Agnes Cecilia on Mt. TBR.

My sister and I loved the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace.

Love your categories - especially because I adored Anne of Green Gables as a child. Some day I'll reread those books. Other books that I read over and over were Nancy Drew books and the Little House on the Prairie books. Such fond memories!

->36 -Eva-:. Yeah, I'm not sure how you could've missed her! I remember listening to a radio adaption of Tordyveln flyger i skymningen when I was a kid. Probably the first radio play I ever listened to.

->39 PawsforThought:
I think that's what it originally was, a radio play, and then they published it as a book. She did write the script for Trolltider, so she didn't completely pass me by! :)

->40 -Eva-:. Ah, you're right (so the internet tells me). I didn't know that. I missed the first airing on account of not having been born yet - caught it some time in the early/mid 90's. I've never watched Trolltider. Shame on me.

->41 PawsforThought:
I only found out because I was trying to figure out which of her books I had read and that's the one I was sure I had read - but I hadn't. It's been rectified now. :)

You do have to watch Trolltider - it's brilliant! Or maybe nostalgia plays a part for me...

@ivyd - sorry for highjacking your thread a bit...! :)

I'm enjoying the discussion here even though I was not a kid who read traditional childhood books.

Once I learned to read, I read a lot of nonfiction and biographies etc. When I got to be a better reader, I read a lot of adult-level books.

When I was putting together my 13 in 13 challenge, I seriously considered including a YA category.

I rarely differentiate between YA and "regular" fiction. I've never been one to stick to genre labels and certainly not when it comes to books. I read "grown up" books at age nine and happily read kids books now that I'm grown up.

PawsforThought & Eva: Thanks for listing your favorites! I think they emphasize my idea that availability plays a pretty significant part in chidhood favorites, since I'd not heard of many of them. My library apparently did not have The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe -- I'm sure I would have read it if they'd had it -- and when I read the series a couple of years ago, I regretted that I hadn't read it as a child. As much as I enjoyed it, I know I would have loved it even more back then. I'm too old to have read Harriet the Spy as a child, but it was a favorite of my older daughter. The only A.A. Milne we had was When We Were Very Young; I loved the poems but didn't know much about Pooh until I was older (my little brother had and loved the whole set). And I did love fairy tales, too; I guess I could have used that for my fantasy category, but it didn't occur to me. I've looked up and noted all the picture books you mentioned -- they look great, and with birthday and Christmas coming up, I'll be looking for books for my little granddaughter. (And no worries about hijacking my thread -- I enjoyed the comments!)

Beth: Betsy-Tacy was on my original list of about 25-30 favorites. Although I made sure to include my very favorites, the final 13 was partially decided by whether I could shape a category around them.

Stacy: I really enjoyed re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series. The "fond memories" may have influenced my enjoyment, but I especially loved Rilla of Ingleside, which I had not read as a child. I used to beg my mother to buy Nancy Drew books for me -- the library did not have them -- but she never did, so I only read a couple of them, borrowed from friends.

Linda: I wonder if that early reading influenced your adult liking of non-fiction, or whether it was the other way around. When I was older (11 on), there were some "teen" books -- that I considered light-weight and didn't read -- but "YA" was not a designation. Books like Catcher in the Rye were considered adult books back then. As PawsforThought says, the distinction is not always clear, since some books, such as The Book Thief and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, in my opinion transcend any age designation. Others -- A Series of Unfortunate Events and Twilight come to mind -- are not books that I care to read now, though I do see their appeal to certain age groups. When I was setting up my categories, I considered including "adult" books that I read ages 11-13 (notably Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner), but decided instead to use only books that were clearly children's books.

Ivy, I think I liked nonfiction best, along with mysteries, even as a child. That's something that's always stayed with me.

I read some kids' fiction, such as S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders but those were usually school-related.

I recall trying to start Little Women and I put it aside after a little while.

I always tend to fiddle around with my categories. If I do any fiddling this year, it might be to add a YA category.

A couple of years ago, someone mentioned Richard Peck and I read one of those and liked it.

Ivy - I think the fact that Eva and I are from the same country shines through pretty well in our (mutual) children's book favourites. I doubt many of our countrymen and -women would be strangers to the writings of Elsa Beskow, Astrid Lindgren, Tove Jansson, H.C. Andersen and Maria Gripe (at least not people born before 1990, Beskow and Gripe might be somewhat less known for the youngsters of today, sadly).

Ivy,

Love the categories and especially how you chose your theme. I personally don't remember very many children's books around our house, but I remember learning to love books early. The library was a favorite visiting spot.

I've a suggestion for Category 8 - have you read the Doll People? I think it would fit right in and is such a fun and fast read.

ETA - Like Linda, I read a lot of "adult" books as a child and now I'm trying to catch up with YA/children's book in my "old age". I think I'm going to have to find a slot for Anne of Green Gables - I missed that one growing up.

Ivy, I love your categories and I'm looking forward to seeing you fill them next year. I vividly remember crying my eyes out over Beautiful Joe, and of course, both Anne of Green Gables and Little Women were well loved favorites of mine. I also would have had a hard time choosing between The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, but I probably would have given the edge to The Secret Garden as well.

The books we read early in life seem to have left the largest impact on us all, and I thank heaven that I was introduced to so many great books as a child.

Hi Ivy - I'm here too to follow your selections this year. I love the way you connected your books to your categories. I think I'm probably stating the obvious that most of us here were probably big readers as children since we're big readers now. But I seem to be missing the gene that creates memories as I remember little of growing up and a lot of the books you mentioned don't ring any bells with me or didn't make an impression. I did love Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. The Boxcar Children is still a favorite of mine and I loved The Happy Hollisters series - I still love mysteries so maybe you're right that our early reading affects what we like now.

Looking forward to what makes the list next year.

Linda, my sister couldn't get into Little Women, either, or most of the other books I loved. But 40 years later, she called me one day, all excited about the old children's books she had "discovered" and was devouring!

PawsforThought, I've heard of Astrid Lindgren and of course Andersen (on the whole, I prefer his fairy tales to Grimm); and I bought the Moomintroll books for my older granddaughter a couple of years ago, on Anders' recommendation (both she and her father loved them -- I should borrow them and read them). But Elsa Beskow and Maria Gripe are new to me; I'm delighted to have some new picture books to get for my younger granddaughter -- I was running out of ideas -- and I think the older one may like Agnes Cecilia. Thanks for the recommendations!

Cheli, I think I remember your recommendation of The Doll People some time ago, and thinking I'd like to read it, but somehow had forgotten about it. It certainly will fit the Fantasy category perfectly! Of course, I highly recommend Anne of Green Gables; I know the magic I felt at age 9 influenced my re-reading of it, but I think other people have found it charming when they've first read it as an adult. One of the interesting things about the series is that Anne is a child only in the first book, and when I recently re-read the series I saw (and was touched by) things that I had missed -- or not fully understood -- as a child.

Judy, I'm not surpised that we share favorite childhood books, since our taste in books now seems to be pretty similar. I always know that if you loved a book you've read, that I'm almost certainly going to love it, too.

Betty, I think that I remember the books so clearly (both the ones on the list and the others that I considered) because I read most of them at least twice by the age of 11. My home town children's library was small, and I started running out of books to read, so I kept re-reading my favorites. Fortunately, the collection was excellent if limited, and as Judy says, I'm really grateful that I had such great books available to me.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by! I'm really looking forward to 2013!

I vaguely remember reading and loving The Doll People as an elementary school student. It's one of those I'm sure I checked out of the library.

ETA: Oops - I see the publication date of that one is 2000. I guess that's not one I read in elementary school, but I do remember a book about dolls being people.

