AMQS reads in 2014 -- chapter 1

Welcome and Happy New Year! My name is Anne, and I am excited to be back for my 5th year with this amazing community.



I'm going to stay with illustrated children's literature this year to start my threads. This is from East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Mercer Mayer (my step-uncle). I actually have never met him, but I grew up reading everything he wrote or illustrated, and was honored to inherit many of his books from my grandmother.

2013 was not my best reading year -- in fact I read 35 fewer books (75) than I did in 2012 (110, though the literature class I took in 2012 helped a lot). It was a year of Willa Cather, Muriel Spark, and Jane Gardam. Not too bad:) I don't generally set reading goals, but I do plan to read more Edith Wharton in 2014.

Some 2013 numbers:
Fiction: 69
Nonfiction: 6 Hmmm... I see room for improvement.
Juvenile Lit/YA: 42 (I am an elementary school librarian)
Audio: 23 My commute up to my little mountain school is beautiful, but I love my audios in the car.
Reread: 12 -- interesting, because I don't reread all that often. Two of my rereads I read aloud to the girls (84 Charing Cross Road and Peace Like a River)
Read aloud: 4 This number makes me sad, but the books are longer (we've been working on The Fellowship of the Ring for awhile now) and time seems to be shorter.

Favorite reads of 2013:
Barchester Towers was my absolute favorite book this year. It was perfection. Simon Vance narrating made it double perfection.
84 Charing Cross Road -- loved reading this one aloud. An all-time favorite
Step to the Music -- a childhood favorite long out of print. I located a copy at last, and was thrilled that it was as wonderful as I remembered. The girls love it, too.
Three Men in a Boat -- actually made me late for school as I had to pull over a lot to laugh helplessly.
Code Name Verity -- I just loved it.
The Old Filth trilogy (Old Filth, The Man in the Wooden Hat, Last Friends)
The House of Mirth -- more perfection.

January, 2014
1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
2. A Winter in Arabia: A Journey Through Yemen by Freya Stark
3. Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather
4. Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows
5. August Folly by Angela Thirkell
6. A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee
7. Creaturely and Other Essays by Devin Johnston

February, 2014
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
10. Lady Susan by Jane Austen
11. The Eyes of Venice by Alessandro Barbero
12. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Hi Anne!

Anne - Lovely to have you back and I'll be following you as always.

That is a delightful illustration up top and a nice story to have with it about the familial connections.

Hi Anne! I look forward to following your 2014 reading adventures!

Found you Anne! I hope 2014 is a good reading year for you!

Since all of the books I've read on your list of favorites for the year are also favorites of mine, the ones I haven't read are definitely going on my TBR list! I already have the Phyllis Whitney so that's a start!

BAM! Starred! I read fewer books last year than usual too, but... I'm hoping to remedy that this time around. :D

Hi Anne! Looking forward to keeping up with your thread.

Welcome back, Anne! I love that illustration...

Dear Anne, I wish you a happy, smooth, productive, satisfying 2014 --- and .....

>4 wilkiec: Hello Diana -- nice to see you, and Happy New Year!

>5 PaulCranswick: Paul, it is lovely to have you back, of course!

>6 DorsVenabili: Thanks, Kerri, glad to have you here!

>7 cbl_tn: Carrie, we share a lot of favorites, which is one of the many reasons I follow your threads:) I didn't know you had Step to the Music... did I? It took me years of searching before I located an ILL copy, and then one magically appeared on Book Mooch. I read it a bit apprehensively, as I remember just adoring it as a 12 year old or so, but I still loved it. I think I rated it so highly because I loved the return visit to a book I had loved so well so long ago. Hope you enjoy it, too!

>8 dk_phoenix: Hi Faith! I think 2012 was an exceptional reading year, and I probably would not have read so many without that children's/YA lit class. Still, I would like to read at least 75 this year!

>9 cushlareads: Hi Cushla! Glad you're here.

>10 drneutron: Thank you, Jim! Glad to see you here.

>11 LizzieD: Thank you, thank you, Peggy!

You're starred, Anne! Hope you have a great reading year in 2014!

Hi Anne! Happy New Year to you and all the family. I hope you find some more great reads during 2014 and I'll be following right along.

>12 AMQS: I inherited a lot of books from my (paternal) grandmother, and I'm pretty sure Step to the Music is one of them. Or it could have been my mother's. Phyllis Whitney was a favorite author for both of them, and they used to read each other's books.

Anne, I have Edith Wharton on my radar this year to help me fulfill my "books set in NYC" challenge, so I'll be interested to see what you read. I don't believe I've read anything of hers yet.

>13 aktakukac: Hi Rachel -- glad you're here!

>14 susanj67: I'm so glad you'll be with me, Susan!

>15 cbl_tn: Carrie, I can't say that I've read anything else by Phyllis Whitney, but maybe I should! I would imagine many of hers are out of print now. I love that you keep your reading connection to your mother and grandmother!

>16 rosalita: Hi Julia! I read and enjoyed Ethan Frome two or so years ago, and I recently finished The House of Mirth on audio, and was blown away. I hope you find something you love!

Happy New Year, Anne. Starred.

Hi, Anne ~ Love Mercer Mayer's illustrations! One of these days, maybe you'll let me come over and peruse your bookshelves.

Happy New Year!

Gorgeous opening illustration, Anne. Happy New Year, and happy reading.

Hi Anne! Happy 2014.

Happy New Year, Anne. Have a wonderful reading-year.

Anne - Wishing you a much better 2014 than the old one was. One filled with love and books and all that you desire.

Happy New Year Anne! I love that illustration at the top of your thread. Barchester Towers reached my best of year list as well.

Happy New Year Anne! Hope you have a great 2014!

Happy New Year, Anne!

Happy New Year, Anne!

Happily, I have now found your thread, Anne! All is now good in the world. *sighs* What a wonderful thread topper and family story to start your 2014 reading adventures with!

Thanks to Beth, Mary, Nancy, Richard, Monica, Paul, Rhian, Chelle, Julia, Micky, and Lori! I hope everyone had a very happy and festive New Year.

I wish you a blessed new year, Anne - Good you continue with the Children's Books illustrations - love to come here and see them. Good top reads!!! Barchester Towers is my favorite in the Barchester series. And oh, Three Men in a Boat is due for a reread. I actually read this one while I was on a canoe-trip in Sweden many years ago :)

How exciting to have an author illustrator for a step-uncle. And a shame you never met him. One of my book club members read and reviewed a book her brother-in-law had written and we were all thrilled to hear about such a connection :)

Good luck with your reading this year, I hope you surpass your last years total! I am planning to try for slightly less than 2013...I felt rushed last year. :)

Found you. Happy new year!

>30 ctpress: Hi Carsten! A canoe-trip in Sweden sounds absolutely wonderful, and how fun to read Three Men in a Boat at the same time!

>31 LovingLit: Megan, I know, it is a shame, isn't it? From when I have heard, there were some bad feelings between him and my dad. I contacted him years ago through his website, and he was gracious enough to send a book for Callia. I know my aunt has been in contact with him. I dream about welcoming him to my school for an author visit, but I don't want to push it (that, and he lives on the east coast).

>32 tapestry100: Glad you're here, David!

Ice skating on Evergreen Lake has become a New Year tradition for us! This year we went with the staff of my school and their families.

Hi Ann! I found you. Great picture - it looks like the weather was great! We haven't skated up there since Chris was little.

Anne! I've found you! Starred and ready to go.

And oh, the ice skating looks like fun!

#34 - Oh, what a lovely tradition! I haven't been ice-skating in ages, and, quite frankly, I was never much good at it, but still...

Happy belated New Year!

I'm rubbish at ice skating but I love it anyway. Looks like a gorgeous spot to do it in, Anne. :)

Lovely photo of the girls, Anne. Gosh, I haven't ice-skated in years. Growing up in Ottawa, we skated on the Rideau Canal every chance we got. It was fabulous!

Anne, that's a great photo of your girls! I'm glad to see you're not in the middle of a blizzard. Colorado has been in our news in the last few days because of the marijuana legalisation. I bet that was controversial.

The New Year's ice skating party looks like it was fun! Beautiful girls!

I saw a meme on FB the other day about marijuana legalization that made me grin: "I'm not worried about legalized pot in Colorado-- it'll get repealed when everyone's too stoned to vote in November." ~ Tea Party Cat.

I haven't followed your thread last year, but oh my, your girls have grown up!

What a wonderful picture of your girls, Anne. Also make me want to skate. But no frost and no snow so far in Denmark. Very unusual....

Hi Anne, lovely new thread starting off with Inclement Mercer's beautiful art work...and wow just WOW, what a great picture of Callia and Marina. I love Evergreen. That's where you grew up, right?

Anthony Trollope was my greatest discovery last year. I am looking forward to reading his Palliser series this year.

Anne, thanks for posting the picture of your beautiful daughters. It's fun to watch them grow up.

>35 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! I'm glad you found me, too. Evergreen Lake is a favorite spot - skating in winter, boating in summer, and walking the path around the lake (with a stop at Baskin Robbins, of course) at any time:)

>36 UnrulySun: Hi Kathy! Thanks for the star.

>37 DorsVenabili: Kerri, I;m not as good at skating as I should be, but I do have fun:)

>38 MickyFine: It is a gorgeous spot, Micky! I'm not much good either, but it's always a good time up there.

>39 lit_chick: Hi Nancy! I didn't know you grew up in Ottawa. A colleague of mine shares fond memories of skating the canal. love the idea of skating to work!

>40 susanj67: No blizzard here, Susan, though we are supposed to get snow tomorrow and Sunday. I haven't heard how much, but if we were in for a big one I assume I'd have heard by now:) Yes, the marijuana legislation has been controversial, but it has also been n the press constantly. Colorado passed medical marijuana legislation awhile ago, and we're going through predictable growing pains for regulation, etc. Honestly, it's been "news' for so long it doesn't feel like news anymore.

>41 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary! We had fun. You should go some time - it's really not that far away, and it's a beautiful spot.

>42 Trifolia: Hi Monica! The girls sure are growing up fast. Marina just turned 12, and Callia will be 15 next month. Hard ot believe.

>43 ctpress: Thank you, Carsten! I imagine that Denmark is fairly cold in winter. Hope you get some snow soon -- if you want it, that is! It's a mixed blessing here, but we rely on it for winter ski tourism, and especially for water in summer. We've had some snow, but not nearly enough.

>44 Donna828: Hi Donna! Yes, I did grow up in Evergreen, and still think of it as my community. I'm thrilled to be teaching up there. It is a special community. I hope to read more Trollope this year, too!

>45 phebj: Thank you, Pat. It sure happens fast...

Happy New Year Anne! Found you and starred you. What a lovely picture of your girls ice skating--it looks like a beautiful day.

The girls look very happy up in the snow there, Anne. It would close my tubes in a second but it is pleasing on the eye at least.

