Smiler Marks Her Reading Spot - Part 7

Peonies immortalized. A perfect reading spot I intend to use this summer and some blooming roses, both at the Montreal botanical gardens.


Table of Contents:
• Books Completed May-August
• Books Completed January-April
• Reading Plans
• Picked for Me!
• American Authors Challenge
• WWI Centenary Reading
• Additional Books I'd like to read in 2014
• A Century of Books!
• Ongoing Series
• Booker Prize Books
• Reading Bingo
• Books Purchased Jan-Mar
• Books Purchased April-June
• Books Purchased July-September

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:
✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 42: Small World by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
❉ The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan
✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jone
♫ Lost for Words by Edward St. Abyn

      

Favourites of 2014: (★★★★½ and up)
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng ★★★★★ (review)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - reread tutored read
Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household (review)
The New York Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton
Lady Susan by Jane Austen (review)
Love and Freindship (sic) by Jane Austen (review)
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - reread (review)
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan (review)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (tutored read)
Restoration by Rose Tremain ★★★★★ (review)
The Quick by Lauren Owen (ARC) ★★★★★ (review)
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (review)
Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson (review)
Dissolution by C. J. Samson (review)
The Unstrung Harp: Or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel by Edward Gorey ★★★★★
Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ★★★★★
Treehorn Times Three by Florence Parry Heide & Edward Gorey
Merivel by Rose Tremain
Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling (reread)

My 31 Most Memorable Reads of 13

My rating system:
★ : Hated it! (May or may not have finished it)
★★ : It was just ok...
★★★ : Enjoyed it (Good)
★★★★ : Loved it! (Very good)
★★★★½ : Loved it—must read again! (Excellent)
★★★★★ : Brilliant!—will read again, and again... and again! (All-time favourite)

⅛ ¼ ⅓ ½ ¾ ⅞

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook
☀ = TIOLI

Books completed in July
114. ♫ Au bonheur des dames / Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola ★★★ (review)
115. ❉ Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey ★★★★⅓
116. ❉ The Little Prince Graphic Novel by Joann Sfar ★★★★⅓
117. ✔ Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken ★★★★ (review)
118. ❉ Monsieur Gallet décédé / Maigret Stonewalled by Georges Simenon ★★★★ (review)
119. ♫ Legend by Marie Lu ★★★⅓ (review)
120. ✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 21: All Washed Up by by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
121. ✔ Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
122. ❉ Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini (review)
123. ♫ Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst ★★★★ (review)
124. ❉ Le pendu de Saint-Pholien / Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets by Georges Simenon ★★★★ (review)
125. ♫ The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith ★★★ (review)
126. ✔ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier ★★★⅞ (review)
127. ♫ Merivel by Rose Tremain ★★★★½
128. ❉ La Tête d'un homme / A Man's Head by Georges Simenon ★★★⅓
129. ♫ The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle ★★★½
130. ♫ The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri ★★★★ (reread)
131. ✔ Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett ★★★
132. ♫ Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling ★★★★½ (reread)
133. ✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev ★★★★⅓
134. ♫ Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman ★★★★⅓ (review)
135. ♫ The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri ★★★½ (reread)
136. ♫ Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig ★★★★
137. ✔ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler ★★★½
138. ♫ Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier ★★★★
139.

Books completed in June
94. ⓔ Revelation by C. J. Sansom ★★★★⅓
95. ✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 20: Shrieks and Floods by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
96. ♫ Slaves of the Mastery by William Nicholson ★★★★ (review)
97. ♫ The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan ★★★★
98. ⓔ Heartstone by C. J. Sansom ★★★★
99. ❉ Amphigorey by Edward Gorey ★★★★½,
includes (among 15 others):
The Unstrung Harp: Or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel by Edward Gorey ★★★★★ (review, sort of)
The Listing Attic by Edward Gorey ★★★★½ ('review' coming up)
The Curious Sofa by Edward Gorey ★★★★½ ('review' coming up)
100. ♫ The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir ★★★★ (review)
101. ✔ The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper ★★★½
102. ✔ Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers ★★★★⅓ (review)
103. ✔ The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott ★★★⅓
104. ♫ In the Woods by Tana French ★★★½
105. ♫ A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle ★★★★ (review)
106. ✔ A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck and Robert Capa ★★★½
107. ♫ Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed ★★★★ (review)
108. Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ★★★★★ (review)
109. Treehorn Times Three by Florence Parry Heide & Edward Gorey ★★★★½ (review)
110. ❉ Pietr le Letton / Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett by Georges Simenon ★★★★ (review)
111. ✔ Cover Her Face by P. D. James ★★★½
112. ♫ The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning ★★★½
113. ❉ Le charretier de la Providence / Lock 14 by Georges Simenon ★★★★⅓ (review)

Unfinished
♫ Frederica by Georgette Heyer

Books completed in May
78. ♫ March Violets by Philip Kerr ★★★★ (review)
79. ♫ Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye ★★★★ (review)
80. ✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 19: A Lonely Furrow by Gail Pirkis, Hazel Wood (Editors) ★★★★ (review)
81. ✔ Small Island by Andrea Levy ★★★★ (review)
82. ♫ The White Queen by Philippa Gregory ★★★★ (review)
83. ♫ The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson ★★★★ (review)
84. ♫ The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith ★★★½ (review)
85. ⓔ Dissolution by C. J. Samson ★★★★½ (review)
86. ♫ The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley ★★★★
87. ♫ The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell ★★★★
88. ⓔ Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom ★★★★⅓ (review)
89. ♫ Bloody Jack; Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L. A. Meyer ★★★★
90. ♫ The Pale Criminal by Pillip Kerr ★★★ (review)
91. ⓔ Sovereign by C. J. Sansom ★★★★ (review)
92. ⓔ The Italian by Ann Radcliffe (tutored read) ★★★½
93. ♫ Room by Emma Donoghue (review)

Unfinished
♫ The Bees by Laline Paull

Books completed in April
52. ♫ The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope ★★½ (review)
53. ⓔ The Quick by Lauren Owen (ARC) ★★★★★ (review)
54. ✔ Rhyming Life and Death by Amos Oz ★★★★⅓
55. ♫ Frog Music by Emma Donoghue ★★★★⅓ (review)
56. ✔ Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark ★★★⅓ (review)
57. ♫ Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan ★★★★½ (review)
58. ✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 41: Cellmates by Gail Pirkis ★★★★ (review)
59. ❉ Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (tutored read) ★★★★½
60. ✔ The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith ★★★¼ (review)
61. ♫ Restoration by Rose Tremain ★★★★★ (review)
62. ❉ⓔ Wolf Story by William McCleery ★★★⅓ (review)
64. ❉ⓔ The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate ★★★★½ (review)
65. ♫ These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer ★★★★ (review)
66. ♫ In Chancery by John Galsworthy ★★★★
67. ♫ A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin ★★★★
68. ♫ Home by Toni Morrison ★★★½
69. ♫ The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill ★★★¾
70. ♫ The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood ★★★★
71. ✔ Pot-Bouille/Pot Luck by Émile Zola ★★★★ (review)
72. ❉ The Herbarium of the Fairies by Benjamin Lacombe ★★★★
73. ♫ The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich ★★★★
74. ✔ Coventry by Helen Humphries ★★★★ (review)
75. ✔ Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson ★★★★½ (review)
76. ♫ The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin ★★★★ (review)
77. ✔ King Lear by William Shakespeare (reread) ★★★★⅓

Unfinished
♫ The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
♫ A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
ⓔ The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller

