inge87's Books of 2013, Part Three: 75 Percent Done with the Year

I can't believe it's October and we're 3/4 through 2013, but it's true!



Currently Reading:
Advent and Christmas with the Church Fathers by Marco Pappalardo
The Ludwig Conspiracy by Oliver Pötzsch
The Wandering Heart by Mary Malloy

That's all for 2013, come join me in my 2014 thread, here!

Yearly Total = 274 Books Read!

* = re-read
+ = owned and unread since before 2013 (Mt. TBR)

1 star = Did trees really have to die for this?
2 stars = Almost a good book
3 stars = A solid, good book
4 stars = A very good book
5 stars = An amazingly good book

Books Read in January

1. The Unintended Reformation by Brad S. Gregory (4)
2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (4)
3. Carbonel, the King of the Cats by Barbara Sleigh (3)
4. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman* (5)
5. At Mesa's Edge by Eugenia Bone (3)
6. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath (1)
7. A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont (2)
8. The House of Arden by E. Nesbit (3)
9. Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan by Frank L. Holt (5)
10. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (3)
11. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley (4)
12. Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer (5)
13. St. Maria und St. Clemens Schwarzrheindorf, Ein Kirchenführer by Karl Königs (3)
14. Godly Seed: American Evangelicals Confront Birth Control, 1873-1973 by Allan Carlson (3)
15. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (3)
16. The Round House by Louise Erdrich (3)
17. The Jim Chee Mysteries: People of Darkness/The Dark Wind/The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman (3)
18. The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee Huber (3)
19. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko* (5)
20. Stages on the Road by Sigrid Undset (3)
21. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera (4)
22. The Rescuers by Margery Sharp (4)
23. There was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra by Chinua Achebe (3)
24. Titian: His Life by Sheila Hale (3) -- Finally!
25. Borderland: A Journey through the History of Ukraine by Anna Reid (4)
26. Impressionism, Fashion, & Modernity by Gloria Groom, Editor (3)
27. The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman (3)
28. Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman (2)

Books Read in February

29. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (3)
30. The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse (4)
31. The Midnight Folk by John Masefield (4)
32. You Will See Fire: A Search for Justice in Kenya by Christopher Goffard (5)
33. At the Altar: Matrimonial Tales by L. M. Montgomery* (3)
34. Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (4)
35. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (2)
36. Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman (3)
37. Leaphorn & Chee: Skinwalker, a Thief of Time, & Talking God by Tony Hillerman (3)
38. The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic America by Patricia Klindienst (5)
39. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery* (4)
40. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay (2)
41. Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World by Steven Mithen (4)
42. A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd (4)
43. An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd (2)
44. A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd (3)
45. What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris (3)
46. My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes) by Luisa Weiss(3)
47. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys (1)
48. A Testimonial to Grace by Avery Cardinal Dulles (4)
49. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (2)
50. Soulless by Gail Carringer (4)
51. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (3)

Feb. Total = 23 books read

Books Read in March

52. Changeless by Gail Carringer (2)
53. Blameless by Gail Carriger (3)
54. Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (4)
55. An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd (4)
56. Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (3)
57. Black Elk's Vision: A Lakota Story by S. D. Nelson (4)
58. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander (2)
59. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (2)
60. Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown (4)
61. Sunflower by Gyula Krúdy (3)
62. A Turn of Light by Julie E. Czerneda (5)
63. The Frick Collection: Handbook of Paintings by The Frick Collection (4)
64. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (4)
65. When Gods Die by C. S. Harris (4)
66. Living the Catholic Faith: Rediscovering the Basics by Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap. (3)
67. Walking to Emmaus by Eamon Duffy (2)
68. Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman (2)
69. Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman (3)
70. The Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman (4)
71. Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (3)
72. Francis of Assisi: A New Biography by Augustine Thompson, OP (4)

Total = 21 Books Read

Books Read in April

73. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (4)
74. Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (3)
75. Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters by Kate Brown (5)
76. Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris (3)
77. What Remains of Heaven by C. S. Harris (3)
78. Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson (3)
79. Murder on the Rocks by Karen MacInerney (1)
80. Where Shadows Dance by C. S. Harris (3)
81. A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym (4)
82. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (5)
83. My Backyard Jungle: The Adventures of an Urban Wildlife Lover who Turned His Yard into Habitat and Learned to Live with It by James Barilla (4)
84. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (3)
85. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (2)
86. Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill (3)
87. Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation by Andrea Wulf (3)
88. Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick (5)
89. The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest by John Gerard (5)
90. The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger (5)
91. Grisly Grisell by Charlotte M. Yonge* (3)
92. The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays by Chinua Achebe (3)
93. Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear (3)
94. Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson (3)
95. Pardon and Peace: A Sinner's Guide to Confession by Fr. Francis Randolph (4)
96. Maynard L. Parker: Photography and the American Dream by Jennifer A. Watts (Ed.) (5)
97. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda (4)
98. My Friend Prospero by Henry Harland* (4)
99. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (1)
100. Watership Down by Richard Adams* (5)

Total = 28 Books Read

Books Read in May

101. The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear (3)
102. Murder on Gramercy Park by Victoria Thompson (2)
103. The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (3)
104. Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China by Paul French (4)
105. Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Ann Porter (4)
106. The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett* (3)
107. Divergent by Victoria Roth (4)
108. American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard (4)
109. Good Evening Mrs. Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes by Mollie Panter-Downes (4)
110. Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty* (4)
111. Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris (3)
112. Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown (3)
113. Exodus by Leon Uris (3)
114. Otter Country: In Search of the Wild Otter by Miriam Darlington (3)
115. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (3)
116. Frederica by Georgette Heyer* (4)
117. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer* (5)
118. The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe (3)
119. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (3)
120. Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson (3)
121. Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland by Jan T. Gross* (4)
122. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (3)
123. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (4)
124. The Masterful Monk by Owen Francis Dudley (4)
125. Gigi by Colette* (5)
126. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (3)
127. Francis of Assisi: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Saint by André Vauchez (4)

Total = 27 Books Read

Books Read in June

128. The Ghosts Of Evolution: Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms by Connie Barlow (5)
129. The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden (3)
130. A Million Suns by Beth Revis (2)
131. The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly (3)
132. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (4)
133. The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (3)
134. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (4)
135. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer* (4)
136. Insurgent by Veronica Roth (3)
137. Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer* (5)
138. Adventures in Norway: The Story of Olaf and Ane by Virginia Olcott (5)
139. Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway (4)
140. Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum (3)
141. An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler (5)
142. Rebuilding Catholic Culture: How the Catechism Can Shape Our Common Life by Ryan N. S. Topping (4)
143. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (5)

Total = 16 Books Read

Books Read in July

144. Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect That Shaped the American Frontier by Jeffrey A. Lockwood (4)
145. Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Everending Earth by Craig Childs (3)
146. Detroit City is the Place to Be by Mark Binelli (4)
147. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (4)
148. Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear (3)
149. Better for All the World: The Secret History of Forced Sterilization and America's Quest for Racial Purity by Harry Bruinius (2)
150. Tolkien: Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce (4)
151. Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City by Eric Toensmeier (2)
152. In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh (4)
153. The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson (3)
154. Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart* (5)
155. Will Many Be Saved?: What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization by Ralph Martin (4)
156. The Epistles of Ignatius by Ignatius of Antioch (3)
157. Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (3)
158. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly (4)
159. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (2)
160. What Went Wrong With Vatican II: The Catholic Crisis Explained by Ralph M. McInerny (4)
161. Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words by Rod Bennett (3)
162. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon (3)
163. The Wisdom of Father Dowling by Ralph McInerny (3)
164. Lying Three by Ralph McInerny (3)
165. The Mousewife by Rumer Godden* (2)
166. An Armenian Sketchbook by Vasily Grossman (5)
167. Die Mutter des Herrn: ein Brief und darin ein Entwurf by Romano Guardini (3)

Monthly Total = 24 Books Read

Books Read in August

168. Wanted—A Chaperon by Paul Leicester Ford* (4)
169. Sensuous Worship: Jesuits and the Art of the Early Catholic Reformation in Germany by Jeffrey Chipps Smith (5)
170. God in Me: A Popular Explanation of Sanctifying Grace or the Mystery of God's Life in Us by Matthew M. Swizdor (4)
171. Bootle's Baby: A Story of the Scarlet Lancers by John Strange Winter* (3)
172. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West* (5)
173. Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson (3)
174. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (2)
175. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett* (4)
176. The Kitchen Gardener's Handbook by Jennifer R. Bartley (3)
177. Her Death of Cold by Ralph McInerny (3)
178. Peking Picnic by Ann Bridge+ (4)
179. Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson (3)
180. The First Century after Beatrice by Amin Maalouf (5)
181. Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (5)
182. The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman (3)
183. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell+ (4)
184. Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century by Christian Caryl (4)
185. When Maidens Mourn by C. S. Harris (3)
186. Goldenes Zeitalter: Holländische Gruppenporträts aus dem Amsterdams Historisch Museum by Sabine Haag+ (3)

Monthly Total = 19 Books Read

Books Read in September

187. Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman (4)
188. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole (2)
189. Warped by Maurissa Guibord (3)
190. Anecdotes of Destiny and Ehrengard by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) (3)
191. The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman (2)
192. Saul, Israel in Egypt, Messiah, Belshazzar, Theodora, Jephtha by Georg Friedrich Händel+ (3)
193. Kate's Progress by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (4)
194. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron (2)
195. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen (3)
196. Laws of Migration by J. Suzanne Frank (3)
197. Still She Wished for Company by Margaret Irwin (4)
198. Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth (5)
199. Endlessly by Kiersten White (2)
200. The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard (5)
201. Uncommon Faith: The Early Years of Opus Dei, 1928-1943 by John F. Coverdale (4)
202. Food Heroes: 16 Culinary Artisans Preserving Tradition by Georgia Pellegrini (3)
203. Elske by Cynthia Voigt* (3)
204. The Spirit Level by Seamus Heaney (3)
205. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer* (4)
206. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett* (4)
207. Flame-Colored Taffeta by Rosemary Sutcliff (4)
208. Silver: Rhiannon Held by Rhiannon Held (4) -- touchstone not working - the title is really just Silver
209. The Eve of Destruction: The Untold Story of the Yom Kippur War by Howard Blum (4)
210. The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin (3)
211. The School for Cats by Esther Averill (3)
212. Der Tod von Reval: kuriose Geschichten aus einer alten Stadt by Werner Bergengruen* (4)

Monthly Total = 26 Books Read

Books Read in October

213. The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare (4)
214. Sleep: A Very Short Introduction by Steven W. Lockley & Russell G. Foster (3)
215. The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism by Deborah Baker (3)
216. The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna by Antonio López de Santa Anna (3)
217. Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman (4)
218. Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens by Sofka Zinovieff (5)
219. The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart* (4)
220. All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot (4)
221. The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery by Catherine Bailey (5)
222. Beautiful Corn: America's Original Grain from Seed to Plate by Anthony Boutard (3)
223. Lamy of Santa Fe by Paul Horgan (4)
224. Country Plot by Cynthia Harrod Eagles (3)
225. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (3)
226. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather+ (4)
227. The Bear & the People by Reiner Zimnik (4)
228. Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer* (5)
229. Happy are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom by Thomas Dubay, SM (3)
230. Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer* (3)
231. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham (3)
232. Heidi by Johanna Spyri+ (3)
233. This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart* (4)
234. Light of Faith by Pope Francis (3)
235. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation by Simon Armitage+ (4)
236. Tarnished by Rhiannon Held (3)
237. The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel (3)
238. Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes, and Pairings by Tenaya Darlington (3)
239. The Lost World by Michael Crichton (3)

