Laura (lauralkeet)'s 2013 Reading - Part 5

Heydon, a village in Cambridgeshire, UK
Continuing the theme of "places I've called home," in 2000 I had the opportunity to take an international assignment, and we moved to England for four years. We lived in a very small village in Cambridgeshire. This is the crossroads in the center of the village, and the church.

UGH - I accidentally blew away my 2013 ticker!

My WikiThing is where I keep an archive of links to personal threads from a variety of LT groups and group reads, past & present.

Books completed ("details" jumps to location in this thread where review & links can be found)
October
43. The Pumpkin Eater - details
44. Leading Outside the Lines - details
45. Transatlantic - details
46. Family History - details
47. The Luminaries - details
48. Vita's Other World - details
49. The Lowland - details

November
50. Housekeeping - details
51. The Exiles Return - details
52. Company Parade - details
53. Lucia in London - details
54. One Was a Soldier - details

December
55. The Squire - details
56. The Duke's Daughter - details
57. Catching Fire - details
58. The Goldfinch- details
59. Mockingjay - details

43. The Pumpkin Eater ()
My Review
Source: On my shelves
Why I read this now: The cover caught my eye.

In this autobiographical novel, a woman struggles with depression and fights to find her sense of purpose while dealing with a bad marriage and a philandering husband. Mrs. Armitage has several children from multiple marriages and is now married to Jake, a screenwriter. She has no real friends; life revolves around her home and children. They are sufficiently well off to afford childcare and a cook, leaving Mrs. A with little to do. Early on Jake cheats on her, with an old school friend at that, but she chooses to believe his denial because really, what other options does she have? Things go from bad to worse, and for the most part this story is told with dark humor. But it's ultimately a stark portrait of marriage and motherhood, that doesn't glamorize in the least.

Laura - noticed that you had sneaked a new thread in. Congratulations on the same and wishing you a great weekend in the process.

How is your daughter faring in the noble city of Exeter?

It's so weird where people end-up, isn't it? If LT had existed then we could have had meet-up's galore!

>3 PaulCranswick:: Hello Paul! Thanks for visiting. Kate is having an amazing time. I don't know if I mentioned this before but she's on a programme sponsored by her university so there are about 25 students from her school there as well. Besides her courses which are taken with Exeter students, they have one course they do as a group which involves a lot of theater (in London & elsewhere), and visiting literary places in England. Yesterday they hiked around Tintagel.

>4 SandDune:: I know, Rhian! I thought of you while I was creating this thread. In case you need help getting your bearings, in the photo on the left, the road in the immediate front leads out to the A505. The little bit of road you can see on the far left leads to Wood Green Animal Shelter (former home of Sweep!), and Great Chishill. We were not far from you at all!

Morning Laura- Nice new thread! At first, I thought that was a photo of your home. How quaint, but then quickly realized it was not. No, I have not started Foyle but it is in my TV viewing plans, now that Breaking Bad, Broadchurch & Copper are over. I am still trying to keep up with the latest Longmire and my wife and I are enjoying Orange is the New Black, but that is it.
Hope you have a nice Sunday!

Laura - You may know (Kate certainly will by now) that Tintagel is one of the places claimed as the stamping ground of King Arthur and the ruins remain.

Hi Laura.
The Pumpkin Eater seems like a good read for early October!

>7 PaulCranswick:: Yep, that's right Paul. A few photos of the ruins were posted on FB.
>8 EBT1002:: Ellen, ya know, I'm not sure what eating pumpkins has to do with this book. No references to pumpkins anywhere so must be a metaphor.

Nice new thread, Laura. Lucky you getting to live in England for four years. My daughter and husband lived there for 18 months, and we managed two visits while they were there. It's so much fun to walk through a village and shop for dinner, etc. and get to know how the locals live. The tourist part was pretty cool, too. It's so nice that Kate can replicate your experience to some degree.

>10 Donna828:: Hi Donna! Living in England was a great experience for the whole family. My daughters were small then (elementary school) and their school was small and close-knit, a great environment. Kate was quite set on returning as an adult and the Kenyon-Exeter program was one of the main reasons she chose Kenyon for college. Obviously the experience is quite different as a university student than as a 7-11 year old (and, for that matter, probably quite different than it was for me in my late 30s/early40s). But I'm very happy she has the opportunity because it's so much more difficult to do these things once your school days are behind you.

Happy New Thread, Laura! And what a wonderful memory! I can't think which of my 4 years I'd exchange for 4 in England, but I can certainly wish it had happened that way. And Kate gets to have two experiences - happy girl!
(Meanwhile, I'm bemused by that modern tower stuck on the the church. When was that done?)

>12 LizzieD:: Meanwhile, I'm bemused by that modern tower stuck on the the church. When was that done?

It was after the war, Peggy. A church has stood on that site since 1298. The present structure was hit by a bomb in the Battle of Britain in 1940, and restored in the 1950s. Google helped me with fact-checking on this and I came across this blog post with more photos.

Living there gave me an entirely new perspective on the two world wars.

44. Leading Outside the Lines ()
Not Reviewed
Source: Borrowed from a colleague
Why I read this now: A colleague recommended this, seeing applicability in various activities going on at work.

This is one of those "self help" kind of business books which offer useful ways of working illustrated through stories or case studies. Malcolm Gladwell does this especially well, and I suppose has attracted imitators. This book may be one of them. It's OK, with some moderately useful insights, but I found I could get what I needed by skimming. I would not normally have chosen to interrupt my personally-selected reading like this, so I'm rewarding myself by counting it. :)

Hi Laura. I'm enjoying following your memories of places you've lived. I'm so glad you and your family had the experience of living abroad. It obviously made a huge impression on Kate and how wonderful that she's back there now.

>2 lauralkeet:, 9...Are you not familiar with the nursery rhyme, "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater"? I always understood it to be a reference to a man whose wife cheated on him, so he put her "in a pumpkin shell" (a chastity belt), and "there he kept her very well." Can you mold and stretch that to fit the book?

>16 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, that was my thought too.

>16 laytonwoman3rd:: Ohhhhhh! OF COURSE. Yes that's it and it fits like a glove. Thanks Linda!!!

Well, I accomplished something on this dreary pointless Monday! Thank YOU, Laura. (I always thought that rhyme was a bit raunchy, myself....well, after a certain age I did, anyway.)

#13 The present structure was hit by a bomb in the Battle of Britain in 1940 - it was a bit unlucky to have a bomb dropped on it in Heydon considering how far away from anything of strategic importance it was! And I'd never realised that there was anything even slightly raunchy about that nursery rhyme - I've obviously led a very sheltered life.

Just thumbed your excellent review of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena Laura and enjoyed reading about your time in Heydon. And I learnt something about pumpkins.....

Exeter is a great city to be at -- of course, the proximity to Cornwall would lead me to that conclusion... I've been hiking around Tintagel, as part of my exploration of the Cornish coastal path -- did the segment from there all the way to Boscastle, which is about double its stated length due to the need to constantly go up and down. Still, lovely.

Ho hum. Here I must bide for a while, however. No jaunting around till cash flow picks up.

Now that is exactly what I picture when I read books set in quaint English villages. Lucky you for being able to live there for a few years. And really lucky Kate to go back as a college student.

I'm with Rhian about the nursery rhyme (thanks for the explication), and I enjoyed the pictures and the blog. Thank you, Laura!

Hi Laura! Lovely photos and I had not realised you were there for 4 years. I'm happy to hear that Kate has wanted to go back, and hope my 2 feel the same way when they're a bit older about Europe.

And I had no idea at all about Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater!

Wow! Having a busy day and no time to respond to everyone here but am certainly glad I wasn't the only one who missed the pumpkin reference.

How marvelous that you got four years in the UK!

Our opening photos are stunning! I can only imagine how wonderful it was to live four years in the UK!

>9 lauralkeet::
Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater
Had a wife and couldn't keep her
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well.

There is a second, less known verse too:
Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had another and didn't love her;
Peter learned to read and spell,
And then he loved her very well.

I imagine the first verse was what the book title referred to. ETA: just read Linda's response. Ayup!

That second verse really puzzles me...

Well, I heard a different interpretation of the rhyme from yours, Linda. Some claim it refers to Peter the Great's wife and sister plotting to overthrow him, resulting in them being incarcerated in a convent. But there is an earlier Scottish version of this rhyme, with Peter being a turnip grower:
Peter, my neeper,
Had a wife,
And he couidna' keep her,
He pat her i' the wa', {he put her in the wall}
And lat a' the mice eat her. {and let the mice eat her}

which may or may not have been the precursor to the version we know. Both very misogynistic and grim, as this third possible original:

Eeper Weeper, chimney sweeper,
Had a wife but couldn't keep her.
Had another, didn't love her,
Up the chimney he did shove her.

I remember batting these interpretations around in the myth course I took yonks ago, when we looked at the warnings contained in nursery rhymes. Some thought that someone who ate pumpkins wouldn't have been very well off and couldn't keep her might have referred to not being able to feed or house her properly. Others thought it must have referred to a political figure, hence the concealed message. Henry VIII and one of his wives? And then we didn't know if pumpkins were indigenous to North America and not British at all, etc., etc., so is it really an American rhyme even though it gets put in Mother Goose all the time?

Anyway, she obviously either died or got out of the picture somehow (a convent, a house away from court), so he remarried and wasn't doing too well with that marriage until he found a means (through the law or the church i.e., through those who could read and write) to arrange things in a way that made him happier.

And we'll never know, will we? Darn.

Sorry for the thread-jacking, Laura!

Wow ... That's very interesting Tui! Thanks for all that info on what seemed like such a simple rhyme.

Most of these "nursery" rhymes had a different and often darker meaning from what they appeared.
Ring around a rosy (the first sign of the plague, a red dot with a ring around it)
Pocketful of posies (the flowers people carried to try to ward it off)
Ashes, ashes (the cremations of plague victims)
We all fall down (no one can escape it)

Gack!

In the UK we don't have the 'ashes, ashes' line. We have 'tishoo, tishoo' which I suppose is self-explanatory!

It evolved to "husha, husha" in Ontario, Rhian. That's interesting!

Okay, skipping Leading Outside the Lines even though I like the title. I must read Strengths Based Leadership this month for a presentation I'm doing in about 2 weeks.....

Great discussion of nursery rhymes! It's fascinating to read about their origins.

>37 EBT1002:: Ellen, it may depend on your professional experience. If you are accustomed to an environment which is predominately based on getting things done through formal means, then these will be new concepts. If you've had experience getting things done informally, building coalitions, capitalizing on those people everyone pays attention to, then there's nothing new here except perhaps a reminder to pay just as much attention to the informal as you do the formal.

14: I'm rewarding myself by counting it.
Of course you should.
Love the photos of your “places I've called home”.
Keeping a distance from creepy nursery rhymes...

45. Transatlantic ()
My Review
Source: Public library
Why I read this now: Lots of buzz on LT, nominated for National Book Award

The books I love typically have a great plot and/or well developed characters. Transatlantic was different: I liked it for its structure. The novel opens with what appear at first to be three independent stories: a pair of aviators crossing the Atlantic in 1919, Frederick Douglass visiting Ireland in the mid-1800s, and George Mitchell brokering the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. Lurking in the shadows of these three stories are women, whose lives are more directly and powerfully linked, and gradually the story becomes theirs. McCann achieves a kind of optical illusion in book form: in the first few chapters my eyes and thoughts were so focused on the famous figures that I missed important details, at times even dismissing the women as unimportant characters. And then suddenly there would be an "aha!" moment that sent me back to the earlier parts to discover the links I'd missed before.

The women's stories are interesting, too -- stories of love, and loss, and womankind's ability to persevere in the face of it all. But I keep coming back to McCann's trompe l'oeil, and marveling at the way he drew me into the story while, all along, telling a very different story that I had yet to discover.

Laura- Excellent review of Transatlantic. I think you nailed it perfectly. It is one of my favorite reads of the year. Have you read Let the Great World Spin? I think it's even better.

Oh, Laura... Now I really do need to read Transatlantic. Your review has put it on my wish list.

>41 msf59:: oh thank you, Mark! Yes I read Let the Great World Spin, and I'm not sure which one I like best.

>42 NanaCC:: HA! My work is done. :)

I felt so satisfied when I finished the book, although I couldn't say exactly why. I sat down to write my review, not sure what to say, and then suddenly it came to me what is was I liked so much and why the book had struck such a chord.

