CBL reads 75 in 2013, part 4

Welcome to my fourth thread where I'll continue to track my 2013 reading. You'll find my previous thread here.

Top fiction reads reviewed on my third thread:
Macbeth by William Shakespeare (audio)
Red Bones by Ann Cleeves
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope
The Last Child by John Hart (audio)

Top fiction reads reviewed on my second thread:
N or M? by Agatha Christie (audio)
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (audio)

Top fiction reads reviewed on my first thread:
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Top non-fiction reviewed on my third thread:
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy (picture book)
The Transformation of Virginia, 1740-1790 by Rhys Isaac

Top non-fiction reviewed on my second thread:
Prince Among Slaves by Terry Alford

Top non-fiction reviewed on my first thread:
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman

First 75 books:




Next 75 books:

Currently reading:


Snow by Orhan Pamuk


Sacred Scripture, Sacred War by James P. Byrd


The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (audiobook)

Are you all set up and open for visitors? You've got a great list so far this year - and it's only half over!

Welcome Sandy! Yes, I'm all set for visitors. I've had a really good reading year so far, with very few duds. I think the AwardsCATs from the Category Challenge may have something to do with that. I don't always agree with awards committees, but I've at least liked all the award-winners I've read with just one or two exceptions.

Yes, the Award CATS have prompted me to pick up a few winners that I would have missed otherwise. And the group reads, too.

Happy new thread, Carrie.

Thanks Beth! I hope this means you got your internet working at home?!

Yes, Carrie. It was a faulty router. I still have some things to do to configure my systems to the new router ??, but I am enlisting kid help for that. Having spent five hours in the last two days on this has left me a little fried.

Any help you can enlist is good!

Happy new thread, Carrie! Sorry about your router troubles. Seems to be a common problem the past few days among out LT friends.

Thanks Anne! I had trouble with my internet the other day after someone working outside the neighbor's house accidentally cut the cable. They fixed the cable the next day, but my internet didn't work. I ended up calling my brother to help be troubleshoot the problem and he was able to tell me how to fix it. He isolated the problem to the wireless router, had me unplug everything and then replug it in a specific order. Once I did that, everything worked perfectly.

92. Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart
TIOLI #10 - Book published the decade before I was born

After 10 years in England, first in an orphanage and then working in a boys school, Linda Martin jumps at the first opportunity to return to France as governess to a young Comte. Linda's new employers hadn't asked about her past and, since it seems to her employers that she is English, she doesn't disclose that she had once lived in France and speaks fluent French. Things that at first seem merely odd soon become sinister, and Linda eventually realizes that there is no one in the household that she can trust, especially not the man she has fallen in love with. Will she be able to prevent a great tragedy?

Romantic suspense used to be my favorite genre, and I devoured it in my teens and early twenties. Recently I've been disappointed when I've revisited favorite authors from that period of my life. My tastes have changed. Maybe I've outgrown the genre, or the books never were as good as my memories of them. Then I picked up this Mary Stewart and discovered that her work is even better than I remembered. Plot, character, and setting combine in a story that's difficult to put down. Although this book conforms to the basic conventions of the genre, it doesn't feel formulaic. Linda isn't the typical female lead whose silly behavior gets her into trouble and who needs to be rescued by a man. She's smart and strong and a match for any circumstance. The next time I feel an urge to revisit this genre, I won't hesitate to pick up another Mary Stewart novel.

4.5 stars

Hi Carrie - I just read another review of this on another thread. I, too, read Stewart in high school and was wondering how she would age. Good to know I could return to it. I think this one might have been one of my favorites. A Mary Stewart revival?

Beth, it was a group read so you might see one or two more reviews pop up this month. I'm pretty sure I hadn't read this one before. I borrowed them from my mother and grandmother back in the day, and I now have what's left of their personal libraries. I'm pretty sure I would have kept this one if either one of them had a copy. I borrowed a copy from the public library for the group read.

Hi Carrie - How do you decide when you are going to change to a new thread? Great start to this one. Romantic suspense is still one of my favourite genres. I don't think I have ever read anything by Mary Stewart. I'll have to check it out. - Meg

Hi Meg! The thread continuation feature shows up at 200 posts, so you can change at that point or anytime after with the stars of everyone following the thread sticking to the new thread. I usually wait until a thread reaches around 250 posts to change to a new thread. Those who post a lot of graphics in their threads often continue the thread at that point. If you wait too long to change, people with slower Internet connections will have a hard time getting the thread to load.

Mary Stewart is among the first, if not the first, romantic suspense authors. You really should give her a try!

Only one acquisition to report this week: Oliver Twist read by Simon Vance, a free audio download. It will have a hard time living up to the audio version read by Miriam Margolyes. My parents and I listened to that version on a road trip and we still had about an hour left when we were almost home. We decided we should visit my grandmother in her assisted living facility before we went home, which was just far enough away for us to finish the story on the way there and back.

93. The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
TIOLI #6 - Arch on the cover



Enola Holmes is dismayed to find on her 14th birthday that her mother has disappeared without a trace. Although she hasn't seen her much-older brothers in 10-years, nevertheless she summons them to the family home. When there is still no sign of their mother, Enola's eldest brother arranges for her to go to a boarding school. Enola is determined not to go, and sets out on her own to find their mother. Along the way she becomes involved in the hunt for the missing Viscount Tewksbury, Marquess of Basilwether.

Enola Holmes is an entertaining companion. She's an observant and intelligent child and, since she thinks like both a child and a female, she's able to elude even her celebrated detective brother. She's a lot like Flavia de Luce, and Flavia's fans might enjoy getting to know Enola while waiting for the next Flavia de Luce adventure.

4 stars

If anyone can live up to a well-remembered audio, it's Simon Vance. Enjoy!

My younger daughter Marina loves the Enola Holmes series. I bought the whole series for one of my libraries last year based on her recommendation:)

I've loved mysteries for as long as I can remember, and I'm always on the lookout for books I would have enjoyed in my youth. This seems like a fun series. I'll probably try to find others at the library.

Happy new thread, Carrie! I like the sound of Nine Coaches Waiting.

Thanks Susan! i think you would like it.

I just noticed you also read Nine coaches waiting and why. After having read Lori's (lkernagh) review, your glowing review just makes me want to read it sooner rather than later. I can relate to what you mentioned ("Recently I've been disappointed when I've revisited favorite authors from that period of my life. My tastes have changed. Maybe I've outgrown the genre, or the books never were as good as my memories of them."). I've had the same feeling about quite a number of books. But I look forward to Mary Stwart's book.

Hi Monica! I hope Mary Stewart works well for you. Summer seems like the perfect time to give it a try.

94. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
TIOLI #27 - First line includes a personal name

This crime novel is a lot like an episode of Columbo. The novel begins with a murder and a known murderer. A woman kills her ex-husband in her apartment. Her neighbor, a mathematics genius, steps in to help her cover up the crime. He matches wits with a police consultant, a physicist who also happens to be an old college classmate. The physicist assists the police in chipping away at the alibi, becoming every bit as annoying as Columbo with “just one more thing”.

I don't often read crime novels where the murderer's identity is revealed at the beginning. I enjoy the challenge of a whodunnit and trying to beat the detective to the solution. It's not as much fun trying to guess where the killer will slip up in the cover-up. However, this book had a lot more surprises in store than that, and I was completely surprised by the ending. If all crime novels with a known murderer were written this well, I'd try one of them more often.

4 stars

Next up in audio: 1222 by Anne Holt

The Devotion of Suspect X looks like one that I would enjoy, Carrie. Onto the list it goes!

Judy, I think you'll like it!

I'll add The Devotion of Suspect X to my WL too. Your thread is dangerous. Fortunately , I already read 1222, so I have nothing to fear for the immediate future. I wonder what you think of this book. Have you read other books by Anne Holt?

This is my first Anne Holt. I like it so far. I think I'm about a quarter of the way through the book. I've read other books with trains and other books with snowstorms, but this one has a novel twist to it. I like the main character and the interplay with the cast of characters.

This week's acquisitions:

The Tenth Witness by Leonard Rosen (June ER book)
We Never Lost Hope: A Holocaust Memoir and Love Story by Naomi Litvin (free ebook download)
Hamlet (free audio download of L.A. Theatre Works production)

Hi Carrie - I'll be interested to see what you think of 1222.

So far so good Beth! As an added bonus, it's a good way of staying cool during the summer heat. There's nothing like losing yourself in a blizzard in the middle of July! (I think it's actually referred to as a hurricane at one point in the story?!)

95. Death at Buckingham Palace by C. C. Benison
TIOLI #16 - Book under 300 pages

When Canadian Jane Bee decided to travel rather than go to college, she had no idea she'd eventually end up as a housemaid at Buckingham Palace. Jane is on hand when the Queen trips over the body of one of the palace footmen, who was a friend of Jane's. Although it's concluded that the young man had committed suicide, Jane suspects he was murdered to prevent him from talking to the Queen. The Queen thinks so, too, and commissions Jane to quietly investigate the circumstances of the death and report back to her.

During the four years I lived in London, I occasionally dreamed about visiting the royals in Buckingham Palace. Apparently other people do this, too, and it comes up in the book, along with lots of other fun references about the royal family and the household staff. Most of the action takes place inside the palace, and the floor plans at the front of the book are a handy reference for visualizing the layout of various scenes. When Jane does venture outside the palace, she's in the parts of London that are the most familiar to me. I enjoyed following her around to places I've been. The mystery component is good, especially for a first novel. There are several characters with plausible motives and opportunity to commit the murder.

The behind-the-scenes setting in a famous residence has a similar feel to State of the Onion, the first book in Julie Hyzy's White House Chef series. Most cozy readers who like one will probably like the other. This book belongs on the wish list of all royal watching cozy readers.

4 stars

96. Old Bones by Aaron Elkins
TIOLI #16 - Book under 300 pages

Physical anthropologist Gideon Oliver's fame as the “skeleton detective” has earned him an invitation to speak at a conference in France on Science and Detection. When skeletal remains are discovered in the jurisdiction of one of the conference attendees, Dr. Oliver is asked to provide an expert opinion on the case. He's surprised to learn that the discovery occurred at a home he had visited with a former colleague a few years earlier, and that his colleague was there for a family reunion of sorts. The reunion has turned tragic after the drowning death of the home's owner just days earlier. The skeletal remains and the family history both seem to point to something that happened during the German occupation of World War II. At least one member of the household doesn't want Gideon to figure out what happened all those years ago.

This book has many of my favorite mystery elements – family history, academics, and an exotic location. There's even a little bit of romance. There were plenty of twists and turns to the mystery, and although I correctly guessed the answer to some of the puzzles, I was just ahead of Oliver and the police. I missed Oliver's wife, Julie, who didn't travel with him this time, but I enjoyed his camaraderie with his friend, John, an FBI agent who was attending the conference. With books set in travel destinations like England, France, and Mexico, this series has a lot of appeal for armchair travelers like me. It's great vacation reading.

4 stars

Hi Carrie - Old Bones sounds good. I've never read Elkins. I'll have to check to see if this is in the library.

Beth I think I've read four books in this series so far, all but one set in Europe. They're fun reads!

I've read all but the most recent one in the Gideon Oliver series. It's a long-time favorite, though I've gotten a bit tired of it.

Also read all of his art-related mysteries, as well as the golf mysteries he wrote with his wife. I think I read a WW2 standalone from him as well.