Have a lovely weekend.

No need to go up to the mountains for beautiful snow today! We got about 3 inches so far, and it's not finished yet. The view out my bedroom window is just amazing, especially since I'm snuggled under the comforter while I'm looking at it.

>47 AnneDC: Hi Anne! Yes, it was a lovely day for skating. I'm glad you're here!

>48 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Evergreen Lake is a special spot, for sure. Hope you have a great week.

>49 Storeetllr: Mary, it's still snowing! It's fun to be inside and cozy when it's coming down:)

So I have succumbed to the lure of the meme using titles read in 2013. This was fun:

Describe yourself: The Book Whisperer
Describe how you feel: Freak the Mighty
Describe where you currently live: The House of Mirth
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: 84, Charing Cross Road
Your favorite form of transportation: The Whale Rider
Your best friend is: The Girls of Slender Means
You and your friends are: The Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House
What’s the weather like: The Interestings
You fear: A Monster Calls
What is the best advice you have to give: Scones and Sensibility
Thought for the day: Step to the Music
How I would like to die: Peace Like a River
My soul’s present condition: Loitering With Intent

Wonderful meme, Anne! I'm getting such a kick out of this one! A book whisperer loitering with intent, huh? Sounds like it could be catching ...

Ha! When I went to the podiatrist for my plantar fasciitis, I found out why I always sucked at ice skating. It's my "super" flexible ankles.

Happy New Year, Anne! I'm glad to be home and out of the cold weather, but I did enjoy it when I was your girls' age.

I love reading everyone's answers to the meme.... such fun!

Happy Sunday, Anne!

Anne, you have some really great answers for the meme!

My soul’s present condition: Loitering With Intent
:)
That is nice.
Intent to....what though?

I do want to hang out with the Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House, Anne. This meme never fails to bring a smile or two, I find.

>53 ronincats: Roni, I have plantar fascitis and "super flexible ankles," too!

I love reading the meme answers, and you had some good ones.

>52 lit_chick: Thanks, Nancy! Book Whisperer loitering with intent -- only on LT would that make any sense at all:)

>53 ronincats: Hi Roni -- so glad you're home safe. Yes, there is something magical about cold and snow when you're young. My mom always complained about actually skating on her ankles. Now she steadfastly refuses to go, and instead will cheerlead and take photos from the sidelines:)

>54 lkernagh: Thank you, Lori! Happy week to you -- hope it's a good one.

>55 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie. It was very fun, and a great way to look over last year's titles:)

>56 LovingLit: LOL, Megan:) To read, of course! I'm loitering waiting for a quiet corner of the couch to open up so I can read... or maybe book whisper:)

>57 AnneDC: Anne, your Monstrous Regiment of Women are welcome to hang out with the Wicked, Wicked Ladies any time!

>58 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori! Happy New Year to you!

Have a wonderful weekend, Anne!

>51 AMQS:, 52 Love it! (House of Mirth ~ good one!)

Happy Friday! Looks to be lovely-ish weather this weekend. Enjoy!

>60 wilkiec: Diana, thank you! This was the first week back to school, so we're all pretty tired, and looking forward to the weekend. I may even finish a book tonight!

>61 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary! Okay... I'm waiting for the lovely-ish weather. Today it looked like it would be a nice day, but the wind was vicious -- that's the only way I can describe it. And I only took my medium-warm coat to school, and no hat! (Do you have a collection of warmth-spectrum coats yet?) I had to go outside in the morning for bus duty, and I was miserable -- my ears frozen, my eyes stinging... yikes! Hope you stay warm and wind-free!

Anne - Wishing you a lovely weekend as your lovely girls compete to see which is the taller. xx

Thank you, Paul! Actually, it's settled. Callia is not happy about it, but Marina is definitely a bit taller!

I hope you have a lovely weekend as well. I think I may actually finish a book tonight and another this weekend, which will bring my 2014 Books Read Total up to 2!

Yes, the wind has been making the wind chimes go crazy the past couple of days, and I understand Sunday's going to be even windier. I've got a few California-cold coats and jackets, which are fine for 50F days and not much else. But I do have a long "puffy" (down) coat and sheepskin Ugg boots that I always bring along with me in the car, even on nice days, "just in case." I also carry a fake fur hat, wool mittens (made in Tibet!), and a heavy silk neck warmer in my purse, again, "just in case." Heh. Cold weather's not going to catch ME out!

Oh Mary, a true Coloradan! I grew up in the mountains, and we always had a bag of mittens, hats, and boots we kept in the car, along with the ice scraper, and cat litter to help if we got stuck. You just never know, and as you already found out, the weather can change fast!

When I was in college in San Diego, we had a big fog and then a cold spell. My roommate's car windshield was covered with frost, and we were pretty helpless. Usually no need for an ice scraper:)

Oh! I forgot to mention that I have a bag of kitty litter in the back of the car too! But I don't think I have an ice scraper yet. *adds to list of things to buy asap*

That must have been quite an experience, as it seldom gets cold in San Diego. L.A. area, maybe, but not SD. Once, when my daughter was 5 yrs. old, it snowed in the Santa Clarita Valley, which is about 45 miles north of downtown L.A. That was really a huge deal! Here's a pic of her and a little friend playing in the snow in my backyard:

Mary, I can't believe it:

1. You don't have an ice scraper? You definitely need one ASAP. The other things you can get away with not actually storing in your car, but you do need to be able to brush snow and ice off of your windows!

2. You are KIDDING me! That is a LOT of snow! What a cute picture, and a terrific snowman!

Happy New Year, Anne! I can't believe I am just making it over here. Sad, right? We go back on LT! Old-schoolers. I loved your best of 2013 list. And I am sure you are going crazy for all the Cather love that is floating about. I am just about done with Death Comes.

Hi Ann, have a lovely weekend. I hope the weather isn't too bad over there.

De-lurking to wish you a happy weekend, Anne!

>69 msf59: Mark, I'm glad you're here! Happy New Year to you as well. I am enjoying the Cather conversations very much. I hope you are loving Death Comes for the Archbishop as much as I did. I should finish my current read this weekend, and then I really look forward to Shadows on the Rock. Happy weekend to one of my oldest LT friends!

>70 Trifolia: Hi Monica! Our weather is quite nice except that it is very windy. Our region has had snow and cold, but we've been spared the polar vortex that has battered much of the country! Hope your weekend is lovely.

>71 scaifea: Hi Amber! I'm so glad you de-lurked, and Happy New Year to you! I hope you have a great weekend. Any plans?

Drive-by hug for happy weekending Anne

>72 AMQS:: No plans. Absolutely none. And it's all that I hoped it would be. *contented sigh*

>73 richardderus: Hugs to you, too, Richard! Did you know I was thinking about you? I was going through some recipes I had saved on my computer, and found several of yours (New Year Cabbage, roast pork, triple chocolate cookies)... My family and I will be thinking of you fondly when I make them (and many other times as well:)

>74 scaifea: PERFECT!! Absolutely the most perfect kind of weekend. Enjoy!

1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

It seems a most auspicious way to start off a year of reading when one can start with such a lovely and lovingly told book. Thanks to my many LT friends who recommended this one, and to Mark, who encouraged me to wait for the audio, narrated by Mr. Gaiman himself. This is a dream-like voyage through early memory with strands of myths and legends and fairy stories woven through. A man returned to his hometown for a memorial service finds an old farmhouse at the end of the lane, unchanged in the 40 years since he had last been there. He spends the day remembering by the duck pond, which his friend Lettie Hempstock had once told him was an ocean. What he remembers are the events that took place when he was 7 years old. A lonely, book-loving child, he befriended Lettie after a tragedy in his community that lets in something dark. The two of them crossed boundaries of worlds and realities anchored by the Hempstock farm, and managed in their way by the Hempstock women -- a folkloric crone, mother, and virgin whose old-fashioned good humor and practical magic help restore the young boy's world.

Mr. Gaiman tells a spellbinding tale, which I listened to with a mixture of delight and sick dread. The more I read of Mr. Gaiman, the more I admire his craft (even more so as he is such an eloquent and impassioned supporter of reading and libraries). Threads of ancient and familiar stories run through his books, just enough to bewitch the reader like someone following an old and favorite scent. There are threads that tie in his own work, too. Callia asked me if it wasn't Liza Hempstock who befriended Bod in The Graveyard Book (it was), and while searching for this on the internet, I discovered that there is a Daisy Hempstock in Stardust, which I have not read. This book was a wonderfully satisfying read, and a reading-life-affirming start to a reading year.

Anne The Ocean at the End of the Lane is such a lovely book isn't it? It was one of those that I just didn't want to come to an end.

>76 AMQS: Some Gaiman things I love and others I feel 'meh' about. Stardust is one of the rare cases where I actually like the film more than the book. But I did love this one, so I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. :)

Oh gosh, I hadn't made the Hempstock connection! Cool! WTG Callia for noticing that.

Nice review of Ocean at the End of the Lane! I've reserved the audio of it from the library and cannot wait! Have a great rest of the weekend! Stay warm and out of the wind!

>76 AMQS: This book was a wonderfully satisfying read, and a reading-life-affirming start to a reading year.
Great! What a nice start.
Gaiman is everywhere at the moment, it must be a sign.

I am teetering on the edge of a book funk.....everything I am reading right now is meh, and I am *this close* to starting any number of other books just to see if I can get into something good.
I should practice restraint and go to bed this instant with The Scarlet Letter, but I have these piles everywhere staring me down, daring me to indiscriminately grab any one of them...

I'll let you know how I went!

Hi Anne! I'm glad your year is off to a good start! Gaiman is an author I haven't tried yet. Maybe I will one of these days.

#2: I join you in counting 84, Charing Cross Road as an all-time favorite! We have good taste :)

Morning Anne- I am so glad you loved The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I could listen to Mr. Gaiman read, all day long.

" Liza Hempstock who befriended Bod in The Graveyard Book". Wow! I did not realize that and that is the first time I've heard it mentioned. Go Callia! She is a sharp girl!

Hi Anne, I was so sure I had commented here last night, oh well. I had read about the Liza Hempstock connection after I finished the book but didn't catch it at the time. Good going Callia! I love it when authors drop a character from one book into another like that, just a little Easter egg for fans to catch.

I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane and I liked it quite a bit. I suspect I will love it when I go back and listen to Gaimen read it on the audio. I adored The Graveyard Book on audio.

Hope your weekend is going well and you're enjoying the new school year!

Good review of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Anne - and what a fine start of a new reading year. I have not read any Gaiman yet, although I bought Neverwhere on a book sale last year, so I think that will be my first Gaiman - and I'm more eager to read him after your glowing review.

Anne, lovely review of The OCean at the End of the Lane. I've not read this one, and I think that needs to change. Thumb-up for your review!

>77 SandDune: Hi Rhian! I didn't want the book to end, but at the same time, felt it was just about perfect. Sometimes writers need to benefit from economy, and I thought Mr. Gaiman showed the perfect amount of restraint.