Monthly Total = 27 Books Read

Books Read in November

240. Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Melanie Warner (4)
241. The Trees of Pride by G. K. Chesterton (3)
242. The Pen and the Cross: Catholicism and English Literature, 1850-2000 by Richard Griffiths (3)
243. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym (3)
244. Smith of Wootton Major by J. R. R. Tolkien (3)
245. The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon* (3)
246. Descent into Hell by Charles Williams (4)
247. Prometheus Unbound by Percey Bysshe Shelley (3)
248. Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer* (3)
249. Farmer Giles of Ham by J. R. R. Tolkien (3)
250. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder* (3)
251. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (4)
252. The Lark in the Morn by Elfrida Vipont (5)
253. The Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger & Vittorio Messori (4)
254. High Rising by Angela Thirkell (4)
255. Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought by Luigi Gambero (5)
256. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (3)
257. We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich (3)
258. Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan (2)
259. Journey without Maps by Graham Greene (3)

Monthly Total = 20 Books Read

Books Read in December

260. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce by Robert Penn Warren+ (1)
261. The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne (4)
262. A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg (4)
263. The Box of Delights by John Masefield (3)
264. Music for the End of Time by Jen Bryant (4)
265. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (5)
266. Christmas: Birth of Our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ & His Private Life by Joseph Raya (3)
267. The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend by Bob Drury & Tom Clavin (5)
268. The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings (4)
269. The Book of Mary by Henri-Daniel-Rops (3)
270. Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes by Paul Strathern (1)
271. Many Dimensions by Charles Williams (3)
272. The Church under Attack: Five Hundred Years That Split the Church and Scattered the Flock by Diane Moczar (4)
273. What Darkness Brings by C. S. Harris (3)
274. The Well-Laden Ship by Egbert of Liège (3)

Monthly Total = 15 Books Read

Several Centuries of Reading (adopted from Dejah_Thoris who adopted it from souloftherose)
Only the first book read from any given year is shown.

c. AD 108 The Epistles of Ignatius by Ignatius of Antioch
c. 972-1008 The Well-Laden Ship by Egbert of Liège
1300s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation by Simon Armitage
1609-ish The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest by John Gerard, SJ
1739 Saul: oratorio and Israel in Egypt by G. F. Handel
1742 Messiah by G. F. Handel
1745 Belshazzar by G. F. Handel
1750 Theodora by G. F. Handel
1752 Jephtha by G. F. Handel
1820 Prometheus Unbound by Percy Bysshe Shelley
1860 The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden
1873 The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna by Antonio López de Santa Anna
1880 Heidi by Johanna Spyri
1885 Bootles' Baby: A Story of the Scarlet Lancers by John Strange Winter
1893 Grisly Grisell by Charlotte M. Yonge

1900
1901
1902 Wanted—A Chaperon by Paul Leicester Ford
1903
1904 My Friend Prospero by Henry Harland
1905 A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
1906
1907
1908 The House of Arden by E. Nesbit
1909
1910
1911 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
1912
1913
1914
1915 The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett
1916
1917
1918 Sunflower by Gyula Krúdy
1919
1920
1921
1922 The Trees of Pride by G. K. Chesterton
1923 Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
1924 Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
1925
1926 The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery
1927 The Midnight Folk by John Masefield
1928 The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
1929 The Masterful Monk by Owen Francis Dudley
1930 Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
1931 Many Dimensions by Charles Williams
1932 Peking Picnic by Ann Bridge
1933 High Rising by Angela Thirkell
1934 Stages on the Road by Sigrid Undset
1935 The Box of Delights by John Masefield
1936 Journey without Maps by Graham Greene
1937 Descent into Hell by Charles Williams
1938 Adventures in Norway by Virginia Olcott
1939 A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
1940 The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
1941 The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel
1942 We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich
1943 Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
1944 Gigi by Colette
1945 Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
1946 Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty
1947 The School for Cats by Esther Averill
1948 The Lark in the Morn by Elfrida Vipont
1949 Farmer Giles of Ham by J. R. R. Tolkien
1950 The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson
1951 The Mousewife by Rumer Godden
1952 A Testimonial to Grace by Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ
1953 Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
1954 The Bear & the People by Reiner Zimnik
1955 Carbonel, the King of the Cats by Barbara Sleigh
1956
1957 Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer
1958 Exodus by Leon Uris
1959 The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
1960 Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer
1961 The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
1962 Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
1963 Ehrengard by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)
1964 This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
1965 The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger
1966 Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
1967 Smith of Wootton Major by J. R. R. Tolkien
1968 Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer
1969 Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer
1970 The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
1971 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
1972 Watership Down by Richard Adams
1973 Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
1974 All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
1975 Lamy of Santa Fe by Paul Horgan
1976 Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart
1977 Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
1978 Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman
1979 The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
1980 People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman
1981 Happy are You Poor by Thomas Dubay, SM
1982 The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman
1983 Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce by Robert Penn Warren
1984 The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman
1985 The Ratzinger Report by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Vittorio Messori
1986 Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman
1987 The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
1988 A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman
1989 Talking God by Tony Hillerman
1990 Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
1991 Mary and the Fathers of the Church by Luigi Gambero, SM
1992 In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh
1993 Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman
1994 At the Altar: Matrimonial Tales by L. M. Montgomery
1995 The Lost World by Michael Crichton
1996 The Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman
1997 Borderland: A Journey through the History of Ukraine by Anna Reid
1998 Tolkien: Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce
1999 Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson

2000 Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson
2001 Living the Catholic Faith by Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap.
2002 Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
2003 Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
2004 At Mesa's Edge by Eugenia Bone
2005 Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
2006 The Earth Knows My Name by Patricia Klindienst
2007 Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris
2008 An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
2009 A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
2010 An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd
2011 The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
2012 The Unintended Reformation by Brad S. Gregory
2013 Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

LC Classification Spread

B Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes (1)
BL The Unintended Reformation (1)
BP The Convert (1)
BR Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures (3)
BT Will Many Be Saved? (6)
BV Happy are You Poor (2)
BX Stages on the Road (14)

D Strange Rebels (1)
DA The Secret Rooms (1)
DD My Berlin Kitchen** (1)
DF Eurydice Street (1)
DK Borderland (1)
DP Homage to Catalonia (1)
DS Lost World of the Golden King (3)
DT In an Antique Land (2)

E Black Elk's Vision (2)

F The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna (2)

HD Plutopia (2)
HQ Godly Seed (2)
HT Detroit City is the Place to Be (1)
HV You Will See Fire (2)

LC The Year of Learning Dangerously (1)

ML Saul, Israel in Egypt, Messiah, Belshazzar, Theodora, Jephtha (1)

N Impressionism, Fashion, & Modernity (3)
NA St. Maria und St. Clemens Schwarzrheindorf (1)
ND Titian: His Life (2)

PG An Armenian Sketchbook (1)
PH Sunflower (1)
PN The Well-Laden Ship (1)
PQ Twenty Love Poems and Song of Despair (3)
PR The Whale Rider (59)
PS Shadow of Night (66)
PT Anecdotes of Destiny and Ehrengard (4)
PZ 7 Shadow and Bone (53)

QB Apocalyptic Planet (1)
QH My Backyard Jungle (3)
QL Otter Country (2)
QP Sleep: A Very Short Introduction (1)

RC The Great Influenza (1)

SB The Earth Knows My Name (7)
SF Dewey (2)

TD Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World (2)
TR Maynard L. Parker (1)
TX At Mesa's Edge (6)

**I rather massively disagree with the LCC on this one. It should be TX like all the other cooking memoirs. One day I'll rebel and make up my own call number for it, but right now it's still in German History where everyone else seems to think it should be.

Okay, I think we're safe now.

*waves*

Hi Jennifer! Happy new thread :-)

>10 MickyFine:, *waves back*

>11 susanj67:, Thanks!

Wow, you are moving so quickly!

>13 ronincats:, Thanks for stopping by!
__________________

The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare

A whale of a tale



Source: work
Recommendation: it was there (aka I can't remember why I picked it up)
Publisher: Ecco
LC Call #: QL 737 C4 H622 2010
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The Whale (originally published in the UK as Leviathan or, The Whale) is an eclectic book about a variety of things of which the unifying factor is whales. It's a memoir of the author's love of whales, his love of Moby Dick, a brief biography of Herman Melville, a history of whaling and man's relationship with whales, and a natural history of whales all in one 400-page book. As such, it can sometimes be a bit all over the place, but it is certainly never boring.

The author travels to old whaling ports in New England and the Northeast of England, and goes swimming with Sperm whales in the Azores, and ponders the many plot points of a certain book about a white whale. In fact, a great deal of the book could almost be called history as seen through Herman Melville and Moby Dick. But even if, like me, you've never felt the need to read that great tome of American literature, there's still much here to like. Especially if you like whales.

There are lots of black-and-while photographs and illustrations in each chapter to illustrate Hoare's text. For those sensitive to such things, the descriptions of whaling can be a bit graphic and you may want to skim them. Recommended for whale-lovers, animal-lovers, those curious about whaling, or those who like travel memoirs with a historical side.

Sleep: A Very Short Introduction by Steven W. Lockley & Russell G. Foster

Z ... Z ... Z ... What!



Source: ILL (U. Texas-Arlington)
Recommendation: The End of Night
Series: Very Short Introductions (#295)
Publisher: Oxford UP
LC Call #: QP 425 L63 2012
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Sleep: A Very Short Introduction is, as one might expect, a book about sleep. Modern society doesn't exactly appreciate sleep: we brag about pulling all-nighters, celebrate 24-7 grocery stores, and worship caffeine and electric lights. But a good night's sleep is actually critical to our health, and mankind is much more sensitive to sleep deprivation than society registers. How sensitive? The shift to Daylight Savings Time (Summer Time) is one hour earlier, but it causes a 20% increase in car crashes and a 5% increase in heart attacks. If all this sounds interesting, then you may want to give Sleep: A Very Short Introduction a try.

This short (only 133 page) book is divided into nine chapters covering topics like "sleep regulation", "the sleeping brain", "the reasons for sleep", "when sleep suffers", "sleep and health", and "sleep and society". It's amazing how much is packed into the pocket-sized volume. You'll learn why shift work is terrible for your health, why you shouldn't watch television before bed (there's a handy chart of dos and don'ts for good sleep on page 75), how sleep changes as you age (making a teenager wake up at 7 is like an adult waking up at 3 am), and even how human sleeping habits compare with other animals. Overall, if you've ever wondered about sleep, this is a good, no-background needed introduction to the subject. Highly recommended.

#15: Jennifer, that sounds like exactly the sort of book I would benefit from reading. I've just reserved it. I like the sound of The Whale too!

>16 susanj67:, It's a very handy little book. Some of the necessary science is a bit dense, but there's not that much of it outside of the chapter defining sleep.
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In other news, I got my much-anticipated copy of Spider Woman's Daughter in the mail today and started reading after dinner. Only to reach page 118 and discover . . . that my copy skips to page 183 and then continues to page 246 before skipping back to page 183 before continuing to the end. Lovely. But the plot up until that point was interesting, even though I still don't know what Louisa told Chee because he had to tell Bernie about his day first, which took up too many pages and pushed it into the void that is pages 119-182.

Luckily, I'm meeting my Mom for lunch in Dallas Saturday, so I can exchange it in-store at Barnes & Noble for a non-messed up copy. But those hoping for an update on our friends Leaphorn and Chee will have to wait a bit longer, I'm afraid.