I love your theme! My two childhood favorites were The Little Princess and Spunky. I read them both over and over and even have my original dog-eared copies. I'll keep Beautiful Joe in mind for my furball category if I get up the courage to read a tearjerker.

>53 thornton37814: Lori, I was curious about what you might have read, and found this list of 48 books about sentient toys on GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/13819.Children_s_Literature_Sentient_Toys

Strangely, The Story of Live Dolls is not on that list. Josephine Scribner Gates wrote quite a few sequels, too, so it's possible that you read one of them.

>54 Tanglewood: Thanks, Tanglewood! How lucky you are to still have the books! Beautiful Joe is definitely a tearjerker...

Ivy - I simply don't remember. Of course, the memory clouds with time so my memory of the book may be slightly different than what the book actually was. I'll keep looking.

Ivy, I got to thinking about what kind of books I read as a kid. As I recall now, lots of biographies. Lots of sports books, like Fast Break Fury. Even the fiction books were those like Midshipman Lee of the Naval Academy.

>56 thornton37814: I have that problem too, Lori. A few years ago, I finally located a book that I was beginning to think I had imagined (Loretta Mason Potts), and it was very different than I remembered. And I still haven't found the one I read about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. I was facinated by the earthquake and fire, and afterwards read all the books I could find about it; I suspect that I may have conflated several of them, but still haven't found one with a scene that I remember very clearly.

>57 lindapanzo: Very interesting, Linda. I also read quite a few biographies, but I always preferred fiction. I still do, but you've certainly increased my non-fiction reading with your superb recommendations!

When you mention the SF quake and fire, the two I remember most vividly were both by Phyllis Whitney -- The Fire and the Gold and The Trembling Hills.

->58 ivyd:. My first "meeting" with the 1906 quake was via the Sweet Valley twins (the ancestor saga thing-y) that I was obsessed with at age 9 or so. I've had a thing for San Francisco ever since.

The book about the San Francisco earthquake/fire I remember reading while in elementary school was Young and Fair by Rosamond du Jardin. I loved it so much I had to track it down 40 years later for a re-read. (I rarely re-read).

Lori, you may have found it! According to my LT tags, it was 2007 when I was actively searching for it and read several books looking for The One. I read The Trembling Hills (which I may or may not have read previously) and her Mystery of the Green Cat (clearly for children and probably not read previously). I somehow missed The Fire and the Gold -- but it seems to fit in several ways: time is right (published in 1956), the heroine was not a child but a young woman, and I keep thinking that "Gold" or "Golden" was in the title. In addition, I was reading Phyllis Whitney books at that time, beginning about 1957 or 1958; and when I read The Trembling Hills in 2007, it seemed in many ways to be closest to the book I remembered.

PawsforThought, I'm much too old to have read the Sweet Valley twins as a child! My older daughter loved them, though, and I think there's a decent collection of them in a box upstairs. Do you happen to remember the title of this one?

Cheli, based on your review, this doesn't sound like the right story, and it's probably just a hair too recent. But I'm curious about it and am going to try to get a copy.

Nice to know I'm not the only one fascinated by the San Francisco earthquake! And I love San Francisco, too.

It was one of the sagas (detailing the ancestors of the twins, from their great-great-great-grandparents or something up until their parents). I think it was the one about their mother's side of the family.

EDIT: It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Wakefields-Sweet-Valley-High/dp/0553292781/ref=sr_1_25?s=b...

>63 PawsforThought: Thanks! I'll look for it.

I found it. Updated my post above.

Ivy - Hope you find a copy of it and that it is the one you remember.

>65 PawsforThought: Thanks, PawsforThought!

>66 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori! I've found several used copies, and fortunately some of them are not very expensive. Just need to make my selection. I don't understand how the same book can be listed for 1 cent and for $50+. Condition, edition, etc, of course, but it still doesn't make any sense to me!

No problem! They're not exactly the most literary reads ever but they're pretty well researched.

I think I've found the doll book that I was trying to remember. It's called The Doll's House and was written by Rumer Godden. The comments on reviews in various places make me think that it's the one I remember from my 4th grade teacher's classroom.

>69 thornton37814: Lori, I'm glad you found it. I don't think I've read that one, but I love Rumer Godden's The Story of Holly and Ivy. It's one of my 10 or so Christmas picture books that I put out every year for everyone to read or browse.

Since I have the perfect category for them, I think perhaps I will read The Doll's House and The Doll People (that Cheli recommended) next year!

That Christmas picture book sounds great. I will have to track it down.

I looked, and The Story of Holly and Ivy is in a collection called Four Dolls by the author at our library. I'll have to check it out sometime.

Thank you for sharing these books and your memories of them with us. Many of them are new to me as well. I've only read Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden and Little Women, and I'm pretty sure I read all of them when I was in my teens.

My favourites from when I was a kid are the Narnia books, the Oz books, Charlotte's Web, the Winnie the Pooh books and the Little House on the Prarie books. These are the ones I read over and over again. Oh, and the Mary Poppins books, books by Monica Hughes... Apparently I could go on and on. The more I think about it, the more I remember.

And my very favourite picture book was The Monster at the End of this Book, but I didn't have my own copy; I had to read it at my friend's house, which I did every time I visited.

sandragon - You and I have similar experiences with childhood books, it seems. The Little House on the Prairie was gospel when I was a kid (my best friend and I RAN home from school every day for years to make sure we didn't miss anything (the TV show was airing all through my childhood).
I learned a lot from those books.

Happy New Year, Ivy. Always eager to see what you're reading and I hope 2013 is a great reading year for you.

Thanks, Linda! I'm really looking forward to 2013 -- both for reading and just to begin a new year. I'm going to try to wrap up my failed 2012 challenge and get this one organized in the next couple of days. Happy New Year!

Hi Ivy. Happy New Year! Looking forward to seeing what you'll be reading in 2013. I love your theme. I may steal the idea for a future challenge.

>77 VioletBramble: Thanks, Kelly! And please feel free to borrow the theme -- I had a lot of fun remembering the books that were so special to me and putting the challenge together.

>72 thornton37814: Glad you found it, Lori! I hope you enjoy it!

>73 sandragon: Sandra, it's so interesting to see favorites. I read Charlotte's Web, and the A.A. Milne poems were read to me, but the others were not available to me. Someone gave me a whole stack of Oz books when I was in my 20s, I read The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time a couple of years ago, and Mary Poppins just a month or so ago. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to read them when I was young, because I know I would have loved them even more then. (I did love the movie Wizard of Oz, and also Mary Poppins, though I was in high school when it was released.)

As for The Monster at the End of This Book, I'm much too old to have read it as a child! Do you know about the iPhone app of the book? My daughter has downloaded it to her phone to amuse her niece and small children of her friends, so that she can talk with their mothers. It's really incredible to me to see 2-year-olds mesmerized by it and capable of operating the software!

>74 PawsforThought: PawsforThought, The Little House on the Prairie series is another one that I missed as a child, and I still haven't read it (or watched the tv series, since I was an adult by then). My 8-year-old granddaughter has been reading and loving them, though, so maybe one day I'll borrow them from her.

Hi Ivy! I'm going through all the threads of the 2013 challenge and it seems we organized both our challenges around childhood favorites! I've also got a category named Anne of Green Gables, but I've not read a lot of your other choices. Fortunately, I've got a category for children books so might use it to read some of your favorites that I missed as a child.

78 - thanks Ivy. I'll have to think over getting the app. My kids are 8 and 12, so a little old for the book. Plus I rarely even let them touch my phone, much less any of their younger cousins. It's tempting though, for nostalgia's sake.