Great author!!

Linda, I'd like to try the art mysteries but I'm not sure about the golf mysteries. I'm not a big golf fan. The WW2 standalone sounds interesting, too. He handled the topic well in the one I just read.

Oops. My mistake. The WW2 standalone I was thinking was the terrific Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime but it was by John Dunning.

It still sounds good! The public library system has several copies available so I've added it to my wishlist. It would fit next month's Reading Through Time communications theme. Maybe I can work it into my reading plan next month. We'll see!

97. Snow by Orhan Pamuk
TIOLI #23 - Book from the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf

Ka, a Turkish poet, has been living in exile in Germany for the last decade. His mother's death brings him back to Istanbul, but the thought of an old acquaintance soon draws him to the provincial town of Kars. Ka's excuse for visiting Kars is that he wants to write a newspaper story about the recent suicides among the headscarf girls and about the local elections. His real reason for the visit is to renew his acquaintance with Ipek, who he's learned is now divorced from his poet friend Muhtar. He secretly hopes to persuade Ipek to marry him and return to Germany with him. A heavy snowfall strands him in Kars for several days, and circumstance and fate drive the course of events. The snowbound city reawakens Ka's muse, and he begins to write poems again after a drought of many years.

There is an undercurrent of paranoia throughout the book. While Ka is disturbed to learn that he's under surveillance, the residents of Kars accept this as normal. Nothing can be taken at face value. The local newspaper publisher writes about the day's events before they happen. Everyone Ka meets has an opinion about who he should trust and who he should avoid – but can he trust anyone's advice?

Ka's thoughts and feelings come second-hand to the reader, through a friend who knows the details of Ka's visit. Does the reader get a clear picture of Ka, or has it been distorted by his friend's interpretation of Ka's actions and motivations?

Like Salman Rushdie in Midnight's Children, Pamuk does provide some interpretive suggestions for the reader. Even with these hints, it still requires effort to work out the symbolism and structure of the novel. I think most readers will find it worth their effort to read, and possibly re-read, since I think it falls in that category of novels that holds back some rewards for the second reading.

4 stars

Next up in fiction: Bundu by Chris Barnard

Hi Carrie - Nice review of Snow. I want to get to Pamuk at some point.

Beth, this was my second Pamuk novel. The first one I read was My Name Is Red. That was a good place to start for me since it was historical fiction about a murder. The next one I want to try is The Museum of Innocence.

Ooh, good reading here, Carrie! I enjoyed your reviews, especially of Death at Buckingham Palace (I didn't know you lived in London!) and Old Bones. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Thanks Anne! I've had some fun reads this month, with an emphasis on Edgar Award winners and nominees.

Only one acquisition to report this week - a free audio download of The Prince and the Pauper.

98. Bundu by Chris Barnard
TIOLI #1 - Animal on the cover pictured in the National Book Festival poster (baboon)

That deep concealed place to which everything is connected and where everything interlocks and from which everything radiates in invisible trajectories may be unreachably far. My purpose had always been gradually to learn to understand more of the cohesion of all the disparate elements of nature. Somewhere, someday, research would bring us to the symbiosis that contains all things. The drought was destroying the little that conservation had achieved in fifty years in the region. Was there a reason for this or was it just happening because it was happening? The little that I knew had time after time confirmed that nature had no use for chance. Theologians would talk of a Divine Plan – but that was not what I meant by my Great Process, even though I did spell it with capital letters, and even though it could be one and the same thing. But too many people tend to place the so-called Divine Plan stamp on everything they don't understand and then regard it as settled.

Brand de la Rey is an environmental researcher in the bundu region on the South Africa-Mozambique border. His closest neighbor is a Catholic mission station staffed by a barely competent doctor, a nurse, two or three nuns, and a handyman. Three years of drought have taken a toll and precipitated a crisis. Starving people arrive daily at the mission, and the small facility is soon stretched beyond its capacity to feed and care for so many people. Something must be done to relieve the mission of this unbearable burden. There is usually a reason when people choose to live at the ends of civilization. Somehow the loners who inhabit the region will have to work with each other to secure outside help.

It's difficult to read descriptions of sick and starving people, yet it seems that Barnard has spared readers from its worst horrors. Brand, the first-person narrator, is a scientist, not a philosopher, and while his descriptions can be graphic, he doesn't dwell on the images. The short novel focuses more action than thought, which I suppose reflects how we often handle crises. We do what's required in an emergency and think about it later, after it's all over. If there's a weakness in the book, it's that Barnard raises issues but doesn't take time to explore them – governmental responsibility for humanitarian assistance; the role of non-governmental organizations like the Red Cross; the psychology of aid workers; language, cultural, and gender barriers in communication; and the eternal theological questions surrounding God's role in permitting, causing, or alleviating suffering.

I would recommend this to readers preparing for careers in international aid/disaster relief or in medical missions. I think it would also work well as a reading group selection since it's a fairly quick read and provides a lot of fodder for discussion.

3.5 stars

Next up in fiction: The Tenth Witness by Leonard Rosen

99. The Tenth Witness by Leonard Rosen
July TIOLI #16 - Book under 300 pages

Henri Poincaré and his business partner have taken on a project that will help them launch their engineering firm. They've been hired by Lloyd's to salvage the wreck of the Lutine near the island of Terschelling near the Dutch mainland. At the beginning of the project, Henri meets and soon falls for Liesel Kraus, whose family's steel business came to prominence during Germany's Nazi era. The death of Henri's surrogate grandfather, Isaac, a Holocaust survivor, drives Henri to look for the story behind an unusual keepsake. Henri must dig into Germany's Nazi past to find the answers he seeks, and uncomfortably close to Liesel's circle of family and friends.

The book combines many of my favorite elements in a mystery – international travel, historical mystery, treasure hunt, archival research, and a little bit of romance. It has a lot in common with my favorite Grisham novel, The Firm, with a young professional trying to extricate himself from a web of corruption. At slightly under 300 pages, it doesn't suffer from the over-writing that characterizes too many recent novels. Although this is the second novel featuring Henri Poincaré, this is a prequel to the first book. Readers like me who haven't yet read the first book won't feel like they're missing important background information. Highly recommended for most mystery/crime fiction fans.

This review is based on an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

4.5 stars

The Tenth Witness looks like a great read, Carrie. Nice review (and a thumb from me)!

Thanks Anne! I've been very lucky with ER books. I've received some really good ones and very few duds. The first book in this series was nominated for several awards so I guess that was a good sign!

I've had a revolting development this morning. I kept thinking I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Finally I did see a rodent scurrying around the edges of my living room, under the piano and into the closet. I didn't have my glasses on, but it looked bigger than the field mice I occasionally get in the house. I hope it's a mouse and not a rat. I don't think it's been here long because I haven't noticed any droppings. I've got new neighbors moving in today and they've been doing a lot of work outside both of our units for the last several weeks. I think the workers may have disturbed a nest and this one decided to move inside. I put out some rodent poison near the piano where I last saw the creature, and I guess I'll be buying traps later today.

P.S. Please don't mention the rodent poison around Agatha, Dorothy, Ngaio, Margery, Sir Arthur, or any of their lot. I'd hate to end up as a suspect in one of their books....

Hi Carrie - Yuk to the rodent. I hope you catch it soon. Mum's the word. The Tenth Witness sounds good. Nice review. I haven't had such good luck with early review books -- although I did get Laurie R. King's new one this month, and she is usually pretty good.

I have to stop visiting here -- I'm getting too many good recommendations!

Eeew, rodents! Good luck in catching it and hopefully it is the only one you have to worry about. I am no good with rodents.... I didn't even like the gerbils we had as kids, preferring cats, dogs and the neighbors rabbits as playthings. ;-)

Carrie, I'm crossing my fingers for you that the poison works and you can at least have a peaceful Sunday.

Thanks for your all your good wishes! I went out this morning and bought several mouse traps and I've set them along the path where I saw the rodent this morning. I'm not sure how I"ll get it out of the house once I catch it. I'll worry about that when the time comes!

This week's acquisitions:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes read by Ralph Cosham (free audio download)
The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White
The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope (Project Gutenberg)
The Crossing by Winston Churchill (Project Gutenberg)
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (Project Gutenberg)

I've already started The Small House at Allington for this month's group read and The Lady Vanishes is on next weekend's agenda.

#56: Carrie, a pair of rubber gloves and a long stick? Or do you have to take it out of the trap? A friend recently found a headless rat corpse on her balcony (dropped by a bird, she thought) but didn't go into the details of how she got rid of it.

I recently downloaded the complete works of Winston Churchill, thinking I was getting the writings of the former UK prime minister, but then discovered that the US has its own Winston Churchill, who wrote novels :-) Ours is Winston S Churchill...

As you guessed, Susan, this is the U.S. one. The novel I downloaded is about a man who was one of George Rogers Clark's men in the American Revolution. I'm interested in that particular aspect of the book since my father's family is from Illinois just across the river from Vincennes, Indiana, location of the George Rogers Clark Memorial. I've visited it lots of times.

100. Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell
TIOLI #13 - Book dedicated to the author's parents

During rehearsals for Hamlet at London's Globe Theatre, director Kate Stanley is surprised when her former mentor, Roz Howard, drops in to see her. Although they were once close, the two women haven't spoken in several years. Roz presents Kate with a mysterious package and warns her not to open it unless she's prepared to follow wherever it leads. Roz promises to tell Kate more that evening but she is killed before Kate can learn any more from her. Her only clue is inside the package. Its contents set Kate on the trail of 400-year-old secrets concerning William Shakespeare's life and a lost play. As Kate hops from London to Boston to the Southwest U.S. she must stay one step ahead of the killer, who just might be one of the few people she's trusted to help her in her quest.

Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, making it hard to put the book down once you've started. The plot is a lot like the movie National Treasure. Just substitute a Shakespearean play for the Declaration of Independence. Readers need to be willing to suspend disbelief. For example, Kate is allowed into her office in the Globe within a few hours of a fire without any protective clothing. This would never happen that quickly in real life.

Almost every conversation turns into an information dump. By the end of the book, readers have been exposed to most of the controversies about Shakespeare's identity, the history of the Globe, the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants, the work of prominent Shakespearean scholars in various centuries, etc. Authors often make the mistake of including everything they know in their first novel without editing out details that don't add anything to the plot.

My biggest problem with the book is why it was necessary for Kate to do all that globetrotting. Her dissertation research supposedly uniquely qualified her to unravel the mystery, yet the killer was either hot on her trail or waiting at the next destination without the benefit of the clues she found. These problems are all fixable and I'm willing to give the sequel a chance since historical thrillers are among my favorites for escape reading.

2.5 stars

Next up in fiction: Unless by Carol Shields

Hi Carrie - I think I liked Interred with Their Bones more than you did, but the to and froing did get annoying.

You are in for a treat with Unless -- it's one of my all-time favorites. Which reminds me, maybe I'm due for a reread. I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it.

Beth, I read the first chapter last night after I finished the other book. If the rest of the book is as good as the first chapter, I'm going to like it a lot. It's starting out better than The Stone Diaries, which I rated at 4 stars.