> 17 - Wow, that makes for some very confusing reading. Glad to see you were able to exchange it. ;-)

>18 lkernagh:, That's why I try to use Barnes & Noble instead of Amazon. Since the libraries here are good, but lacking, and there is no bookstore closer than an hour away, I take risks sometimes buying books. B&N gives 14 days to return it, and with brick & mortar stores you don't have to pay shipping. In this case, I haven't heard any complaining on the internet, so I'm hoping I'm an isolated case and it won't be much trouble to get a book with a page 119.

I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism by Deborah Baker

Knowing and Unknowing



Source: ILL (U. Texas-Dallas)
Recommendation: comment thread of a newspaper article
Publisher: Greywolf Press
LC Call #: BP 170.5 M3 B35 2011
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Convert is an odd book. Ostensibly it's the author's search for how Margaret "Peggy" Marcus, the daughter of an assimilated Jewish family in Westchester became Maryam Jameelah, an Islamic propagandist railing against the evils and inferiority of the West.

Peggy Marcus was an awkward child who never fit in. In the pressure cooker of American 1950s society, that was bad news. She was diagnosed as mentally ill, and probably had some kind of social disorder as well, based on what the author uncovers about her life. After trying a variety of things she found Islam, and in her push to become perfect she leaves America forever, travelling to Pakistan and placing herself under the guardianship of Syed Abul Ala Maudoodi, founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamic political party there. Or at least that's how the story is supposed to go.

However, as the story evolves, it turns out that not everything is as meets the eye. In the process, the author has to face the reality that it is very hard to know someone only through their writings. For good reasons and bad, people lie to themselves and to others. The author soon realizes that to truly understand she'll have to follow in her subject's footsteps and go to Lahore herself. What she finds there changes everything, or does it?

Those seeking answers about what drives religious conversion will come away disappointed. The book has about as much to do with Islam as the average biography about Tolkien does with Catholicism. But if your interest is in lost souls, Americans abroad, or the plight of outsiders in American society, you may find some enjoyment here.

>17 inge87: Huh, a real world case of If on a winter's night a traveler. ;)

Dang, Jennifer, you got me with another book bullet at the end of your last thread with The Blackhope Enigma! That's 4 in a ridiculously short time.

>21 MickyFine:, It does, doesn't it? However, my new copy appears to still be a book about Navajo police officers running around New Mexico investigating a shooting, thank goodness.

>22 ronincats:, What can I say? I've been on a run of luck lately. Although I think I'm going to take a break from non-fiction about delusional people. It's making me crave romance novels.

The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna by Antonio López de Santa Anna

Memoirs of a humble Mexican who just wanted to serve his country



Source: work
Recommendation: it fit one of last month's TIOLI challenges, and I was too amused by the idea that such a book existed not to read it
Publisher: State House Press
LC Call #: F 1232 S22 1988
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna is the memoir/autobiography of Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, sometime President and Dictator of Mexico. Originally written in his final exile in Nassau, the Bahamas, in the 1870s, the 1966 English edition was its first real time in print. If you've ever wanted to enter into the mind of a egotistical military dictator, the General's memoir is for you.

From his start during the Mexican War of Independence to his rise to general and president, through his defeats in the Texas Revolutionary War and the Mexican-American War, several exiles and homecomings, and many many other battles and skirmishes, it's all here. Or at least his version of events is. This is one of those books where you need to keep a bookmark in the endnotes, because Santa Anna's memory and the truth are usually not the same thing. You quickly realize that nothing is every his fault, unless it's a good thing, and that great victories can be created out of nothing. He also has a habit of forgetting his opponents' names (James Fannin becomes Col. "Fancy", for example). According to the author, there's only one person worth remembering in this book, and his name is in the title.

Those with an interest in military history, the history of Mexico, Texas, or the American Southwest, or in how the minds of egomaniacal dictators work, will probably find some entertainment here, others may want to look elsewhere. Those put though Texas history in 4th and 7th grade will find the chapter on the Texas Revolution particularly enlightening/amusing.

I always really enjoy your reviews and the variety of books that you are reading.

I'm glad the new book by Anne Hillerman was good! I'll keep my eyes peeled for it.

Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman

They're Back!



Source: me (10/2013)
Recommendation: continuation of series
Series: Leaphorn/Chee Mysteries (19/?), Leaphorn/Chee Continuation (1/?)
Publisher: HarperCollins
LC Call #: PS 3608 I4384 S65 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Spider Woman's Daughter marks the return of everyone's favorite Navajo Police officers for the first time since the original author, Tony Hillerman's death. His daughter Anne has picked up to pen to continue the saga, and this one starts off with a bang, literally.

Someone has shot Joe Leaphorn, and Bernie Manuelito Chee is the only witness. Now he's in the hospital and Louisa's nowhere to be found. It falls to Jim to sort out everything with some unofficial help from Bernie, who's been put on leave. Will he figure out the case in time, or will he realize too late what's been in front of him the whole time?

Anne Hillerman is her own woman, and her take on the classic characters is different than her father's, as it was bound to be. But I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Especially the dominating mother of one suspect who is convinced that a ninja stole her car and framed her son. Under Hillerman's guidance this volume seems to slip into a more character-driven format than its predecessors, but it helps to get under the characters' skin and round them out a bit more, particularly Bernie.

Overall, I liked it more than I liked The Shape Shifter, her father's last Leaphorn/Chee book. "Sopapilla" gets misspelt in one chapter, which is sad, but not the end of the world (and I agree with Bernie, they are really tasty). So if you've missed the series and have been dreaming of more you may just want to pick it up.

>25 streamsong:, Thanks, it's certainly worth keeping an eye out for at the library.

Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens by Sofka Zinovieff

It's all Greek to me



Source: work
Recommendation: I brought it down for a themed display and thought it looked interesting
Publisher: Granta
LC Call #: DF 920 Z56 2005
Rating: 5 stars / 5

Eurydice Street is British-born journalist Zinovieff's memoir of her move to Athens with her Greek husband and their two children. The title comes from the name of their street in the suburb of Vouliagmeni. She'd trained as an anthropologist and done graduate work in Greece, so she spoke Greek and had ideas of becoming a "real" Greek, going so far as trying to become a citizen. However, unlike her husband, who quickly readjusts to life in Greece after around 20 years away, and her two children who are young enough to soak up the culture like little sponges, things don't quite come as easily for Sofka.

But it's the small joys and idiosyncrasies of Greek life that capture you. Her prose is gorgeous, and you find yourself effortlessly picking up Greek history and culture without any mental effort on your part. The book was written before the economic crisis, but you definitely get the picture that it is a society on the edge of change. She meets a politician who views doing favors as a gift he can give and gets told that her citizenship will take two years unless she knows someone. The Olympics are gearing up, and the old ways are falling apart, but still the family manages to stay together and even flourish.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in modern Greece, memoirs, or good prose.

Interesting reading you've been doing here. What a variety!

#28: Jennifer, that's a great review of Eurydice Street which I am going to buy for my secretary for her birthday. She is half Greek and goes to their old family house in Athens every year for a holiday, bringing back many stories of the "idiosyncrasies of Greek life" so I'm sure she'll love it!

>29 ronincats:, Thanks!

>30 susanj67:, It sounds like Eurydice Street would be perfect for her.

The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart

Hold me in your giant oversized mod coat



Source: me (9/2011)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Publisher: Fawcett
LC Call #: PR 6069 T46 I89 1961
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The Ivy Tree is another of Mary Stewart's first-person thrillers. Canadian Mary Grey is visiting the North of England when she is accosted and almost tossed off a cliff by a man who thinks she is Annabel Winslow, who left the area 8 years before and hasn't been heard from since. Con, as he introduces himself, is eventually convinced of his mistake, but soon he and his half-sister Lisa, decide that staging Annabell's return would be extremely "convenient", as she and her cousin stand between him and their desired inheritance of the Whitescar farm. The cousin is coming up from London with her boyfriend for her grandfather's birthday, so it's the perfect time for a family reunion. Mary is convinced to play Annabell in return for a payment from the money Con will inherit if he can pull off his plan. But he's not the only one with secrets, and life at Whitescar soon becomes perilous for everyone.

If you like first-person thrillers, or good suspense writing, you'll love The Ivy Tree. It has just the right amount of Gothic tension to keep the story rolling.

Great review of Mary Stewart's The Ivy Tree, Jennifer! That one is going high up the future reading list.

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot

The Vet in the Dales



Source: work
Recommendation: TIOLI #3: Read a nonfiction book that has reached number one on the New York Times bestsellers list
Series: All Creatures Great and Small - US (2/5)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
LC Call #: SF 613 H44 A283 1974
Rating: 4 stars / 5

All Things Bright and Beautiful is the second of James Herriot's books about being a veterinarian in Yorkshire, as published in the United States. This one covers the period just prior to his being called up to the RAF for World War II. If you're familiar with Herriot, you'll know what to expect: a series of vignettes ranging from the funny to the heart-warming to the heart-rending, and of course quite a bit of hard-working vet stories to fill them all end. He's a master at depicting the human experience, and his depiction of a lost world rings true. It's not all fuzzy animals stories, although there are a lot of those.

Recommended for those who like memoirs of rural life, animals, or good stories. Those who like this book will also probably like The Running Foxes, which covers similar ground in a fictional format.

>34 inge87: I've read a couple Herriot books (I particularly remember loving his collection of cat stories as a kid) but I think my fondness for him comes mostly from the TV series.

>33 lkernagh:, Thanks!

>35 MickyFine:, I also grew up with Herriot books, mostly those that had been adapted as picture books for children, but I don't think I've ever seen the tv show. Maybe I should though.

The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery by Catherine Bailey

With Great Power Comes Great Privilege



Source: me (10/2013)
Recommendation: TLS
Publisher: Viking
LC Call #: DA 574 ​R85 B35 2012
Rating: 5 stars / 5

The Secret Rooms is a book that wasn't supposed to happen. Bailey received access to the Manners family archives for a book about the First World War and its effect on their estate, only to find that someone had carefully removed every document for a six month period in 1915. Further investigation revealed two other periods had been similarly "curated". But who would do such a thing and why? Stymied from her original goal, the author turns her mind to these questions and uncovers a conspiracy of lies, guilt, and privilege.

A real life Maisie Dobbs mystery, The Secret Rooms is extremely readable, and you almost forget it's non-fiction. As the history of one of Britain's great noble families (the Dukes of Rutland) from the 1880s to the Blitz, it would definitely appeal to Downton Abbey fans, but also to anyone else who loves good non-fiction. War may be hell, but home's not always much better, especially if your family is as messed up as the Manners were.

I read the UK edition, but it's being published here in the US on December 31st, just in time for Christmas gift cards.

Jennifer, that's a great review of The Secret Rooms! I loved it too. Have you read Black Diamonds by the same author?

Not yet, but it's on the TBR list.

>36 inge87: That review was excellent, Jennifer. Putting it on The List.

>40 MickyFine:, Thanks!
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Beautiful Corn: America's Original Grain from Seed to Plate by Anthony Boutard

What the title says



Source: ILL (Sam Houston State U.)
Recommendation: Rancho Gordo Blog
Publisher: New Society Publishers
LC Call #: SB 191 M2 B689 2012
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Beautiful Corn is a book about corn. More about corn than you probably ever wanted to know: the history of corn, how to grow it, how to use it. There's even recipes at the back. If you have an interest in growing corn even if only in your backyard, you'll definitely want to check out Beautiful Corn. Others will probably want to skim parts. But if you've ever wondered about that most ubiquitous product of Mexico that is corn, this may be the book for you.