>79 paruline: paruline, I'm also trying to catch up on all the threads and feeling a bit overwhelmed by how many messages and challenges have been posted since early December! I hope you enjoy the books if you decide to read some of them. I've re-read most of them as an adult and found that they hold up well, though it's hard to evaluate how the remembered magic has affected my adult reading.

>80 sandragon: Sandra, yes, 8 and 12 would be well beyond the optimum age. It's really cute, but seeing it once is probably enough for those of us past the age of 5!

Hey Ivy - may I belatedly add that I like your categories, too? I'm looking forward to following your reading.

BTW, I'm a little overwhelmed with following threads, too. I'll try to keep up, but reading is more important!

I think I'll catch up on the threads tonight, but I can't promise to stay caught up. I want to read real books. I've got many threads starred. If I'm short on time, those are the ones I read. Hopefully I'm enough caught up now that I haven't missed the ones who usually give me book bullets or sound like they might.

Oh, I love your categories!

>82 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks, Dejah!

>83 thornton37814: Hi, Lori! This group seems to be even more active this year -- which is great -- even though the last I checked there are fewer group members than last year. I hope I'll eventually catch up, but right now it looks as if I'm getting farther behind!

>84 LauraBrook: Thanks, Laura!

I finally finished 2 books last week, an ER that disappointed me and took forever to finish, and The Secret Garden, which I still love and was my 1st Kindle book. I'm also nearing the end of When Christ and His Saints Slept, which is long and quite slow, though I'm greatly enjoying it.

#86 - Hi Ivy, The Secret Garden was one of my favorities when I was young, good to know it hold ups.

86, 87. The Secret Garden is one of my all-time favourite books - regardless of intended age group. While that definitely has quite a bit to do with me massively identifying with Mary at quite a crucial age, it's also an incredibly good book that holds up to reading even as an adult.

I'll chime in, too - The Secret Garden is wonderful.

I enjoyed The Secret Garden, but my favorite by her is The Little Princess. I don't know how my poor paperback copy survived so many readings. I'd like to re-read it now, but I'm afraid it might not hold up.

I'm another fan of both A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, they're both such sweet stories but I think my favourite has to be A Little Princess, it used to put a lump in my throat every time - I wonder if it still would? :-)

I've never read A Little Princess but I did watch the film a few years ago when I was ill and they were airing it as a matiné. Love it and I really ought to find a copy of the book and read it.

Frances Hodgson Burnett lived in a little town adjacent to the one in which I work for awhile. Jefferson County definitely likes to make claim to her. We have a few items in special collections such as some correspondence.

I've finally finished my review of the ER book, though I'm not any more satisfied with it than I was with the book. However, here it is:

1. Origins of Arthurian Romances: Early Sources for the Legends of Tristan, the Grail and the Abduction of the Queen by Flint F. Johnson, 3*
Category 4: Hitty: History

Dr Johnson’s quest is to discover 6th century Celtic origins in much later Arthurian romances. He proposes a new methodology for doing so, and applies it to three 12th century romances: Chretien de Troyes’ Knight of the Cart and Perceval, and Thomas of Britain’s Tristan and Iseult. He examines the primary sources, draws from secondary sources, discusses influences on the later writers, and proposes hypothetical oral legends as the bases for the later romances. Much of his information and many of his conclusions are very interesting. The bibliography, which includes both primary and secondary works, is a valuable resource.

This book is, and is obviously meant to be, a scholarly work. However, the intended audience is somewhat unclear and seemingly inconsistent; for example, he devotes a chapter each to the stories of the three romances – which even casual readers of Arthurian lore probably know – but also assumes familiarity with early Celtic works, the various versions of the romances, and prominent Arthurian scholars. I’m far from an expert, but I have probably read more of these works than the average person; I was nevertheless often confused -- particularly when he variously refers to a work by its foreign language title, the English translation, or the author, without ever giving the full information (in either the text or footnotes). Tables or charts of the works, with alternate titles and probable dates, would have been a welcome addition. The poor writing also contributed to the confusion.

Most serious, in my opinion, were the historical errors. As well as several other incorrect statements throughout the book, the conclusions about Tristan were predicated on erroneous facts, highly unlikely assumptions, and a lack of understanding of 12th century history.

This book wasn’t boring to me. But it was unnecessarily confusing and real chore to get through. I’m hesitant to recommend it, except to the most die-hard Arthurian fans – but I suspect that they too will be disappointed.

2. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 5*
Category 3: Four Puppies: Because I Want To

I continue to love this book on this 3rd or (more probably) 4th or 5th reading. After 50+ years, two things surprised me: that I remembered the story itself so completely and accurately (which hasn't been true of some children's books that I've re-read); and the emphasis on fresh air and exercise for healthy bodies and minds, and the power of positive thinking, along with some veiled religious beliefs. I suspect that I internalized these messages, or that they were pretty much in line with what I already had been taught, because I can't remember ever not believing them.

I quite perversely chose to put The Secret Garden in Category 3 rather than Category 11, which is named for it. Although there is some mystery, and I'm happy for it to head my British Mystery category, the book fulfills all 4 of my criteria for Category 3: old favorites, comfort reads, children’s books, or books that I just want to read right then.

>87 DeltaQueen50: Judy, it does hold up. I think children must have an innate recognition of good literature.

>88 PawsforThought: & 89 PawsforThought and Dejah, it's always nice to know that a favorite book was also special to others. My 8-year-old granddaughter is currently reading The Secret Garden and she's loving it, too.

>90 Tanglewood: & 91 Michelle and Alana, I also loved A Little Princess. I still remember the first time I read it (age 8 or 9), tears streaming down my face, and being amazed that I could be so moved and saddened by a book.

>92 PawsforThought: PawsforThought, if you have an e-reader, most of Frances Hodgson Burnett's books are free downloads. My home town library only had The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy (which I didn't like nearly as much as the other two). I think I may read some of her other books sometime soon.

>93 thornton37814: Lori, that's interesting! In fact, from what little I know about her, it sounds like she was a very interesting person. When I was investigating a few years ago, I think I found that there is a biography of her. Maybe I will check further into that.

95. Thanks for the tip but I don't have an e-reader.

>96 PawsforThought: I didn't either until Christmas. I'm finding (somewhat to my surprise) that I really like it. I hope you're able to find a copy, and that you enjoy it!

97. I have no interest in an e-reader so I'll stick to paper books as long as they keep being printed.

My local library has all three Burnett books so when I have the time I'll make it a priority to read both A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Ivy, The Secret Garden is one of my favorites, too. I have my mother to thank for that. It was one of her favorites and I first heard about it from her.

Great review of Origins of Arthurian Romances book. Any book that is unnecessarily confusing and a chore to get through, especially for one with knowledge of the subject matter, is a problem. I was looking at the ER posting for that book and it looked really good.

Nice to see you rebounded with a great re-read!

I didn't realize that it's been so long since I posted, or did more than briefly drop in at LT. The past couple of weeks have been incredibly busy: more work than usual plus making a dance costume for my older granddaughter (which I'm sure I made 3 times over by the time I was done). And then I pulled a muscle in my back which made it very uncomfortable to sit at the computer, which I had to do for the work but didn't linger after that. Oh, and the games on the iPad -- which have cut into both my LT and reading time...

>93 thornton37814: Lori, after I posted a response to your message, I remembered that, when I was reading about New Harmony, I learned that the Fauntleroy name in Frances Hodgson Burnett's Little Lord Fauntleroy came from the Fauntleroy family of New Harmony, IN. I'm definitely curious about her.

>98 PawsforThought: PawsforThought, I hope you enjoy them!

