Fourpawz2 - Spring, 2013

Yahoo!

My first official second thread gotten from a 'Continue Thread" thingy.

Three months - 20 books. Not what I was hoping for as I expressed a desire in my first thread to read 100 books this year. So, in order to read an additional 80 books this year I will have to read, let's see - *mumble, mumble, punch calculator keys, carry the one, blah, blah, blah, count on fingers of both hands* - 8.8 books per month. Am skeptical that this can happen. Nevertheless, I can try.

Of those 20 books read, I would have to say that 3 of them stood out as being extraordinary. To wit:

Their Eyes Were Seeing God

Being There

and (drum roll) - my favorite so far for this year - The Dog Stars.

I will have another book to post on Tuesday or Wednesday. It won't be memorable.

Hooray!

Happy new thread :)

Congratulations on your shiny new thread!

Thirteen Moons sounds rather charming. I can't imagine I'll get to it any tome soon, but I may give it a shot. Thanks!

Thanks Es, Dejah.

Yes, Dejah, it was good. A good Historical Fiction book to have in reserve on your wishlist. It was on mine for years and I only bought it when I ran across it at the giant July book sale I go to every summer in Westport, MA. Think I paid about a dollar for it. Every year I go to that book sale with a bunch of titles in mind and never find any of them, so every purchase is an impulse. I've seen copies of 13 Moons there a lot so I was not sure if it was going to be any good - but it was! Pleasant surprise.

Lovely new thread, Charlotte! And I am glad to hear that Dog Stars got the drum roll because I have that one in the stacks!

Happy new thread Charlotte! Their Eyes Were Watching God is on my wishlist.

Yay - a new thread! I'll be reading nervously with the library catalogue open in another window... :-)

Charlotte! Lmk when you finish TWD!

I will.

So, I gather that you have seen the TWD finale?

Yes. :) I will refrain from talking about till you have also!

My friend's daughter has hinted that there is some BIG thing that happens. I figure someone else is going to die and have decided that I can sacrifice Andrea, Carol, Herschel's younger daughter, Milton or Judith. Glen, Maggie, Herschel, Rick, the Governor and especially Darrell are all untouchable. Am ambivalent about Carl.

Will be back for commiseration purposes later on.....

Well no spoilers from me. YET!

In general I think my "untouchables" would have to be Darrell, Glen, Maggie, Little Asskicker, and Carl (just because). While I really like Herschel and his younger daughter (why can't I remember her name?), and Andrea, and Carol, I could see the show without them too. The Governor plot was not my favorite, and I wanted him to die in every episode. DISLIKED his character and plotline this season. Rick-- eh. I think the show needs him, but I don't.

Well, Kathy, I am still processing everything that happened in the finale (just got back from my friend's house) and there is so much to think about. Guess I will have plenty of time over the next 6 MONTHS (!) to contemplate what might be in store and what is going to happen to the surviving characters. Guess I am going to have to shell out dough and buy Seasons 1 and 2 or else suffer a majorly bad case of TWD deprivation.

Don't know what is about Herschel's younger daughter - I can't remember her name either. I know I must have heard it at some point, but it never stuck with me. I know one thing - she had better develop some attachment or zombie fighting talent beaucoup quick or she is likely to be turned into zombie food soon. She can't get by being the resident troubadour and baby nurse forever. Two seasons and she only just showed some usefulness in zombie combat in the very last episode.

I do not envy Rick the job he is facing with Carl - trying to civilize that child to some degree. And he hasn't even truly hit puberty yet! I won't say that Rick is my favorite character, but I do think he is essential. To get rid of him would be like getting rid of Scarlett O'Hara. Or Harry Potter. Or Elizabeth Bennett. Without him - for me - the whole reason for the series collapses.

As for the Governor, he's totally nuts, but a great kind of nuts. I particularly like David Hennessey. He does such a great job as the Governor. I have loved this guy ever since I saw him in 'Our Mutual Friend' where he played Bradley Headstone, the schoolmaster and Lizzie's absolutely nutty gentleman stalker. I know someday the Governor must die, but I could stand to have him around for another year.

I suppose the next question must be - which main character is not going to make it out of Season 4 alive?

Ohmygosh I could CRY!! I had a big response all laid out and my stupid finger pushed a button and POOF it was all gone. :(

**SPOILERS**

Anyway, my basic point was, I didn't like the Governor plotline because it was too drawn out with no one willing to step up and deal with him. Someone should have just shot the MFer a long time ago.

As for Carl-- I'm hoping he'll simply grow more mature next season, rather than go rogue or psychotic. If he were already an adult, we'd be cheering his strength and decisiveness. As a kid though, it seems a little too... disturbing, I guess.

What's-her-face I guess we have to chalk up to "grew-up-on-a-farm" and "behind-the-scenes-practice". She did suddenly become quite handy with a crowbar. I see a lot of potential in her character but right now she's zombie fodder.

And all the new people... I got what I asked for didn't I?! But it's too many! Something's going to have to give in the start of next season. We can't suddenly go from a tight-knit family to a whole town. Besides, who wants a bunch of adults who seem so sheep-like?

I should have just posted this link before, it pretty much sums it all up! I laughed so hard at some of these. The "Andrea" one is what I was trying to say ^^ up there!

http://thechive.com/2013/04/03/a-few-things-that-make-no-sense-about-the-walking...

Oh, Kathy, I so hate it when that happens. It's happened to me more than once and I am always sure that I've lost some great gem forever.

I agree a lot of people had a lot of chances to get rid of the Governor and failed to take them.

Disturbing - that is definitely the word for Carl. When that sheriff's badge hit the floor - I thought that was a big moment.

Potential for what's-her-face, I agree, but she'd better get with the program soon!

All those people who arrived on the bus - whatever are they going to do with such a collection? They have to be fed and protected and they don't really add anything to the mix at all. Also - we were watching "Talking Dead" which we always do after every episode and somebody posed an interesting question about the bus people, to wit: the old people. What will Rick and company do if one/some of those old people die in their sleep without anyone knowing and then, of course, turn. That could be a problem. They are definitely a major liability, I think.

The one thing that did not ring true to me in the last episode was ***SPOILER HERE*** when the Governor listened to Tyreese tell him that he and his sister did not particularly want to go to the prison and would stay behind to look after the children. I thought sure the Governor was going to take the gun and mow the two of them down. That he thanked them, handed them the gun and then merrily went on his way was NOT in character. What did you think about that little scene?

Hmm, I didn't expect that either, but in looking back at it, he did hesitate. You could see his jaw clenching. I think he knew killing them or having a scene with them would start a chain of events that would delay his attack. So instead of arguing, he just let them go. I'm not sure though. Perhaps it was simply a hasty writing decision to be able to keep them around a little longer.

Books new to the house:

The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs. Delany by Mary Delany
The Historical and the posthumous Memoirs of Sir Nathaniel William Wraxall
The Ordeal of Elizabeth by Elizabeth von Arnim
All This Talk of Love by Christopher Castellani
I Kiss Your Hands Many Times by Marianne Szegedy-Maszak and
The Borgias: The Hidden History by G.J. Meyer

It's almost time for my Thingaversary. Is it wrong, do you think for me to use gift cards for the requisite number of Thingaversary books?

All caught up here, Charlotte, although I must confess that I have absolutely no idea what TWD is. And that's a nice book haul! And Happy Almost Thingaversary - 6 years tomorrow! I think you can pay for your Thingaversary books any way that you like - have fun picking them out!

Why on earth would it *not* be ok to use gift cards? :) Hooray for gift cards indeed!

I was lost about TWD references too... until you mentioned zombies and then I guessed The Walking Dead?

And you managed to track down a copy of The Ordeal of Elizabeth!? I really hope you like it.

I also see no problem using gift cards for Thingaversary books. Happy thingaversary!

Charlotte - Happy Thingaversary - a day early because I may not be able to log in tomorrow.

Love your latest book haul. Where did you get them from?