Lamy of Santa Fe by Paul Horgan

Ride, Boldly Ride



Source: work
Recommendation: background reading for Death Comes for the Archbishop
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
LC Call #: BX 4705 L265 H67 1975
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Lamy of Santa Fe is the biography of Jean Baptiste Lamy, first archbishop of Santa Fe and the inspiration for the protagonist of Willa Cather's seminal novel Death Comes for the Archbishop. Coming from humble circumstances in rural Auvergne, France, he became a missionary priest in Ohio before receiving the call to take charge of the Church in New Mexico as Vicar Apostolic. Arriving with his long-term friend from seminary, Machebeuf, he found himself with few priests, most of them unworthy of the office and either elderly or living in scandal. Not to mention the fact that they all maintained that they were still part of the Diocese of Durango in Mexico. From this rocky start, Lamy not only established lasting foundations for the Church in New Mexico, but also Arizona, Colorado, and the area around El Paso, Texas.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1975, the book is dense but masterfully written with a gripping plot that belies its weightiness. A priest dying during mass from a poisoned chalice meant for another is just one episode of Lamy's exciting, if exhausting life described in the book, and it's amazing just how isolated and hard to get to New Mexico was until late in the 19th century. That he was able to accomplish so much, is remarkable.

Highly recommended for those interesting the the history of the American Southwest, the American Catholic Church, and especially those who enjoyed Death Comes for the Archbishop.

Love the huge range of books you read. And you are a quick reader like I am. Glad to finally find your thread.

37: That just shot up to the top of my wishlist.

>43 Morphidae:, And I'm glad you found it! I'm a magpie when it comes to books, if it looks interesting I'll grab it.

>44 RosyLibrarian:, The Secret Rooms is an excellent book and certainly deserves to be at the top of everyone's wishlist. Thanks for stopping by!
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Country Plot by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Break Time



Source: ILL (Amarillo PL)
Recommendation: I enjoyed Kate's Progress
Publisher: Severn House
LC Call #: PR 6058 A6945 C68 2012
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Country Plot finds poor Jenna losing her job and boyfriend on the same day. In shock from her discovery of his infidelity, she flees to her brother's place until she can get her act back together. She needs to find another job, but she also clearly needs a break. Her brother finds her the perfect position helping out a cousin trying to sort out her Georgian home in the country, where she can do both. Once she gets there though, Jenna is inadvertently drawn into local development politics, especially after it appears the cousin will need to sell the estate to retire. This being Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, there is of course a boy situation, which is handled well even if you want to whack him over the head a few times for being dense. He has his reasons though.

I picked this up because I really enjoyed Kate's Progress, but while this one is definitely enjoyable, that is probably the stronger book. Still, if you're looking for a nice comfort read, Country Plot may just be what you're looking for.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

The Great Escape



Source: work
Recommendation: I needed a book published in 1971
Series: Rats of NIMH (1/3)
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
LC Call #: PZ 7 O135 M7 1971
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is the tale of the widowed Mrs. Frisby, who must move her family out of the garden before plowing starts. But her son Timothy is sick and cannot be moved. Whatever shall she do? She is advised to seek out the rats in the rosebush, and this will set her off on a whole new adventure.

I read this growing up and really enjoyed it. However upon reread, there are certain parts that are far more unsettling than I remember them being. It's still a good book, it just sucks some of the whimsy out. Also, the illustrations in my edition are lovely. Definitely recommended for children, recommended with reservations for adults.

>46 inge87: Have you seen the movie? How do they compare?

>47 Morphidae:, It's been a while and I don't really remember much of the movie at all, but the biggest difference seems to be that in the book, the rats get their intelligence from scientific experiments at NIMH, while in the movie it's the result of magic.

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather+

Death comes for us all



Source: me (9/2008)
Recommendation: Why not?
Publisher: Vintage
LC Call #: PS 3505 A87 D4 1971
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Death Comes for the Archbishop is a breath-taking fictionalized account of the founding of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico through the story of Jean Marie Latour, a French missionary who eventually becomes the first bishop (later archbishop) there. The story begins in medias res with Latour already appointed but forced to travel to Durango, Mexico, in order to gain recognition from the bishop there after the New Mexican priests revolt.

Latour's story is one of recognizing the passing joys of life and the deep friendship with his fellow missionary Joseph Vaillant who comes with him from France to Ohio to New Mexico before they are finally separated. Because a bishop is required to visit the parishes under his jurisdiction as part of his position the reader is treated to a series of interesting figures whose individual stories show the variety of ways man both falls down and manages to flourish. The actual story of how Latour arrived at his position in New Mexico from a humble beginning in rural France is not told until the last third of the book, when dead is clearly coming and the old Archbishop's mind begins to wander back.

Cather's storytelling here is excellent, and the Southwestern landscape comes alive under her pen. This is a non-religious story about religious people, almost a parable for a good life, so the fact that it's about an archbishop shouldn't frighten off those afraid of religious fiction. It's historical fiction, the real Latour was Jean Baptiste Lamy, whose life is documented in Paul Horgan's excellent Lamy of Santa Fe, which won the Pulitzer for History in 1975.

Overall, a book highly recommended for those looking for a good story or interesting in the American Southwest. A classic that is not only readable but that should be read.

The Bear and the People by Reiner Zimnik

The road goes ever on and on



Source: work
Recommendation: NYRB Children's Classics Category over at 13-for-13
Publisher: NYRB Children's Classics
LC Call #: PZ 7 Z64 Bf 2005
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The Bear and the People is a charming children's book about the joys of the open road and the wonders of nature. Bearman and Brown One travel the road putting on shows in the villages: the Brown One does his bear dance and the Bearman juggles seven balls. During their travels they face many challenges, but the rewards are worth it. But when they are separated and Brown One finds himself alone, it will take all his strength to survive and learn to live again.

The author did his own illustrations which are in lovely primitive midcentury pen-and-ink style. Those reading to small children should note that at one point there are exposed breasts (topless dancers), but the illustration is definitely not what I'd call alluring in the least. A haunting, joyous ramble through the countryside, The Bear and the People is not to be missed.

Random Aside involving Adult Interpretations of Children's Books: Personally, I wonder if some of the protagonists' unsettled wanderlust is a result of the author's experiences as a Silesian Vertriebene, that is a German forced out of their homes as the borders shifted at the end of World War II. For man and bear alike, home is the road and each other, as they wander ever onward. They have no real origin or place to go back to (the bear does try at one point, but it just doesn't work). Just a thought to get the mental juices flowing.

Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer*

When something sounds too good to be true, it's usually too good to be true



Source: me (9/2009)
Recommendation: Something Gothic just in time for Halloween
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 C69 2009
Rating: 5 stars / 5

Cousin Kate is a Gothic romance by Georgette Heyer. Poor, orphaned Kate finds herself penniless and out of a position after her employer's mother-in-law forced her out of her governess position. Now living with her old nurse in London, she is trying to figure out her next steps when her father's half-sister Lady Broome swoops down to take Kate to her estate Staplewood and all the comfort she's missed. The daughter of a military man, who grew up on the peninsula front, Kate is hardly a simpering miss, but she is swept up in her aunt's generosity, and agrees to go for the summer at least.

But after a lifetime of being ignored by her relations (her parents were cut off after they eloped), why would her aunt want Kate now? Just what is troubling her cousin Torquil? Is his cousin Philip out to get him in order to inherit the Broome estate? It will take all of her wits to make it out alive! (cue the suspenseful music)

Cousin Kate takes the usual Heyer romance and kicks it up a notch with some suspense. From the calm to the storm to the aftermath, Kate is up for everything and afraid of nothing. That is until all her worst fears begin to come true.

Happy Are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom by Thomas Dubay, SM

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.



Source: work
Recommendation: it was there
Publisher: Ignatius
LC Call #: BV S48 D83 2003
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Happy Are You Poor is a guide to living the poverty of the Christian Gospels. Not just for priests or religious, but for everyone. Poverty in this sense does not mean destitution, but clearing out all the junk so that there is more space for God to dwell. The book is divided into five sections: Problems and Presuppositions, Values, Radicality and Superfluity, States in Life, and Joy. Throughout the book, Dubay provides real life examples as well as examples from the lives of the saints to describe his concepts, plus there is an "exam" at the end to help the reader figure out his next steps on the path.

Recommended for those interested in what the New Testament means when it says one ought to be poor, as well as those interesting in ways to simplify their lives while living well.

Okay, I looked up in medias res and still don't quite understand the term. Maybe you could try explaining it to me? Pretty please?

Sure, in medias res means "in the middle of the matter" in Latin. Narratives that use this device start in the middle of the story and then loop back to tell the beginning of the story later. Death Comes for the Archbishop starts with Latour already a bishop and in New Mexico. The reader only learns about how his life reached that point when he reminisces towards the end of the novel.

The benefit to this technique is that it lets the action start right away without having to set anything up first. The most famous example is probably The Odyssey, which starts in Ithaca where Odysseus's family has been waiting ten years for his return.

Hopefully, this helps :)

Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer*

Heyer Nuggets



Source: me (2/2012)
Recommendation: it was on the table waiting for me
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 P57 2012
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Pistols for Two is a collection of Georgette Heyer short stories. All are Regency, most are romances with a few other genres tossed in for good measure. A bit some something for everyone really. Unless you want Westerns. Cowboys weren't really her thing.

Highlights:

"Pink Domino" - A rebellious sister and a case of mistaken identity create a night to remember for one put-upon London bachelor.

"A Husband for Fanny" - Mrs. Wingham has been saving all her pennies to give her daughter a London season and has even found her the perfect man. But does Fanny have other ideas?

"The Duel" - Can Dorothea save her brother from certain death in tomorrow's duel?

"Hazard" - After a long night of drinking and gambling, a brother puts his sister up as hazard. Surely he never expected that she would go along with the scheme.

"Snowdrift" - Two cousins race each other to Bath, but when the stage overturns into a snowdrift, it seems like neither will make it in time.

Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787 by Winston Graham

It's getting soapy in Cornwall



Source: ILL (San Antonio PL)
Recommendation: The BBC is bringing the series back to television
Series: Poldark (1/12)
Publisher: Ballantine Books
LC Call #: PR 6013 R24 R6 1977
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Ross Poldark is the first of the "Poldark" series of novels that were made famous in a 1970s BBC television series. Our hero finds himself returning home to Cornwall after fighting the American Revolution, only to discover that nothing is as he expected: his father is dead, his home left to ruin, and his love is engaged to his cousin. If it sounds like a soap opera that's because it rather is. There's also Demelza, the kitchen maid whom Ross rescues and comes to love, who is almost a more exciting character than Poldark himself.

Originally written in 1945, there's not much bodice-ripping here, but there's a surprising amount of social commentary for this kind of novel. Recommended for historical fiction fans, as well as those interested in literary portrayals of Cornwall.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri+

The Sunny Side of the Mountain



Source: me (late 1990s/early 2000s)
Recommendation: TIOLI #12: Read a book by a Swiss Author / Mt. TBR
Publisher: Puffin Classics
LC Call #: PZ 7 S697 Hei 1995
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Heidi is the classic children's tale of a young girl from the Swiss Alps, who makes everyone around her happier through her natural goodness. Her gruff grandfather-with-a-past, Peter the Goatherd and his blind grandmother, invalid Clara in Frankfurt, and, well you get the picture. It's a sweet, if somewhat dated story, and despite all her fears and challenges, there's no doubt though as to whether Heidi will get a happy ending.