>99 cbl_tn: Carrie, I didn't note it in my explanations, but The Secret Garden was a recommendation from my mother, too. Weren't we lucky to have mothers who (1) loved books like The Secret Garden, and (2) passed them on to us?

>100 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! After I posted my review, I read the other reviews and saw that those who are more knowlegable than I am were even harder on the book than I was. Such a shame, since it could have been really good!

Catching up:

3. When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman (Henry II and Eleanor #1), 4 1/2*
4. Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick, 3 1/2*
Category 4: Hitty: History

It's too bad I don't have a British History category this year, since I've now read 3 books and I'm well into the 4th.

I loved When Christ and His Saints Slept. Ms Penman seems to have found the perfect balance between historical depth and details, multi-faceted characterization, and an entertaining story. I don't think I've previously read historical fiction about Stephen and Maude, and I was fascinated by her depiction of them. I would give the book 5* if it weren't for her irritating (to me anyway) stylistic quirk of omitting the subject and/or conjunction in compound sentences.

After I finished, I found that I wanted to read more about these people. I was especially interested in Elizabeth Chadwick's book about John Marshal, A Place Beyond Courage, but when I went to get it I found that she also had written Lady of the English, about Empress Maude (who she calls Matilda), so I decided to read it first. (This business of immediate downloading of books I want to read is wonderful!)

I wasn't far into Lady of the English when I realized that Ms Chadwick is/has been an historical romance writer. Except that I knew it didn't happen, the initial set-up made me almost expect Maude/Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet to discover that they really were madly in love with each other! Nevertheless, I did enjoy the book. Ms Chadwick does not explore the historical events as fully as Ms Penman, so I was glad that I'd read When Christ and His Saints Slept first, but she also emphasizes different events and she is very good with everyday details. Some of her characterizations are quite different (especially of Stephen's wife Matilda) and none as fully developed as Ms Penman's, but, as with the events, the emphasis is often different: Adeliza (widow of Henry I) is a major character in Ms Chadwick's book.

Both Ms Penman and Ms Chadwick write well, and both seem to have thoroughly researched their subject. I especially like it that they don't change known facts "to make a better story" but try to fill in the blanks of history, especially with regard to the women. I'm now about 1/3 into A Place Beyond Courage and liking it even better than Lady of the English. And I'm really looking forward to April and the next of Ms Penman's books about Henry II and Eleanor.

5. The Twelve by Justin Cronin (Passage #2), 3*
Category 8: The Story of Live Dolls: Fantasy

I loved The Passage, the first book of this trilogy, when I read it a couple of years ago, and was excited to read the continuation of the story. I was very disappointed (and I'm surprised that the book is rated so highly on LT).

First of all, it's not much of a continuation. The first 350-400 pages of 550 go back to the apocalypse and relate different events that occurred at the same time as the events in The Passage. When he finally gets to new events, occurring 5 years after the end of The Passage, the story only advances by a few months and one major event.

In addition, characterizations are poor, many of them relying on events and characterizations in the first book (some of which I only vaguely remembered); the changes in point of view are so numerous and so frequent that it left my head spinning; and there is a lot magical, supernatural, pseudo-religious stuff that didn't seem necessary and that I didn't like.

I'm not at all sure that I will read the conclusion to this trilogy, when it eventually is published. Maybe... just to see where he takes the story, but I'm certainly not looking forward to it as I was to The Twelve.

Hi Ivy! You're rolling along with the historical fiction. I think my first encounter with Stephen and Maud was in Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries. Of course, Stephen and Maud not the main focus of the series, but the factionalism of the era affects the plots of some of the books in the series.

Enjoying your thread. It is now starred!

You can always change one of your categories. Several have done that.

>104 cbl_tn: Carrie, I really am immersed in it, and eager to keep on, though I may take a break for a bit before it's time for the next Penman book. I read quite a few of the Brother Cadfael books a long time ago, and had forgotten that they took place during Stephen's reign until someone mentioned it. Another series that I should try to figure out where I left off and catch up on...

>105 fuzzi: Thanks, fuzzi, glad you stopped by! We seem to have a lot of reading interest in common. Do you have a category thread?

>106 thornton37814: Oh, Lori, I've been thinking about it! For the past several years I've had a British History category that I had trouble filling, so I left it off this year -- so of course this is the year that I feel like getting back into it! At the moment, though, I think I'll just see what happens -- my number goals are really low for 2013, so I may just increase them.

6. A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick, 4*
Category 4: Hitty: History

I enjoyed this book about John Marshal even more than Ms Chadwick's Lady of the English. There's very little additional factual information about him, other than what was in When Christ and His Saints Slept and Lady of the English. I don't think much else is known about him, but Ms Chadwick constructed a very nice and interesting story tying together the sparse facts. I personally think he was probably more ruthless and more ambitious than her characterization, but I still liked her interpretation. Her view of Aline, his 1st wife, is very different than Sharon Penman's brief characterization, and she turned his 2nd marriage into a romance -- interesting, I thought, and so little is known about the women that she could be right.

This book is a prequel of sorts to Ms Chadwick's trilogy about William Marshal, which I've been wanting to read for a couple of years. I'm not planning to start it, though, until after I've read the next in Ms Penman's series, since I think she gives a much more detailed picture.

@ivyd, I have several challenge threads, and have them all linked to my journal thread, here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/148588#3848285

Hi Ivy!

I tried to get into Cronin's The Passage last year - it came highly recommended, but I bailed after 300 pages or so. I'm sorry the sequel didn't work for you - I know how disappointing that can be!

>109 fuzzi: Thanks, fuzzi! What superb organization! I have trouble keeping up with one thread!

>110 Dejah_Thoris: Hi, Dejah! I got the feeling while I was readng The Twelve that he has gotten too involved in his own fantasy world and forgot to write a good book. All the characters and all the minutiae that's he's so fascinated with having created are not necessarily what a reader needs or wants. In any case, it you didn't like The Passage, you certainly wouldn't like The Twelve!

7. 40,000 to One by Ben Petrick, 4*
Category 6: Disasters, Hardships, and Wars

Many boys dream of becoming a baseball superstar. Very, very few have the talent to make the Major Leagues; and even fewer have the potential to become one of the great players of baseball. Ben Petrick had the ability, along with the drive and work ethic to achieve this goal. He was drafted right out of high school, and called up to the Colorado Rockies in 1999. Coaches and commentators agree that he “might have become one of the best catchers in history.”

Just after an outstanding rookie season, Ben began experiencing symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease – at age 22, an almost unheard of age for onset of the disease. He concealed his condition, and continued to play Major League baseball for another 4 years. Although his performance deteriorated, it is probably another testament to his ability that he was able to do so despite his accelerating symptoms and increasing reliance on (prescription) drugs to enable him to function. In May 2004, he announced his retirement from baseball and that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 4 years earlier.

Ben’s book is an autobiography of sorts, told in a series of vignettes arranged in roughly chronological order. It is a book about baseball, but even more, it is a book about a young man whose dreams – and life – have been shattered, and how he has dealt with it, both before and after his retirement from baseball. His writing style is sparse and understated, and he tells his story without complaint or self-pity. He gives the facts, and leaves it to the reader to understand his horror, anguish and despair. The book is powerful and moving.

As much as I admired Ben Petrick for his athletic prowess, I am even more impressed by how he has dealt with this tragedy. I think he would have been one of baseball’s superheroes; in addition to his prodigious athletic ability, he has the strength of character to achieve greatness. And, to my mind, he has indeed achieved it... though in a very different way than he had intended.

Personal note: My children attended school with Ben, and I am acquainted with his family and others mentioned in the book. This personal connection undoubtedly influenced my reaction to his book, but I think others would also find it worth reading.

8. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #7), 3 1/2*
Category 12: The Surprise Doll: Foreign Lands Mystery

I really enjoy Amelia Peabody! This episode isn't my favorite, and it seemed to drag a bit in places, but I still liked it a lot. I've moved straight on to book #8, The Hippopotamus Pool, and so far it seems to be moving along more quickly than book #7.

Last night, Howard Carter again appeared in the book. I don't know much about archeology, but I thought that Howard Carter was the name of the archeologist who discovered King Tut's tomb. So I looked it up, and was surprised to find that not only Howard Carter, but Petrie, Newberry, Maspero (and probably others who appear incidentally in this series) were real archeologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries! I knew that Ms Peters was an Egyptologist, but I hadn't realized that she was incorporating real people and events into this series.

I read an Amelia Peabody years ago that was in the middle of the series. Hated it.

Then, last year, I read the first one and loved it. I've got the second one on the top of my "real books" pile at home but never seem to pick it up.

The other one on the top of the real books pile is the next William Kent Krueger. I notice a lot of dust on these.

>114 lindapanzo: The Amelia Peabody books I read last year, #5 & #6, were my favorites so far. My least favorites were #3 & #4, and I was a bit uncertain about continuing after that, but (I think it was) Carrie who encouraged me to continue, and I'm glad I have. I think the right mood enchances this series...

I keep thinking I'll try Krueger, but somehow I haven't gotten to him yet. At the top of my list for cozies is Fonduing Fathers, which I'll probably get soon (and read right away when I have it). After my mystery marathon at the end of last year, I haven't beeen interested in mysteries in the last couple of months -- this was my first one in 2013. Plus, I read almost all that I had on my shelves when that was all I wanted to read. Kind of nice, in a way, though, since now I can choose which ones to get without feeling guilty about the unread ones on the shelves!

Ivy, you've passed me in the Amelia Peabody series. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog is next up for me. I'm not finding as much time for series reading as I used to. :(

I've read the whole Amelia Peabody series and mostly liked them all. As the series progresses, it gets hard to keep track of the recurring characters, so I didn't really try. One of the last books is about the discovery of Tut's tomb.

>116 cbl_tn: I somehow had the idea that you'd read the whole series, Carrie! I thought Amelia was particularly amusing in this one, but that the mystery wasn't as good. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

>117 Bjace: Beth, I'm already having trouble keeping track of the minor characters, especially the archeologists and which ones Emerson approves of and which he doesn't. The books do seem to vary quite a bit, but I am enjoying the series.

9. The Hippotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody #8), 4*
Category 12: The Surprise Doll: Foreign Lands Mystery

I thought this installment was quite a bit more exciting and the mystery better than in the previous book. I'm really enjoying this series, partially because I like Amelia so much, and partially because I don't know much about Egypt and acheology. I fully intend to continue, but probably not for a while.

I adore Amelia! I've read all but the last few - most of them several times. I agree that the series isn't always evenly good, but overall they're wonderful. I think this is a series that is truly best read from the beginning - it's easier to figure out who's who that way!

As for which archaeologists Emerson approves of - well, I think that list is short, as in none! Oh, he approves of the methods of a few, but unless they're family or trained by him, they don't measure up!

May I suggest Amelia Peabody's Egypt A Compendium? It's wonderful and will help you figure out who the real people are.

>120 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, thanks for mentioning the Compendium. I noticed it when I ordered these books, and wondered about it. I may try to get ahold of it before I continue with the series. Learning new things is always a bonus in a series!

I agree that starting at the beginning of this series is the best way to read it. She seems to rely more on previous characters and events than some series authors -- and with a larger cast of people. I soon will be to the books where chronological and published order are different; I'm inclined to read them chronologically -- do you have a recommendation on that?

10. The Hangman by Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache, after #6?), 3 1/2*
Category 13: Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather: Series Continuation

This story/novella is part of Canada's Good Reads series, designed for busy people and reluctant or beginning readers. As a result, it lacks the depth and complexity of Ms Penny's other books. It was neverthless a good mystery, and I enjoyed the brief visit to Three Pines while waiting for her next book.

I confess a personal preference for published order most of the time and I have to say I think that's the way I'd go with the Amelia Peabody books, too. No matter in what order the events occur, I think as the author is writing they build from where they are at the time.

That explanation really lacked eloquence - I am not having a very coherent day! I don't suppose it matters which way you go - I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

>123 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks, Dejah, it makes sense to me! That's often my preference, too. But I have it in mind that I read something where she said that she backtracked because she left unanswered questions in the earlier books, so I'm wavering on these. Not sure what I'll do -- I think I have 1 or 2 more before I get to that point.

January-February Recap

I've read only 10 books so far this year! It's a good thing I kept my goals low.

My favorites so far for 2013 are The Secret Garden (still -- after 50 years), and When Christ and His Saints Slept. Origins of Arthurian Romances was tedious, and I didn't like The Twelve. 40,000 to One was fascinating and moving, and I enjoyed the others.

1. Anne of Green Gables: Recommendations (0/3)

2. Beautiful Joe: Books Off My Shelves (0/3)

3. The Four Puppies Who Wanted a Home: Because I Want To (1/3)
~~ The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

4. Hitty: Her First Hundred Years: History (4/3)
~~ Origins of Arthurian Romances by Flint F. Johnson
~~ When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
~~ Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick
~~ A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick

5. Downright Dencey: A Better World (0/3)

6. Blue Willow: Disasters, Hardships, and Wars (1/3)
~~ 40,000 to One by Ben Petrick

7. The Good Master: Other Lands and Cultures (0/3)

8. The Story of Live Dolls: Fantasy (1/3)
~~ The Twelve by Justin Cronin

9. Little Women: Classics and Prize Winners (0/3)

10. The Mystery of the Gulls: US Mystery (0/6)

11. The Secret Garden: British Mystery (0/6)

12. The Surprise Doll: Foreign Lands Mystery (2/6)
~~ The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters
~~ The Hippotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters

13. Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather: Series Continuation (1/6)
~~ The Hangman by Louise Penny

11. The Apostle by Brad Thor (Scot Harvath #8), 4*
Category 7: The Good Master: Other Lands and Cultures (Afghanistan)

Spy/international thrillers are not my favorite genre, but I enjoyed this one. Brad Thor writes quite well and he's an excellent story teller. I hadn't realized that this is a series, and I haven't read any others. It works as a stand alone, although it's apparent that there's some personal history that occurred in earlier books. Scot Harvath is a counter-terrorist operative, and in this book, he is hired to retrieve a kidnapped doctor from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

There are a lot of references to guns and tactics and military operations, most of which meant little to me. There's also quite a lot of gallows humor; at times, I found it a bit too much, but I think it probably adds to the realism of operatives in such stress-filled situations. And there's more blood and gore than I usually like. I thought the secondary plot, which takes place in Washington, DC, was less successful. Those were the negatives for me -- but depending on one's taste and experience, they wouldn't be negatives for everyone.

Mr Thor apparently spent several months in Afghanistan researching this book, and I'm told by those who know that it's an accurate picture of the country and includes details that are generally unknown to those who haven't been there. Since the Afghanistan setting was my primary interest in reading the book, I was fascinated -- and at times appalled, since it isn't the politically correct picture we usually see on the nightly news. A really exciting story line, with lots of details so that I could easily visualize what was happening, and interesting, well developed characters, were a bonus.

My understanding is that each of the books in this series is set in a different location. I will probably read other books in the series.

I'm not a big fan of spy/international thrillers either. I'll keep in mind that you liked Thor's novel if I get in the mood to read one!