What else would gift cards be better used for if not for book purchases?! *wanders off to ponder*

I'm sorry about the obscurity of TWD - I kind of forgot, as a fan, that not everybody would necessarily know that (yes, Heather) I was talking about The Walking Dead. My friend Izzy and I are utterly and totally obsessed with this show. I think part of the reason I like it so much is that it couldn't possibly happen and thus is not the least bit scary to me. For me it is pure fantasy.

I suppose it was silly to ask if Thingaversary books can be paid for with gift cards. I think maybe I had an idea that I should have to suffer monetary pain for their purchase and not skate by on the gifts of others. I'm hoping to go to my indie bookstore for their purchase which may be this coming Saturday - assuming nothing else interferes.

The first three books listed as new to the house are actually just Google books. I went after the first two as a result of reading about Wraxall and Delany in Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire (currently reading) and the 3rd one was from reading about it on Heather's thread.

Number 4 I got yesterday at Partners Gift Shop where I went to get a gift card for a friend's birthday happening later on this week. I suppose I did not mean to buy a book for myself, but knew I would. I can't go anywhere where there are books and not buy one. I was going to get another Donna Leon, but they had a little stack of the Castellani book on a table, promoting his upcoming appearance at the store in concert with Dawn Tripp so I picked it up instead.

The 5th book I got in the mail yesterday from Early Reviewers. I didn't put in for any ER books for 15 months and only decided at the beginning of the year to begin again with them. I thought I would be punished for such faithlessness (also for not posting my last review for more than a year), but for some reason I have tremendous good luck in getting books there. (Got one for February, too.) In its way it is a kind of punishment as I do not always love writing reviews.

Hey Charlotte -

I think you may acquire your Thingaversary in any manner that suits you!

I'll be back again tomorrow....

Book No. 21 - was a Kindle Lending Library book - The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch. I had the idea, at first, that it was a YA book, mostly because the writing seemed very simple to me. Not simple in a Hemingway-like way. Just simple in a thin way. It could have been meatier, I thought. And it seemed a little fairy tale-ish.

The story, set in 17th century Germany, involves a series of events which may or may not be related - missing and dead children, a warehouse fire and the destruction of a leper house that is under construction. The murders and missing children are blamed on that ever-popular scape-goat - the town midwife - who is popularly believed to be a witch. It is the town Hangman who undertakes to discover the truth; he never believes that the mid-wife is guilty and sets about to discover the identity of the true killer of the children. He is a bit of a natural healer himself and to some degree, tender-hearted in the carrying out of his duties. An altogether likable character. As for his daughter - Magdalen - I could not understand the title of this book. For fully half of the story Magdalen just seems to be kind of a sexy tease-about-town. And after that, when she is drawn into the story a little more, she still does not perform what I would call an important function in uncovering the truth. I really think Potzsch should just have called this book "The Hangman" which would really have done just as well.

As a whole I would say this book - for me - was just kind of Meh. I, repeat I did like the Hangman himself, awfully well, but as for the rest - the town, the surviving children, the people running the town and the true villain - they were just a bit blah for me.

Giving this one 3 stars. Mostly for the hangman.

No pets again

Past Reads - Number 21

2007 - Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, an Historical Romance, which I gave 4 stars. To be fair and sure, I should really read it again to see if it merits this rating, but I loaned it out circa 2008 and it hasn't come back to me yet. I was checking on Laura Kinsale's website and saw that her books are going to become available on audible this year and that she has been waiting for just the right person to read them. She has found that person - Nicholas Boulton - and I gave a listen to a bit of his narration. The little snippet seemed beaucoup hot. I could see why she was so pleased with him.

2008 - No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod - gave it 5 stars and I can't imagine changing my mind about that

2009 - Unravelling by Elizabeth Graver - gave it 3.5 stars, another book that I would want to re-visit in order to make sure, but am not really anxious to actually do that. Call it a marginal 3.5

2010 - My Life in France by Julia Child - another 3.5 star book which was probably about right

2011 - The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee that I gave 5 whole stars to. Clearly I was intoxicated by reading about so many books in one place. In retrospect, I would say it shouldn't have gotten more than about a 4.

2012 - Death of Perfect Wife by M.C. Beaton - a 3.5 star Hamish MacBeth that probably should have been more like a 3.25 or 3 - mostly because it was not as good a story as it might have been

I got Horns by Joe Hill from the library last week, but think I will return it unfinished. I've had it on my wishlist for a while, but am now glad that I did not buy it. It seems a depressing book and the whole thing about the hero waking up with a set of little horns having sprouted from his head, was not intriguing enough for me to want to read to the end.

Happy Thingaversary Charlotte!

I have to agree with you on The Hangman's Daughter. I think I liked it a little better than you, but simply for sheer entertainment value. It's certainly no great feat of literature. I do have the other books in the series ready to read but they've taken a back seat.

Happy Thingaversary, Charlotte! Many happy returns!

Happy Thingaversary!!!!!!!!!

My 6th Thingaversary books brought home from the used/new bookshop today -

Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George
Hot Six and
High Five by Janet Evanovich
Lord High Executioner by Howard Engel
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
and
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Also:
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo - bought with a birthday gift certificate
and, for no particular reason other than it was there and I was looking at it - Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda

Hi Charlotte! Lord High Executioner sounds pretty interesting. Great book haul!

Nice Thingaversary haul :)

Thanks guys. I was pretty pleased with them myself. I saw other things worth investigating and bringing home, but decided to leave them for another day. I really like how this bookstore combines the new and the old. And its' good old - not crap old. Just hope they stay in business...

How strange to find all the things that are happening in the Marathon Bomber case going on just a matter of 55-60 miles away - all the things that have been happening while I've been asleep. At the back of my mind is the thought - what if he has somehow slipped out of town in spite of the giant police presence?

Am thinking of my friend whose husband is a state trooper and has been up in Boston, on this job, all week. Hoping he and all the others stay safe.

#30 Nice book haul! I have A Northern Light (under its UK title) - still haven't got round to reading it.

#34 I've been following the story on the news - very scary.

...and this all just got a little closer to home. Supposedly the remaining bomber was enrolled at the university in the town next to mine last September, but then withdrew and further that he was on campus the last couple of days. Don't know if this is true, but if it is, it does make one wonder what he/they was/were doing there. Did they leave anything behind?

..and they've shut the campus down.

Oh Charlotte, I hope it's just a precaution. They seem to have shut down a lot of things, and stopped a train in Connecticut, which has something to do with a third suspect (?). It must be crazy over there. I just got back from a client lunch thinking surely they would have caught him while I was away from my desk, but no.

Charlotte, be safe. The media has been going nuts this whole morning. I really hope these guys are guilty of this particular crime given that one's dead.

...and it turns out younger brother is a current registered student and campus being evacuated.

So surreal. I went to that school.

...and now they have shut down one of the University's buildings that is right here in downtown New Bedford. Probably just a precaution as I don't think he had any affiliation with that department.

Charlotte, I suppose they're just shutting everything down rather than having students wondering whether their classes are still going ahead, and maybe moving between buildings. I hope they catch him soon.

Lovely spring day today, although now it's gone a little bit chilly. Definitely a late spring this year.

Finished a couple of books this weekend, but only have time to list one as I should really be getting dinner ready.

Book No. 22 - Georgiana: The Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman (although my copy is actually titled "The Duchess" on account of the 2008 movie) - a very good biography of a woman who has been, I think, pretty much unknown by recent generations, before this book. She led an interesting and dramatic life and was despite all the drama a woman of influence. As usual, of course, Hollywood chose to alter facts when truly the absolute truth, I thought, would have done just as well, if not better.

I have to wonder what a 21st century Georgiana Cavendish might have been like. Perhaps great, perhaps not, for it is hard to know if her defects - in particular her massive gambling problem and most especially her inability to address her debts for fear of hurting/disappointing people - came from her character or from the burden of being a woman in a man's world.

All in all a really good book.

Giving it 4 stars

No pets mentioned.

