brenzi's 2014 Reading 3 - Spring Edition?

BOOKS READ IN 2014

L - library book
NF – Non-fiction

24. The Franchise Affair - Josephine Tey - 4.4 stars
23. A Diary Without Dates - Enid Bagnold - NF - 4 stars
22. Delta Wedding - Eudora Welty - 3.5 stars
21. The Cuckoo's Calling - J. K. Rowling - 4.2 stars
20. Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson - 4.5 stars
19. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell - 4.5 stars
18. Wilderness Tips - Margaret Atwood - 4.2 stars
17. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson - 4 stars
16. The Great War: A Photographic Narrative - Mark Holborn - L - NF - 5 stars
15. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - 3.8 stars
14. The Other Side of the Bridge - Mary Lawson - 4.6 stars
13. The Last Chronicle of Barset - Anthony Trollope - 4.5 stars
12. A Burnable Book - Bruce Holsinger - ER - 4 stars
11. How It All Began - Penelope Lively - 4.4 stars
10. Light in August - William Faulkner - 4.6 stars
9. An Unnecessary Woman - Rabih Alameddine - L - 4.2 stars
8. Mr. Britling Sees It Through - H. G. Wells - 4 stars
7. An Officer and a Spy - Robert Harris - L - 5 stars
6. When We Were Bad - Charlotte Mendelson - 4.5 stars
5. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz - Mordecai Richler - 3 stars
4. The War that Ended Peace - Margaret MacMillan - NF - L - 4.6 stars
3. William: An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton - 4 stars
2. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather - 4.8 stars
1. Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink - NF - 5 stars

Currently Reading:



MY BUDDY

So I am currently perusing this book:



The photographs are amazing. They are done by either individual soldiers or professional photographers who were employed by the different nations involved in the war or by newspapers of the day. Some are so personal I thought they nearly took my breath away. I’ve taken pictures of many of them and will post them as I see fit over the course of the next several months.



Who knew that dogs were used in this way? Belgian Carbiniers with dog-drawn machine gun carts retreat from the German invasion towards Antwerp, Belgium in 1914.



An Italian soldier demonstrates one of the first gas masks, 1915



Troops of London Rifle Brigade fraternize with German soldiers in No Man's Land during the unofficial Christmas Truce 1914

Herbert Read (1893-1968)

"The Happy Warrior"

His wild heart beats with painful sobs,
His strin'd hands clench an ice-cold rifle,
His aching jaws grip a hot parch'd tongue,
His wide eyes search unconsciously.

He cannot shriek.

Bloody saliva
Dribbles down his shapeless jacket.

I saw him stab
And stab again
A well-killed Boche.

This is the happy warrior,
This is he...

So what’s the plan for 2014?

The Virago Group’s WWI Themed Reading – 2014 is the centenary of the start of WWI. I’ll be reading both fiction and non-fiction. The thread for it is RIGHT HERE. if you’d like to join in.

January – William: An Englishman by Cecily Hamilton✔️
February – Mr. Britling Sees Through It ✔️– HG Wells and/or maybe The War that Ended Peace by Margaret McMillan✔️
March – One of Ours by Willa Cather
April – What Not by Rose Macaulay
May – Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally
June – Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold✔️
July – The Happy Foreigner by Enid Bagnold
August – Not So Quiet by Helen Zenna Smith
September – Home Fires in France by Dorothy Canfield
October – Fighting France by Edith Wharton
November – The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussel
December – Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson

Mark’s American Author Challenge:

January - Willa Cather – Death Comes for the Archbishop✔️
February – William Faulkner - Light in August✔️
March – John Steinbeck - Grapes of Wrath
April – Russell Banks – Continental Drift
May – Eudora Welty – Delta Wedding✔️
June – Henry James - The Portrait of a Lady
July – Mark Twain – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
August –Richard Ford – The Sportswriter
September –James Baldwin – Go Tell it on the Mountain
October – Edith Wharton – Fighting France
November – Ray Bradbury – Dandelion Wine
December – John Irving – A Prayer for Owen Meany

Group Read of The Raj Quartet – March, May, July, September

2014 STATS:

total books read: 24

BOTS (books off my shelf): 13

Fiction: 20
Non-Fiction: 4

male author: 8
female author: 16

US authors: 5
authors from other countries: 19
living author: 14
deceased author: 10



Bonnie's Reading Bingo

More than 500 pages:
Forgotten Classic: William: An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton
Book that became a movie: Light in August by William Faulkner
Published this year: An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
Number in the title: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital - Sheri Fink
Written by someone under 30:
Book with non-human characters:
Funny Book:
Female Author: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Book with a mystery: A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger
One-Word Title:
Book of short stories: Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood
Set on a different continent: When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson
Non-Fiction: The War that Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 by Margaret MacMillan
First book by a favourite author: Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Heard about online: An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
Best-selling book:
Based on a true story: A Diary Without Dates - Enid Bagnold
Book at the bottom of TBR pile: The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
Book my friend loves:
Book that scares me:
More than 10 years old:The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler
Second book in a series:
Blue cover:

A CENTURY OF BOOKS (idea stolen from Heather)

1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916 - Mr. Britling Sees it Through - H. G. Wells
1917
1918 - A Diary Without Dates - Enid Bagnold
1919
1920 - William: An Englishman - Cecily Hamilton
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927 - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932 - Light in August -William Faulkner
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938 - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946 - Delta Wedding - Eudora Welty
1947
1948 - The Franchise Affair - Josephine Tey
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959 - The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz - Mordecai Richler
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991 - Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood
1992
1993
1994
1995 - Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
1996
1997
1998
1999

Safe to come in? Love the pictures at the top. Looking forward to more!

Happy New Thread Bonnie! That WWI photo books looks amazing. Will you be dropping by to comment on the Sense & Sensibility thread once in a while?

>4 michigantrumpet: Hi there Marianne. The pictures in this book are like no others that I've seenand I think it's because they are so personal. I'm really enjoying this book.

>5 Smiler69: Hi Ilana, it is definitely amazing. I'm only on chapter seven in Sense and Sensibility but I have been following along on the thread. You ask all the right questions and of course Liz has many answers that get right at the root of it.

Hi Bonnie- Congrats on the new thread. I admit, I get pushy at times, especially when it comes to books, but try to bookhorn in Independent People. This is a Bonnie-Book.

So, have you started Grapes of Wrath?

Bonnie - Congratulations on your new thread. Stunning photographs of the great war and the poem by Herbert Read is very affecting. xx

>7 msf59: Hi there Mark, oh yes, I will get to Independent People at some point but I'm not sure when. Hopefully, sometime this year. I haven't started The Grapes of Wrath. And I can't say when I will either. Right now I'm reading Sense and Sensibility but beyond that I can't say what I'll read. That's a long story that I should probably post about because it might explain a lot.

>8 PaulCranswick: You would love this book Paul. Of course I got it out of the library but it's a nice big coffee table book that would look right at home in your home I'm sure:-)

>6 brenzi: Glad to know you're following along with us on Sense and Sensibility Bonine. I really enjoy Liz's guidance and comments. I always think we're so amazingly privileged to have her offer her time and knowledge like that with us so generously. Off do a little reading/notetaking session now to feed that tutorial thread! :-)

>2 brenzi: What an incredible book!

Happy New Thread, Bonnie! It's a dandy so far. I also am intrigued by those WWI photos.
And every time somebody mentions Independent People, I nudge it a little higher on Mt. Bookpile.

Bonnie, I love the photos you've posted from the book of photos from "The Great War." I always worry about the dogs and horses in those situations.

Happy new thread, Bonnie!

Happy New Thread, Bonnie! I *love* your Buddy's dog bed - v. chic. And Buddy's pretty adorable, too!

Happy New Thread, Bonnie. Buddy is adorable. Wouldn't spring be nice? This morning it was -15 in International Falls!

>10 Smiler69: I couldn't agree with you more Ilana. We're lucky to have Liz's expertise virtually at our disposal. I know I've benefited greatly from a fraction of what she has in her head:-)

>11 Whisper1: It is an incredible book Linda. You would probably love it.

>12 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy. Maybe you and I will make a very small GR of Independent People at some point in time. LOL

>13 EBT1002: Yes Ellen, I don't want to say they were abusing the dogs. I just never imagined that dogs had been used in that manner.

>14 wilkiec: Thanks Diana!

>15 scaifea: Thanks Amber. Buddy pretty much gets whatever he wants:-)

>16 BLBera: -15?? Yikes. It was 8 degrees here this morning and I thought that was ridiculous.

Your very small Independent People GR might get at least one more member, Bonnie. Mark's liking it, and I keep seeing positive comments about it.

>18 jnwelch: The more the merrier Joe. We'd still comprise a pretty darn small GR.

Hi Bonnie. Congratulations on your new thread. Nice photos up top.

Hi Bonnie, wonderful new thread! Love the Willa Cather quote and the photos of WWI: very powerful.

Hi Bonnie - I'm loving An Officer and a Spy - thanks so much for the enthusiastic recommendation!

>20 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba!

>21 lit_chick: Hopefully, I will be reading Cather's One of Ours, her WWI novel and her only Pulitzer Prize winner, soon Nancy. I was supposed to read it this month but that's not happening. Haha.

>22 vivians: Oh I'm not surprised Vivian. It's a wonderful book.

Hi Bonnie, I heard Penelope Lively interviewed this past week on Fresh Air. She was talking about her new book, Dancing Fish and Ammonites, and it was a very entertaining. I thought I'd mention it in case you were interested in catching it on NPR's website.

Happy new thread, Bonnie! I love the photos of Buddy, and that Great War book looks fabulous.