>78 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. I haven't read Stardust or (too) many other Gaiman books, but I've really loved the ones I have read, with the exception of M is for Magic, but I think that's because I was reading it aloud, and we discovered it is not a good read aloud! I thought Coraline was one of the creepiest books I've ever read -- children's or not!

>79 UnrulySun: I know! I'm not sure I would have made the connection on my own either, Kathy. Callia actually bought the book with a Tattered Cover gift card and read it, but I had reserved the audio from the library and wanted to wait for it. Because of that, I knew the Hempstock connection all along, and it was fun to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane with that in my mind.

>80 Storeetllr: Mary, I hope you love it! I have read The Graveyard Book twice and loved it -- even though so many others have raved about Mr. Gaiman's narration, I couldn't imagine how it could make the book even better. Now having heard him, I will look for more of his narrations!

>81 LovingLit: Oh no, Megan, not a book funk!! Hope it doesn't last long: maybe there's a book in your pile somewhere waiting for you to serendipitously grab it so it can grab you. Good luck!

>82 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie! The Ocean at the End of the Lane might be a good place to start with Mr. Gaiman's books. I also love The Graveyard Book -- I read it and then read it again aloud.

>83 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Indeed we DO have good taste! Thanks for stopping by!

>84 msf59: Mark, you and Joanne did tell me about Mr. Gaiman's narrations. Now that I've experienced one for myself, I see just what you mean. As I told Kathy above, Callia read the book much sooner than I did (I was waiting for the audio), and made the connection right away (and in looking it up, also reread The Graveyard Book). I knew the connection before listening to The Ocean, which was fun -- it brought a new level of connection with Mr. Gaiman's works.

>85 Copperskye: I'm glad you came back, Joanne! I love it when authors do that, and your image of an Easter egg is perfect. It's like a chance for the readers to wave hello to a character. Our weekend is good -- we're back in school, and very tired. Even though it was a short week (well, for students -- teachers went back Monday), it's tiring to get back into it. Next weekend we have a three-day weekend to look forward to. A nice way to ease into January.

>86 ctpress: Thank you, Carsten! I have so many Gaimans to get to, including Neverwhere, which I bought as a gift this year for my brother. I'l look forward to your thoughts.

>87 lit_chick: Thank you for the thumb, Nancy! It's a short little book -- just about perfect.

Hi Anne and happy new year! Glad to see you've got your first book done and a mighty good one too. Hope all this year's books are just as satisfying.

Hi Anne! I've never read anything by Gaiman but I've heard so many good things about The Ocean at the End of the Lane that I'm going to give it a try. Onto the library list it goes.

Have a great Sunday.

Hi Anne!

#76 - Hmm. This doesn't appeal, via description, but so many have had such positive experiences with it, so I'm going to see if my library has the audio. Great review! I've been meaning to try Gaiman for a very long time.

>89 Carmenere: Hi Lynda! Thank you for stopping by! It seemed like a slow start to my reading year, but now I've finished a second book, so I'm off and running so to speak. Happy new year!

>90 phebj: Hi Pat! It's a good one to try. I waited a long, long time to get this from the library, but it was worth the wait. Has the weather moved in? We're very, very windy (should make for an interesting Bronco game), but no storm yet. Stay warm!

>91 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri! Well, I'd say if it doesn't appeal, there are plenty of other books! If you wanted to give it a try, it is fairly short, so if it's not your thing, it won't take up too much of your time. I think it will make a great introduction to Mr. Gaiman's books. Happy Sunday!

2. A Winter in Arabia: A Journey Through Yemen by Freya Stark

I was thrilled when my book club chose this one for January, as it had been on my list since I read a biography of the fascinating Ms. Stark years ago. Ms. Stark was one of the first Europeans to travel through southern Arabia, exploring, conducting archaeological and anthropological surveys, and writing extensively for publication, and for the Royal Geographical Society. I didn't love the book as I had hoped I would -- bits of it were rather tedious, but her detailed descriptions of the land, the people, and their customs was an intimate look at a place so unfamiliar it could have been another planet. Ms. Stark writes with obvious affection and respect for Arabs and especially for the many and surprisingly diverse Bedouin tribes she encounters throughout her travels. She speaks their languages, she understands their customs, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the pre-Islamic and ancient writing and artifacts scattered throughout this desolate terrain. That she freely travels there are all is remarkable for any time, but as a woman largely on her own in the 1930s, with many villages hostile and inaccessible except by camel or donkey, and with food, water and other resources incredibly scarce, her travels are impressive.

I marked a few passages that I found memorable:
"The perpetual charm of Arabia is that the traveller finds his level there simply as a human being: the people's directness, deadly to the sentimental or pedantic, likes the less complicated virtues; and the pleasantness of being liked for oneself might, I think, be added to the five reasons for travel given to me by Sayyid Abdulla, the watch-maker: 'to leave one's troubles behind one; to earn a living; to acquire learning; to practice good manners; and to meet honorable men.'"

On nomads:
"There are, I sometimes think, only two sorts of people in this world -- the settled, and the nomad -- and there is a natural antipathy between them, whatever the land to which they belong. Perhaps this is because we are comparatively recently barbarians, because the stone age lingered longer among us than along the Mediterranean coasts that the English have remained so frequently nomadic at heart. It is the more imaginative attitude in an transitory world, where a man who tries to feel settled must appear to the eyes of eternity very like someone pretending to sit in comfort on an ant-hill. And the nomads are without doubt the more amusing. With a mind receptive to the unexpected they acquire a Social Sense. The roughest bedu has it, and it is this that so happily distinguishes him from a peasant like Ahmed or even from a Banker, people who walk through landscapes with their heads down, thinking out sums. The nomad, moving from place to place in mind as well as body, is ready to take an interest in any odd thing that meets him; this makes him pleasant and I am inclined -- especially after last winter -- to think it is better to be pleasant than be virtuous, if the two must be looked upon as mutually exclusive."

On a stealthy night-time caravan through unstable and dangerous territory:
"The caravan was gathered already when we joined it at two o'clock, waiting dimly under a moon that scudded through pale clouds. We were supposed to be quiet and show no lights, for the country of Al Dhiyaib lay close at hand, but there is something beyond mere human unobtrusiveness in the silence of a camel caravan with its soft padded feet in the night. Among the waiting shadows Nasir came up to ask me how I felt, and bent to take a drink of milk from my naga (she camel) whose foal ran loose beside her, in and out among the head-ropes like a dog. The Old Wolf had started; word was passed from one to another; the caravan like a snake uncoiling shook out its silhouette against the moonlit sand, and every camel-man tied his rope to the tail of the animal before him, like one of those long lines of fishing boats you see ploughing up the straits of Euboea into the early dawn."

Freya Stark is on my TBR list. I've always been fascinated by travel narratives.

Anne> I enjoy travel narratives. If I run across that one, I may have to pick it up.

Lovely review of "Ocean at the End of the Lane," Amber! I loved that one, too.

>94 cbl_tn: Carrie, she had been on my list for awhile. I will still keep a lookout for The Valleys of the Assassins. I like travel narratives also. This one was particularly interesting because this world was so new and different to Europeans. Still is, I guess.

>95 thornton37814: Hi Lori! This would be a good pick up -- it's a fascinating travel narrative, and is groundbreaking also. Thanks for stopping by!

>96 rosalita: Thanks Julia... I think...(that you mean me)? I enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane very much, and I'm glad you did, too!

Hi Anne. :) I finally made it over here. I've starred you and I'm adding The Ocean at the End of the Lane to my pile.

>88 AMQS: maybe there's a book in your pile somewhere waiting for you to serendipitously grab it so it can grab you.
There was. I did.

An American Childhood by Annie Dillard. It is wonderful! *phew*

#97> Oh my gosh, Anne, I'm so sorry! Yes, I meant your review. I guess I had the A's on the brain. :-)

I'm so happy that you enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I think that was my top book for last year!

Of course, now I want to go back a re-read The Graveyard Book and Stardust, as I missed those connections entirely!

Oo! Speaking of, I saw this today on Neil's FB page... pretty, innit?

I must read something by Neil Gaiman! Then I can see what everyone's raving about! I've only heard good things about his books...

>98 nittnut: Oh Jenn, what an adventure you're having. I can hardly believe you're there! Have you found the library yet?

>99 LovingLit: Hooray, Megan! Do you think you were able to nip your book funk in the bud?

>100 rosalita: LOL, Julia. I know I've done that before:)

>101 tapestry100: Hi David! It was a lovely read, and a lovely read to start the year. I;m not sure I would have made the connection either. Good thing Callia's young brain is sharper than mine!

>102 UnrulySun: Oh my, Kathy -- it's beautiful!!

>103 aktakukac: Rachel, I've only read a couple of his books, but I've enjoyed them all. The Ocean at the End of the Lane might be a good place to start.

Hi Anne- How did I get so far behind. Lovely comments on The Ocean at the End of the Lane - I would love to listen to a Gaiman book narrated by the author. Hmm. Does he read all of his books? I think my favorite is THe Graveyard Book.

The Stark book sounds interesting, too. Thanks for the great quotes.

Anne - You have started off the year with two stellar reviews I must say. Freya Stark is a travel writer I often read about but somehow have never picked up her books. That might change soon.

I think with my TBR stacks there must be a fair few "waiting for you (me) to serendipitously grab it so it can grab you".

Have a lovely weekend.

OOOO! Your girls are lovely! I don't know if I'll get to the Gaimans, but I will try to be sure to read my only Freya Stark sometime this year. I have The Valley of the Assassins, and you have pushed it up much higher on Mt. Bookpile. Thank you, ma'am!

>105 BLBera: I know that Mr. Gaiman narrated The Graveyard Book, but beyond that I'm not sure. Now that I've heard him, I'm curious to learn more:)

>106 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! I think Freya Stark was such an interesting woman. We have a three-day weekend because of the holiday honoring the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. Even though school has just started, we're grateful for the long weekend! Hope yours is lovely as well, and that a book grabs you!

>107 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy! I'll look forward to your comments on The Valley of the Assassins if you get to it this year - what an interesting woman she was!

Anne, that is a fab review of A Winter in Arabia. Like you, I am wholly unfamiliar with Arabia. Siunds like a great discussion for a RL book club.

>109 lit_chick: thanks, Nancy! It should be a great discussion. Unfortunately, I can't go to my book club anymore since they meet on Friday mornings and I am at school. I join them on school breaks and still try to keep up with the reading. I miss it a lot.

Hi Anne- I hope you are having a terrific weekend. Gaiman does NOT narrate American Gods, which I was miffed at, at first, but since it's an American-based story, it really would not have made sense. I think it was George Guidall, who always does an excellent job.

Hi, Anne ~ Just strolling through *waves* to wish you a great 3-day weekend!