Great review of Transatlantic, Laura. I've enjoyed your new thread, with the lovely photos and fascinating nursery rhyme discussions!

I noticed on my homepage that today is your Thingaversary so, Happy Thingaversary!

Very good review of TransAtlantic. Strangely, it left me cold although I could see what he was trying to do structurally.

Loved your review of TransAtlantic, Laura. Thumb-up : ). This is one I'll get to ... eventually.

Hi everyone! I was out with the hubs today, seeing the NTLive production of Othello (recommended by Darryl/@kidzdoc, who did not steer me wrong -- it was superb). I almost forgot it was my Thingaversary. But my daughter, who knows nothing of these things, unwittingly took care of my required book haul. Yesterday morning Kate sent me a text message, asking for my list of Viragos because she was in a bookshop that had loads of them. I assumed I would see a couple of green spines under the Christmas tree, but no! This afternoon she sent me this photo (click for a larger view):

Pilgrimage I by Dorothy Richardson (well actually all four but had touchstone problems)
Harriet Hume
Brown Girl, Brownstones
Letty Fox
Cousin Rosamund
The House in Dormer Forest
The Doves of Venus
The Odd Women
Daughter of Earth
Deborah

That's my girl :)

Oh boy, I thought I hit the jackpot when I went into my local used bookstore and found 2 Viragos and here you just got a boatload of them. Happy Thingaversary Laura. I've got to see how Heather knew it was your Thingaversary from her homepage....off to investigate.

47: That's my girl :)
You raised her right.

>48 brenzi:, 49: this is a side benefit of her study abroad experience! She's never shown any obvious interest in my Viragos, so I'm also more than a little pleased that she thought of me.

Laura! Wow! Great inadvertent Thingaversary gift haul! Lovely green spines.

I think your review of Transatlantic is excellent. I also loved Let the Great World Spin but have not yet gotten my hands on this one.

Oh, Laura, what a fabulous find on Kate's part! That's my girl : ) indeed!

#47 Oh wow! What a haul and well done Kate!

Your touchstone for Deborah takes me to a very strange looking book called Bunnicula:

>51 EBT1002:: Thanks for the kind words about my review of Transatlantic, Ellen. I'm basking in review hotness this morning, which always surprises me.

>52 lit_chick:: Nancy, I guess I trained her well, eh?

>53 souloftherose:: Heather, that is probably my oddest touchstone mixup ever. I also couldn't manage to find the correct book in the "others" list, because LT just gave me a list of books written by someone named Deborah, and as you can imagine, there are several. I used an old-fashioned HTML link to correct my post. Thanks for letting me know!

WOW! Even on my severe slow-down of book buying, I woudln't have been able to resist those Viragos. What a dear girl!!!

Happy Thingaversary, Laura. What a fantastic haul of Viragos Kate made on your behalf! I'm sure you can't wait until they join the others in your bookcase.

I also salute your review of TransAtlantic -- otherwise known as Confessions by St. Augustine (?!) in the touchstones. I am still puzzled with its absence on the Booker SL.

>55 sibylline:: What a dear girl!!! yeah, I think we'll keep her :)
>56 Donna828:: otherwise known as Confessions by St. Augustine (?!) in the touchstones. What? Where?

I think the gremlins have got you today, Laura. hehehehe

>58 tiffin:: maybe so, Tui, but I'm not seeing the mix-up Donna mentioned. I'll correct it if someone can point me to it!

I don't know what's going on with Confessions Of St Augustine, but that's also the touchstone that came up when I originally listed Edgar Wallace's The Council Of Justice! :)

46. Family History ()
No Review
Source: My Virago Modern Classics collection
Why I read this now: Liz (@LyzzyBee) read this recently, and I was enticed by her review

Evelyn Jarrold is 39, widowed, and very attractive. She falls Miles Vane-Merrick, a man many years younger and filled with bold political ideas that shake the foundation of Evelyn's social and family circle. Evelyn's 17-year-old son Dan is heir to the family fortune. He idolizes Miles, and threatens everything the family holds dear. Even as you immerse your self in their love affair and enjoy their moments of bliss, you know Evelyn & Miles' relationship is doomed. It's just a matter of what will happen, and when.

I'm not going to write a formal review for this one, life is just too busy at the moment. Instead I will refer you to Liz's review (see link above), and add one point of interest: in the introduction to my Virago Modern Classics edition, Victoria Glendinning posits that Sackville-West used the "relationship with a much younger man" as a surrogate for "relationship between two women." It was interesting to read this novel with that possibility in mind.

I finished Family History over lunch yesterday -- just in time for the Booker Prize announcement. I had preordered The Luminaries for my Kindle (it was only released yesterday in the US). So when it won the Booker Prize I knew immediate what I would read next!

It's 850 printed pages ... I may be some time ...

Laura, you've reminded me that I must read more Sackville-West. I loved All Passion Spent and this also sounds really interesting. I found Victoria Glendinning's introduction to All Passion Spent really interesting too so I'm pleased to hear Virago also asked her to write the intro to this one.

#62 Enjoy! I'm 4th on the reserve list at the library but there are only two copies so it might be a while.

>63 souloftherose:: Heather, I think VG may have written most/all of the introductions to Vita's VMCs. I read No Signposts in the Sea recently, and she wrote the intro there. Just this morning I was flipping through The Edwardians and noticed Glendinning wrote that introduction as well.

I've been dipping into Vita's Other World, a "gardening biography" that my husband picked up in a used bookshop some time ago. It's just okay, but it's piqued my interest in her novels. Up to now I'd only read All Passion Spent, which I agree Heather is excellent.

Meanwhile, I'm 25-30% into The Luminaries and it's unputdownable. I'm moving along at a brisk clip considering life has been a little busy / stressful lately. But what a story. So many interconnections, it's fun to just let the whole tale unfold.

64: Vita's Other World
Hmm, even if mediocre, this looks interesting.
The Luminaries
I caved a few days ago, and added this to the wishlist.

It is kind of interesting, Katherine. While the book is mostly about how her garden design thinking evolved during her lifetime (influenced in no small part by husband Harold Nicolson), the author also highlights what she was writing at the time and sometimes there are connections between these two aspects of Vita's life. I'm about halfway through the book now, and have just reached the point where they've bought Sissinghurst, so the really good gardening stuff is still ahead.

I have V. Sackville-West's Garden Book by Vita Sackville-West, Laura, and although it's interesting, it's also written from the point of view of someone with a lot of staff. It is ordered by the months (in England...not applicable to Canada).

Laura, I kind of wish I had ordered the e-book version of The Luminaries. I am waiting for my library copy and will have to immerse myself in it to meet the return deadline. I'm glad to hear that it is "unputdownable".

The touchstone is fixed for TransAtlantic now. I think it was a temporary glitch. Oh, those LT gremlins!

Laura- Once again, thanks for all the useful DFW info. I really liked the first 3 essays. I'll take a break and then come back and listen to a couple more. I am so glad I finally gave this guy a shot. Have a great Sunday!

>67 tiffin:: not applicable to Canada because of climate differences, Tui? That can be a challenge with gardening books.

>68 Donna828:: Donna, I bought this for my Kindle in large part because I didn't want library deadline pressure on such a long book. But now I realize that wouldn't have been a problem. However, my Kindle came in really handy yesterday when my husband and I ran some errands after lunch. I read while he got a haircut. :)

>69 msf59:: Mark, I hope you enjoy DFW. I'm really not tempted to read IJ, there's just too much else competing for my attention. But I will watch your progress with interest.

Yes, Laura. She talks about picking certain flowers in December and planting others in January. Not going to happen here!

>71 tiffin:: There's an English TV programme called Gardener's World that we watch online. It runs weekly from, I dunno, March thru November or something. I love their visits to other people's gardens or National Trust properties. The how-to segments are useful too, but usually out of sync time-wise.

Re: upthread's mention of Bunnicula. Twas a quirky favorite of mine as a kid. Chester the Cat thinks his human's new pet bunny is vampire (who sucks the juice from vegetables, of course). It's hilarious. There's a whole series.

>73 lycomayflower:: we had one of those books when my kids were small, I think received as a gift, I know it wasn't one we chose ourselves. I agree, it was a little quirky.

47. The Luminaries ()
My Review
Source: On my Kindle
Why I read this now: It won the 2013 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and was garnering rave reviews on LT before that.

Ahhhh. Now that was a good read. A ripping yarn, as they say; I hardly noticed it was more than 800 pages long. The Luminaries is set in New Zealand in 1865-66, when a gold rush brought prospectors to Hokitika in the country's West Coast region. Shops, churches, bars, hotels, newspapers, a jail, and "houses of ill repute" rose up to satisfy the many requirements of a booming economy. And everyone, prospector and merchant alike, was out for themselves.

Into this environment comes Walter Moody, arrived in Hokitika via the ship Godspeed. He unwittingly walks into a secret conference of twelve men in the Crown Hotel, and becomes privy to a narrative of recent events involving Frank Carver, captain of the Godspeed; Crosbie Wells, a hermit; Alastair Louderback, a local politician; Lydia Greenway, a madame; the prostitute Anna Wetherell; Emery Staines, a young man who has gone missing; and, of course, a fortune in pure gold. In Part I, which represents nearly half the novel, Eleanor Catton spins the tale through the eyes of these twelve men. None of them know the full story, but each has a perspective based on their interactions with the principals.

Catton then proceeds to flesh out the story, always from an angle slightly askew from that in Part I. The reader picks up details here and there, like filling in a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle after someone else has completed the edge. The principal characters take on greater depth as their back stories unfold. I found myself hissing at the bad guys and cheering for the good guys, and then looking quizzically a the page when a good guy suddenly showed signs of being a bad guy, or vice versa. The plot is complex and circular, but really the conflict resolution hardly matters. This is a fun book to read for its characters, and the intricacies and pace. I'm usually happy when I finish a book this long, but this time I'm actually tempted to re-read it straight away.

Now that is high high praise. It's already on my WL but I'm thinking I can give this to a few other folks too! That once every year or two or three great read, I'm thinking!

BEEEG first star! High praise indeed.

The Luminaries really does sound wonderful, and your review just adds to the desire to read it.

75: Already on the wishlist, and the pressure is mounting... OTOH, I'm holding out hope of reaching 75 after falling behind this year, so I'm unlikely to start an 800 page book until next year.

I have The Luminaries on the WL already, Laura, but your review definitely seals the deal. Very excited to get to it, though I may hold out until Christmas vacation when I have more uninterrupted reading time!

Happy Saturday Lucy, Tui, Colleen, Katherine & Katie!! I just loved The Luminaries, as you can tell. It was fun to read, and equally interesting to think about what the author was up to in constructing the novel. I'm surprised how quickly I read it, but then I couldn't put it down, and read every time I had a minute to spare. That was the best part about having it on my Kindle -- it was a portable chunkster!

So happy that you loved it too!!! Second star about to go BING.

Oh yeah, 5 big stars sounds just about right Laura. I'm only 150 pages in but absolutely loving every bit of it too. Off to apply my thumb.

Hi Laura- Great review of The Luminaries. Sounds wonderful. It looks like I have no choice but to bookhorn this baby in, but it probably won't be until December. My November is nuts already.

BTW- The title essay in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again was amazing and such a hoot. I usually don't laugh out loud while reading/listening to books. I did this time.

I'm excited about this one already, and your reaction to it just makes me wish for a week with nothing else to do but read it. Sounds like one of the rare wonderful ones.

Ooh la la, thank you for the thumbs!

Mark, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Look at the comments here: Cushla already gave it 5 stars, Bonnie is loving it ... get out that bookhorn, man!

Linda, I hope you can get your hands on a copy soon. It was one of those books where I wished I didn't have to go to work, because what I most wanted to do was stay home and read!

Great review of The Luminaries, Laura! I'm glad that you also loved it; it's certain to be my favorite novel of the year.

>87 kidzdoc:: Darryl, it might be mine, too, although I've had two other 5-star reads this year: Life After Life and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. All great, in very different ways!

Life After Life will easily make my top 10 list of the year, along with A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I haven't read A Constellation of Vital Phenomena yet.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading The Luminaries; I just need to find a time when I'll have a lot of time to read at home, since it is most definitely not a subway read and I do most of my reading on the subway.