Books completed in March
34. ❉ Goliath by Tom Gauld ★★★★
35. ♫ The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman ★★★★ (review)
36. ♫ Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler ★★★★
37. ♫ Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty ★★★ (review)
38. ♫ The Dark Frontier by Eric Ambler ★★★¼
39. ♫ The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov ★★★½
40. ⓔ Grumpy Cat by Grumpy Cat ★★★★ (review)
41. ♫ All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy ★★★★⅞ (review)
42. Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin ★★★★ (review)
43. ✔ The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott ★★★
44. ✔ Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ★★ (review)
45. ✔ Slightly Foxed: 18: The Sensation of Crossing the Street by Gail Pirkis ★★★★ (review)
46. ♫ The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas ★★★★
47. ✔ Native Son by Richard Wright ★★★★ (review)
48. ♫ How It All Began by Penelope Lively ★★★
49. ♫ Le Bal by Irène Nemirovski ★★★★
50. ✔ The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood ★★★★⅓ (review)
51. ♫ The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally

Books completed in February
17. ♫ Longbourn by Jo Baker ★★★★⅓
18. ✔ Nana by Émile Zola ★★★★⅓ (review)
19. ♫ Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch ★★★½
20. ✔ Slightly Foxed: 40: Mellow Fruitfulness by Gail Pirkis ★★★★
21. ♫ The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater ★★★★ (review)
22. ⓔ 420 Characters by Lou Beach ★★★¾ (review)
23. ♫ An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine ★★½ (review)
24. ♫ Lady Audley's Secret Mary Elizabeth Braddon ★★★★ (review)
25. ♫ Tenth of December by George Saunders ★★★¼
26. ✔ Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household ★★★★½ (review)
27. ✔ The New York Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton ★★★★½
28. ♫ Lady Susan by Jane Austen ★★★★½ (review)
29. ⓔ Love and Freindship (sic) by Jane Austen ★★★★½ (review)
30. ♫ Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope ★★★★⅓
31. ♫ Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch ★★★¼
32. ✔ The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West ★★★★⅓ (reread)
33. ♫ The Light of Day by Eric Ambler ★★★★

Unfinished
♫ Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
♫+ⓔ An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
♫ The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Books completed in January
1. ♫ The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell ★★½
2. ♫ Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert ★★★½
3. ✔&♫ Bleak House by Charles Dickens ★★★★
4. ❉ Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett ★★★★
5. ♫ The Weed the Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley ★★★¾
6. ♫ The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng ★★★★★ (review)
7. ✔ Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons ★★★½
8. ♫ Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë ★★★★½
9. ♫ 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz ★★★★
10. ❉ You're All Just Jealous Of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld ★★★★
11. ♫ Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris ★★★★
12. ⓔ O Pioneers! by Willa Cather ★★★½ (review)
13. ♫ The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard ★★★★⅓ (review)
14. ♫ Hygiène de l'assassin by Amélie Nothomb ★ (review)
15. ✔ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - tutored read with Liz/lyzard ★★★★½
16. ✔ Coriolanus by William Shakespeare ★★★★

Unfinished
♫ Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian (will try again)
♫ Hygiène de l'assassin by Amélie Nothomb

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook
☀ = TIOLI

Reading Plans for July:
☀❉ Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey - TIOLI #19: author is from a country that competed in the 2014 World Cup Completed
☀❉ The Little Prince Graphic Novel by Joann Sfar - TIOLI #19 - Completed
☀❉ Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini TIOLI #13: By a living author older than you are - Completed
☀*✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev - TIOLI #18: Read a book of short stories - Completed
☀♫ Au bonheur des dames / Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola - TIOLI #14: by an author who has only one A in his/her name - Completed
☀✔ Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken - TIOLI #11: Rolling Challenge; People, Places, or Things, A Century of Books!, on my bedroom tbr - Completed
☀❉ Monsieur Gallet décédé / Maigret Stonewalled by Georges Simenon TIOLI #3: Read a genre novel that has been translated to English - Completed
☀❉ Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien / Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets by Georges Simenon - TIOLI #3 - Completed
☀✔ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler - TIOLI #4: Start a series and continue if you want - Completed
☀✔ Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett - (Calder Art Mysteries #1) - TIOLI #9: A book about art theft or forgery - Completed
☀♫ Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling - TIOLI #4 - Completed
☀♫ Legend by Marie Liu - TIOLI #17: set in California - Completed
☀♫ Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch - TIOLI #5
☀✔ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier - TIOLI #6: Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation (shared read), A Century of Books! - Completed
☀✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jone - TIOLI #10: Read a book that has won the Alex Award - Reading
☀♫ Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman - TIOLI #10 - Completed
☀♫ The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson - TIOLI #10
☀ⓔ Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - TIOLI #16: author's first and last names end with a vowel
☀♫ The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri - TIOLI #16
☀♫ Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig - TIOLI #14, A Century of Books! - Completed
☀✔ A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull - TIOLI #14
☀❉ The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith - TIOLI #4 - Completed
☀✔ Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger - TIOLI #1: Read a book which offers advice on page 85 - Completed
☀✔ Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Woodehouse - TIOLI #1
☀✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 21: All Washed Up by by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors) - TIOLI #12: Read a Book about Books - Completed

Spur of the moment:
☀♫ Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst - TIOLI #13: By a living author older than you are - Completed
❉ La Tête d'un homme / A Man's Head by Georges Simenon - TIOLI #3 - Completed
♫ Merivel by Rose Tremain - TIOLI #13 - Completed
♫ The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri - TIOLI #4, A Century of Books! - Completed
♫ The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri - TIOLI #4, A Century of Books! - Completed
❉ The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan - TIOLI #7: a uniform on the cover - Reading
♫ Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier - TIOLI #4 - Listening

***

Audible Reminders:
The Persimmon Tree by Bryce Courtenay 08-05-13
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher 08-05-13
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett 09-08-13
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham 09-11-13

***

* = Picked for Me challenge
** = Picked for Me challenge extra picks
♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook
☀ = TIOLI

This is my third year running this challenge, for which I asked my fellow LTers to pick books from my vast tbr. I'm falling a little bit behind with this challenge, but still have plenty of time to catch up.

1. ♫ Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan - picked by Fourpawz2 - Completed April/14
2. ♫ The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng - picked by Donna828 - Completed January/14
3. Sketches From a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgeniev - picked by sibyx - Completed July/14
4. ♫ The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman - picked by PaulCranswick - Completed March/14
5. Love-Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister by Aphra Behn - picked by lyzard
6. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout - picked by phebj - Completed March/14
7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - picked by Crazymamie - Completed January/14
8. Coventry by Helen Humphreys - picked by Claudia - Completed April/14
9. A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck - picked by avatiakh - Completed June/14
10. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper - picked by souloftherose - Completed June/14
11. A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull - picked by Deern
12. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - picked by luvamystery65 - Completed January/14
13. Rhyming Life and Death by Amos Oz - picked by Polaris- - Completed April/14
14. ♫ Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed - picked my msf59 - Completed June/14
15. Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky - picked by SandDune
16. Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant - picked by calm
17. A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel - picked by kidzdoc
18. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers - picked by EBT1002
19. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden - picked by Chatterbox
20. Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally - picked by DejaVoo

Extra picks
Some people couldn't pick just one book. This secondary list of extras is one I'll very gladly refer to in guiding some of my reading choices in 2014. I may end up switching items from one list to the other, the point being I'll read at least one book for each person who's done the picking.

