bell7's (Mary) reading in 2013 - Page 2

Welcome to my second thread of the year!

By way of introduction, I read a lot by the standards of most of my friends, but I'm fair-to-middling here in the 75er group at 100-150 books a year. I'm working full-time as a adult services (Read: reference and programming) librarian of many hats - adult programming, local history, interlibrary loans, fiction collection development and reference. I love my job and one of my favorite things is sharing good stories with people. I run one of the library book clubs, so one book a month is going to be for that (only one more reread and I'm on to all new-to-me books, most of which were on my TBR list, hurray!).

I'm an eclectic reader, though I tend to pick up young adult fantasy most often. I also read nonfiction (history, sports, biography), some mysteries, some contemporary fiction, and classics. I try to keep up with the current Newbery award winners, and dip my toe into the NY Times Bestseller List from time to time to see what my patrons are reading.

My reading goal for 2013 is to read at least as many of my own books as library books. I'd also kind of like to read more of Shakespeare's plays (one of my lifetime reading goals is to read all of them) and War and Peace. Or maybe Middlemarch - one big tome of a classic, in any case! :)

Here are my (completely subjective) star ratings that have nothing to do with the overall "quality" of the book, merely my personal reaction to it:

1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - A solid "meh"
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - An OK read (generally this is a rating of splitting hairs - it's either better than my last 3 star read or worse than my last 4 star read)
4 stars - I liked it, but would only reread under special circumstances (ie., a series book or for book club)
4.5 stars - Excellent, a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me

Finally, here are my tickers:

In case you missed it, here's my monthly review copied from the last thread:

February in review -

9. Prince Among Slaves by Terry Alford
10. Home by Marilynne Robinson - Mine
11. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
12. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
13. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
14. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
15. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Mine
16. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
17. Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan A.C. Brown
18. Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
19. The Butterfly Mosque by G. Willow Wilson
20. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal - Mine and LTER
21. The Book That Changed My Life edited by Diane Osen - Mine

Books read: 13
Audiobooks listened to: 0
Graphic Novels/Manga read: 0
Adult/Teen/Children's: 9/3/1
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry: 9/3/1
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 9/4/0

Standouts: Home by Marilynne Robinson, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (a re-read), and Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

Thoughts: It looks like a lot more reading than last month, but I had a few very short books in there and I finished 4-5 just over the week I was dogsitting. My reading has shifted back into its normal pattern of publication dates - 2011, 2012, and 2013 are the only three showing multiple books so far. Perhaps I'll show more of a spread next month, as I'm hoping to reverse the ratio of my own books to library books read.

Book publication dates read in 2013:

2013 - 2
2012 - 5
2011 - 2
2010 - 1
2008 - 1
2004 - 1
2003 - 1
2002 - 1

1996 - 1
1977 - 1
1972 - 1
1962 - 1
1953 - 1
1937 - 1

Am I first here?! Woohoo!

A nice short thread I can visit! I like your February summary and I didn't make it that far in your previous thread.

Hi Mary, congratulations on the new thread. I see we have a shared read for March with Charity Girl. I was hoping to get to it early in the month, but I just got a notice that about 3 books have come into the library so I will probably be starting with them. I am looking forward to revisiting a Georgette Heyer book, it's been awhile.

Fahrenheit 451 and Mary Oliver - you have impeccable and diverse tastes obviously.

Happy new thread, Mary!

>3 Esquiress: Congratulations, you are! Thanks for stopping by, Esquiress. :)

>4 AnneDC: Anne, in such a chatty group as this, I've gotten so far behind on a thread that I count it as "read" when someone starts a new one, so I'm glad you made it to my new one!

>5 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I did add Charity Girl as a match to yours, but if I manage to get to it, I will probably be doing so at the end of the month myself. I have it in an omnibus edition with Lady of Quality (which I read about a month ago and wasn't so impressed with), so I thought I might be able to read it this month and decide in time for the library book sale if I would keep the book or pass it on. :) (Come to think of it, I bought it at the book sale just last year myself...)

>6 cammykitty: haha thanks, Katie. I'm interested in a lot of different things, but LibraryThing and the 75ers have made me more aware about a whole bunch of books I may never have picked up otherwise, and they very rarely steer me wrong.

>7 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Glad you stopped in. :)

>8 bell7:: Always keeping an eye on you, bell :)

Lovely new thread, Mary! I'm looking forward to seeing what you read this month.

Hi! Ah, what a nice shiny new thread you have here, Mary!

Hi Mary, stopping by to check out the new thread!

Umm, Charity Girl is another, along with Lady of Quality, that is among Heyer's weaker books IMHO. Not that it is BAD, none of her romances are quite that, but just not as good as the main body of her work.

Just stopping by to thank you for the Parasol Protectorate recommendation. I'm three books in and having a blast.

Hi Mary. You are reading some great books. I'm sure there are lots of good books on your new, lovely book shelves.

*smooch*

>9 Esquiress: haha Thanks, Es.

>10 rosalita: Hi Julia, glad to see you here!

>11 tymfos: Hello Terri, thanks for stopping by!

>12 lkernagh: *waves* hi Lori!

>13 ronincats: Yeah, that's the other reason it's kinda low priority for this month, Roni. I'm kind of planning on reading to it if I get to it and giving the book away. But I won't expect too much of it and I'll try one of Heyer's stronger books in the future.

>14 inge87: Oh good, I'm glad you're enjoying them, Jennifer!

>15 Whisper1: Hello, Linda! I've got a few books from my shelves pulled out to read this month and I'm looking forward to it. It's a little tough saying "no" to some of the bright, shiny new library books that I've been seeing lately, though!

>16 richardderus: *smooch* back. Thanks for stopping in, Richard!

22. The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

As a child, Mary lives with her mother as slaves to the Van Lew family in Richmond, Virginia. When Bet, the daughter of her mistress, buys all the slaves and frees them, Mary's parents have to make difficult decisions about their future. Her father is still a slave for another master working as a blacksmith, and her mother doesn't want to leave him. Mary has an opportunity to go to school in Philadelphia, but that may mean leaving her parents behind forever.

I received this as an Early Reviewer book far too long ago, and I'm really unsure why I put it off so long. This book reads almost like a memoir of Mary, from the time she was a child through the end of the Civil War. It's really well done historical fiction, including a lot of period details without too many extraneous research details thrown in. Mary and Bet Van Lew were real people, and I was really interested in a lot of the extras included at the end, with photographs from Richmond and references to some of the books Leveen used in her research (I could have used a bibliography instead of footnotes to the historical note, but I'll take what I got to read further). Mary is a great character, and I enjoyed the way in which the varying beliefs about what was necessary to end slavery or to win the war was explored through the characters' motivations. 4 stars.

I read an historical novel about Bet Van Lew a while back. It made me want to read a non-fiction account of her life.

Lots of great reviews, Mary! Congrats on the new digs!

>19 tymfos: Me too, Terri! The books in the footnotes of the Historical Note were: Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War by Ernest B. Ferguson, A Yankee Spy in Richmond: the Civil War Diary of 'Crazy Bet' Van Lew edited by David Ryan (the historical note says that many of the entries are lost, in part because Bet destroyed incriminating entries and also because there was damage to the diary while it was hidden), and Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew by Elizabeth Varon. The other item I'd love to get my hands on (but it's in the Virginia State Archives and thus unlikely) is "recollections of Thomas McNiven and His Activities in Richmond During the American Civil War"

>20 LauraBrook: Thank you, Laura, and thanks for stopping in!

23. Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

Sophie Caco lives with her Tante Atie in Haiti, while her mother Martine is in New York. At the age of twelve, Sophie goes to New York to live with her mother and learns a dark secret that affects her relationship with her mother.

This is a harrowing book. While the Caco women - Sophie, Martine, Atie, and Ife (Sophie's grandmother) - are all strong, they all have heartbreak and hurt, and hurt each other. Sophie's first-person narration means you see the world through her eyes, and don't always realize the perspectives of the other characters until Sophie herself does. Danticat's writing is poetic and evocative. It's a well-crafted story that I would have enjoyed writing about as an English major, but it's so heartrending that I couldn't enjoy it. 3 stars.

This is the sort of book that my brother and I argue about - it's a good book, but it's sad, so I don't like it (or, at least, not wholeheartedly). Whenever I say that, his response is, "But it's a good book. Just because it's sad doesn't mean it's not good." To which I say, "That's right, but it also means I don't like it." All this to say - I certainly wouldn't discourage you from reading it if you think you'd like it; it's just not my type of story.

Mary, I understand the difficulty of having to choose between our own books and the ones we check out from the library. There are three wonderful libraries in my area. As I write, I am looking at apprxomiately 30 books I've managed to bring home.

Congrats on reading so many books thus far.

>23 Whisper1: Thanks for your encouragement, Linda. :) My "To Read" collection (books that I own and haven't read) has been hovering around 120 for awhile now, and it's starting to stress me out. I don't want to have read everything, but it would be nice to down to even 75, which is what I had when I first entered my library into LT. It's been a challenge to be disciplined: more about not taking the pretty new books I see at work every day than buckling down and reading my own books, you understand. ;)

24. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

In this Shakespeare comedy, we have two pairs to keep track of: Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Bernadick. Hero and Claudio seem well on their way to matrimony until Don John, the bastard brother of the prince Don Pedro, decides to make trouble and break them up. Meanwhile, Beatrice and Bernadick seem more interested in trading barbs than anything else, but their friends decide to set them up and make them fall in love.

While this play doesn't have many recognizable one liners that are constantly quoted even once we've forgotten they're Shakespeare, I found myself wondering why Much Ado wasn't one of the plays I studied in high school or college. Because for just pure fun, and funny moments, and witticisms galore, this has suddenly become one of my favorite plays. Plus, it's fairly accessible - I truly barely needed the notes, and it's been a few years since I've read Shakespeare. It's worth reading just for the (very minor) characters of Verges and Dogberry, the witless malapropists. Why haven't I read this before now? 4.5 stars.

Following through on my desire to read more Shakespeare this year... I really do enjoy his plays, but part of my problem is the old holdover habit I have from taking Shakespeare in college - one of my teachers insisted that the best way to read Shakespeare (probably any play, though I didn't ask him) is in one sitting, and I still feel like I have to do that. Which isn't a bad thing, but does mean I need to pretty much carve out two hours of my day to be able to read a play.

Great review for Breath, Eyes, Memory. I hope to read Danticat some day, but perhaps not that one. I'm not up for sad right now. ;)

>24 bell7: Only 120?? Amateur. *scoff*

>25 bell7: Oh Much Ado is my favourite comedy. :D The film with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson is a sheer delight. Although the trailer for Joss Whedon's adaptation went up this week and I definitely want to see it.