#75 Excellent! (Both your review and the book) I'm now 2nd in line at the library!

Fab review of The Luminaries, Laura! I can't wait to read this one.

>89 kidzdoc:: A Fine Balance is another of my favorite books, Darryl.
>90 rebeccanyc:: Rebecca, you're absolutely right about subway reading. This was one case where having it on Kindle was more than just a small convenience.
>91 souloftherose:: Heather, you are in for a treat !!!
>92 lit_chick:: Thanks Nancy. I hope you're able to get hold of it soon.

Hi Laura!

#75 - Great review! I snagged a Netgalley copy and hope to read it next year at some point. At least it's an ebook, and I don't have to lug the thing around in my bag. Ha!

Kerri, I'm with you on The Luminaries in eBook form! Good for you. I hope you enjoy it.

It's been ages since I requested an LT Early Reviewers book, or even looked at what was on offer, but something made me look this time. I'm pleased to have landed Jill McCorkle's Life After Life.

I thought it was interesting that two books came out so close together with the same title.

I won the McCorkle book a few months ago when it was on offer the first time but still haven't read it... It's gotten some mixed reviews but the positive ones seem more in keeping with my preferences, so I am hopeful.

So far behind! So far behind! But you have so much going on that I have to go back, so I will.
We (and I'm surprised that no other American has said this, because I found it immediately when I googled it as an American thing - well, except for the 3rd line which was unlike mine) sang "Ring around the rosie/A pocket full of posies/green grass, blue grass (or something -- - memory is not serving)/SQUAT!
HAPPY THINGAVERSARY!! Kate is such a good, good girl. I can't believe that she found all 4 volumes of Pilgrimage. That really gets an OMG! from me.
I loved Bunnicula; I think I read it as I was shelving at our local Waldenbooks way long ago.
You are assuring that I won't take Transatlantic off my wish list, and I had already thumbed your review of The Luminaries.
Read on, my friend, read on. I'll be back.

>97 NanaCC:: Isn't that an odd coincidence, Colleen? And the title has a completely different meaning for each. Interesting.

>98 katiekrug:: Katie, it will be difficult for the McCorkle to stand up to the Atkinson, since the latter was one of my favorite reads this year. I read some positive comments on various LT threads, which is what made me go for it.

>99 LizzieD:: Well Peggy, I can't say I've heard that rendition of "Ring around the rosie". You just never know, do you? And as for those VMCs ... well yes I'm quite pleased with Kate's Virago spotting. I've since seen the credit card bill and while it wasn't peanuts it wasn't exorbitant, either, considering the quantity of books. Now I'm trying to educate her on the merits of shipping surface mail, stuffing in her suitcase, or a bit of both. There's no need to pay hefty international shipping fees. As happy as I am to have these books, it's not like I'm short on reading material.

I wish I could remember more about the Bunnicula we had when the kids were small. It wasn't the one Heather posted upthread, and I can't even remember how it came to be in our possession. All I remember is we unanimously considered it an odd and quirky book.

Hi Laura! Just catching up after way too long of an absence from your thread... I've never even seen Bunnicula before the mixed up touchstone, but it looks like a good one for October! LOL

Oooh, The Luminaries sounds wonderful. I have my copy from the library but it will have to wait another week or so before I can start. This is one of those months when I'm getting swamped with library books...again.

What's up next for you, Laura. I always find it difficult to find a book to follow a 5-star read.

Hi Tina! And Happy Halloween :)

Donna, I'm currently reading The Lowland, another Booker nominee. I was afraid I'd hate it, because reviews have been mixed and The Luminaries is such a hard act to follow. So it's not amazing, but I'm about 2/3 of the way through and liking it. I can't wait til you start the Catton!

I bought The Lowland, and I'm thinking it would be wise to read it before The Luminaries, which I may just put on my Christmas list at this point, because I don't see myself reading it before the end of the year anyway.

All these books that start with the letter L. Means nothing, I know. Just noticed it. That's about where I am today!

Hi Laura- I liked The Lowland. I do prefer her short fiction but thought this was a good novel. I am not sure I understand the mixed response.
It was nice to see Ann stop by my thread. Maybe, I can lure Michael over too! The Booktopia announcement is tomorrow!

48. Vita's Other World ()
My Review
Source: On my shelves
Why I read this now: My husband picked this up for me in a used bookshop ages ago. More recently he visited Sissinghurst, Vita's most famous garden, and I was jealous so I decided to read this book. I still want to visit Sissinghurst. :)

Was this a biography? Or a gardening book? In Vita's Other World, Jane Brown attempts to do both, but unfortunately gets caught betwixt and between. As a fan of Vita Sackville-West's novels and an avid gardener, I was interested in reading about the confluence of these two dimensions of Vita's life. The biographical aspects were interesting, but have probably been done better by others such as Victoria Glendinning. The gardening component entailed endless descriptions of plants, including their scientific names which I always have to look up, but was woefully short of diagrams and garden plans that would have helped characterize the evolution of both the garden and Vita's eye for design.

Golly! I have that book, and I think that I will continue to look at the pictures and not get into endless descriptions of plants. Thanks for taking one for the group, Laura!

>108 LizzieD:: that's another thing: I'd like more color photos! I know that's unreasonable, because she used photos from the time period so of course most are B&W. This isn't a bad book to dip into, but it isn't suited to reading cover-to-cover. Or at least, it didn't suit me.

Sorry to say Laura but I absolutely hate gardening and I am so grateful to live in a condominium with 16 acre grounds where all the bloody gardening is done for us.

I spent one of my summers from university working as a gardener's assistant and it was backbreaking toil which served to wean me forever from the hobby.

I do like Vita Sackville-West's writing though.

Have a lovely weekend.

Hello Paul, thanks for visiting! There are times I hate gardening as well, like when mine is overrun by weeds. And sometimes the hubs and I get into long protracted conversations about what it would be like to live in a city high-rise ... I could imagine that lifestyle as well. Have a nice weekend!

#107 - Sorry this was disappointing. I'm still trying to decide if I hate gardening, or if I'm just really bad at it, and thus forever frustrated. I may have been born for condo life. I'm not sure yet. :-)

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to reading my first Vita Sackville-West fiction, probably earlier next year - Family History. I also have Portrait of a Marriage on the shelf, but want to read some of her fiction before I explore any biography.

I think you'll enjoy Family History, Kerri. All Passion Spent is also excellent.

>111 lauralkeet:: trying, and failing, to see you in a city high-rise.

49. The Lowland ()
My Review
Source: Public library
Why I read this now: It was shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Subhash and Udayan had a close relationship as boys growing up in Calcutta 1950s & 60s, not long after Partition. As they matured, Udayan turned to political activism, and Subhash went to America to study. Udayan becomes increasingly entangled in an insurgent movement and is killed by the police. Subhash returned home, and met Udayan’s wife Gauri, who, as a widow, was expected to remain with her in-laws. With bold but perhaps misguided feelings of duty, Subhash married Gauri, who was pregnant, and took her to America to start a new life.

Subhash cares for Gauri and raises daughter Bela as his own. But Gauri is unfulfilled: she was a brilliant student at university in India, and has been unable to fulfill her dreams. She doesn’t love Subhash, and proves to be an uncaring mother. Little by little she distances herself from Subhash and Bela, finally taking a dramatic step towards personal independence. Subhash and Bela remain close, but Bela’s parentage remains “the elephant in the room” for Subhash, and Lahiri shows the long-term effects of Subhash’s initial bold act.

It’s not pretty. There’s very little happiness in this novel, and yet I found it hard to envision an alternative scenario that would have worked out better for the characters. Gauri could have remained in India, which would have required sacrificing her intellect and abilities to serve her in-laws. Gauri and Subhash could have stayed together for Bela’s sake, but that has a downside, too. Lahiri doesn’t sugar coat the emotions here: There are a couple of scenes that hit especially hard: when Subhash and Bela return from an extended trip to India, and when Bela and Gauri meet again many years later. Let’s just say Gauri was awful, and got exactly what she deserved.

This novel was not as brilliant as Lahiri’s short fiction, but I still feel it was worthy of a place on the 2013 Booker Prize shortlist.

And with that, I'm caught up on my October books & reviews. I actually finished the Lahiri on Friday, but I'm counting it for October.

And I'm now reading Housekeeping, which several of us are reading this month.

Laura, your thread is full of riches! I am adding Family History to my wishlist. I've been wanting to read something by Sackville-West for a while and this sounds like a good place to start.

I love your review of The Luminaries which I plan to read early in 2014. I can't wait to dig into it!

And your comments about The Lowland are spot on. I gave it 4 stars and I agree that Gauri got just what she deserved. In fact, I was disappointed by the appearance of a possible shift in her eventual outcome. She deserves no mercy. Ha.

I have just put Housekeeping on hold at the library and hope to join in the fun within a few days.

Nice review of The Lowland, Laura. I haven't reviewed it yet, but my opinion about it mirrors yours. I thought was worthy of Booker Prize longlist consideration, and it would have my personal shortlist from that longlist.

Hi Ellen! I'm happy to have hit you with a book bullet. :) And I like your comment about Gauri: "She deserves no mercy." YES. That scene with Bela, late in the novel, went just the way it should. I was cheering her on.

Darryl, I'll be on the lookout for your review of The Lowland. I'll pretty much read anything Lahiri writes, I think.

I read a long excerpt of the Lahiri in the New Yorker (covering the boys' childhood to Udayan's death). By the end you know Subhash will marry Gauri, but it is not clear that it will be a disaster. I think I got the better deal just reading the excerpt.

Hi Laura- Good review of the Lowland. I may have liked it a bit more than you but we are still in the same ballpark. Nothing beats her short fiction, though.
Glad you started Housekeeping. I plan on cracking it tomorrow. Hope you had a nice weekend.

>120 sibylline:: that's quite a long excerpt, Lucy! I guess you did stop reading before it went from somber to a real downer, but I didn't mind that for some reason. And there were happy moments in Subhash's life, it's just that the overarching themes were sad.

>121 msf59:: Thanks Mark! I'm looking forward to trading thoughts on Housekeeping with you. I'm about 50 pages into it and I think I have the rhythm now.

Looks like a lot of us are in agreement on The Lowland. I gave it four stars (barely). I much prefer her shorter fiction, and I even thought that The Namesake was, overall, a better novel. But the writing is superb, no doubt about that.

I also gave The Lowland 3.5 stars Laura and was especially put off by the way the book wrapped up because it seemed to me that Lahiri was trying to get the reader to sympathize with Gauri. That really grated. I can read a book with an unlikable character and still like the book, even love the book. But you can't have it both ways. I much prefer her short fiction and didn't care for The Namesake either.

Great review of The Lowland, Laura. These are coming in pretty lukewarm.

Deborah, thanks to earlier reviews my hopes were not as high as when I first heard about The Lowland. It's a decent book, but I hope we see more short fiction from her.

Bonnie, I guess I'm lucky because I didn't even see the sympathy ploy. I was pretty down on Gauri by the end.

So Nancy, with all this uplifting conversation, we've probably scared you off reading it! It's still a good book ... 3.5 stars is 3.5 stars after all.

Morning Laura- I am about 50 pages into HK. I am also really enjoying it but it is getting better as it goes along. Sylvie has just arrived.

It was long - but I suppose it was severely edited. It covers them going into the country club and then the growing divide, one going of to the US the other staying and marrying and then the death and it ends at that moment when she tells him what his bro had said about marrying/children.

How I loved Housekeeping, and Gilead and Home...isn't it about time Ms. Robinson favored us with another novel?

"Marilynne’s Robinson fourth novel will be called Lila, and tell the story of John Ames’ second wife."

Via The Millions

Personally I can't wait.

I'm about to stick my nose into Housekeeping again tonight ... I'm delighted to see there's another book on the way!

Laura- I just passed the halfway point in HK. She is an author, to take your time with. The story seems to be getting darker as it goes.
I really need to see the film version again and see how close they followed it.

ETA- Wah! The film version of Housekeeping, with the terrific Christine Lahti, is not available on DVD. WTH?

Reading along, smiling, nodding, raising eyebrows, saying hmmm.

>132 msf59:: you're so right about Housekeeping, Mark. I was having a hard time giving it the time/concentration it deserves. I've gone to shorter reading sessions even though I want very much to keep going. The writing is gorgeous. But dark. Yes, dark.