101. 1222 by Anne Holt
TIOLI #15 - Book with murder in its heart

Hanne Wilhelmsen is one of nearly 200 passengers on a Norwegian train when it wrecks during a blizzard. The good news is that the wreck is near a station with a hotel large enough to feed and shelter the passengers until the storm lets up and help arrives. The first night, one of the passenger/guests is murdered. Then another one is murdered. Hanne, a former police officer, is already wheelchair bound and has been further injured during the accident. She must fight the shock from her injury and lack of sleep to observe the behavior of her fellow passengers and pick out the murderer among them. Do the murders have anything to do with the mysterious passengers from the private car at the end of the train?

Hanne is antisocial and prefers to avoid contact and conversations with other people. She reluctantly becomes involved in the murder investigation when she realizes that the hotel is cut off from outside help and she knows what needs to be done from experience and training. Hanne's disability keeps her from exploring other parts of the hotel, so the narration is limited to her thoughts and her conversations with others. The pace sometimes seems sluggish. Maybe that's intentional, since time does seem to move more slowly after a heavy snowfall. While there were things I enjoyed about the book, I didn't much like Hanne so I don't think I'll be seeking out any more books in this series.

3.5 stars

Next up in audio: Hamlet by William Shakespeare

So far the rodent has managed to avoid all the traps and the poison I've set out. I just saw it again a few minutes ago. It ran under the coffee table in front of me. I was holding a cup of tea and sloshed it all over the carpet when I saw it. I don't have a phobia about mice, but I would rather not see them.

Carrie, if you do catch your rodent in a trap, just throw something over it and dispose of the entire thing. Mousetraps are not expensive and hopefully you won't need to reuse it anyway. We haven't had a mouse in the house in ages. The last one was caught by our Lab. He politely put his paw on it and held it down with a quizzical grin on his face. My husband retrieved it (sorry, bad pun) and I made him let it go outside after the trauma it had been through!

So far, I've liked all the books I've read by Carol Shields including Unless. I think my favorite was The Stone Diaries.

A rodent... what a nuisance. Good luck in getting rid of it!
I like your review of 1222 and can totally relate to your opinion on Hannah. I thought she was disagreeable which also put me off reading the other books in the series. However, Anne Holt has other series (a.o Vik & Stubo) in which Hannah sometimes plays a minor role but which have a far better atmosphere altogether. So I wouldn't give up on Anne Holt, just on the Hannah-character.
Oh, I need to check out Carol Shields!

Good idea Donna! I check the traps a couple of times a day. Part of me hopes I've caught something and part hopes I haven't!

That's good to know Monica. I will keep an eye out for Anne Holt's other series. I did like her writing style.

Sorry there's no rodent progress to report. We're still recovering from our raccoon latrine. Blech!

Thanks for the commiseration Anne! I think I'd rather have a mouse than a raccoon latrine.

Any progress with the little critter, Carrie?

No, I'm sorry to say. It's carefully avoiding all of the traps.

Greetings Carrie, just a brief flyby to see how your doing. I shouldn't even bring this up bit since we adopted two kitties we've never seen a mouse in the house. Unfortunately, they sometimes expire between the walls and that's when we know they are around, p-ew! Other than that, Yup, I'd say alls well here, carry on.

I don't have cats, but the neighbors across the street have several cats that, up until a few weeks ago, spent most of the day around the outside of my house. I hadn't seen a mouse in the house since the cats started doing that several years ago. I had new neighbors move in to the other side of the duplex (connected by the carports & storage sheds) last weekend, and for the last several weeks their were lots of workers here all day working on renovations for the new occupants. I didn't see the cats hanging around while the work was going on. I think the absence of the cats may have something to do with the appearance of the rodent in the house. I saw a cat in the driveway when I went out last night. If the cats start hanging out here again that might keep any more rodents from getting into the house, but it won't do anything for the one that's already here.

It's carefully avoiding all of the traps.

Smart little guy. I hate it when they are smart.....

I just saw the mouse peek out from under the secretary in my bedroom. Now I don't want to go to sleep. I don't like to think of what it might get up to while I'm sleeping. I've had a rotten day and this isn't making it any better.

102. The Hangman by Louise Penny
TIOLI #15 - Book with murder in its heart

The discovery of a man's body hanging on a tree near Three Pines brings Inspector Armand Gamache and his right-hand-man Jean Guy Beauvoir back to this familiar village. The death has the appearance of suicide, but there are some small inconsistencies that lead Gamache to conclude that the man has been murdered. The first thing the investigators need to do is determine the man's identity. There is nothing on his body or in his room at the local inn and spa to confirm the name he used to register. Might the motive for murder be linked to his true identity?

This novella is part of a series of novellas by Canadian authors designed to encourage literacy. The language and structure of the story are, by design, simpler than Penny's usual work. The subplots that characterize Penny's Gamache series – internal Sûreté politics, the psychological baggage of a police operation with tragic consequences, and interpersonal tensions affecting the inhabitants of Three Pines – are missing from this novella. Only a few of the regular characters appear in the story. Yet even within the constraints of this project, Penny still finds a way to surprise and delight series fans. This stand-alone story may appease readers waiting impatiently for the release of the latest book, and it may whet the appetite of readers new to the series.

4 stars

Carrie - I'm sorry about your rodent woes. I can identify. For years we had bats -- which are almost impossible to get rid of. I can still hear my daughter's screams as I tried to isolate and expel them.

Nice review of The Hangman. Ditto.

Carrie, I hope you have a great weekend after your hard day yesterday. My husband caught a mouse in our basement last night-- he trapped it under a yogurt container ("cobra-quick" as he enjoys retelling it) and then let it outside. Now my rodent-antenna is up and I am nervously listening for scuffling and the like. I wish we could have a cat.

When we lived in the mountains we would get bats in the house too. I think bats are cool -- but not in the house.

Thanks Beth! Anne, your husband seems to have a knack for getting rid of rodents and other pests. What is his secret?!

LOL, he would tell you it is his ninja stealth;) I am actually impressed by the mouse. He didn't actually catch any raccoons, only took care of their poop, which is disgusting, of course, but doesn't require stealth or trapping -- just hazmat suits!

I think if I was able to claim ninja stealth then I would too :-) Carrie, sorry to hear Minnie is still with you. I hope you can enjoy some of the weekend anyway.

Thanks Susan! I'm finally beginning to feel relaxed. I need to do some tidying around the house, but I think it might be more important for me to find something to do that will relieve the accumulated stress and tension so that I'll be ready to tackle the tasks that will still be waiting for me on Monday.

103. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
TIOLI #15 - Book with murder in its heart

Ghosts, murder, madness, revenge, suicide, incest, spiced with a little bit of black humor – Hamlet has it all. Once again I was struck by the number of “cliches” that originated with Hamlet: “too solid flesh”, “reserve thy judgment”, “the apparel oft proclaims the man”, “to thine own self be true”, “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, “the time is out of joint”, and “not a mouse was stirring” (which, sad to say, does not apply to my house since I've been trying unsuccessfully to catch one for the last week). I'm in that generation that can't hear Polonius's monologue without thinking of the song from the Gilligan's Island episode where the castaways staged a musical version of Hamlet. (Sorry if I've given anyone an earworm by mentioning it!)

I was a little disappointed with the L.A. Theatre Works audio version. Most of the performers were OK, but the audio effects were a bit odd and seemed too modern to suit the setting. I had trouble buying Stephen Collins as Claudius after his decade spent playing a minister on Seventh Heaven. Josh Stamberg played Hamlet, and his voice quality is similar enough to Stephen Collins that I sometimes had trouble telling which one of them was speaking. On the other hand, I thought Alan Mandell's Polonius was outstanding.

This is one of Shakespeare's works that should be on everyone's reading list. Listening to an audio version can enhance modern readers' understanding of archaic language without interrupting the narrative flow like an annotated reading copy would do. There are probably better audio versions than this one to be found, though.

3.5 stars

Next up in audio: The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

The critters are coming in, Carrie! We just found a snake in the garage -- only a small, harmless one. We chased it out with a broom and told it to go find the mouse we released last night. Sheesh!

I'd much rather have a mouse than a snake. Ugh!

I've never read that Louise Penny novella and ought to pick it up to tide me over til the end of August when her new one comes out.

Linda, I've got her new one pre-ordered and I can hardly wait for the release date!

Carrie, Louise Penny has 3 talks/signings within about a 90 minute drive on the release date and the day after. I'm trying to figure out which I can get to. The most convenient, geographically, doesn't work out as it's on a Wed. lunchtime. The two farther away ones are more convenient, in terms of time, but involve driving to a place I'm not familiar with, for one, and to a tricky-to-get-to at rush hour for the other.

I may just buy a copy. I met her last year at her launch party.

Linda, I would love to meet Louise Penny! I hope you do get to go to one of the signings.

Only one acquisition to report this week - a free audio download of Through the Looking Glass read by Miriam Margolyes. I have high expectations for this one because she did such a fabulous job with Oliver Twist.

104. The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White
TIOLI #8 - Book written by an author whose name is also a verb (White)

A crowd of young people vacationing in a remote Eastern European hotel make themselves disagreeable to their bellow British guests. After an unpleasant scene with another member of the crowd, Iris Carr decides to remain behind and make her own way back to England. On the train home, Iris is befriended by a compatriot in her compartment – a Miss Froy. At first Iris isn't worried when Miss Froy disappears from the compartment while Iris dozes, but eventually Iris becomes alarmed when Miss Froy fails to return. When she raises an alarm, the other passengers all deny the existence of a Miss Froy. Can Iris get anyone to believe her story in time to help Miss Froy? Or is she imagining the whole thing?

The British characters have an air of cultural superiority common in literature of this era. Although I usually find this to be an unappealing characteristic, in this case it seems to be an essential to the plot. I found it difficult to completely identify with any of the characters. Iris isn't particularly likeable, nor are her fellow travelers. I almost always like books better than their film adaptations, but this is one of the rare exceptions where I prefer the movie. The film adaptation doesn't change the plot drastically, and the main characters are portrayed more sympathetically.

3.5 stars

105. Unless by Carol Shields
TIOLI #8 - Book written by an author with a name that is also a verb (shields)

Norah had been a good, docile baby and then she became a good, obedient little girl. Now, at nineteen, she's so brimming with goodness that she sits on a Toronto street corner...cross-legged with a begging bowl in her lap and asks nothing of the world. Nine-tenths of what she gathers she distributes at the end of the day to other street people. She wears a cardboard sign on her chest: a single word printed in black marker—GOODNESS.

Reta Winters, her husband, Tom, and the two daughters still at home attempt to maintain a normal life while keeping track of Norah and trying to understand why she has voluntarily withdrawn from the world. Reta is increasingly convinced that the motivating force was Norah's realization of her powerlessness as a female. Goodness is possible, but not greatness. Reta's husband, Tom, a medical doctor, has a different theory. Reta maintains some sense of balance through her writing, perhaps because she has control over the words and characters that she doesn't have over her own life story.

The Stone Diaries was my first Shields novel and this one was the second. I love the quality of her writing. I don't think she'll ever be among my favorite authors, though, unless the strong feminist theme in these novels is uncharacteristic of the rest of her work. As Reta processes what has happened to her daughter, she reflects on the powerlessness of women and the exclusion of women's voices in intellectual discourse. It's hard for me to identify with Reta because I've never felt powerless or voiceless. Maybe it comes from growing up in the South, where we have a tradition of strong women, or from the many strong Midwestern female role models in my family who were neither voiceless nor powerless even though many of them never worked outside the home.