The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford (reread)
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger - both extras from Lucy - Completed July/14
Watership Down by Richard Adams (reread) - extra from Paul
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - extra from Paul
♫ Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling - Completed July/14
♫ The Land Of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll - both extras from Liz
The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller (reread) - extra pick Kerry - Unfinished
♫ The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - extra pick Kerry - Completed February/14
♫ The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett - extra pick by Roberta - Read in November/13
The New York Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton - extra pick by Roberta - Completed February/14
♫ Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje - both extras from Paul Harris
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim - extra from Rhian
Sula by Toni Morrison
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Babbit by Sinclair Lewis
The Bone People by Keri Hulme
Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson - Completed December/13 - all 9 extras from Ellen
♫ Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian - Read January/14 (unfinished)
♫ Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert - Completed January/14
Dissolution by CJ Sansom - three extras from Suz - Completed May/14

American Authors Challenge

This is Mark's baby (msf59). Each month will be devoted to a specific author, but as I want to read from my tbr, I've substituted some of the *official* selections with other equally deserving auteurs américains. Here's the list for now:

January: Willa Cather - O Pioneers! - Completed
February: William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - Gave it up, wasn't in the mood
March: Cormac McCarthy - All the Pretty Horses (reread) - Completed
April: Toni Morrison - Home - Completed
May: (Eudora Welty) Louise Erdrich - The Master Butcher's Singing Club - Completed
June: (Kurt Vonnegut) Paul Auster - Moon Palace
July: Mark Twain - Huckleberry Finn (reread) or The Autobiography of Mark Twain
August: Philip Roth- American Pastoral
September: James Baldwin - Going to Meet the Man
October: Edith Wharton - The Custom of the Country
November: (John Updike) Sinclair Lewis - Elmer Gantry (could be another title)
December: (Larry Watson) Zora Neale Hurston - Their Eyes Were Watching God

***

World War I Centenary Reading: Fiction and Non-Fiction about the war and it's aftermath

Possibilities from my tbr:

✔ Anthem For Doomed Youth: Poets Of The Great War
✔ Birds Without Wings Louis De Bernieres
✔ A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway
✔ The Gendarme by Mark T. Mustian
✔ Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves
✔ Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence
✔ The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West (reread) - Completed February/14
✔ Regeneration by Pat Barker (reread)
ⓔ 1913: The Year Before the Storm by Florian Illies
ⓔ The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers
♫ The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914 by Barbara W. Tuchman
♫ The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman - Completed March/14
♫ Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig
♫ Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly, and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson
♫ 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz (rec'd by kidzdoc) - Completed January/14
♫ The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally (rec'd by Chatterbox) - Completed March/14
♫ The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 by Margaret MacMillan (rec'd by Chatterbox and brenzi)
♫ The Beautiful Visit Elizabeth Jane Howard
♫ The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich - Completed April/14

Other options:

The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart (rec'd by calm, Chatterbox)
The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hašek
The Radetzky March By Joseph Roth
A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin
An Ice Cream War by William Boyd
Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd (Rec'd by Chatterbox)
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

Bedroom selections from my tbr

Additional Books I'd like to read in 2014

✔ Caravan of Dreams by Idries Shah (blindly picked by PiyushChourasia in 2012)
✔ Arabian Nights: Four Tales from a Thousand and One Nights by Marc Chagall (blindly picked by picked by Donna828 in 2012)
✔ The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende - (blindly picked by picked by LauraBrook in 2012)
✔ Nana by Emile Zola - Read in February
✔ Pot-Bouille by Émile Zola - Read in April
❉ Au Bonheur des Dames by Émile Zola (to continue with the Rougon-Macquart series) - Completed in July
✔ The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon (on my shelf for over 10 years)
✔ Angels & Insects by A. S. Byatt (loved the movie, want to read my Byatt)
✔ Possession by A. S. Byatt
✔ Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafizi (want to read more about Afghanistan)
✔ Seven Gothic Tales by Izak Dinesen (wanted to read seemingly forever)
✔ Small Island by Andrea Levy (recommended a million times) - Read in May
✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (waited to read Great Expectations, on my reading list for a couple of years)
✔ Kaspar by Michael Morpurgo
✔ The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo (love Morpurgo for not so light children's books)
✔ All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (reread) - Read in March
✔ The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
✔ Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy (finally want to finish the trilogy)
✔ A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes (on the shelf since forever)
♫ The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (reread on audio this time to see if I like it better)
✔ Amsterdam Stories by Nescio (started in 2012 and unfinished)
✔ The Soul of Kindness by Elizabeth Taylor (want to read more Taylor)
✔ Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark (want to read more of one of my favourite authors) - Read in April
✔ Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (reread in the original French this time)
✔ Living Well is the Best Revenge by Calvin Tomkins (wanted to read forever)
✔ The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace (much recommended)
✔ Moon Palace by Paul Auster (on last year's list)
✔ Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (on the shelf for ages, might get the audio which is supposedly very good)
✔ Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood (blindly picked by MickyFine in 2012)
✔ Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (wanted to read forever)
✔ Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill (much recommended)
✔ Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (to continue the much recommended series) - Completed in July
✔ The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (to start reading Rubens, much recommended by Kerry/avatiakh)
✔ The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
✔ Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (on last year's list) - Completed in July
✔ Jamrach's Menagerie Carol Birch (on last year's list)
✔ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (wanted to read forever) - Completed in July
✔ The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble (wanted to read forever)
✔ Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (wanted to read forever)
♫ Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (haven't read him in a while)
✔&♫ 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (maybe this year, maybe not)
✔ The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (want to pick up where I left off years ago) - Read in April
✔&♫ 2666 by Roberto Bolaño (meant to join the group read last year, didn't.)
✔ The Master by Colm Toibín (wanted to read forever)
✔ Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (been meaning to read more of his work for years)
✔ Felicia's Journey by William Trevor (an author I want to discover)
✔ Zarafa by Michael Allin (stories about animals a must)
✔ The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (on my tbr for ages) - Read in March
✔ The Colour by Rose Tremain
♫ Restoration by Rose Tremain - Read in April
❉ Ru by Kim Thúy (have seen her around lots and highly rec'd by Lori/lkernagh
❉ Alys, Always by Harriet Lane (strongly Rec'd by Prue last year)
♫ Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (left over from 2012 Steinbeckathon)

Also: Group Read of The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott – March, May, July, September

A Century of Books! 1900-1924

I stole this challenge idea from Heather/souloftherose. I'm going to try and read a book published in every year of the 20th century. This is just for fun, but as I know I won't manage it in one year, I'll extend it for as long as it takes me.

1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913 O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918 The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926 These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
1927
1928 Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayer
1929 Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig
1930
1931 Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett by Georges Simenon
1932 Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
1933
1934 Miss Buncle's Book bu D. E. Stevenson
1935
1936 The Dark Frontier by Eric Ambler
1937
1938 Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler
1939 Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
1940 Native Son by Richard Wright
1941
1942
1943 Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
1944 Dragonwyck by Anya Seton
1945
1946
1947
1948 A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck and Robert Capa
1949
1950 Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert
1951 My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
1952
1953 The Unstrung Harp: Or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel by Edward Gorey
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960 The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning
1961
1962 The Light of Day by Eric Ambler
1963
1964 Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
1965
1966 The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott
1967
1968 A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973 The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989 Restoration by Rose Tremain
1990 The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard
1991 The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
1992 All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
1993
1994 The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
1995 Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
1996 The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri
1997 Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
1998

Ongoing Series
An idea Heather (souloftherose) borrowed from Liz (lyzard), which caught on like wildfire. Ongoing series that I am actively reading; this doesn't include series I have in my TBR but haven't started reading yet (that is covered in the next list!)