>24 Copperskye: I listened to that interview with Terri Gross and have wishlisted Lively's new book. I was surprised to hear her say that she thought Henry James' What Maisie Knew was a perfect novel. Since I own it, I think I may read it soonish:-)

>25 tymfos: Hi Terri. I think the war book would be to your liking.

Happy new thread, Bonnie! I've just started rereading Sense and Sensibility too - looking forward to picking up some more nuggets of wisdom from Liz.

Thanks Heather. That Liz is one busy lady, isn't she? LOL

Hey what do you know I finished a book.



The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson 4.6 stars

This book is deceptively powerful and the last third read like a blistering thriller that had me on the edge of my seat and yet it’s Mary Lawson’s subtlety that is just so incredibly effective. For the setting, she returns to the rural northern Ontario area that was so evocative in her last book, Crow Lake.

Jake and Arthur Dunn, sons in a farm family in the 1930s, are as different as night and day. Arthur, the older son, loves the farm, works hard to help his father with all the work that’s involved with the running of a farm, and is the dutiful son in every way. Younger brother Jake is the wise guy who attracts girls and finds school easy and to his liking and never met a farm chore he liked or was willing to do. He is also the apple of his mother’s eye and quite obviously her favorite. Flash forward twenty years and Ian Christopherson, teenage son of the town’s doctor, takes a part-time job on the Dunn farm, attracted by Arthur’s beautiful wife Laura. He’s a young man whose emotions have tied him in knots and much of the story points to an ultimate explosive situation.

Tying the two generations together is WWII which has devastating and long-lasting effects on this small town. Lawson chose the sumptuous complexity and non-linear construction that I’ve come to really love as she moved back and forth in time telling first Arthur’s story and then Ian’s. Lawson’s prose is elegant, evocative and beautiful.

”Her lips were quivering. You’d have thought after suffering such a loss nothing else would matter to her but that didn’t seem to be how it worked. She was fearful about everything now. It was as if she had finally seen the awful power of fate, its deviousness, the way it could wipe out in an instant the one thing you had been certain you could rely on, and now she was constantly looking over her shoulder trying to work out where the next blow might fall.” (Page194)

The climax is staggering in both in its unexpectedness and emotional wallop and the denouement is absolutely pitch perfect, even if fairly predictable. Full of tenderness, compassion and humor, this spellbinding story of sibling rivalry is a gripping emotional rollercoaster ride that will have you turning pages well into the night. Highly recommended.

Great review of The Other Side of the Bridge. This looks like a Must Read. Sadly, I have still not read Crow Lake, despite the LT love that surrounds it. At least, I have it on shelf.

Yah, for finishing a book!

Hi Bonnie - Good stuff here. As usual, nice review of the Lawson. I read it years ago and just remember I liked Crow Lake better. I am a huge Lively fan , so I'm off to find that interview.

>30 msf59: I was beginning to wonder when I would finishe one AND write an actual review Mark. Haha. Oh if you already have Crow Lake I would suggest you fast track that one.

>31 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I loved Crow Lake too but can't remember much about it at this stage. Enjoy that interview.

Sooo I have been going through some stuff that seems to have me in a quandary. My reading has come to an absolute crawl. It's not a funk because I'm still reading albeit at an alarmingly slow rate. And I'm still enjoying what I'm reading, actually immensely enjoying what I'm reading. But something's off. I've never been one of the 75ers who read an incredible number of books but I usually read 85/86 books every year so by the end of March last year I'd read 23 books. This year I'll be lucky to tote up 15 by the end of this month. What's going on?? Well, I've had a lot on my mind so I'm a bit, ok a lot, distracted. Consider the following:

---I left my purse in the shopping cart in the grocery store parking lot and didn't realize it until I got home (and yes, an honest person turned it in to the customer service desk with not a dime missing; thank you, thank you, thank you).

---I left my cell phone in the ladies' room at a restaurant and never missed it until I got home; I have no memory of taking it out of my purse in the ladies' room.

---We've had a variety of plumbing problems, and as with almost all plumbing problems, they were unexpected and pricey. One of the problems was sort of solved (the ground is frozen and so we have to wait for a thaw for a permanent solution) and that temporary fix cost us just over $1,000. Word of advice for young people: consider becoming a plumber. The bills they casually hand over are enough to take your breath away.

---I'm getting ready to have both of my knees replaced on April 3 and have been consumed with everything related to that and experiencing sleepless nights as I worry about all that's involved with the rehab.

---And a very, very good thing that has been distracting me, although in a good way...we've been planning my daughter Sara's baby shower. Oh yes speaking of her, the last time you saw her in October 2011, she looked like this:



Here's a picture she sent me when she was in Vegas last week. Can you say baby bump?? Woot!! The excitement ramps up!



Yeah baby---I'm very distracted!

Bonnie -- some how I either missed that you're having your knees replaced or it slipped my mind. I had mine done on Dec. 20 so I'm just over 3 months past surgery now. I will tell you that the first couple of weeks are hard but I'm so glad I did both at once and I'm so glad it's done. I advise you to have a fully-automatic hospital bed there when you get home because it makes it possible to get into and out of bed on your own (you can raise it high enough to meet knees that don't really bend yet). For 1 1/2 or 2 weeks I wasn't able to bend my knees enough to sit comfortably in a chair or stand up from chair or bed height on my own. The bed both made a chair-shape for me to sit in and lifted and lowered me to allow me to get in and out on my own. There were moments in there that it seemed to be taking forever to make progress but looking back I realize it really wasn't long. Now I can do just about everything I want/need to and with very little discomfort.

You'll be fine and it will all be over with before you know it. GO GIRL!!

Bonnie - I'd say you have reason to be distracted. Give yourself a break. Reading slow is not a big deal. Good luck with your new knees. I know many people who've had it done and they have been glad they did it.

Hi Reba. Well I mentioned it to you when you were first gearing up for your own surgery so I can't imagine how it might have slipped your mind;-) Thank you for all the tips. The protocol here for two knees requires me to go from the hospital to a rehab facility for seven to ten days so I'll have to see what shape I'm in after that and I suppose they'll help me figure out whether I need a bad or any other helpful medical devices. I'm hoping I have as good a result as you seem to have achieved:-)

Bonnie, it sounds like you have several big things going on in your life. No wonder you are leaving your purse and cell phone in odd places! Your Sara and her baby bump is adorable. You've got to get those knees in shape so you can walk that baby when it's unhappy. Just think of all the books you can read while you are recovering from knee surgery.

>35 BLBera: Thank you Beth. In the larger scheme of things I know a reading slow-down isn't a big deal but it's all the stuff that is accompanying it I guess. And I am looking forward to having a new set of knees. I'll be better able to push that baby stroller:-)

Bonnie - I've been working on education material on knee replacement. The most important thing is to do your exercises after surgery.

>37 Donna828: Hi Donna. Oh yes, I'm expecting to get caught up with some reading. Maybe I'll even actually read The Jewel in the Crown, which I talked you and Peggy into joining the GR for and then didn't read the book myself haha. And I'm looking forward to being to actually walk, comfortably, behind a baby stroller;-)

>39 BLBera: Yep, that's what I understand Beth. I hear that a lot from people who've had their knees replaced, didn't do the exercises and now can't bend their new knees. I'm trying to avoid that;-)

I just finished Jewel in the Crown and it's worth the time!

Bonnie, thumb-up for your fantabulous review of The Other Side of the Bridge. That bullet hit me right in the forehead, LOL. Book is now on my list : ).

LOVE Sara's baby bump photo!

Will be thinking of you Apr 3, Bonnie. Hope all goes well. I know a few people who've had knee replacements, and all have experienced wonderful success.

I'm with you on your note to young people: consider becoming a plumber. Definitely! I might do the same myself if I was starting over, LOL. As you say, it's staggeringly well paid.

>33 brenzi: baby bumps rule. No question. I loved having a baby bump....right up to the point that it became a baby blimp, I loved it a lot!!! It is such an exciting time, and not just for the baby-bumped mother ;)

Wow! That is a great photo of Sara! You must be glowing.

I am so sorry to hear about the knee surgery. I am sure everything will go fine. You know you'll have the support of this wonderful place, watching over you.

I can understand being nervous about the knee surgery, but you'll be so glad you've done it once it's over and you're a couple of weeks into the recovery! I'll be thinking of you on your surgery day.
And yay for the baby bump! WooHoo! So exciting! Your daughter looks beautiful, too.

After 7-10 days in rehab you probably won't need the bed. I came home directly from the hospital on day 3, which was Christmas eve. I didn't have a bed and couldn't get one until the day after Christmas which made Christmas quite difficult, especially for my husband who had to help pull me up -- actually he had to do most of the work. Bad news for you is I didn't get much reading done because, especially at the beginning, you spend a LOT of time exercising. Plus for the first couple of weeks I couldn't concentrate all that well, perhaps because of the pain meds. It is worth it all though. I'll be thinking about you next Thursday (which was my mother's birthday so it'll be easy for me to remember) and wish you all the best. Maybe we can get together this summer while I'm at Chautauqua and stroll about on our new knees :)

Yes, indeed, you've got a lot on your plate. And knee surgery is no small matter. Here's wishing it goes well for you. I'm glad you've got your daughter's pregnancy keeping you focused on a future happy event. xx

>42 Chatterbox: Oh well good to know Suzanne. I hope to get to it soonish.

>43 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. Have you read anything by your Canadian compatriot? Crow Lake is very good too. When I think about paying $1,000+ for a temporary fix it's really quite unbelievable. Geesh!

>44 LovingLit: I loved having a baby bump....right up to the point that it became a baby blimp, I loved it a lot!!! Well, good to know Megan. I think my only memory of it is the blimp part LOL. When I got right down to the end (and then some) it was just the idea that I wanted the baby to come...NOW! Haha.