>26 cammykitty: Thanks, Katie. It was kind of a tough read for me, and I know what you mean - I definitely have to be in the right mood for sad, and even then I don't rate those books as highly as others. :)

>27 norabelle414: Hey now, that's books I own and haven't read - and out of less than 400, that's over 25% of my total library (I'm not a geek/nerd to know exactly how many, no, not at all...). My Excel spreadsheet of TBRs tells the whole truth... over 1000 books on that. :)

>28 MickyFine: I really enjoyed Much Ado. I've seen the film once (my mom loves it and it's one of her go-to movies when she's sick), but didn't remember much and now I want to watch it again. And another adaptation coming up? Ooooooh!!

Hi Mary, congrats on your new-ish thread! I am terribly behind, so just trying to make a fresh start:)

Hope you're having a good weekend.

It's been awhile since I read Much Ado About Nothing, but I agree that it's one of my favorites by Shakespeare.

>30 AMQS: Thanks Anne! I'm behind on threads myself, to the point where I'm ready to click and scan and start fresh as well...
I'm having a wonderful weekend - yesterday we celebrated (a little early) my birthday, and even my sister near DC made it up. We had a great time! :)

>31 thornton37814: Hi Lori! Glad you stopped by. My other favorite comedies are The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest. I couldn't quite say exactly why I loved Much Ado so much, except that it made me laugh and I can just see it become a regular reread, just like the other two. (For tragedies, I like Macbeth the best, and I'd say Hamlet too except that I've only read it once and became entirely sick of it after writing three papers on it in one class/semester. I need to reread it before I'd be entirely sure of how much I like it now.)

Yesterday was my birthday party, early so that my brother could be here on his spring break. Many people gave me books, and here is my haul:

Mythbusters: the explosive truth behind 30 of the most perplexing urban legends of all time by Keith and Kent Zimmerman - from my sister's fiance; I've already read it, but it's a fun book
The Game is Afoot edited by Marvin Kaye - from my sister's fiance, and probably the one I'll start first (right after I read The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes, I think)
The Cruelest Month - from my brothers, which fills a gap in the series for me
The Original Illustrated Mark Twain - from my brothers; I've read all three novels included, but the only one I own is Huckleberry Finn, and my brother Ryan tells me the essays and short stories are fabulous, so I'll probably dip into them from time to time instead of reading the book from cover to cover
Divergent - from my youngest sister, and it's a book we both really enjoyed

But the book that stands out the most to me is a scrapbook my mom made of pictures of me from 1 to 15, with some drawings and stories I made, and a letter from each person in my family (though my youngest sister has yet to finish hers). I read the letters this morning, and of course they made me cry and laugh. One of my brothers told me that they would never hurt for book recommendations. Ha!

What a wonderful birthday haul you had, Mary. And the scrapbook with letters is such a lovely idea. I hope the rest of your birthday celebrations are equally wonderful.

>34 rosalita: Thank you, Julia! I did have a good time yesterday. I have my actual birthday off from work, but haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. :)

25. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

Growing up in Salem in the young United States, Nathaniel Bowditch is fantastic at figures but indentured at a young age. Instead of fulfilling his dream to go to Harvard, he must "sail by ash breeze" and teach himself everything he wants to learn.

I first read this Newbery award-winning book for school, and I loved it enough to read it multiple times afterwards. I haven't read it since childhood, however, so it was interesting to reread with an adult's eyes. I loved Nat and his notebooks as he learned new things, and I can relate to his desire to have the answers be right. On this reread, I found that as an adult I understood the conversations between characters - what's left unsaid - much more fully, and I'm not just talking about the vague references to salty language! I also had not picked up on how the author takes pains to use short sentences and, if not explaining something outright in the narrative, has characters explain some things about sailing or navigation so that children readers would be able to follow along. This last fact is the main reason I wouldn't bother to reread this book again (except, perhaps, as a read-aloud to young children), but I will be looking for another biography to read on Nathaniel Bowditch. 4 stars.

>29 bell7: Ah, I have 275 owned-unread out of 784 total owned (not including books eligible for reread) which is almost exactly 35%. I don't know that for sure either. Nope.

>33 bell7: That birthday celebration sounds amazing!

>37 norabelle414: haha nothing like LT to make me realize that there are other people eccentric in the very same ways I am. I've been pondering lately the difference between volumes and actual books... I've been counting each book (ie., Lady of Quality) off my shelf as I read it, but the count I've been giving of unread is actually volumes, and doesn't account for each book included in an omnibus edition. But I've decided I'm going to still count books read the way I have been because then I'd have an even harder time keeping up with my books to library books read this year. (It's perfectly normal to sit and think about things like this, isn't it?)

It was a really fun celebration. My sister came up from Maryland with her fiance, so my whole immediate family was there (which doesn't sound like much, but with two brothers and two sisters and four of us adults, it's really hard to coordinate this kind of thing), we had other relatives over and had Chinese takeout for dinner. Plus German chocolate cake, yum!

>37 norabelle414: If I read parts of an omnibus without reading the whole (plays from The Complete Works of Shakespeare, for example) I usually catalog just the work that I read as if it were a library book or a borrowed book. Then my end-of-the-year calculations don't get thrown off. Maybe one day if the "contains/contained in" feature works better, I will go back and delete all those old entries.

>39 norabelle414: Yeah, but if I were to do that I'd have to go back through all the omnibus volumes that I've added to my library as one work and divvy it up by title. All in all, it's too much work when I can tell (for my own purposes, anyways) that my "To Read" collection has gone down by one "book" even though I read four. I'm keeping track by the month and it's just a goal I set for myself this year, not a regular stat I want to keep. I found the contains/contained in feature very aggravating when I looked at The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes the other day. How A Study in Scarlet (and others) can be indirectly contained in it when it's simply not in it is beyond me... but I was too afraid I'd really screw things up if I started editing, so I left it alone...

Oh, and I suppose I should say I did start reading The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes yesterday. The first book is The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. And yes, this is what made me start thinking about it... because there are four books in this one, and I'm planning on counting just one of the four to bring up my total count of my own books read to 13, meaning I can indulge in a library book next. :)

>40 bell7: I'm guessing it is that way because A Study in Scarlet is contained in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which is then contained in The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes. I don't think there is any set rule about how to use the contains/contained in feature, which results in messes like SH.

But it's not - it's referred to in the first short story as one of the past adventures, and it's a novel not one of the short stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (that is, the third book in the Sherlock Holmes series as opposed to the omnibus by the same name, which does contain A Study in Scarlet - just to be confusing!). *shrug* Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the series to feel confident editing the contains/contained in portion on this work.

>42 bell7: I'm not familiar enough with the series to feel confident editing the contains/contained in portion on this work
Me neither, clearly!

dashing through the snow to leave a *smooch*

>32 bell7: After reading them all last year, I can definitively say Hamlet is my favourite tragedy. Watched the adaptation with David Tennant which was awesome!

The Sherlock canon is pretty confusing and I think I'd leave editing the record to a real Sherlockian. Which isn't me either. :)

Definitely just browsing, trying to catch up. *waves*

>43 norabelle414: The only way I knew for sure is because I know what I own, and I've separated it from the complete works of Sherlock Holmes before. That actually may be where the trouble lies - if someone combined it, someone separated it, and the combinations remained as if it were still the complete series...

>44 richardderus: *smooch* back, Richard. Hurray for rain getting rid of the snow! (Here, at least, and I hope for you too)

>45 MickyFine: I have not seen that adaptation, believe it or not, though I've seen many, including a Russian "Gamlet" with no subtitles (supposedly we knew the play well enough to follow along... I didn't then, but I might now). I'll have to add it to my list of movies to see. :)

>46 Esquiress: Hi, Es! *waves* I thought last year was bad, but I started out 2013 behind on threads and haven't managed to catch up yet. ;)

A note on what I'm currently reading:

Lost in Shangri-La - a reread for my library book club. It's a fascinating story about a joy ride gone bad during World War 2 in New Guinea... the survivors are in a remote valley with natives who may be unfriendly, and back in Hollandia, a rescue mission is planned. The meeting's on Wednesday and I'm not halfway through, so I've really got to focus on this one this weekend.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The first of four books contained in an omnibus I own, as I mentioned above. When I started reading it, I had a sneaking suspicion that I'd read it before (nearly 15 years ago, before I started keeping track of my reading). Yesterday I absolutely confirmed that because I remembered part of the solution to two of the puzzles, and one of them was such that I never could have come up with it if I hadn't read it before. I find myself getting slightly annoyed with what a know-it-all Mr. Holmes is - how can a reader possibly figure out some of these (OK, all of these) mysteries when key information is left out that only the detective knows, and how many times can Holmes be brilliant before he's simply insufferable? Or it could be that I was also watching the eighth season of House yesterday while I was sick in bed, and the definite similarities don't do Sherlock Holmes any favors. The book that contains it, The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes, is interesting because it has the original typesetting and illustrations of The Strand, but it's so stinking BIG that it's been hard to read. I've downloaded most of the books it contains onto my e-reader, and I'm seriously considering putting the tome in the "donate to the library book sale" pile I've started.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Cassie Logan and her family deal with racism in Great Depression era Mississippi. I'm really not sure why I've put off this Newbery book for so long, except I do kind of remember as a kid/teen not being especially impressed with the cover. I've been listening to the audiobook on my commute, and Lynne Thigpen does an excellent job of bringing Cassie's narration to life.

Lost in Shangri-La sounds really interesting. I'll have to add it to the ever expanding TBR pile.

>49 inge87: It's an excellent book, Jennifer, I hope you like it when you get to it!

26. The Adventures on Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes and his friend/biographer Dr. John Watson work on a series of cases that showcase Holmes' abilities for minute observation and deduction to brilliantly solve mysteries that no one else can.

My particular book is the Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes, which includes the typeset and illustration of The Strand magazine where the stories were first published. Once I got used to the double columns, I did find the illustrations by Sidney Paget quite interesting. My only complaint about the typeset is that some of the letters had faded partially or almost completely; I could figure out what the word was, but it was jarring. Having four books in one made it a rather large book and hard to hold.

The stories themselves are interesting to read as early examples of the mystery genre. This collection of short stories figures third in the series of Sherlock Holmes' adventures. Among the more well-known stories included is the opening one, "A Study in Bohemia." The focus is all on the intricate plot and the brilliant sleuth, who knows more than the reader possibly can. They generally follow a similar pattern of Holmes being presented with the problem, showing the victim or Watson a bit of his deducting powers about something small and unrelated to the mystery, investigating a bit more, and then coming to the end of the investigation and explaining the solution. It's a bit more of a marvel if you read the stories further apart; reading too many on top of one another made me feel that Holmes is a bit of an insufferable know-it-all (though Dr. Watson is fawning enough). I find I prefer a more modern mystery with characters who are more sympathetic than analytical. 4 stars.

27. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff

A plane crash in New Guinea during World War 2 leaves a few survivors in a remote valley nicknamed "Shangri-La." The natives, rumored to be cannibals, have been isolated from the modern world and may have never seen a white person before. Meanwhile, back on the base in Hollandia, military personnel have a hard task before them in figuring out how to rescue the injured survivors.

Journalist Mitchell Zuckoff brings together interviews, one of the survivor's shorthand diary, military documents, photographs, and more to tell the story of the survivors and the native people involved in this fascinating tale of survival and rescue. He incorporates detail without sacrificing the pace of the narrative, and clearly made the effort to include the natives' perspectives of the events: he isn't writing from an anthropological perspective, but he strikes me as presenting a balanced view. Just as interesting to read as it was the first time I did so a year ago. 4.5 stars.

You got me with that one, Mary! Onto the wishlist.

Oooooh that one sounds FANTASTIC. On the list it goes!

>53 rosalita: and 54 Excellent! Hope you both enjoy it, Julia and Faith. :)

Belated birthday greetings to you, Mary!

>56 tymfos: Thanks - and you're still early, Terri! My birthday party was a few weeks ago - the actual day is Monday. :)

28. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Cassie Logan and her brothers Stacey, Christopher-John, and Little Man are growing up in Mississippi. The Logans are a strong family, working hard to make ends meet and pay for the land, which they're fortunate to own since most of their neighbors and friends are sharecroppers. This year will be a trying one for her as she deals with night riders and her father being gone to work on the railroad during the Depression.

I'm having a hard time summarizing this book because it's so much more than the plot. It's about a loving family, and a girl's growing up as she deals with racism and injustice. Cassie's a feisty heroine that you can't help but root for, and the other characters - her mother Mary, her grandmother Big Ma, her father, and more - are vividly portrayed. Though I was often upset by what happened, this is such a rich book that I didn't want it to end. The audio is masterfully read by Lynne Thigpen, and included comments by the author on the final CD that explain a little about the story's origins. 4.5 stars.

This will be one of my standouts of the year - it was the 1977 Newbery Award winner and absolutely deserving. I hope the sequels are as good.

If I read several volumes of manga does it count as reading my own books? Hmm.... that would be a quick road to guilt-free library book reading. :) No, my tongue's firmly in my cheek right now... As I've done before, I'll count graphic novels and manga separately from my book count of the year.

I've been sick and not up to reading anything heavy (that would be referring to both theme and actual weight of the book), so I read the first six volumes of Fruits Basket yesterday, and the 7th today, bringing my total graphic novel and manga count of the year to... 7. I'm feeling much better now, and made it to work today without completely exhausting myself. Yay!

And now I am off to read volume 8 and go to bed.

It's been a while since I read Fruits Basket, but I understand the tired mind's urge for manga. Every now and then, when my brain is feeling particularly like mush, I start craving the incredibly high-minded intellectual challenge that is Marmalade Boy. Hope you start feeling better soon.

>59 bell7:: Interestingly, I planned to count my planned reading of Black Butler: Volume II as a book read this year, and I plan to read Howl: A Graphic Novel and count it. Is that bad?

>61 Esquiress: Nah, everyone does it differently and some folks count both picture books and graphic novels as a book read. I always just counted them separately. So now when I'm tracking my own books versus library books read, it felt like I was making "my own books read" artificially high by counting them.

>60 inge87: Hm, Marmalade Boy looks like it might be fun! I'll have to look it up next time I need a light read. Thanks. :)

I just found out that one of the teens that used to come to my church's youth group when he was in high school passed away this week at the age of 23. After being a youth leader for 10 years, I've been getting used to "my" teens growing up and graduating college, getting married, and a couple have kids of their own. But this is the first one to die, and though I haven't seen him in years, I am so very, very sad.

I'm so sorry to hear that. 23 is far too young to die.

>64 bell7:: Condolences. It is always hard to lose a former student.

Thanks Carrie and Esquiress. I haven't seen him in years and hadn't stayed in touch, but I've known his relatives for years and it was rather a shock to find out. Definitely too young to die... I really feel for his family; I can't imagine what they're going through.

Oh, that must have been a shock, Mary! It's so hard to think of people we've knows as youngsters dying; it seems against the rules somehow.

it seems against the rules somehow.
Yeah, that's exactly how I feel, Julia.

29. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers

When Lord Peter Wimsey finds out his brother the Duke has been accused of murder, he hightails it over to try to sort it out. Who really killed his sister's fiance, Denis Cathcart? Lord Peter may find out a few family secrets by the time he's finished detecting...

This entertaining second book in the Lord Peter Wimsey series could easily be read as a standalone. Lord Peter reminds me a lot of Bertie Wooster with his prattling and his valet. The twists and turns of the plot kept me guessing until quite close to the end. Some of the adventures of Lord Peter as he gets to the bottom of things made me laugh, and generally kept me amused. 4 stars.

Hi Mary,
I'm so sorry to hear of that young man's passing. 23 is awfully young, and those we care about leave a big hole in out hearts when they're gone. How sad.

I loved your comments on Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I read it for the first tine last year also, and also on audio. Ms. Thigpen's narration was amazing. I'm not sure I'm up for sequels yet -- that one was so memorable, and I regret that it took me this long to read it. My older daughter read it in 6th grade for school and didn't like it much. I think if Marina reads it next year I might encourage her to try the audio.

Mary - sorry to read the sad passing of the young chap at just 23. Each life has an equal worth but a young passing has a poignant significance for sure.

As someone who is slightly, ahem, prone towards statistics I do of course count novels in an omnibus separately in my catalogue and database. Short stories in an anthology then of course only the anthology counts. The problem comes with things like Murakami's IQ84 published sometimes in one book and sometimes separately as three. I bought it in one volume and only count it once, but each to his or her own I guess.

Always nice to catch up with your reading which is as varied and interesting as always. Have a wonderful weekend. x

#64 Sorry to hear about the death of such a young man Mary. Such sad news for you and his family.

Mary> Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is truly a great book for younger people (as well as some of us adults who like to occasionally read books for the younger crowd). Glad you enjoyed it.

Condolences on the very young man's passing, Mary. Sad news indeed.

Mary, that is sad news about the death of your young friend. It's a hard thing for a family to bear.

You remind me that my husband has a copy of Lost in Shangri-La. I've already sneaked Matterhorn out of his bookcase in the man cave. I doubt if he will miss either one as he's already read and liked both of them.

So, is today your real birthday? Happy Birthday to You! And congrats on that impressive haul of book gifts at your early party.

>71 AMQS: Hi Anne! I won't read the sequel(s) right away, but they're on my list to get to eventually. :)

>72 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear about your friend's friend as well, Paul. It's a tough thing to see people we care about hurting. Ah, the reason it messes up my count of "To Read" books is because I can't bring myself to add a book to my library when I have the omnibus and not a single copy because it's just not the book I have. So the number of books in my "To Read" collection is slightly different than the number of books that I actually have to read.

>73 souloftherose: Thanks for your thoughts, Heather.

>74 thornton37814: I really enjoyed, Lori, perhaps more so than many kids would. My sister had to read it for school last year, and she thought it was boring because "not much happened." But I thought Cassie was a fabulous character, and I loved her growth over the year.

>75 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori.

>76 Donna828: Donna, thanks for your condolences and the birthday wishes, and yes, today is the actual day! I look forward to your thoughts on Lost in Shangri-La.

So today I did a little book shopping with my birthday money! Here are the books I came home with:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (which I read for the first time this year and adore)
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (which I've read and reread and gave away years ago, and I've been kicking myself ever since)
More Baths Less Talking by Nick Hornby (now I just need Shakespeare Wrote for Money, and I'll have them all!) and
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

I cheated on the last one. I usually only buy books new when I know for certain I want to keep them permanently in my library. But with the *ahem* goal I set myself of reading as many of my own books as library books, and I've been wanting to read this one for some time now, I finally decided... well, if I buy it, it's mine, right? So I can cancel the library hold and read it guilt free. Which I'm now doing... haha... That wasn't exactly the original intent behind the goal, but...

But with the *ahem* goal I set myself of reading as many of my own books as library books, and I've been wanting to read this one for some time now, I finally decided... well, if I buy it, it's mine, right?

I like the way you think!

I had a very enjoyable time catching up on your lovely thread this morning, Mary. First off, let me wish you a belated Happy Birthday - just missed it by one day! Hope it was full of fabulous. Your family party sounds wonderful, and what a great haul of gifts you received! I loved reading through your insightful reviews and have added a few of your recent reads to my list - Lost in Shangri-La, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (which I know we have a copy of around here someplace), and Much Ado About Nothing. I was wondering, too, why more of Shakespeare's comedies are not taught in school - I remember reading The Taming of the Shrew, but other than that the focus was on his tragedies. My favorite of those has to be Hamlet, although Macbeth runs a close second.

I also want to offer my condolences on the young man who passed away - that is just so sad. Twenty-three is just so very young.

Finally, nice job with that birthday money! Some fine books there - I loved Less Baths, More Talking! And my youngest daughter Birdy read and loved Seraphina, which I am also hoping to read in the near future. She says it is "quite excellent and fun". And I love your rationale for purchasing it!!

What a way to celebrate!!! Have fun with the new books!

& yes, so sorry about the loss of your "teen." I totally understand since I work with kids in schools and have lost one. We knew he was ill and he lived longer than we thought he would, but it's still awful.

Your motivation is perfect, and Seraphina is definitely worth it. We read The Hiding Place in eighth grade when I was in school, but I think I'd enjoy it a lot more now than I did as a 14-year-old. Overall, it sounds like an excellent haul.

I've been wanting to read Gilead. Glad you got to pick it up!

>79 lycomayflower: :) Nothing like a little justification for book buying, eh, Laura?

>80 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, thanks for visiting and for your kind thoughts! I hope you enjoy the books that you've added to your list when you get a chance to read them. Birdy has a good description of Seraphina, which I had a tough time putting down yesterday to do necessary things, like going to work! :)

>81 cammykitty: I'm so sorry, Katie. Even knowing he was ill, I'm sure it was difficult.