African Trilogy - Next up: No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe (2/3)
ⓔ Alan Grant Mysteries - Next up: The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (1/6 - read out of order)
♫ American Gods - Next up: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (2/2)
✔ Anton Rider - Next up: A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull (2/3)
♫ The Australian Trilogy - Next up: Tommo and Hawk by Bryce Courtenay (2/3)
♫ Bartimaeus - Next up: Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud (3/4)
Bernie Gunther - Next up: A German Requiem by Philip Kerr (3/9)
♫ Bloody Jack Adventures - Next up: Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer (2/12)
✔ Border Trilogy - Next up: The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy (2/3)
❉ Cannery Row - Next up: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (2/2)
♫ The Cemetery of Forgotten Books - Next up: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (2/3)
❉ Chief Inspector Armand Gamache - Next up: A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (2/8)
♫ The Chronicles of Barsetshire - Next up: Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope (2/6)
✔ Claudius - Next up: Claudius the God by Robert Graves (2/2)
♫ La Comédie Humaine - Next up: Le curé de Tours by Honoré de Balzac (31/88 - read out of order)
✔ Commissario Brunetti - Next up: Acqua Alta by Donna Leon (5/21 - read out of order)
✔ Commissario Montalbano - Next up: The Terra Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri (reread) (2/18)
Corfu Trilogy: The Garden of the Gods by Gerald Durrell (3/3)
♫ The Cousins' War: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (2/5)
✔ The Dark is Rising Sequence - Next up: Greenwitch by Susan Cooper (3/5)
♫ Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Next up: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor (2/3)
❉ De Luca Trilogy - Next up: The Damned Season by Carlo Lucarelli (2/3)
✔ The Deptford Trilogy - Next up: World of Wonders by Robertson Davies (3/3)
♫ The Dresden Files: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (3/15)
❉ Dr. Siri Paiboun - Next up: Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (5/8)
♫ Dublin Murder Squad - Next up: The Likeness by Tana French (2/5)
♫ Easy Rawlins Mystery - Next up: White Butterfly by Walter Mosley (3/10)
ⓔ Elizabeth and her German Garden - Next up: The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim (2/2)
✔ Empire Trilogy - Next up: The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell (2/3)
❉♫ Erica Falck and Patrik Hedström - Next up: The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg (2/8)
❉♫ Flavia de Luce - Next up: A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (3/6)
♫ Forsyte Saga - Next up: To Let by John Galsworthy (3/3)
❉ Green Town - Next up: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (2/2)
❉ The Harlem Cycle - Next up: All Shot Up by Chester Himes (4/8)
♫ Harry Potter - Next up: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (reread) (2/7)
❉ Hercule Poirot - Next up: Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (8/39 - read out of order)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Dramatization - Next up: Tertiary Phase (BBC Radio Collection) by Douglas Adams (3/5)
♫ The House of Earth Trilogy - Next up: Sons by Pearl S. Buck (2/3)
The Ibis Trilogy by Amitav Ghosh - Next up: Awaiting publication (3/3)
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place - Next up: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood (3/4)
Inspector Yashim Togalu - Next up: The Snake Stone by Jason Goodwin (2/4)
♫ Isabel Dalhousie Mysteries - Next up: The Right Attitude to Rain by Alexander McCall Smith (3/9)
♫ Jack Reacher - Next up: The Enemy by Lee Child (8/17)
✔ Jackson Brodie - Next up: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (3/4)
♫ John Russell - Next up: Lehrter Station by David Downing (5/5)
Joseph O'Loughlin - Next up: Shatter by Michael Robotham (3/5)
♫ Kenzie and Gennaro - Next up: Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane (2/5 - read out of order)
♫ Kurt Wallander - Next up: The White Lioness by Henning Mankell (3/10)
The Last Lion - Next up: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940 by William Manchester (2/3)
Leviathan - Next up: Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (2/3)
♫ The Lord of the Rings - Next up: The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien (3/4)
✔ Lord Peter Wimsey - Next up: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers (5/15)
❉ Maigret - Next up: The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon (6/76)
Maisie Dobbs - Next up: Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (4/10)
Mapp and Lucia - Next up: Lucia in London by E. F. Benson (⅜)
Matthew Shardlake - Next up: Lamentation by C. J. Samson (awaiting publication) (6/6)
Miss Marple - Next up: The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (2/12)
❉ The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Next up: The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith (5/14)
♫ The Obelisk Trilogy - Next up: Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller (2/3)
Oxford Time Travel series - Next up: Blackout by Connie Willis (¾)
♫ The Palisser Novels - Next up: Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope (2/6)
Parker - Next up: The Mourner by Richard Stark (4/24)
✔ Philip Marlowe - Next up: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1/9 - read out of order)
Phryne Fisher Mysteries - Next up: Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood (4/20)
The Power Of One - Next up: Tandia by Bryce Courtenay (2/2)
The Prairie Trilogy - Next up: The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (2/3)
✔ The Raj Quartet: The Towers Of Silence by Paul Scott (3/4)
♫ Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan (2/12)
The Raven Cycle Next up: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (2/4)
♫ Rivers of London - Next up: Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch 3/5)
♫ Robert Merivel Next up: Merivel by Rose Tremain (2/2) - Completed in July
❉ Les Rougon-Macquart - Next up: La joie de vivre by Émile Zola (12/20)
✔ Sally Lockhart Mysteries - Next up: The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (2/4)
♫ Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (3/9)
♫ A Song of Ice and Fire - Next up: A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin (5/7)
❉ The Spiderwick Chronicles - Next up: The Ironwood Tree by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi (4/8)
♫ Tales of the City - Next up: Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (3/6)
♫ Tales of the Otori - Next up: Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn (3/4+prequel)
❉ Three Men in a Boat - Next up: Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome (2/2)
♫ Timothy Wilde - Next up: Unknown title by Lyndsay Faye (awaiting publication) (3/3)
Tom Ripley - Next up: The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (4/5)
❉ Victor Legris - Next up: La disparue du Père-Lachaise by Claude Izner (2/11)
♫ Wind on Fire Trilogy - Next up: The Wind on Fire by William Nicholson (3/3)
Wolf Hall Trilogy - Next up: The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (awaiting publication) (3/3)
✔ Wolves Chronicles - Next up: Nightbirds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken (3/11)
❉ Wyoming Stories: Bad Dirt by Annie Proulx (2/3)