Past Reads - Number 22

Well, I pretty much bollixed this up in my recounting of Past Reads - Number 21, for with the exception of 2007, I listed books that should have been number 21 in years 2008 thru 2012. So, following are those Book Number 21s, with the exception, of course, of 2007 which is actually number 22:

2007- Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey - gave it 4 stars, which I am not certain of at this distance

2008 - A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin which I also gave 4 stars to and likewise am not sure of

2009 - Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn - gave it ho-hum three stars and I would not budge on that. It was kind a disappointment for me and I have no interest in revisiting it.

2010 - Mixed Blood by Roger Smith - a pretty bloody book that I really enjoyed. Gave it 3.5 stars that I thought, and still do think, it deserved

2011 - Winterkill by Joyce K. Walsh - a local author who did a good job with this stand alone mystery. I liked it a lot and gave it 4 stars.

2012 - Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin which got three stars from me. It was readable, but forgettable.

Books new to the house:

The Radleys by Matt Haig - audible
The Sylph by Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire - obviously gotten because of her biography
and
Father's Day Murder by Leslie Meier which I got when I discovered that she is another local author.

Charlotte, that sounds like a good read. I'm fairly sure I had the book a few years ago and gave it away because I couldn't get into it, but maybe I should check the book exchange at work, in case that's where I gave it :-) I liked Ella Minnow Pea more than you did! I don't dare click those other links right now as I have no self-control :-)

Charlotte, lovely to see you ensconced in your new thread. Still loving your unique style of reminding of your past reads with each book you manage to finish and review.

#43 I listened to Georgiana: The Duchess of Devonshire as an audiobook a couple of years ago and found it absolutely fascinating - I ended up feeling a real affection for Georgiana. And I've been meaning to ead The Sylph ever since. Let me know when you get round to reading it - it might give me the nudge I need to pick it up!

I just reread A Wizard of Earthsea and was pleasantly surprised how well it stood up to rereading.

Hi Susan, Paul and Heather!

Susan - am impressed that you have a Book Exchange at work. We kind of had one for a while. It has languished in recent years - no new books have appeared in it in quite some time. Suppose I should bring some of my books that I did not love, but hesitate because they are unloved because they were not good. I won't put books that I actually like in the box because I like them too much to just release them randomly into the world where I can't keep track of them.

Paul - nice to see you back. Missed you for the year that you were gone. (Really it did seem like a year!)

Heather - I'll make a note of that. I have a number of pretty obscure books on my Kindle and iPad put there as a result of reading about ancient personages like Georgiana. I guess she was a well-respected poet in her day. I wonder what she might have accomplished if she hadn't been so distracted by her gambling and various love-life problems.

Well, reading above, I discover that I messed up the Past Reads list - again! The most recently listed books for years 2008 through 2012 are Past Reads number 21. Only 2007 that is listed there is Past Read number 22. The ones I've listed as Past Reads 21 previous to the above are really Past Reads 22 (for years 2008 through 2012).

*Whew!*

Glad that's sorted out - finally.

Charlotte, I just picked up A Free Man of Color at the library. It will be my next-but-one fiction read. The book is the American version, and I think the original paperback edition, but not too terrible.

Our book exchange isn't great, and no-one looks after it so it is really just a heap of books. I long to spend an afternoon sorting it out into categories, but someone would be bound to notice.

>48 susanj67:: I cannot stand when things like piles of books or libraries get all mussed. I spent quite a long time when I was in the hospital last year reorganizing their library, and when I went in this year, it was a disaster again. Such sadness.

Drive by shout out to Charlotte!

Wonderful that you have a book exchange! Susan - can't you sneak it a bit at a time on coffee break? Although - I know I'd never be able to stop if I started a task like that.

I had my brother here during last week's horrors and he lives in Cambridge and had some of the same eerie feelings you were having as he works at the Kennedy School, the robbery was at 'his' 7-11 - among other things - but the weirdest is that one of the brothers worked as a lifeguard at the pool where he swims and he has a vague recollection of which guard he must have been. How weird is that having someone like that be watching over you?

Es (#49) - were you a patient in the hospital at the time you were re-arranging books?

#50 - Hey back to you, Kathy!

#51 - It certainly was weird, Lucy, and has gotten weirder still in the days since, in that it seems the two of them and particularly the younger brother, was pretty much a regular in my part of the state - both in my little city and the town next to it. You just never know...

Book No. 23 - The Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George - The story was no mystery to me as I have seen the PBS episode for it twice. However, even so, there were a few bits and pieces that I had forgotten. In the main it was a good, meaty mystery and I am so glad I am over the mystery 'thing' so that I can enjoy them now. Havers looks to be a very interesting character - more so to me than Lynley. Cannot figure out whey they decided to chose a dark-haired actor to play him when they could just as easily have gotten a hair color appropriate person, I would think. I am not awfully fond of whats-his-name who plays this part and did not think that he is the only person who could have done it.

My only complaint about the story is why George chose to send the newly married couple to the exact same little town where the murder had occurred for their honeymoon. Seemed like a giant coincidence to me and not necessary for surely Lynley could have gotten hold of another pathologist and the issue of his unrequited love for the bride could have been left for another time.

Giving this one 4 stars.

There were 3 pets in this one - Peach - a dachshund who stole a wedding guest's sequined bag. Whiskers, an old dog. And Dougal a crippled mallard duck.

Past Reads - Number 23

2007- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende - an Historical Fiction book that I found to be disappointing. Gave it 3.5 stars at the time and would definitely ratchet that down to 3 now.

2008 - Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake - gave it 3 stars - mostly because it was just ok for me - or maybe because it did not do anything for me that the movie had not already done

2009 - 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose - was kind of thin, as I recall. Gave it a 3 as there was not much wrong with it, but then again there was not a whole lot to it. I wanted more.

2010 - The Beacon at Alexandria by Gillian Bradshaw - one of those 'a girl masquerading as a boy' books that are a bit tiresome. However Bradshaw did it very well, just the same. I gave it 4 stars and I think, today, that was about right

2011 - Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor - a multi-layered gem that I gave 4.5 stars to. Really liked it and look forward to re-reading it someday

2012 - Stiff by Mary Roach - 3.5 stars for this book that almost surpassed my high-gore tolerance abilities.

>52 Fourpawz2:: Yes, I was. And the other patients kept accusing me of having OCD :)

*waving* at Charlotte

Hi Charlotte -

I keep meaning to read Georgiana: The Duchess of Devonshire but I haven't goteen around to it - I suspect I just need to be in the right mood. Your review has gotten me thinking about it again.

I used to read the Elizabeth George mysteries, but gave up on them years ago. I find that in some series the author is too determined to keep her characters unhappy and therefore 'interesting' and there is only so much of that I can tolerate, even if the writing is excellent and the mysteries intriguing.

I hit the same wall with E. George, too dark.

Charlotte - Wishing you a wonderful weekend my dear. I have Star of the Sea somewhere on the shelves and you have given a timely reminder that I should seek it out and read it too.

Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope you're enjoying it!

Hmmm. I seem to have been AWOL from my own thread for a while. For shame, Charlotte! Shame! Shame!

#53 - No, Es, you don't have OCD - you are just organized - an admirable thing in my highly disorganized world.

#54 - Hi, Stasia. Nice to see that you are free, however temporarily ,from academic tedium.

#55 & #56 - well, they may be dark, but it's early days for me with this series. I do see, just from the first book that Havers does seem to have a pre-disposition toward enjoying being miserable.

#57 - Yes, Paul, you do need to buckle down and Star of the Sea. It's very good.

#58 - I wish I could say, Dejah, that I am doing something worthwhile, but I'm being only marginally useful this weekend. I have done a little bit toward bringing order to chaos around here, but it barely shows. I've spent too long agonizing over a task assigned to me at work - coming up with a slogan for the law firm's new website which is being launched next month. I am not a solgan-y kind of person. In fact, I detest law firms with slogans. They are usually of the personal injury variety and reading through the yellow pages in order to get an idea of what's out there I nearly died of terminal cringing with regard to their hideousness. Am hoping when I offer up my awful attempt at a slogan that the whole idea of one is given up entirely.