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart*

Rough indeed



Source: me (1/2012)
Recommendation: why not?
Publisher: Fawcett Crest
LC Call #: PR 6069 T46 T45 1964
Rating: 4 stars / 5

This Rough Magic is the tale of a vacation on Corfu gone very, very wrong. Lucy needed a break after her play on the West End, her first major role, is a flop. So she goes and stays with her pregnant sister whose husband's family has an estate on the island. From the beginning though it's clear that maybe she would have gotten more rest in gloomy old London. First someone takes pot shots at a dolphin, and then men start drowning. Rumors of smuggling to the nearby Albanian coast make everything more tense. And soon enough, Lucy finds herself committed to stopping the man behind this mayhem before he destabilizes the entire Balkan peninsula. Hopefully she knows how to swim.

The title comes from Shakespeare's The Tempest, which one of the characters is convinced took place on Corfu, and there are quotes from the play at the beginning of each chapter. If you've read Mary Stewart thrillers before, you'll have a good idea of how this one is going to go, but the fun is in the journey.

Jennifer, I loved the Poldark series when I read it a few years ago. I hope you continue with it and enjoy it just as much!

Light of Faith/Lumen Fidei by Pope Francis

Shine On



Source: me (09/2013)
Recommendation: Category 13 on my 13-for-13 thread
Publisher: Ignatius
LC Call #: BT 772 F7313 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Light of Faith (Lumen Fidei) is Pope Francis' first encyclical, which was produced to coincide with the Year of Faith announced for the 2013 liturgical year. Hence the theme of "faith", which Francis claims shines brightly despite it's reputation as being the dark opposite of the light of reason. The reader learns why faith is both biblically and philosophically important, and how this relates to the Catholic Church and her teachings.

The encyclical was actually begun under the watch of Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI (the introduction describes it as a "work of four hands"). And there were definitely some parts that struck me as being Benedict-y, so this may not be the book for those seeking to discover Francis' true voice. But if you've ever wondered about faith and why it's important, you'll find much here to chew on.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation by Simon Armitage+

What would you do?



Source: me (09/2008)
Recommendation: Mt. TBR / TIOLI #6: Read a book written by someone who has been a judge for any of the Man Booker prizes in any year
Publisher: Norton
LC Call #: PR 2065 G3 A328 2007
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an alliterative poem describing the fallout of a New Year's party at Camelot, when a green knight (literally, his skin and hair were green) rides in and challenges the someone to chop off his head and in return find him and get struck in return a year later. Gawain, Arthur's nephew accepts the challenge, little expecting that the man will pick up his head and ride off into the sunset. So next December, he too sets off to find the Green Knight at the Green Chapel, wherever that may be.

I really liked Simon Armitage's translation. By keeping the alliterative verse form, he really captured the feel of the Middle English original. But it is also very readable / not threatening for those who think poetry is hard. Highly recommended.

Tarnished by Rhiannon Held

Woof!



Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: Continuing Series
Series: Silver (2/?)
Publisher: Tor
LC Call #: PS 3608 E3853 S37 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Tarnished finds our heroes still in Washington State recovering from the events of Silver: Rhiannon Held. But life in Seattle is beginning to pick up. The alpha of Sacramento pack is still mad at Andrew for killing his rapist son while acting as an enforcer for Roanoke and has decided to travel north to take care of things himself. Meanwhile, the Seattle alpha is dealing with personal issues revealed last book. But if you thought that was the worst of it, you'd be wrong. Because the Spanish weres have come for Andrew, and they've brought his daughter with them.

Lots happens in this one, but it doesn't seem to add up to anything except setting up the next novel, Reflected, which comes out in February. But if you liked Silver (and who wouldn't?), you'll probably still enjoy this one.

The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel

A Time of Gifts



Source: work
Recommendation: Centuries of Reading (1941)
Publisher: Sun Dial Press
LC Call #: PT 2647 E77 L513 1944
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Song of Bernadette is a fictionalized account of Bernadette Soubirous's encounters with a woman who claims to be the Immaculate Conception (i.e. the Virgin Mary). Eventually, Bernadette-mania spreads across France and even the world, but she really wishes she could be left alone. Lourdes is now a major pilgrimage site, and the humble grotto where she had her encounters is now the site of a massive basilica, and Bernadette, who died young from tuberculosis, is now a saint.

The story behind the book, about the Jewish author and his wife hiding in Lourdes from the Nazis while trying to escape to the United States is almost more compelling than the actual result. But those interested in Bernadette's story, as well as those who liked the movie based on the book will find much to enjoy here.

Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes, and Pairings by Tenaya Darlington

Say Cheese!



Source: me (5/2013)
Recommendation: 13-for-13, Category 4: Food/Cooking
Publisher: Running Press
LC Call #: TX 759.5 C48 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese is pretty much what the title promises: a guide to lots of individual cheese and what to do with them. Each cheese comes with a general description about its production, plus tips on food and drink to serve along with it. Divided up by type, there are a couple of recipes in each section, as well as other information about the proper storage and care of cheese.

It's a bit East Coast producer-biased, as you might expect for a book based on a store in Philadelphia, but there's plenty of knowledge here about pretty much every kind of cheese you could ever imagine (or at least that I could) and what to do with it after you've bought it.

The Lost World by Michael Crichton

They're alive!



Source: work
Recommendation: It seemed like a good Halloween read
Series: Jurassic Park (2/2)
Publisher: Knopf
LC Call #: PS 3553 R48 L67 1995b
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Lost World is the sequel to the ever so famous Jurassic Park. Crichton had never written a sequel before this one, but when Stephen Spielberg tells you to do something, you probably should.

After the end of the first book, there aren't supposed to be anymore dinosaurs in Costa Rica. Except weird animal carcasses keep coming ashore. So off go the heroes to investigate, where they naturally encounter T-Rexes and Raptors, because otherwise the book would be boring, right? The theme of day though is extinction. In the course of running for their lives and watching the bad guys get eaten, the protagonists spend a lot of time discussing how and why species go extinct.

The plot-twist at the end seems very mid-1990s now, but definitely would have been cutting edge when The Lost World was first published. If you're looking for an escape, this may just be the book for you. Just watch the teeth.

October Round-Up

We're starting to wrap up now. I've only got 7 books left to read on my 13-for-13 thread, which leaves me plenty of time for other things, like reading my way through the 20th century. I won't complete the chart, but I did finish my first decade this month, the 1970s of all things.

Books Read: 27

Sources
Work - 10
ILL - 5
Me (2013) - 4
Me (Re-read) - 4
Me (TBR Pile) - 3
Public Library - 1

Best of the Month



Fiction: Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer

Non-Fiction The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery by Catherine Bailey

The Secret Rooms sounds interesting. Nice review of it.

Jennifer, I've just finished The End of Night, which I *loved*!!! Thanks for a great recommendation.

>67 thornton37814:, Thanks! It's a very good book.

>68 susanj67:, You're very welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
_____________

Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Melanie Warner

Can you really call that "food"?



Source: ILL (Texas A&M-Commerce)
Recommendation: CHOICE Magazine review, plus it fit TIOLI #10: Read an Exposé
Publisher: Scribner
LC Call #: HD 9000.5 W339 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Pandora's Lunchbox is one persons quest to learn all she can about how exactly processed food works. She travels around the United States visiting companies and conventions and even doing her own research at home (aka leaving stuff in the refrigerator and pantry for years to see what happens). If you've ever wondered why your breakfast cereal or loaf of bread has all those ingredients, you'll find out here (hint: it's to cover up the effects of the processing process). You'll also learn that most of those ingredients have never been scientifically tested for their effects on humans, because the food industry is mostly self-regulating. There's also the minor fact that they push the processed foods because they're far more profitable than healthy ones (15-30% gross profit for vegetables and chicken breasts vs. up to 70% for chips and cereal and up to 90% for cokes and sports drinks).

But the one thing that stuck with me the most was how almost every food scientist she spoke to doesn't eat much processed food at all, instead they keep their own garden, shop at farmers' markets, cook their own meals, etc. They defend their work by saying that cheap food is necessary because modern life is hectic and not everyone can eat fresh vegetables. But if they create it and won't eat it, why should anyone else?

Like all good exposes, Pandora's Lunchbox creates compulsive reading from plain facts and reality (see also, for example Plutopia). It also has the added bonus of making you want to clean out your pantry and go raid the produce section of the grocery store. Highly recommended.

The Trees of Pride by G. K. Chesterton

Proud as a Peacock



Source: E-Book
Recommendation: TIOLI #18: For Movember: Read a book featuring a man with a moustache
Publisher: Project Gutenberg
LC Call #: PR 4453 C4 T69 1922
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Trees of Pride is a mystery novella by the English writer G. K. Chesterton that was originally published in The Man Who Knew Too Much. Squire Vane is hosting guests at his estate in Cornwall, including a poet, a doctor, and a lawyer, when he rashly takes a bet to spend the night in a grove of supposedly cursed trees. The locals say the trees are the root of a deadly fever that strikes the village each year, but the squire will have none of that superstition. But when he goes into the woods, he never comes out. Whatever could have happened to him? It's up to his guests and his daughter to find out. But (as is always the case) they have some secrets of their own.

The Pen and the Cross: Catholicism and English Literature, 1850-2000 by Richard Griffiths

Writing defines the writer



Source: work
Recommendation: CHOICE Magazine feature
Publisher: Continuum
LC Call #: PR 120 C3 G75 2010
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Pen and the Cross is an overview of British Catholic fiction from the mid-19th century to the end of the millennium. Its focus is literary themes, and is more a summary of plots than anything else. Despite its academic focus though, it's surprisingly readable. The focus is on Catholic literature rather than Catholic writers, so don't go looking for people like Dorothy Sayers, because you won't find them. That Roy Campbell didn't get a mention in the section on the Spanish Civil War was also odd. Those looking for a similar book focused on the writers should turn to Joseph Pearce's excellent Literary Converts, which I can highly recommend. But if you're looking for Catholic fiction book bullets, this may be the book for you.

Jane And Prudence by Barbara Pym

Parrish Political



Source: ILL (Waco-McLennan County PL)
Recommendation: Centuries of Reading (1953) + TIOLI #19: Read a book by an author born in 1913 or about someone born in 1913
Publisher: Dutton
LC Call #: PR 6066 Y58 J3 1981
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Jane and Prudence is a dark comedy of friendship and village politics in a small village in postwar England. Jane's husband is an Anglican minister and has just been transferred to a village parish. Although she tries her hardest, she's not the most practical person in the world. She is always concerned that her friend Prudence isn't settled. In her heart, Prudence isn't exactly content with her situation either. But now Jane's found the perfect man for Prudence in her new parish, if only she can get Prudence to see things her way.

I found this one rather biting and bitter but honest. No one is really happy, although they all pretend to be. But if you like Pym or you're interested in village life in midcentury Britain, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Smith of Wootton Major by J. R. R. Tolkien

or, The Importance of Good Cake



Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: It was the first story in Tolkien omnibus I checked out for Farmer Giles of Ham
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
LC Call #: PR 6039 O32 A6 2002
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Smith of Wootton Major is a short fairy story about what happens when a fairy star is put into the cake at a party and its effects on the life of the boy who accidentally eats it.

It's short and definitely a good read for children. My edition has nice illustrations that are a cross between medieval and midcentury style. Recommended for Tolkien fans, especially the younger set.