>133 tiffin:: I always enjoy "watching" someone else as they read a book ... guess you are having that experience Tui?

132> I enjoyed the film version of Housekeeping, but I haven't gotten around to the novel yet. I believe it might have been a made-for-TV movie, which may explain why it isn't on DVD.

I'm one of the few who absolutely detested Gilead, so I didn't bother to read Home and probably won't be interested in Lila either. Mea culpa.

>130 brenzi: That's very good news! Unfortunately, it will be about a year before it comes out according to her publishers: https://www.facebook.com/MarilynneRobinson

50. Housekeeping ()
My Review
Source: On my shelves
Why I read this now: There are a few 75ers reading it this month.

This is precisely the sort of book that usually sucks me in from page 1. Ruth and Lucille's mother abandons them, leaving the girls in their grandmother's care. When the grandmother dies, their great aunts take over, followed by their aunt Sylvie. Sylvie has a mysterious past, having disappeared from the family herself several years earlier. She's either going to save the day, or be a less than optimal influence on her young charges. It doesn't take long before you know the direction this will take.

The writing is gorgeous and lyrical. The characters are interesting; no, they are downright odd. The plot is deceptive, dark, and disturbing. And yet, I never became emotionally invested in the novel. This book is highly acclaimed by many people with similar reading tastes, so I can only conclude it was a case of "right book, wrong time." Perhaps I just couldn't give it the concentration it deserved.

Hi Laura,

I really enjoyed your reviews of The Lowland and Housekeeping. I've read so many Marilynne Robinson reviews on here but never get tempted enough by her books to buy them. I hope your next book hooks you in more.

I own Unaccustomed Earth but STILL have not read it!

Have a lovely weekend.

Housekeeping is the only one of Robinson's books I've liked - and it is possible to say - I liked the movie better. Lahti was amazing. Interestingly enough, I have heard Robinson read and I found her cool and detached and it made the reading....well.... oddly uncomfortable. She didn't want to be there, didn't want us to be there. It shouldn't matter, but it did affect my view of her - although it occurs to me that she might be someone who, like the aunt, has trouble relating to people.

>138 cushlareads:: Hi Cushla! It's nice to see you popping around the threads. You know, Unaccustomed Earth -- or short stories in general -- might suit your teaching schedule because you can just read one here and there as time permits, without worrying about losing the plot etc. But then I know you love your whacking great chunksters like Trollope and The Luminaries!!

>139 sibylline:: I've heard great things about the movie, Lucy. It's a shame it's not available on Netflix. Grr! Interesting reaction to Robinson reading her work. I listened to an interview with Jhumpa Lahiri recently and she came across differently than I expected. Fortunately it didn't affect my reading of The Lowland but it well could have.

I'm now reading The Exiles Return, a recent Persephone written by the grandmother of Edmund de Waal, who wrote the excellent memoir The Hare with Amber Eyes, which I read last year.

Oh bless your heart, Laura: I was stuck between books not knowing what I want to read next and you've reminded me that I have The Hare with Amber Eyes sitting here somewhere in the TBR shelves (it's been sitting there for two years or more!).

141: Oh, I have it too, in part because of Laura's review.

#140 Laura, that's a good idea. But first I need to find the book!!

Have never heard of The Exiles Return but I just had a look on the book's main page and it sounds like I'd enjoy it. I still haven't read The Hare with Amber Eyes.

Wow, it's fairly unusual for us to come out on opposite sides of a book, Laura, but Housekeeping is my favorite Robinson novel. I read it eons ago and don't remember it that well but when I read the other two I know I thought that I still liked her first novel best.

Hi Laura, I appreciate your review of Housekeeping. I am planning to read it for the very same reason you stated, and I have to admit that I've anticipated that I won't love it. Your comments only firm up my prediction, but I do want to give it a chance.

I have had Unaccustomed Earth on my bookshelf ever since it came out in paperback and I've not yet read it. Reading folks' comments about liking her short fiction better makes me want to bring it upstairs and give it a try. I think she is a talented writer even if she hasn't yet produced a 5-star read.

145> Same here--I don't know why I haven't gotten into Unaccustomed Earth yet (and my copy is hardcover, so it has been even longer), but I should pull it out now that I've finished The Lowland.

I actually taught The Namesake, which I quite liked, in an Honors class where the theme was identity. I was quite disappointed by the students' reaction, which was basically, "oh, multiculturalism--been there, done that." (Sometimes these Honors students can be a bit on the snotty side, although being an Honors student at this university really isn't great shakes.)

Wow, I go away for the afternoon and you all have a chit chat without me!!

Tui, Katherine: glad to have reminded you about The Hare with Amber Eyes. I hope you enjoy it! Same for you, Cushla, if your schedule ever allows you to read it!

Bonnie, where Housekeeping is concerned I am more and more convinced I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. I couldn't concentrate well this week for some reason, and it's a book that deserves concentration.

Ellen, give Housekeeping a chance if for no other reason than my comment to Bonnie, above. I will be eager to see what you think!

Deborah, I liked The Namesake too, and actually I appreciated it even more after seeing the film which was a reasonably accurate adaptation. I don't think us white folk can ever get enough multiculturalism. There are always nuances to explore. But then we are wise crones -- 20-somethings are a different breed entirely!

Laura, I wasn't swept away by Housekeeping either but I did love Gilead.

20-somethings are a different breed entirely! They do tend to think they already know stuff..."Maaaahm....I know that!"

>148 tiffin:: Tui, I loved both Gilead and Home, so I had high hopes for her debut novel. Oh well!

>149 laytonwoman3rd:: Linda, Julia's current favorite phrase seems to be "Almost 18, mom!" whenever I say something or offer advice that is, to her, obvious or something you'd only need to tell a child (she turns 18 early next month). The thing is, most of the time she's right -- I am telling her something she already knows. Darn it.

Good Morning Laura!

Your review of Luminaries is stunning! I've added this to my TBR pile.

Isn't parenthood lovely? Now that my girls are grown (41 and 31), I watch their children challenge them and it is history repeating itself.

When I visited Amy in Ohio in July, her favorite mantra "It's NOT fair!" was spoken by one of her twin sons who loudly said the same to her. I laughed so hard, thus eliciting a very strong look from my daughter.

I love our opening photos! Happy Sunday to you dear, sweet Laura.

Hi Laura!

#137 - I'm currently having a similar reaction to Hotel du Lac. I'm about half way through it, and the writing is absolutely beautiful, but it all leaves me a bit cold (I suppose that could change in the coming pages). I had the same reaction to The Optimist's Daughter last year as well.

I do have Gilead on my wishlist though and look forward to checking it out.

>151 Whisper1:: Linda, how nice to see you. I agree parenthood is a wonderful thing and I'm enjoying watching my daughters become young women (my other daughter will be 21 in January). I'll be thinking of you tomorrow, dear one!

>152 DorsVenabili:: Kerri, having read both of those books I can see where you might feel that way. I enjoyed both but they lacked a "wow factor".

>152 DorsVenabili: I found Hotel du Lac a complete snoozer. Isn't it odd how books that seem to belong in the same class don't always impress us in similar ways?

#154 - Yeah, it's kind of strange, because I usually like this type of small-scoped, introspective novel. It probably doesn't help that, prior to Hotel du Lac, I read two intense, roller-coaster ride novels, and the change of pace is a little jarring.

Hi Laura. I enjoyed your thoughts on Housekeeping. I've only read Robinson's Gilead so far, which I loved, but it felt like a book I would need to be in the right mood for. So far I haven't got to Home or Housekeeping although I'm still excited to hear she has another novel coming out next year!

153: I'm enjoying watching my daughters become young women
Your daughters, from the snippets you've presented, seem quite delightful people to have around and send out into the world.

>154 laytonwoman3rd:-156: *nodding along*
>157 qebo:: what a lovely thing to say! Thank you so much, Katherine.

I shouldn't tell you this, but you can watch Housekeeping on Instant Amazon.......

>159 sibylline:: you devil, you! That's good to know, Lucy. There are so many sources out there these days and I admit I am not on top of all that.

Without the LD I would be lost.

I think I saw that film eons ago. Is it a mid/late 80s flick?

Great Virago haul! And so glad to find someone else a trifle underwhelmed by the Lahiri novel. I thought the middle bit just sagged like an overcooked souffle, and while I thought the first third was intriguing, the rest felt like some dispassionate observer chronicling the disintegration of a group of people ostensibly a family. It was like reading through a thick grey fog -- I didn't feel any real emotion emanating from the characters or pages. I didn't need melodrama, just something to make them "real" to me. Compared to Keneally's Daughters of Mars or Aminatta Forna's The Hired Man, it didn't register at all -- I would rather have seen one of those two on the Booker list. That said, I acknowledge the style. But style alone isn't enough to make a great novel, and I would have been rather annoyed had she won.

I must go back to The Luminaries, though I have two very long non-fiction books to get through first -- they must both be finished by Thanksgiving.

162> I definitely agree with you about the Lahiri. We waited 10 years for this? (Actually, I think the 10-year wait was one of the main reasons it got such accolades: she IS a fine writer, no one wanted to believe that it couldn't be good, and no one wants to discourage her from writing the next novel.) And I just finished The Hired Man a few days ago--again, I agree with you, a much better novel overall.

I felt that way about Richard Ford's latest Canada - so so depressing (oh let me count the ways) you wonder what the heck is going on.

Sibyx, I felt just the same about 'Canada'. For a book where almost nothing happens, it was sure depressing.

I'll have to remember The Hired Man -- it sounds very good. Forna's previous book, The Memory of Love, was a 5-star read. What am I waiting for?!

I haven't heard of Canada but now I have no need to learn more!

Hmm, Canada has been on my wish list for awhile . . . maybe that's one to delete.

51. The Exiles Return ()
My Review
Source: My Persephone collection (the "cover image" is from the endpapers inside every Persephone).
Why I read this now: Not sure -- just jumped off the shelves.

Elisabeth de Waal grew up in an affluent Viennese family, rescuing her parents from the Anschluss in 1938 and returning after the war to a very different country (a story brilliantly told in her grandson Edmund's memoir, The Hare with Amber Eyes). Her novel, The Exiles Return, grew out of that experience. de Waal introduces several "exiles" in post-war Vienna: Kuno Adler, a scientist returning from America; Theophil Kanakis, a wealthy Greek businessman, Prince Lorenzo Grein-Lauterbach (aka Bimbo) and his sister Nina, who lost their parents to the Nazis, and young Marie-Theres (aka Resi), an American of Austrian descent visiting her aunt. Their stories, initially completely disconnected, slowly weave together. The storyline is straightforward, even simplistic, but the plot exists only to support the character studies, and exploration of exile and its effects on the human spirit. I found Edmund de Waal's account of his family's war experience more action-packed and compelling, and it made this novel more interesting because I understood the events framing the author's point of view.

Hi Laura,
I did read Housekeeping and I was surprised to love it. I gave it 4.5 stars and almost gave it the full five. Right book, right time, in my case, I guess.

Now I will join the trend around here and read some Alice Munro.

>169 EBT1002:: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, Ellen. I think I might be in a small reading funk.

EVERYTHING else of Richard Ford's is totally worth reading, but I swear, Canada is a disaster.

52. Company Parade ()
My Review
Source: My Virago Modern Classics Collection
Why I read this now: It's my Virago for the month, and appropriate for Remembrance.

Company Parade begins just after the Armistice. Hervey Russell has left her home in the north of England to work in a London advertising firm, while her husband Penn finishes his military service. Her very young son Richard remains at home, cared for by others. Penn turns out to be an immature jerk: he delays the end of his military career, missing out on job vacancies snatched up by others returning from the front; he carries on with another woman; he treats Hervey poorly. Hervey is a writer, and her attempts to establish a literary career are painful to read. She has a network of friends, mostly male, and all are reeling from losing loved ones in the war.

The story continues over a 5-year period with Penn becoming even more of a jerk and Hervey still struggling. She had grounds for divorce but wouldn't do it, even though she was tremendously unhappy being with him. She frustrated me that way. There are some beautiful passages in this novel -- I especially liked an entire chapter devoted to how various characters marked the two minute silence.