Hi Ivy, stopping by to see how things are with you. I should to re-reading The Secret Garden at some point. It has been so long since I read it! Walking to work this week I noticed in one of the shop window a poster for Ballet Victoria and their production of ....The Secret Garden. Now I am torn between re-reading to book or going to the ballet, provided there are still seats available, that is.

I'm doing a reread of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. :)

>127 thornton37814: Lori, if/when you get to it, I hope you enjoy it! It came to me highly recommended, by someone who does like international thrillers and reads many of them.

>128 lkernagh:, Lori, how about both? A ballet production would be very interesting! If you go, please let us know how they adapted it!

>129 fuzzi: fuzzi, I've been thinking about re-reading Five Little Peppers, another one that I haven't read for 50+ years. A couple of years ago, my sister read/re-read the entire series (not all of them were available in our home town library). She loved them.

Five Little Peppers is on my radar as a re-read sometime too. Maybe this year, but I've got a few other childhood favorites that are higher priority at the moment.

I think I might have FLP in a box that came from my mother's bookshelves after she died. Might need to go check that out.....

>131 thornton37814: & 132 Lori & Betty: if you want company when you get to Five Little Peppers, let me know, and I'll try to read it/them at the same time. I have no immediate plans to read them... just sometime.

Nope - couldn't find it. Someone else might have gotten it or it might have been gone before.

I got my E-book copy of FLP online, for free!

Hi Ivy - just dropping by to say hello!

>134 dudes22: Ah, that's too bad, Lori!

>135 fuzzi: fuzzi, that's probably what I'll do, too. Unless I decide to buy it for my granddaughter. But since I see that you weren't overly enthusiastic about it at this point, maybe I should read it again before deciding whether she might like it.

>136 Dejah_Thoris: Hi, Dejah, thanks for stopping by!

I'm not sure why I keep getting behind on my own reviews as well as hopelessly behind on reading others.

12. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, 4 1/2*
Category 3: The Four Puppies: Because I Want To

Utterly charming! Except for the first chapter, which explains Judy's situation as an orphan who is offered a college education by one of the orphanage trustees, the entire book consists of letters that she writes to her benefactor during her 4 years of college. Published in 1912, there are some dated aspects to the book, but Ms Webster was far ahead of her time in her ideas about women, and I think that many of Judy's observations and thoughts are probably still applicable to college students today, 100 years later.

Jean Webster was an interesting person, unconventional in her ideas and lifestyle. And she was a grand-niece of Mark Twain (her maternal grandmoither was Samuel Clemens' sister).

I listened to the free audio version on Audiobooks, and also looked at a free e-book from time to time.

I love. love, love Daddy-Long-Legs - it's a great book. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, too! Just reading your review makes me want to reread it.

I am so pathetically behind on reviews that I am apparently to daunted to even begin to get caught up. Maybe this afternoon....

13. The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead by Dr Ramses Seleem, 4*
Category 7: The Good Master: Other Lands and Cultures

This was very interesting. And it had pretty pictures of Egypt and scrolls. It's not comprehensive, but still was slow going for me, since I know so little about ancient Egypt.

Dr Seleem maintains that ancient Egyptian beliefs were misinterpreted and mistranslated by 19th century Egyptologists. He says that rather than a pantheon of gods, the "gods" were anthropomorphizations of principles or natural laws. He has done his own translation of various excepts from The Book of the Dead, and provides commentary about them -- sometimes on the text itself, sometimes just on general beliefs.

I love Daddy Long-Legs! I had no idea that the author was related to Mark Twain. Talent definitely runs in that family!

>139 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, I enjoyed it so much that I wouldn't mind listening to / reading it again right away! I probably instead will try some of her other books, though I think that Daddy-Long-Legs is considered her best.

>140 ivyd: Carrie, after listening to the book, I was curious about her and ran into a reference to her relationship to Mark Twain. It took a bit of digging to find the exact connection, and I didn't bookmark it, but I think I found it by searching for "Samuel Clemens genealogy" which led me to a chart.

14. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, 5*
Category: Blue Willow: Disasters, Hardships, and Wars

The cover of my book says "The Greatest War Novel of All Time." I agree.

ETA: Thinking about this... I think maybe it should be "The Greatest Anti-War Novel of All Time."

The first time I read this book was in 1968 or 1969. I was then the same age as Paul and the others. I was terrifically moved, and saw it as a testament supporting the peace movement and protests against the Vietnam War. This time, I see the soldiers as children, and it made me even more sad. There has to be a better way than war!

Be sure to read Dear enemy, which is the sequel to Daddy Long Legs

>145 Bjace: Beth, I already have it downloaded. Ironically, I am currently trying to get through A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which I am not liking and keep considering abandoning. I didn't know about Jean Webster's relationship to Mark Twain when I started it!

I second Beth's suggestion to read Dear Enemy - it isn't quite as good as Daddy-Long-Legs, but it's still a pleasure. Some of the ideas about institutionalizing children are very dated and in fact, unfortunate, but reading that kind of thing just allows me to be happy that the world has changed!

>145 Bjace: & 147: Beth & Dejah, you may have convinced me to put Connecticut Yankee on hold (perhaps indefinitely) and get right to Dear Enemy!

15. Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy (White House Chef #6), 4*
Category 13: Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather: Series Continuation

I think this may be the best yet in this series.

***SPOILER***

One of my first thoughts was that Ollie would never get White House security clearance with her father's dishonorable discharge OR murder. I checked with my experts and they agreed; they said that it usually requires 3 degrees of separation from events such as either of these, but that occasionally exceptions are made for good reason. However, there would be no way for Ollie not to have known about these things after she had applied for clearance. In the end, there was apparently good reason for passing her -- but the people doing the background check would probably not have had access to the top secret documents which would have cleared her, and it doesn't ssem likely that someone who did have access would have even known about her application.

However, despite this, I really liked the story and the book!

end SPOILER

16. Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen #15), 4*
Category 13: Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather: Series Continuation

Another enjoyable installment in one of my favorite series. I was slightly disappointed that the mystery seemed so obvious, and I kept waiting for a twist that never happened. But then I'm hard to please: if the resolution comes out of the blue, I'm disappointed; and if (as in this book) there are lots of good clues so that I figure it out, I'm disappointed.

Ivy - I'm almost feeling like I need to start doing a genealogical study into each author I read to see if he or she is related to another famous author. That would, however, seriously cut into my reading time.

Yup, I love Daddy Long-Legs too! Interesting comments on The Illustrated Egyptian Book of the Dead. Clearly it has been interpreted many different ways, but it sounds like Seleem's interpretation is probably well thought out and intriguing.

So many fans of Daddy-Long-Legs! I don't know how it escaped my notice for so many years, but I'm certainly glad that I finally discovered it!

>151 thornton37814: Lori, it would be a fascinating project! Several years ago, I spent a couple of days looking into the ancestry of some of the great fantasy writers (world builders). I don't remember exactly who -- Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, Frank Herbert and a couple of others -- and found no connections, except that all had Celtic or Gaelic ancestry. I didn't think it was very significant, though, since I suspect that can be found in almost everyone with British ancestry.

>152 cammykitty: Katie, I did think Dr Seleem's interpretation was logical and very interesting, and his credentials are impressive. I don't know enough about the subject, though, to otherwise evaluate his comments.

17. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, 4 1/2*
Category 9: Little Women: Classics

I loved it! About 1/2 way through, it became the only book I wanted to read (in contrast to most classics, where I have to push myself to keep going, even when I'm mostly enjoying the book). After reading The Three Musketeers a couple of years ago, and now this, I think I have become a fan of Dumas!

March Recap

With 7 books this month, I've almost doubled my reading for the year!