>111 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I had to wait until the end of the Bronco game to know what kind of weekend I was having ;) Thanks for the audio recommendation -- I appreciate it!

>112 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary! Very glad to have one. Hope yours is a great one, too.

It's a great weekend, isn't it? I'm happy for the Broncos and for Peyton Manning. He's been a local favorite since his college days at the University of Tennessee.

>114 cbl_tn: Carrie, I'm happy for Peyton Manning, too. It's easy to root for a class act, and it's been very fun to have him in Denver. Are you off tomorrow, too?

3. Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather

What a lovely book. This book might have continued forgotten at the bottom of my teetering book pile if it hadn’t been for the American Author Challenge, when someone mentioned it, and wondered if I had it buried somewhere. It was a perfect time to read it, too, as we traveled to Quebec last summer and fell in love with it. I have decided that I love Willa Cather. What I love best about her writing are her beautiful descriptions of the landscapes. She describes the light, the colors, the nuances, and the changing seasons so vividly, so lovingly, the landscapes become omnipresent beings as integral to the story as the characters, and her characters interact with their environment with awe and reverence, and in this case, love.

Ms. Cather tells the story of a widowed apothecary who followed Count de Frontenac when he was sent to Quebec to serve as Governor General at the direction of French King Louis XIV. While M. Auclair misses his homeland, his 12 year-old daughter Cecile loves Quebec with her whole heart. The book follows Cecile over the course of the year 1697. I found the historical details fascinating – many colonists subsisting on frozen lard and smoked eels throughout the long winter; the more prepared colonists cultivating lettuce and other greens as long as possible in their basements; the markets selling specialties from each proprietor’s native region; the fervent adherence to familiar customs and religious practices at the very edge of wild country.

Ms. Cather writes of the immigrant experience with great compassion in her novels. This book opens with M. Auclair staring down the empty St. Lawrence River – empty because the last of the ships has sailed for France, and as none will return until June, the inhabitants of Quebec are completely cut off from home for several months. Later in the book the ships return, an event so exciting the entire town gathers excitedly hours before the first sail is sighted in the channel near the Ile d’Orleans, and the townspeople are overcome. I read that section in tears, swept up in the emotion, relief and excitement of this most momentous day. The Auclairs embody the immigrant experience – a piece of their hearts remaining in France, and a cultivated devotion and loyalty to their new, beautiful, brutal homeland. I LOVED this book!

4. Ivy & Bean by Annie Barrows

Oh, I wish I had knows about these books when my girls were little. This is an outstanding series beginning for early chapter readers and precocious younger readers, and my girls would have eaten these up when they were 6 or 7 or so. Though it is geared for younger readers, this is a meaty (100+ pages) book filled with humor, friendship, and mischievous fun.

"Bean did have a lot of friends. But, really, she didn't want to play with Ivy because her mother was right -- Ivy did seem like such a nice girl. Even from across the street she looked nice. But nice, Bean knew, is another word for boring." Bean changes her mind, however, when a prank on her older sister goes wrong and Ivy steps in to get Bean out of trouble. The girls plan to use magic -- wands and a spell involving worms -- to get back at Bean's sister, and just like that, a friendship is born.

One of my precocious young readers at one of my schools last year loved this series, and I can see why. I will read more of Ivy & Bean's adventures, AND make sure these two have a place on the shelf at my new library.

ETA: Books lead to books! Callia just saw this book on my desk and asked if I remember Batty asking for someone to read her Ivy & Bean in The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. (No, I don't remember, but I think it's very cool, and I'm very impressed by her memory!)

No day off tomorrow for me. It's business as usual.

Anne, wonderful Cather review. I'm also really drawn to rich description of landscapes: She describes the light, the colors, the nuances, and the changing seasons so vividly, so lovingly, the landscapes become omnipresent beings. I can see why you love her. Thumb-up!

Beautiful Cather review!

I read Ivy & Bean not too long ago (sometime last year, I think?) and thought it was very cute. Glad you liked it, too!

Great review of the Cather-novel, Anne

The landscapes become omnipresent beings as integral to the story as the characters, and her characters interact with their environment with awe and reverence, and in this case, love. Exactly! That's why I also love Cather. This one I must read.

Great review of Shadows on the Rock, Anne. I just started O Pioneers! last night and loved it immediately.

#116 - Great review, Anne! Interesting too, in that I don't associate her with novels set in the 1600-1700s.

What I love best about her writing are her beautiful descriptions of the landscapes. Me too!

And congrats on the Broncos win!

Great reviews, Anne. Putting Shadows on the Rock on my wishlist. Also Ivy and Bean for when my great niece gets old enough to read.

Having a lovely "weekend," though every day is a weekend day for me now. Loving that!

>118 cbl_tn: Sorry, Carrie. I suppose it was for most. I do love being off when the girls are -- usually I am, that is. One nice thing about working in a school:)

>119 lit_chick: Thank you, Nancy for the thumb! This was a good one.

>120 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

>121 scaifea: Amber, I meant to read it last year but time got away from me. I'm trying to think how I could separate and highlight easier chapter books like these in my library. I have a small library with very little space, but books like these can (and probably do) become easily lost.

>122 ctpress: Thank you, Carsten! I heartily recommend Shadows on the Rock to fans of Ms. Cather and those new to her, though it's not her iconic prairie setting.

>123 phebj: Oh Pat, I'm so glad! I think the next one I'll look for is The Professor's House, and at some point I'd like a reread of Death Comes for the Archbishop since I loved that one so well. So many good books out there -- lucky us! By the way, I gave Indian Creek Chronicles to by dad and stepmother for Christmas, and they both loved it. I just managed to snag a copy for myself via Bookmooch, so I'm excited! Thanks for the recommendation.

>124 DorsVenabili: I don't associate her with novels set in the 1600-1700s. I guess I don't either, Kerri. I actually had forgotten that I had this book until the challenge came up. I was so thrilled to see it set in Quebec. I spent a lot of time researching the time period and the figures in the book. Like Death Comes for the Archbishop, many of the characters are real people. Unlike Death Comes, she uses their real names. It was a good history lesson as well as a great read!

>125 Storeetllr: Hi Mary! Shadows on the Rock is a worthy addition to your list, as is Ivy & Bean for your niece. I love thinking of your enjoying your perpetual weekend -- how wonderful!

Lovely review of Shadows on the Rock. Willa Cather is a writer I would never have discovered were it not for LT - yet another bonus from this wonderful community.

Anne, I'm so glad your dad and stepmother enjoyed Indian Creek Chronicles. Hope you end up liking it too!

I meant to say earlier, and forgot, that Mercer Mayer has always been one of my favorite illustrators. Top of my list? The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald. Did you read those?

>102 UnrulySun: - I've seen that before, and I drool over it every single time!!

Hi Anne - I am learning about all kinds of Cather books I hadn't read. Shadows on the Rock sounds like a good one. I already have a place on Scout's bookshelf for Ivy & Bean - it reminds me of the Betsy Tacy books -- only up-to-date. So far Scout thinks Pete the Cat books are hilarious. She also likes the little blue truck, Eric Carle and A Snowy Day. Otherwise, right now, board books that can fit in her mouth are very popular. I'll be watching for more kids' books suggestions!

>127 PrueGallagher: Hi Prue! Oh, so many wonderful books and authors I would never have discovered without this community -- it is wonderful indeed.

>128 phebj: Thank you, Pat! I look forward to it!

>129 nittnut: Hi Jenn! Oh, yes, I read every single Great Brain book there was. I think my mother also read the series aloud to us. I may have to consider reading them to the girls, though they're probably a bit too old for them. Those were so fun! My favorites are his early wordless books A Boy, A Dog, and a Frog and the others in that series. I still love them. We also loved There's a Nightmare in My Closet. Whenever anyone in the family traveled overseas, that's usually the book we could find in bookstores. so we have a big collection of that one in many different languages. Last year I read What Do You Do with a Kangaroo? aloud at my schools and it was a big, silly hit:)

Did you ever read the Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd? It's a NZ series about a little dog and his silly dog frends, and there are also cat books -- Slinky Malinki, etc. We loved those when the girls were little:)

>130 tapestry100: Beautiful, isn't it, David?

>131 BLBera: Hi Beth! Shadows on the Rock was a lovely read. Scout will love Ivy & Bean when she's older! My favorite board books when my girls were little were the Sandra Boynton books -- especially Barnyard Dance. Those are marvelous! You can't go wrong with the early Mercer Mayers, either (see my message to Jenn earlier in this post) AND the Hairy Maclary books are terrific for young readers, too. How fun to have a granddaughter's bookshelves to fill! And what a lucky little girl Scout is:)

5. August Folly by Angela Thirkell

Prue and I were just talking about wonderful books and authors we'd never have discovered without LT, and Angela Thirkell is one of those for me. I just adore her books, and will be ever grateful to Richard who recommended them. Ms. Thirkell is like a 1930s Jane Austen, and her books are set in Barsetshire, the fictional county created by Anthony Trollope in the 1850s. These books are fun, fun, and I listen to them in any order I can, as the characters are only loosely related and the passage of time in Barsetshire is not confounded by reading out of order.

August Folly centers around two families -- the Tebben family, who live at Lamb's Piece in the village of Worsted, and the large Dean family, who take the Dower House for the summer to be near their relations the Palmers, who, atop the social order of the village, live in the Manor House. The Deans' arrival coincides with the homecoming of the Tebben children -- Richard, who has slouched his way to an unremarkable third at Oxford, and Margaret, returned from being an au pair in Grenoble. The enjoyable summer stretched out before the village is commandeered by Mrs. Palmer, who marshals the entire village into a performance of Euripides' Hippolytus in the barn she had converted into an open-air stage.

This is romance and social satire at its best, with a large cast of characters, hilarious interactions and little plot. Richard Tebben develops a swooning infatuation with Mrs. Dean, a woman twice his age and the mother of nine children. His sister Margaret and Lawrence Dean fall in love with each other, though Lawrence gets in his own way with his clumsy advances. Helen Dean is very attached to her brother, and first takes her jealousy out on Richard, then resolves to be nice to him, which pains the Oxford tutor Charles Fanshawe, a middle-aged friend of the Dean family who is in love with Helen. Other wonderful characters include the Tebbens' snippy housekeeper and dreadful cook; more Dean children Robin, Susan, Betty, and Jessica; the annoying curate Mr. Moxon (written to match Jane Austen's Mr. Elton or Mr. Collins); and the Tebben family donkey Modestine and sherry-drinking cat Gunnar. Richard is mortally embarrassed by Modestine until he realizes he can offer young Jessica Dean rides on Modestine (to try to impress Mrs. Dean), and in a fateful encounter, uses Modestine to save Jessica from a bull (and also impress Mrs. Dean). Throw in some rum omelettes, Greek tragedy rehearsals, youthful hijinks, heart murmurs, and crossword puzzles, and you have a light, fun, thoroughly enjoyable read.