***

First in Series on my TBR
✔ The American Trilogy: American Pastoral by Philip Roth (1/3)
✔ Aristide Ravel Mysteries : The Cavalier of the Apocalypse by Susanne Alleyn (1/4)
✔ The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson (1/2)
♫ Aubrey-Maturin: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian (1/21)
♫ Avalon: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1/7)
✔ The Book of Lies - Twins Trilogy: The Notebook by Ágota Kristóf (1/3)
✔ The Borrible Trilogy: The Borribles by Michael De Larrabeiti (1/3)
✔ Carl Webster: The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard (1/3)
♫ Chief Inspector Adamsberg: The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas (1/9)
♫ A Dance to the Music of Time: A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement, Spring by Anthony Powell (1/4)
✔ Danzig Trilogy: The Tin Drum by Günter Grass (1/3)
♫ Divergent: Divergent by Veronica Roth (1/3)
✔ Empress Orchid: Empress Orchid by Anchee Min (1/2)
✔ Hank Thompson: Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston (1/3)
✔ Haroun: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (1/2)
✔ Henrietta's War: Henrietta's War: News from the Home Front 1939-1942 by Joyce Dennys (1/2)
✔ The Hummingbird's Daughter: The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea (1/2)
♫ In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (1/8)
♫ James Bond: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (1/14)
♫ Joona Linna: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (1/3)
ⓔ The Kingkiller Chronicle : The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (1/3)
✔ Latin American Trilogy: The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières (1/3)
♫ Leonid McGill: The Long Fall by Walter Mosley (1/4)
✔❉♫ The Magicians: The Magicians by Lev Grossman (1/2)
♫ McCaskill Trilogy: English Creek by Ivan Doig (1/3)
✔ Micah Dalton: The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone (1/4)
♫ Michael Forsythe: Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty (1/3)
✔ Mistress of the Art of Death: Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (1/4)
♫ Outlander: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (1/8)
✔ The Psammead Trilogy: Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (1/3)
✔ Quirke: Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (1/5)
♫ Revelation Space: Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds (1/7)
♫ Shanghai Girls: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (1/2)
♫ Sprawl: Neuromancer by William Gibson (1/3)
♫ Sword of Honour: Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh (1/3)
♫ The Vampire Chronicles: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (reread) (1/10)
❉♫ The Wolves of Mercy Falls: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (1/3)
♫ World War II Saga: The Winds of War by Herman Wouk (1/2)



✔ = in my TBR
♫ = audiobook (in my TBR)
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook

Booker Prize Books Read in 2014 (in reading order)
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (Shortlist 2012)
Restoration by Rose Tremain (Shortlist 1989)
Room by Emma Donoghue (Shortlist 2010)

Booker Prize Books Read in 2013
Good Behaviour by Molly Keane (Shortlist 1981)
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Shortlist 1986)
Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee (Booker Prize 1999)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Booker Prize 1989)
The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin (Shortlist 2013)
Harvest by Jim Crace (Shortlist 2013)
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (Booker Prize 2013)
What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller (Shortlist 2003)
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (Shortlist 2008)
The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch (Booker Prize 1978)
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth (Shortlist 1995)

Booker Prize Books on my TBR
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (Booker Prize 1970)
The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell (Booker Prize 1973)
The Bone People by Keri Hulme (Booker Prize 1985)
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (Booker Prize 1987)
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Shortlist 1988)
Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey (Booker Prize 1988)
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (Shortlist 1989)
Possession by A.S. Byatt (Booker Prize 1990)
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (Booker Prize 1992)
Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer (Shortlist 1993)
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (Shortlist 1996)
Master Georgie by Beryl Bainbridge (Shortlist 1998)
Amsterdam by Ian Mcewan (Booker Prize 1998)
Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri (Longlist 2001)
Brick Lane by Monica Ali (Shortlist 2003)
The Master by Colm Toibin (Shortlist 2004)
The Accidental by Ali Smith (Shortlist 2005)
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Booker Prize 2006)
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (Shortlist 2007)
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (Shortlist 2008)
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (Booker Prize 2008) - reread
Heliopolis by James Scudamore (Longlist 2009)
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Shortlist 2009)
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray (Longlist 2010)
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch (Shortlist 2011)
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Longlist 2013)
Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson (Longlist 2013)
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (Shortlist 2013)

(more on the wishlist of course!)

Reading Bingo
I'll only count books I really loved toward this challenge (4 stars and up).



More than 500 pages: Bleak House by Charles Dickens ★★★★
Forgotten Classic: Coriolanus by William Shakespeare ★★★★
Book that became a movie: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - tutorial ★★★★½
Published this year: Frog Music by Emma Donoghue ★★★★
Number in the title: 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz ★★★★
Written by someone under 30: Love and Freindship (sic) by Jane Austen ★★★★½
Book with non-human characters: Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett ★★★★
Funny Book: You're All Just Jealous Of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld ★★★★
Female Author: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë ★★★★½
Book with a mystery: Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon ★★★★
One-Word Title: Nana by Émile Zola ★★★★⅓
Book of short stories: The New York Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton ★★★★½
Set on a different continent: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng ★★★★★
Non-Fiction: Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin ★★★★
First book by a favourite author: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen ★★★★½
Heard about online: The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard ★★★★⅓
Best-selling book: Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris ★★★★
Based on a true story: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan ★★★★½
Book at the bottom of TBR pile:
Book my friend loves: Grumpy Cat by Grumpy Cat ★★★★
Book that scares me:
More than 10 years old: Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
Second book in a series: In Chancery by John Galsworthy ★★★★
Blue cover: The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin ★★★★


For the following, I'll be counting any kind of books, not just YA.



A book with a female heroine: Lady Susan by Jane Austen ★★★★½
A book set in a high school:
The last book in a trilogy:
A book with a colour in the title: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory ★★★★
The first book in a series: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater ★★★★
A book set in the future: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson ★★★★
A book with a breakup: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy ★★★★⅞
A book without a love triangle: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood ★★★★
A book that became a movie: Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household ★★★★½
A book set in Paris: These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer ★★★★
A book set in the past: Restoration by Rose Tremain ★★★★★
A book with magic: Slaves of the Mastery by William Nicholson ★★★★
A book set in the summer: Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom ★★★★⅓
A book with a dragon:
A book that made you cry: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate ★★★★½
A graphic novel: Amphigorey by Edward Gorey ★★★★½
A book based on a myth: The Quick by Lauren Owen ★★★★★
A "classic" YA book: Bloody Jack; Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L. A. Meyer ★★★★
A book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe:
A book with an incredible fight scene: Goliath by Tom Gauld ★★★★
A book you heard about online: Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler ★★★★
A book set in another world: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin ★★★★
A book with an epic love story: Longbourn by Jo Baker ★★★★⅓
A book with music: Frog Music by Emma Donoghue ★★★★⅓

* = need to add a circle in Photoshop.

Books Purchased in 2014

January
1. Prospero's Cell by Lawrence Durrell
2. ♫ The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally - Read in March
3. ♫ The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth
4. ♫ The Songs of the Kings by Barry Unsworth
5. ♫ The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890-1914 by Barbara W. Tuchman
6. ♫ Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell
7. ♫ Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye - Read in May
8. The Book of Common Prayer (2nd hand FS)
9. ♫ Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (Audible Daily Deal)
10. ⓔ The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany (Kindle deal)
11. ⓔ Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace by Kate Summerscale (Kindle deal)
12. ⓔ The Snoring Bird: My Family's Journey Through a Century of Biology by Bernd Heinrich (Kindle deal)
13. ⓔ Voltaire Almighty by Roger Pearson (Kindle deal)
14. ♫ The Trembling of a Leaf by W. Somerset Maugham (Downpour Sale)
15. ⓔ Uncle Silas: A Tale of Bartram-Haugh by Sheridan Le Fanu (Kindle 99¢)
16. ⓔ Ham On Rye by Charles Bukowski (Kindle Daily Deal)
17. ⓔ Post Office by Charles Bukowski (Kindle Daily Deal)
18. ⓔ The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann (Kindle Daily Deal)
19. ⓔ 420 Characters by Lou Beach - Read in February
20. ⓔ The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles (Kindle Daily Deal)
21. ⓔ The Spider's House by Paul Bowles (Kindle Daily Deal)
22. ⓔ Ask the Dust by John Fante (Kindle Daily Deal)
23. ⓔ The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge (Kindle Daily Deal)
24. ⓔ D.V. by Diana Vreeland (Kindle Daily Deal)
25. ⓔ Hotel de Dream by Edmund White (Kindle Daily Deal)
26. ⓔ The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare (Kindle Daily Deal)