The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon

Where good stories go to hang out together



Source: me (7/2013)
Recommendation: 13-in-13 Category Challenge # 7: NYRB Children's Classics
Publisher: NYRB Children's Classics
LC Call #: PZ 7 F229 Li 2003
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Little Bookroom is a collection of Eleanor Farjeon children's stories picked out by the author herself. Although you've probably never heard of her, you probably know at least one of her works, the poem "Morning has Broken" made famous by Cat Stevens. The stories here are a mix of the fantastic and the mundane, the short and the rather long. They all have a sweet, nostalgic feel to them that hints at the fact that they were all published before 1955 when the book was first published. In short, there's something here for everyone.

Besides the lovely pen-and-ink illustrations, my copy also has a nice afterword by Rumor Godden.

Descent into Hell by Charles Williams

Hell is not caring about other people



Source: work
Recommendation: I'd wanted to read The Place of the Lion, but this is what we had.
Publisher: Eerdmans
LC Call #: PR 6045 I5 C43 2000
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Descent into Hell is a strange, compelling work about a group of amateur thespians and their neighbors who live on a hill where the veil between this world and the next is particularly thin. The company is simultaneously excited and dismayed that local poet and playwright Peter Standhope has written a play for them, if only it weren't so difficult to understand.

One member of the players, Pauline, lives in the neighborhood with her grandmother and her lifelong fear of meeting her Doppelgänger. Meanwhile the local military historian has fallen in love with actress Adela, who barely acknowledges his existence. Instead he finds comfort with her Doppelgänger while dreaming of descending a silver rope into Hell. Toss in the ghost of a man who doesn't know he's dead and a woman who may be in league with the devil, and you have the plot.

Ultimately an interesting mediation on selfishness and selflessness in the world, it has much to offer, even if it's a bit odd and even confusing sometimes. If any of this sounds interesting to you, you should pick it up. It makes for quite a good yarn.

Prometheus Unbound by Percy Bysshe Shelley

"Ere Babylon was dust, The Magus Zoroaster, my dead child, Met his own image walking in the garden."



Source: work
Recommendation: This is the poem that made Pauline fear her Doppelgänger in Descent into Hell
Publisher: Oxford UP
LC Call #: PR 5402 S43X 1934
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Prometheus Unbound is a closet drama in four acts about how Prometheus overthrows Jupiter's tyranny and regains his freedom. Completed in 1820, it is definitely influenced by the politics and values of the French Revolution. If you like romantic poetry, you've probably already read this, but if you haven't you should. Those who find such poetry tedious should probably stay away.

Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer

Rash decisions are usually bad decisions



Source: me (1/2010)
Recommendation: Why not?
Publisher: Harlequin
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 S9 2009
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Sylvester is a duke and boy does he know it. Unfortunately his personality tends to be a bit overbearing, and while he's a genuinely nice guy, he doesn't always come off that way. Not that he cares. He's a duke after all. Unfortunately those around him don't always share those sentiments and he winds up the subject of a Gothic novel. Written by the woman he's courting. This proves to the least of his problems however, and he's forced to muddle through as best he can. If only he can manage to win the girl at the end.

This one's so over the top that even a writer of Heyer's caliber struggles to make it believable. But if you like high drama and cross country (and Channel) travel, you'll probably enjoy the book. Just don't try to think too much.

Farmer Giles of Ham by J. R. R. Tolkien

Stubborn as a Dog



Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
LC Call #: PR 6039 O32 A6 2002
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Farmer Giles of Ham is a pseudo-medieval tale of a farmer named Giles who lives in the village of Ham. After he scares off a giant, he gets rewarded by the king with an old sword. A sword that comes in handy when a dragon comes to Ham after the giant tells him it's a nice place. Will Giles outwit the dragon and the king? Or will he suffer bitter defeat? It's up to the reader to find out.

Light, fluffy and illustrated by the same artist as Smith of Wootton Major. Recommended for Tolkien fans and those who like medieval-based fantasies.

>77 inge87: Sounds fanciful and charming. I'll get to it eventually. :)

Is Leaf by Niggle in that collection? It's one of my favorites.

>79 MickyFine:, I'll be the first to admit that I usually enjoy it more than I did this time. Sylvester is quite the book, just be prepared for some bickering.

>80 ronincats:, Yes, It has Tree and Leaf, which contains On Fairy-Stories and Leaf and Niggle. I may have to come back to that one.
__________________

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder*

Seven Months of Winter



Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: I felt like it.
Series: Little House (6/9)
Publisher: HarperTrophy
LC Call #: PZ 7 W6461 Lo 2004
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Long Winter finds the Ingalls family bringing in the harvest on their South Dakota homestead and dreaming of what they'll be able to accomplish once the sod is broken in the coming years. However, the signs are there to show that this winter will be unlike any other. Sure enough the blizzards come early and never leave. The trains are stopped and food and fuel runs dangerously low. Huddled in their building in town, it will take all the ingenuity the family has to survive this winter.

It's been years since I read the Little House books. But I find that I remembered most of this one pretty well. The constant threat of winter gives it excellent dramatic tension that lasts all the way through to the end. Highly recommended.

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers

Is this body his body?



Source: E-Book
Recommendation: Needed a Cozy Mystery
Series: Lord Peter Whimsey (1/15)
Publisher: E-Book
LC Call #: PR 6037 A95 W4 1923
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Whose Body? finds Lord Peter planning to attend an auction to improve his library, when his mother alerts him to the fact that the architect of the parish church has found a body in his bathtub. But how did it get there? The mystery becomes greater when it is revealed that a local financier, Lord Levy, came home the night before and then disappeared without his clothes. Could this body be his body? It's up to Peter and his friends to find out.

A fun, lighthearted interwar mystery. If you like such things, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

The Lark in the Morn by Elfrida Vipont

Sing a new song



Source: me (11/2013)
Recommendation: It looked good
Series: Haverard Family (1/5)
Publisher: Oxford UP
LC Call #: PZ 7 F825 Lar2 1958
Rating: 5 stars / 5

The Lark in the Morn is a charming tale of the coming of age of one Kit Haverard, a not so happy but extremely nice young girl. Her mother died shortly after her birth, and her father is an easily distracted professor, so most of her raising was done by her overbearing cousin Laura. And to say that Laura doesn't understand Kit would be a massive understatement, and as a result Kit makes for a rather unhappy child. But then she gets sick and goes to stay in the country with her mother's family for the first time and discovers that music and especially singing can be fun. But it's at boarding school where, away from Laura's constant criticisms, she begins to shine. Perhaps she has some control over her life after all.

A lovely mid-century boarding school novel with a Quaker twist, The Lark in the Morn is an excellent story about overcoming the odds and reaching self-acceptance. The characters are well-drawn and the plot is tightly woven. Highly recommended for those who like girl's coming of age stories, mid-century schoolgirl books, or just good story-writing.

The Ratzinger Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger & Vittorio Messori

The one that started it all



Source: me (10/2012)
Recommendation: 13-for-13 Category Challenge
Publisher: Ignatius
LC Call #: BX 1390 R36 1985
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The Ratzinger Report has taken on a semi-legendary status in some circles in defining a new approach to Vatican II. This is the first, to my knowledge, of the future Pope Benedict XVI's interview books, preceding those he did in German with Peter Seewald. If you're familiar with those, the format is similar, but less conversational. There is also an essay inserted towards the end, with the result that feels more that a guided reading than an actual interview.

Content-wise, this was one of the first books to really open up on new interpretations of Vatican II, and to say that there were things that had been lost in the process of its implementation that needed to be regained. Continuity vs. Rupture is the name of the game here. Much of this is rather old news and accepted fact now, but in the mid-80s it was rather shockingly controversial.

Recommended for those interested in modern Catholicism and especially the implementations of Vatican II. Others may find it all a bit dated and might want to seek out his more recent interviews like Salt of the Earth or Light of the World.

The Lark in the Morn sounds interesting. *ponders*

>85 Morphidae:, It's fun in a very retro way.
____________

High Rising by Angela Thirkell

Adventures in the British Countryside



Source: ILL (Trinity University)
Recommendation: It had been on the TBR list for a while
Series: Barsetshire (1/29)
Publisher: Borzoi Books / Knopf
LC Call #: PR 6039 H43 H54 1951
Rating: 4 stars / 5

High Rising finds Laura headed back home to Barsetshire for the holidays with her youngest son Tony. Whether she'll survive them is another story. For not only is Tony monomaniacally obsessed with trains, but neighbor and old friend George Knox has acquired a new secretary who is, as Tony says, "wonky in the brain". Toss in a few matches that need to be made and it's amazing that Laura and her part-time secretary can get anything accomplished, which is bad since Laura is a writer with a three book contract to fulfill.

Rather like Laura's novels, which feature a fashion designer who saves Britain on a regular basis, High Rising is a lot of fun, even if it's not very deep. The characters as fabulous, especially Tony, who seems destined to constantly drive his mother batty. Recommended for those who like light-hearted, fun stories or well-written women's fiction.

Note: LT didn't have a cover matching my edition, so I picked this one, since I think it really captures the feel of the novel.

I missed Quote week over at TIOLI, but it's just as well, because I don't have a quote. I have a scene: "In which Laura and her publisher Adrian Coates are trying to leave for the Knoxes' New Years party but something is wrong with Tony."

"My darling, what is it, what is it?" cried Laura, kneeling down by the bed, in total abandonment.

Tony's sobs checked his speech, but at last he managed to get out the works: "I've written a poem—and it's so beautiful, mother." Then turning to Laura he buried his head on her shoulder. Gradually his sobs subsided and Laura, bulling a chair up to his bed, sat down and asked about the poem.

"It's about a moor-hen. We shot some the other day and I wrote a poem about it, and it is so marvelous, mother," and his lips began to tremble again.

"My darling, can I read it?"

"I'll read it to you, mother, but it's very, very sad, and will make you cry."

"Never mind, darling. I'd love to hear it, and so would Mr. Coates. Come in, Adrian, and shut the door."

Much comforted, and not displeased with the unexpected addition to his audience, Tony sniffed loudly, rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, and prepared to read.

"The name of it is 'By Marsh and Mallow, Fern and Glen'," he announced.

"Jolly good title," said Adrian kindly.

"It's a very sad name," said Tony reproachfully.

"Never mind, darling," said Laura. "Let's have the poem."

Tony cleared his throat and read:

"By marsh and mallow,
Fern and glen,
By marsh and mallow,
Went they then.

By marsh and mallow,
The moor-hen,
By marsh and mallow,
Went she then.

By marsh and mallow,
When, ah, then,
A hunter sallow,
Shot that poor moor-hen.

By marsh and mallow,
Fern and glen,
By marsh and mallow,
Ne'er again."

It is idle to state that his foolish mother's eyes were full of tears by the end of the reading. "Darling," she gasped, "it is frightfully sad."

"I knew you'd cry," said Tony complacently. "I cried like anything. Isn't it marvelous, mother."

"Laura," said Adrian, "I loved Tony's poem, especially that bit where the metre goes a bit queer, and he's a much better poet than ever I was, and we'll publish it with his collected works; but do you realize that is is nearly half-past eight, and even my car can't do it in under ten minutes, on a dark night and a road I don't know."

"I'm coming," sad Laura, wiping her eyes. "Thank you, Tony. It's a sad, sad poem. Now go to sleep, and don't, please, be unhappy, and forget about moor-hens."

Tony hugged his mother violently and lay down. Just as she and Adrian were leaving the room, he called, "Mother."

"What?"

"Mother, Sibyl's asked me to go shooting again on Monday. Isn't it lovely? Can I go?"

"Yes, darling. Good night."

Laura quickly shut the door. She and Adrian looked at each other and began to laugh. In fact, they laughed so much that Laura nearly fell down the last two steps, and Adrian had to support her.