>82 inge87: Yeah, Seraphina was definitely worth it, but the only thing now is... I need the sequel! The Hiding Place is definitely worth a reread - I read it a couple of times as a teenager and finally gave in and bought it again knowing I'd get more out of an additional reread. :)

>83 Esquiress: I was glad to find it too - oddly enough, it was in the literary criticism section that I found it (I was hoping for The Paris Review Interviews and possibly a couple other titles that Barnes & Noble simply didn't have... :::sigh::: I miss Borders). I hope you enjoy Gilead when you read it, Es. It was one of my memorable books of the year. :)

30. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

The forty year celebration of the treaty between humans and dragons is approaching. When Prince Rufus is found killed dragon-style (he was decapitated), the tentative peace is on shakier ground than ever before. Seraphina, working as the assistant to Viridius, the head of music and composing at the castle, has a secret of her own that may shatter her life and the peace of the realm if it ever gets out.

I found this book tough to put down. The world-building is fabulous. The situation with the dragons is really inventive, and I loved how the dragons think so very logically, as well as the details about how they take human form within the city. I really liked how important music was. Seraphina was a sympathetic and complex character, and I enjoyed being in her head through the first-person narration, as well as her interactions with other characters, particularly Princess Glisselda and Prince Lucian. 4 stars.

It was a really hard call between 4 and 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed reading it and turned pages as fast as I could. But now that I know what happens, I'm not sure it would be quite as enjoyable on a reread except as setup for the next book in the series (and there will be another one, thank goodness!). Basically, if it were a standalone I probably wouldn't reread it; as part of a series, I probably would. And that's my criteria for a 4 versus a 4.5...

>85 bell7: I had a dream two nights ago that I found that book for really cheap (like 25 cents) at a used book sale. Sadly, just a dream.

Wow, Mary! You made quick work of Seraphina! YOu make me want to bump it up in my reading stack. Nice review!

Hi Mary -

I thought I'd visit your thread since we seem to be reading (or at least are interested in) many of the same books.

I don't think I liked Lost in Shangri-La quite as much as you did, but it was a good book. As for Clouds of Witness, Lord Peter can do no wrong. I'm reading a lot of plays these days, but not much Shakespeare although I've read a fair bit in the past; I may have to join you! Seraphina is waiting for me to pick it up - soon, I expect!

I'll keep watching to see what you're reading next!

>86 norabelle414: Does that make it a good dream or a sad one? (Sad when you wake up I suppose...) :) It was not as cheap as 25 cents... in fact, it was $18 and if it hadn't been for having birthday money I never would've bought it new without having already read it.

>87 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

>88 Dejah_Thoris: Welcome, Dejah, thanks for stopping in! We do seem to have quite an overlap of interest, and I'll have fun reading your reviews as well. One of my lifetime reading goals is to complete all of Shakespeare's plays, so slowly but surely I've been making my way through them. Oddly enough, A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my least favorite (I read fantasy but don't like this one? I can't even account for my own taste there...) but reading Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett and getting every single joke about the play made reading it three times (once for me, twice for school) absolutely worthwhile. haha...

>89 bell7: That's pretty funny. I'll have to addLords and Ladies to my list - and I'm pretty sure I won't need to reread A Midsummer Night's Dream to get all the jokes....

I haven't read all the history plays or all of the tragedies and it's an omission I should correct, especially as I (in theory) read a play a week. I'll try to join in with you - I've been trying to improve my shares reads for the TIOLI Challenges.

So what is your favorite work by the Bard so far?

>90 Dejah_Thoris: You really might not. It's part of the Discworld series, but each of those books is really written in such a way that you can read them in any order and the worst that can happen is spoilers for earlier books. (It's also fourth in "The Witches" subseries, but having read the Tiffany Aching books I knew who those characters were without a problem.) Anyway....sorry if that's too much information!

Wow, you're working on a play a week? I may not keep up that pace, but I can try to join in on any TIOLI challenges you put them in. It's hard to pick just one favorite, kinda depends on my mood. For tragedies, it's Macbeth with Hamlet a close second (and possibly worth first, but I haven't read it since college and writing three papers on it in one semester, so I'm trying to give myself a break before revisiting it). For comedies, I really like The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing. If I really was forced to pick one, I guess I'd say Macbeth, it was my first introduction to Shakespeare and I just loved it in high school. (Funny thing, some of the books that still stand out to me as lifetime favorites I read for the first time in middle and high school.)

Oh, and if you enjoy books that reference books like Lord and Ladies, definitely check out the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. It starts with The Eyre Affair, and each book has broad and minute references to literature that are a lot of fun when you can catch them, and really don't matter to the zany story when you don't. It just adds to the fun... Something Rotten is the fourth book, and of course references Hamlet (the play and various movies!).

I should have been a little more specific - I try to read a play a week but not necessarily Shakespeare. In fact, it's been a while since I read any Shakespeare, so I'll try to join you with any you post!

I'm with you on the tragedies - Macbeth and Hamlet are at the top. Comedies are trickier - I tend to be influenced by whether or not I've seen it on stage. For example, I like The Merry Wives of Windsor because I remember a great production of it.

I adore the Thursday Next books - although I think I'm one behind now. Something Rotten is hysterical! And the audience participation Richard the Third is a fabulous idea. I want to go! I'll learn all the lines! I'll throw things! The Bard a la "Rocky Horror" - it's perfect!

I'll learn all the lines! I'll throw things! The Bard a la "Rocky Horror" - it's perfect!

Count me in! That sounds like a blast!

I've really been wanting to read Richard III ever since the DNA story broke. I also have a long term goal of reading the rest of Shakespeare. I don't seem to make great progress on it, but I do occasionally pick them up.

>92 Dejah_Thoris: Oh, yeah I misunderstood about the plays. I don't read a ton of plays, but I do enjoy reading (and then watching) Shakespeare. I'll try to give you a heads up the next time I read one, then. I was thinking Cymbeline might work well in the rolling alphabet challenge when Y-2 comes around. :) Something Rotten was a hoot, wasn't it? I think I'll try to reread from there to remind myself what's going on, because I'm a couple of books behind on the series myself... the next new-to-me one is One of Our Thursdays is Missing.

>92 Dejah_Thoris:-93 haha, if we memorize a play, we'll all have to get together for a participatory performance!

>94 thornton37814: I don't seem to make great progress on it, but I do occasionally pick them up.
That's how I've been reading them, too, Lori. I'm most behind on the history plays, having only read Henry IV, Part I (and I really can't remember much about it). I did watch the movie version of Richard III with Ian McKellan, but I think I'd have gotten more out of it if I'd read the play first...

Oh and Lori, I just saw that you added Richard III to the April TIOLI challenge - I'll try to match your read! (Dejah, want to join in too?)

I'm in on it - I just haven't added myself to the TIOLI, yet. If you feel like reading another play that's not Shakespeare but is a classic, it appears a few of us will be reading A Streetcar Named Desire. Join us f you're interested!

Whenever I think of Richard the Third I can't help but recall the Neil Simon movie "The Goodbye Girl." There is a truly hysterical bit with Richard Dreyfuss as Richard - too funny!

Oh, "The Goodbye Girl"! I LOVE that movie!

Actually, I looked and my April "Welcome Back, Kotter" challenge category was British Lit. I'd already pretty much decided to provide a list of Shakespeare plays for my selector. I chose to let Dejah pick. I listed 5 plays, and Dejah picked King Richard III. I downloaded it to my Kindle. It should be fun to have an unofficial group Shakespeare read.

>97 Dejah_Thoris: Hm, probably won't be able to join in this month, but I'll follow the plays you're reading and might join one future day. Oh good, glad you'll be reading Richard III too. ETA: I meant to explain that I've already booked myself solid for TIOLI and work-related reads (a genre study and two book discussions...), which is why I probably won't jump in, even though I know the play is short. :)

>97 Dejah_Thoris: and 98 - I've never even heard of "The Goodbye Girl" (showing my youth, I guess - the only movie with Richard Dreyfuss that I'm familiar with is "Mr. Holland's Opus") - I guess I'll have to look it up after reading the play. :)

>98 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, glad you stopped in today!

>99 thornton37814: Oh, that sounds like a neat way to pick your next read, Lori! :) It will be fun to have a group Shakespeare read - I look forward to reading your and Dejah's thoughts on it.

31. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

In the third book featuring Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, Maisie has a lot on her plate. She's called in to speak to a girl related to the murder of her "uncle," a friend of Lord Compton wants her to find proof that his son died in the war, and her old school chum Priscilla asks her to find out more about her brother, Peter, who also died during World War 1. What first seems straightforward soon becomes tangled, and Maisie must deal with her own past and that of others to be able to find the truth.

I have enjoyed learning about the time between the world wars from this series, as well as other books. I like the historical details that Jacqueline Winspear brings in, from Maisie's car to how people dress, to characters discussing the current events of 1930. I like the strength of Maisie's character. In this particular tale, I thought the plot was the weakest link. There are a lot of things going on, and the ways in which events intersect struck me as far too coincidental. And believe me, I know there's coincidence in history - after all, one of the stories my family passes on is how one of my maternal great-grandmothers delivered a telegram to a paternal great-grandmother when her son was injured in World War 2. But in this case, there were so many coincidences, intuition, and simply being in the right place at the right time, that I couldn't quite buy into it. The narrator, Orlagh Cassidy, does a good job with multiple characters and accents; the production was a little strange, as the breaks between CDs sometimes seemed to be in the middle of a paragraph or thought, and since there was no signal of the end of one disc, I was startled at least once when my car CD player automatically started over with Track 1. I much preferred Birds of a Feather. 3.5 stars.

I also thought Birds of a Feather was a much stronger book than Pardonable Lies. There were simply too many coincidences to be believable. I'm hoping Messenger of Truth will be better.

>102 inge87: I hope so too, Jennifer (by the way, do you have a nickname you prefer, or do you generally go by your whole name?). I'll probably try Messenger of Truth eventually, but I admit I'm not champing at the bit to get to it.

32. The Art of Hajj by Venetia Porter

This book is the companion to the exhibit "Hajj: Journey to the heart of Islam" in the British Museum last year. Hajj is the pilgrimage that Muslims take to Mecca. Each of the seven chapters deals with an aspect of the journey, from praying in the direction of Mecca, to the journey itself, to coming home. At the beginning of each chapter, Porter writes a one-page introduction outlining the aspect under exploration and giving some history or background information, followed by the plates and comments on each painting, textile, or other art pictured.

The plates were beautiful, and the written information largely helpful in explaining what each item was and what it illustrated. I had not seen the exhibit itself, but still found the book an enlightening read about Hajj and the art of it, from paintings to maps to photographs and more. Some of it is quite stunning, in fact, making me wish I could see the art in person. Because the artwork was so good, I was disappointed in the typos I found ("hin" for "him" and a sentence that cut off, for example). I would not typically choose this type of book for myself, but it is part of the Muslim Journeys bookshelf that I'm working on reading titles from. Recommended if you're interested in the topic or in art. 3.5 stars.