February
27. ⓔ Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick (Kindle DD)
28. ⓔ When We Were Bad: A Novel by Charlotte Mendelson (rec'd by Bonnie)
29. ⓔ The Light Years (The Cazalet Chronicle 1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard
30. ♫ Marking Time (The Cazalet Chronicle 2) by Elizabeth Jane Howard
31. ♫ Fools of Fortune by William Trevor (rec'd by Paul)
32. ♫ The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 by Margaret MacMillan (rec'd by Suz and Bonnie)
33. ♫ Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (rec'd by Suz and Mark) - Read in February
34. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (Everyman's Library)
35. ♫ Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - Read in February
36. ♫ The Dinner by Herman Koch (Audible Daily Deal)
37. ♫ An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine - Read in February
38. ♫ Selection of Katherine Mansfield
39. ♫ Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (read by Juliet Stevenson)
40. ♫ Realms of Gold: Letters and Poems of John Keats
41. ♫ The Beautiful Visit by Elizabeth Jane Howard
42. ♫ The King's General by Daphne du Maurier
43. ♫ The Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins
44. ♫ The Complete Barchester Chronicles by Anthony Trollope - (Dramatisation)
45. ♫ Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
46. ♫ Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Read in February
47. ♫ The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
48. ♫ Fraud by Anita Brookner
49. ♫ The Brimstone Wedding by Barbara Vine
50. ♫ The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov (Dramatised) - Read in March
51. ♫ Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty - Read in March
52. ♫ Imperium by Robert Harris (Rec'd by Suz, $5 on Downpour.com)
53. ⓔ+♫ Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence (for reread) - (special deal w/ Kindle)
54. ⓔ+♫ Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence (for reread) - (as above)
55. ♫ The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope - Read in April
56. ♫ Tommo and Hawk: The Australian Trilogy, Book 2 by Bryce Courtenay
57. ♫ How It All Began: A Novel by Penelope Lively - Read in March
58. ♫ Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
59. ♫ The Light of Day by Eric Ambler - Read in February
60. A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen by Harold Bloom (used)
61. High Rising by Angela Thirkell
62. Sanditon and Other Stories by Jane Austen (Everyman's Library)
63. ⓔ+♫ Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson - (special deal w/ Kindle)
64. ♫ Philomena by Martin Sixsmith (Audible Daily Deal)

March
65. ⓔ+♫ Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope - (special deal w/ Kindle)
66. ⓔ+♫ Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope - (special deal w/ Kindle)
67. ♫ Firesong by William Nicholson
68. ⓔ+♫ Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (Kindle and Audio for special price)
69. ♫ Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler - Read in March
70. The Raj Quartet: v. 2 by Paul Scott (Everyman's Library)
71. ⓔ A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (Kindle DD)
72. ⓔ Flannery O'Connor: Complete Stories (Kindle DD)
73. ⓔ Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie (Kindle DD)
74. ⓔ The Natural by Bernard Malamud (Kindle DD)
75. ⓔ Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury (Kindle DD)
76. ⓔ Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund (Kindle DD)
77. ♫ The Dark Frontier by Eric Ambler - Read in March
78. ⓔ Grumpy Cat by Grumpy Cat - Read in March
79. ♫ Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith
80. ♫ The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin - Read in April
81. The Reef by Edith Wharton (Everyman's Library)
82. ⓔ The Complete Northanger Horrid Novel Collection (9 Books of Gothic Romance and Horror) (all for $1!)
83. ⓔ Marcovaldo: or the Seasons in the City by Italo Calvino (Kindle DD)
84. ⓔ Italian Folk Tales by Italo Calvino (Kindle DD)
85. ♫ I Am David by Anne Holm (Audible 2 for 1)
86. ♫ The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin (Audible 2 for 1)
87. ♫ Maurice by E.M. Forster (Audible 2 for 1)
88. ♫ Society's Child by Janis Ian (Audible 2 for 1)
89. ♫ Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Audible 2 for 1)
90. ♫ The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (Audible 2 for 1)
91. ♫ The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren (Downpour)
92. ♫ A Walk on the Wild Side by Nelson Algren (Downpour)
93. ⓔ The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christies (Kindle DD)
94. ⓔ Death on the Nile by Agatha Christies (Kindle DD)
95. ⓔ 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christies (Kindle DD)
96. ⓔ The Body in the Library by Agatha Christies (Kindle DD)

Books Purchased in 2014 (cont'd)

April
97. ♫ The Bees by Laline Paull - Returned for refund
98. ♫ Cause for Alarm by Eric Ambler
99. ♫ The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
100. ♫ Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch
101. ♫ The Wall by Marlen Haushofer (Strongly recommended by Rhian)
102. ♫ The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
103 ⓔ The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn (Kindle)
104. ♫ The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume I by Edward Gibbon
105. ♫ Frog Music by Emma Donoghue - Read in April
106. ⓔ The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning (Kindle)
107. ♫ Merivel by Rose Tremain - Completed in July
108. ♫ Chocolat by Joanne Harris
109. ♫ These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer - Read in April
110. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (Everyman's Library)
111. Emma by Jane Austen (Everyman's Library)
112. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Everyman's Library)
113. ♫ Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L. A. Meyer - Read in May
114. ♫ The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book II: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood - Read in April
115. ♫ The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill - Read in April
116. ⓔ Virgin Soil (with Biographical Introduction) by Ivan Turgenev (Kindle Deal)
117. ⓔ Stoner by John Williams (Kindle Deal)
118. ⓔ Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Kindle Deal)
119. ⓔ Sadler's Birthday by Rose Tremain (Kindle)
120. ♫ Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English by John McWhorter (Audible DD)
121. ♫ A Town Like Alice by Nevile Shute (Audible DD)
122. ♫ March Violets by Philip Kerr - Read in May
123. ⓔ The Complete Works of Josephine Tey (Kindle Deal)

May
124. ♫ The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker as the (Audible DD)
125. ⓔ Miss Buncle Married by D. E. Stevenson (Kindle)
126. The Fortnight in September by R. C. Sherriff (Persephone Books)
127. They Knew Mr. Knight by Dorothy Whipple (Persephone Books)
128. Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes by Mollie Panter-Downes (Persephone Books)
129. ♫ The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr - Read in May
130. ♫ The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell - Read in May
131. Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen (FS sale)
132. ⓔ Dissolution by C. J. Samson - Read in May
133. ⓔ Dark Fire by C. J. Samson - Read in May
134. ♫ The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Ten Years After by Alexandre Dumas (Downpour.com deal)
135. ♫ Louise de La Vallière by Alexandre Dumas (Downpour.com deal)
136. ⓔ A Judgement In Stone by Ruth Rendell (Kindle Deal)
137. ⓔ Summer Knight: Book four of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (Audible DD)
138. ⓔ Death Masks: Book five of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (Audible DD)
139. ⓔ Blood Rites: Book six of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (Audible DD)
140. ⓔ Dead Beat: Book 7 of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (Audible DD)
141. ♫ The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien (Audible 2 for 3)
142. ♫ Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne (Audible 2 for 3)
143. ♫ The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (Audible 2 for 3) - Returned for exchange
144. ♫ The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Audible 2 for 3) - Returned for exchange
145. ♫ Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (Audible 2 for 3)
146. ♫ Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (Audible 2 for 3)
147. ♫ Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer (Audible 2 for 3)
148. ♫ Under the Jolly Roger by L. A. Meyer (Audible 2 for 3)
149. ♫ The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (Audible 2 for 3) - Completed in June
150. ♫ The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan (Audible 2 for 3)
151. ♫ The Icebound Land by John Flanagan (Audible 2 for 3)
152. ♫ You're Next by: Gregg Hurwitz (Audible 2 for 3)
153. ⓔ Sovereign by C. J. Samson - Read in May
154. Animal Farm by George Orwell (FS sale)
155. ⓔ Lucian Freud: Eyes Wide Open by Phoebe Hoban (Kindle DD)
156. ♫ A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin (Audible DD)
157. ♫ The Curse of Chalion (Downpour.com sale)
158. ♫ Shards of Honor (Downpour.com sale)
159. ⓔ Edwin: High King of Britain by Edoardo Albert (Amazon Deal)
160. ⓔ Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther ($1 Kindle)
161. ⓔ Revelation by C. J. Sansom - Completed in June