Reta is troubled by the absence of women in the literary canon. They're not absent in the canon of Southern literature – Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty, Margaret Mitchell, Zora Neale Hurston. Is it possible to graduate from any Southern high school without first reading Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? The works of these authors seem to resonate with both sexes. On the other hand, Shields' feminist themes won't resonate with all women, let alone many men. By focusing so strongly on women's issues, Shields seems to place herself in the category of “great women authors” rather than the more inclusive “great authors” category.

4 stars

Great review of Carol Shields' book, Carrie. I really need to check out her books.
I find it interesting what you say about the feminism and the fact that Shields put herself into the category of “great women authors” rather than the “great authors” category. I think many women authors struggle with this, although I presume they would say it's because men force them to raise their voice. I have never felt powerless of voiceless either, but I know women who like to think so or like to act like that, because it suits them better. I also know women who allow others to make them powerless or voiceless, while all it takes is a bit of backbone to stand up to this (apart from the category who are really powerless and voiceless). Feminism in literature is a difficult issue, but I wonder why no one ever talks about "masculinism" in literature...
I agree however that great literature does appeal to both men and women.

Thanks Monica! I struggled with what to say and how to say it in that review. As you mentioned, there are some women in the world who really are powerless and voiceless. I think it's possible to recognize that this applies to some women without claiming that it applies to all women, which Shields seems to do.

Wow, Carrie, you manage to say in two sentences exactly what I was trying to say in my post without really pulling it off. The feminist theme can be a bit too much at times. However, that will not prevent me from checking out Shields' books.
How are you coping with the rodent? I hope you're able to sleep again.

No progress on the rodent front. I haven't seen it in about a week. I've seen it three times but always without my glasses so my view was a little blurry. It seems to be too big for a mouse but not as big as a rat. I think it may be a mole. I've had moles in the yard very close to the house. I'm not sure if mouse traps will work for moles or if I need to try something different.

Some of you may recall that my iPod Nano quit working in February and Apple replaced it since it was still under warranty. I'm glad I opted for the extended warranty because the same thing has happened again. The sleep/wake button is broken and I can't turn it on or off, just like last time. I'm on my way to drop it off at the local UPS store for shipment to Apple's service center. I expect they'll replace it this time, too.

At this point, I expect this to happen to the replacement within a year. I'll be looking for a different MP3 player if the warranty has expired by the time the replacement fails. I mostly use it for listening to audiobooks. Any recommendations for other players I should consider?

I just got an email from Apple and they're sending me a replacement. Again. I hope this one lasts longer than 6 months, although if it does, the warranty will have expired. If it lasts just 6 months I'll be able to get one more replacement under the extended warranty.

This week's acquisitions:

Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart (Project Gutenberg)
Sold by Patricia McCormick (free audio download)

106. The Zimmermann Telegram by Barbara Tuchman
TIOLI #6 - Book about WWI

World War I began in 1914, but the United States didn't enter the war until 1917. What prompted the U.S. to enter the war so late? President Woodrow Wilson was determined to maintain U.S. neutrality and to negotiate a “peace without victory” between Great Britain and Germany. (He ignored the fact that neither Great Britain nor Germany wanted his help.) The discovery and publication of the Zimmermann telegram was influential in moving the U.S. from a neutral party to an ally of Great Britain and France.

After three years of war, neither side had gained the upper hand. However, Great Britain and France were on the brink of bankruptcy. Many of the German leaders believed that an all-out U-boat campaign could turn the war in Germany's direction, if only the U.S. could be kept from joining the Allies. German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann believed that the U.S. could be kept out of Europe by a threat to their own borders through an alliance between Mexico and Japan. He and others promised German support for Mexican efforts to retake Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The Mexico-Japan alliance never materialized, and instead of keeping the U.S. out of Europe, the publication of the contents of Zimmermann's telegram precipitated U.S. involvement in the war.

Amazingly, the U.S. had been allowing German representatives in North America to use its telegraph lines to transmit coded messages back to Germany. In order to authenticate the Zimmermann telegram, a U.S. official was met with resistance when he tried to get a copy of the message from Western Union. Western Union was unwilling to violate a federal law that protected the contents of telegrams. (Western Union eventually caved, so maybe they're not so different from Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint after all.)

While the bibliography and end notes are evidence of Tuchman's thorough research, the writing leans more toward journalism than scholarly writing. Tuchman's observations and interpretations of individual and national characteristics and motivations make this a more entertaining read than most academic works.

3.5 stars

I may not get much reading done the rest of this week. I'm having my tonsils removed tomorrow morning. I've stocked up on Popsicles and ice cream, and I have plenty of DVDs in addition to streaming Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Videos to keep me occupied if I don't feel like reading.

One more update - my replacement iPod arrived this morning, just in time for me to get it loaded before surgery so that I can have the option of listening to an audiobook.

Good luck with your tonsillectomy, Carrie.

Thanks Beth!

Take things easy after your surgery Carrie. Sounds like you have lined up your entertainment for your recovery period. Nice!

Thanks Lori!

Carrie, I hope the surgery is quickly over. You deserve unlimited ice-cream as a reward :-)

Surgery went OK. I'm too drowsy to watch a whole program on TV, let alone read.

Feel better soon, Carrie.

Thanks Judy! I'm not as sleepy today so I was able to do a little reading. Still more TV than reading today, though.

I managed to finish a book this week!

107. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
TIOLI #8 - Author's name is also a verb (Jack)

Pre-teen Jack Gantos is looking forward to the summer of 1962 in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, until he does something so stupid that his mother grounds him for life. Now he is actually looking forward to helping Miss Volker write obituaries for the elderly original residents who are dying right and left. It's about the only way he'll get out of the house. Jack learns a lot during the summer – about the history of the town's founding by Eleanor Roosevelt, about the cycle of history and the importance of learning from the mistakes of the past, about life, and about about death.

I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this book when I was the age of its target audience. I would have probably viewed it as a book with more appeal for boys than for girls of that age. I appreciate it more as an adult reader, although I'm not as impressed with it as the Newbery panelists were. Even with the quirky setting, eccentric characters, and the underlying pathos of a dying town, it seems to be missing some special spark. It was worth reading once, but it isn't a book I'll want to revisit.

3.5 stars

Next up: The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

Glad to see to see a post from you, Carrie. That operation must have taken a lot out of you.

Thanks Meg! I actually had two procedures on Tuesday, one on my throat (tonsils) and one on my nose. I'm not sure how much of my discomfort is from which surgery. Most of the time I don't feel any worse than I do with a very bad cold. I don't experience a lot of pain during the day, when I'm constantly sipping iced drinks or eating popsicles and ice cream, and I can often go for hours between pain pills. However, a combination of the pain and side effects of the prednisone I had to take for the first 3 days is keeping me awake at night. My brother and SIL have been with me this week so I've been watching movies and TV with them a lot during the day. Most of my reading has been in the wee hours when I haven't been able to sleep. I just took another pill so I think I'll read until it kicks in and see if I can sleep for a while after that.

That's rough having the two procedures in the same general area at the same time. Hopefully you get your hours turned around so you can sleep at night soon. In the meantime, the wee hours of the morning are a great time for reading with no distractions.

Carrie, I'm sorry to hear about your surgeries. Hope you are recovering and feeling better soon -- you sound like you're still really uncomfortable, and it's so hard to recover when you're not sleeping well! I'll be thinking of you.

I enjoyed your review of The Zimmermann Telegram.

Thanks Anne!

Wow, Carrie, you had a double whammy with your surgeries. I've heard having your tonsils removed as an adult is much more painful than having it done as a child. I hope I don't have to find out! I'm glad you are able to read now to make those sleepless nights more bearable. Sending get well wishes and some zzzzz's to help you sleep better at night.

Thanks Donna. Now that the prednisone has worn off, I feel like I've been flattened by a truck. I think sleep would help now.

Carrie, that is a lot to go through all in one day. I hope you can get some sleep and feel better afterwards.

Hi Carrie - I hope your recovery is going well.

Thanks Susan & Beth! After little pain the first few days (except at night), I had a lot of pain Saturday and Sunday, plus difficulty swallowing anything at all, including medicine. I also experienced the usual crash I get when coming off of prescription steroids. I finally slept for several hours straight last night for the first time since surgery. I went to work for 1/2 day today and will try to manage most of the day tomorrow. The end is in sight!

108. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope
TIOLI #4 - Word in the title suggesting "small"

I've always thought there are worse things than being single, and Trollope seems to agree with this in The Small House at Allington. The book is full of love triangles and quadrangles, widows, spinsters, and confirmed bachelors. Happily married couples are hardly to be found. Some characters will only marry for love, while others seek social status or security through marriage. The characters' incompatible views of marriage make it appear almost certain that no one will get what he or she wants in a mate.

Most of the characters are flawed, and while this makes them seem more human, it also makes it hard to find one to really root for. It's clear from Crosbie's behavior that Lily Dale is much too good for him, but do readers really want her to settle for John Eames instead? Not this one.

Of the first five Barsetshire novels, this one seems to be the most domestic. The main object for most of the characters is securing domestic comfort, whether through marriage or simply through a change in residence. While church politics has had a prominent role in earlier Barsetshire novels, it is largely absent from this one. Differences of birth and class aren't a primary source of conflict, either. Most of the conflict revolves around money and the cost of happiness. Maybe the absence of larger concerns is why I liked this one less than the other Barsetshire novels I've read. It's still full of Trollope's insight into human character, and I wouldn't have wanted to miss passages like this:

We constantly talk of the thoughtlessness of youth. I do not know whether we might not more appropriately speak of its thoughtfulness. It is, however, no doubt, true that the thought will not at once produce wisdom. It may almost be a question whether such wisdom as many of us have in our mature years has not come from the dying out of the power of temptation, rather than as the results of thought and resolution.

3.5 stars

I had a follow-up appointment today from last week's surgery and everything is looking good! I am feeling a little better every day, and my voice seems to be getting back to normal. I have at least one more follow-up appointment for my nose to make sure it's healing alright. Right now my nose is actually bothering me more than my throat is.

Very happy to learn your follow up appointment went well and that you are feeling better, Carrie! Here is hoping your nose catches up with your throat.... they do say ear, nose and throat are all connected, hence all those specialists! Any ear problems? ;-)

Believe it or not, a chronic inner ear problem is the reason I first saw the specialist! I think it could have been related to my tonsils, though, and I'm curious to see if having my tonsils removed will have helped the other problem.

Oh you poor thing -- it seems that you are slow to start feeling much better. Are you able to rest? Particularly this long weekend?

I'm beginning to feel a lot better, except at night. It's my turn to work Saturday so I don't get a long weekend. I also have to work on Monday. I did leave work a little early this afternoon.

Hi Carrie, I hope your health continues to improve. August 2013 seems to be a month you'll probably want to forget asap. Let's hope September will be a better one for you!
Your excellent review of The Small House at Allington makes me want to read Trollope. He's been on my radar for a while now, but I'm slightly daunted by the pile of books. Maybe I could make this a "Trollope autumn". Any suggestion for a reading-plan?

Thanks Monica! Other than the first five Barsetshire novels, I've only read one other Trollope - Can You Forgive Her? - so long ago that I don't remember much about it. Barchester Towers is still my favorite. I'd recommend starting with The Warden and continuing with Barchester Towers. They're more closely connected than the other Barsetshire novels have been.