Edited to add -
Forgot to say that if you do have an interest in the topic, check out the information on the exhibition that's still available at the British Museum past exhibitions page.

I realize I'm a little late on the draw, but I'm glad for your thoughts on Seraphina! I have a copy sitting around here waiting to be read, and I've heard nothing but good things about it... which is to say, I really should read it soon. :)

>104 bell7: Maybe the proofreaders didn't spot the typos because of the small print. I found it very difficult to read even wearing reading glasses.

>105 dk_phoenix: You really should read it soon! I hope you like it when you do, Faith. :)

>106 cbl_tn: That could be, Carrie. It was small print, though I personally didn't have a rough time reading it (I'm sure I'll be singing another tune in another decade or so...). I'll have to make a note of the further reading, and I appreciated that it covers a range of topics briefly addressed in this book. I thought it was a good introduction overall.

Happy Easter, all!

I'm running off to my parents' house and then to church and back to my parents' for Easter dinner, so I won't get a chance to be on the threads (or, let's be honest, read) much today. I'll probably post my monthly summary sometime tomorrow... right now, for anyone counting along with me, I'll just note that I'm currently two ahead in library books over my own (not bad, considering the ratio at the end of last month!).

>103 bell7:, Nope, I've always been Jennifer. I get the Maisie Dobbs books from the public library, so I'll probably pick up Messenger of Truth the next time I'm there and take it to work, where I'll inevitably have some downtime and end up reading it.

>104 bell7:, I'm sorry The Art of Hajj was so poorly edited. It sounds like it could be really interesting.

I hope your Easter has been wonderful, Mary!

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday!

I also have been wanting to read Shakespeare; however, I have not started on my Complete Works (which I have had forever) yet.

>109 inge87: Even with the typos, it's worth reading if you're interested, Jennifer. Hope Messenger of Truth turns out to be better than Pardonable Lies - I'll look for your review. :)

>110 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks, Dejah! It was really nice. I went over my parents' house for the day, had dinner, watched some basketball and hockey, and got to hang out with my family.

>111 billiejean: Thanks, BJ! I've been reading the plays individually rather than using my complete works, because it doesn't have any notes. I can usually get the gist of what's meant, but it's helpful especially for those words that used to have a different meaning than they do today... I hope you enjoy some Shakespeare when you get to it!

March in review -

22. The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen - Mine
23. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare - Mine
24. Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat - Mine
25. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham - Mine
26. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - Mine
27. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff - Mine
28. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred B. Taylor (audio)
29. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (e-book)
30. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - Mine
31. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (audio)
32. The Art of Hajj by Venetia Porter

Books read: 9
Audiobooks listened to: 2
Graphic Novels/Manga read: 23 (I reread all of Fruits Basket while I was sick and soon thereafter)
Adult/Teen/Children's: 8/2/1
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 8/2/0/1
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 4/7/0

Standouts: Much Ado About Nothing, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and Seraphina

Thoughts: I did pretty well reading my own books, especially at the beginning of the month, which helped make up for February (Fruits Basket was all mine, but in the interest of simplicity and because it felt like cheating to count it as 23 "books" of my own, I've decided not to count graphic novels and manga in my library-to-my-books ratio, just like I don't count them towards my total of the year). I read three books for the mystery genre study I'll be leading at work on Monday, and one of the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf books. I also managed to read books from 4 centuries (1600s, 1800s, 1900s, and 2000s). A good mix, overall.

Book publication dates read in 2013:

2013 - 2
2012 - 8
2011 - 3
2010 - 1
2008 - 1
2005 - 1
2004 - 1
2003 - 1
2002 - 1

1996 - 1
1994 - 1
1977 - 1
1976 - 1
1972 - 1
1962 - 1
1955 - 1
1953 - 1
1937 - 1
1926 - 1

1892 - 1

1600 - 1

Oooooh, I really like the idea of keeping track by publish date. Thanks for the inspiration :-)

>114 AuntieClio: You're welcome! In all honesty, I think I stole it from someone else (maybe Jeremy/jbd1?) and did it for the first time last year. It's been very enlightening, and interesting to see how I spread my reading (or not) through the years.

In fact, I looked back at my reading from this time last year, and I had only read 3 books published before the 2000s by the end of March (I'd also read twelve fewer books total). For some reason, I find the most of one year that I tend to read is... last year's books.

33. The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner
TIOLI #10 Double letters in title and author's name
Source: LTER/My bookshelves

Margaret has always dreamed of going to Florence, and her dad promised her nonna that he would bring her there someday. At the age of thirty, Meg is still waiting for her father to take that trip, though her parents are long divorced and he isn't known for following through on her promises. While working for a travel publisher, one of the writers in Florence sends Meg some chapters of a book that his neighbor, Sofia, has written. Meg is entranced by the book, in which the woman claims that she is a Medici, and one of her ancestors speaks to her through the art in Florence.

I've liked the two novels I've read by Susan Meissner - The Shape of Mercy and The Girl in the Glass. They're technically Christian fiction, but there's no real message and the Christianity isn't heavy-handed, so I would easily recommend it to people who enjoyed gentle reads and didn't mind a brief mention of God and/or prayer. This story was full of peaks and valleys for me. I enjoyed the writing and descriptions, especially of Florence and its art. I enjoyed the memories of Nora Orsini, the Medici ancestor that Sofia hears, interspersed between chapters purposefully. I had a harder time with some of the plot points that were revealed later in the story, mainly because some revelations stretched my credulity and I personally had a hard time reconciling explanations from the beginning of the book with those revelations at the end. Still, it was a captivating enough story that I want to go visit Florence and read more about Renaissance history and the Medicis. 4 stars.

The Girl in the Glass sounds pretty good! I think I'll add that one to the list....

>117 Dejah_Thoris: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Dejah!

>116 bell7: The Florence setting sounds appealing but I'm not sure about the whole hearing voices thing.

>119 cbl_tn: I wasn't so sure about it either. It's hard to explain, but the way that part is handled is actually pretty good - Meg and the publishers aren't quite sure what to make of it either, and there are multiple conversations about exactly what happens throughout the story.

What I'm reading now -

The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili - slow going, but just 4 chapters left. For a book discussion on April 13th, I'm reading this historical account of scientists in Arabic-speaking countries during the Middle Ages. It's kind of dry at times, though I'm sure I'd get more out of it if I could follow the math, but I'm as hopeless in geometry as Anne Shirley.

A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King - the second in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, that I've been meaning to get to for awhile. Finally picked it up to try to read in time for a mystery genre study on Monday... I may or may not be done by then!

The Concord Quartet by Samuel A. Schreiner, Jr. - after a trip to Old Sturbridge Village, I was in the mood for some local-ish history. I've barely started but my initial impressions are this will be a fairly interesting read, though he tells me a lot about what people are thinking for a nonfiction book, and WHAT?! no end notes or bibliography?????

On deck: The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey - for the regular library book discussion I facilitate that's on April 17th. (I usually start two weeks ahead of time, which would be today. If I don't finish another book before this weekend, I'll start it then.)

I am generally not someone who can read multiple books at once. My limit is usually one fiction and one nonfiction and even that is sometimes a struggle.

I am quite fond of all the Mary Russell books, so I hope you enjoy A Monstrous Regiment of Women - such a great title.

The Concord Quartet sounds rather fascinating and I'm looking forward to your comments - but no notes or bibliography? That might be a show stopper for me!

>122 Dejah_Thoris: It's more common for me to have multiple books going than not, but I usually cap it at 3 - one nonfiction, one fiction, and one audiobook is a safe bet lately. I felt like I was reading more books than I was until I listed them out - maybe because I'm reading two nonfiction books?

I'm really enjoying A Monstrous Regiment of Women. The first-person narration and repartee between characters is witty, and I'm enjoying the various quotes at the beginning of each chapter that have something to say about women and tie into the events of the chapter. I met Laurie King at a Massachusetts Library Association conference a few years ago, and she's a hoot in person, which is why I first picked up her books - not sure why it's taken me this long to continue.

No notes - I looked at the book again and thank goodness, there is a bibliography. I missed it glancing through the first time. So I don't know where he gets his information when he says things like, "Ordinarily, Emerson might have participated in the conversation, and he certainly would have been looking forward to rest and recreation that visits to the family homestead had provided over the years. But not on this trip. He squeezed himself into a corner of the coach and kept glumly silent while contemplating the circumstances in which he found himself" (3). On the one hand, this makes it really readable. On the other, I'm never quite sure when he's getting the information from Emerson's diary or letters (unless he's quoting from them directly) or if he's recreating a scene for ease of narrative flow. I do think it's going to be an interesting (re)introduction to transcendentalism, though.

The House of Wisdom sounds interesting since it is specific to Arabic speaking countries. Even though I am no science wiz, I find the history of science really fascinating.

>124 RosyLibrarian: Hi Marie! I like the new user name. I'm with you - I enjoy reading about science even when I know I don't fully understand it. This one is a little dry/academic and I'm not loving it - primarily because of its style - but I'll reserve final judgment until after the book discussion. Maybe someone will help me change my mind. :)

125: Thank you! I await your final thoughts. :)

>123 bell7: The lack of citation you mention is the kind of thing that can drive me crazy (ok - I have to confess that as soon as I wrote that, "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals popped into my head - I'll probably be hearing it all day). I really like to know how and why an author believes s/he knows something, where the lines is between fact and creative history. The book I'm currently reading has a few citation issues so far, but nothing too drastic, although I'm not certain the author is clear on who her audience is.

I'll be looking forward to your final comments!

If I remember correctly, the 3rd Maisie Dobbs was my least favorite one. I almost didn't continue the series after it because I didn't like where the author was going. I waited a long time to proceed to the 4th one after that but I eventually did. I'm still behind on the series, but I'm slowly catching up.

I just finished Messenger of Truth, and it's much better than Pardonable Lies, if not quite as good as Birds of a Feather. But I'll have to read Book Five before I can officially declare the odd-numbered ones cursed.

>127 Dejah_Thoris: It's going to be an interesting contrast after The House of Wisdom which was so very academic, that's for sure! I'm going to try not too take to long on The Concord Quartet, but since it's mine and nonfiction, well, it may drop to the bottom of my reading pile. :(

>128 thornton37814:-129 Hi Lori and Jennifer! Good to know that book 4 gets better! I've got plenty to read for the next month, but I won't give up on the series yet.