June
162. ⓔ Heartstone by C. J. Sansom - Completed in June
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Audible - exchange)
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill (Audible - exchange)
163. ⓔ The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (Kindle sale)
164. ⓔ Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (Kindle sale)
165. ⓔ Venetia by Georgette Heyer (Kindle sale)
166. ⓔ The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer (Kindle sale)
167. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (VDC from Abe)
168. The Unstrung Harp: Or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel by Edward Gorey (Hardcover from Abe)
169. ⓔ Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (Bello editions deal)
170. ⓔ To War with Whitaker: Wartime Diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly, 1939-45 by Hermione Ranfurly (Bello editions deal)
171. ⓔ Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson (Bello editions deal)
172. ⓔ The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson (Kindle Deal)
173. ♫ Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst - Completed in July
174. ♫ The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning - Completed in June
175. ⓔ Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Completed in June
176. ⓔ Correspondance by Paul Cézanne
177. ♫ The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan (Audible DD)
178. ♫ The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood
179. ♫ Sold by Patricia McCormick (Audible DD)
180. ♫ Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
181. ♫ Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
182. ♫ Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck by Amy Alkon

Books Purchased in 2014 (cont'd)

July
183. ⓔ The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurty (Kindle Monthly Deal)
184. ⓔ What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan (Kindle Monthly Deal)
180. ⓔ Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Kindle Deal)
185. ⓔ A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (Kindle Deal)
186. ⓔ Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose (Kindle DD)
187. ⓔ The Round House by Louise Erdrich (Kindle DD)
188. ⓔ The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
189. ♫ The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
190. ♫ Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
191. ♫ The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
192. ♫ The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
193. ♫ The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
194. ♫ The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
195. ♫ The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
196. ♫ The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
197. ♫ The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
198. ⓔ+♫ The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens (Audible/Kindle deal)
199. ⓔ+♫ Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (Audible/Kindle deal)
200.



♫ = audiobook (Audible or Downpour.com)
ⓔ = eBook
FS = Folio Society

I posted this at the end of my last thread, thought it might do to start this one.



Book #108: ⓔ Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ★★★★★
Read for: TBA
Edition: Numitor Comun Publishing (2011), Kindle Edition, 82 pages
Original publication date: 1943

Finished reading The Little Prince by Saint-Exupéry this morning, after seeing a discussion on Mark's thread last night that I might have partly been responsible for provoking. Mark had just reviewed Peter Sís’s latest book, The Pilot and the Little Prince (which I’ve now reserved at the library), and mentioned he’d never read the original book before, on which I couldn’t help but comment that I was astounded at this, as I'd assumed most adults my age or older had been exposed to this book in childhood, as most people I know in RL have. Then a few other people voiced their opinions about the book, both lovers and haters. This forced me to adjust my notion that some things can’t helped but be universally loved. That there could be haters of Le Petit Prince had never occurred to me, given it's pure intentions and message of true love. But there you have it, a person can hate just about anything, given a chance. To say one didn't really *get* that book or wasn't moved by it is one thing, but to say that's it's a complete waste of time? REALLY?!?! Wow. Anyway, I thought maybe I shouldn't just stick to my assumption that it's a great book just because I've read it countless times, starting with my mom reading it to me before I was able to do so myself as a toddler, and instead of hunting through my endless stacks for my ageless paperback copy, got the 99¢ Kindle edition so I could start on it right away and finished it early this morning when I was waken by construction work in the backyard outside my bedroom window. Perhaps I didn't cry at the end this time, as I've usually done; I’d feared my cynical adult self might find this book has lost of it’s potency over time, but no. It's still a wonderful and timeless tale.

I didn't start out with the intention of writing this comment as a review, but it'll do as such. To make it stick to the format a bit, I'll say, for those who aren't familiar with the book, it is a firsthand account by a pilot stuck in the Sahara desert due to mechanical failure who meets the Little Prince—he apparently comes from another planet—when the little blonde-haired boy tells the pilot to "draw me a sheep!". There follows a discussion about the pilot's lack of drawing skills, of the Little Prince's relationship with the solitary rose that has grown on his tiny planet, where he needs to be ever-vigilant about baobabs taking root and potentially overtaking the tiny place, then of the boy's travels to other asteroids inhabited by adults who have strange priorities, to the little fox on planet earth who asks the Little Prince to tame him, because "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

It's a simple story on the surface, to be sure, but also a very profound one, which teaches us that "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye."



Indeed.

Yay, first!

Welcome Jim! I'm still setting up as you can see!

Book #109: ❉ Treehorn Times Three by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Edward Gorey ★★★★½
Read for: TIOLI Challenge #1: Author’s first and last name end in the same letter
Edition: Yearling (1991), 1st Edition, Paperback, 200 pages
Original publication date: 1991

What a treat! I had almost purchased this trilogy as soon as I'd read Heather's review of it (was it last year or earlier still?), given I'm a fan of Edward Gorey, who illustrates these, but was reticent to spend nearly $30 for it. Now I'm thinking it might not be a bad investment after all. I borrowed this little softcover omnibus edition containing all three books, The Shrinking of Treehorn (1971), Treehorn's Treasure (1981), and Treehorn's Wish (1984) from the library recently. I devoured it in a short sitting on my sunny balcony today, and couldn't stop smiling through it all. When we meet Treehorn, he's just discovered he's mysteriously shrunken when he finds he can't reach a shelf in his closet he has always managed to reach before (it's an important shelf too, since he that's where he keeps his bubblegum and candy bars hidden). Then as time goes by, his clothes get too big and he has to jump out of bed when he wakes up, since his feet no longer reach the floor. When he tries to alert his parents to this mysterious occurrence, all they're able to do is tell him to sit up straight at the breakfast and dinner table. It soon becomes clear that Treehorn is a perfectly normal little boy, his main problem being that all the adults around him are too self-absorbed to listen to a word he says. In book 2, Treehorn's Treasure, his father is having money problems, and meanwhile Treehorn has discovered that the tree in their backyard is literally sprouting dollar bills, but again, no one will listen when he mentions this. In book 3, he discovers a genie in a bottle, and his biggest problem is to figure out what his third wish should be, after he's wasted the first two wishes on basic things like a birthday cake and candles, because everybody has forgotten it's his special day, including both parents and his supposed best friend too. It all sounds so simple just told like that, but the magic is precisely in the telling with a very funny text by Heide and those great b&w drawings by Gorey. STRONGly reccomended!

Happy new thread, Ilana!

Thanks Mark!

Ilana, I was an adult first time reader of The Little Prince and I thought it was definitely a timeless classic. I read a lot of children's literature so I'm already 'in the zone' for these types of reads I suppose. Have you looked at Joann Sfar's graphic novel adaption of it, you could probably get that in the original French at your library.