This week's acquisitions:

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny - I'm saving it for next weekend when I have more time to finish it
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope (free ebook download)

109. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
TIOLI #1 - Title ends in Y

When the shattered body of Humpty Dumpty is found below a wall, the investigation into his death is assigned to DI Jack Spratt and his new Sergeant, Mary Mary of the Nursery Crimes Division. It's almost certain that Humpty's death was either accidental (Humpty was very drunk when last seen) or suicide (it's the week after Easter – a difficult time of year for eggs). So why is celebrity detective Friedland Chymes so eager to take over the investigation from the nursery crimes division? Was Humpty Dumpty in fact murdered? There's no shortage of suspects, including a possibly angry ex-wife, a jealous girlfriend or a girlfriend's jealous husband, or a swindled former client.

Fforde has written a fun spoof of detective novels, nursery rhymes, fables, and fairy tales, with a sprinkling of mythology. While I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny, it did keep me amused and I liked it well enough to seek out the second Nursery Crime mystery. The book has a similar feel to the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. To get the most out of the book, readers need to be very familiar with the major nursery rhymes, fables, and fairy tales, as well as famous fictional detectives.

3.5 stars

Next up in fiction: The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert

I have progress to report. I was able to sleep last night without the prescription pain medication. I still woke up during the night and took some Tylenol but I didn't need anything stronger than that. It's about time!

Great!

I'm so happy for you, Carrie!

Yay for being able to sleep with any prescription pain medication! That is fantastic news, Carrie!

Thanks everyone! I'm looking forward to sleeping through the night, although I think I might miss my middle of the night reading sessions. There are very few interruptions in the wee hours :)

110. The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert
TIOLI #9 - Book by an LT author

Beatrix Potter, the new owner of Hill Top Farm is expected in the Lake District village of Near Sawrey, but her arrival doesn't get all the attention it might have otherwise after the sudden death of one of the villagers. Miss Potter was to have stayed in the deceased woman's home, so other arrangements are quickly made. It doesn't take long for gossip to spread about Miss Tolliver's death, including the suspicion that she was poisoned. Meanwhile, things are disappearing from around the village – from the church, from the school, and even from poor Miss Tolliver's home. Beatrix Potter's keen observations will help put things right.

This book is about as cozy as they come. It's more about rural village life and the relationships between its residents than about the investigation of a crime. Most of the investigations are carried out by the village animals rather than by the village's human inhabitants. In many ways the book is similar to Miss Read's village cozies, and I think it would appeal to the same readers.

3.5 stars

Next up in fiction: The Book of Secrets by M. G. Vassanji

Carrie, I'm glad you are finally getting some real sleep. That was a long rough haul with pain at night and trying to work during the day. At least you have the new Louise Penney book to look forward to. I really enjoyed your review of Small House at Allington. I couldn't think of much to say about it except that I disliked the characters yet ended up liking the book. I am so glad to be reading Trollope thanks to Liz and the group reads.

Thanks Donna! Even though it's been rough, I still feel better than I did before the surgery. I should have done it sooner. I'm saving How the Light Gets In for next weekend when I have the possibility of finishing it over the weekend. I don't want to start it during the week because I know I won't want to interrupt my reading to go to work! I love the Trollope group reads too. I'm looking forward to whatever we decide to read next.

111.The Book of Secrets by M. G. Vassanji
TIOLI #16 - Book set in a British Commonwealth country prior to 1950 (Kenya & Tanzania)

In Dar es Salaam in the late 1980s, Pius Fernandes, a retired teacher who has fallen on hard times, is taken in by a former student. The younger man is curious about an old book he has found in his store and he asks Fernandes to study it and see what he can make of it. The book is a diary from the colonial era, written during the early career of a man who later rose in the ranks of British administration in its colonies. How did his diary end up in a store in Dar es Salaam?

I would – I told myself – recreate the world of that book. I would breathe life into the many spirits captured in its pages so long ago and tell their stories; and I would revive the spirit of the book itself, tell its own story. And so I would construct a history, a living tapestry to join the past to the present, to defy the blistering shimmering dusty bustle of city life outside which makes transients of us all.

Thus begins a journey into the past, to a small settlement in British East Africa near the border with German East Africa, to a time just before the Great War, and to a clash of cultures and loyalties. A chain of events begins that will affect later generations in different places. Exactly what happened all those years ago? Will the book reveal its secrets, or will they remain forever out of reach?

I was quickly drawn into the world of the novel through the diary of Alfred Corbin, a minor official in British East Africa (now Kenya) just before the outbreak of World War I. The novel starts with the contents of the diary, viewing people and events through Corbin's eyes. Then the perspective shifts as Fernandes learns about the same people and events from other sources. The location also shifts, first from one side of the border to the other, and finally to Dar es Salaam in what is now Tanzania. The more Fernandes learns, the more difficult it becomes to determine where the truth lies.

Migration and displacement are recurring themes in this novel. The main characters are all immigrants in Africa, either from India or from Great Britain. The Indian Muslim sect that made up the heart of the settlement in British East Africa had stronger ties to other ethnic settlements on both sides of the border than to the British colony in which their settlement was located. Characters who establish themselves in a location find themselves rebuilding careers, businesses and personal lives as a result of political changes.

Even though I quite liked this book, some aspects of its structure didn't quite work for me. The first part of the novel is based on Alfred Corbin's diary, and part of his story is told in first person. However, an omniscient narrator adds details that were not in Corbin's diary. The narrator may be Fernandes, who is adding information he gathered from other sources. It's not clear enough for my liking. Fernandes becomes a protagonist toward the end of the novel, and the story lost some of its momentum for me then. It seems fragmented and the ending has an unfinished feel. I'll remember it most of all for its unusual location and time period – British East Africa and German East Africa during World War I.

4 stars

Next up in fiction: At the Villa Rose by A. E. W. Mason

Hi Carrie - I hope you are recovered from your surgery. The Book of Secrets sounds interesting. I will look for it.

Thanks Beth! I'm about 90% recovered. I still have a little pain, but not enough to require heavy-duty medication. I'm also finally sleeping through the night, and I think I'll be catching up on missed sleep this weekend.

Now that I've discovered M. G. Vassanji I'll be looking for more of his books. I think I may try The In-Between World of Vikram Lall next.

Getting my tonsils out was horrible in the short term but world changing in the long term. I went from being nearly constantly sick for an entire year to not having a single bout of strep in 20 years. Hope it helps you as much!

Thanks Leah! Even with some pain left from the surgery I still feel better than I did before surgery.

Great review, Carrie! So glad you're feeling better.

Thanks Anne!

112. At the Villa Rose by A.E.W. Mason
TIOLI #1 - Title contains a word from a type of apple (Summer Rose)

At the Villa Rose is a mildly entertaining mystery that predates the Golden Age of detective fiction. It shows. The detective, Inspector Hanaud of the Paris Sûreté, solves the case just over halfway through the book. The last half of the book is an explanation of the crime. The mystery peaked too early and the explanation went on too long. While the mystery suffers in comparison with those of the next generation of detective novels, I still found its setting in Aix-les-Bains intriguing and its characters interesting. I'll read more in this series since I'm interested in the development of the genre, but it probably won't suit readers with a more contemporary taste.

2 stars

Next up in fiction: How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

Only one book acquired this week - a free ebook download of The Affair at the Semiramis Hotel, the second book in A.E.W. Mason's Inspector Hanaud series. I'm not in a big hurry to read it, but I'm sure I'll eventually get around to it.

113. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
TIOLI #7 - Book that is 9th or higher in a series

When Myrna Landers' friend fails to arrive in Three Pines for Christmas as expected, Myrna naturally turns to another friend for assistance – Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté. Gamache's homicide department is barely functioning since, except for Isabelle Lacoste, his trusted personnel have been transferred to other departments. Corruption is spreading inside the Sûreté, and Gamache knows that a confrontation with those at its source is imminent. Nevertheless, he agrees to look for Myrna's missing friend even though the case, if there is one, is outside his jurisdiction. It's fitting that these events take place as the winter solstice approaches, when the days are at their shortest and the darkness of night is at its longest.

Louise Penny's novels are not typical whodunnits or police procedurals. They're a study of good and evil, light and dark, kindness and cruelty. Gamache explores the darkest parts of the human soul in his daily routine, yet he is able to keep the darkness from infesting his own soul by respecting life, keeping his loved ones close, and treating others with kindness.

Since the last book in the series was set away from Three Pines, it felt like a homecoming to be back among its familiar characters, homes, and businesses. Even though (or perhaps because) many of the residents have been suspects in previous cases, the bond of friendship formed between Gamache and the villagers is real and deep. The village gives him the strength to face the events that are coming to a head.

Three Pines, he knew, was not immune to dreadful loss. To sorrow and pain. What Three Pines had wasn't immunity but a rare ability to heal. And that's what they offered him... Space and time to heal.

And comfort.

But, like peace, comfort didn't come from hiding away or running away. Comfort first demanded courage.

This is a book long-time fans have been waiting for. However, it's not a stand-alone. While each book in the series has a self-contained criminal investigation, each book also contributes to a larger story arc that Penny has plotted as carefully as each individual novel. The series needs to be read in order to get its full benefit.

5 stars

Next up in fiction: Death in the Vines by M. L. Longworth

Nice review, Carrie. I'm glad you enjoyed the latest Penny.

Thanks Beth! I'm glad you enjoyed it too! Now the long wait begins for the next one.

114. Death in the Vines by M. L. Longworth
TIOLI #1 - Word from an apple variety in the title (King of the Pippins)

It's late summer in Aix-en-Provence, and nearing time for the grape harvest. Local law enforcement are investigating attacks on several local women that resulted in their deaths. Are they looking for one perpetrator or multiple perpetrators? The timing suggests that the attacks could be related, but there doesn't seem to be a common link between the murdered women. Juge d'Instruction Antoine Verlaque is on the case, with occasional assistance from his law professor girlfriend, Marine Bonnet. Meanwhile, some of the best bottles of wine are disappearing from the cellar of a local winery. The estate's manager just happens to be married to a Police Commissioner, so somehow her husband and his colleagues must find time to look into the wine thefts as well. Then the murder cases and the wine theft case unexpectedly merge...

I correctly guessed the identity of the perpetrator(s) well before the investigators did, and the motive for the murders wasn't adequately explained. However, the Provence location and other elements of the setting made up for the minor deficiencies in the mystery plot.

Although this is the third book in the Verlaque and Bonnet series, it was my first exposure to the series. I was intrigued by the difference in the criminal justice system, particularly that of an investigating judge. Aix-en-Provence is a tourist destination, but it is also a small city where long-time residents know each others' history. While Verlaque is not originally from Aix, his girlfriend, Marine, has roots there, and her acquaintance with several key witnesses is useful to the investigation of the crimes. With its mixture of personal and professional elements, the book has the feel of both a cozy and a police procedural, leaning just a bit more toward the police procedural. Cozy readers with a low tolerance for swearing might want to give this one a try since the swearing is done in French and will be less jarring for English speakers. The setting was the biggest draw for this armchair traveler, but the book has plenty of elements to appeal to readers with other interests, including wine connoisseurs, foodies, and perhaps cigar connoisseurs and vintage car enthusiasts. Warmly recommended.