And it was a great reading month. The "best" book was probably All Quiet on the Western Front -- there are few books that I give an unqualified 5*s. But I really loved both Daddy-Long-Legs and The Count of Monte Cristo. I enjoyed both of the cozy mysteries and the thriller, and I thought the explanation of The Book of the Dead was very interesting.

1. Anne of Green Gables: Recommendations (0/3)

2. Beautiful Joe: Books Off My Shelves (0/3)

3. The Four Puppies Who Wanted a Home: Because I Want To (2/3)
~~ Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

4. Hitty: Her First Hundred Years: History (4/3)
3 COMPLETED -- February

5. Downright Dencey: A Better World (0/3)

6. Blue Willow: Disasters, Hardships, and Wars (2/3)
~~ All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

7. The Good Master: Other Lands and Cultures (2/3)
~~ The Apostle by Brad Thor
~~ The Illustrated Book of the Dead by Dr Ramses Seleem

8. The Story of Live Dolls: Fantasy (1/3)

9. Little Women: Classics and Prize Winners (1/3)
~~ The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

10. The Mystery of the Gulls: US Mystery (0/6)

11. The Secret Garden: British Mystery (0/6)

12. The Surprise Doll: Foreign Lands Mystery (2/6)

13. Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather: Series Continuation (3/6)
~~ Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy
~~ Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

->154 ivyd:
Me too! I was expecting to use at least two months to finishing, but ended up not wanting to read anything else!

Ooh, glad to know that The Count of Monte Cristo continues to be a page-turner! It's been on my back burner for a while, but now I have to give it my full attention as it's due back at the library in a week. Looking forward to power-reading for the next few days!

I seem to have pulled a disappearing act again this summer. In contrast to last year, though, things have been going well for me -- except for my 12-year-old cat being diagnosed with hyper-thyroidism -- and I have been reading. I've been working much more than I have for several years, and it's sort of been a choice between reading and spending time on LT. I hope I'll have a chance to start catching up with everyone soon.

Good to see you bak here, Ivy!!

Ivy's back! I'm glad that everything is ok and that you're getting to read!

Hi Ivy! It's good to hear things are going well for you. I hope a treatment is available that will improve your cat's health.

Yay, welcome back, Ivy! :)

Welcome back, Ivy! I've heard that Standard Process has some very good supplements to support the health of our cats. Tried to get mine to take them, but no go. :(

Linda, Lisa, Carrie, Christina, Laura: Thanks so much for the warm welcome!

Jack is responding well to the medication; he gained more than 1/2 pound in 3 weeks, the new lab results were very good, and he obviously is feeling better. The question now is whether to do the radioactive iodine treatment -- I'm thinking no, but haven't decided for sure yet.

Welcome back, Ivy! We've missed you around here. Sad news about your cat, but it's good that he seems to be doing better.

Welcome back!! Sorry to hear about the kitteh - hope he continues to improve!

Lori & Eva, thank you!

I'm a bit overwhelmed by catching up. I think I'll start by listing the books I've read, with perhaps a comment or two along the way, then spend some time on other people's threads, and then try to fit things into my categories as I have time.

April

18. Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick, 4*

Historical romance about the Fitzwarins in the early part of Henry II's reign.

19. A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle, 3*
20. A Raging Storm by Richard Castle, 3*
21. A Bloody Storm by Richard Castle, 3*

3 Kindle shorts in the Dekek Storm series, but they're really just one book in 3 parts. Fun, but I like the Nikki Heat series better.

22. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (audio), 2 1/2*

I didn't like it. After reading some of the comments on the group read thread, I think I better appreciated the sarcasm and the commentary on the US, but I still didn't like it.

23. Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #9), 4 1/2*

~~ "The Book of Job"

I don't think I've previously read this book in its entirety. It has to be the most difficult book of the Bible, and I really don't understand it. Perhaps one day I'll read some of the many commentaries on it.

24. Hell's Legionnaire by L. Ron Hubbard (audio), 3*

When, out of curiosity, I requested 4 of these audiobooks on ER, I thought I'd maybe get 1. Instead, I got four. The audio is dramatic reading, with sound effects, and extremely well done. The stories are a lot of fun, pulp fiction at its best (as touted), and I thoroughly enjoyed them all.

25. Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman, 4*

26. An Unholy Communion by Donna Fletcher Crow (Monastery Murders #3), 4*

I thought this was the best yet in this series. Felicity and crew are making a pilgrimage to holy sites in Wales and encounter strange happenings along the way. And Felicity seems to have grown up a bit...

27. The Dive Bomber by L. Ron Hubbard (audio), 3*

May

28. The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick, 4 1/2*

I love William Marshal and I loved this book. Although Elizabeth Chadwick seems compelled to add romance to her historical fiction, I don't really mind it, and there was less in this book, perhaps because she had so much contemporary material to work with. There is a sequel, which takes place primarily in the reign of King John, and which has been highly praised, but I'm waiting on it until after I've read Sharon Kay Penman's Lionheart.

29. The Devil -- with Wings by L. Ron Hubbard (audio), 3*

30. New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (Eve Dallas #33), 4 1/2*

I always enjoy this series, but I think this is the best book since a few of the very early ones. I think Nora Roberts probably recognized that, too, by making it the only book without an "in Death" title.

31. Trouble on His Wings by L. Ron Hubbard (audio), 3 1/2*

My favorite of the 4 that I listened to.

32. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell, 2 1/2*

I didn't think I wanted to read this book and I was right. But it was loaned to me by a young friend, and I thought he was recommending it, so I read it. Turns out... he didn't like it either, but wanted my opinion to see if he was missing something!

33. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster, 4 1/2*

Loved it! Maybe not quite as good as Daddy Long-Legs, but so close that it doesn't matter. I started listening to it, but didn't care for the Audiobooks reading, so switched to print.

Welcome back, Ivy! Sorry to learn about Jack's health issues but glad to see he is responding to medication.

Sorry to see A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court was a dud. I have never read the book but I did find the movie adaptation (I think it was by Disney) to be rather fun.

You've done some good reading. I think I liked Connecticut Yankee better than you did. I haven't made it to that spot in the Winspear series yet, but I should be there soon if I keep plugging away.

>170 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

>170 lkernagh: & 171 I'm not entirely sure why I disliked A Connecticut Yankee so much. Maybe just not the right book at the right time. I liked (but didn't love) other Mark Twain books that I read years and years ago.

>171 thornton37814: Lori, Maisie Dobbs is currently one of my favorite series. I think there's just one book left before I'm caught up on it.

May continued:

34. Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky, 4*

For most people born after about 1955, polio is no more real than smallpox. Some may have known families or people who were affected by it, but they wouldn't have been schoolmates. They never experienced a mother's panic at a summer flu (the prime season), or have been required to keep moving one's head and touching your chin to your chest to check for a stiff neck (one of the earliest symptoms), or known the fear of being crippled, with leg braces or a wheelchair, or even an iron lung. Probably the most frightening aspect was that anyone could catch it, at any time, with no prior warning; there was no way to escape the possibity that you would contract polio. And it was most prevalent in more advanced, "cleaner" countries, especially the US.

Mr Oshinsky discusses much of this, and gives some of the theories about the reasons for polio having had such a high incidence in the US. I was disappointed that there was not more information about causes and transmission (why, for example, a community would suddenly have an outbreak, or why a single person in a community would contract polio), but the focus of researchers was on a vaccine, and once they were developed there apparently wasn't much research on the disease itself.

He also spends some time on FDR, but the bulk of the book is about Salk and Sabin, their reseach and their rivalry, and the part that the March of Dimes played in developing the vaccines. I was unaware of most of this; of course, I was a child at the time, but much of it was not generally known to the public, either.