I've rated this book a grudging 3 stars because the writing is absolutely gorgeous. But that wasn't enough for me. I found myself falling asleep in my reading chair, avoiding reading, and/or forcing myself to read. Well, that's just wrong, isn't it?

Oh, that's too bad, Laura. I've had this one on my shelf since early in my Virago-awareness. It's one of the first VMC's I heard about. And there is at least one more featuring the same character, I think. Maybe she grows and moves forward in the next book?

@ 172

The picture on the cover was on the front of the anthology of short fiction we used in my college 20th Century Fiction class. I know pictures and paintings get reused for different book covers, but it's weird to me to see it in a different context.

>173 laytonwoman3rd:: Linda, this was one of my earliest VMC acquisitions as well. Oh how I love LT -- I know not only the date I added it to my library but "From where?". I acquired my first two at a certain bookish gathering in the Catskills, when they were foisted upon me by someone acting like a drug pusher. A month later I visited a used bookshop near home and found 7 VMCs, Company Parade was one of them. It's one of three in a series although the author had originally planned for five. And as for my rather "meh" feelings about it, I'm not ruling out a reading funk here. There are a few other reviews which are more positive than mind.

>174 lycomayflower:: Laura, that's a funny coincidence, I can understand how it would be weird to see it on this book. I usually look at the artist credit on these and while I don't have it in front of me I remember finding it interesting that they used an American artist on what is very much an English novel.

I am sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy this one more, Laura. Company Parade happens to be one of the Virago's that Chris has on her bookshelf (my lending library of choice). But, I may still get to it one day.

>176 NanaCC:: Colleen, just keep in mind that a 3 star rating means it's a respectable read. You might enjoy it! As I was putting the book back on my Virago shelves last night, I noticed I also have the other two books in the series, as well as one more by Jameson. At some point I may have a look at the second book and see how I get on with it.

Now, to break my reading funk, I'm going to read Lucia in London and I have a Julia Spencer-Fleming (One Was a Soldier) waiting for me at the library.

#175 - I wish I would have discovered the "From where" feature sooner, as it's so much fun. I think a recent TIOLI challenge alerted me to it, and I went back in to update what I could. So many layers to LT. It never ends.

#172 - Sorry this was a tad disappointing. I plan to read it too.

Yay for "Lucia in London". I re-read the series earlier this year and loved every minute of it. That should certainly break your reading funk wide open.

>174 lycomayflower:, 175 The artist is Edward Hopper---I recognize his style from a print hanging in one of our lawyers' offices.

>178 DorsVenabili:: Kerri, I went on a completely OCD "From where" binge some time ago. I researched my Amazon, B&N, and Paperbackswap history, and my library record, and even my Quicken file. And there were some I just remembered because of the date added (especially around Christmas and birthday and LT meetups). There are some I've marked "unknown" but have tried to keep up with it since then. Geeky, yes.

>179 rosalita:: I agree Julia. Lucia is good for what ails you!

>180 laytonwoman3rd:: Hopper, yes that's it Linda. I kept thinking Winslow Homer and knew that was wrong but the book was at home and i wasn't. Thanks!

>177 lauralkeet: "Lucia" - yes! I will read Lucia's Progress as soon as I finish slogging my way through Blonde. Lucia is definitely a way to crawl out of the slump.

Laura, sorry I have been delayed in sending out The Hired Man--I caught a stomach bug earlier this week and then just forgot the book was in the back of the car. I'll get it out today--and I'm sure it will break your reading funk!

Stopping in to say hello and to thank you for your frequent visits to my thread. You are helping in my healing progress.

I hope you have a lovely day and weekend.

Colleen, I had to take my car in for service this morning which was the perfect time to get reacquainted with Lucia and the inhabitants of Riseholme. The slump is lifting!!

Deborah, no problem at all. I'm looking forward to reading it but I'm not at a loss for books. I hope you're feeling better now.

Linda, dear lady, you are so kind to stop by but please know that if you just want to curl up in a blanket on your own thread that's just fine -- I'll be visiting from time to time!

As of now I am off work for the next week -- woo hoo!!!

Laura, I am also quite geeky when it comes to logging my books. My pet one is making sure the original language is set properly.
Have a lovely weekend.

Paul, I think we're in good company around here! LOL! Hope you are enjoying your weekend as well.

Morning Laura- Boo to book funks! Thankfully, I rarely have the affliction. Going to a favorite, seems to be a good remedy.
Have a great weekend.

A year or two ago I did start noting in my comment area where I bought a book. What is frustrating is when I forget to list a book and then can't remember a thing later. Haven't yet used the From Where option - didn't know it was there until more recently.

Company Parade is in my pile of unread Viragos - and I just finished an Iris Murdoch An Unofficial Rose where one of the plot threads has the faithful wife - nowadays fewer and fewer women would put their best interests aside - but it took awhile and much agonizing to get to that, perhaps? It would be interesting to find out what becomes of Hervey in book 2. Having just had a ghastly Virago read in Sept-Oct - the first and worst ever - L.C. - I'm on a Virago break!

There's a "from where?" feature. Oh no. This is not good news.

Hi Laura! I'm definitely planning to read Queen Lucia soon - I'll probably take it with me to Tennessee as it seems like a good holiday/vacation read.

Well what do you know Laura. I will be reading Lucia in London as soon as I finish the newest Julia Spencer-Fleming, which is very, very good BTW.

Hmmm, I'm wondering if you are sending me your copy of Company Parade through PBS. Somebody is and I don't really believe in coincidence...

Laura, enjoy your week off. I hope you get to eat lots of turkey and pumpkin pie...and of course, read books while you digest those extra calories. I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's good to take time to be aware of our blessings, the meal is easy to prepare, and there are no gifts to buy!

I had the audio version of One Was A Soldier for last month's trip to Denver but I got wrapped up in the 22 hours of listening to Winter in Madrid instead. Maybe I'll do the Julia Spencer-Fleming book next month for a treat.

>190 EBT1002:: snicker. Resistance is futile, Ellen -- give in to the "From Where?" temptation! I hope you enjoy Lucia as well -- I am pretty sure that you will!

>191 brenzi:: Bonnie, that's funny, I just picked up the Julia Spencer-Fleming from the library on Friday. And nope, that copy of Company Parade isn't mine. I'm a Virago hoarder -- it's staying on my shelves!

>192 Donna828:: Thanks Donna! I'm looking forward to a quiet week at home. My older daughter is away on a study abroad program (but will be home for Xmas in 3 weeks, yay!). My younger daughter is getting her wisdom teeth out on Wednesday so we are postponing the Thanksgiving meal to Saturday.

191> Don't believe in coincidence, eh? It's me! As you probably know, I've been winnowing out my VMCs, and after Laura's less than stunning review, I decided this one could find a new home.

>194 Cariola:: Ha! I should have guessed it was you Deborah!

Laura, I think it was you who posted about the encore showing of MacBeth in Bryn Mawr. Am I right? Jim and I have tickets! So if you haven't seen it yet and are planning to, we can have a mini-meetup.

Judy, I'm very happy for you! We actually saw it there on November 10, so we are not planning a return visit so soon. It's about an hour's drive or I'd meet y'all for coffee ... I hope you enjoy it! What am I saying, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Hooray for Lucia!!!!
On the other hand, I enjoyed Company Parade a star better than you, so there you go. Anyway, I guess I'm encouraging people to hold on to the book if they can.

>194 Cariola: Hahahahaha----well, I was close Deborah. It is somebody in the 75er group who lives in Pennsylvania. I'm going to hope Laura's book funk contributed to the book's lackluster performance especially since Peggy liked it.

I have been trying to ignore the feature that encourages me to note down where I acquire books. One more piece of data to log, and a nearly impossible challenge. That said, a lot of my books are Kindle tomes, LibraryThing ER books, Amazon Vine or library books, and get their labels automatically. (Same with NetGalley). Anything else? Well, I can usually remember if I look at the date. I've only been on two book binges this year -- one in London in June and one in NYC in early October.

>198 LizzieD:: Hi Peggy! I would really like others to read it because I seem to be in the minority in the LT reviews, although there aren't many.

>199 brenzi:: Mystery solved! I hope my book funk was to blame as well.

>200 Chatterbox:: Well Suz, you operate at a speed & volume that I can't begin to imagine. My data maintenance tasks are not quite as arduous as yours would be.

I just finished Lucia in London, which was so wonderful and a perfect way to break my reading funk. Review pending, probably today or tomorrow.

Now I'm heading into a period of easy / light / fun / comfort reading for the holidays. Next up is Julia Spencer-Fleming's One was a Soldier, her most recent book bar one (the latest was published quite recently).

I loved Lucia in London, and I'm so glad it helped you get through the funk. I am currently reading the fifth book which seems to go by two names - The Worshipful Lucia or Lucia's Progress. My book's cover has the former title.

I also plan on easy, light, and fun reading. The holidays are so busy, I find it hard to get into anything too deep.

#201 -- it's the one aspect of my life of which this is true... My editor just inserted a reference to a pop culture phenom (a character from Saturday Night Live) into a column, and I had to ask her who/what it was. After she stopped laughing, she asked, with a pitying tone, "do you ever get your nose out of a book?" as if this might be a good idea. *perplexed*

Yeah, Jim says I'm culturally illiterate, because I'm generally clueless about rock music, TV shows, and other recent (in my lifetime) names and events. I did once ask someone who Cherry Garcia was named after. oh dear.

>203 NanaCC:: Colleen, that's useful info about the title of the 5th book. I don't have that one yet.
>204 Chatterbox:: SUz, that perplexes me as well! I hate it when people act like there's something weird or wrong about reading.
>205 ffortsa:: Cherry Garcia. *snort* If you want a crash course in pop culture you need look no further than Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream names. I'm pretty much out of the loop when it comes to television. Unless you count PBS costume dramas. Yeah, I know: not pop culture.

Laura and Suz, after a lifetime of it, that's why finding LT was like coming home. My people, I've found my people!

53. Lucia in London ()
My Review
Source: On my shelves
Why I read this now: I wanted something light and fun, and E. F. Benson never disappoints.

In the third book in E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia series, we return to the town of Riseholme to find Lucia's husband Peppino's aunt has recently passed away, leaving him a lavish London home. Will they leave Riseholme for London? Or sell the property? Lucia quickly decides she wants the best of both worlds, living part of the year in each place. They were off to London in a jiffy, leaving her Riseholme neighbors to find for themselves and establish a new social order. And so they do, while also obsessively monitoring Lucia's new life as reported in the society pages. And Riseholme moves on: a committee establishes a museum, and various members of the gentry take up both golf and psychic sessions with a Ouija board.

Meanwhile Lucia's life is indeed a whirlwind. The queen of Riseholme society is undaunted by London's social scene and manages to get herself invited to all manner of engagements. She even sets up a kind of parallel social hierarchy, attaching herself to Stephen, a young society news reporter who fills the role played by Georgie in Riseholme. But her superiority and snobbishness is challenged as well, and let's just say Lucia isn't always quite up to those challenges, and hilarity ensues.

I love these novels for the way they poke fun at English society and, really, at people in general -- it's just these people are more extreme versions of ourselves.

Have any of you seen the Mapp and Lucia dramatization with Jeremy Irons? It has been in my Netflix queue for awhile.

Oh, I didn't know there was one! *off to Netflix to add it to my queue*

Jeremy Irons? No, the only one I know of is this one, a 1985-86 TV series starring Geraldine McEwan, Prunella Scales, and Nigel Hawthorne. Unfortunately, Netflix doesn't have it available for streaming. Might have to look for it elsewhere.

Ah, you are right! I should have looked at it before posting. I did check my queue--and I must have been thinking about another 1970s series with Jeremy Irons: Love for Lydia.

That would be worth seeing!!!!

I ADORED Love for Lydia and FYI - it sent me off on an H.E. Bates obsession - he is a great great great superb etcetera short story writer!!!!

Sigh. I love Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Unfortunately I've developed pretty bad lactose intolerance, so I can't consume any dairy products without paying for it dearly.

>205 ffortsa: O.K. I deduce that Cherry Garcia is a flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I have to deduce because I'm not sure that we have B&J here. I will look next time I'm in a grocery store. My question is why that is something that everybody really needs to know. Now on the other hand, I have just learned from a book that there is a population of folks living at a high latitude who have dry ear wax. There's a gene for it. Who knew? Also, Darryl, adult lactose tolerance developed only 6,000 to 5,000 years ago with the Funnel Beaker People, farmers, in north-central Europe. Don't you feel better just knowing that???
LOVE LUCIA! It's time and past time for a reread.