This review is based on an electronic advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

4 stars

Next up in fiction: In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar

115. The Baker's Dozen: A Colonial American Tale by Heather Forest with illustrations by Susan Gaber
TIOLI #18 - Title includes a rarely used letter (Z)

A Colonial American baker who invented the St. Nicholas cookie learns a lesson about greed in this Christmas themed children's picture book. The dark reds and greens of the watercolor illustrations manage to convey both a sense of nostalgia and an air of festivity. Although the book has a Christmas theme, the content is not overtly religious. The tie to American history makes it appropriate for classroom use, either in the math or social studies classroom. Parents or grandparents will want to be sure to have Christmas cookies on hand or ready to decorate since everyone will be craving them by the end of the story. Recommended for holiday picture book collections.

This review is based on an electronic advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

3.5 stars

>>#148

Carrie, I'm reading the Inspector Hanauds but somehow skipped right over The Affair At The Semiramis Hotel, so thank you for bringing that to my attention. At The Villa Rose was written before the "rules" of detective fiction got locked down, hence what strikes us as its weird structure. The House Of The Arrow is a better mystery, while The Prisoner In The Opal is as much horror as mystery.

Liz, I think The House of the Arrow may be harder for me to get hold of since it was published after 1923. I'm probably not going to find a free download!

No, but it has been reissued several times because it's on a lot of "best of" lists, so you might get lucky at a library. :)

116. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar
TIOLI #1 - Title contains a word from an apple variety (Duchess of Oldenburg)

Suleiman, an only child, remembers the events from the summer of 1979 in Libya when everything changed for his family. Suleiman, affectionately known as Slooma, was nine years old that summer – old enough to know that something was wrong, but not old enough to understand what was happening. Slooma's father held the wrong political views, which didn't bode well for his health or longevity under the Qaddafi regime. Slooma's mother was often “ill” when his father was away. While “ill”, she would confide her resentment of her early forced marriage to her son, adding a weight of responsibility too heavy for a 9-year-old to bear. When the adults in his life fail to explain what is happening to Slooma, he draws his own conclusions, some of which have disastrous consequences.

While the culture and setting will be unfamiliar to many readers, Slooma's dysfunctional family situation will be all too familiar for some. Slooma's fears, the responsibility he feels for taking care of his mother during her bouts of “illness”, and his exposure to violence eventually affect his behavior. I alternated between sympathy and revulsion as Slooma began to act cruelly toward those who were weaker than he was. I think the fact that he manages to portray Slooma as both a victim and, more subtly, as an abuser says something about Matar's skill as a writer.

4 stars

Next up in fiction: Blind Justice by Anne Perry

117. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
TIOLI #13 - Serendipity challenge

I probably should have abandoned this book, but at some point I had invested enough time in listening to it that I decided to stick it out to the bitter end. It didn't help that my listening stretched over a month as first my iPod quit working (thankfully under warranty) and I had to send it in for a replacement, then I had surgery and mostly watched TV during my recovery. For a while I thought these interruptions might have had something to do with the trouble I had with becoming engaged in the story, but I've concluded that the problem was the story itself. The one bright spot was that I got to listen to the narration of the very talented Orlagh Cassidy, a reader I first encountered in the audio version of the Maisie Dobbs novels.

The story follows the lives of three women, only one of whom was the postmistress of the title, during the early months of World War II, before the U.S. entrance into the war. Iris (the postmistress) and Emma live in a small Cape Cod town, and both are newcomers. Emma is the doctor's bride. Frankie is an American journalist covering the Blitz in London, where she works with the legendary Edward R. Murrow. The three women are brought together by a tragedy.

The women allow their emotions to form their beliefs rather than the other way around. They came across to me as selfish and somewhat shallow. Iris and Frankie both keep news of a tragedy from Emma by rationalizing that they're protecting Emma, but they're really protecting themselves from what they know will be an unpleasant experience. Their incessant brooding over what they knew that Emma didn't know tried my patience almost beyond endurance.

I also disliked Frankie's attitude of moral superiority regarding the plight of the Jews in Europe. Frankie was first outraged and then depressed because of the perceived apathy of average Americans about the situation. I couldn't forget that the people Frankie was condemning were just coming out of a decade of economic depression, with widespread unemployment, hunger, and suffering. Knowing what I know on this side of history, I wish that more people had been aware of the extent of the suffering of the European Jews and had done more to prevent the terrible things that happened to them. However, Frankie seemed to forget that it might be difficult for people to focus on the suffering of unseen people an ocean away when there are many people suffering in their own communities.

2 stars

Next up in audio: The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

118. Blind Justice by Anne Perry
TIOLI #7 - Book is 9th or higher in a series

Sir Oliver Rathbone finds himself on the wrong side of the law after presiding over a fraud trial that ended badly. Will Monk and Hester find some means to save their friend from imprisonment or worse?

I like Anne Perry's historical mysteries because they force readers to think about weighty matters like duty, social justice, friendship, good and evil, right and wrong. In this instance, Perry invites readers to contemplate the justice system itself. Perry is a prolific author, and I haven't made an effort to read any of her series in order. This book is closely tied to at least a couple of earlier books in her Monk series, and it left enough questions unanswered at the end that it seems that the fallout from this book may be dealt with in another book. I haven't read the earlier related books, and the contents of this book leave me in no doubt about what happened in the earlier ones. Readers who dislike spoilers will definitely want to read this series in order.

I think this book might have worked better as a novella. The book began to feel repetitive about halfway through, as the characters kept having what felt like the same conversation and making the same points over and over. Maybe this was more noticeable to me because the last few of Perry's books that I've read have been novellas, and I've come to prefer them over her longer works. Her writing excels in that medium. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and Anne Perry is among my favorite authors in this genre. While I've liked some of her other books more than this one, I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on the pleasure of reading it.

This review is based on an electronic advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

3 stars

Next up in fiction: The Devil's Bones by Jefferson Bass

119. The Devil's bones by Jefferson Bass
TIOLI #10 - Book I've had since 2012 or earlier that starts or continues a series

Dr. Bill Brockton, the anthropology professor who created the famous Body Farm, juggles three investigations in this episode in the Body Farm series. A woman's charred body was discovered in a car on her property. Was her death an accident or was it murder? Her husband would be the prime suspect if she was murdered, but he was thousands of miles away. A prominent local attorney believes there is something wrong with his aunt's cremated remains and asks Brockton to take a look. This leads to a gruesome discovery at a Georgia crematorium. Finally, the medical examiner turned murderer who had set Brockton up for murder in the previous book in the series is due to be tried. However, he escapes from custody before the trial. Will he come after Brockton again?

Bill Brockton is a thinly disguised version of the University of Tennessee's famous anthropologist, Dr. William Bass, who happens to be one half of the Jefferson Bass writing team. If I had any doubt about the accuracy of the scientific details in the book (which I don't, given Dr. Bass's credentials and reputation), they would be put to rest by the accuracy of the local details. For me, half the fun of reading this series is its local setting. I know the roads, businesses, and local media outlets mentioned in the book. Even little details like CNN's cable channel number are accurate. One thing I love about this book is that it highlights the good work done by many real local agencies to address the problem of homelessness in our community. I know many who volunteer with these agencies and how much of their time they contribute. There's a reason Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State! Another thing I like about this series is that it doesn't reinforce the negative stereotype of Southerners that is so common in movies, TV, and books. Dr. Brockton and his anthropology students and local law enforcement agencies are all portrayed as competent professionals, just as they are in real life. Readers with any interest in the Body Farm should make sure this series is on their reading list.

4 stars

Next up in fiction: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

Carrie, you have been reading up a storm! I listened to The Body in the Library last year. Enjoy!

I need to see where I left off in the Three Pines series. I listened to most of them, and then got the actual books from the library because I wanted to go faster than the stellar audio productions, but now I can't remember where I am!

Being a UT Anthro graduate who did a semester in the processing lab for the body farm, albeit after Dr. Bass was retired from his official capacity, the Jefferson Bass books intrigue me. Unfortunately, being a Cultural Anthropologist in an extremely forensics/ physical Anthro centric department and not typically enjoying crime novels has kept me from actually reading any of them. Even though my Mom has them all and raves about them. Maybe I should just read one... I do really really love Dr. Bass as a person. And I may or may not have insinuated to him that I had already read his books. ;)

PS: He is the best celebrity bartender I've ever come across!

>161 AMQS: Anne, I guess you could say I'm making up for lost time. I didn't feel like reading right after my surgery. I'm enjoying reading again now that I'm better.

>162 leahbird: Leah, if you don't want to read the whole series, this would be a good one to try. I liked it better than the first two. I think I would have trouble reading some of the scenes in the first two books if I actually knew Dr. Bass. There isn't any kissing in this one.

I've seen people reading these books in waiting rooms who I'm pretty sure don't usually read crime novels. I think they're reading it because of the local connection.

I think I can identify with your Anthro Dept experience at UT. The same thing happened to us library people in the School of Information Science.

Great review for The Devil's Bones; love the local connection and background information!

>164 countrylife: Thanks Cindy! I'm not aware of many other series set in Knoxville so that makes it especially fun.

120. Richard III: A Small Guide to the Great Debate by Annette Carson
TIOLI #1 - Title includes a word from an apple variety (King of the Pippins)

I had hoped that this overview of the controversy surrounding Richard III would have a bit more about the recent discovery of his remains in a Leicester car park. While the author alludes a couple of times to what has been learned from Richard’s skeletal remains and to DNA evidence, the main thrust of the book is to analyze the evidence either substantiating or refuting the accusations that Richard III usurped the throne and murdered his nephews. Even though it is aimed at a popular rather than an academic audience, the book could have benefited from a bibliography of recommended sources for readers who want to explore the topic in greater depth. Primary sources are mentioned throughout the book, such as Thomas More’s History of King Richard III and Polydore Vergil’s English history, and it would be helpful to non-academics to provide a little more information about the availability of modern editions of these works. This book covers a lot of the same ground as Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time. Readers who have already read Tey’s book may not feel like they’re picking up many new details.

This review is based on an electronic advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

3 stars

>158 cbl_tn:: Carrie, I'm another one disappointed by The Postmistress. It should and could have been a much better book imo. However, I don't think I'll be disappointed by the new Penny book. With reviews like yours and others I am getting impatient for my copy to become available at the library. There must be some slow readers in this city!

Donna, I hope your name comes to the top of the list very soon! I think you'll love it. I'm already looking forward to re-reading it.

I'm currently reading The Garden of Evening Mists and it's wonderful so far. I think your review is what put it on my wishlist.

I had one last follow-up appointment from my surgery this afternoon and everything is healing well. If I had known how much better I'd feel after getting rid of my tonsils I would have had this surgery ages ago. I picked up a cold somewhere over the weekend (at a wedding, at church, or at the grocery store) and I've had a sore throat, cough, frequent sneezing, and a slight fever for the last few days. I still feel tons better than I did before surgery, even with all these cold symptoms. I've been going to work this week, although I've made a point to keep to myself in my office and avoid contact with other people and with objects that are handled by other people.

121. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
TIOLI #5 - Title includes the word "library"

When Dolly Bantry and her husband, Colonel Bantry, wake to the news that the body of a strange woman is in their library, Colonel Bantry calls the police. Dolly calls her friend, Miss Jane Marple, because Miss Marple is “good at bodies”. Actually, Miss Marple is good at reading character, and her ability to see similarities between the behavior of strangers and the behavior of the inhabitants of St. Mary Mead helps her to solve a case that has the police baffled. The suspects with the best motive for murder had no opportunity, and the suspects with opportunity had no motive.