Book No. 24 - was Rousseau and Revolution by Will Durant and his wife Ariel Durant - the last book in his (their) Story of Civilization series of several decades ago. Truthfully, I started this book in March of 2012 and did not finish it until April 21st of this year. Of course I have reasons (excuses) for not finishing it any sooner. 1. It's almost 1,000 pages long. 2, Last summer was hot (as I am sure everyone remembers), the hotness started early and lasted for months and I don't do awfully well with really serious reading in the hot weather and, 3, I bogged down when I came upon the chapters about Germany and Goethe. There's something about German history that makes my eyes begin to cross, no matter who is doing the writing.

Well, I eventually solved that little problem when I realized that there was nothing and no one who could make me read those two chapters and so I hopped right over them and continued on my merry way to the end.

Rousseau, Voltaire and the other Philosophes figured heavily (naturally) in this book and it was fascinating to see how philosophers were able to change everything so radically. Philosophers hardly amount to a hill of beans today. But in the 18th century they changed the world.

The Durants did a marvelous job with this history (as they did all of the other ones from this series that I have read) offering up an overview of the century that somehow is also dense and rich with information and personalities. I felt ever so much enlightened at the end of this massive work and am ready to track down whatever I don't have and tackle those. You don't hear much about the Durants these days - I think they are under-appreciated.

There was one pet that I read about in the 2013 portion of the book - a dog, who was the beloved pet of Madame du Deffand whom she left to Horace Walpole along with her papers. I don't think Walpole was best pleased by that part of his inheritance from his friend.

Past Reads - Number 24

2007 - Fiend: The Shocking True Story of America's Youngest Serial Killer by Harold Schecter - was the story of Jesse Pomeroy, a truly frightening serial killer of the 19th century. My mother used to like to tell how he tore a kitten, limb from limb, that he'd been given by do-gooders who thought that he needed a pet. Another one of her inappropriate anecdotes. I only gave this book 3 stars at the time, but don't recall why it did not get more from me. Can only assume that it was just an adequate bit of True Crime writing on Schecter's part.

2008 - Two Brothers - One North, One South by David H. Jones - my first Early Reviewer book and probably the first book I have ever taken a nearly violent dislike to. Gave it a half-star because that was the lowest rating available to me on LT. It was pure, unadulterated shite.

2009 - In The Shadow of the Sun King by Golden Keyes Parsons - I gave it only 2 stars and referred to it, at the time, as "one giant snore". Mercifully it was borrowed.

2010 - The Barbarian Conversion by Richard Fletcher that I gave 3 stars. Even as I was reviewing it at the time, I was thinking about upping the rating.

2011 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden which I gave 5 stars to and I still believe that this book deserves them. It was with the reading of this book that I decided I had to alter my ratings system - only novels that strike a chord with me get five stars from this point on. I still judge genre novels, non-fiction and humor differently

2012 - Thinking Small by Andrea Hiott - a history of the Volkswagen, an Early Reviewer book from 2011 that I put in for because of my acquisition of Karl earlier in the year. Gave it 3 stars which was about right. (Did not put in for another ER book for 15 months - had to take a break from writing reviews.)

Book No. 25 - The Indian Lawyer by James Welch was different from the other Welch books I've read before this, being a contemporary novel instead set in the past. Sylvester Yellow Calf is a young Blackfeet lawyer in Montana who has been a kind of golden boy all of his life - star high school and college athlete, a rising young lawyer at his firm, chosen to run for the Democratic nomination for Congress with a white girlfriend from a prominent Montana family. He is also a member of the Parole Board and catches the eye of an inmate, Harwood, who once turned down for parole hatches a plot that is supposed to, by virtue of getting him ensnared with the convict's wife, force Yellow Calf to get Harwood out of jail in the near future.

I thought that the convict's plot kind of fell flat as both he and his fellow conspirators (a couple of ex-cons who are keeping run of Yellow Calf's movements and attempting to blackmail him) lose focus and interest in carrying through to the end, chickening out of the deal when Yellow Calf fights back. The best part of the book was Yellow Calf's struggle with his memories of his old life when he was living on the Res with his grandparents and reconciling them with his new hugely successful life and the apparent road to national prominence that he is headed down. The ending of the book seemed a bit rushed and pat and not up to Welch's usual standards. I expected a lot from it and and did not get it.

Giving this one 3.25 stars - even a bad Welch is still not too awfully bad.

One pet in this book - a cat named Fraidy who belongs to Yellow Calf's old high school guidance counselor and friend.

Past Reads - Number 25

2007 Richmond After the War 1865-1890 by Richard B. Chesson - a sort of interesting history of post-Civil War Richmond, VA. Gave it 3 stars back then and I think that was about right.

2008 - Snobs by Julian Fellowes - a somewhat humorous book from Fellowes back when he was just an obscure character actor. Gave it 5 stars and I'm pretty sure that was a bit much. Need to re-read this one.

2009 - I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - which was a book of several short stories. I read it for IAL alone and gave it 3.5 stars - a rating which came mostly from the other stories. IAL itself was, I thought, a bit dated and at that time I was also under the influence of the Will Smith movie. Would not read it again

2010 - 1700: Scenes from London Life by Maureen Waller - loved this book and gave it 4 stars. Full of all kinds of bits and pieces of fascinating info. Will re-read this one some day.

2011 - Doc by Mary Doria Russell - Loved this book too. Deserved every one of the 5 stars I gave it.

2012 - From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz - Gave this one 3.5 stars -mostly for how it moved along so quickly and did not bog down. That was probably about right, I think.

Charlotte, I liked Snobs too. And I have Doc in my elibrary, amazingly. Everyone is giving it five starts so I should prioritise it!

Oh! I've been meaning to get hold of Doc because I love Mary Doria Russell. Must make sure I do that.

Charlotte, I always have to chuckle when I see one of your book review posts. You really have an eclectic taste in reading, which is wonderful.

Susan, Es - you must read Doc - it was a tremendously good book, I thought.

Eclectic - I like that description, Kathy. It makes my random choices seem so much more focused somehow. Pretty much, I just read what comes to hand and I buy whatever takes my fancy. Then I just throw them on the shelves and see what comes up next.

New books to the house since last time -

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
Beneath the Abbey Wall by A.D. Scott (both of these were from my last birthday gift card - this one to Barnes & Noble)
Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford - an Audible book
and
Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox for my Kindle. I had a hard time ordering this one. First I pre-ordered it and then it got cancelled because of some mix-up involving the birthday gift card I used and when I realized that I had to re-order.

Also messed up in the ordering process was another Will Durant book that I wanted and tried to buy through an amazon 3rd party seller. Apparently the 3rd party seller thought the book was not fit to send out and tried to find me another copy from somewhere else and failed. They were very apologetic though and I did not feel badly served by them. Have to try again somewhere else. Wonder what that book actually looked like - must have been truly horrendous, as not all the used books I've bought have been pristine.

Will try to get back today and post the next book of several that I've finished. A little distracted today as my car is back at the mechanic's. Rotten 'Check Engine' light came on yesterday on my way home. Had to leave the car at the garage, walk home and cancel Willie's appt. with the vet. He'd be happy about that if he really understood.

More likely they couldn't find the book or had already sold it to someone else on ebay or the dog ate it. ;)

Ahhh the check engine light. I tend to ignore it until it's been on for quite a while. It usually goes off on its own. I'm sure Willie is rejoicing on the inside but he's too cool to show it.

Looking forward to your next review!

Goodness, I wish my library had a "not fit to send out" rule, although it would probably mean getting rid of half the stock. Well, maybe not half. Maybe a third :-) I hope you manage to find it, Charlotte :-)

The Amanda Knox book isn't for sale in the UK due to libel issues, although apparently it is still possible to buy it from US sites and have it shipped over. I would be interested to know how she's viewed in the US because here there is still a lot of ill-feeling, despite the acquittal and the undoubted forensic foul-ups.

Sorry to hear about your car, and I hope the engine check reveals only something small and cheaply fixed.