>212 Cariola:, 213: I guess I need to learn more about Love for Lydia !
>214 kidzdoc:: That's a bummer, Darryl. But maybe it's a blessing -- it's pretty high calorie stuff.
>215 LizzieD:: Your powers of deductive reasoning are superb, Peggy! :) B&J ice cream comes in brightly decorated pint containers, you'll find it near the Haagen-Dazs. I'm not sure everyone "needs to know" about Cherry Garcia (Jerry Garcia), but their flavors are unique and the names are part of the marketing appeal. My favorite is Chubby Hubby (Vanilla Malt Ice Cream with Peanutty Fudge-covered pretzels with Fudge & Peanut Buttery Swirls):


And yes the above link will take you to a complete list of the product line!

Happy Thanksgiving, Laura! I hope you have a nice day planned.

Happy non-Turkey Day, Laura! Mmmmm....Cherry Garcia...how I do love it. You can have all the rest of B&J's flavors, though....too many components in most of them for me.

Happy Thanksgiving Laura!

Is everyone in your family un-turkey? My tempeh-mushroom-onion-rice thing will be at the edge of standard fare. Happy Thanksgiving!

We are having a very quiet and unusual Thanksgiving here. Kate is away in England. Julia is recovering from having her wisdom teeth out yesterday. This morning Chris and I went to the Y, which was open 'til noon, and the supermarket to stock up on yogurt smoothies & Jell-O. The feasting is delayed until Saturday. But Julia's feeling better today than yesterday, so we are likely to head out to a movie later on today.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Laura : ).

Happy Thanksgiving, Laura! The Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream looks irresistible; I'd almost be willing to put up with the misery after I ate a serving of it.

Glad you had a happy Thanksgiving, Laura, even if it was unusual for you. Make up for it Saturday - and I hope that Julia will be 100% by then!
And thank you for the Ben & Jerry flavor list. I will look for them.

Hope your daughter is able to sample the festivities a little despite being so far away this year. I don't think the english will have the foggiest as to what Thanksgiving is all about.

Here's one Brit with a slight inkling so Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours Laura.

Hello all. We had a nice day yesterday and enjoyed seeing Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in Philomena. Julia is feeling much better now and is eating semi-solid food so I think she'll be fine for our "feast" tomorrow.

Paul, my daughter is part of a group from her college, about 24 students, and apparently they had a Thanksgiving meal of sorts in a pub or restaurant, so they did something to commemorate the occasion. She did seem a little wistful/homesick yesterday, if Facebook was any indication. But today she was off to visit a friend in Belfast, so I'm sure all is well.

I do want to get around to seeing Philomena!

Oh yes, you should Rhian. I love anything with Judi Dench in it, and I loved Coogan as Alan Partridge but this is of course a much different, dramatic role. I think he's been trying to shake the Partridge character for a while now. And he was very good as Martin Sixsmith. He is also quite a fine-looking mature gentleman these days, if I do say so. :)

#228 Have you seen 'The Trip' - it's quite a weird comedy with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing fictionalised versions of themselves while on a gastronomic trip around the north of England. It is quite odd, but well worth watching, and with some lovely scenery as well.

229> Ah, I was trying to think of the name of that road flick--I thought it was it was really good! Coogan was also in that strange version of Tristram Shandy . . . about making a movie about Tristram Shandy.

>229 SandDune:, 230: Oh yes, we love The Trip! The hubs and I stumbled across it on TV once and it's now in our Netflix queue where we replay it from time to time. And now I can't watch Michael Caine without thinking of Steve & Rob doing their impressions over dinner.

I loved that Tristram Shandy movie, but I know many others found it baffling.

Need to look into The Trip.

54. One Was a Soldier ()
My Review
Source: My local library
Why I read this now: No particular reason, I just wanted to catch up on this series.

This volume of the Clare Fergusson-Russ van Alstyne mysteries centers on the experiences of several Iraq War veterans recently returned from duty. Clare is one of them, having taken a leave from her duties as an Episcopal priest to fly a helicopter in Iraq. The vets are all part of a support group that meets weekly to work through issues adjusting to civilian life. Julia Spencer-Fleming writes very topical novels, often exploring somewhat controversial issues. This novel is no exception: she is very clear on her views about the pointlessness of war. Characters return home scarred; their relationships suffer. Some never return home, leaving loved ones to mourn their loss.

The mystery, normally a driving force for these novels, takes a long time to develop, and seems almost ancillary to the stories of the vets and other supporting characters. Sparks have flown between Clare and Millers Kill police chief Russ since the first book in this series, and in this one their relationship develops in a most satisfying way. There's also another romance developing between two newcomers to the police force, which promises spice and suspense in future volumes. About halfway through this book I wasn't sure what to think, since it was so much more about the characters than the mystery. But by the end I was swept up in the personal stories and even teared up a bit in all the right places.

>233 lauralkeet: I put the first book in this series on my wishlist. I think it sounds like one I will like. But I want to start at the beginning. :)

This is a series I have on my WL to get to as well … so many books! so little time!

Oh yes, for this series you have to start at the beginning. I think this one would have far less appeal to readers who didn't have all the back story.

Belated happy thanksgiving wishes Laura, and three cheers for Lucia! I know that's a series I will want to reread one day.

Thank you Heather! I don't re-read much, but I could see myself turning to Lucia later for medicinal purposes.

Well, it's back to work for me on Monday, after a week off. It's been very relaxing. I got a lot of little jobs done around the house, made a good start at my Christmas shopping, and still had plenty of reading time. I also started knitting an Aran sweater for the hubster. This is a new experience as I haven't done cable knitting before, but I'm enjoying the challenge. I also have an afghan in progress which requires less concentration.

Wow we do seem to be on the same wavelength lately Laura, as far as reading choices anyway. I try not to let too much time pass between reading of the Mapp and Lucia books. They're just so delightful. Your knitting sounds very challenging indeed but I've seen your results and they're always so beautiful.

I love doing cables, Laura. The results are always so nice to look at. I am still reading The Worshipful Lucia. I didn't get much reading in this weekend, and I see the next week is going to be hectic, as well. I only have about 100 pages left, so I should finish it tonight or tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Courage for the morning and the job. Hope you fall right back into it- but rested and invigorated!

238: Well, it's back to work for me on Monday, after a week off.
That's always a shock to the system.

Chiming in to say that I love working cables, too: so easy, once you get the hang of it, and they look so impressive!

>239 brenzi:: Bonnie, we are often on the same wavelength aren't we? In December I'm going to try something crazy radical: I have 2 books I know I want to read, and after that ... no clue. I'll decide when the time comes. Usually I pull together a little stack at the beginning of each month and work my way through it. Also ... thanks for such kind comments about my knitting! I still feel like a newbie.

>240 NanaCC:: Colleen, The Worshipful Lucia takes me to something that looks like the complete set of novels. Is that what you're reading? So you're almost finished with all 6? I bet it's been a fun ride.

>241 LizzieD:: Peggy, so far I have survived the workday. I'm not sure I'm "invigorated" but I am indeed "rested"!

>242 qebo:: Katherine, yeah it can be. And it's amazing how quickly the "vacation aura" wears off. Fortunately I didn't return to any crises, but I am keenly aware I'm not on holiday anymore.

>243 scaifea:: Amber, I logged a fair amount of cable knitting time yesterday and am really enjoying the way the patterns slowly emerge. This sweater has 4 motifs so in any given row you have to refer to 4 different charts in order like A, B, C, B, D, B, C, B, A or something along those lines. It does keep me on my toes!

#238 & 244 I love cables, almost everything I knit has cables in the pattern in some way. I am very impressed by your knitting achievements this year. I'm considering saying I will try and read less next year so that I can knit more because I go so slowly through my knitting projects at the moment that I don't think I could try a big project like an afghan or sweater (jumper to me).

>244 lauralkeet: Laura, I am on book 5 and the title says The Worshipful Lucia. I also found it under Lucia's Progress.

They really are a lot of fun.

Heather, I had to go peek at your ravelry profile and I see you do indeed like cables! I didnt consciously say I would slow my reading to spend time knitting, but that's kind of what's happened.

Colleen, thanks for clearing up my confusion!

For knitting and reading at the same time, I'd try audio books, unless the pattern is truly mind-boggling.

eta to add: my sister is on Ravelry a lot, I think, under the name Robknits.

Hi Laura!

I'm a big fan of audio books, but I don't know that I could listen and knit at the same time! That sounds like true talent to me!

I'm with you, Tina --- I know a lot of people do it and I might give it a try, but I wonder if I'd lose concentration on either the book, the knitting, or both!

The only thing I can do while listening to an audio book is garden. Pull weeds, more specifically. This means that there is a very small window of time and a very small number of hours during which I can listen to an audiobook. I think I've completed two of them in two years.

Ellen, why don't you come and weed my garden next summer, and knock a few more volumes off your TBR?! :)

252: Clever thinking!
251: I _hate_ having my ears plugged up when I'm outside. And I enjoy weeding. Now I could see listening to an audio book while doing the housecleaning, but that is the smallest window of opportunity I can possibly get away with.

I can never listen to audiobooks when cleaning, and not just because I spend so little time cleaning (though that's true, too). I keep losing parts of the story because there is so much noise, like running water for dishes or the vacuum. Maybe I'm doing the cleaning wrong. I should probably stop altogether until I figure it out. :-)

55. The Squire ()
Source: My Virago Modern Classics collection

The Squire was recently published by Persephone Books, and I read about it in the Persephone Biannually. Then I realized I owned it in a Virago Modern Classic edition. I was intrigued by the idea of a book written in the early 20th century from a woman's point of view during the days immediately before and after the birth of her fifth child. It was a contemplative book, and reading it was well timed for me, since my daughters were both born at this time of year. And since they are turning 18 and 21 respectively, those childbirth days are a distant memory.

I really enjoyed reading the book, but found myself at a loss when it came to writing a review. That's probably because three wonderful LTers wrote such stellar reviews already. These are the only reviews of this book but collectively they capture everything I could possibly say. Go read them!
- Tui (@tiffin) reviewed this in November 2007
- Linda (@laytonwoman3rd) reviewed in July 2011.
- Liz (@LyzzyBee) reviewed in August 2011

*booking my flight for next summer*

Ellen, just give me a couple days' notice so I can get the cat hair off the bed in the guest room!!!

I do most of my audiobook listening while walking to/from trains, but I can also listen during cleaning, yard work (quite frankly, a rare occurrence), elliptical machine, car rides, and some cooking (although not if it's a complex recipe).

#255 - I'm intrigued and will keep an eye out for this one.

I am so glad you are enjoying the Lucia series. I also love the Prunella Scales, Geraldine McEwan, and Nigel Hawthorne BBC4 series. Prunella just nails Mapp. And thank you for the nod to that 2007 review. Sometimes I forget that I've written them.

I think I could listen to an audio book on a treadmill or elliptical but never out in the garden. I would miss the birdsong and bee hums too much.

Did someone say "Prunella Scales"? I love her. So I'm off to track down that series if I can...

That cast sounds perfect for the Lucia series. I have to check to see if I can find it. Laura, I am going to break down and read the last one as soon as I finish the book I'm reading now. I will be sad to say goodbye to Tilling. :)

I love Prunella Scales too! I haven't managed to get my hands on the series yet but someday I will.

Morning Laura- Did you guys get a lot of snow? We fortunately got just a couple of inches but it is going to be a COLD week. Ugh!
Hope you had a nice weekend.

I have the series on DVD, must re-watch it soon. The last time I was in Rye there was an art exhibition - the summer show - and I bought a watercolour of the crooked chimney, which had obviously been painted from the street in front of Mallards. Although I'm sure it's the sketch that Georgie painted he has signed it with an alias. (And I paid more than sixpence for it!)

I have the whole Lucia series in VHS, Laura. If I had a clue how to convert it on to disks for you, I would.

Oh huzzah! My library has it -- looks like just Season 1, but that's a start. I just need to be sure I request it when I can make time to watch it during the one-week lending period.

I hinted to my kids about it, Laura. Amazon has both season one and two. And with Christmas coming up, I figured a nudge in the right direction might be appropriate.