I've got a couple of Angela Thirkell's books in my TBR stash. I'll see if I can't squeeze one of them in before too long.

Anne, Angela Thirkell was one of the first writers recommended to me when I joined LT three or so years ago. But I think yours is the first review I've read of her work. I'm convinced!! I adore Austen, Trollope, and Barsetshire ... what's not to love? And I didn't know these were available on audio. I may have found a new bestie for listening to : ).

Oh, no! Another book-bullet bulls-eye! Checking the library to see what Thirkle books are available on audio.

Hope all is going well with you at school and that you're enjoying the beautiful springlike weather. Batten down the hatches, though! I saw we're in for some snow tomorrow!

Hi Anne. We haven't read any Hairy Maclary, but we did do the Hairy Maclary search activity at Te Papa. :) We will have to find some at the library soon.
The girls might be too old for The Great Brain, but maybe not. It's a fun read, anyway. :)

Ivy and Bean heading the way of my niece asap! Thanks for the rec, and I am sure she will thank you too.

edited for fast atrocious spelling ;)

Anne,

I see you loved Three Men in a Boat. I was wondering if you had tried To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. As you can tell by the title, there is quite a connection. I think you would enjoy it.

Also Graveyard Book is my favorite Gaiman, at least it was until I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I am as excited by the Hempstock connection as everyone.

As a newcomer here, I will look forward to your postings because we certainly seem to like the same books.

Barbara

>134 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie! I think you'll love them -- they are such fun!

>135 lit_chick: Hi Nancy! you're right: what's not to love? All the Thirkells I've listened to have been narrated by Wanda McCaddon/Nadia May, and I think she's perfect. I've read The Brandons, Cheerfulness Breaks In, and Before Lunch, and I'm pretty sure I may have reviewed some of them if you need another nudge:) According to the New York Times, her books are having something of a renaissance, and that's a good, good thing! Oh, I hope you find one and you love it!

>136 Storeetllr: Yay, Mary, love those B-B-Bs! I hope your library has them! Yes, more snow, but I heard it's not expected to snow too much, and we're back to springlike weather on Friday. Lucky us! School is going well. My school is a GT center school, and Jeffco does a big GT tech challenge, which is due next week, so I'm super, super busy right now wiht tech challenge stuff! Fun, but busy:)

>137 nittnut: Of how fun, Jenn! I'll have to ask Callia if they did the Hairy Maclary search when she was there. I doubt it, though -- they probably had a guided tour. I brought the books to rehearsals and read them to the kids before their tour. They're far past the picture book stage, but they loved them:) I think I may try The Great Brain with the girls. We're reading Little Women now. So.... how many books did you bring to NZ?

>138 LovingLit: Hi Megan! Hope your niece loves them! It's nice to have good quality early chapter books.

Hi Anne - Thanks for the recommendations. I don't have any Sandra Boynton books. I'm trying to not go too overboard on the board books -- she'll grow out of them so soon...

What a great review of the Thirkell book; I first heard of her here, too, but I haven't read any of her books yet. It sounds like I had a treat ahead -- maybe a nice stress reliever between books for my class..

>139 bg853: Hi Barbara, and welcome to LT! You managed to squeak your post while I was posting, too:)

I loved Three Men in a Boat, and shortly after I read it Roni (ronincats) sent me To Say Nothing of the Dog, which I also loved.

I loved both Gaiman books, but I think The Graveyard Book has the edge for me:)

Do you have a thread here in the 75 group? We're a very friendly bunch.

>141 BLBera: Hi Beth! It's unusual that I can't keep up with my own thread! I know what you mean about board books. The Boyntons were worth it, and my go-to books when I buy baby gifts. There are a couple my girls can still recite from memory ("Stomp your feet, clap your hands, everybody ready for a barnyard dance!")

Angela Thirkell would be a perfect de-stress author. Oh, they're so fun! Hope you find one and love it.

Oh dear, another author I'd never heard of before LT and now must find and read. I have only just begun Trollope's Barsetshire series, but I love the idea of Thirkell setting her own stories in that fictional place. And they can be read in any order, eh? That's always a help. Thanks for the BB, Anne.

August Folly sounds like what happens when you cross Jane Austen with PG Woodehouse. Definitely WL!

>144 rosalita: Hi Julia! Oh, I am spreading the Thirkell love far and wide, and glad to get you with a BB!

Here is a map of Barsetshire, created in 1953 by Maurice Weightman for the endpapers of one of Ms. Thirkell's books. Love this:)

>145 cammykitty: Hi Katie! Yes, that sounds about right, although (*looks around to see if anyone is listening*), I've never read Wodehouse yet (*blush*). I saw several at the library on audio last time I was there, so they're in the queue, so to speak, after my current audio. Definitely a worthy, FUN addition to your WL!

Fun map, Anne! I should use that when I start the next Trollope book.

Anne, our hearts beat as one. I read August Folly just lately and was really glad to be back in AT's Barsetshire. It's certainly time to be in Winter Overcoats.

>148 rosalita: It is fun, isn't it, Julia?

>149 LizzieD: Oh yes, Peggy! Actually, we've had very mild weather here, but we're expected to get cold and snow tomorrow (but then nice weather again Friday). Visiting Barsetshire in Ms. Thirkell's capable hands is a lovely journey indeed.

How many books did I bring? I didn't bring nearly as many as I would have liked. I think we brought 5 or 6 on the plane - not on the Kindle or the Nook. I have 5-6 boxes on the ship. I stored another 3 or 4 boxes at my mom's. I have so far resisted buying any here, in spite of Parsons being right outside my building. Cushla loaned the kids 5 or 6 yesterday. She has a great library. I want to browse there for myself, but not until I am settled in a house. That will hopefully be soon. We are getting closer...

Oh, you must have had to make some hard choices! How wonderful that you have Cushla and her library to tide you over until you have a place to live! Good luck with that. We've been thinking about moving, but there is no inventory whatsoever. There are a few homes near my school, and as much as we would love to be back in the mountains, I'm not sure that's where we want to move just as Callia is getting ready to drive. I think we're staying:)

Hi, Anne! Did you get a lot of snow last night? We got about 4-5 inches! Yesterday was in the 50s, and tomorrow's supposed to be in the 50s, but it snowed last night and is cold today. I can't help but shake my head at the crazy weather here.

We're hoping to move in May. I may have to ask you and Joanne (and Donna and Jenn) for your advice as to best neighborhoods, but it all depends on my sister's job, if and when she gets something permanent. Otherwise, we'll be staying in the area, just a different place.

Hi Mary, we probably got about 5 inches or so. It was a slow-but-steady drive to school. Of course, much of it melted, so when I returned to the school parking lot I could see that I was nowhere close to an actual parking space:) Yes, the Colorado weather is crazy, but never boring. The good thing is that if you don't like the current weather, you know it will change soon!

Are you really moving? So soon after such a big move. Hope you get to stay here! I grew up in the mountains -- Evergreen/Conifer area, and I still love it. Now we live in the west metro area, so we're fairly close to the mountains. I think it's the best of both worlds -- very close to both the mountains and downtown Denver.

6. A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Thank you to Micky for recommending this fun, Victorian-era YA mystery. I bought the series for my daughter for her birthday and Christmas, and she loved them. I can see why. The author is a Victorian literature scholar, and among the book's many strengths are numerous Victorian details -- the specific, inviolable household duties assigned to particular servants; the nauseating stink of the Thames; the bustle of the streets; the ritual of parties, flowers, and callers. Within this world of strict and rigid social code is a critical examination of women, their treatment, and their capabilities.

At age 12, Mary Quinn is sentenced to the gallows for stealing. She is rescued and sheltered in an unusual school in which young women are provided a first-class education and professional training, such as it was in those days. At 17, she is invited to train to become an agent for an ultra-secretive agency the school is covering. They have found that girls are ideal agents, as their abilities are routinely underestimated. Sent undercover to serve as a young lady's companion, her task is to observe quietly and note anything of interest in the home of a shipping merchant suspected of fraud. Soon, Mary is in deep and dangerous, and finds herself following leads all over the city, and somewhat unwillingly collaborating with James Easton, who has his own reasons for investigating the family. In addition to the page-turning mystery, Lee addresses issues of race, class, and exploitation. Not a perfect book, but a great start to an exciting series.

Anne, even the UK is getting some cold weather later in the week - it might be 1C. Oooh :-) No inches of snow though, as far as I can see. I did smile at your parking story :-) I'n glad you're still enjoying the Angela Thirkell books. Isn't it lovely to find a series like that, with so much reading in it?

A Spy in the House has been on my WL forever. Thanks for the remnder!

Anne, you have placed Angela Thirkell high on my list of new-to-me authors to explore. I think I'll wait until I finish the Palliser novels by Trollope so I don't confuse the two time periods. I love having something to look forward to as a follow-up to AT…and their initials are the same!

I have been following the housing market in Littleton and find those inventory problems you mentioned. People seem to be staying where they are! Housing is also much more expensive there than in MO. Mike and Rebecca live in an older neighborhood (1950s) with some cute houses but they are in the 250,000 + range. We could buy a newer, bigger, and fancier house here for that price! Still...I would love to have a little house to retreat to in the summer especially when Missouri becomes hot and humid. It would be a plus to be near Hope…and my Colorado LT friends.

>156 susanj67: Hi Susan -- hope you can stay warm! We warmed up fast after our one cold day, but there's more cold on the way. Oh, I just love the Thirkells. They're kind of hard to find, so when I do come upon one it feels like Christmas:)

>157 cbl_tn: Hope you enjoy it, Carrie! I'll most likely read the other two books soon.

>158 Donna828: Oh Donna, I hope you love Ms. Thirkell as much as I do! I hadn't made their initials connection -- very cool;)

Oh, I hope you can find a little place here -- wouldn't that be wonderful? I'll think good thoughts for you.

>155 AMQS: You're very welcome, Anne! So glad you enjoyed it too. :D

Anne - Loved the map of Barsetshire. In my office at work I have two old maps in my room of Yorkshire and "Olde" England both sepia-tinged and framed. When work is getting to be a real drag I can look across at those frames and wish teleportation had been invented so I can get off to someplace more inviting.

Have a lovely weekend.

Getting caught up here after a couple of weeks of the LT grid. adding Thirkell to my 'author to keep an eye out for' list when I next surf my local library's online catalogue. Great review of August Folly, Anne!

I have had my eye on The Agency series by Lee and it looks like I need to stop looking at it and consider picking up the first book in the series.

Happy Sunday!

>160 MickyFine: Micky, I am sure I'll be reading the rest of the books this year as well. Marina is very excited that there's a fourth coming out!

>161 PaulCranswick: Paul, there's something about maps, isn't there? We have a series of six old maps of Cyprus framed in our family room, and gaze up often when we get homesick for it. Funny, when we lived in Cyprus we had Colorado posters tacked up in our tiny flat:) Hope you have a good week.