>45 msf59: Thanks Mark. And yes, glowing is a good word for it:-) This little support group is fairly remarkable, isn't it?

>46 scaifea: You're right Amber, I know I will be so glad I went through with it...that will be in May or June LOL. But right now I'm just a bundle of nerves. I'm hoping the baby bump will push other thoughts out of my mind:-)

>47 RebaRelishesReading: Oh Reba, thanks for bringing me back to reality about getting any reading done. Of course..all my time will be spent doing exercises. I figured that but of course I pushed that to the back of my mind. LOL. I remember when I had my first shoulder replaced, I read most of Middlemarch in the throes of an anesthetic haze. I finished and thought, "I'm going to have to reread that one." An LT meet-up this summer would be fun!

>48 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana. That baby keeps popping up in my mind so it is certainly a good counter to other anxiety-ridden events:-)

Loved the baby bump picture!

The post surgical therapy is the most critical part. Having a physical therapist you like/can work with makes all the difference!

With all you've got going on, it's a miracle you get any reading done at all ...

I'll be there from about second week of June until around Labor Day so we should be able to work something out. My husband badly wants to go to Duff's for wings so that will bring us to Buffalo plus he's flying in 6 weeks or so after I arrive and I'll be in Buffalo to pick him up. I look forward to meeting you, talking books and comparing scars (lol).

Wow. Next week all of your knee problems will be history! The recovery will be less than a barrel of laughs. Once it's done, the miracle happens and pain and stiffness are so so so minor...well, I couldn't be happier for you, or more jealous. *smooch*

>51 RebaRelishesReading: Oh yes Reba, Duff's is the place to go and the closest one to Chautauqua is practically around the corner from me in Orchard Park. I think there are three of them. Comparing scars should be fairly interesting:-)

>52 richardderus: I really hope you're right about the history Richard. That is certainly my hope. And having seen your gout pictures, I wish you could find a solution for your knees too. *smooch* right back at ya

haha, good one, Bonnie : ).

>54 brenzi: :-D

Wish I'd known that before I made the resolution to remain an old maid.

>55 lit_chick: :-)

>56 Smiler69: Don't you mean spinster, Ilana (just in keeping with the Sense and Sensibility theme;-)

Oh yes, but of course!

>54 brenzi: LOVE it!!

It's always tough going into hospital feeling more or less OK, and knowing that for a while you'll be feeling worse as a result of the procedure. Even when you know, intellectually, that in the long haul you'll be feeling significantly better than you do today, and a hell of a lot better than you will in the immediate aftermath.

The good news is that this is one of those quality of life interventions designed to make your world a better place, so you'll be really able to enjoy bump when it morphs into baby and you're called on to "play grandma", as my mother puts it. The rest is just what you have to in order to get there -- like exams in order to graduate from school, or labor in order to have kids. Nobody says you've got to enjoy it, but just focus on the rewards on the other side.

And you've got books and the LT mobile moral support unit...

>60 Chatterbox: well said, Suz. I've been lurking lately, Bonnie, but just wanted to poke my head in to say best of luck with your surgery and hopefully you'll have lots of great books around to enhance your recovery.

>58 Smiler69: :-)

>59 EBT1002: Hi Ellen!

>60 Chatterbox: Well put Suzanne and I have to say I think I am in exactly the right frame of mind for the surgery. I went through the "Is this the dumbest thing I've ever done" stage, onto the "This is exactly what I want to do but I'm scared out of my mind" stage until finally settling on "I know what to expect and how I am going to get from here to where I want to end up." So I'm in a fairly calm and zen-like state at this point. It certainly helps to have this support group here on LT and plenty of books on my shelves. And I guess I'm just looking forward to August/September when that little bundle of joy arrives and I'm ready to push that stroller. Heavenly.

>61 lauralkeet: Thank you Laura, for poking your head in with well wishes. Very much appreciated:-)

Just got a call from my local library telling me that I won a $25 Amazon GC. From Jan. 15 to march 15 you had to submit basically as many book reviews as you wanted. Since I have 333 reviews stored here on LT, it was fairly easy for me to re post those on the library's website. I ended up submitting 50 of them during that time period. Of course I was hoping to win the grand prize, a Kindle Fire, but I'm pretty happy with the GC.

That will come in very very handy during convalescence, if you confine yourself to Kindle sales it's a plethora of free reading!

>63 brenzi: Wowza, perfectly timed win!!! Congrats!!!

Now (cue evil chortle) let's see how many book bullets we can lob Bonnie's way as she gets ready for next week...

And zen-like is probably exactly where you want to be...

#63 Yay! You won! Enjoy, my friend : ).

Hi Bonnie! Congrats on the gift card! Choose your book(s) carefully. I LOVED Independent People. I think it's your cuppa.

Yay for the GC, just what the doctor ordered.

Bonnie, I had surgery a couple of years ago, and found that for the first few days it was a bit hard to concentrate on anything too complex. I found that a fun read was a much better fit. Wishing you speedy recovery.

Congrats on the gift certificate Bonnie. Always nice to get a little boon once in a while!

Wonderful review of The Other Side of the Bridge! I loved Crow Lake when I read it last year... I think it was last year when I read it. Did you know that Lawson has a new book out, Road Ends?

I've been busy lurking on your thread, Bonnie .. but had to delurk today to congratulate you on winning an Amazon GC!

When is your daughter due? That's a great baby bump photo!

>63 brenzi: WooHoo!! Congrats!

>64 richardderus: Oh yes Richard, agreed. Not that I needed any additional incentive for adding cheap Kindle books;-)

>65 Chatterbox: Thanks Suzanne. Now (cue evil chortle) let's see how many book bullets we can lob Bonnie's way Is that really necessary? Do you have any idea what my teetering tower looks like? No one needs to go out of their way to add to it, believe me. LOL

>66 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy!

>67 msf59: Thanks Mark, maybe it will be my cuppa in May or June. You certainly are a relentless pusher;-)

>68 lauralkeet: Yeah, I don't know about the doctor, but it is right up my alley Laura:-)

>69 NanaCC: Thanks Colleen. Fun read? That's just what I was thinking so I will be taking along in my suitcase:
Mapp and Lucia, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Miss Buncle's Book, Mr. Chartwell, Miss Hargreaves, The Brontes Went to Woolworth's, Mrs. Tim of the Regiment. Many of those are on my iPad but I may just read through the rest of the Mapp and Lucia series. Hmmm, I have a bunch of Dorothy Sayer mysteries on my iPad also....decisions, decisions....

>70 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana!

>71 lkernagh: Thanks Lori, and Nooooooo I didn't realize Lawson had a new book out. Must check that out.

>72 cameling: Thanks Caro. She's due August 29 and needless to say we are excited beyond belief haha:-)

>73 scaifea: Thanks Amber!

And another of the fascinating photos from The Great War: A Photographic Narrative. The Stonehenge background is just so unexpected, Transport wagons of the 10th Canadian Rifles:

A very odd juxtaposition, you're right.

I'm REALLY enjoying The Quick. Don't know if it'll work for you when you get to it, but it's proving to be right up my alley. Gothic horror at it's best, set in Victorian London (a time and place I enjoy reading about), intriguing characters, well written with plenty to keep you guessing... I'll be looking out for this author in future.

>69 NanaCC: what perfect books for your convalescence, Bonnie!

Hi Bonnie! I think you have picked excellent books for recovery. After my sinus surgery, I was in the middle of Life after Life and I just couldn't keep it straight, so I switched to a YA books. I hope everything goes well with your knees!

"You certainly are a relentless pusher." Why, thank you! It's what I do. LOL.

And thanks to my pal from Buffalo, I will be starting Agent Zigzag soon.

>79 msf59: Mark, I finished the audiobook version of Agent Zigzag recently. It was read by the wonderful John Lee. I really enjoyed it.

>76 Smiler69: Good to know about The Quick Ilana. I love Gothic horror set in Victorian London. It's long though, so it won't be in my reading pile for a while. I will look forward to it though.

>77 lauralkeet: I certainly won't read all of them Laura. That would be too much of light and sweet and I will need to mix in some dark and grim;-)

>78 porch_reader: Thanks Amy. I think those books, plus a couple of short story collections will serve me well I think:-)

>79 msf59: Have fun with Agent Zigzag, Mark. I'm glad to see you haven't tried to deny your role as a pusher;-)

>80 NanaCC: Hi Colleen!

The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope

In closing out his wonderful Chronicles of Barsetshire series, Anthony Trollope decided to focus the narrative on a character first encountered in Barchester Towers and Framley Parsonage: the scholarly, humble, destitute and slightly mad Josiah Crawley, the Perpetual Curate of Hogglestock. He’s been accused of stealing a check for $20 but before we come to a final resolution, we’re taken through a complicated maze of twists and turns.

Trollope also brings back the Lily Dale/John Eames story, originally presented in The Small House in Allington. Mrs. Dale, cousin Bernard, Julia deGuest and the Squire are all there too, rehashing a storyline that everyone hopes will have one resolution and one resolution only.

Bishop and Mrs. Proudie are along for the ride too. And of course she sticks her nose in where it has no business at all. All the familiar prelates are there too: Mark Robarts, Archdeacon Grantly and Septimus Harding, our oldest friend of all. And yes, these characters have all become friends over the six volumes, good friends, as a matter of fact. I feel like I’ve known them all my life.

This is a bittersweet novel, as you might expect when a series comes to an end. Just like in real life, though, people die and even when it’s expected or at least accepted, it feels like a sucker punch to the gut. The surprising thing is how deeply affected Trollope is as he writes the final couple of chapters. You can literally feel his pain. He will miss these characters just as much as I will.