Well, at least the car fix was not any more than last time - in fact it was actually about ten dollars less. And, as it was car sticker time, I had that done as well and was pleasantly surprised by Karl passing with flying colors. I had been a little concerned that he might not, but was apparently worried for nothing.

Er, I'm sorry Kathy about my next review (see below) as I know you were a fan of this book and I am not. I do agree with you that the physical book is an impressive looking one, but that's about as far as my admiration for it goes.

Here is my ER review for Book No. 26 -

The Resurrectionist by E.B. Hudspeth - is a work of fiction masquerading as a rather sketchy biography of an individual by the name of Spencer Black, a supposedly brilliant and precocious talent in his field. The printed portion of the book amounts to approximately 65 pages of Black’s “story” while the remaining two-thirds of the book is mostly plates of the skeletons and musculatures of various mythical beasts and creatures such as a minotaur, a mermaid, angels, three-headed dog,etc. They are well done, but seemed like nothing more than filler to me.

As for the account of Black’s life – well, I found it just plain icky. Black is allegedly a brilliant surgeon of the mid-19th century who gradually comes to believe that the people he encounters who have been born with extraordinary physical conditions (he is in the business of attempting to rectify/cure rare conditions - conjoined twins, people born with extra limbs and the like - through surgical means) are just examples of human beings reverting to their original types, i.e he believes that harpies, centaurs and dragons were real and that once upon a time they were the norm.

After this reveal the story just gets stranger and decidedly weird and disgusting as Black begins to go off the deep end in his unsuccessful attempts to prove through surgery that such creatures could indeed live. I am not going to say that Hudspeth did not have a good idea with this novel of his - it might well have been – but in its present form, it does not seem fully developed to me. Additionally I did not care about Spencer Black and thought that it would have been a good idea if someone had rounded him up when he first skittered off the rails and jugged him up in the nearest asylum for the seriously deranged.

I realize that this is a fantasy story, but Hudspeth should have, in my opinion, done something toward making Black attractive to the reader. Give him more depth. Flesh him out. Something! As it stands now, this book seems to be more like a massive outline for the book Hudspeth wanted to write, cursed with an unlikeable, two-dimensional character, rather than the novel I hoped for.

No pets in this book and a good thing, too, as there is no telling what Black might have done to them.

Oh, - forgot to add that I only gave TR 2 stars. For the drawings.

Past Reads - No. 26

2007 - Grace in Thine Eyes by Liz Curtis Higgs - Have to confess that I don't remember much about it except for the fact that I know I liked it. Gave it 3.5 stars at the time and I'll bet that it was deserving of that rating, even though I don't remember much about it.

2008 - Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers - was a bit of dreadful Christian Historical Romance. Borrowed from a friend and I gave it 2.5 stars at the time. Since I was able to finish it, I guess that was about right.

2009 - The Road to Avalon by Joan Wolf - is a complete blank in my mind. Gave it 3.5 stars, but I wouldn't want to bet it was deserved as I can't remember a thing about it. Would definitely want to re-read it to find out what it was that I thought was so deserving of this pretty good rating.

2010 - Prince of Players: Edwin Booth by Eleanor Ruggles - was a memorable biography of this great American actor. I really loved this book and gave it 5 stars. Want to read it again.

2011 - Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse - a YA book about an epidemic in 18th century Philadelphia. It was a little blah for me, but I've come to expect blandness from a lot of YA books. Gave it 3 stars.

2012 - The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich - one of those books about a woman masquerading as a man and my least favorite Erdrich book to date. I really found it very disappointing as, for me, I thought it quite mediocre. Only gave it 3 stars.

Haha, Charlotte, we actually rather agree on that one, though I thought the writing style in the journal bits was fairly well done. You're right, it's a great idea with a good start on the outline, but it needs some flesh on its bones, as it were. :p I guess I didn't find it so icky either. It reminded me of The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs, which is (oddly, but happily) seeing a surge in popularity right now. I think there's a niche market for this type of gothic/gruesome story, but it didn't work out here.

#70 - Whew! We agree. Must have gotten the wrong impression when I kind of flew by your review (as I still had mine to write). Guess I should go back now and really read it. Maybe I was too appalled by some of the things he was doing (to his wife and that poor beagle!) to really appreciate the writing.

Lots here! 1/2 star - that must indeed be an appalling book, like your bluntness! I agree that In this House of Brede is a 5- star book, I think I gave it that. My favorite of hers is An Episode of Sparrows - probably because it was the first 'adult' Godden I read (although I think I was about 11) - Before that I loved the book about the mice and about Candy Floss. Perfectly illustrated, they were.

I'm trying to think if I ever read Daniel Deronda - if I did it was long long ago - I've loved every Eliot I've read so far, so I don't why I haven't read all of them.

Hi Charlotte -

I plan to avoid The Resurrectionist - thanks for the warning!

I know it's probably evil of me, Lucy, but I tend not to hold back any when reviewing a book. That one was pretty appalling, I thought. Was The Mousewife the 'book about the mice'? I read that one last year (I think) and liked it. I still have A Candle for St. Jude to be read. I love Eliot too. Am currently bogged down in Adam Bede and I think I need to start it again.

You're welcome, Dejah. It was a pretty book as books go, but I thought it was not worth even the minimal amount of time required to read it.

Another grey and chilly day in New England. I think that about half of the Memorial Days that I can remember have been this way - not exactly the perfect beginning to the summer that most people anticipate. Lots and lots of Memorial Days (and Independence Days) found me and my cousins playing long, long Monopoly games in the south living room while Granny cooked up everything in sight and all of the adults quarreled. Good times.

Book No. 27 was The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson a YA dystopian novel that was a quick read and just sort of ok for me. I thought it was hampered a bit by its YA limitations; I think more could have been done with it. YA is a category that I don't think we need - for the most part. It just wastes some possibly good plots because the author cannot go as far as he/she would otherwise.

Gave this one 3.25 stars

No pets in this one.

Past Reads - Number 27

2007 - The Fool's Tale by Nicole Galland - a 12th century
Historical Fiction novel that I gave 3.5 stars to. Would not rate it so highly today - I don't think

2008 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - a re-read. My mother bought this book for me circa 1961 or 1962 on our way to lunch at The Jolly Whaler - the restaurant associated with the local hotel - with my aunt. She usually did not provide me with reading material for these events, so I suspect there was probably some juicy gossip in the offing and thus the book. This time I gave Tom Sawyer a 3 star rating, which I think was about what I thought the first 5 or 6 times I read it. I always felt sort of sorry for Injun Joe.

2009 - Killing Mr. Watson by Peter Matthiessen that I gave 4 stars to. I remember it as being very good. I really need to read more of PM's stuff.

2010 - Bound by Sally Gunning - her follow-up to The Widow's War. It wasn't quite as good as TWW, but I still gave it 3.5 stars - probably on the strength of the first book - which I think now, was a bit generous.

2011 - The Giver by Louise Lowry - Liked it very well, my notes say, up until the very end (don't remember why that was) and I gave it 4.5 stars. I think it definitely needs re-reading.

2012 - The Girl From Botany Bay by Carolly Erickson - was promising, but had a number of things that I took issue with and so only gave it a 3 star rating. I'm sticking with that.

Book No. 28 was a children's book - Martin's Mice by Dick King Smith (How on earth did the touchstone for The Odyssey pop up just now? I don't see the connection at all.) - a book about a cat on a farm who keeps a lady mouse as a pet instead of eating her. Really, really liked this story and had to laugh at all of Martin's difficulties he had trying to provide for Drusilla and her children (who are born shortly after capture), dealing with the growing mouse-lets and their desire to get into the greater world and then, once they are gone, finding Drusilla a new mate. Gave it a well-deserved 4 stars.

There were pets in this one, I guess, but they were main characters - Drusilla, her two litters of mouse-lets (one called by number names and the other by month names) and her mate, Cuthbert.

Past Reads - Number 28

2007 - Jennie About To Be by Elizabeth Ogilivie - a good opening book in an Historical Romance trilogy that I find I only gave 3 stars to. Kind of surprised me as I thought that back in my early days on LT I was overdoing the ratings for just about everything. I think now that it probably should have been bumped up a little more - to approximately 3.25 or so.