34. The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili
TIOLI #3 Embedded Word in Title
Source: public library

I have finished this book! *cheers* *applause*

In the overall survey view of history and science that many of us get in school, not much happens as far as scientific advancement between the Greek philosophers and the Renaissance. In this book,
Jim Al-Khalili makes the case for the forgotten scientists of the Arabic-speaking world, including both Arabs and Persians, Muslims and Christians.

This book, too, is necessarily a survey and covers a few centuries and places. If you're not a names and dates person, it might be difficult to take in the sheer number of names and keep them all straight. But it's an informative look at a culture who began with translating Greek works into Arabic and then went on to make scientific progress in a wide range of subjects, from algebra to astronomy. I found the presentation dry and sometimes technical (the math was hard to me to follow - my fault, not the book's), but the book is intended for a general rather than academic audience, as the author often inserts his opinions and personal anecdotes into the narrative. He sometimes overstates his case for these little-known scientists, introducing them in such a way that made me think they made a huge discovery, only to find that the actual advancement was much smaller, though a necessary step on the way to the larger one. The facts could have stood better on their own. Still, it's a useful introduction to the topic, and worth checking out if you're interested. 3.5 stars.

The discussion is on Saturday, and it will be interesting to see if my mixed feelings stay the same, improve, or what after we talk about it.

Congratulations on finishing your book!

Hi Mary, how cool that you've met Laurie King. I was slightly disappointed in the 3rd book in the Russell/Holmes series, A Letter for Mary, but I'm over it and ready to forge on.

The House of Wisdom sounds like a challenging read. It will be interesting to see how the discussion goes. I generally raise my opinion of a book after attending a lecture or discussion about it.

>132 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks, Dejah! I was more than a little excited to be done... could you tell? :) (I feel like I should mention that part of this is because I've been reading it since March 19th and I was ready to move on.)

>133 Donna828: It was pretty cool! I forget how we began chatting, but she was talking about the library where she sometimes asks for books on obscure topics she's researching, and she told me this story about how the awesome librarians found her a book on pigsticking. I'm determined to read at least as much of the Mary Russell series as brings me to the one with pigsticking!
The House of Wisdom was challenging, and I've definitely had discussions raise my opinion about a book before, so it will be interesting to see how my opinion shifts (or if it does) come Saturday. I expect at least two people to show up, so it will be a larger discussion than the one for Prince Among Slaves. For that one, there was only one other person, and we were both rather rough on it.

35. A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
TIOLI #9 Four-syllable word on page 13
Source: ILL/public library

The second book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series has Mary finishing up her schooling and Oxford and nearly old enough to come into her inheritance. Mary meets an old friend, Veronica, who is known for her good deeds among the poor. Ronnie introduces her to Margery Childe, a dynamic speaker who leads church services and a troop of well-off women in doing good for less fortunate women and children.

It's hard to explain what the book is about without giving it away, so please don't be put off if my summary (which doesn't tell much beyond the first 50 pages) doesn't grab you right away. Rather than the mystery, which doesn't really emerge until fairly well along into the book, the characters are the main focus. Mary Russell is the first-person narrator, an aging Holmes' protegee. She's a feminist in 1920 Britain, has definite opinions and is every inch Holmes' match for intellect, which makes their banter entertaining. I'm really looking forward to continuing the series. 4.5 stars.

Every chapter began with a quote, many of which were not all that flattering to women. It was entertaining to read them and wonder how it would relate to the contents of that chapter.

HI, Mary! Just stopping by to catch up. Some great reading here, and nice reviews!

And I'm really sorry about the death of the young man who had been in your church youth group. It's such a shock when someone so young dies.

Hi Terri, glad you stopped by! Thanks for your compliments on my reviews; I've been enjoying my reading a lot this year.

And thanks for your thoughts on the young man who passed away. One of my Facebook friends (his relative) posted his obituary, and I was at least glad I had seen it in time to go to the calling hours.

Love the title of A Monstrous Regiment of Women - sounds perhaps like a line from George Bernard Shaw? It sounds quite tongue in cheek, like he would've been. I read one of the Oscar Wilde mystery series, in which Conan Doyle was a character and Sherlock a victim - so it sounds fair that this one could accompany that one.

>138 cammykitty: I believe the original quote comes from John Knox who had a book entitled "The first blast of the trumpet against the monstruous regiment of women" that was a diatribe against the female rulers of his day. But the words "monstrous regiment" have been used in at least one title I know of (the other is The Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett) to humorous effect. The Oscar Wilde series sounds like fun - would I have to be familiar with Wilde's works to appreciate it?

A couple of picture books (not counted towards my total for the year or library:my books) -

1. How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills
TIOLI - no
Source: public library (read while at work)
A dog named Rocket is sucked into a bird's lessons when he happens to take a nap right under her sign announcing school! He doesn't think he wants to be a part of it, but soon he finds that he's drawn in to the wondrous alphabet and the world of reading. The story is well-crafted, incorporating Rocket's learning techniques and spelled out words into the story, and following the seasons as the bird leaves for the winter and comes back in the spring. The big bold illustrations make this perfect for a read-aloud to a group.

2. Raj the Bookstore Tiger by Kathleen T. Pelley, illustrated by Paige Keiser
TIOLI #1: ABC/123 order
Source: public library/ILL
Orange and brown cat Raj just knows he's a tiger because everyone tells him so, until a white cat named Snowball is introduced to his world and says some hurtful things. This is a cute story about believing in yourself and not letting other people's words tear you down - a fairly straightforward message for an adult reader, but not overly preachy. The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations are muted tones, and have some neat details (I loved the poster that says, "Reading is better than broccoli), and shows you even more of the story than the words alone.

Hi Mary, I'm just stopping by to wave hello, trying to catch up with everyone after being out of town for a week feels like running a marathon!

>142 bell7: Hello, Judy! I always feel behind when I at least pop in every day, so I imagine it's tough after being out of town for a week! Hope you had a good trip. :)

Richard, this next book is about cats, so you may want to skip it. Fair warning. :)

36. I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano
TIOLI #3: Embedded word in the title
Source: public library

In this small book, Francesco Marciuliano who has written comics and for the Onion, writes poems from a cat's perspective, covering Family, Work, Play, and Existence in four chapters and 111.

The poems are humorous, and the photographs are adorable. If you like cats, you will most likely recognize and laugh at their behavior and possible thought processes in the poems. If you don't like cats, I think I'm not going out on a limb to say you won't like this book and will probably scratch your head as to why anyone would pay money for this book. Fortunately, I'm in the former camp (most of the time), so I enjoyed the read. If you're undecided, here's one of the gems: "I lick your nose / I lick your nose again / I drag my claws down your eyelids / Oh you're up? Feed me" (15). I found the haiku on sushi rather clever, too. 4 stars.

I will read a serious book of poetry for National Poetry Month. Honestly, I will.

LOL - NeyNey wrote that cat haiku. So glad NeyNey belongs to a friend, not me. ;)

@139 You wouldn't have to have read any Oscar Wilde to enjoy the Oscar Wilde mysteries, but knowing a bit about the time and his life of course help. The author certainly has the tone of his wit in the dialog, and of course there are appearances by Bram Stoker and many other authors of the day.

I am not normally a fan of poetry but I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats sounds like something I could get into! I am not a huge cat lover but it sounds fun.

>144 cammykitty: As much as I laughed at the poems, it made me kind of glad I don't have a cat because it made me think of all their annoying behavior as well as the adorable stuff. :) Thanks for the info on the Oscar Wilde mysteries... I'm not sure if I would "get it" or not, but I'll take a look if one happens to cross my path.

>145 Cobscook: It's cute, and easily read in a half hour, so no harm done if it doesn't float your boat. It's not exactly capital-P Poetry, but it's fun and sometimes clever.

37. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
TIOLI #9: 4 syllable word on 13th page
Source: public library/ILL

Growing up an orphan in Scotland in the 1960s, Gemma Hardy is sent by her aunt to a rotten school, where this bright orphan holds her own until she gets a job as a governess for a young charge.

If you think that sounds awfully like Jane Eyre, you would be right - the author makes no bones about her literary debt to the classic, but modernizes and explores the tale in an interesting way. Gemma is determined and smart and holds her own, so I generally rooted for her even when I did not like her or some of her decisions. She's also self-absorbed and hypocritical, you see, expecting a lot more from others than she expects from herself. And because we're getting her first-person account of her life, we're seeing everyone else's actions through her biases. Though I don't like Gemma Hardy as much as its literary parent, there is enough meat to the story - themes of friendship and connection, for example, and the symbolism of islands and birds - to make readers have plenty to think and talk about after the last page is turned. 4 stars.

Just found a copy of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry which I managed to have in my library without adding it to LT (oops!).
So that changes my library/my books read ratio (even though I listened to the audio, I've decided that since I own the book, I'm counting it as mine - I'll do the same across the board).

Oh, almost forgot to report...

I went to Northampton to the shops with my parents and sister on Patriot's Day and picked up a few books. I behaved myself and only purchased a few Shakespeare plays - Henry IV Part Two, Henry V, Henry VIII and Richard II. They were between $2.50 and $3.50 each, and I only accidentally bought one I already had (Richard II), so my worse copy is going into the library book sale donation pile.

I also scored a used copy of the soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for $5 at a used music store, and I'm listening to it now... those were really great soundtracks (to my ear, not that I really have any training to speak of).

Edited to add -
Then we got back and found out hours later about the bombs at the Boston Marathon. Talk about being close to home... This is my state, it's not far from where I went for my MLS, and I knew some folks out there (they're all OK). I'm still kinda processing it and can only read about it a little at a time. Sad, sad occurrence and a scary world we live in.

38. The Concord Quartet by Samuel A. Schreiner, Jr.
TIOLI #6: Book set in New England
Source: My bookshelves/Stasia

In the 1830s, young Ralph Waldo Emerson was traveling back to Concord after personal loss. Little did he know he was about to meet Henry David Thoreau, a man whose intellect matched Emerson's and who also had a great effect on American letters. To this pair was eventually added Amos Bronson Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne, making the "Concord quartet" of the title, four men who were influential in the transcendentalist movement and whose friendship lasted through poverty, moves, and the American Civil War.

This is an atypical biography in that it begins with Emerson's young adulthood and return to Concord, and focuses most on the relationships between Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, and Hawthorne, which were not always pleasant. Hawthorne, for example, was extremely shy and apolitical, while the other three were ardent abolitionists. The book itself is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I wasn't aware of the extent of the friendships of these intellectuals, and investigating that was interesting. On the other, it was hard to follow sometimes when the book had such a narrow focus in its thesis, covers so many years (from the 1830s on until each man dies). and still follows all four men as they move or travel. Schreiner quotes heavily from his subjects and their contemporaries, such as Louisa May Alcott and Elizabeth Peabody, yet there are no notes for the reader who would want to learn his primary sources and very little analysis beyond these texts. Overall, while I'm glad I read it, this book is more a teasing starting point than full history, and it has whet my appetite for following up on the subjects that most interested me and looking for the original sources so freely quoted. 3.5 stars.