”To me Barset has been a real county, and its city a real city, and the spires and towers have been before my eyes, and the voices of the people are known to my ears, and the pavement of the city ways are familiar to my footsteps. To them all I now say farewell. That I have been induced to wander among them too long by my love of old friendships, and by the sweetness of old faces, is a fault for which I may perhaps be more readily forgiven, when I repeat, with solemnity of assurance, the promise made in my title, that this shall be the last chronicle of Barset.”

Farewell Barset. I loved getting to know you. A reread is definitely in my future, but that first time meeting with Trollope’s captivating characters cannot be repeated. I will have to cherish that memory for the rest of my life.

>80 NanaCC:- Good to know. Thanks!

Bonnie- Just an evil chuckle...

Wonderful review, Bonnie!

Oh, Bonnie, what a fabulous review! Barset and its characters were real to me, too. Love the quote you've included about how Trollope will miss his characters, too.

>54 brenzi: I stopped by to catch up and now I'm singing country songs.

>82 brenzi: Great review of Trollope's book.

I just read my first Trollope a few weeks ago and loved it. Your review makes me anxious to pick up another.

>83 msf59: :-)

>84 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura!

>85 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. Trollope's words in those last few paragraphs were just so poignant; possibly the most touching closing remarks I've ever read. That said, I'm looking forward to the Palliser novels.

>86 thornton37814: Thanks Lori! Keep singing;-)

>87 RebaRelishesReading: Oh Reba, you can't go wrong with his Barsetshire series.

>82 brenzi: I have thumbs-upped that cogent, heartfelt farewell. Nicely done.

Bonnie- I started Agent Zigzag and it grabbed me immediately. He was quite the spunky criminal, huh? LOL. I love NF, when it reads this well.

>80 NanaCC: NanaCC- My audio is not read by John Lee. I do not know who it is but he's doing a good job.

>89 richardderus: Thank you so much Richard. It's very much appreciated:-)

>90 msf59: Oh yeah Mark, I'm not surprised that it drew you in immediately. It's a great read. I have his Operation Mincemeat and Double Cross on my shelf too. I could read Mincemeat as soon as this month. Right now I'm reading my first Atwood---Wilderness Tips, a short story collection she wrote in the late 80s:-)

How is it, in the early going?

>92 msf59: well I've only read the first story so far and it was quite good so I hope that's a sign of things to come Mark:-)

Bonnie - I'm adding my best wishes for your upcoming surgery. You've got a great pile of books to read, although if you read you post too fast, it almost sounds like you're stuffing a bunch of people in your suitcase.

Your daughter looks darling with her baby bump! And you're going to be all repaired and ready to be crawling after that darling grandbaby!

I hope you like your first Atwood. I don't think I've read Wilderness Tips.

Thanks Joanne. I didn't mean Wilderness Tips was my first Atwood just that it was my first one for Atwood April. I've actually read several of her books. I don't know about crawling after a grandbaby but I hope to be able to push a stroller come fall:-)

Did I see a stork flying by me as I flew by the previous thread?
Sorry to have gotten so behind, but well, Hello!

>95 brenzi: Oh that makes more sense, Bonnie! I was pretty sure you'd already read some Atwood. I've had Moral Disorder hanging around forever, unread. Maybe I'll finally get to it this month.

>96 mckait: Haha yes Kath, you certainly did see a stork. You can't be any further behind than I am so I wouldn't think about it for one minute.

>97 Copperskye: It's always nice to have a reason to read a book and I like Atwood April for that reason. I'm not sure when I'd have read Wilderness Tips otherwise. It's turning out to be a fairly great story collection.

Woo Hoo! Just found out I won the only book I requested this month, Tom Rachman's The Rise & Fall of Great Powers.

I absolutely loved The Imperfectionists so I'm really looking forward to this one. This was a tough month to pick because there were several good ones available like A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre, and The Confabulist by Steven Galloway (he of The Cellist of Sarajevo fame). Just such a stellar month.

Bonnie- I am LOVING Agent Zigzag. It just keeps getting better & better...nearly 2/3rds done.

Congrats on the Rachman. (I also loved The Imperfectionists) I snagged The Confabulist. Like you said: Great ER month!

Woot! Nice win, Bonnie.

Bonnie, I also "won" The Rise & Fall of Great Powers. I haven't requested an ER book in quite awhile but this one caught my attention. I loved your review of The Last Chronicle of Barset. I think the reason I am lagging so far behind the group is that I'm really taking my time with this one. I will be sad when the series is over but am looking forward to reading more Pallisar books.

I will be thinking of you tomorrow and in the weeks ahead, Bonnie. I have a good friend who had both knees done at the same time. It wasn't easy yet she's glad she did it that way. It sounds like you have the right mind set. A Zen state is the way to go!

I'll be thinking about you tomorrow and in the days to come. They won't be the easiest days of your life but you will do fine and it will be worth it. Good mojo heading to Buffalo...

Sending you best wishes for tomorrow!

Good luck tomorrow, Bonnie. I'll be thinking of you!

I loved Moral Disorder - one of my favorite Atwoods.

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow, Bonnie...and sending prayers and best wishes your way. Good luck!

Thinking of you, too, Bonnie. Here's to a speedy recovery! Have you chosen what you'll read yet as you come to from anesthetic? I know you read Middlemarch that way, LOL!

>100 msf59: Hi Mark, I debated about asking for the Galloway novel because The Cellist was so good. Tough picking. I hope this month's selections are just as enticing:-)

>101 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy:-)

>102 Donna828: It took me two full weeks to read The Last Chronicle of Barset Donna and when I finished I was completely drained which won't make much sense to you until you finish the book. I believe the word I'm looking for is bereft. As far as the ER win, well, great minds and all that;-)

I know it's going to be a rough few weeks so thank you for your wishes.

>103 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for the mojo Reba. I'm just hoping for as good a result as you have managed to achieve:-)

>104 vivians: Thank you so much Vivian!

>105 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. Very much appreciated.

>106 BLBera: I'll have to look for it Beth:-)

>107 richardderus: Thanks Richard! I'm actually maintaining a fairly calm attitude.

>108 Nancy618: Hi Nancy, thanks so much for your good wishes:))

>109 lit_chick: I think I learned my lesson with Middlemarch Nancy haha. I've got a short story collection by Atwood that I'll be reading.

Good luck, Bonnie

I hope everything goes well, my friend. We will be waiting for a report. Hugs!

I'll be thinking of you too Bonnie, and of course wishing you the best. xx

Good luck tomorrow, Bonnie. Lots of positive thoughts for everything going well.

Hi Beth, Mark, Ilana and Joe

Thanks so much for your well wishes. It means a lot to me:-)

Fingers, toes and other crossables crossed! Shall be thinking of you....

I just found the Rachman novel at my back door (where UPS dumped it while I was away, the fiends from hell...) Snagged it and the Galloway from Vine, so the next six weeks are going to be exceptionally rich in reading material...

Here's hoping you shake off the anesthetic rapidly so that you can get quickly back to reading and that you have some fab audiobooks to listen to while you're doing your rehab exercises!

Thinking of you today, Bonnie...

Hi Bonnie - I'll add my best wishes too!

Also, congrats on the upcoming grandmahood (clearly, I'm behind here)!

>82 brenzi: - Nice review. Still must get to some Trollope. I've been recommended a few, so I'll start with those, once I remember what they are. Ha!

A bouquet of happy outcomes and comfortable nights wishes.

Thinking of you!

Bonnie, delurking to say good luck on your surgery and I'm so happy for you to have a new grandbaby on the way. I've just started An Officer and a Spy thanks to your review!

Hi Bonnie, I'm just catching up on your thread and learning about your double knee surgery earlier this week. I trust it went well and that you're on the road to recovery. Knowing you, you were well-prepared and will ace the rehab. From going through my husband's single knee replacement 4 years ago, the recovery can be slow at first but recover you do. Looking forward to hearing how it's going.

I knew a baby was on the way but didn't realize how much progress had been made until seeing the picture of the baby bump. August will be here before you know it and you'll be able to thoroughly enjoy that baby with the knee surgery behind you.

Bonnie. I'm sending all good wishes for speedy healing.

Hi Bonnie, also here to wish you a speedy recovery. If anything, I'm sure it'll give you plenty of reading time, which can't be a bad thing, right? All the best. xx

Just sending you a wave, for when you're able to check in and see it!

Hope you're faring well, and getting some reading time in while you wait for the rehab to kick off...

Bonnie, I hope your surgery went well and that your recovery is quick!

Thinking of you, Bonnie!

>99 brenzi: oooh, congrats on scoring that one, I liked The Imperfectionists too, even if I did find it really different reading it. THe characters were kooky, if I remember correctly.

And you are having/have had knee surgery!!! Yikes, that came about quickly. I hope it went well, and you are not in too much pain.

>82 brenzi: Thumb!

And sending best wishes for your knee ops and recovery. Hope you're managing to find some reading time amongst all the PT.

Happy Birthday, Bonnie! I hope you are feeling comfortable enough to enjoy your special day. Gentle hugs!

Happy birthday, Bonnie. I hope you are doing well!

Happy Birthday - I hope all is well.

Happy Birthday, Bonnie!

Still thinking of you, Bonnie. And happy birthday : ).

Happy Birthday, Bonnie!

Happy birthday!!

Happy Birthday Bonnie, hope you get properly spoiled today! xx

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy birthday! I hope a post-op birthday isn't too uncomfortable.

Bonnie, I hope you are feeling perky enough to enjoy your birthday. I keep forgetting that you are older than me. Ha Ha! I think there are several of us here who were born the same year. It was a good one!

I couldn't find a birthday dog as cute as your Buddy, but this guy offered to do a stand-in.

Bonnie, happy birthday & I hope your recovery is going well.