>162 lkernagh: Lori, I'm pretty sure you will LOVE Angela Thirkell! The Agency books are good, too. I was very grateful for the recommendation from Micky. I gave the first one to Marina for her birthday (December 19) and the other two to her for Christmas. She tore through them all and has reread them as well, so I knew they'd be good:)

7. Creaturely and Other Essays by Devin Johnston

This was a lovely and thoughtful little book, something between essays and poetry, with both ancient and modern poems sprinkled throughout, etymological musings, and an intimate look at our backyard nature. The essays about dogs, crows, starlings, fairies, squirrels, sycamores, mice, and owls are beautiful, erudite observations and meditations on those rather commonplace creatures: "largely made up of digressions, departures from a life spent too much indoors." This is a book to read with wonder, and I can think of no better way to describe it than to share some excerpts:

From Crows in Winter:
"Bare in winter, a raggedy stand of trees -- alders, walnut, and sumac -- backs up to the highway. Every branch holds a dozen crows, oddly fluttering like dead leaves. They number in the hundreds, with more arriving from the west as the sun falls. Yet the birds are surprisingly quiet: their wings softly creak as they settle down for the night, with occasional caws from the younger males jockeying for a branch. In the midst of the colony, I can hear the dry snap of an icicle.
Within the city, so many birds react to human shadows with mild, directionless anxiety: sparrows agitating a bush, starlings darting between telephone wires. Yet these crows maintain a steely alertness at my presence. With neither a cat's sleepy perturbation nor a dog's frenzy, crows are close but unfamiliar. They know more of us then we of them.
...
Metaphors lie in wait, the world's hidden scaffolding; yet the living bird adapts and evades fixed association. Now ominous, now jolly, it alights in the vicinity of meaning and moves on. As documented in Laura C. Martin's The Folklore of Birds, counting rhymes enumerate what crows might augur:
One for sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a secret not to be told.
Eight for heaven, nine for hell,
And ten for the devil's own sel'

So mysterious have we found their comings and goings, close at hand yet as remote as stars, black marks in the book of our own fate."

From Sycamores and Sleep:
"Massive brick homes line the avenues around Tower Grove Park. We who live here can feel dwarfed by our own structures, misplaced among these monuments to arid passions. In Walden, Thoreau warns us, "Better not keep a house. Say, some hollow tree; and then for morning calls and dinner parties!" In his journal from 1840, he declares whimsically, "My neighbor inhabits a hollow sycamore, and I a beech tree." Thoreau kept alive the childhood dream of living in trees, finding a lair or nest in nature that would allow him to live without alienation or excess.
Nor was he alone in this fantasy. Gilpin describes a plane tree that stood in Lycea during the reign of Caesars: "From a vast stem it divided into several huge boughs... Its branches still flourished, while its trunk decayed. This in process of time mouldered into an immense cave, at least eighty feet in circumference, around the sides of which were places seats of pumice stone; cushioned softly with moss." The governor Licinuius Mutianus feasted with eighteen of his men in this hollow... In "The Hollow Tree," John Clare recalls a pollard "wasted to a shell/Whose vigorous head still grew and flourished well/Where ten might sit upon the battered floor/And still look round discovering room for more." In such accounts, the trunk expands to a primitive feast hall while at the same time offering a snug retreat or nest. It is at once inside and outside, intimate and immense.
...
My two year-old daughter frequently opens the children's book I am a Bunny to its last page, where Nicholas sleeps through the winter in his hollow tree. In Richard Scarry's illustration, the rabbit lies on a pallet of soft straw, tucked beneath the blue blanket; his yellow shirt and red overalls hang on the tree wall. Outside, the snow falls steadily through a gray sky, weighing down the branches of a fir in the distance. It's an image of living alone without loneliness, finding a warm home in the heart of the wide outdoors."

>163 AMQS: I am too! :)

Hi Anne - Creaturely and Other Essays sounds wonderful. It goes on the list. Thanks for the great excerpts and review.

>165 MickyFine: Hi Micky!

>166 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! It's a quick read, and very thoughtful. Hope you enjoy it when it comes your way.

>155 AMQS:: Ah! Avoided a book bullet as I have it on the shelf already. *phew*

Hmm, not my usual fare, but from your lovely review Creatures sounds like something I should check out.

Have a great (snowbound?) weekend!

>168 dk_phoenix: Hi Faith! I'm glad you have A Spy in the House on the shelf already -- you have a treat waiting for you!

>169 Storeetllr: Hi Mary, Creaturely is well worth a read, in my opinion. It is a quick read, but meditative, smart, and lovely.

Aaaaaaaaand more snow and bitter cold on the way! I don't much like driving in it, but we sure do need the water. Stay warm!

So, apparently there was some kind of big football game yesterday, but after watching a very little bit of it, I decided that I simply couldn't, which allowed me some unexpected time to finish



8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.

I am continuing my slower, more leisurely reread of the series, and enjoying it very much. No matter how many times I reread these books, this one still makes me cry at the end.

Oh, was there a big game yesterday? she said with tongue firmly planted in her cheek. (Though I don't think we'll hear a lot about it since the home team didn't come out of it so well, or so I've heard.)

Have a great Monday and enjoy the beautiful sunshine (while, as you said, it lasts).

>171 AMQS: Sirius, WHYYYYYYY??????????????? I went to the Harry Potter Exhibition on the weekend which was fantastically cool although it's left me with a re-read itch that doesn't fit into my reading plans for the year. I think it'll pass quickly as I've got some awesome reads lined up but next year... :)

Hey, Anne, it really was painful to watch, so true! Glad Harry Potter could distract you.

Those of us wearing our Broncos shirts and paying attention to that football game from far, far away cringed and found other things to do as well...

The last three times my soccer team appeared at Wembley in major finals (League Cup Final in 1996) and (Play-off finals in 2006, 2008) we got hammered badly both times. I can therefore sympathise with the cringe-worthy experience.

Have a lovely weekend in recovery, Anne!

Oh, and I vowed not to fall behind on LT and here I am behind:( Lots of good and bad stuff this week. I had a terrific author visit on Tuesday with Michael Anthony Steele. He was a terrific speaker, and I would highly recommend him to any Elementary TLs out there! He blogged about his visit to my school here:
http://michaelanthonysteele.com/?p=2178
I wrapped up a massive student tech project Thursday, which should relieve my schedule somewhat. Then Friday/Saturday my husband wound up in the hospital with a cardiac scare. It appears that he is okay, but it was a scary, stressful weekend. He still is not well, and we're both exhausted. And here it is nearly Monday again. Ugh.

>172 Storeetllr: Hi Mary -- oh, the sunshine was so short-lived! Hope you survived the bitter, bitter cold. Looks warmer this week, thank goodness.

>173 MickyFine: Micky, you know that HP will always be there:) The Harry Potter exhibition sounds fun. I'd really like to take the girls to the Harry Potter World, or whatever it is called in Orlando. Someday...

>174 ronincats: Hi Roni, sad game! Now our hope rests with the Avalanche:)

>175 nittnut: Oh, I'll bet, Jenn! Hope you're settling in. I'll try to come visit your thread tonight.

>176 PaulCranswick: Paul! Comrade! Long-time Bronco fans know the agony of Superbowl defeat. We did have two glorious wins in the later Elway years, but we've been to the big game and lost now more than any other NFL team. Nothing like real life, though, to put things in perspective, is there?

Hi Anne, I'm really sorry to hear about your husband's cardiac scare. I hope he feels better soon. And I hope your week ahead isn't too stressful since you obviously didn't have any downtime this weekend. I'll be thinking of you!

I'm sorry to hear about your stressful weekend, and I hope your husband will feel better very soon. I'm glad that he checked out OK, but I hate it that your family had to go through this ordeal.

Oh! So glad it was only a "scare" but sorry it happened at all. So stressful!

Anne, I'm so sorry that your husband had a tough time recently. I hope you both can relax and get some rest soon. That is such a scary thing to go through.

Frightening and exhausting weekend for you and family, Anne. I hope your husband makes a full and rapid recovery.

Thank you, Pat, Carrie, Mary, Julia, and Nancy. Exhausted and scary about sums it up, and thank goodness that's about it. This was like a repeat of what we went through 3 years ago. Three things contributed to him being admitted: chest pain/nausea, abnormal EKG, and severe family history of heart disease. Both times they found him to be perfectly healthy heart-wise, which is a relief. Why the pain and abnormal EKG no one quite knows. Stelios's father died at age 32 of his 4th heart attack, I think, so that's always in the back of his mind. I'm glad it's over, and I am grateful to all of you for your kind words.

Oh, Anne, what a weekend you and your family have had. Joining the others with wishes for a speedy recovery for your husband.

{{{{Anne}}}} Hope you all get rested up and feeling better soonest.

Sorry to hear about your husband's scare Anne. I hope this week is better.

Anne, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. What a horrible weekend for you all. I hope he feels better soon.

Oh, Anne, how scary. I'm glad it all checked out okay but just... ugh.

So sorry to hear about your stressful weekend, Anne. Hopefully both you and your husband can get some time to relax this week.

Scary scary scare, whammys for happy healthy husband, and a *smooch* for the fortitudinous Anne!

Anne, hope your week is starting out better than your weekend.

Oh Anne, how scary and stressful for all of you! I'm glad to hear that everything worked out ok. I hope Stelio is feeling better and they figure out why it happens.

Dear Lori, Roni, Rhian, Susan, Katie, Micky, Richard, Lori, and Joanne, heart is full from your thoughtful wishes. I appreciate you very much! We're hoping this episode will inspire real changes -- to reduce stress, particularly for Stelios, and to get more sleep. Hopefully this will end up being a good thing. I appreciate your good thoughts.

Hi Anne - what a horrible fright. I'm glad he's feeling better and hope it does turn out to be a good thing.

>183 AMQS:: Oh my, that *is* scary. Happy to hear that he's okay!

Hi Anne - Have a lovely, stressfree week and weekend.

*giggle* at you reading Harry Potter rather than watching the football
:)
Sounds like me and the rugby here...at the world cup final I was reading The Catcher in the Rye, I was as excited as my lovely other was watching the game.

>194 cushlareads: Hi Cushla, thank you for your wishes. He's still not feeling great, but it is a relief to know he's not having a heart attack. We have a long weekend coming up this weekend, and we are looking forward to it very much!

>195 scaifea: Thank you, Amber!

>196 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. The girls have a 4-day weekend, and I have 3. If ever we needed a holiday weekend, it's now! Hope your weekend is lovely as well.

>197 LovingLit: Hi Megan! Well, it wasn't so great at the time. We were as swept up in Bronco fever as any good Coloradan, but the game was terrible (for the Broncos) right from the first play, and I simply couldn't watch. HP it was!

Hope you all have a great extended weekend, Anne. Relax!

Happy weekend, Anne, for both of y'all...Valentine's Day couldn't be sweeter this year, I'll bet.