"I do have peculiar children," she said, as she got into Adrian's big car.

High Rising, pages 85-88 in my edition.

I've just bought High Rising after numerous recommendations of Angela Thirkell on LT. Glad to hear it's a fun read.

>88 SandDune:, High Rising was my first Angela Thirkell, but it definitely won't be my last. Hopefully it will live up to expectations.
____________

I've been pretty much absent lately, busy applying to grad school for library science, but I took the MAT this morning, which means I'm officially done! Now it's just a waiting game, so there's much more time for fun stuff like LT and reading and Thanksgiving and picking out presents for my Christmas Swap partner. You know, the really important bits. The reviews for Mary and the Fathers of the Church and Strong Poison will be up in the next few days.

Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought by Luigi Gambero, SM

Trains of Thought



Source: me (5/2013)
Recommendation: it needed to be read and I'd used it as a category image on my latest 13-in-13 thread
Publisher: Ignatius
LC Call #: BT 612 G3613 1999
Rating: 5 stars / 5

Mary and the Fathers of the Church is an impressive feat of scholarship that manages to be both masterful and accessible at the same time. Starting with Ignatius of Antioch and continuing until John of Damascus, Gambero covers the development of Mary's role in the Church during the era of the early fathers. The book is divided chronologically into four sections, which are in turn divided into chapters focusing on individual authors. Each chapter begins with a short biography of the writer or writers, gives an overview of the role Mary plays in their theology and then ends with a short passage from their writings to reinforce the author's points. All in all, I think it's rather brilliant.

Fr. Gambero, who unfortunately passed away earlier this year, has another book, Mary in the Middle Ages, which covers the medieval Latin theologians. It's definitely on my list for next year's reading. And if you have an interest in the early church or in Mariology, Mary and the Fathers of the Church should be added to yours.

>89 inge87: Best of luck on the library school apps! Where are you hoping to go? Or are you doing an online MLIS?

Book bullet here! Mary and the Fathers of the Church sounds quite interesting.

>91 MickyFine:, Thanks! Hopefully, the University of North Texas. I'll be doing most of my coursework online due to the distances involved, but some of the courses are hybrid.

>92 ronincats:, It's an excellent book, hopefully you'll enjoy it if you come upon a copy.
_

Hopefully everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving (for those celebrating). I went down to my aunt's in Austin, where I had a lot of fun and ate way too much food.

Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers

Poisoned Souls



Source: work
Recommendation: felt like it
Series: Lord Peter Whimsey (6/15)
Publisher: Gollancz
LC Call #: PR 6037 A95 S7 1949
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Strong Poison finds Lord Peter embroiling himself in the murder trial of one Harriet Vane, accused of poisoning her ex-lover. He thinks she's innocent and after the first prosecution attempt fails to achieve a conviction, he sets to work. Vane and her supposed victim had been living together outside of marriage, which carried significant social stigma at the time. However, she left him after he proposed marriage, and he later died after having tea at her new flat in an attempt at reconciliation. He'd dined at his cousin's, but no one there got sick. Plus, Miss Vane is a mystery writer and knows all about poisons. Surely there's no way she could be innocent, right?

Obviously you know that Lord Peter is going to solve the case. The question is how, and leads him on quite the adventure. Recommended for anyone who likes a good mystery.

We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich

And they took to us



Source: work
Recommendation: it looked nice and Thanksgiving-ish
Publisher: J. B. Lippincott
LC Call #: F 25 R5 1942
Rating: 3 stars / 5

We Took to the Woods is Rich's memoir of her family's life living in the remote Maine wilderness in the 1930s and early 40s (the book was published in 1942). Although her lifestyle is definitely not easy, she sure makes it sound like fun.

Recommended for those who like memoirs by interesting women, off the grid memoirs, or looks at lost ways of life.

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan

Over-Cooked



Source: me (4/2013)
Recommendation: TIOLI #11: Read a book you started a while ago but never finished
Publisher: The Penguin Press
LC Call #: TX 652 P646 2013
Rating: 2 stars / 5

Cooked is Michael Pollin's account of different ways humans change food using the four elements: fire (Southern pork barbeque), water (boiling/braising), air (bread), and earth (fermentation).

Pollan comes off as trying way too hard here. Especially the voyeuristic first section with the white Northeasterner travelling to North Carolina to learn the art of whole hog barbeque from the wise African American cook. It took me six months to psych myself through that part, but the other sections are better and I thought the fermentation section was genuinely interesting. Extremely skippable for the majority of the world's population. Pollan fans will still want to read this one, but should go to the library to get it.

Journey without Maps by Graham Greene

Over-Cooked



Source: me (11/2013)
Recommendation: long-term TBR list
Publisher: Penguin
LC Call #: DT 626 G7 1992
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Journey without Maps is British novelist Graham Greene's account of his journey through Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea in 1935. At the time, there were no accurate maps of the region, so he and his party were essentially flying blind. However, you don't really get the sense that he was having much fun. The villages are full of naked people covered in sores, and his hired servants are always simple and on the brink of mutiny.

A period piece with some value in understanding the colonialist viewpoint, but those looking for information on West African society and culture will probably come away disappointed.

November Round-Up

On top of work and applying to grad school, I somehow managed to read 20 book. I'm most proud of Cooked, because the first chapter was so impossibly obnoxious, but now that it's finished, it can go and bother someone else.

Books Read: 20

Sources
Me (2013) - 5
Work - 5
ILL - 3
E-Books - 2
Public Library (new) - 2
Me (Re-read) - 1
Me (TBR Pile) - 1
Public Library (re-read) - 1

Centuries of Reading Decades Completed
1940s, 1960s, 1990s

Best of the Month



Fiction: The Lark in the Morn by Elfrida Vipont

Non-Fiction: Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought by Luigi Gambero, SM

Have you read any other Lord Peter Whimsey books? I just finished The Nine Tailors and was sort of meh about it. Is Strong Poison better?

>99 Morphidae:, I've only read Whose Body? and Strong Poison. Both were good, but Whose Body? was the more entertaining of the two. However, I brought The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club with me to Austin for Thanksgiving and could not get into it, so it may be that Sayers is an uneven writer.

Chief Joseph Of The Nez Perce by Robert Penn Warren

Bad Poetry for a Good Cause



Source: me (Spring 2006)
Recommendation: Getting it off the TBR shelf
Publisher: Random House
LC Call #: PS 3545 A748 C5 1983
Rating: 1 star / 5

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce is really, really mediocre poetry. I give the author kudos for the format, a kind of mixed media of poetry interspersed with relevant quotes from the era. But that doesn't save the text from being that kind of poetry that is really prose set off in columns with really random vocabulary choices (forked tongues being a big favorite of the author).

Unless you're in love with Robert Penn Warren, you should definitely skip this one. There are much better ways to appreciate the compelling story that is Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce.

The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne

Hum, Hum, Hum



Source: work
Recommendation: something warm and fuzzy for an icy, cold day
Series: Winnie-the-Pooh (2/4)
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
LC Call #: PZ 7 M64 Ho 1991
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The House at Pooh Corner is the book that introduces Tigger, that most bouncy of animals, to the Pooh universe. Many find him overwhelming, but Kanga sees right though him. Meanwhile, Christopher Robin is changing and disappearing every morning to who knows where. But Pooh is still Pooh and still blithely humming his way though his many adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.

If you've only see the Disney Pooh, you'll notice some differences, but they are more cosmetic than anything else, plus the inevitable sugaring of hard truths that is the Disney touch. But if you want a jaunt back to the joys and simpler times of childhood, you can't do much better than Milne's Pooh.

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg*

The Best Kind



Source: me (12/2012)
Recommendation: 13-in-13 Challenge, Category 4: Food / Cooking
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
LC Call #: TX 649 W588 A3 2009
Rating: 4 stars / 5

A Homemade Life is the author's life told through her most memorable dishes. From her childhood in Oklahoma City through college in California and Paris, to her adulthood in Seattle, Wizenberg cooked and ate a lot of food. The stories behind those that were most important or symbolic for her form the individual chapters of the book. Some of them sound delicious. Luckily for us then that the recipe is included at the end of each one. We watch the author grow up, go to Paris, and eventually find love in the form of a vegetarian musician. The story is almost as satisfying as the food.

Overall, a successful memoir, as it makes me want to both meet the author and eat her food. The book reminded me a bit of My Berlin Kitchen, only much less whiny. If you're trying to pick between the two, pick this one. Recommended for those who love foodie memoirs, good storytelling, or dream of visiting Paris.

Apparently my 7th Thingaversary was the day before yesterday. (oops!) I'm trying not to accumulate a ton of books right now, so instead of buying eight for the day, I'm aiming for 8 total this month. So far I have three: Nourishing Traditions, Fangirl (currently stuck in snow en route from Chicagoland), and a book in Amazon packaging from my Secret Santa.

Or you could do what I did and read for 7+1 hours in a day.

>105 Morphidae:, That's also an idea. Although I tend be given books for Christmas, so I may accumulate eight without any effort at all on my part. But if all else fails I may just throw a belated Thingaversary party for myself.

Happy Thingaversary, Inge!!

Happy Thingaversary.... even if it is slightly belated! ;-)

Happy belated Thingaversary! I like both the ideas for celebrating.

Thanks everyone! It's a great day for a belated Thingaversary, because most of the students have gone home for break and we're pretty much deserted at work, plus UPS says that Fangirl has finally escaped Chicago and should be delivered today.
__________

The Box of Delights by John Masefield

A Christmas Adventure



Source: work
Recommendation: 13-in-13 Challenge, Category 7: NYRB Children's Collection
Series: Kay Harker (2/2)
Publisher: NYRB Children's Collection
LC Call #: PZ 7 M373 Bo 2007
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Box of Delights finds Kay Harker on his way home from school for the Christmas Holidays. All of a sudden while transferring trains, he can't find his ticket. This leads to a change encounter with a Punch and Judy man, who not only finds his ticket, but sets him on course for great adventure. The wolves are running, and it is up to Kay to save everyone.

Abner and Daisy are up to their old tricks, only this time it involves kidnapping clerics and various other evil deeds. The book is fun, but after a while the plot just became too ridiculous to be taken seriously, and the ending makes me almost wonder if the author didn't think so too. Recommended for those who enjoy children's fantasy adventure stories who are willing to take things with a grain of salt.

Music For The End Of Time by Jen Bryant

"Hope is a thing with feathers"



Source: work
Recommendation: I was tidying shelves and it spoke to me
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
LC Call #: PZ 7 B79 Mu 2005
Rating: 4 stars / 5

Music for the End of Time retells the story of French composer Olivier Messiaen's time in German captivity and how he was inspired to write his famous work Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time) there. The text is accompanied by lovely pastel illustrations by Beth Peck which capture the mood perfectly.

My one complaint is that the book ends with the premiere of the Quartet in the prisoner of war camp and then everything else is pushed into an author's note at the end of the book. It would have been much better to have had one or two more panels showing Messiaen's departure from the camp at the end of the war. This would have paralleled the beginning of the book which showed his arrival, and would have provided a more natural ending than the one in the book.