Hi everybody including, Suzanne, Amber, Kerri, Richard, Joanne, Amber, Pat, Linda, Ilana, Suzanne (again), Linda, Katie, Megan, Heather, Mark, Laura, Beth Darryl, Nancy, Pat (again), Suzanne (once again:), Ilana (again), Katie (again), Heather (again), Donna and Ardene. I hope I haven't missed anyone because I want you all to know how much I appreciate your well- wishes and birthday wishes. I suppose if I had given the timing of this surgery any thought at all, I wouldn't have scheduled myself to be in a rehab center on my birthday but, what can I say. Things are actually going very well after a bit of a rocky start. I hope I never hear the term "break through pain medication" again in my lifetime. Talk about scary stuff. But now I'm into the rehab aspect and making, in the words of one therapist, "quite remarkable progress."

On the reading front, however, I have read exactly zilch, zero, nada, not a word. Not one single word since last Wednesday night. Everyone seems to think that's not very unusual but I find it very unsettling. While in the hospital, it was understandable, as I was in an a aesthetic stupor, but by now it seems I should be back to normal. Ah well, it is what it is.

Once again, thank you all for your genuine love and concern. It means the world to me. I'm typing on my iPad which is not all that easy but hopefully next week when I get home I can get back to my laptop and respond to you all individually. Thank you so much for being such good and compassionate friends.

Happy Birthday to a wonderful person!

Very happy to hear you are making "quite remarkable progress" Bonnie. And worry not about reading, the last think you should be doing is pressuring yourself about such things; you obviously have your mind full of other concerns for now. Wishing you continued successful progress. {{{hugs}}}

Dear Bonnie wishing you a wonderful birthday and recuperation from a rather warm Jakarta. It is apparently election day here so we could have picked a better time to show up but I guess these things are just meant to be (a bit like your birthday coinciding with rehab!)

Oh, I missed your birthday! Happy belated thoughts coming your way, though. And many thanks for the update - it's good to hear that you're well on your way to recovering, and I bet that the reading picks up soon!

Thanks for the encouraging update. I hope rehab goes well. The reading will come, don't worry about that, my friend.

So nice to hear from you Bonnie! I'm glad you're doing well and I'm sure your reading mojo will return soon.

I'm glad to hear that your physical therapist is impressed with your progress, Bonnie! I suspect that you'll be reading again in no time.

Happy Belated Birthday, Bonnie! Great to hear about the "remarkable progress". We're thinking of you.

So delighted to hear from you, Bonnie! And delighted at the progress you are making! You type fabulously well on your iPad. Yikes, I am not responsible for anything I type on mine, LOL.

It's good to know the pros think your recovery is remarkable. Considering how very much more experience they have, their take is reliable.

Breakthrough pain meds. Oh, oh no. I am *so* sorry you now know what that means. Still, over it is and shall stay.

Sending hugs!

One day at a time, Bonnie. It sounds like you are doing quite well. The books will be there when you are ready.

the combination of that phrase and the concept of "no reading" make me never want to discover what that phrase means... I do hope you bounce back and am delighted you're making such rapid progress!!

Hi Bonnie! I hope your recovery is going well. I know what you mean about being unsettled by getting no reading done. I felt the same way after my sinus surgery, but I just couldn't break through the fog of the pain meds. I will say I enjoyed it even more when I got back to reading.

And Happy belated birthday!!!

Happy belated birthday, Bonnie!

Keep up the good recovery work. We all already knew how remarkable you are! :)

The books will be there when you're ready. Of course there will be more of them adding up..... :)

Take care!

Sorry I missed your birthday Bonnie. I hope is was a good one. I imagine you're over the hardest part of your recovery. It all keeps getting better and better. Three and a half months after surgery I spent nearly all of today on my feet and my knees don't hurt at all. Purely amazing that!

Sending rapid healing energy your way, although it looks like you are doing qite well without it :)

I missed your birthday too! Best wishes anyway.

I missed the lead-up to your surgery and your birthday, Bonnie!! Best wishes for your healing and belated birthday wishes to you.

Feel better soon, Bonnie!

I have been MIA on LT of late and am just catching up. Phew! You have a lot going on! Congrats on Sara's baby bump, the $25 GC, the long-awaited surgery and now here are best wishes for a speedy recovery!!! Hugs.

Hope you're recovering well, Bonnie. Looked like there was room for these near RD's.

Ooh, what lovely flowers you've just gotten! I don't think I can top that pretty gift, but wanted to at least say hello and your are in my thoughts. Hope all is well with you.

Hi Bonnie, hope things are going well. You probably won't get this until you're home and by then the worst will be past. Just to give you encouragement, my knees have taken me up a lot of steps (some of them quite steep) in the past week and I've walked miles. You too will be doing these things soon ((probably sooner than you now think).

Hey Bonnie,
I'm way behind and you have had a birthday and a surgery while I've been gone. "Quite remarkable progress" is very good! Hooray!!

Stopping by to say hello! Hope you're doing well!

Hi Bonnie- I hope you are healing quickly. We MISS YOU, my friend. I have no idea what to read next!!

Belated happy birthday; I hope the recovery continues to go well.

Hi Bonnie! I hope your recovery's going well and you're starting to feel like reading again.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, Bonnie! I hope you're recovery is going well.

Happy Easter, Bonnie!

Happy Easter Bonnie! Hope you're steadily recovering.

I miss your presence here, Bonnie, but realize your energy must go toward healing and rehab. Are you back home yet? I hope your Easter was a good one. Those Easter eggs must show up brilliantly in the snow! Gentle hugs to my Book Buddy!

Hi Bonnie, thinking of you, and more especially today because I've started on The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich, for which I'd put you down as a recommender in my tags, and so far I'm really loving it!

Hello and a big wave to all my loyal LT pals who kept my thread alive for the last (almost) three weeks. I'm talking to you Linda, Ilana, Paul, Amber, Mark, Laura, Joe, Nancy, Richard, Colleen, Suzanne, Amy, Joanne, Reba, Kath, Rhian, Terri, Kim, Ellen, Beth, Cushla, Diana, Mamie, Heather and Donna.

I've been home for almost a week but told myself that I wasn't making an appearance here until I finished at least one book and this afternoon it finally happened. Woot!

I continue to be amazed at my progress. I am down to using a cane and improving daily. Thursday will be three weeks post-op and if I am to believe my therapists, that is really amazing improvement. I'll take it. Now there's nothing on the horizon but that new little bundle of joy:-)

>178 brenzi: BONNIE!!! Yay! And with such great news, too. That's amazing progress and it's wonderful to know you're doing well.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson 4 stars

Just the ticket for climbing out of a reading funk. Miss Pettigrew is down to her last dime when she accepts a job that turns out to be the answer to her prayers. She is quickly adopted by worldly and sophisticated Delysia LaFosse, who introduces her to an array of friends and acquaintances, as well as a lifestyle Miss Pettigrew could never have imagined. How will she ever go back to the poverty she was surrounded by after seeing how the other half lives? Absolutely delightful.

>179 richardderus: Richard, thank you so much for the warm welcome back to the land of the living and for all your attention to my thread the past few weeks.:-)

Just tickled to see you back at LT, Bonnie, and you've finished a book, too! Woot! Your progress sounds amazing! Couldn't be more delighted for you, my friend. Have thought of you often, and miss you lots : ).

Hi Nancy, yes, I finished a book. I really am amazing, aren't I;-) I started Margaret Atwood's Wilderness Tips before my surgery and then never picked it up again until this afternoon but I should finish it tomorrow or Wednesday. I've missed all my LT friends.

So glad you're back, Bonnie...and that you're making such wonderful progress! Way to go!! :-)

>178 brenzi: nice work! On the quick recuperation, and the completed book and the grand-bump :) It is so nice to hear such encouraging words from the physios who are caring for you- they must have seen enough to know who is doing their exercises and improving because of it. Well done!

Yay! So good to hear from you, Bonnie, and I'm so glad to hear that your recovery is continuing to go so well!

Lovely to see you back here and great that you've finished a book!

Welcome back, Bonnie - It sounds like your rehab is going great.

Bonnie! Lovely to hear from you and to hear you've been making such good progress recovering from your op. I liked Miss Pettigrew too.

Oh, congrats on the fast recovery! Well done!

Oh, it's great to see you back, Bonnie! And it's great to hear you recovering so quickly. You have to be full strength for that little one on the way. Hugs to my pal!

Great to have you back and doing so well, Bonnie! Perfect pick for your first post-op book - I loved Miss Pettigrew, too.

Glad to hear that you are doing well :) keep on keeping on...

I was so excited to see all the activity over here! And I'm glad to hear that your recovery is proceeding so well. Go you!

What an awesome recovery! Hope you keep progressing so rapidly.

That's amazing news Bonnie, very happy about the quick recovery. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is among my favourites, which I will definitely want to reread more than once. Glad it worked for you.

Welcome back, Bonnie. It's great to hear your recovery is moving along so well. And super great that you finished a book, and an enjoyable one at that. Somehow I now feel like all is right in the world.

>184 Nancy618:. Thanks Nancy. I've actually surprised myself as I was expecting a much tougher time:-)

>185 LovingLit:. Thanks Megan. You must know a thing or two about physical therapy exercises. It's really the secret...do the exercises no matter how much they hurt, no matter how boring they are, no matter how much you'd rather be doing anything else.

>186 Copperskye:. Thanks so much Joanne:-)

>187 cushlareads:. Thanks Cushla. I was really beginning to think I was never going to finish another book so I was glad to get this one under my belt. And I'll also finish my Atwood today, which I started before I went in for the surgery so two books for April is certainly better than zero books.

>188 BLBera:. Thanks Beth. Things are going very well and I'm very pleased:-)

>189 souloftherose:. Thanks Heather. Miss Pettigrew proved to be just the ticket. I also had dvr'd the movie a couple of years ago so I watched that yesterday too but I have to say, although I usually love Frances McDormand, the movie just couldn't compare to the book. They made too many changes.