Before I was even done the book, I'd downloaded a few e-books free from Project Gutenberg - Emerson's essays, a book by Louisa May that I hadn't read, Record of Mr. Alcott's School, etc. I have no idea when I'll get around to reading them, but I'm very happy to have them available *someday.*

Edited to add - and of course, a big THANK YOU to Stasia for passing the book on to me after she read it. I did enjoy it and have a lot to follow up on now. :)

>147 bell7: Hmm, if you enjoy novels that riff on Jane Eyre, have you read April Lindner's Jane, Mary?

>151 MickyFine: I haven't, but it looks like it might be a fun read. Thanks, Micky! Gemma Hardy was an interesting book discussion - we had a wide variety of opinion of the book and the characters, which made things lively. :) Next up... Woodsburner by John Pipkin.

Shoot! I wish The Concord Quartet was more fleshed out than that. A bio on those 4 men would be fascinating. I've read a little bit about Bronson Alcott and the Brook Farm experiment. I can imagine those 4 bouncing off of each other.

>153 cammykitty: Have you read Louisa May's Transcendental Wild Oats? It's not a good intro to Fruitlands, but she humorously fictionalizes the experiment. The Concord Quartet was worth a read, and I copied the bibliography before passing it on, but yeah, it unfortunately could have been a much stronger book. I've found myself really interested in Massachusetts history about this time, and may be camping out here in my nonfiction reads for a little while yet.

Right now I'm reading Yankee Stargazer, a biography of Nathaniel Bowditch, who was born in Salem just before the Revolutionary War. It's interesting to see little overlaps I didn't expect - Bowditch's grandparents owned the house that eventually became "House of the Seven Gables," for instance.

39. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
TIOLI #12: 2013 Award Longlist/Shortlist
Source: public library/ILL

Alif is a hacker who protects clients of various political and religious persuasion from the State, who has censors and would shut down their websites or blogs. When the State's computing arm, known to Alif and his friends as The Hand, hacks into his system, Alif finds himself and his childhood friend, Dina, in a boatload of trouble and suddenly on the run.

I read Willow Wilson's memoir, The Butterfly Mosque, earlier this year, and enjoyed her writing enough to look up what else she's written. This is her debut, and it's an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy, modern technology and legends of jinn. I had a hard time getting into it at first, probably because I was reading in bits and pieces instead of sitting down for a chunk of time to really let the story unfold for me. Once I did that, I turned pages fast. Alif is a conflicted sort of guy, and I didn't like him at first. The swearing made me cringe at times. Deep thoughts are inserted somewhat clunkily into a generally fast-paced story, but the characters' philosophizing give compelling food for thought about story and literature, fiction and life. 4 stars.

Even right after I finished it, I wasn't sure what I thought about it... it's the sort of book that grows on me the more I think about it.

bell, Alif sounds really interesting. I've added it to my wish list. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Book bullet!

>156 AuntieClio: You're welcome! I hope you like it, Stephanie.

>157 Esquiress: Woohoo! Always glad to return the favor. ;)

*waving* at Mary

*waving* back to Stasia! Hope all is well with you.

Just fine, especially as I have a break from school for a bit! I hope all is well with you too!

Alif the Unseen sounds intriguing, Mary.

>161 alcottacre: Hurray for a school break! Life is good - work keeps me busy, and I'm looking forward to a baby shower and a three-day weekend at the end of the week!

>162 ronincats: I thought so, Roni. It took me a week to read it, but that's a little misleading because I read more than half of it yesterday and today. The author's written some graphic novels I'll have to look into as well.

Those three-day weekends are the best! Sounds like you have a nice few days coming up.

40. Yankee Stargazer by Robert Elton Berry
TIOLI #1: ABC/123 order (Y-1)
Source: public library/ILL

Nathaniel Bowditch was born in Salem in 1773, the descendant of shipmasters. Though he had an incredible mind for mathematics, Nathaniel's father apprenticed him at a young age and the young boy self-educated himself to become America's foremost navigator and astronomer.

When I was a child, I read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch multiple times, and I loved the fact that he taught himself what he was interested in, and kept notebooks on the subject. When I reread it recently, I found myself wanting a more in-depth, adult biography. He was a truly brilliant man, and his thirst for knowledge was astonishing. This account is extremely readable, includes a nice list of sources, and has a footnote for nearly every story told with direct quotation marks. I could have done with more notes, in fact, but if the "Among the Sources" list is any indication, he used more manuscripts than previously written biographies, so I was less annoyed than I might be otherwise. I discovered to my great interest that his notebooks, or "Commonplace books," were among the collections of the Boston Public Library when this book was written. I found myself less interested towards the end as Bowditch begins working for insurance companies and for Harvard. A fascinating account if you're interested in New England or navigational history. 4 stars.

>164 alcottacre: Yes indeed, Stasia! I'm very much looking forward to it, and even have a book or two lined up that I want to get to. :)

Too bad my local library does not have a copy of Yankee Stargazer. I read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch in the last year or two and very much enjoyed it. I would love to get my hands on a copy of the more adult book.

So, what are you planning on reading over your long weekend? Inquiring minds want to know!

>167 alcottacre: There are a handful more books out there, but there's only one other biography I think I can get my hands on with any ease, published in 1927. It's really too bad he's not better known or more written about, as I think he's a really interesting guy.

Well, so far I am certain that I'm going to read Richard III on Monday. (My college Shakespeare teacher insisted that we try to read Shakespeare in one sitting if at all possible like the plays were meant to be seen, and I confess I haven't entirely been able to give up that habit.)

As for the others, I'm currently rereading Ex Libris, but I think I'll finish it before the weekend. The next book I'm going to start is Quintana of Charyn, and it's just a matter of how much reading time I have between meetings if that turns out to be a weekend read or not. The other book I'm hoping to get to is Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson.

I love Ex Libris! It is one of my favorite books about books.

I have not heard of wither Quintana of Charyn or Thieftaker, so I look forward to your thoughts on those.

I went out to ABEBooks to see about getting Yankee Stargazer, but the cheapest copy was $45 there. I think I will not be getting it any time soon!

Mary
Late to the party, I send belated birthday wishes! Also, I'm so sorry for the loss of a young friend.

Life seems so darn unfair at times.

Sending hugs to you.

Ex Libris is one of my favorites, too, and seeing it on Mamie's thread so highly praised made me want to read it again. :)

Quintana of Charyn just came out today (one of my wonderful co-workers put it aside for me!), it's the third in the trilogy that began with Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles. I picked up Thieftaker at foggidawn's recommendation, and am looking forward to getting to it soon!

Too bad about Yankee Stargazer. The Amazon used prices are even more expensive than ABEBooks, but it looks like the book "Nat the Navigator" (no touchstone) by his son Henry has been reproduced and republished recently.

I tried to see what else I could get about/by Bowditch on Project Gutenberg a few days ago, and couldn't find anything, but I did download "Slavery and the Constitution" by his son William. Not sure when I'll get around to it, but I've got it on my e-reader should I have the time! :)

>170 Whisper1: Hello, Linda! Thanks for your birthday wishes, they may be late but always appreciated. :)
It seems extra sad when someone so young dies, but I hold on to the belief that even sadness and grief can bring forth good.

Gentle hugs back.

Yankee Stargazer sounds really interesting. I haven't read Carry on Mr Bowditch yet either.

Transcendental Wild Oats is going on the WL! I've read one short story of hers that was sort of based on following around her father and it was a much more thoughtful and subtle story than I'm used to seeing from her. When she was writing under her own name, it seemed like she felt she needed to be positive or at least edifying. I read her potboilers that were under pen names and she wasn't nearly so careful. The short story on her father felt more intimate than a lot of her writing.

Mary, sadness and grief can bring forth good. It is a part of life that we all struggle with, ie knowing that joy brings pain, laughter brings tears and love and life end all too soon.

>173 cammykitty: I've read most of her books that are shelved in the children's section of my library, none of her potboilers (I'll have to remedy that one of these days...). Transcendental Wild Oats was a definite departure from those that I've read. Another one I want to read is Eden's Outcasts, which explores her relationship with her father.

>174 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda. Even when we know, it's still a struggle sometimes, isn't it?

On the other side of life, I get to go to a baby shower on Saturday for my cousin, who is expecting a baby girl any day! She's not due yet for a few more weeks, but the baby seems bound and determined to make her appearance, giving mom more than a few scares of early labor...

Mary, I don't think I'll ever take the cycle of life for granted. The loss and then the gain...death and then rebirth. There is beauty in the full circle of it all.

>177 Whisper1: Very true, and I couldn't say it better!

41. Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta
TIOLI #11 Author with same zodiac sign
Source: public library

As the third book in a trilogy, there will be ***spoilers*** following for Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles.

Quintana is in the caves with Phaedra and the exiled women of Charyn, hiding to protect the baby inside her. Froi is with the priests in Charyn, healing from his wounds and impatient to be free to look for Quintana. Meanwhile, in Lumatere, Isaboe and Finnikin work to protect their people from the countries surrounding them that could still destroy them. All are afraid that Bestiano may win control over Charyn in the ensuing chaos after the king's death.

Melina Marchetta has become one of my "drop everything and read" authors when a new book comes out. Her stories are complex and she writes compelling, sympathetic characters I enjoy getting to know. I wanted to sit down and read great chunks of this book, just sitting and turning the pages, otherwise it drove me crazy to finish a chapter with a cliffhanger as she switched focus to other characters in other places. My only complaint is that I didn't understand why Froi had to wander quite so much; it seemed to serve no other purpose than to keep him and Quintana apart for tension in the story and, much like the camping scenes in Harry Potter 7, I just wanted it a teensy bit tighter and purposeful. That aside, this is a strong YA fantasy trilogy, and I definitely consider rereading it. 4.5 stars.

42. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
TIOLI #14: Green Cover
Source: my bookshelves

In this collection of essays readers have a window into the books, interests, and life of Anne Fadiman, an author and reader who is the daughter of authors and readers Clifton Fadiman and Annalee Jacoby Fadiman. The "Common Reader" of the subtitle takes its name from the column she writes for Civilization, and the essay by Virginia Woolf. These essays were her columns, in some cases lengthened, renamed, or otherwise changed.