>199 ronincats: Roni, thank you! Callia's birthday is tomorrow (for her birthday my dad is paying for her to take DRIVER'S ED -- aaaack!), so it will be a nice family weekend. I hope you're able to enjoy yours as well.

>200 richardderus: Awww, Richard, thank you! I appreciate you thinking of us. Yes, a very sweet Valentine's Day, indeed. I wish you a lovely weekend as well.

Anne, I remember the last time this happened. How scary to have a repeat event. Very unnerving for the whole family. Enjoy your long week end together. It's a good time to regroup, relax, and have fun helping Callia celebrate.

Thank you, Donna! Fortunately, as last time, it had a good outcome. I like your prescription: regrouping, relaxing, and celebrating with Callia!

I haven't been able to do much reading lately, and I have three books going right now, including a pretty chunky ILL called The Eyes of Venice that I need to get to because I will not be able to renew it. I have, however, spent lots and lots (and lots) of time in the car -- commuting to school, and driving to Callia's school every night to pick her up from musical rehearsal, and so I have managed to finish a couple of audiobooks:



9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

I've had my eye on this one for awhile -- first I think when Susan read it, and then with the GR last year (or was it 2012? 2011?). I loved it. It felt like a grittier Jane Austen, or as Ilana put it: the romance of Jane Austen with the social commentary of Charles Dickens. Margaret Hale is the daughter of a country parson. She has lived in London society with her aunt and cousin, but at the opening of the book returns to Helstone, her beloved home. Her joy of simple country life ends soon, however, as her father suffers a crisis of conscience and leaves the church. They relocate to Milton in the industrial north so that he can work as a tutor. The removal to this very different place is jarring to Margaret, and she is not predisposed to like it or any of its inhabitants. She starts off on quite the wrong foot with her father's principal student Mr. Thornton, who is a wealthy, self-made mill owner. Her (and her mother's) ideas of ladylike propriety and decorum come off as haughty and disdaining to Mr. Thornton (and his mother), and their proud directness and passionate defense of the town and its industry is off-putting to the Hales. Margaret comes to appreciate Milton as she gets to know unlikely friends: Nicholas Higgins, a desperately poor mill-worker, and his consumptive daughter Bessy. When Higgins and other mill workers strike, Margaret's sympathies are with them, which strain her relationship with the Thorntons even more. Margaret gradually comes to recognize the basic goodness and decency in both Higgins and Thornton and contrives to help them understand each other better as Ms. Gaskell writes a poignant examination of the age-old conflict between labor (hands) and management (masters). The conflict of two disparate entities is a recurring theme in the book: masters and hands, girlhood innocence and serious adulthood, frivolous society pursuits and impoverished desperation, religious faith and suffering rejection of it, north and south. I was very sorry to finish this book.

Edited to add that this was my first Juliet Stevenson narration. Oh my -- all of the praise is well-deserved. She is incredible!

Nicely put Donna. Give my very best wishes firstly to Stelios. It may surprise you that I have quite a stressful life with my several companies and my desire to grow them without using the bank's money which is great but means I have to stay in the black permanently just to survive. He is fortunate to have his loving family with him as its bosom tends to ease the cricks.
Secondly I want to wish my old pal (ok she's not so old, even if I am) Callia a wonderful birthday and maybe she'll come and visit us all sometime even though she's too busy to maintain a thread.
Thirdly I want to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to you and Stelios.
Fourthly I hope for a lovely weekend for you, Anne.

Yay for Callia getting driver's ed as a birthday gift! I am going to tell you a tale of my own experiences of driver's ed as a teen.... and it is a good story, really!

My driver's trainer was a very young, shaggy haired individual who always wore a hockey jersey. It was the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (aka - hockey for those not in the know). We had a very casual conversation during the first 5 minutes of my first driver's ed class. He learned what I feared (rush hour traffic and high speeds) and what I felt comfortable with (parking and slower residential streets). So, what does he do my very first lesson? He has me drive the freeway system in Calgary (Deerfoot Trail) and downtown Calgary - a complicated system of one-way streets - during rush hour traffic. I hated him at the end of that first class! Second class, we still did some freeway driving, this time with the radio playing the Stanley Cup game... highly distracting, but you know what, in two short lessons he taught me to overcome my fear of freeway driving, rush hour driving and taught me how to drive with something distracting like the radio playing. We then had a freak snowstorm and one of the lessons dealt with parallel parking on the steepest hills he could find in the entire city, with the worst road conditions. End result: I am confident driving in whatever Mother Nature throws my way and, IMO, it was the best training I ever received.

I wish Callia has as skilled a driving instructor trainer as I had. My parent's would never have approved of the driving instructor if they had ever met him but he was the perfect example of never judge a book by its cover.

Dear, dear Paul, thank you so much. It does not surprise me that you have a stressful life. I hadn't realized that you had several companies, but I know that you manage many large-scale and high-profile projects, so I can imagine the stresses you feel. Stelios owns his company -- the stress and responsibilities are overwhelming, so I can only imagine how yours must be exponentially so with more businesses. And teenagers, too;) Our families are precious, aren't they? I know I am profoundly grateful for mine.

Callia and I have been talking about you lately. She is now studying Malaysia in her history class, and I think she has some sort of project or research to do. She plans to send you a pm and probably ask you many questions if you have time and are willing.

Happy weekend and happy Valentine's Day to you, too, though I imagine yours was yesterday. Did you do anything special?

Lori, what a great story! Great tactics on the part of your instructor, but terrifying to imagine as a parent OR a new driver!! True, though, that he gave you the confidence to drive in adverse conditions, and that is a true gift. And THE Stanley Cup game?? Like the finals? Wow. I'm surprised there was any traffic:) It would be great for Callia to have an instructor like that. I can't imagine she will have the opportunity to drive downtown, though, given the location of her driving school, but I can hope:)

Thanks for sharing that story, Lori! I love it!

10. Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Oh, this was delicious devilry. I think I read that Ms. Austen wrote this at 19 or something, and it was not published until after her death. She must have had so much fun creating such an unscrupulous, conniving, manipulative character as Lady Susan, who shamelessly flirts and schemes in order to secure a wealthy marriage for herself and her daughter. The book is epistolary in form, and the ensemble narration was the perfect way to experience Lady Susan's underhandedness, her relations' outrage, her objet d'amour's enchantment, and her poor daughter's helplessness. A quick read, and so much wicked fun!

I've never even heard of that Jane Austen book, Anne, but now I want to read it!

Lovely reviews of North and South (so glad you liked it!) and Lady Susan, Anne. You make me want to re-read N&S, only listen to it this time. And the latter is one I've heard good things about but have not yet gotten to.

Hi Anne, Lady Susan sounds like something I'd like and, like Julia, I've never heard of it.

I remember those drivers permit days. Long hours in the car that were both stressful and boring simultaneously. But it's also time alone with your child who won't be a child much longer. The good and the bad. Have fun!

Lady Susan was my first dip into Jane Austen and what a great intro to her works!

> 208 - It was the Stanley Cup finals that were being broadcast at the time and Calgary was playing during that traumatizing "radio playing while driving" lesson, but I swear there were an awful lot of drivers still on the roads... you think they could be at home watching the game and give us pore new drivers a break! ;-)

Hi Anne- Happy Birthday to Callia! It is already her special day here, so I am first (surely)!? I hope she has a wonderful day, she's quite a gal :)

I love Lori's driver education story- that teacher could have taught her to be timid, but instead taught her to face her fears.

I myself detested North and South- I wrote a fairly scathing review (for me) as just could find the action in the story, or the meaning. Perhaps I was not looking hard enough. :)

Anne, now that you've read North and South I highly recommend watching the miniseries with Richard Armitage. It's fantastic!

>215 MickyFine: +1 on the miniseries! Excellent rendering of the novel. +1 for your review, too.

Great review of North and South - I read it years ago but sounds like the audiobook would be great for a reread.

Anne - I would be delighted to be of help to Callia; tell her to feel free and PM me and I'll do my best to be of assistance.
I don't want to over exaggerate on the stress issue although I do feel it from time to time - mostwise I revel in it and love my little teams in the project management company, that in the construction company, the nascent one developing in the fire protection and trading companies.
Hope that I can meet up with Stelios, both of your dauighters and of course your good self when we make it stateside. xx

>210 rosalita:: Yes, what Julia said! How did I know even know this existed?!

Epistolary form! What fun. Lady Susan is already on the WL. I'll have to bump it up further... but me thinks I should read Emma first.

I have the Lady Susan recording and I also thought it well suited to the cast performance. I also enjoyed the audio of Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, a reimagining of Lady Susan by a mother-daughter writing team. It's one of the best Austen-inspired novels I've read.

>210 rosalita: Julia, Lady Susan is certainly not as well known as her Big Six. I think I heard about it here. It's very short -- the audio was only 2 hours. Fun!

>211 lit_chick: Hi Nancy! I really enjoyed North and South, and want to listen to more books by Elizabeth Gaskell. Lady Susan is quick (2 hours) fun:)

>212 Copperskye: Hi Joanne, yes truly, there's not much time left for Callia to be a child! I do treasure our time together in the car. I drive her to school every day, and it is our special time. Next year Marina will be at the same school, an not too much longer I suppose Callia will start driving herself and her sister to school. *sigh*
Lady Susan is very fun, and very quick. I'm glad I found it at the library.

>213 lkernagh: Lori, how fun! Jane Austen's sly humor is definitely shown to advantage in Lady Susan. That is hard to believe that the roads were so busy with Calgary in the finals! Denver went to the Superbowl a few times when I was in high school, and those were the best days to ski:)

>214 LovingLit: Megan, you and Paul are definitely first! I am glad I listened to North and South. I find that narrators' expression and inflection help me understand and appreciate the story more than I might in my own head. There definitely was a lot of sighing, of lingering over a curling lip, a pensive eye...

>215 MickyFine: Micky, I've already requested it from the library -- can't wait!!

>216 richardderus: Thank you, Richard! And another endorsement for the miniseries -- I hope to hear from the library very soon:)

>217 SandDune: Thanks, Rhian! Yes, the audio with Juliet Stevenson was terrific!

>218 PaulCranswick: Paul, we can't wait to meet you -- hopefully sooner rather than later! I would think that a good long vacation would go a long way toward easing business-related stress. Callia will send you a pm tomorrow -- thank you so much for your help!

>219 scaifea: Hi Amber! Well, as I told Julia, it's not one of her Big Six, and I think I heard about it here. It is very short and very fun!

>220 cammykitty: Katie, it is fun. I read that she wrote Sense and Sensibility in epistolary form as well, but changed it in the course of her revisions. I can see S&S written that way, particularly after having heard the narration ensemble of Lady Susan -- I can almost hear the patient Elinor, impetuous Marianne, haughty Fanny and her mother, and cunning Lucy. I always think that my current Austen is my favorite, but I think when it's all said and done that Emma is my favorite. Enjoy!