Dolly Bantry is one of my favorite characters from the Miss Marple mysteries, so I've always had a fondness for this book. Miss Marple has a bigger role in this book than she did in The Murder at the Vicarage, but she's still absent during much of the police's investigation and the questioning of witnesses. She learns all she needs to know to solve the murder in a relatively short space of time. Even with the advantage of listening in to the police's interviews with suspects and witnesses, Miss Marple still beat me to the murderer's identity! This time around I listened to the audio version narrated by Stephanie Cole, who might be familiar to many listeners as Diana from the British sitcom Waiting for God. I had high expectations for the audio version, and I wasn't disappointed.

4 stars

Next up in audio: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Carrie, that's great that you're healing so well and feeling better. I'm sorry to hear about the cold, though. Everyone seems to have it here. One of the girls at work tells me I must read The Garden of Evening Mists so I should get onto it!

Thanks Susan! I saw on your thread that you're suffering, too. It's too bad we're an ocean apart. We could suffer together!

Hi Carrie, The Garden of Evening Mists is very high on my TBR-list also so I look forward to your review.
I'm a bit jealous of all the reading you've been doing lately: Agatha Christie, Julian Barnes, etc. I hope to be able to read more in the near future, because Byatt's book has really held me back far too long.

Hi Monica! I'm about halfway through with The Garden of Evening Mists and I'm enjoying it immensely so far. The setting is very different from anything I've read before, and I'm learning a lot about the post-WW II era in that part of Asia. I'm finding The Sense of an Ending is a little more difficult to follow in audio format than a plot-driven novel, so I ended up checking out and downloading the ebook format so I can refer to it if I feel like I've missed something in the audio version.

122. Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell
TIOLI #10 - Series book I've had since 2012 or earlier

When one of a group of young London barristers is detained as a murder suspect while on holiday in Venice, the others, with the help of their mentor Professor Hilary Tamar, combine efforts to solve the crime and exonerate their friend. Julia, the suspect, has sent one of their number daily letters detailing the events of the Art Lovers tour of Venice and a description of her travel companions, giving her friends back home in London all the information they need apply the rules of logic to solve the crime.

Although the book is a little more risque than the typical cozy mystery, it has a similar humorous, light-hearted atmosphere. Readers who enjoy reading about the British legal and tax systems, art, and travel, all wrapped up in witty repartee will want to add this one to their reading lists.

3.5 stars

Last week's acquisitions:

Mary Shelley by Muriel Spark
A Northern Line Minute by William Leith
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (audio version read by Simon Vance) - free audio download
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope (audio version read by Simon Vance)

I liked those Sarah Caudwell mysteries. Too bad that there weren't more.

Linda, it was a fun read. I have the second one in my TBR stash whenever I get around to it.

Hi Carrie, I am hoping to get to The Garden of Evening Mists next year for both my Category Challenge and Commonwealth Challenge. I read his first book, The Gift of Rain last year and loved it.

I've been looking for a dog off and on for quite a while, and today I found one. A friend reserved a dog at the Humane Society on Saturday and saw one that she thought was perfect for me. She invited me to go with her to pick up her dog this morning. The other dog was still there and he came home with me. They said that he's a Shih Tzu, but I think it's possible that he could be a mixed breed. I'll find out more when I take him to the vet tomorrow. He's a sweet little guy, and for the moment his favorite seat seems to be my lap. :) I had a hard time getting far enough away from him to take a photo, but I did manage to get one:

Very cute doggie, Carrie. The little guy looks just like my Wisconsin cousin's Shih Tzu (her name is Misty...the dog, not the cousin).

I usually like beagles and labs but Misty has a cute little face. Kind of grows on you after awhile.

Thanks Linda! i'm calling this little guy Adrian after one of my favorite TV detectives.

Awe, a doggie came home with you, and an adorable one at that. What a sweet face!

Thanks Lori! He's a sweet little guy.

Aww, what a cutie-pie! :)

Thanks Liz!

Carrie, what a cute face he has! And if he won't get off your lap, he must be thrilled to have found his "forever human".

I hope you're all better. I'm getting there.

Thanks Susan! We need to adjust to each others' schedule. He slept away most of the evening, then did't want to sleep last night. Or maybe he just doesn't like the idea of sleeping in a crate, even in the same room with me. We'll have to work on it. I'd rather not let him sleep with me until after he's seen the vet and until I know just how housetrained he is. It would help if I could find a treat he likes to reward him with. So far he hasn't shown interest in anything he's been offered.

I took Adrian to the vet this afternoon and she said he seems to have severe allergies. She also thought he seemed depressed. He seems perkier after his first dose of Benadryl so I'm hopeful that the depression will improve when he feels better and gets settled in here. I also found a brand of food he seems to like thanks to a lovely young couple I met at the pet store.

Hi Carrie, Adrian is a cutie and I bet he will be excellent company for you.

Adrian is adorable! (Is he named after Monk?)

Hi Carrie, just trying to get caught up. Adrian looks so cute and I love that he's a lap dog. Have fun with him.

I'm sure Adrian will get accustomed to you and settle in soon! He's probably just depressed from not having a home.

>191 countrylife: Yes he is named after Monk!

>192 phebj: Thanks Pat! I think he's beginning to feel at home here.

>193 thornton37814: Lori, you need to meet him!

It was my turn at the doctor today. I decided it was time to go when my symptoms hadn't conpletely cleared up in 10 days. I have a sinus infection and came home with an antibiotic. I still feel much better than I did pre-tonsillectomy so this won't slow me down much.

Hi Carrie - Good luck with your new roomie! Cute dog. How old is he?

Thanks Beth! The shelter thought he was about 2 years old, but the vet thinks he might be a little older than that.

123. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters
TIOLI #2 - Historical novel with an atypcial setting

After the last archaeological season, Radcliffe and Amelia Emerson went home to England with a foster daughter and an important discovery they can never reveal. The new season finds the Emersons in Egypt while the children remain in England, reminding Amelia of the early days of their romance and marriage. The feeling doesn't last long. Someone is after the Emersons and the secret of their discovery during the previous season. The ensuing mayhem includes kidnappings, amnesia, and murder. Will the Emersons thwart their pursuer's plans, or will they be victims to his greed?

This series is like a cross between romantic suspense/adventure and Saturday morning cartoons. The Emerson rub shoulders with real live Egyptologists like Budge, Petrie, and Carter. Ramses doesn't feature in as many scenes as usual since he stayed in England this season, but readers do get the pleasure of reading several very entertaining letters he writes to reassure his parents that all is well on the home front. This series is best read in order because of the character development and the friends and villains who reappear from time to time in the series.

4 stars

I'm going to have to learn how to type with a sleeping dog in my lap.

I'm going to have to learn how to type with a sleeping dog in my lap.

Awe.... Nice!

Welcome to Adrian -- how wonderful you found each other!

Thanks Anne! He's good company.

Carrie, he sounds like a very affectionate dog. I read a couple in the Elizabeth Peters series, but in the days before I could reserve from all over London, so I couldn't really go further than what my library had in stock. I did like them, though - maybe I should try again.

Susan, he is very affectionate. I wish he felt better. I think he has a respiratory infection and needs to go back to the vet. He does seem to be a little better today. We went on a long walk this afternoon and a short trip in the car. I think it was good for him.

The Elizabeth Peters books are perfect when you want to read something just for fun. If it's easier for you to get them now, I think you might enjoy them. I've heard that the audio version is good, too, but my library doesn't have the audio available for remote downloading.

Carrie, I remember when I brought my first dog home from a pet store. At first he seemed fine, but gradually developed a bad respiratory infection that turned out to be kennel cough. It was cured with antibiotics. You might ask your vet to check for that because it's something easily transmitted in places like kennels and shelters. Hope it turns out to be nothing.

Thanks Pat! One of my friends said the same thing to me at church this morning. We both got dogs from the shelter on the same day, but her dog had been vaccinated for kennel cough. I'm not sure how they knew that, though. Adrian seemed more energetic today and I think he's feeling better, but since there are still signs of infection I think he ought to see the vet in the next couple of days.

124. In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton
TIOLI #6 - Title contains a landform (tor)

This Newbery Honor Book pairs Virginia Hamilton's retellings of creation stories from various world cultures with watercolor illustrations by noted artist Barry Moser. Of the twenty-five stories in the book, three are from Greek mythology and two are the accounts of creation from Genesis chapters 1 and 2. This would be a good addition to a high school or junior high library collection. I would not recommend this book for younger children because of the dark illustrations, some of which will almost surely frighten some children. The book would not be out of place in an adult's library collection or displayed as a coffee table book. The bibliography of useful sources will lead interested readers to scholarly works on origins, world religions, mythology, and legends.

4 stars

I had to take my little guy back to the vet this afternoon. He has bronchitis. I came home with pills I have to give him every 12 hours. The vet demonstrated how to do it with his first dose. I hope I can replicate it when the time comes.

125. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
TiOLI #5 - Letters from title spell a Halloween word (dead)

Flavia de Luce received shocking news at the end of Speaking from Among the Bones. This book addresses the fallout from that news a week later. While there is a murder – or maybe two – for Flavia to solve, murder isn't at the heart of this one. Instead, it's family secrets. Flavia, at almost twelve, shows flashes of maturity when she empathizes with others in their grief. In other ways she is still very much a child. This book answers many questions about Flavia's family that have had readers guessing since the beginning of the series. Even though I was glad to finally learn the family secrets, I enjoyed this one less than other books in the series because Flavia wasn't matching wits with Inspector Hewitt and the police this time. It also seems to signal a change in the character of the series, from straight murder mystery to more of an adventure or spy novel. I'm curious to find out where Flavia is headed next.

This review is based on an electronic advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

3.5 stars

The first few days I had my dog, he didn't pay any attention to toys. He's more playful now that he's adjusting to my house and now that he feels better. He has a favorite toy - a stuffed hot dog with a squeaker inside it. It's almost as big as his head! He carries it around the house with him. Yesterday morning he didn't want to give it up when we went outside for a walk so I ended up letting him take it with us. He carried it the whole time we were out.

Hi Carrie. It's good to hear Adrian is feeling better and that's such a cute story about him carrying his toy on his walk!

I assume you figured out a good way to give him his pills. Just in case you need any ideas, we buy something called "Pill Pockets" for dogs at our vets office (you can probably get them in pet stores too) that come in different flavors and have a little pocket to tuck the pill in and then close it up into a small ball. Our dog takes the pills with no problem that way. Some of the pills he's had to take have an unpleasant flavor and these solved the problem so we use them regularly now. Our dog is terrified of thunder storms so we started giving him Xanax this summer.

Thanks for the tip Pat! The vet gave me a syringe she had cut and suggested that I fill it with spray cheese with the pill hidden in the middle. I've discovered that he swallows it without chewing so the process is working for me.

Very happy to read that Adrian is on the mend and has a favorite toy - what a cute story!

Great review of the latest Flavia book. Like you, I will be very curious to see if Bradley takes the future stories in a different direction.... I really enjoy the murder mysteries where Flavia butts heads (and wits) with Inspector Hewitt.

Thanks Lori! It does seem like Flavia is changing directions for the rest of the series. I guess we'll see when the next one comes along.

Carrie, that's good news about Adrian. I love the squeaky hot dog :-)

Thanks Susan! He loves his squeaky hot dog too!

126. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
TIOLI #16 - Book set in a member country of the UN Security Council

Toward the end of his life, a man revisits relationships from his youth and takes stock of himself in the process. How accurate are his perceptions and memories of long ago events? Although he is a reasonably intelligent man, he's not very ambitious and has been content to let life happen to him. His growing awareness that he bears some responsibility for the shape of his own life as well as that of others is an unpleasant revelation.

Julian Barnes packs a lot into a short book, examining questions of philosophy, life and death, history, perception, memory, friendship, social responsibility, and love. Although it's primarily a character study, there is enough of a story to satisfy readers who prefer plot-driven novels. It's well worth the time it takes to read it. I won't be surprised if it works its way onto reading lists for literature courses.

4 stars

Next up in audio: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Hi Carrie - It sounds like you are having fun with your dog. We are trying to keep my daughter's dogs from chewing up the baby's toys. They have become very sneaky, so we need to be extra vigilant closing the baby's door. And, of course, they chewed up her favorite toys.

Lovely comments on the Barnes book - it's a gem, isn't it?

Thanks Beth! Are the dogs jealous of the new baby? Or do they just assume that all toys belong to them? I've noticed that my dog thinks all of my Boyds Bears are his to play with. We're working on that.

I did like the Barnes book. I especially like that it isn't overwritten. So many books these days seem to be much longer than they need to be. This isn't one of them.

Hi Carrie - The dogs seem fine with the baby -- I think they're a little sad because they don't get all of the attention nowadays. I think it is more of an issue that all toys belong to them.

Nick Hornby has some funny things to say about "literary" fiction -- some of it seems pretentious. I just thought the Barnes book was quietly brilliant.

127. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
TIOLI #5 - Letters from the title spell a Halloween word (mist)

Recently retired judge Yun Ling Teoh returns to Malaysia's Cameron Highlands and the garden that helped her recover from her experience as a Japanese prisoner of war. In the early 1950s, Yun Ling went to Yugiri to ask its Japanese gardener to create a memorial garden for her sister who died during the war. Despite her anger toward the Japanese for the suffering she endured during the war, she stayed on as Aritomo's apprentice. Their mutual respect grew into something more, complicated by each one's deeply held secrets. Revisiting memories from that period of her life leads Yun Ling to recognize truths that had been hidden from her for decades.

Yun Ling (and readers) wrestle with uncomfortable attitudes and feelings. All of Yun Ling's relationships with family, friends, and lovers are complicated by ethnic differences, political allegiances, the atrocities of war, and shifts in power and control. While World War II is over, Malaya is in the midst of a guerrilla war between the government and the Communist party.

This isn't a book to rush through. It's a book to savor. Yun Ling has reached a contemplative period of her life. The remote mountain setting and the themes of gardening, art, tradition, and religion that run through the book made me want to linger in its pages. I think this book will stick with me for a long time because of its unique location, setting, and themes. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars

Oh boy! Another stellar review of The Garden of Evening Mists. I keep putting off reading this because I have Tan Twan Eng's The Gift of Rain waiting patiently on my shelves to be read and feel like I need to read it first. I may need to rethink that idea.

I loved, loved, loved The Garden of Evening Mists. For my part, I have kept putting off reading The Gift of Rain because it sounded a little too similar to this one -- WW2 in Malaysia and Penang in particular at the center of the plot. But I do want to read it soon and hope he writes more.

Compared to last year, when this and Mantel's second book in her T. Cromwell trilogy were tied for my affections, I have yet to fall in love with a Man Booker shortlisted novel. That said, I haven't yet read The Luminaries. Or rather, have only read a single chapter, and stopped, daunted by the length and not able to devote enough attention to it.

The Gift of Rain does sound similar. I think I'll wait a while to read it and let this one settle first.

Have you read Harvest? That's the only other one on this year's shortlist that tempts me. I'm likely to get to it before The Luminaries since it's a lot shorter.

Carrie, the new man in your life is a cutie. I can just picture Adrian on his walk carrying the hot dog toy in his mouth. Lucky tries to take his outside football along with him sometimes but we make him "leave it." I think his jaws would get tired and I would end up carrying it with me!

I loved The Garden of Evening Mists. You asked Suz about Harvest...I read it and liked it but the feelings have been mixed here on LT. It's different and gloomy.

Thanks Donna! I think he's a keeper! I can't remember for sure, but I think I first heard of The Garden of Evening Mists on your thread last year and added it to my wishlist then. I'll keep that in mind about the mood of Harvest. I do want to read it, but I should probably pick a time when I'm in the mood for something gloomy.

128. The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck
TIOLI #5 - Letters from the title spell a Halloween word (Moon)

I remember how I felt on 9/11 when the news kept getting worse as first one, then another, then another passenger plane crashed into buildings in New York and Washington, D.C. I also remember how I felt when I heard about Flight 93, whose courageous passengers changed the terrorists’ intended outcome of their flight and saved countless lives in the process. That news gave me hope that this nation would survive because it is filled with millions of brave and resilient people just like the passengers on Flight 93.

The Moon Is Down fulfilled a similar purpose in Nazi occupied Europe. Steinbeck apparently captured the spirit of the resistance, and copies of this book were surreptitiously translated, printed, and circulated in many of the occupied nations. I didn’t find the characters and story particularly appealing, but then Steinbeck wasn’t thinking about readers like me when he wrote this book. (Even so, I did like it much better than The Grapes of Wrath!) It’s worth reading more for its historical context and its influence during the war than for its literary qualities. Readers with an interest in World War II in Europe should add this to their reading lists.

3 stars

Harvest was excellent, although it didn't stop me in my tracks the way either Mantel or Tan did. I think I appreciated as much or more than I relished it.

Tks for the suggestion of The Moon is Down. I do need to read some more Steinbeck, having stopped for some reason after Of Mice and Men and The Pearl. Although I did read a collection of his journalism a while back.

I think I might be more interested in Steinbeck's journalism than his fiction. I read The Grapes of Wrath about 25 years ago and disliked it so much that I haven't given him another chance until now.

Adrian is trying my patience today. This morning I could tell he needed to go out, but instead of letting me take him out, he ran away from me. By the time I found him he had done his business on my bathroom floor. Fortunately it's linoleum and he didn't do anything on the bathmat or the carpet in other rooms. This is the second time he's done that since he's been here. I have a feeling he's been trained to do it. I hope I can retrain him without too much frustration for either of us.

I have to Atlanta for a meeting later this afternoon. Adrian is going to stay with a friend who adopted a dog the same day I did. Adrian has seen her and her dog several times since then so I hope he won't feel like I've abandoned him. Fingers crossed that he behaves for her family! We're planning to trade dog-sitting whenever either of us travels so I really hope he doesn't wear out his welcome on his first visit.

I liked The Moon Is Down. Last year or the year before, during the Steinbeckathon, I hosted the discussion of that one.

The story regarding the propaganda etc involving that book was interesting, as I recall.

:Linda, the introduction to the book was more interesting to me than the book was. I liked the book but didn't love it.

Hi Carrie - Good luck with Adrian. Nice review of The Moon Is Down; I'm going to look for that.

Thanks Beth! My friend sent me a picture of him making himself comfortable on the back of her love seat. Now I'm afraid he won't want to come home with me when I get back!

I remember reading a book by Steinbeck when I was in high school. I wasn't impressed but I do like books about WWII and will have to check out The Moon is Down. Thanks for the review.

Carrie is experiencing separation anxiety (like any other new parent). Every other sentence out of her mouth is: "I miss my dog."

Meg,, I didn't have to read anything by Steinbeck in high school or college. I read The Grapes of Wrath a few years after college and disliked it so much that I was reluctant to try anything else by him. Maybe this one has done the trick. I don't think I'll be so reluctant to get back to him after this.

>234 cbl_tn: That's so funny because my mom used to have a Rat Terrier who's favorite spot was on the back of the couch. It was such catlike behavior, to want to be up high where one could survey all their territory. ;) She was also the only dog allowed on the furniture, which I thought was terribly unfair. ;)

Leah, this dog has several characteristics that seem more like cats than dogs. He's really funny sometimes.

I know it was Steinbeck that we read in high school but I have read over a list of his novels and I can't identify it. Maybe it was a short story. I just borrowed The Moon is Down from the library and hope that it overcomes my dislike of Steinbeck's writing like it did for you, Carrie.

I have permanent dents in the pouffy backs of my chairs and couches because they are Sally's favourite resting places. She is a cat but I did have a dog that I surprised once basking on the kitchen table. The table was in the sun and there were benches built in to the wall for seats around the table. The dog must have been fast asleep in the sun not to get down when she heard us coming. She was a fair size - about 50 pounds of mix-breed, but then she needed the longer legs to get on the table!

Meg, I'll be curious to see how The Moon Is Down works for you!

Carrie, are you back? I know that Adrian will be so happy to see you!

We adopted an adult dog from a shelter years and years ago, and he had a bad case of kennel cough. We made an appointment to take him to the vet -- at the time we lived in the mountains, and he was this wonderfully old-fashioned country vet -- and he told us to give the dog a spoonful of honey every time she coughed. She loved it and it worked! I'm glad that Adrian is feeling better, and that you're able to get him to take his medicine.

GREAT review of The Garden of Evening Mists -- wow! I also enjoyed The Moon is Down when I read it last year. The story itself I thought was okay, but the story of the book, and how powerful and meaningful it was in Europe at the time made it a special reading experience.

Anne, I just got back about a half hour ago. As soon as I unloaded the car I went and picked up Adrian. He remembers me and I think he's glad to be home even though he had fun at my friend's house. I'll be keeping her dog for a couple of days in about a month.

I have honey so I may try that for Adrian's cough. I bet he'll like it!

Thank you for the kind comments about my review. I think it's a book you might like.

Welcome back!

Having a dog-sitting friend is gold. We have exchanged dog-sitting with my husband's business partner for years. Their dog Zomo is spending a long weekend with us right now:) When we go abroad to see family we're gone for weeks, so having someone willing to take Whistler is invaluable.

This week's acquisitions:
The Ladies' Paradise by Emile Zola (purchased new)
Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk (purchased used)
Blue Latitudes by Tony Horwitz (purchased used)
James Herriot's Yorkshire by James Herriot (purchased used)

I discovered that I already owned a copy of the last one. However, it's a mass market paperback, and the one I just bought is a trade paperback with color photographs. I'll keep that one and get rid of the mass market paperback.

I had Adrian get in his crate so I could go to church this evening. He was reluctant to get in it but he didn't whine or bark like he usually does. Dare I hope that this is progress?

I've been reading but I haven't been finishing anything. I had started a biography/history and a long poem and neither one turned out to be quick going. I hope to finish a couple of books this weekend so I'll have some reviews to post.

I haven't been listening to audio books nearly as much. For some reason the dog is cutting into more of my audiobook time than my print/e-book reading time. I'd really like to finish Frankenstein before the end of the month. We'll see. I do a lot of my audiobook listening in the car. I ordered a harness and booster seat for the dog and I may get out more once I have that. Right now if I take the dog with my anywhere in the car he has to stay in a crate on the floor. I think both of us will enjoy being in the car more when he can look out the window at his surroundings.

Same with me. I think I've started about 6 books, mostly nonfiction, and I've been reading a little here and a little there. Not finishing anything though.

Please follow me to my new thread!