>267 NanaCC:: now there's a thought!

Also, just realized I totally ignored my buddy Mark in #263. Sorry Mark! We ended up with about 6" of snow on Sunday, I was really glad I didn't have to go anywhere. We built a fire and hung out, it was a very nice and restful day. Back to work today, and fortunately the roads weren't bad at all.

Hi Laura, so it's work as usual for you…and the usual good reading and reviews too. I don't know who this Prunella Scales is, but with a name like that, I may have to check her out! I know I need to try the Lucia books as well. They sound pleasant which is a good thing after the books on North Korea I have been reading.

Laura, I'm used to cat hair, no need to clean it off on my account! lol

That Queen Lucia is still sitting on my bedside table. I said I'd read it this month.....

>269 Donna828:: Donna, have you ever watched the British sitcom Fawlty Towers? Prunella Scales was Sybil, Basil Fawlty's wife. If that helps.

>270 EBT1002:: Ellen, that's excellent. I'll cross that nasty little job off my to do list. :)

>271 emmadavis: I think you have a troll, Laura.

>273 laytonwoman3rd:: Yes, I spotted the same individual on some other threads as well. Flagged.

Sounds rather like a high school student hoping for some help in writing a paper . . .

Oh I love love love Fawlty Towers! And Prunella Scales is fabulous in it.

"Oh, I know...Oh, I know...Oh, I know!..."

>277 scaifea:: "I'm doing it Sybil!!" -- a stock response to spousal or parental nagging in my house!

In our house too, Laura!!!

"BAH-ZIL!!!!!!" When you want someone at our house.

We do the random spouting of lines in our family. I can never help myself when we're at a restaurant with butter served on a side plate..."There's too much butter on those trays..."

And whenever Tomm mumbles something that I can't here (which is fairly frequently), he gets a hearty, "Eeez deefeecult" from me.

This line of conversation cracks me up. We used to do it so much at home when I was a kid... not so much from movies, which we saw few of in those days, but from TV and from some comedy record albums that we all had memorized. Myron Cohen was a favorite back then...a borscht belt comedian with a lot of terrific lines. He often appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, but was a little more risque on this records. "Somet'ing bothers you?" was a favorite when anyone was grumbling or out of sorts. Only funny if you could hear Myron's voice in your head. Then there was the First Family album, making fun of the Kennedys. If the doorbell rang, someone would invariably yell out "Tell him it's TOMORROW night!" Anybody getting these references? Nah, I didn't think so. How about "You got some 'splainin' to do..." More recent additions to the repertoire: "It's not a matter of how he GRIPS it..." or "I'm not dead y'know? Yes you are...No, I'm not. Well, you soon will be." Or, my favorite, if anyone complained of having a bad day at work or school..."Awww...did you have to go sit on the Group W bench? YES...and everybody moved away from me!"

"Name, Sybil Fawlty of Torquay; special subject, the Bleeding Obvious!"

Most often directed by members of my family at sporting commentators and politicians guilty of taking the Bleeding Obvious to new levels. Though I wonder how many people these days understand what Basil is referring to?

Ha! These are all so great. I love you people.

I think I maybe have mentioned this before on some thread or another at some point, but I've been trying to use unexplained movie references around Charlie from birth, with the intention of making him think, "What is she talking about?" until he finally one day watches the awesome movies said references are from and realizes just how awesomesauce (but still weird) his mom is. My favorite? Every time he and Tomm leave the house to go somewhere without me, I call out to them, "Have fun storming the castle!"

This is too funny. I thought we were the only weird family!

*waving* at Laura - Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Oh a Stasia sighting! I feel lucky!! Happy holidays to you too ...

282 Oh I get you loud and clear - We listened to that album obsessively for awhile - Jackie's tour of the white house And here's this big one over here.... and over there that teeny teeny one...." Dean Rusk getting everyone's lunch orders.....Also Beyond the Fringe..... my daughter can actually recite some of those she listened to it so much...."life is like a sardine tin, there's always a little bit on the side" We also had one with Elaine May that I adored and would love to hear again someday.

It is great to have you here Stasia.

Oh yes, Beyond the Fringe! The hackin' and the hewin'! "So you want to know about the war, do you?" "I was out in the garden, growing carrots for the night workers, and I says to the wife..." "And he met the barrel cumin' down!"

Very much peppered into conversations around here.

56. The Duke's Daughter ()
My Review
Source: My bookshelves -- and I received this from LT member @LizzieD!
Why I read this Now: I'm committed to fun, light reads this month, and this fit the bill.

Angela Thirkell wrote a series of Barsetshire novels that pick up several years after Anthony Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire. She is true to Trollope's form while demonstrating her own style. The Duke's Daughter is one of the later novels in the series, and I've only read one other, which took place much earlier. Each book theoretically stands on its own; however, reading The Duke's Daughter I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd missed a lot of the characters' history. And, since many of them shared surnames with Trollope characters, I became distracted trying to piece together the genealogy. Still, it was a fun read concerning several different young people who you know will ultimately pair off in a 3-wedding happy ending, but along the way there are mishaps and plenty of opportunities to make sport of the gentry. I'll definitely read more of Thirkell's novels, but I'll start nearer the beginning next time.

Fawlty Towers…on the TV watch list. It sounds like something I would love.

Enjoy the time at home with your eldest, Laura. It is so much fun when they come home from college. It's a little challenging (at least it was for us) to determine the new parameters of curfews -- or not -- and household chores.

I like the idea of fun light reads for the month of December. Unfortunately, most of the books in my house are of the dark and deep variety.

You're quite right about those new parameters, Donna! And, generally, the transition to a more adult relationship. I have no complaints so far, but there are certainly new things to think about at this stage.

#247 & 248 I've started rewatching old TV shows on Netflix and that seems to have helped me make a lot more progress with my current knitting project (cables again). You've also reminded me that I haven't uploaded any pictures to ravelry for a while.

#255 The Squire definitely appeals to me Laura so that's a Virago I am looking out for.

#259 Ooh, Nigel Hawthorne? He's such a good character actor. Hubby and I loved him in Yes, Minister and The Barchester Chronicles. I will have to get hold of the Mapp and Lucia adaptation.

Prunella Scales is also very good although I think I've only seen her in Fawlty Towers.

#290 I haven't come across very many Trollope references in the Thirkells' I've read (although maybe I just haven't noticed them) but Pomfret Towers had an Archdeacon Grantly from Plumstead (presumably a descendent).

Fawlty Towers; part of a golden age of British Comedy. So Mothers Do 'Ave Em is another which would transcend the Britishness of the humour.

I feel that someone mentioned Prunella recently as being in another good offering. Golly, can't think what!!!!

Our traditional Christmas movie-watching has caused me to remember another batch of quotes that get tossed round Scaife Manor frequently, my favorite being, "Eight is a lot of legs, David." It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since the release of Love Actually!

Ooh, Love Actually is still one of my favorite movies, especially around the holidays! And it is chock full of memorable lines--not to mention great music.

Lordy, I used to watch and love Fawlty Towers and haven't seen it in ages. I must see if I can get hold of some early episodes (on line, probably, I know).

ETA: P and I own "Love Actually" and watched it this weekend. It's a good holiday flick. Hugh Grant dancing to "Jump!" is priceless. How they managed to make Emma Thompson look a bit frumpy, however, is beyond me.

I stumbled across an article over the weekend about the "Love Actually Wars" - apparently people either love it or hate it. No in-between. I am firmly in the "love it" camp. The article was a dialogue between two women about the movie, one on each side. I think it was on NPR's Facebook feed. Anyway, it was a fun read. I think it's a sweet movie about the many types of love in the world. I watch it every holiday season.

Huh. I've never met anyone who didn't just love that movie.

* whispers: not my favorite movie although I can see why it's so popular *

Carry on. I've had a crappy day what with a car that died and had to be towed, and various repairs require $$ I wish I didn't have to spend right now ... then realizing (at 11am mind you) that the slacks I put on in the morning were the wrong ones -- brown instead of black or gray -- and really didn't match the rest of my ensemble. The office cookie exchange was some consolation but really it's just all been too stressful.

Currently waiting for the car repair shuttle to pick me up, so treating myself to a little LT time.

I've heard the complaint that it's all about older men getting younger girls, but I don't quite see that. I mean, who wouldn't want Hugh Grant or Colin Firth or Liam Neeson? (And it's not like the women in those romances are 20.) As for Alan Rickman's character, he makes a mess of things, doesn't he?

My favorite parts are the conversations/thoughts in English and Portugeuse between Colin Firth's character and Aurelia.

Laura: Oh, yuck. But yay for cookies, at least?

Cariola: Ha! That's another of the frequent and random quotes for us: "Just in cases."

Not to continue the hijack of Laura's thread, but continuing the hijack of Laura's thread:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/12/14/250807148/the-case-for-and-against...

Laura, Sorry about the car. That is annoying. But yay for cookie exchanges!

How annoying about the car! But at least you got the cookies!

301: Monday morning, sub-20 degrees, I have a bit of sympathy for the car, but more for you. Anyone else notice uncoordinated colors?

I'll bet nobody noticed the "wrong" slacks. And cookies....makes most anything better. So.

*whispers even softer than Laura: I've never SEEN "Love Actually"*

I love 'Love Actually' as well!

307: I've never SEEN "Love Actually"
Me neither.

OK, have to weigh in. I also love Love Actually. Got such a chuckle out of Caro's remark that they often quote "Just in cases." Yes!

"Now which doll shall we give Daisy's little friend Emily? The one that looks like a transvestite or the one that looks like a dominatrix? "

Laura, so sorry about the crappy day. Rats. I hope tomorrow is better.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying Katie's hijacking of your thread. It's okay that you don't love "Love Actually." You have many other highly redeeming qualities. :-)

And I say "Just in cases" all the time, too! That and, "worse than the total agony of being in love?"

#304 - Katie, that "article" is hilarious!

(hi Laura)

Wow, you all have been busy. Yesterday just sucked, but it was fun to read all your chit chat.
Katie, thanks for the link to that article -- I saw something about it on Facebook, meant to read it, then lost track of it. I've bookmarked to read later.

The car started just fine today and my clothes match. So things are looking up. :)

Great - "It's a Good News Day!" (From another very quotable and frequently quoted movie at Scaife Manor)

Very cheering! I've seen the movie in question, but I can't remember a thing about it. That puts me in very dubious territory, I'd say. Maybe it would make a good holiday film to watch?

What is your favorite 'romantic' movie Laura, probably you've said, but nonetheless, this is your thread!

One of mine is an obscure film I can't find because I can't remember the name of it - set somewhere vaguely southern (the guy lives in a houseboat, and I think he might be a cartoonist) He has just been declared in full remission from some kind of leukemia that people do recover from pretty often, and he is, as you might expect, sort of wan and pale and dweeby from being ill and his sister who is an actress who is a bit like Shelly Duval, only it isn't her, I can't remember who it is, gets him to buff up and then sets him up etc. It was at our general store back in the 'old' days of video and I missed out on buying it when they sold their stock. I used to take it out when I was home by myself and eat a bowl of popcorn etc. Of course, I never took note of the title, etc. but it was utterly charming. I assume a late 70's or early 80's film. If anyone can think of what it might be, I will be forever in your debt in fact! It's not terribly clever or anything, just sweet.

Oh my goodness! I just finally found it. It's called Don't Tell Her It's Me - he is recovered from Hodgkins - remembering that did the trick - it's quite silly. Shelley Long plays his sister. Man, I am so relieved. Now I have to see if I can find it on Netflix or somewhere.

Lucy - It's also called "The Boyfriend School," so if you can't find it, you might try the alternate title...

I've never seen "Love, Actually" but I have worn one navy and one black shoe of slightly different styles to work once (not that much of a morning person and the side hall is dark). Sounds like the universe had a kink in it yesterday for you, Laura.

The Little Darling suffered battery failure this morning, and so it must be in the air (the very frigid air).

Yes, Katie - and to buy the DVD is 80 dollars!!! I'll have to look around to see if I can find it to view anywhere for less than that! Apparently it's one of those films that just disappeared. It's so sweet, it really shouldn't have.