>190 scaifea:. Thanks Amber:-)

>191 msf59:. Thank you Mark. These three weeks I kept thinking you would be disappointed if I didn't finish at least one Atwood so I'm happy to be closing in on the end of Wilderness Tips a very strong short story collection.

>192 jnwelch:. Thanks Joe. Another Miss Pettigrew fan. It did turn out to be just the right book to get me over the hump:-)

>193 mckait:. Thanks Kath. I will certainly " keep on keeping on!"

>194 katiekrug:. Thanks Katie. I will keep on going at a slowly increasing speed:-)

>195 vivians:. Thanks Vivian:-)

>196 Smiler69:. Thanks Ilana and I hope you're enjoying The Master Butchers' Singing Club:-)

>197 lauralkeet:. Thanks Laura. Wow I never thought my absence meant all was not right so that's quite a compliment. Thank you very much.

Woot!! I finished another book. Book funk is officially over!



Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood 4.2 stars

This was a wonderful short story collection written by Atwood in 1991. The stories, mostly set in the 80s, are written from Atwood's women's lib POV but they are all well-written with fully fleshed characters. I will be looking for some of her other short fiction collections.

Yay to the end of the book funk! Glad you enjoyed Atwood's Wilderness Tips. I don't read many short stories, but I know another of her collections is Bluebeard's Egg (not terribly well-loved here on LT apparently)

The book funk is over! The book funk is over! Glad you liked the Atwood collection. I will have to add that one to my WL. What is up next for you?

Any book that ends a book-funk gets my vote! Happy for you, Bonnie.

catching up after being gone for a couple of weeks. So glad you're home and doing so well. Way to go girl!!!

>201 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. I really enjoy short stories and I own many collections but I hadn't read any in quite a while.

>202 msf59: It feels very good to have it over with Mark. I'm now reading (and enjoying) The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.

>203 richardderus: Thanks Richard! It feels very good to be beyond it.

>204 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba. I'm trying to catch up to you:-)

Hi Bonnie - Glad the book funk is over. I'll have to check out Wilderness Tips. Moral Disorder, another collection of short stories, is one of my favorite Atwoods.

Bonnie, so glad you are making such wonderful progress after your surgery, and are home and reading!

>206 BLBera: Hi Beth. I'll definitely look for Moral Disorder. And weren't you one of the ones who recommended The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox?? One word---WOW!

>207 tymfos: Thanks Terri. The therapist said I could go without my cane so that's one more step toward recovery:-)

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell 4.5 stars

Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

O'Farrell is a cross between Sarah Waters and Daphne Du Maurier. Creepy with lots of twists and turns in the plot until my head was spinning. I will be looking for more of O'Farrell's books. You should too.

Oh nonononono

*dashes out not looking at blue words*

And if that wasn't enough, I'm now reading a Kate Atkinson book I've been hoarding since I read Life After Life last year and a hundred pages in it's looking to be just as wonderful. I'm talking about:

>210 richardderus: You can run but you can't hide Richard. Mwahahaha

>213 richardderus: OMG! Why go to such extremes! You know you want to read it. Don't you??? Of course you do.

>208 brenzi: No cane. That's wonderful progress. And thank you for the bullet. I forgot to duck. :)

>209 brenzi: "...O'Farrell is a cross between Sarah Waters and Daphne Du Maurier. " Worth checking out for that description alone.

Somehow I lost your thread. Found (and starred) you now. Joining in with belated birthday and get well wishes. You've truly had a remarkable recovery. Quite amazed. I know how much hard work PT can be. Glad to have you roaming the threads again!

>215 NanaCC: Hi Colleen. You should know better than to troll these threads without some kind of, er, protection against all the flying projectiles;-)

>216 michigantrumpet: Hi Marianne. No need to make apologies. I am slowly trying to get through the threads myself after being incommunicado for three weeks. You are certainly right about PT being a lot of work. Fairly grueling at this point.

>209 brenzi: Ooooh, wishlisted!

Vanishing act was good.. I really liked it. I also read Instructions for a Heatwave by her, and liked it, too.

It looks like all is well here :) Book funks are awful... I have been fighting them for a while. I do fine then blam! Another one has me in its clutches. I have been sticking to mostly light reads and that helps...

Bonnie, not one but TWO more books! Yay! And I've been solidly hit with both bullets! Onto the list goes The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and Behind the Scenes at the Museum. I was thinking about reading more du Maurier recently, actually. Funny how that happens.

Oh, oh. I love du Maurier so your description of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is a bullet heading my way.

Keep up the good PT work. It WILL get less, a quite soon I suspect.

Bonnie - I'm so happy you loved The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. I second the recommendation for Instructions for a Heatwave, one of my favorite reads last year. Maggie O'Farrell is becoming one of my favorites.

I love Kate Atkinson and have had Behind the Scenes of the Museum on my pile for ages. Your comments make me want to get to it soon. Maybe this is the nudge I need.

How's the rehab?

>218 scaifea: Hi Amber! My job is done here:-)

>219 mckait: Hi Kath. Another fan of Vanishing Act. Book funks are awful and I'd like to say I'm done with them forever but I'm afraid it's not quite that easy.

>220 lit_chick: Well Nancy, I didn't actually mean to hit you with both BBs but there you go. I hope you aren't disappointed.

>221 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba, any DuMaurier fan would like O'Farrell I think. Good to know that the PT will end at some point. I can't wait for that day.

>222 BLBera: Hi Beth. Ok it sounds like I will have to look for Instructions for a Heatwave. I believe I am quickly becoming an O'Farrell fan.

I really enjoyed Behind the Scenes of the Museum, which I think was my first novel by Atkinson. I've meant to read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox in the last couple of months (had it listed on TIOLI as a shared read... was that with you?) so will have to move it up the tbr again.

eta: not sure why the TTs didn't work, but it's fixed now.

Good to see you up and about, Bonnie - and without a cane?! Nice.

The books look good. I thought Life After Life was teriff, so I'll look forward to hearing what you think in the end of Behind the Scenes.

>224 Smiler69: Yes I believe we did list Vanishing Act as a shared read on TIOLI Ilana. You should see if you can fit it into this month's challenges. It's fairly short and well-worth the effort. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying Behind the Scenes at the Museum. The format reminds me of Life After Life with its long view of the twentieth century but it's all so fresh and the part about WWI is some of the most poignant writing on the subject I've read.

>225 jnwelch: Yep, I'm moving right along Joe. I'm fairly surprised at how well I'm doing. I only had Reba's experience to judge by but I just thought she did exceptionally well and didn't really expect the same result. So, very happy. Oh if you loved Life After Life I can almost guarantee you'll love Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Hard to believe this was her debut novel.

Hi Bonnie! I'm slowly making my way back into LT and so glad that I came just in time to see you emerge from your book funk. Hopefully more great books are on your horizon! :)

Valerie's back!! Yay!! Welcome back and I hope we see lots of you. Must go look for your thread.

Bonnie, I got The Vanishing Act a few years back when I spotted the audiobook version on sale at the bookstore. I rarely set foot in a bricks & mortar store these days, and never buy audio CDs, and didn't know the first thing about this book, but it seemed like a good find when I saw the feedback on LT. I can probably fit it in really soon. Just have to find a TIOLI challenge to fit it into.

I wish I hadn't given my copy of Behind the Scenes away because I'd gladly reread it.

Hi Ilana, I see you managed to find a place in the TIOLI challenges this month for the O'Farrell book. I hope you manage to read it this month. Soooo good.

Bonnie, no book bullets for me this time as I've read both of your recent books. I'm glad you continue to improve. Gives me hope for when I have to start replacing joints!

>231 Donna828: As a matter of fact, Donna, I'm running out of joints to replace, so I'll happily sit back and watch others enjoy the experience;-) You probably won't see too many books here that you haven't already read, since I am mostly reading from my own shelves;-)

Hi Bonnie, well, I'm sorry to say I was rather annoyed today when I started listening to The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. As it turned out, the narrator on my particular audio version really, really didn't work for me, which is a shame because I really, really liked the one narrating the version available on Audible. I'm pretty sure I have a paperback version of it somewhere, but can't find it in my mess. So I've set it aside for now. Life's too short to listen to a narrator who totally ruins the experience for you, and it wouldn't be fair on the book, would it?

Hello there Bonnie! Happy Friday! Hope you've somthing lovely planned for the weekend.

>233 Smiler69: Oh I'm sorry to hear that Ilana. I'm not one who uses audio books at all. They just don't work for me but I wish this one would have worked out for you. Maybe at some point you will be able to read your paperback copy.

>234 michigantrumpet: Hi there Marianne. I'm pretty much home bound still so no big plans for the weekend.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

God I love Kate Atkinson's writing. And her sense of humor. And her wry wit. And her sense of history. Oh let's face it, I love Kate Atkinson. And this polished novel was her debut novel?? Can that be right? Of course I read and loved Life After Life but that didn't prepare me for a debut novel that exudes shades of Dickens and had me furiously turning pages well into the night.