>221 cbl_tn: Carrie, I have not read many Austen-inspired novels, but when I have they make me appreciate the real thing even more.

Hi Anne! I apologize for being so terribly far behind here.

So sorry to hear of your husband's cardiac scare, but glad things seem ok.

#133 - Great review! I think I'll look for her, as it sounds like something I might like. I still have to read some Trollope though. Perhaps I should do that first.

#204 - Another great review! I have Mary Barton in my TBR pile and this makes me more eager to get to her.

Hi, Anne ~ Just checking in and wanted to let you know I am very much enjoying Wild Strawberries. It has become my "breakfast" book ~ I read it while having coffee with Nickel as she eats her breakfast. (She likes to have her "flock" around her when she eats breakfast, one last tiny bit of her wild ancestral instinct that remains.) Hope you're having a great Monday! Are you off today for the holiday?

>223 DorsVenabili: Kerri, the 2014 Category Challenge group has a group read of Mary Barton on the calendar for July. There will probably be an announcement in the 75 group when the time comes since there is a lot of overlap in the membership of the two groups.

#225 - Oh, thank you! I will check that out.

>223 DorsVenabili:, 226 Hi Kerri! I am very glad to have you here. I seem to be behind a lot, so I understand completely! After reading North and South, I definitely want to read more by Ms. Gaskell. Angela Thirkell is just a treat any time:)

>224 Storeetllr: Mary, I am so glad! I haven't read Wild Strawberries yet, but I've loved all of her books, and I know it will come my way sooner or later:) Yes! I am off today, and very glad to be.

>225 cbl_tn: Good to know, Carrie! I may take a peek when the time comes.

Hi Anne - Great reviews of North and South and Lady Susan. Austen was a genius.

I picked upBarnyard Dance for Scout per your recommendation, and my daugther loves it! It's going to be a hit. Scout is also fond of Eric Carle right now.

I got way behind here! Sorry you had a health scare with Stelios. So glad everything turned out well.
Happy Birthday to Callia!
Great reviews of Lady Susan and North and South. Thank goodness I've read them, although I am tempted to read them again now...

>228 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I think Scout will love Barnyard Dance. It was definitely the number one favorite board book of both of my girls. Eric Carle is wonderful, too. Did you know there is an Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art? I want to go sooooooo much! https://www.carlemuseum.org/

>229 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn. We're limping along here. Good news as far as Stelios's heart goes, but he's still not feeling great. I am suffering from a cold so ferocious I want to curl up and die, but this, too shall pass. Sigh. The good news is that I've read nearly 400 pages of a book I wasn't sure I could finish before I have to send it back via ILL to Kansas City. I haven't had the energy to do much else, and the indulgent reading time has been a nice luxury amid the honking and snuffling.

Hi Anne- Just checking in. I hope all is well, with you and the family and that your books are treating you kindly.
I have still not read North and South, although I've been hearing it praised on LT for years.

Gosh, I see now that I have missed a husband health scare. It wasn't a heart attack, was it?? (goodness forbid) And your cold to boot, it was a long three weeks around here when I had mine. Good luck getting it done and dusted!

>231 msf59: Hi Mark, glad you stopped by. It's been a good reading year so far, other than the usual complaint of not enough time to read! Hope you have a good week. North and South was a terrific audio -- I highly recommend it!

>232 LovingLit: Hi Megan, no not a heart attack, although the symptoms of one were what sent us to the hospital. Stelios had the the big three factors: chest pain, abnormal EKG, and serious family history. He was kept overnight and put through several tests, all to learn that whatever is bothering him is not heart-related, thank goodness. Still, waiting for that news was very stressful. And this cold!! I rarely get sick so that I can't function, but I made a go of school today and went home after only 45 minutes or so. Hoping it goes away quickly. Like your house, I'm guessing, ours doesn't function so well when I'm down and out!

11. The Eyes of Venice by Alessandro Barbero

At the heart of this book set in 1500s Venice is a story of a young couple separated by unfortunate circumstances who must endure unspeakable hardships in order to survive and hopefully reunite. Michele is an apprentice stonemason studying under his father Matteo. When Michele is falsely accused of sedition and treason, he must flee Venice, which he does as an oarsman aboard a Venetian galley bound for Crete. In the course of his travels, he is a witness to theft, murder, and piracy, and discovered to be banished from the empire. He escapes to a fate even more dangerous, and must grow up in a hurry as he travels from one port to another throughout the entire Mediterranean. Michele’s wife Bianca, meanwhile, must also learn to survive among the desperately poor of Venice, and those who would help or abuse them.

The good:
This book describes many facets of life in Venice in the 1500s in great detail. The reader is led through the secret deliberations and machinations of The Council of Ten; the perpetually indentured oarsmen whose backbreaking labor is the conduit of trade, diplomacy, warfare, and piracy throughout the Mediterranean; the plight of the Venetian poor made desperate by famine; the many islands and ports of the Mediterranean whose hospitality varies greatly depending on who now has control of it (Venetian or Ottoman); and the strange intercourse of Christian, Muslim, and Jew at the crossroads of East and West. The reader sincerely aches for Michele and Bianca, and celebrates the kindness they receive from unexpected quarters amid abject despair.

The not-so-good:
The book is too long, and the reader is often bogged down in Venetian minutiae (the author is a renowned Italian professor of medieval history). Where some sections are too slow, others are too fast, or even rushed, especially toward the end. Other reviewers have mentioned the translation, and while I do not speak Italian, I can say that I did find myself wondering at the choice of words and haste of certain sections. Finally, the number of typographical errors really bothered me: hear for here, god for good, too for to, and the worst: Cypress for Cyprus! Maybe I am a snob, but the number and frequency of the errors really distracted me from the story.

I don’t generally assign stars to my reads – this one I might give 3.5-4. I think this slice of world history is fascinating, and Professore Barbero brings it to life admirably. I think its beautiful cover is my favorite of the year so far.

Interesting review. I spent some time in Venice awhile back ~ not nearly enough time, of course ~ and found it fascinating, both its past and in the present.

Hope you're feeling better after a good night's sleep. And let your family pamper you for once, right?

I spy a Europa Editions book up there..... I have yet to read one of their books that I didn't like so on the bookshop list the Barbero book goes. ;-)

Catching up with your thread, Anne, and I see I've missed quite a bit! Nice review of North and South. I read it a few years ago and loved it, but I bet the Juliet Stevenson narration made it even better. I listened to her narration of Persuasion last year or the year before and agree she is fantastic. I hope you and your husband are feeling better!

>235 Storeetllr: Hi Mary! Oh, there are so many places in Italy (and beyond) that I wish to see! I've never been to Venice, but it's definitely on the list. I've read a lot of books set there, so it's alive in my mind.

I am feeling much better -- thank you! It was not fun to be sick, but I did enjoy spending time in bed reading (and not feeling guilty about it). Hope you have a great weekend!

>236 lkernagh: Indeed, Lori, it is a Europa edition! I can't say it was my favorite, but it was a worthwhile read, and I learned a lot. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

>237 aktakukac: Hi Rachel! I will definitely look for more of Juliet Stevenson's narrations, and more from Elizabeth Gaskell as well. Thanks for stopping by!

Glad you're feeling better! One of my fondest wishes is to go back to Italy again. Ten years ago, I spent a month traveling the country and even so there was so much I missed, and so much I want to see again! It was one of the highpoints of my entire life!

So glad you are on the mend, Anne. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

>239 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary! I went to Italy for the first time two years ago with the Colorado Children's Chorale, but we stayed in the north eastern (South Tyrol) area. Oh, it was beautiful, and I'd love to go back and see more. A month -- how wonderful!

>240 rosalita: Thank you, Julia! We have a very, very busy weekend. All good things, but very busy:) Hope you have a wonderful weekend too!

Hi Anne, wonderful review of The Eyes of Venice. Too bad it didn't have a better editor; it's distracting when an author gets bogged down in minutiae; and spelling errors? That would make me crazy! But I like the idea of another stonemason, just like Jude! Thumb-up from this quarter : ).

Have a fab weekend.

Glad you're feeling better - especially since your weekend is so busy. :)

>242 lit_chick: Thanks, Nancy! I appreciate your thumb:) Overall, The Eyes of Venice was a worthwhile read, despite the problems. Definitely an immersion into another world. Hope you're having a good week!

>243 nittnut: Thank you, Jenn. I think I'm sick again :( Not sure if this is a new cold or The Return of the Martian Death Cold... I'm not feeling quite so bad this time around, but I'd prefer to be done! Hope you're having a great week! Internet yet?

Noooo... not sick again??? I went through a bout of three colds (and then bronchitis) in a four month period this winter and feel for you! I am guessing I probably never fully recovered from the first cold and everything else was a spin off from that, but sheesh, one gets sick of being sick pretty darn fast!

I hope you kick this bug you have caught real soon, Anne!

Oh, no! Hope it is only a quickly passing thing. I was reading in AARP magazine just today that one of the best ways to reduce the symptoms of a cold was to exercise. I was all, like, AHAHAHAHA! (When I have a cold, I am down for the count. Chicken soup, lemon with honey, a good book, a box of tissues, and bed.)

Ick! It sounds like the Martian Death Cold. We had it in our family in various forms, but it waxed and waned for about 4 weeks for most of us.
Pooh on exercising with a cold AARP! I'm with you Mary. Exercise would be getting up to make tea and soup.

Oh, and YES! We have had internet since Friday. Wonderful! Also, it looks like our worldly goods will be delivered to us on Monday. Also Wonderful. For the full saga, see my thread. :P

Nuts! Hope you're feeling better soon, Anne!

Anne, I never understood the phrase "it's just a cold." Yes, just blowing and wheezing until one wishes the head that contains all that mucus would just explode and be done with it! You have my sympathy. I hope you find another book to immerse yourself in while the rebound cold has you in its grasp death grip.

Oh, Anne, not the Martian Death Cold! Get better! I'm with Donna: do not understand the phrase just a cold. Nothing that beheading wouldn't cure … or apparently exercise. What???

Hang in there, Anne! I hope you are feeling better real soon. I am another who hates the phrase "just a cold." Never said by anyone currently experiencing a cold, you'll notice.

Thank you so much for your well wishes, Lori, Mary, Jenn, Joanne, Donna, Nancy, and Julia! It's nice to know so many good wishes are coming from near and far. I am feeling much better today, and hope to be 100% soon. Now Stelios is sick, too. I am worried about Marina -- she is up with her school at Outdoor Lab for a week in a place ominously called "Windy Peak." Hope she's warm and well!

Seriously, exercise when sick? I'm with all of you: making tea is exercise enough, though it's true that moms can almost never have a sick day. I'm looking forward to the weekend, which will be quiet this time around, and Marina will be back:)

I did have a good book to read. I'll try to start a new thread and tell you all about it, plus introduce our new-ish kitty:)

New thread's up! I invite you to visit me here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/170869