2008 - The Great Stink by Clare Clark - which I don't remember awfully well now, but I do know that the 4 stars I gave was definitely over-generous.

2009 - Our Mother's House by Julian Gloag - a re-read from my childhood. A satisfyingly creepy book about a family of children left alone after their mother's death who decide to go on living together while pretending to the World that Mother is still alive and not buried out in the back garden. Gave it 3.5 stars that is just right.

2010 - The Big Four by Agatha Christie - another one of Christie's so-called mysteries that seemed to me more like a very lame spy novel. It got 2.5 stars from me at the time and I would certainly give it no more than that today.

2011 - The Reader by Bernard Schlink - which I read after seeing the movie of the same name. I usually don't like to do that, but found, in this case, that both the movie and the book were very good. Gave TR 3.75 stars and look forward to reading it again.

2012 - The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson - which took me a while to read, but I was very glad that I did. Very enjoyable. Got a 3.5 star rating from me that seems, a year later, to be right.

Charlotte, I know what you mean about the grown-up gossip! We learned to be very, very quiet while appearing to play, and there were all sorts of interesting things being discussed.

I read something else by Clare Clark and had The Great Stink on my list, but I didn't get to it as far as I recall. I agree with you about YA - I don't think there was a lot of it around when I was younger, so I remember going straight to the adult books and now when I read YA it does often seem very...young. Mind you, I do think I read some adult books too soon and I almost wish that I'd been supervised in that respect, but I never was.

Oh, me too. I was always running off with my mother's books and a gruesome, gory, unsuitable lot they were.

I haven't been hit with any book bullets from your recent reads but your historic reading lists have reminded me that I really must get to In this House of Breed and Doc. They've both been wish listed for ages...

#76 Strangely, I've always really enjoyed The Big Four despite its lame spy story-ness. I have a soft spot for Christie's spy novels despite knowing they're not as good as her detective/crime novels.

I hope the weather clears up for you a bit Charlotte - I remember a few grey Memorial Day Weekends when I lived in the Northeast!

Hi Charlotte!
There's good and bad in every category but I'm rather enjoying the boost YA has had lately. You do have to wade through the rot to find the gems, but then again you have to do that with any genre. I was another straight-to-the-adult-section kid and read many things I wouldn't let my own daughter read now! But I think in the long run it educated me and made me a better reader.

I do agree on Jenna Fox: it barely touched on what could have been an incredible look at humanity and the morality of technology. Have you read Genesis? I read those two back to back and found Beckett said more in his short, odd little book than Pearson said in her novel. :)

I do agree on Jenna Fox: it barely touched on what could have been an incredible look at humanity and the morality of technology.

I agree with this as well.

Several of my teenagers liked it, though.

Some new books to the house:

The Velveteen Rabbit by Maggie Downer
Kitty by M.C. Beaton
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
These three are all Kindle books that I bought for $2 apiece. I've wanted to read TVR for a long, long time. Kitty was an impulse. I know that I have sworn off Regency stories previously, but I am curious to see what Beaton does with it. TSoA seems like a real find at such a price. Was excited by that.

Ellen Glasgow: A Biography by Susan Goodman - am currently reading my first Glasgow novel and am interested now to read about the author
and
Soulless by Gail Carriger - Caro mentioned these books on her thread and so I took a leap.

Book No. 29 - Duma Key by Stephen King - an Audible book that I started at the beginning of October last year and finished on the first of May. The last third of this book was good, but not new. There were, I thought, many elements here that King has used before. I was reminded, strongly, of Salem's Lot and the search for the vampires when Edgar, Wireman and Jack are searching for Perse in DK in order to jug her up.

Also, I thought the whole "Art" thing was a colossal drag. I do not like it when art is described to me, which I would think is a natural thing as art is (duh!) visual. And, the paintings as described, did not sound so very exciting to me. It seemed as if I was supposed to believe that the paintings were amazing and earth shaking because King said they were. No, I'm afraid I still believe that King shot his bolt years ago. An ok book, but not a great one. Too bad I have another King book TBR.

I did not love John Slattery, the narrator, at the beginning, but considering that it took me so very long to read this one, I have to say that he was not that bad, so I would be ok with listening to another book of his. Slattery's okayness as a narrator is especially true for me now, when I am hating the narrator of my current Audible read so very much.

Giving this book 3.25 stars

No Pets.

Past Reads - Number 29

2007 - Lord of Sunset by Parke Godwin - Historical Fiction about Harold of England in the time before the Norman Conquest. Gave it 5 stars - probably too high a rating.

2008 - The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - Loved this little book. Gave it 5 stars. Need to re-read it.

2009 - The March by E.L. Doctorow - Another HF read that I quite liked at the time, though I know some people have issues with some errors of fact in it. I usually take issue with errors in HF, but with this one did not know about them until afterward. Gave it 4 stars at the time, but now would probably take at least a half star away for the errors.

2010 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher - classic Pilcher that I did not like as well as previous ones of hers that I've read. Only gave it three stars, but wonder now if that was not a bit harsh.

2011 - A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - a 3rd re-read that got the same 5 star rating I'd given to it previously.

2012 - Bossypants by Tina Fey - Highly enjoyable Audible book that I gave 4 stars to. One of the best audio books I've read so far - definitely in the top five. (Of course that's not saying much as I've not read a whole lot of audiobooks. Ilana, I'm not.)

Charlotte, The Song of Achilles is a real find for $2! I read it recently and loved it, so I hope you do too. I think I liked The Shell Seekers better than three stars, but it seemed very dated although it wasn't written that long ago. I think I said on another thread that there seemed to be an awful lot of waiting around for phone calls, which seems quite odd now!

I picked up TSoA on the deal as well! And I think you'll enjoy the Carriger series for some fun fluff. I think it was Nora who told us before how the books are each a send-up of a popular genre of the time.

Books new to the house:-

The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale - bought from Audible this AM. Definitely a romance-y kind of book, but I really liked the one other Kinsale book I've read. Loaned that one out years ago and have not seen it since.

Heart of a Knight by Barbara Samuel - Saw this one elsewhere and thought it would be something I might like reading on one of those hot and humid summer days when my mind is lazy

This Body of Death by Elizabeth George - Got this Kindle book for 2 bucks. A bargain too good to pass up.

Death of a Glutton by M.C. Beaton - This is the next book in the series. I have more than half of the books in the series, but not in order. Need to fill in the gaps

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - Found this used book super-cheap on amazon and thought that it would also be another good one for the summer

Vivien Leigh: A Biography by Anne Edwards - My Early Reviewer book from May (they delivered super fast - unlike most publishers)

Was checking out Coursera and looking into an Ancient Greek history course for September. Well, I clicked on the little video featuring the professor teaching it that was supposed to help me make up my mind and how strange - he turns out to be the brother of the author of another ER book that I am currently reading. I was alerted to this because the last name is very unusual. Checked the first page and yep - there he is -mentioned by name along with another brother.

Rained like nobody's business yesterday and last night and the sump pump has been running nicely all day. Hardly any water on the floor - only the rain that came in via the bulkhead doors, but I guess a lot of it is seeping through under the foundation. Very different, but I prefer it.

Book No. 30 - Fludd by Hilary Mantel - The first Hilary Mantel I've ever read. What an odd little book. I hardly know what to think of it. I liked it, but am not quite sure I understood it. It definitely begs to be read again.

Gave it 3.25 stars

No Pets

Past Reads - Book Number 30

2007 - Witchfinders by Malcolm Gaskill - a little tedious, but the subject was interesting - locating witches in 17th century England which was, in that troubled time, a real job. It focused on two famous witch hunters in particular. I gave it 3 stars which was dead on.

2008 - Mad Mary Lamb: Lunacy and Murder in Literary London by Susan Tyler Hitchcock - another non-fiction book about the famous Charles Lamb and his infamous sister who ran off the rails and committed murder. She also wrote a famous series of children's Shakespeare books after she stopped being so crazy. Gave it 3 stars. I think I wanted more from it.