I have read and reread this book, and each time I come away with something more. The first essay, "Marrying Libraries," about how she and her husband went through the painstaking process of combining their books, never fails to make me laugh, as does "Inset a Carrot" (the title in complete with editing marks that I can't reproduce here) as I recognize my own proofreading tendencies. Her ambivalence about how gender equality is changing our language in "The His'er Problem" sets me thinking about how language changes and what might be lost or gained while it does. I find myself as a book lover in these pages, from enjoying sesquipedalians - long words - to arguing with her over the proper way to read a book (I cannot bring myself to write marginalia in most books). If you enjoy books about books, this is a must read. 5 stars.

Today's the first day of the library book sale, a preview day for members of the Friends of the Library. I was going to limit myself to what I had in cash ($6) until someone reminded me I could pay by check. So here's what I got for $14:

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip W. Keller
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
My Invented country by Isabel Allende
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George
The Language Instinct by Stephen Pinker
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
Heir to the Glimmering World by Cynthia Ozick
The Lifetime Reading Plan by Clifton Fadiman
Confessions by St. Augustine
Schindler's List by Thomas Kenneally
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Book Lust by Nancy Pearl
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
11/22/63 by Stephen King
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
John Adams by David McCullough
Open by Andre Agassi

Also in there, I bought three books that are not for me:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sarah, Plain and Tall and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ooh! Nice! Have you ever read The Sparrow?

>182 Esquiress: Yes, I read it earlier this year and loved it - I was so excited to find it on the library sale tables!

>183 bell7:: Oh, good. It's so hard to remember who read it this year and who didn't. I've been awful at keeping the folks around here straight in my head...

#175: Eden's Outcasts is very good. I hope you get a chance to read it!

#181: Great haul!!

>184 Esquiress: I understand - I've been catching up on threads and reading quickly, think to myself "Now, why are they talking about that on ____'s thread?" only to discover that I'm not reading the thread I thought I was!

>185 alcottacre: I definitely will read it sometime, probably sooner rather than later since I'm finding myself interested in the topic (well, I've always been interested, but my New England-related reading lately has really pushed it to the fore). And thanks, I thought it was a fantastic haul myself, though it leaves me with the largest number of unread books I've ever owned...

43. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
TIOLI #10: Double letters in title and author's name
Source: public library/ILL
Audiobook

Description from my review when I read it in 2009: "Thursday Next has been the Bellman for a couple of years now, but she's ready to go back to the real world. Along with Hamlet (who's concerned about the outside world's perception of him as a ditherer), Thursday returns determined to get her husband Landen uneradicated and to send Yorrick Kaine back to the Bookworld where he belongs."

I'm two books behind in the series, and knew I would be completely lost if I tried to read One of Our Thursdays is Missing without a refresher. If you've read the first three books, you know what to expect from the Thursday Next series - time-traveling paradoxes, zany situations, laugh-out-loud humor, and literary references. Something Rotten is one of the strongest in the series for delivering on all fronts. Some of my favorite moments were conversations between Thursday and Hamlet discussing which interpretation of him was the best (Gibson? Jacobi?). The audiobook, read by Emily Gray, was generally well-done but she reads slowly and has some difficulty with the number of male characters, so some of them sounded goofy or the same as another character. Some of the humor involved a visual gag with multiple fonts, something that just couldn't have the same effect aurally, though the sound of the characters' voices change to signal it. Despite these faults, I enjoyed revisiting alternate 1988 England and am looking forward to continuing the series. 4.5 stars for the book - 3 stars for the audio production.

44. Richard III by William Shakespeare
TIOLI #3: Embedded word in the title ("rich")
Source: My bookshelves

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to kill brothers and nephews on his way to the throne of England.

I had a tough time organizing my thoughts after reading this play yesterday. Richard is such a rich character. He plots and schemes, but he has some fantastic lines and he's very charismatic. I had a tough time following all the Richards and Edwards and such, much more so than Shakespeare's audience would have. The plotting portion was much more interesting to me than his inevitable downfall, but I think that's at least in part because of how it reads rather than how it would play out on stage. The lines "sword fight and ____ dies," for example, are so quick that I hardly took it in before it was over. I'm not sure that I would read it again, but I'd definitely watch a film version and read up on my English history to learn more about the historical Richard. 4 stars.

I had dreams last night that are very murky in my memory, but definitely involving court intrigue and multiple people named Edward...

What an excellent book haul, Mary!

You've been reading some great books - I may have to pick up a few you've mentioned, although it's going to be tricky to get Yankee Stargazer - it's not a title that would be an automatic purchase for libraries in the South!

I had hoped to get to Richard III in April, but unless I suddenly find lots of free time today it's not going to happen. Having read it before I agree - it's hard to keep everyone straight, even if you've got a family tree to refer to.

Hi Mary, that's a great book haul, lots of great reading ahead ofyou.

I have had Ex Libris on my wishlist for a long time, obviously I need to bump it up!

>189 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks, Dejah! What, you mean Yankee Stargazer isn't a must-purchase outside of New England? :) Actually, it was hard enough to find any adult bios on him even here... if they exist, they're generally in a library's historical collection and won't be available through interlibrary loan either. Though you could always see if your library does requests outside of the state... (I already tried Project Gutenberg, which didn't have anything)

>190 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! I'm looking forward to it, though I'm a little overwhelmed staring at 135 unread tomes on my shelves. Ah well - I keep telling myself that I'm close to my goal of keeping ratio of my own books to library books read 1:1, so as long as I keep it up I will eventually get that number down (though I wouldn't want it to be 0... but 50 would be a nice, manageable number wouldn't it?). :)

I hate to even think how many I have sitting around unread. It's definitely more than 135. The library list is even longer.

Well, the next few days are going to be busy, busy, busy and I'm not finishing any books tonight, so here is - a little early - my

April in review:

33. The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner - Mine and LTER
34. The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili
35. A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
36. I Could Pee on This by Francesco Marciuliano
37. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
38. The Concord Quartet by Samuel A. Schreiner Jr. - Mine
39. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
40. Yankee Stargazer by Robert Elton Berry
41. Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta
42. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman - Mine
43. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde (audio)
44. Richard III by William Shakespeare - Mine

Books read: 11
Audiobooks listened to: 1
Graphic Novels/Manga read: 0
Picture books read: 2
Adult/Teen/Children's: 11/1/0
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 5/4/1/1
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 8/4/0

Standouts: Quintana of Charyn wasn't quite as good as Froi of the Exiles, but it was close; A Monstrous Regiment of Women was just pure fun

Thoughts: Overall, a very strong reading month. I didn't have as many that absolutely amazed me like I did at the beginning of the year, but I had one very good, solid read after another. I started slow and picked up at the end. I'm planning on reading more of my own books next month, but I'm actually quite happy that the number of books is still so close (only four more library books than my own).

Book publication dates read in 2013:

2013 - 3
2012 - 12
2011 - 4
2010 - 1
2008 - 1
2006 - 1
2005 - 1
2004 - 2
2003 - 1
2002 - 1

1998 - 1
1996 - 1
1994 - 1
1977 - 1
1976 - 1
1972 - 1
1962 - 1
1955 - 1
1953 - 1
1941 - 1
1937 - 1
1926 - 1

1892 - 1

1600 - 1

1597 - 1

Shakespeare's plays are tough to date; I'm basically taking the published date from Wikipedia, or making my best guess based on a range of dates in the article.

>192 thornton37814: I think the books proliferate while I'm not looking, Lori!

When I first joined LT, I owned 75 (out of something like 225) unread books. Now I have 135 out of 400+, for more than 25% of my personal library. I don't know the exact number on my TBR longlist (read: eventual library borrows), but it's over 1,000 now. It's nice to have LT to make me feel like this is normal. :)

Great book haul from the library sale, Mary! I am like you, my unread books collection has grown enormously since I joining LT. ;-)

>195 lkernagh: I think that's happened to all of us in the 75 Book Challenge to one degree or another, Lori. :) Even my TBR longlist has grown because I'm being exposed to so many more newer and backlist titles, and everyone's reviews make them sound so good!

Here's a look at some of the books I'm currently reading, and those I have on deck:
Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson: First heard of from Marie's (mbellerose) review earlier this year. This is an interesting blend of historical fiction and fantasy for an alternate history Boston, 1765. Ethan Kaille is a thieftaker - he finds and returns stolen items from people - who can also spellcast. When a rich man's daughter is killed, apparently by magic, he hires Ethan to find the brooch that was stolen at the same time in the hopes that he can solve the mystery.

Into the Looking-Glass Wood by Alberto Manguel: A collection of essays about all sorts of things related to books, reading, and life. It's not as tight to a subject as, say, The Library at Night and I'm not as interested in all of the essays as a result. Manguel's an excellent writer, though, so it's worth seeking out if you're interested.

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: I started reading this because I could check out the library e-book and read it at slow times on the desk. But I haven't had enough slow times not filled by other responsibilities, and the e-book is a different translation from my hard copy. I may put this aside for now and try it again when I'm not so "booked."

The Grey King by Susan Cooper: My current audio "read" on my commute. My latest in "The Dark is Rising" sequence which I've been slowly reading for years. This one won the Newbery medal in 1976. I think I would have liked them better if I had been introduced to them at a younger age; as it is, I like the books alright but have a tough time seeing what all the fuss is about. I'm probably jaded by reading a lot of modern fantasy... what wasn't cliche in the '70s feels so now.

Woodsburner by John Pipkin: This one is on deck to start soon, whether or not I finish one of the above, because it's the next library book discussion for May 15.

Edited to fix my HTML.

Great haul at the library book sale! Like everyone else, my TBR both in real books and in the virtual list have grown tremendously since I started hanging out at LT.

I read the Dark is Rising sequence over the past two years and I agree that I was underwhelmed by them. I too wondered if I would have liked them a lot more if I had read them at a younger age.

Mary, that is an astounding book haul for $14. I've read many of them so I can assure you that you have lots of good reading ahead of you...when you can get to them. Also, a lovely review of Ex Libris, a book I enjoy rereading as well.

>198 Cobscook: Oh good, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't absolutely love them. :) I'll finish the series at this point 'cause I do like them well enough (and I'm so close), but they're not among the favorites that I'll revisit again and again.

>199 Donna828: Thanks, Donna! I had just been thinking to myself that many of my books on my wishlist are the types of books that people keep on their shelves and don't give to the library book sale, so I was very excited to find some of them there - like The Sparrow! I'll be going back on Saturday for fill a bag for $2, so I'll let you know my second haul after bargain day. :)

And... wow! I've reached 200+ posts on the second thread.

Join me on the third...