But overall, this is a highly commendable book, which opens an obscure, but interesting chapter of music history to a wider audience. There's also apparently an "adult" book on the subject, For the End of Time: The Story of the Messiaen Quartet, that I hope to get to next year. Highly recommended.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Life as strange as fiction



Source: me (12/2013)
Recommendation: Micky
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
LC Call #: PZ 7 R79613 Fan 2013
Rating: 5 stars / 5

Fangirl is the story of Cath, a shy, socially awkward girl who is also an amazingly talented writer. She and her twin sister Wren are starting college at the University of Nebraska. Once the two were inseparable and both obsessed with the Simon Snow novels (think Harry Potter). Cath is now famous on the internet as a fanfiction author, but Wren claims to have moved past Simon and Baz and become an adult. She also refuses to room with Cath, saying she wants to be independent. With her strange roommate, a writing professor who hates fanfiction, and constant worries about her father back home in Omaha, it's all Cath can do to keep herself together. Plus there's the boy issue. It will take strength she never knew she had to survive, and in the process she may just discover that there's more to her than she ever dreamed.

A charming, compelling coming of age story, that in many ways reflected my own college experience. Highly recommended for anyone who ever liked fanfiction, strong female protagonists, or plain old fashioned good storytelling. Don't let the YA tag scare you away.

Christmas: Birth of Our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ & His Private Life by Joseph Raya+

The time that comes just once a year



Source: me (11/2012)
Recommendation: It was the last book I needed to complete 13-in-13
Publisher: Madonna House Publications
LC Call #: BV 45 R39 1997
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Christmas: Birth of Our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ & His Private Life is, as the title would suggest, a book about Christmas. But it is Christmas in the traditional sense of the Term, meaning Epiphany and the Presentation are also discussed. There is also an interesting section on the Name of Jesus that has an extensive discussion on the history and use of the Jesus Prayer. Structurally, the book itself is a bit of a jumble, as the discussion can range from descriptions of festal icons, to scripture commentary, to discussions of the Eastern liturgy within a few pages. But for those looking for an Eastern view of the Christmas season, it might make for a good starting point.

>112 inge87: Glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer. I think Fangirl nicely straddles the YA and growing New Adult genres.

>114 MickyFine:, Quite. There are definitely parts that the more traditional teenaged YA audience member would not appreciate until they get a bit older.
________

The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend by Bob Drury & Tom Clavin

The End of an Era



Source: me (11/2013)
Recommendation: LibraryJournal
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
LC Call #: E 99 O3 R3725 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The Heart of Everything that Is is at once a biography of the great Dakota chief Red Cloud, the only Native American chief to defeat the United States in a war, but a history of the Sioux and of end of a way of life on the Great Plains. The title is a translation of the Sioux name for what in English are called the Black Hills, "Pahá Sápa". Red Cloud was a military strategist without parallel at a time when his tribe was increasingly encroached upon by Americans heading west. But even his mind was not enough to save them.

Life on the prairie was no walk in the park for a Native American, either before or after their suppression by the United States government. The authors do a masterful job of capturing the characters involved and creating a compulsive narrative of destiny tinged with doom. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Native cultures, Western expansion, or good narratives histories.

The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings

Home is where the school is



Source: work
Recommendation: It spoke to me
Publisher: Perigee
LC Call #: LC 40 C66 2012
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The Year of Learning Dangerously documents Cummings' first year of homeschooling her daughter, who was not being serviced properly by the schools in their area. Alice is a highly gifted math-hater and had convinced a series of teachers that she was incapable of learning long division, because she didn't want to do it. Homeschooling was the solution of last resort, and to a certain extent, the family was pretty much winging it.

Trying to figure out the whys and hows behind homeschooling (an better justify her guilty conscience that her daughter was missing out), the author investigates different homeschooling methodologies, from unschooling to government-sponsored homeschooling to crazy fundamentalist cult homeschooling. She even chaperones a homeschooling prom in Indiana. The parts when she goes undercover are pretty funny, and in the process you get a feel for just how disparate the various groups labeled "homeschooling" actually are.

If you've ever had an interesting in homeschooling as an institution, this is a very accessible and humorous treatment of the subject, plus there is a short bibliography at the back for those looking for further reading.

The Book of Mary by Henri Daniel-Rops

Mariology 101



Source: work
Recommendation: blog book rec
Publisher: Hawthorn Books
LC Call #: BT 601 D253 1960
Rating: 3 stars / 5

The Book of Mary is a succinct overview of the Catholic teaching on the Virgin Mary and its basis in tradition and scripture. The book is divided into two sections: Part I discusses the subject and Part II contains the sources, both canonical and apocryphal, mentioned in Part I.

This book dovetails well with Mary and the Fathers of the Church, which shows how the early fathers developed their theologies of Mary from the material discussed by Daniel-Rops. It's an accessible book and offers ready rewards whether or not you have much background in the subject. Recommended for anyone with an interest in Catholic mariology or with views on the Virgin Mary in general.

Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes by Paul Strathern

Turn off the snark



Source: work
Recommendation: it looked interesting
Series: Philosophers in 90 Minutes
Publisher: Ivan R. Dee
LC Call #: B 765 T54 S764 1998
Rating: 1 star / 5

Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes attempts to give a concise summary of Thomas Aquinas' philosophy. The only problem is that there is so much snark that everything else is lost in the background. The author doesn't even seem to like Aquinas or medieval philosophy, and his contempt for his subject hopelessly compromises his book. Skip it, please. There are much better introductions to Aquinas, like G. K. Chesterton's Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox or Joseph Pieper's Guide to Thomas Aquinas. They may take longer than 90 minutes to finish, but you'll get much more out of them than you ever would with Strathem.

Many Dimensions by Charles Williams

My precioussssssssss . . .



Source: work
Recommendation: TIOLI #16: Read a book with an embedded word in the title
Publisher: Eerdmans
LC Call #: PR 6045 I5 C43 2000
Rating: 3 stars / 5

Many Dimensions is a strange novel. The summary on the back flap of my omnibus edition says it's about free will and predestination, but if that's the case, Williams certainly could have developed this plotline a bit better. In short, an unscrupulous Englishman smuggles the Stone of Solomon into the country from Persia. It is capable of great wonders, but with great power comes great responsibility. Plus, it can be multiplied infinitely without losing any strength. The chief justice and his secretary join forces with a member of the Persian embassy to put a stop to the abuse of the stone, but will they figure out their course of action in time to stop their opponents?

It's all rather disordered and I frequently had no idea why characters were doing the things they were doing. Descent into Hell is a much stronger novel, and those with a passing interest in Williams because of his friends would be much better served picking up that one.

Jennifer, I've enjoyed your thread all year, with the variety of reading that you do and your great reviews. Best wishes for Christmas and 2014.

Merry Christmas!

Have yourself a merry little book-filled Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Jennifer!

Merry Christmas everyone and a happy St. Stephen's Day as well!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

>125 dk_phoenix:, I did, thank you, and I'll have a good second round this weekend with the extended family in Austin.
_________________

The Church under Attack: Five Hundred Years That Split the Church and Scattered the Flock by Diane Moczar

Duck and Cover!



Source: work
Recommendation: impulse grab
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press
LC Call #: BX 1304 M56 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5

The Church under Attack is an account of European history from the 16th century as viewed as a series of assaults on the Catholic Church. It's a survey, and covers quite a bit of ground in less than 250 pages by going the broad and shallow route. The author is apparently one of that rare breed of true Conservatives, an American monarchist who is not big on capitalism and even less big on revolution or individual rights. The novelty of her point of view makes up for the seeming ridiculousness of some of her opinions, but as is often the case among unusual opinions, some of her thoughts do ring true in a sort of "Hmmm, I never thought about it that way" kind of way.

Probably only of interest to Catholics of a particular stripe, or those who want to think about European history from a different point of view (note, the author's mindset is much more common in Europe so may not be as novel there than here in the US). But for those interested in such things, I can highly recommend it.

What Darkness Brings by C. S. Harris

Is not always pleasant



Source: me (4/2013)
Recommendation: catching up on series
Series: Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries (8/?)
Publisher: Obsidian
LC Call #: PS 3566 R5877 W4725 2013
Rating: 3 star / 5

What Darkness Brings is the most recent of the St. Cyr regency mysteries. Sebastian and Hero are finally sorting things out, but a stolen diamond and murdered dealer drag him away once again to solve the mystery. Especially since the accused is none other than Russell Yates. Sebastian and his father are still not talking, and his relationship with Kat seems to finally be hitting reality. There's lots going on, but some of it just seems superfluous. Hopefully Why Kings Confess will be a bit tighter.

I need to go back and read the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries from the start.... I kind, of accidentally, read book four in the series Where Serpents Sleep, absolutely loved the brooding Sebastian character and then forgot to go back and start the series from the beginning. Maybe for my 2014 reading.... ?

I hope you had a love Christmas, Jennifer and all the best wishes for you in 2014!

#126 - he author is apparently one of that rare breed of true Conservatives, an American monarchist who is not big on capitalism and even less big on revolution or individual rights.

Hmmm. Rare indeed. When was this one published?

>128 lkernagh:, Thanks! I think books 2 and 3 (When Gods Die and Why Mermaids Sing) are my favorites of the series. It's definitely worth going back and starting from the beginning.

>129 drneutron:, 2013, believe it or not. The author has a very old school continental European-style conservatism that you just don't see here. As an intellectual exercise it made for interesting reading.

I'm back from Christmas Part II in Austin, and as anticipated, I reached 8 books with only a little effort on my part, so here's my official Thingaversary Present List:

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Mastering Fermentation by Mary Karlin
The Ocean of Life: The Fate of Man and the Sea by Callum Roberts
Pretty Shield: Medicine Woman of the Crows by Frank B. Linderman
The Wandering Heart by Mary Malloy
How to Make a Good Confession: A Pocket Guide to Reconciliation With God by John A. Kane
Greenvoe by George Mackay Brown

Other Christmas presents:
a stockpot and silicone spatulas (me)
kitchen scissors, a paring knife, and a set of nesting glass bowls (dad)
soap and a visa gift card (my aunt)
a bottle of good Riesling wine and one of rose water (cousin)
candle and a crochet amigurumi booklet (sister)

My Mom has told me I'm getting what I asked for (Japanese Farm Food and The Riddle of the Labyrinth), but all attempts to meet and have Christmas together have been foiled (first bad weather made her leave for Iowa early and then my sister got the stomach flu), so I haven't actually received them yet.

I've made it safely back from Christmas Part II in Austin and am now having fun relaxing and watching Texas get rolled over by the Oregon Ducks on national tv. One of the highlights of the trip was a holiday light show on Lake Austin. This being Austin, they kept it weird by including "Gangnam Style" in the music. The mandatory UT fight song sequence was also in evidence (see photo above). A cold front came through, the wind blowing off the lake was bone-numbing, and my sister just getting over the stomach flu, but a good time was had by all.

>131 inge87: Excellent book haul. Glad you had a good Christmas. :)

Oh, that's a hoot that they included Gangnam Style. It's one of those songs that I really should hate but I can't help liking it. It's so... wrong.

The Well-Laden Ship by Egbert of Liège

Lots to unload



Source: me (10/2013)
Recommendation: it looked interesting
Series: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library (25)
Publisher: Harvard UP
LC Call #: PN 6418 E34 2013
Rating: 3 star / 5

The Well-Laden Ship is a collection of sayings and folk wisdom set in Latin and used as a teaching tool sometime between 972 and 1008 in Liège. You get a taste of medieval society Egbert's selections, the biblical and the earthy. For all our stereotypes of the time, you'd never get away with telling 10-year-olds some of these sayings today.

If you're interested in common speech and folk wisdom, you'll probably find some treasures worth mining. But the fairy tales promised in the publisher's summary make up only a tiny minority of the material, and it's probably not worth picking up on their account. Also, Egbert's Latin is a bit weird, and as the introduction notes you feel rather bad for his students even if it did make the classical authors seem easy, so even those with a good knowledge of the language will be glad for the English gloss on the facing pages.