2009 - The Crofter & the Laird by John McPhee - loved this book about life on an obscure little Scottish island. Gave it 4 well-deserved stars

2010 - Son of the Morning Star by Evan S. Connell - a re-read of a book I like pretty well. My notes say that I gave it a half-star penalty. I think that it was for lack of a proper index, but am not sure about that and am too lazy to go pull it off the shelf to check.

2011 - A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin - another re-read done in preparation for the release of the most recent book in the series in that year. Gave it five stars. Some people did not like it as well as the other books, but I liked it just find.

2012 - National Velvet by Enid Bagnold - a re-read of a book from my childhood that I loved then and still do. (Hmmm - book number 30 seems to be a popular 're-read' number). I did not think upon reading it this time that it is necessarily a children's book. It seems more like fiction that anyone would like. Gave it 4 stars and that was just right.

I read Fludd many years ago and while I can't quite remember the details, I remember enjoying it.

Hope your Saturday has been nice, despite the leftover rain. :)

It was a nice day, Kathy, although I could not say that I did anything of value. Have next week off and I have a few things that I mean to do - take Willie for his rabies shot tomorrow, finish a top that I am sewing, start another sewing project after that, throw away some more crap - but, knowing me, I will not be anything even close to a ball of energy. Lolling around - it is my 'special' talent.

Book No. 31 - As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann - I thought, when I started this one that it was going to be a real romance-y Historical Fiction, when it suddenly veered off the tracks and became something else - a gay love story set in the time of the English Civil War. The protagonists love each other deeply, hurtfully and it does not end well. A primo novel, I thought, and not genre fiction at all. I came away from it thinking that love is hard and I'm glad that I am such a solitary creature.

Gave it 3.5 stars - and think that maybe it deserved a bit more. I'm not one to always be looking for a happy ending, but I may have penalized this one a bit for a smidge of oppressiveness.

No Pets

Past Reads - Number 31

2007 - In Pursuit of the Green Lion by Judith Merkle Riley - a wonderful HF that I gave 5 stars to. Riley wrote really great HF - such a shame that she died so early in her writing career. Must read again.

2008 - March by Geraldine Brooks - liked the book very well, but did not like Mr. March, which I expected. Brooks is another super good writer. Gave it 3 stars which was a reflection, at the time, of the way I felt about Mr. M. I would bump that up upon re-reading, I think.

2009 - A Price for Everything by Mary Sheepshanks - a book I bought mainly on account of the author's last name. Liked it pretty well through 4/5 of it and then it fell apart. Gave it 3 stars which I still think was about right.

2010 - The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant - an ER book that I gave 3.5 stars to. Think it should have been more like 3.25. It was ok. ER books are often just okay.

2011 - The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie - yet another non-mystery, mystery of hers that I gave 2.75 stars. I was seriously considering giving up my Agatha Christie reading project after this one. Didn't - but I did think about it.

2012 - The Rotter's Club by Jonathan Coe - a surprisingly good book that I gave 3.75 stars to.

#86: Charlotte, I highly recommend that Ancient Greeks course. I just finished it from the first time they ran it, and it was superb. Oddly enough, I also saw a review of the book by the lady who is the sister of "Professor Andy" (as he styles himself in his emails) and wondered whether they were related. I suppose they would have to be with that name. I must keep an eye on Coursera to see if he does anything else, because I would sign up instantly.

I hope your rain stops!

Thanks for the recommendation, Susan. I am toying with it. Of course I am a HUGE procrastinator and seem constitutionally incapable of sticking with anything, so we'll see.

The rain did stop, but only temporarily. It'll be back again tomorrow afternoon, night and into Friday. I have to take my car back to the mechanic again and am trying to whip myself up for doing it tomorrow AM. Yes, I could have done it today, but that nasty procrastination thing had me by the throat. I think it must be genetic or something for my mother was terrible that way, too and Granny had more than a little of it aboard her. It was her common practice to sit for HOURS at the dining table after breakfast, with all the dirty dishes from breakfast littering the board, yakking away with her two daughters and then leap up like a mad woman fifteen minutes before Grandpa was due home for lunch (he always appeared at the same time, day in and day out), trying to race around getting dressed and food started for said lunch, in a panic to conceal the fact that she had spent all morning doing exactly nothing.

Book No. 32 - Four To Score by Janet Evanovich - wherein our Stephanie finally gets into the horizontal with Joe Morelli. And she loses another car to fire and explosion. I think she has lost a vehicle in each book so far. I'm keeping track now. Entertaining as usual.

Rex the hamster appeared again. He almost got burned up in an apartment fire, but was saved by one of Stephanie's neighbors.

And, to continue...

Past Reads - Number 32

2007 - Dark Water's Embrace by Stephen Leigh - SF book that I enjoyed quite a bit - gave it 4 stars and I would stick with that

2008 - The Awakening by Kate Chopin - an American Classic that I banished to The Kingdom of Meh. Only gave it 2.5 stars

2009 - Husbandmen of Plymouth: Farms and Villages in the Old Colony 1620-1692 by Darrett Bruce Ruttman a teeny, tiny book that I gave 4 stars to because I like books with obscure facts in them about topics that interest me

2010 - Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe - got 3.5 stars from me. Liked this classic quite a bit

2011 - Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant - was sort of fun, but just the tiniest bit disappointing. I think I would have liked reading the blog that RO wrote in 2008 better

2012 - The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies - Liked this one pretty well. Gave it a 4 which I think might have been a tad too much - maybe it should have been a 3.75 or 3.5

Hoo boy, Charlotte, you are one busy reader! I can't keep up!!

You will hopefully love Song of Achilles! I can't believe you got it at such a steal!! Way to go!

I'm sorry you disliked The Resurrectionist... it sounds like a really interesting book to me, but perhaps I should leave that thought alone.... lol.

I love the Stephanie Plum series. They are ones that make me giggle aloud and draw funny looks from a) Lisa if it's a print book b) other drivers if I'm listening on audio! You just gotta love the entertainment factor sometimes! :)

I often find myself studying your run through all your reads for the last 7 years and seeing which I have read and which do I think would be the best of your choices. Walking in your footsteps metaphorically is fun and I hope not at all creepy!

Have a lovely weekend Charlotte.

I do so enjoy your 'past reads' lists!

Am glad that you are enjoying the journey, Paul and Lucy. And no, Paul, it is not creepy in the least. Am just happy to be a little bit entertaining and not a huge, colossal bore.

As for the condition of my weekend - hell, my whole week just past - it could not have been more crappy. Truly. It rained pretty much all week. The highlight was taking Willie to the vet's office for his 3 year rabies shot. (I would include getting massacred at the bowling alley, but that happens 98% of the time, so it was expected.) The car began acting up and so I had to take it to the mechanic again on Thursday. On Friday the mechanic told me that it is on its last legs - transmission shot. So - I will have to buy another car and have decided to go new - for the first time ever. Considered getting a loan from my bank, but have now decided it would be wiser to just pay for the damn thing with my own coin of the realm. The whole process will mean, however that I have to impose on others for transportation to work, the car dealership, the bank and the grocery store. HATE imposing. Yesterday I walked too close to the hot water heater and somehow hooked the little handle on the pressure relief valve with my sleeve and a whole bunch of hot water came rushing out onto the floor. I didn't mind so much about that part, but I did mind the steady dripping that then ensued. A half hour's search on the interwebs revealed that some of the time it will go away - eventually. Still dripping today, but less so - I think. And then today - this will seem ridiculously small by comparison - I decided to begin my next sewing project and discovered that the fabric vendor sent me a yard less than I had ordered. It says 2 and a half yards on the invoice and on the little sticker that they put on the fabric, but it is short by a yard.

I can't wait to get back to work....