The story is narrated by Ruby Lennox and who better to tell the story of her life as well as that of her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and sundry other relatives. Ruby’s family, much like yours, mine and everybody else’s, is littered with rogues, crooks, cheats and scoundrels. As Atkinson moves the narrative back and forth in time, across the twentieth century, she drops one tidbit after another that attest to her narrative wiliness. Ruby’s mother, Bunty, is such a rich, vibrant character (although not a contender for “Mother of the Year”) and Atkinson plays her for all she’s worth:

”I love the smell of paraffin heaters, so warm and dangerous. ‘Be careful,’ Bunty warns automatically. In another life Bunty was related to Joan of Arc, constantly alert to the possibilities of fire….Paraffin heaters are even more hazardous than stakes to riches, and they never occur in a sentence without a cautionary warning attached. None of us….could be within five feet of one of the Shop heaters without being in danger of conflagration. The coal fire in the living-room is treated similarly and kept guarded day and night (lit or unlit); matches are lethal, of course; the burners on the gas cooker are alive and trying to grab you as you pass by; cigarettes are struggling to drop and smolder----and as for spontaneous combustion! Well, it’s just waiting to happen.” Page 182

So that’s what this book is like: laugh out loud moments followed by a history lesson or two (the section about Ruby’s great uncles during WWI was some of the most poignant writing on that subject that I’ve ever read) with Atkinson setting a frantic pace throughout the narrative. Pure delight from beginning to end and very highly recommended.

I applied an upwardly directed opposable digit as a form or species of expressing approval for this review.

I've got Life after Life on my shelf and I'm itching to read it because the premise sounds really interesting. Another great review for another book of hers definitely pushes the book I do have up on the priority list. You snagged me with your review as well. Onto the WL it goes, nevermind I haven't even read the other book yet.... :P

Terrific review of Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Bonnie. Fortunately, I have this one on shelf. What a great writing career she has had so far. Thumb!

>237 richardderus: Huh? Oh, do you mean a thumb? Ahh, very good and thank you Richard.

>238 jolerie: Hi Valerie. Drop whatever you're reading and start reading Life After Life. Take my word, you will not regret it. It was my book of the year in 2013 and I'm sure you will gulp it down. Don't wait. Pick it up right now and be prepared to be dazzled:-)

>239 msf59: Thanks Mark. This is one of the pleasures of reading from my own shelves. I've pretty much thrown my plans away and I'm reading from my shelves. Of course, that includes the Welty book that's been languishing for quite some time.

Great review Bonnie!!

Fab review, Bonnie! Love the shades of Dickens. How interesting!

>236 brenzi: Excellent review, Bonnie. Thumb from me, and onto the WL it goes.

>241 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura!

>242 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. It's that kind of book. Like Dickens, the characters come to life under Atkinson's brilliant tutelage, and the plots and subplots rival anything that Dickens wrote.

>243 jnwelch: Thanks Joe!

I'm so glad to hear that you loved two favorites of mine, Bonnie. I read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox a few months ago followed quickly by The Hand That First Held Mine. Instructions for a Heat Wave was excellent, too!

I loved your review of Behind the Scenes at the Museum. You've made me want to read it again!

Somewhere up thread, Beth recommended Moral Disorder. I just finished it and it was excellent.

Hope you're feeling well and continuing to improve!

>236 brenzi: Faultless review as always Bonnie. If memory serves me well (which ofttimes it does) I seem to recall comparing her innovative first novel with her Jackson Brodie books and finding that the latter marked an improvement in her work.

Have a lovely Sunday, dear lady.

>209 brenzi:, So, if I loved Daphne du Maurier but am ambivalent about Sarah Waters, does that mean I can get this from the library?

and if I loved the Jackson Brodie books but was "meh" about Life after Life, what does that mean for Behind the Scenes at the Museum??

Trying to decode the book bullets...

So glad all is so well with the post-surgery recovery!!

Great Review of Behind the Scenes at the Museum. One of my favourites too.

Bonnie, another great review! I'm glad you liked the Kate Atkinson as much as I did. Good for you reading some books off the shelf. I've been sucked into the library vortex this year. Help!

Nice review of Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Bonnie. I loved Life After Life, so I'll add this book to my wish list.

Hi Bonnie!

You hit me with a book bullet for The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - I really like both Sarah Waters and Daphne due Maurier. I've heard good things about Maggie O'Farrell but never read any of her books before.

>236 brenzi: And also Behind the Scenes at a Museum. I still have Life after Life sitting on my kindle - will read that at some point. Lately I haven't got on very well with books that have been very popular so I've been leaving Life after Life until the hype dies down....

>245 Copperskye: So somehow Joanne you come on my thread and I get hit with book bullets. Something not quite right with that but I guess I will start looking for Moral Disorder and Instructions for a Heatwave so thanks for that.

>246 PaulCranswick: I'm not sure I would call Case Histories an improvement for Atkinson, Paul. It's an entirely different kind of book but I'm not sure she can write a book that I won't love, no matter what the genre is.

>247 Chatterbox: Meh, about Life After Life Suzanne?? Well then I would give this one a pass too. Proably wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did. But I certainly would check The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox out of the library. Maybe you will love it and then you can just look for a used copy. The O'Farrell book may be more to your liking (didn't like Fingersmith?? Seriously?)

>248 SandDune: Thanks Rhian. Glad to see another fan:-)

>249 Donna828: Thanks Donna. It's really quite nice reading from my shelves because there's absolutely no pressure, no due dates and I don't even care what month it is haha. What are the hot books that everybody's reading? I have no idea.

>250 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl, I think you'll like it:-)

>251 souloftherose: I can't say the hype over Life After Life bothered me a bit Heather. I think I read it at the height of the hype. I guess you could read this one until that hype dies down.

Hi Bonnie- glad to hear the recovery is going well. Thanks to your comments about The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, I grabbed the audio of another O'Farrell when I saw it was available on my library site. So far I'm enjoying Instructions for a Heatwave a lot, and you've introduced me to a new author!

I'm always happy to introduce you to a new author Vivian but you have returned the favor many times including my current read. Do you remember telling me how good this book was:



I'm more than 50% of the way through my Kindle edition and it is very, very good.

Bonnie- I've been on the fence about Cuckoo's Calling since it came out and there has been very little LT response to it. You may change all that.

Oh my.... I've not visited in quite a while and I just got hit with TWO book bullets!!!

Esme Lennox and the Kate Atkinson both sound fantastic! Ouch!

I'll add another yes vote for The Cuckoo's Calling. I thought it was great. J.K. Rowling writes well. I'm looking forward to the next in this series. I wonder if the limited response on LT is because people are remembering the "so-so" Casual Vacancy.

Bonnie, I'll probably be picking up The Cuckoo's Calling this month. It has been on the TBL far too long already, and it's already loaded on my iPhone... really glad you're enjoying it so much.

>255 msf59: Hi Mark. Well as I said Vivian was the one that got me to look at it and when it became available for $5.99 last September, I picked it up. And as far as "very little LT support" it is #10 on the Hot This Month list and #6 on the What Members' Are Reading list. I'm not much of a crime reader (as you know LOL) but I'm really liking it.

>256 TinaV95: Sorry about the BBs Tina but that's a hazard almost anywhere you go around here LOL. Glad to see you here and I need to visit your thread too.

>257 NanaCC: Hi Colleen. I'm glad for another vote of confidence for The Cuckoo's Calling. I heard that The Casual Vacancy wasn't very good so I never pursued it. But I'll be looking for the next in this series.

>258 Smiler69: I noticed in the TIOLI challenge that you were going to be reading it this month too Ilana. I hope you enjoy it too.

Hmm, The Cuckoo's Calling is one I might like, Bonnie. Will await your review/comments ...

>252 brenzi: Um....yes? Isn't that the way this is supposed to work? :-)

When I refer to an LT presence, I am usually talking about the Mighty 75 and it's heavy influence. Glad you are enjoying it.

Bonnie, I always look at what books others have listed on the TIOLI wiki in case there are books on my tbr listed I'm tempted to read sooner rather than later, so when I saw you'd listed it I thought I'd match you there. This month is May Murder & Mayhem too, so it fits in lots of convenient categories!

>254 brenzi: I think it was Colleen (@NanaCC) that finally hit me with a Cuckoo's Calling book bullet, so it's now on my "series I want to read list" because yes there's another on the way. I was thinking of reading it sometime this year, and Bonnie, your positive reaction is just another reason to do so.

>260 lit_chick: Hmmm you do like your murder mysteries, don't you Nancy?? This may be right up your alley:-)

>261 Copperskye: Nono, Joanne, the way it's supposed to work is you come on my thread and I hit YOU with BBs. Not the other way around. Hahaha

>262 msf59: OIC Mark, " Mighty 75," I'm a bit more inclusive. LOL

>263 Smiler69: Yep so do I Ilana. I decided to read it for Murder and Mayhem and then found a TIOLI category to fit it into.

>264 lauralkeet: Yes I can't say I absolutely knew there was another coming but I also don't mind gettin in on the ground floor Laura.

Okay, I am also one that had no interest in The Cuckoo's Calling, but all this talk is making me think twice. I blame you Bonnie. ;)

>266 jolerie: Moi?? *bats eyes innocently*

Hi Bonnie, hope all is going well with you. I've been a bit snowed under and then under the weather so am trying to catch back up on LT but a quick read through here leaves me thinking you are doing fine.

>268 RebaRelishesReading: Hi there Reba. I am absolutely doing fine Reba and will be done with my home therapy tomorrow. I go to the surgeon next Thursday and I'm hoping he will say I can drive. That's the worst part of this whole thing, except for the pain at night. That's really the only time I have any pain but it's very irritating.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling 4.2 stars

I’m not much of a crime reader so I may not be the best judge of this book, written by Robert Galbraith, whom everyone now knows is J. K. Rowling. But holy cracker jack of a tale! I don’t know when I’ve more enjoyed following the clues, eliminating suspects and following in the footsteps of our hero, private detective Cormoran Strike (does every British author turn to Dickens for character name inspiration?) and his gal Friday, Robin Ellacott.

Beautiful supermodel Lula Landry (dubbed ‘Cuckoo’ by a famous doting fashion designer) has taken a nose dive from her balcony outside her luxury apartment onto the snow covered asphalt below. Initially, it is ruled (very quickly) as a suicide, but Landry’s step-brother is convinced that she was pushed to her death and he hires Strike to find the killer.