You know, Laura, you made me laugh because I still worry about looking nice when I fly somewhere, and then I look around and think, "What is wrong with me???" I'm sure no one noticed. I also have some weird ideas about what goes with what, such as.... I don't like to wear a top that is darker than my trousers or skirt and stuff that I don't know where it came from.... my daughter wears the most peculiar things that ought to clash and do not. I can barely put on things with patterns they make me so nervous! Did I read something in 17 magazine when I was like, twelve? Probably!

Whew! This is more activity than my thread has seen in ... well, ever! I'm lovin' it but am not going to be able to respond personally to every post like I usually do.

I enjoyed the article about Love, Actually (thanks Katie!). The movie is just too saccharine for my taste and some of the subplots are unbelievable and/or ridiculous. I'm not sure I have a favorite rom-com, maybe it's just not my genre, but the article mentioned a film that's a real favorite at our house and Hugh Grant is much better in this one: About a Boy. Also, the actor who plays the boy, Marcus, is now all grown up and extremely good looking and can be seen in A Single Man with Colin Firth, which is a very sad film and has nothing to do with Christmas but it was just mentioned on Ellen's thread so it's on my mind.

Lucy, I just left word on your thread about our common car battery misery, and then I see you've done the same. Ha.

On the reading front (hey, remember books?!), I'm reading Catching Fire and while it's not great literature I'm enjoying it. I read The Hunger Games some time ago, and saw the movie. Both daughters have read the series, and really liked the latest movie, so I decided I need to catch up.

*Off to investigate grown-up version of About-A-Boy boy...* That *was* a good movie.

ETA:...Whoa. He *did* grown up nicely, didn't he? *Fans herself*

Wow...I have seen both About a Boy and A Single Man, and did not realize that child actor was in the later one.

*steals Amber's fan*

Yeah so I was watching A Single Man and I was like who IS that guy? And I looked him up on IMDB and was like OMG!

(imagine that delivered in a breathless teen voice because that's how I felt)

I'm not sure I have a favorite rom-com, maybe it's just not my genre

Funnily, although I wouldn't like a similar thing in a book, I do like a decent Rom Com movie. 'Love Actually' has to be a favourite, and also 'Notting Hill' 'About a Boy' and 'Tamara Drewe'.

Love Actually is on my "Do Not Ever Watch Again" list. I'm not sure I made it through the whole movie. Blech.

Ha! This is why that NPR blog post was so good - such strong feelings about the movie. Despite its saccharine nature and unbelievable storylines, the way it illustrates all the different kinds of love is what I respond to. It's not just lust, or love at first sight, or whatever. It's familial love, and "lived-in" married love, and unrequited love, and love til death do us part, and love beyond death and and and..... Sigh. I just love it :)

(I will endeavor to make this my last non-book-related post)

Well, on the what matches what front, I say just come to NYC, where we wear mostly black most of the time! And I have no trouble wearing a darker color on top; I wear black sweaters with my blue jeans all the time.

Ordinarily, I don't like rom-coms. What this one has going for it is 1) a lot of actors that I really like--Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Rowan Atkinson, the list goes on; 2) some very quirky scenes (I don't care if it's realistic or not); 3) great soundtrack; 4) hey, no one said it's not Oscar material, it's just a Christmas movie!

I probably wouldn't watch it at any other time of the year, and I certainly wouldn't say that it's a GREAT movie (of the calibre of what we generally consider GREAT movies--it's no Schindler's List or Gone with the Wind). But it makes me laugh, and I'm a tough old bird. And at Christmas, feel good is just fine by me.

Now don't get me started on the Hallmark Channel's nonstop Christmas movies--talk about blech!

Cariola: Oh, agreed about the soundtrack - one of the best.

I am thoroughly enjoying the conversation about Love Actually. I've got a DVD here of the movie and am going to pull it out and watch it this weekend. Agree, Caro, with the LONG list of actors I really like, too. I think Bill Nighy takes first prize this round; he is split-a-gut superb in LA.

It's one of the films that I think I've watched but on closer consideration I think I've only seen odd bits. Perhaps it will be on TV this Christmas and I can watch it all the way through in one go!

>332 CDVicarage:: Perhaps it will be on TV this Christmas
Over here, undoubtedly it will. About a million times. :)

I am mad for Bill Nighy. Have been for EVER - since seeing him in something obscure about twenty years ago - and he just gets more and more wonderful. Have you all seen him in I Capture the Castle? (Just trying to get a book mention in here!)

Ah, Rebecca, but blue jeans are a 'non' color - more neutral say than 'beige' (a color I generally avoid - although I am wearing a vest of that color today over .... dark brown trousers). One could go on about the chameleonlike qualities of blue jeans for hours, days, even.

Snow bulletin - can't help myself, snow of the kind that is EXACTLY like that in those glass globes is falling right now, gently, sort of pensively even.

See now, I hated Bill Nighy in Love, Actually -- thought he was selling out. But I loved him in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the TV drama, Page Eight.

I also loved him in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Don't know Page Eight, will have to look that one up.

OK, I can't help myself. Love, Actually is all around. This piece from Jezebel is hilarious. Long, but hilarious. Also really vulgar, so don't say I didn't warn you. But it's hilarious. For the uninitiated, Jezebel is a feminist publication and this just about sums up the article:
This entire movie is just straight white men acting upon women they think they "deserve." This entire movie is just men doing things.
I Rewatched Love Actually and Am Here to Ruin It for All of You

57. Catching Fire ()
No Review
Source: My daughter's bookshelves

Both daughters really enjoyed this book and the recently released movie. I liked the first book and movie well enough, so even though I have no immediate plans to see the movie, I thought I'd read the book. In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta are on their post-Hunger Games Victory Tour, and the evil Capitol stages a Quell, a mega-games that occurs every 25 years. This time the competitors are previous Hunger Games victors, including Katniss and Peeta. It's all very exciting, with a surprising cliffhanger ending that makes me eager to read the final installment in the trilogy.

Hi Laura. "Love Actually" would not pass the Bechdel test. True. I'll check out the Jezebel piece when I'm not sitting at the front desk at the office. Ha.

Ellen I predict you will absolutely LOVE the Jezebel piece.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This seems a good time to let everyone know I'm going to be away December 23-30. We are taking a family trip to St Thomas! I've never been to the Caribbean, and it's very unusual for us to be away at Christmas, so it all seems rather surreal. We're doing Christmassy things this weekend, including opening gifts on Sunday. I'll be around LT another couple of days, but I'm planning to disconnect while away. Yes, I am already fretting over coming back to a) a thread backlog and b) the 2014 75 Books Group which will already be in full swing. But hey, I will be rested and ready to face the craziness!

I'm currently reading The Goldfinch on my Kindle, and will bring it with me along with Mockingjay. And if I need a third book -- which frankly would surprise me -- well, I have plenty on the Kindle to choose from.

I wish all those who celebrate it a very merry Christmas!!!

In high hopes that 2014 will bring many joyful reads to you, Laura:



Celebrate the return of the light with feasts, merriment, and gratitude for all the wonders of this wide green earth.

RMD

340: Yes, I am already fretting over coming back to a) a thread backlog and b) the 2014 75 Books Group
Fortunately most of it consists of holiday greetings, you won’t miss actual books, but yes, LT after a week away is daunting.

Oh, wow, that sounds wonderful! Safe travels and have a fantastic time!

Richard, that's a lovely greeting and I thank you for stopping by to hang an ornament on my thread!

Katherine, that's a good point. I just get a little anal retentive about unread messages. But you're right, I should be able to catch up by skimming, mostly.

Thanks Amber!

I wanted to enjoy the Hunger Games trilogy because so many of my students are taken with it. I got through The Hunger Games but that was enough for me. Glad you're enjoying more than I was able to, Laura.

Have a wonderful trip Laura. I actually think Christmas week is a pretty good time to miss LT time. Most people are tied up with RL activities and don't post an awful lot. Ohh The Goldfinch. I'm thinking of reading that in January.

Ooooh, that sounds lovely, Laura! Have a wonderful time and a beautiful Christmas as well!

**Whispers & hides... I've never seen Love, Actually either**

Laura, just stopping by to wish you a very happy Christmas and New Year!

Hi Laura- I am about 200 pages into Dirt Music. So far, so good. I am curious to see where it is headed. Lu has taken off and Georgie is adrift again...
Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Orphan Black? We watched the first 2 episodes and it's a lot of fun. A bit different than anything on TV right now.

Merry Christmas wishes to you Laura, I know you will love this photo!

Happy Holidays to you and your family, Laura!

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Laura.

Enjoy Christmas with your daughters and husband, Laura. I hope Santa brings you a few books to read…if he can find you. I'm with you in spirit.

Happy Christmas to you and your lovely family!

Laura, I hope the Carib is not too cool this time of year. hahahaha.
Have a lovely Christmas with your family. Is daughter back in the fold or is it Christmas, UK style for her?

Merry Christmas, Laura!

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!

Merry Christmas, Laura!

A belated Merry Christmas to you, Laura! I hope your travels are being lovely!

Hello everyone! We had a wonderful time in St Thomas. It was sunny and warm (80F) every day, with just a few short bursts of rain (aka "liquid sunshine"!). I hope those who celebrate Christmas had a great holiday. We had our celebrations before leaving, but brought one gift for each family member to open on Christmas day.

Here are some photos (all clickable thumbnails):
From left to right: My husband & I enjoying mojitos, my daughters doing the same, my daughters sporting souvenir T-shirts which read "no working during drinking hours," daughters reading poolside (Gone Girl and One Day), & a representative of the local wildlife

58. The Goldfinch ()
No Review
Source: On my Kindle
Why I read this Now: I succumbed to a Kindle Daily Deal, and thought it would be a good vacation read.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but am feeling pressed for time and am not feeling up to writing a full review. Suffice to say this was a rollicking read which bogged down somewhat in the middle but still held my attention throughout. And for $1.99, what's not to like?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

59. Mockingjay ()
No Review
Source: My daughter's shelves
Why I read this Now: I recently read Catching Fire, the second in the series, and wanted to keep going.

As I write this, I'm about halfway through Mockingjay and enjoying it just as much as its predecessors. I will count it as a 2013 book, and may or may not come back to review it. Gah, who am I kidding? I probably won't. The 2014 group beckons ...

Great photos, Laura!

I'm glad that you also liked The Goldfinch. I also took advantage of the $1.99 Kindle sale, and I'll probably read it in the first quarter of the New Year.

* waves * Hi Darryl!!!

Happy New Year, Laura!

2013 Year in Review

So how did I do? Well, I read 59 books and about 21,000 pages. My average book was just over 350 pages, although I read one that was less than 100 pages and 11 that were over 500 pages. Ratings clustered in the 3-4 star range with only 3 books earning 5 stars. 73% of my books were written by a woman, which is a little higher than usual.

Here's a look back at my 2013 reading resolutions:

1. I will read more books from my stacks than I acquire. 37 of my 59 books came from my shelves, and were acquired before 2013. I feel good about that. As for number of books acquired, I'm not counting. So there.


2. I will continue making progress on all reading projects, but especially the reading Booker & Orange (now Women's) Prize winners & nominees, and Virago Modern Classics. I don't have quantitative goals, but will be reading books that catch my interest. Meh, just OK. I read 12 Virago Modern Classics, but only 4 each from the Booker and Women's Prize lists.


3. Book blogging is as much a part of my life as LT, and I want to continue to foster community with other book bloggers. Nope. I actually abandoned blogging in September.


4. I will read more short stories. This was a new personal project, and I did pretty well with it up to about August. I had nine collections on my nightstand, and read a story or two most nights before bed. I finished 7 of the nine books, abandoned 1 as a DNF, and have one left which I may get around to eventually.
   

Lesson learned: my first 2014 resolution will be not to make any resolutions!!

My top books of 2013:

5 stars:
Life After Life
The Luminaries
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

4.5 stars:
Americanah
Transatlantic

And that's all, folks! I'll post a link to my 2014 thread once it's up & running.

Oh hi Colleen & Linda! I was writing the above post as you dropped by.
Happy New Year everyone!

Happy new year Laura! Loved reading your 2013 wrap up. We shared 3 of the same booksn our top 5 lists, and the other 2 of yours are on my TBR list (Life after Life and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena).

Wll go and look for your new thread tomorrow.

357: As for number of books acquired, I'm not counting. So there.
Nice to set your own rules. :-)

All right everyone, march smartly over to my 2014 thread!

You did great on your reading this year. Will see you over at your 2014 thread!!