Book No. 33 - Virginia by Ellen Glasgow - was published back in 1913 and I have been wanting to read this book for quite some time, even though I believe it is not considered one of her best books. It is primarily about a girl by the name of Virginia, born and raised in Dinwiddie, VA just after the Civil War who has been raised by her parents (two rather nice people who have been unfortunately damaged in spirit by the war) to be a practical mirror image of her mother and to expect that her life will be pretty much what it always has been.

I understand that some people thought the story a bit slow and truthfully, it did take a while to get going. Glasgow spent quite a while demonstrating how Virginia is committed to following in her mother's footsteps - how she dedicates herself to being the perfect wife and a thoroughly self-sacrificing mother to her three children. Truly, Virginia is pig-headed in her determination to work herself to the bone, remain subservient to Oliver and do everything as her mother would. Oliver is jealous of the 2 oldest children and does not love them as V does. She always thinks that he will get over this. She begins to lose her looks, her hands (Glasgow is pretty obsessed with descriptions of the hands of both V and her mother - red and work-worn, with veins popping out on the backs of them) are ruined and she does nothing but cook, clean and immerse herself in the life of her family - which in all fairness is pretty common for women of her time.

Oliver, eventually gets a little tired of this and for a while Virginia considers that he might actually be attracted to an old friend of hers and makes an effort to get O's attention again, but this episode passes pretty quickly and Virginia goes back to doing everything for O, their two daughters and their son, Harry. Oliver takes up writing again - but now for profit and not for Art's sake. He becomes a fantastically successful playwright and makes a pile of money. They are no longer impoverished and Oliver builds the family an amazing house. But poor V feels like a stranger in her own home and O is growing further and further away from her.

Began suspecting along about here (about the half way point) that things were just not going to turn out well for V & O's marriage, but it took V almost the whole of the book to see that everything was going to hell in a hand basket. It was a relief when V finally recognized O for the cheating so and so he was, but still a little sad as well for she had devoted herself so thoroughly to her selfish daughters and Oliver that she had practically no life of her own (not to mention the fact that she was now drab and plain and pretty exhausted). Fortunately Harry - away at Oxford - decided at this point (the end of the book) to come home. I think Glasgow felt a little sorry for poor V and did not want her keeling over from her overwhelming misery.

Phew - this sounds as if I did not like this book, but I did. Yes, Virginia was sometimes so sweet that I was in danger of slipping into a diabetic coma, was a dummy about her daughters and did not seem to have a clue that she was being very badly used by Oliver, but she was a nice person whose world had disappeared while she was immersed in trying to do her very best for these ingrates.

Gave this one a 3.4 star rating.

There were no pets to speak of (O and V were too poor), but Oliver's uncle Cyrus had a kind of pet - an old tomcat that used to spend time with out on the back porch. I know I have not mentioned this uncle who is important to the plot, but I could not fit most of the other people in and finish anytime before midnight.

Past Reads - Number 33

2007 - The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton - I gave it 3 stars, which was about right. It was ok - a little thin, I thought, Or maybe the movie was just better. I don't find Crichton to be a hugely interesting writer

2008 - Becky by Lenore Hart - Becky Thatcher's version of life with Tom Sawyer. Liked it pretty well. 3.5 stars that were well-deserved

2009 - Dewey: The Small Town Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron - Gave it 3.5 stars. I liked it pretty well and that is to be expected. After all it is about a cat in a library.

2010 - The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Did not like this book as well as I liked the movie. I know this is heresy, but can't help it. Gave it a lukewarm 3 stars.

2011 - The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - gave this one 5 LT stars and 6.5 me stars. Loved it and I expect would still.

2012 - Death of a Hussy by M.C. Beaton - got a 3.5 from me. Expect that was a bit generous. Probably should have been about a 3.3.

I felt the same way about The Princess Bride! That's one fantastic movie. :)

Charlotte - Must dust down my copy of Mill on the Floss if it is worth 6.5/5! Have a lovely weekend.

TPB is one of my favorites, Kathy. Bought it completely by mistake and have seen it many, many times.

I thought it was awfully good, Paul. Hope I am not leading you astray.

Well, I guess I have been pretty much MIA for a while. Have been a little distracted what with all the car drama, but that is over now and things should be ok (crossing fingers here) for a few years and I can turn my worrying to some other part of my life that is probably fixing on coming undone even as I type. (more preventative finger crossing here).

Book No. 34 - (begun more than a month ago and finished on June 5th - I am woefully behind in listing books) was The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White by Daniel J. Sharfstein - a very good book, which told the multi-generational stories of three families who start out as slaves and gradually ease their way into white society over 200 plus years. This is about all that they have in common, as their experiences and routes to white-ness are different. One family - the Gibsons - doesn't even remember their black roots at all, slipping into white Mississippi Plantation society (big house, lots of slaves, magnolia blossoms and all the rest) rising to the highest ranks of the Ante-Bellum South Most prominent among the family members, is Randall Gibson a well-thought of general in the Confederate army. After the war said Randall becomes a senator and not a Republican Reconstruction one either, but a full-blown Democrat, doing his best to represent white southerners. For a while the Gibsons are among the wealthiest of Americans and Randall Gibson's grandson Henry was also Marshall Field's (that's the Marshall Field's department store's Marshall Field) great nephew.

The Wall family, the only family that moves to the north before the war, has the most trouble making the transition from black to white in Washington DC (where they end up after the war) mostly due to their gossiping neighbors and the troublesome political climate that eventuates as Reconstruction begins to lose it's grip on the country.

Managing best of all are the Spencers who cross the color line in Kentucky, having, relatively speaking, little trouble and benefiting from the attitude of their neighbors who seem to feel that if the Spencers want to believe they are white, mind their own business and think like everyone else in the neighborhood then who are they to make a big deal about it.

Anyway, it was a really good book and I enjoyed reading about how these families made their way into this mostly ignored slot of American Society.

Gave it 3.75 stars

Past Reads - Number 34

2007 – - Katherine by Anya Seton – very good historical fiction that I gave 4 stars to

2008 – The Persian Boy by Mary Renault – Another excellent HF book that I gave 4 stars as well. I think MR is mostly forgotten these days, but she was a very good writer of HF books about the ancient Mediterranean world

2009 – In the Courts of the Crimson Kings by S. M. Stirling Gave this SF book a 3.5 star rating. I liked it, but thought the description of it as "Alternative History Science Fiction" was weird

2010 – A Very Long Engagement – by Sebastien Japrisot - loved this one - to the tune of 4.5 stars. Looking forward to reading it again

2011 – The Blue Flower – Penelope Fitzgerald – a bad, bad book - a bare 2 stars DID-NOT-LIKE-THIS-BOOK

2012 – Austenland by Shannon Hale – gave this one a scant 3 stars - think I might have overrated it.

Books New to the House

Went to the used book store and bought _

High Country Fall by Margaret Maron
Foul Play at Four by Ann Purser
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Monks-Hood by Ellis Peters
2 Donna Leons - Doctored Evidence
and The Golden Egg - brand new and for only $4!

4 Elizabeth Georges - Deception on His Mind, In the Presence of the Enemy, A Place of Hiding and Playing for the Ashes

and one new book from the New Book side of the store - The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

My excuse was that I needed to practice toting around many pounds of books in preparation for the BIG BOOK SALE on July 13th.

Am going to close this thread down shortly, even though it is nowhere near 200 posts as it is summer and I said, at the beginning of the year, that I was going to have 4 threads.

Charlotte, The Invisible Line sounds really interesting, and I found one copy in the London library system so I have reserved it. I wonder whether it will show up.

I hope you got the water heater situation sorted out - did it eventually stop?

It mostly did, Susan. The on-line plumber website that I found said it would and now it only drips drops at about the rate of 15 per day. Expect that it will stop completely in the near future.

Hope you like the Sharfstein book (and that it shows up). I would like to read more about this fascinating (to me) topic.

Hi Charlotte! Sorry to hear about your car and other problems in June. Hopefully July will be trouble free!

I'm enjoying your review retrospectives. I have a copy of Katherine in mount TBR and I've also heard good things about Mary Renault's books. Think I read somewhere that Virago were going to reissue them.

And here is the link to my new thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/156348