I thought the book was fascinating.

Still May

~~ "Proverbs"

35. Behold the Marshal by R.W. Hamilton, 3*

This is another book about William Marshal. I found it when I was looking for the Elizabeth Chadwick books, and was curious. It closely follows the same events as The Greatest Knight, both I presume closely following the medieval chronicle. The book, however, is not very well written. I really can't recommend it.

36. Celebrity in Death (Eve Dallas #34) by J.D. Robb, 3 1/2*

~~ "An East End Murder" by Charles Finch

An e-book short. Not a very good story or mystery, it takes place before Charles' marriage.

I felt the same way about Swamplandia!. Everyone else seemed to like/love it and I hated it. I definitely thought I had missed something!

Eve Dallas is my brain candy.

Hi Ivy, great to see you back here. Sorry to hear that Jack is having problems, fingers crossed that he continues to respond to the medicine. I am a big Elizabeth Chadwick fan and I know what you mean about the romance always being included but it's usually kept within the context of the story and is far from being a bodice-ripper, so I don't mind a little romance being added to my history.

>175 Yells: It's always nice to have company when you dislike a book that so many love! Another example, I think, of not every book being for everyone. The boy and his story was okay, but I didn't find the girls at all believable or likeable and was just shaking my head at their choices. Some of the writing was nice, but the plethora of similes and metaphors was distracting and kept pulling me out the the setting. At one point, I picked a page at random and counted 6 similes or metaphors on that single page!

It amazes me, after so many years and so many books, that I still haven't gotten tired of Eve Dallas. It was interesting reading 3 of them close together (I read another one in June), since after the first 4 or 5, it's usually been a twice-a-year treat. I was startled to read that Eve and Roarke have only been married 2 years -- in my life, it's been at least 10 years!

>176 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy!

Since I just finished my 5th Elizabeth Chadwick book this year (I hadn't read any previously), I think it's safe to say that I'm a fan!

I believe there is some historical basis for the romance in The Greatest Knight, and perhaps for some of the others. Much of it, I'm sure, is her imagination, but what I particularly like is that neither she nor Sharon Penman take many liberties with known facts. They just fill in the blanks -- which is what I do, too, when I read about these people, and it's interesting to see what they imagine it to have been -- and who's to say that they aren't right? Plus, Chadwick's characterizations are excellent and she really brings the era to life.

Ivy, I think I read somewhere that each of the "In Death" books is set one month apart, roughly. In one case, I recall that Peabody was recovering from injuries she'd suffered during the previous month, in the previous book.

In the past, I've read each new one soon after it's been released. Now I'm to the point where I'm reading the previous one when the new one is being released.

I'm not getting to my list very fast...

June

37. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, 4 1/2*

A really lovely book.

38. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, 4*

This book was loaned to me as a book about Hurricane Katrina, but it's really not about that. Most of the book is set during the few days before the hurricane, and it does hit toward the end of the book, but the book is really about poverty and a segment of society whose existence most of us would like to forget. Esch is a beautifully drawn character; and she led me to think more deeply and sympathetically about those living on the fringe of society. Ms Ward's subject and style brought to mind Zora Neale Hurston, and I think she's a young writer to watch.

It was interesting to read 3 recent novels by 3 young writers (these 2 plus Swamplandia!). I now have a pretty good idea about what is being taught in MFA programs and creative writing courses. The Song of Achilles was the best and most accomplished; Salvage the Bones was excellent and I think that when Ms Ward settles more comfortably into her own style, she will be a notable writer; Swamplandia! was contrived and just not my cup of tea.

39. No Graves as Yet by Anne Perry (WW I #1), 3 1/2*

It's been a while since I have read either Monk or Pitt books, though I've read quite a few of both. I'm thinking that this probably isn't quite as good as the other series, but I enjoyed it. I immediately got the next book in the series, but I haven't read it yet... perhaps soon, since I am looking forward to it.

40. Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb (Eve Dallas #35), 3 1/2*

>179 lindapanzo: each of the "In Death" books is set one month apart, roughly

That sounds about right; each book usually refers to the previous case as having been just concluded.

I had been reading them twice a year, usually 1 book behind since I'd wait for the paperback (which came out about the time of the newest hardback). I'm not sure how I got several books behind...

July

41. A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch (Charles Lenox #5), 3 1/2*

I think it's pretty generally agreed that this isn't the best book in this series. Nevertheless, I appreciated the tribute to Patrick O'Brien and enjoyed being aboard ship again -- even though it doesn't hold a candle to O'Brien's magnificent series.

42. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, 3 1/2*

As soon as I found out that Robert Galbraith is really J.K. Rowling, I couldn't wait to read it. I've seen it described as a thriller, but I would call it a traditional British mystery in a contemporary setting. The mystery is good enough, but Rowling's greatest talent is creating multi-dimensional, individual and memorable characters that become as real as real-life friends -- and she does it here, too. I do hope she continues the series, because I want to read more!

43. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson, 3 1/2*

I've liked Marcus Samuelsson in various television cooking shows (notably Top Chef Masters), and snippets of his background seemed unusual and interesting. Born in Ethiopia and adopted at about age 2 by a Swedish couple, he worked his way up in various fine-dining restaurants around the world, finally becoming a celebrity chef and owning his own restaurant. His drive, determination and hard work, enhancing his talent and creativity, are remarkable. I was fascinated by the personal story, and liked much of his food commentary, but -- since I've never aspired to work in or own a restaurant -- his restaurant experiences weren't as interesting to me. I do wish, though, he'd included some recipes!

The Cuckoo's Calling is waiting on Mt. TBR and I hope to get to it soon. I do like her characters, so I'm trusting I will like them here too.

I am a little embarrassed about not having read Yes, Chef since I went to school with Marcus, but soon, I promise. :) glad to hear you enjoyed it!

>183 -Eva-: Eva, what fun to have a personal connection to Marcus Samuelsson! I'll be very interested in your thoughts about the book (and him).

I thought The Cuckoo's Calling was a little slow getting started, but about 1/2 way through, I began getting really involved with the characters. Worth reading, I think.

I'm determined to get caught up and it's pretty easy from here. I started Devil's Brood in July and didn't finish it until almost the end of August, and then started another Elizabeth Chadwick book, which I just finished. Not a very impressive tally for the summer, but these books are quite long -- and I've been playing Hay Day a lot, which has something to do with it, too.

August

44. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney (audio), 3*

I loved the Little Pepper books when I was 10 or so, but I have to agree with (who was it? fuzzi?), who was not enthralled by a re-reading. It's dated, yes, but since it was written in the 1880s, it was dated in the 1950s too. And it's almost contemporaneous with Frances Hodgson Burnett's books, which have held their charm for me. I'm not sure what the problem or difference is, especially since my sister recently read/re-read the series and liked it a lot.

45. Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman, 4*

September

46. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (audio), 5*

This book still breaks my heart. Sara Crewe has to be one of the most lovable juvenile heroines of all time. I'd forgotten that the ending was changed in the movie.

47. For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick, 3 1/2*

Sometimes considered part of the Marshal saga, this book focuses on Roger Bigod and his wife Ida de Tosney, who was the mother of William Longespee (bastard son of Henry II). It takes place during roughly the same time period as The Greatest Knight, and William Marshal makes several appearances, but he is a supporting character and it's not really about him. Although he was just a boy in this book, I'd really like to know more about William Longespee -- and his wife Ela of Salisbury, who (if I'm remembering the right person) was a strong and determined woman.

That's it. A good thing I set my goals low for this year. At some point, I'll try to fit these books into my categories and see where I stand.