Rowling knows a thing or two about character development and that is apparent as she fills this volume with a boatload of interesting, fully fleshed and believable characters that all add to the heart-thumping narrative. The relationship between Strike and his temporary secretary, Robin was especially well done. I found this book hard to put down and the ending could hardly have been more perfect. I have to admit, I would never have picked this book up had it not been for the publisher revealing that Robert Galbraith was a pseudonym for J. K. Rowling. And I will be lining up for the next volume, The Silkworm, out in June.

Oh, Bonnie, superb review as always, and thumb up from this corner! You make me want to drop everything and read The Cuckoo's Calling!

Hi Bonnie- Good review of The Cuckoo's Calling. Like I mentioned earlier, I did not see a lot of LT response, (the 75ers, of course). So, it is now officially on my To-Read list.

Thank you Bonnie for convincing me that I book I never had any intentions of reading is now something I have to read. Yes, thank you. :)
Thumb from me, especially because you changed my fickle, fickle, mind.

Great review Bonnie. I'll be picking up this book next I think.

>271 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. Well, then drop everything and start reading:-)

>272 msf59: Thanks Mark. When you get to it I will be interested in a real crime reader's opinion. I hope you like it as much as I did:-)

>273 jolerie: Happy to be of service Valerie;-)

>274 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana. I hope you enjoy it too:)

Great review, Bonnie. You continue to entice me into reading the Rowling Galbraith. Especially since I just discovered my library has a Kindle version.

You got me, Bonnie. I was on the fence about A Cuckoo Calling, but I fell over and put it on my WL.

>276 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I think you just might like it. Oh and free is always good;-)

>277 jnwelch: Oh boy, the pressure is really on now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Dear Bonnie, I missed your GC; I missed your birthday; I missed your surgery; I missed your recuperation. I think I haven't been at LT as much as I used to be. I wish I had something to show for it. On the other hand, I'm delighted to hear that all is going well with you and that you're reading and reviewing! Bless you!!!!!

>270 brenzi: well, you paint a good picture of Cuckoo's Calling. Poor JK Rowling being ousted so unceremoniously as the real author so quickly- I can see how she would have liked to have had a rest from the limelight.

xoxo

Bonnie - Queen of Reviews - I trust that you were suitably spoiled on Mother's Day. xx

Hello there! . So, you liked Cuckoo's Calling? Hmm. I will probably give it a try... I am pretty sure it is in the library system, so it will be easy enough to get. Characters make or break a book for me, I need to LIKE someone.. anyone!

Hope you are doing well ~

>279 LizzieD: Not to worry Peggy. I haven't been around as much either. And you have plenty to show for it. You just finished Blonde didn't you?

>280 LovingLit: I think she just wanted to see how well the writing was received for a relatively unknown author, Megan. But that's not to be I guess.

>281 richardderus: Thank you Richard!

>282 -Cee-: Thank you Cee. How lovely!

>283 msf59: Thanks Mark!

>284 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, yes I was very suitably spoiled:-)

>285 mckait: Hi Kath, oh I hope you do read The Cuckoo's Calling. I'm anxious;y awaiting the second volume next month:-)

Okay, so I saw A Cuckoo Calling today and picked up several times only to put it back down. You can be proud of me for the restraint I showed, except that the reason I put it down was because I opted for 4 OTHER books..hahaha!

>287 jolerie: Well Valerie, I'm glad you managed to come away with something that appeals LOL.

Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty

I finished Delta Wedding and found it to be...meh. I just never got engaged with the zillions of characters (part of the problem), or the slow moving narrative. Just as the title suggests, members of the family gather to get ready for a family wedding. Unfortunately, nothing happens of any import at all and yet I kept waiting for something, anything to happen.

I read The Optimist's Daughter years ago and had the same problem getting engaged with the characters so I think this may be the end of the road for me even though I have her enormous The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty sitting on my shelf.

Bound to come across meh from time to time, reading at the rate most of us do, Bonnie. I am thankful that I didn't pick up another bullet, LOL.

Bonnie, I felt meh about The Optimist's Daughter and have often wondered if it was just that book. Your experience is the only data point I need to answer my question.

>290 lit_chick: Glad to have saved you from a BB, Nancy. You're absolutely right about coming across a meh book every now and then. Unavoidable.

>291 lauralkeet: Yes Laura, I can't exactly put my finger on it but her books just are very engaging. That's the best I can do.

A Diary Without Dates by Enid Bagnold

Once again I have to thank the Virago Group for introducing me to an author that I would, in all likelihood, never have discovered on my own.

Enid Bagnold volunteered as a nurse for the V.A.D. during WWI and this diary was written during that period. It’s heartbreaking in its simplicity and in the way the stories of the maimed and injured returning soldiers are told with Enid unable to hold back both her contempt for the administrators of the hospital and her compassion for the injured men. So rigorous was her criticism that the administration managed finally to arrange for her dismissal. She then went on to volunteer as an ambulance driver in France.

Her diary reveals the neglectful, almost passive treatment afforded the injured soldiers at the hands of those doling out the care and H. G. Wells has called it “the most human book” written about the war. She refers to the Sisters as being in charge so I can just assume she means religious sisters. They were very officious and made sure everything was done according to the rules and paid little or no attention to the humanity they were working with.

”"An antitetanic injection for Corrigan," said Sister. And I went to the dispensary to fetch the syringe and the needles.
"But has he any symptoms?" I asked. In the Tommies' ward one dare ask anything; there isn't that mystery which used to surround the officers' illnesses.
"Oh, no," she said, "it's just that he hasn't had his full amount in France."
So I hunted up the spirit-lamp and we prepared it, talking of it.
But we forget to talk of it to Corrigan. The needle was into his shoulder before he knew why his shirt was held up.
His wrath came like an avalanche; the discipline of two years was forgotten, his Irish tongue was loosened. Sister shrugged her shoulders and laughed; I listened to him as I cleaned the syringe.
I gathered that it was the indignity that had shocked his sense of individual pride. "Treating me like a cow" I heard him say to Smiff - who laughed, since it wasn't his shoulder that carried the serum.”

A short book that opens up an unknown area of beliefs (at least to me), Bagnold shines a light on the difficulties the returning soldier faced, in addition to his war injuries. Highly recommended.

Wow! Excellent review of A Diary Without Dates, Bonnie. It's one I would also not have heard about without you and LT. I love Wells' description of it as the most human book written about WW1. Thumb up : ).

The Bagnold is next up on my tbr Bonnie! I'm glad to see you liked it. Out of curiosity, since you said it's short, how many pages was it? Mine is on Kindle with no pagination.

>294 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. This one reminded me of the Vera Brittain autobiography, Testament of Youth although not nearly as long nor did Bagnold suffer the personal losses that Brittain did. Still, she was part of the narrative every single day.

>295 lauralkeet: I hope you like it Laura. I read it through iBooks on my iPad and it was 116 of those kind of pages. And I read it as one single page on the screen. I actually read it in one sitting so I think that number is fairly accurate.

Thanks Bonnie. I am going on a business trip early next week so of course I need to bring enough reading material with me. Looks like I should pack an extra book. :)

Bonnie, I just started the audiobook of Esme Lennox narrated by a different person, and she's certainly doing is justice. The prose is rather poetic and the other narrator was reading it without much inflexion and totally killing it. I think I'm really going to like it based on the short bit I've started on; the same material I'd listened to once and just didn't 'lift' now sounds completely different!

>293 brenzi: Lovely reminder of a largely forgotten book about the Great War. Of course Bagnold was an interesting lady. She went on to also be a driver during the war which she recorded in a further memoir but is most famous for writing National Velvet which eventually propelled Elizabeth Taylor to stardom. She married Sir Roderick Jones who was Chairman of the news agency Reuters and was known in non-literary circles as Lady Jones.

Have a lovely weekend, Bonnie.

Hi Bonnie- Sadly, it looks like the Welty AAC, has become a wash-out. I haven't seen anyone, head over heels, yet, including myself. I have completed nearly 2 of the collections and they are very uneven. There are a few gems scattered here and there, but nothing consistent.
I will recommend the Farm to you. I'll try to put together a mini-review over the weekend.

>297 lauralkeet: You're welcome Laura. Always a good idea to have extra reading material along:-)

>298 Smiler69: Hi Ilana. I have a hate/hate relationship with audio books so I can't really say anything about the advantages of the narrator. But I'm glad you found a version that works for you and I really hope you enjoy it:-)

>299 PaulCranswick: She went on to also be a driver during the war which she recorded in a further memoir That would be The Happy Foreigner Paul and I'll be reading it in July or August. I hope your weekend is going well my friend:)

>300 msf59: You have to wonder how Welty got to be so well thought of, don't you Mark? Who are these people who love her work? Better yet, where are they? I never continued reading that series after Child 44. Sounds like I should have.

The Farm is a stand-alone. I also have not read The Secret Speech but I hope to finally get to it in the coming months. Have a great weekend. my friend.

Audiobooks don't work for everybody Bonnie, obviously. Mark is the one who encouraged me to try them, because I used to sneer at the thought and consider it was a form of cheating. Now I'm just really happy about how much they've allowed me to increased my reading, and since I live alone and have lots of time on my hands, I can always be accompanied by a book and never ever feel lonely. The narrator is really very important, as he or she can make or break the experience, no matter how good the book is, and in this case, the second version of Esme Lennox is proving to be a winner.

>303 Smiler69: So right! Narrators can truly make difference! Sometimes the authors do their own reading and I've thought, "Why didn't they let someone else do it?"

Spending much more time at work in the car. Audiobooks are so much better than what qualifies as mid-day talk radio these days.

Audio books for driving would be ideal, imo. I would almost take up commuting for that opportunity :)