Great that you got an explanation for the high priced item at Amazon. I used to do that for my (trademe) online auctions when I had mislaid a book I was selling, happened a few times and it saved me being penalised from withdrawing the auction.

I'm a fan of Treehorn and have that omnibus edition in my collection.

Wow! Happy new thread, Ilana! Now I have to go back and finish the old one.

Happy New Thread, Miss Little Prince Loving Lady! :)

Now, Gorey illustrations are much more my cuppa...

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:

        

✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 21: All Washed Up by by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
❉ Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey
♫ The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning
❉ Le charretier de la Providence / Lock 14 by Georges Simenon
✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book

Well, I guess insomnia has a great silver lining when it comes to completing books. I finished Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett by Georges Simenon last night, and then after laying wide awake for a half hour, made further progress on Cover Her Face by P. D. James, then finished it this morning after getting maybe 3 hours of sleep in all. I'm feeling sort of wired now, but I guess I'll probably be sleeping a lot in the next couple of days to compensate. Really enjoyed my first Simenon, and now have moved on to the 2nd Maigret book, Lock 14. At just over 100-120 pages each, they're really more like novellas, and I should be able to complete the omnibus while I have it on loan from the library if I read one story per week or so, which should be a reasonable pacing, letting me take a few days' break between each book.

Just over 90 minutes into the audiobook of The Great Fortune, book 1 of the Balkan Trilogy, I've really hit a sweet spot and can see why it's such a popular series with some members who've recommended it more than once (thinking of Suz, among others).

I'll also be starting on Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev today. I've been really looking forward to reading more by this author, and this one was Lucy's (sibyx) choise for my Picked for Me! challenge. I'm sure I'll enjoy it tremendously; I'm only sorry it took me all these years to discover this marvellous Russian author.

Very dark, grey and muggy today. We're expecting thunderstorms all through the rest of the day and night, so I should get off the computer soon and go to market asap to get a few essentials if I don't want to get caught in the downpour. I was sure it would be closed today, which meant trying to put together meals with whatever was lingering in the fridge, but I called the gourmet grocer where I get my specialty products who told me the market was fully open for business. Surprising, considering today is Saint-Jean Baptiste day, a major holiday in Quebec.

...

Uh oh, just looked out the window, and it seems there is already a good shower going out there. Guess I'll have to decide just how badly I want those lemons for lemonade and salad dressings...

Congratulations on the new thread, Ilana! The Montreal botanical gardens look like a lovely place to read.

The Little Prince: I'll bet most highly touted classics have their haters. Some people probably rebel against being pushed to like something and overreact. The one I've never seen a bad word about on LT is 84 Charing Cross Road, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some here disliking it because so many people love it, and they don't think it lives up to that.

I read Sketches from a Hunter's Album when I was a young lad, and have positive memories of it. But I should read it again, as too many years have passed.

>22 avatiakh: Kerry, I'm not surprised, but pleased you found The Little Prince to be a timeless classic, since I know what an avid reader of children's literature you are.

Going to check for Sfar's adaptation at the library right now...

Done! Not too surprised to find they had many copies of it available, including one at my own branch, which means I should get it very soon. Really looking forward to it, thanks for alerting me to it's existence. I'm sure there are loads of adaptations of this work (just starting to look at the catalogue now), but I'm sure this one in particular is really special, already having a great appreciation for Sfar's work (in large part thanks to you).

It's just a question of time before I give in and splurge on that Treehorn Trilogy. I'll definitely want to reread it, such fun!

>23 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, thanks for dropping by! I'll try to post more reviews on this one. Since the weather is bad out there today, I may be inspired to post a few no later than today!

>24 banjo123: That's wonderful Rhonda! I'm guessing that's a public library somewhere in France?
...
Ah yes! Just googled it, and I think I've seen pictures of it before as it must be rather famous.

This one is on their homepage:


This from the web:


They've obviously taken liberties with the thickness of all three books, since they're all such slight volumes in reality! :-)

>25 scaifea: I'm willing to live with that label, Amber! :-)

Edward Gorey is of a totally different register of course, probably at the other end of the spectrum even, but I love him just as much. He makes me laugh the most when his jokes are about cruelty to children somehow, as that is often his humour at it's darkest. I don't know what that says about me... I guess I'm comfortable with both extremes!

>27 jnwelch: Hi Joe, sorry I missed your post, I must have been trolling the web for photos of that Méjanes library. I agree that when it comes to classics, some people must dislike them because they've been more or less forced to read them. That's never a great way of being introduced to a work, and goodness knows I've reacted negatively to some "great classics" for that reason too. But on the whole, I've usually been pleasantly surprised with compulsory reading choices, after getting over my initial resistance, that is. Émile Zola is one prime example, as we were forced to read a couple of his novels in high school for French class, and I was not inclined to like him at all, but I ended up being a huge fan. Sometimes though I've been hugely disappointed and wondered 'what the heck is wrong with me' with some books that everyone seems to love but me.

84 Charing Cross Road is such a gem. I'll have to pick it up soon, now I have that wonderful Virago edition of it and then move straight on to The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, also included in that volume. I'd promised myself I'd read 84 every year when I finished it last year (my first time). We'll see if I hold to that. Doubtful, however much I like it.

Happy new thread Ilana!

I have to confess I've never read The Little Prince. We have a copy in French and whilst my husband says my French would be good enough to cope, I'm not convinced it is. I may dig it out and try it or at least see if the library has a copy in English!

>19 Smiler69: I'm really glad you loved Treehorn! That set has to be one of the best things I got from the ER programme.

Going back to your last thread, I'm sorry to hear things didn't work out with Ben but as you already look after 3 furkids and have given a home to Coco, I think you're doing your fair share. Also really pleased you enjoyed The Grand Budapest Hotel. I thought the trailers looked brilliant but didn't manage to see that one at the cinema so I'm eagerly awaiting the DVD release.

And I love your new plant. What is it?

>30 souloftherose: Hi Heather, thanks for asking about my plant, I'd meant to look it up since I got it last Friday, and you just now prompted me to do so. Here, from wikipedia:

Caladium /kəˈleɪdiəm/ is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. They are often known by the common name elephant ear (which they share with the closely related genera Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma), Heart of Jesus, and Angel Wings. There are over 1000 named cultivars of Caladium bicolor from the original South American plant.

The genus Caladium includes seven species that are indigenous to Brazil and to neighboring areas of South America and Central America. They grow in open areas of the forest and on the banks of rivers and go dormant during the dry season. The wild plants grow to 15–35 inches (40–90 cm) tall, with leaves mostly 6-18 inches (15–45 cm) long and broad.

Also, looking at google images, I realize I've seen this plant often before (often with the red centre), but maybe not in the version with just the ribs in red and whitish background with green contour. But then, maybe I'm noticing them more now, since my appreciation for plants has grown leaps and bounds since I started drawing and painting them for my art classes a few years back and reading about so much trees and plants in British novels!


I've also just now left a message with Sophie to find out how Little Ben is doing. I really liked that little mite a whole lot and hope he's doing ok, but I couldn't cope with the stress of making sure he'd remain healthy, what between the probably stroke he had and his continuing refusal to eat. I could see it creating much too much stress in my life, given how much I worry about my pets even when they're perfectly healthy!

When I was rereading Le petit prince the other day (in French, for obvious reasons), I did keep my eye out for how it might read to an English person who only has a basic understanding of French, having just been appraised that it was often used as a teaching tool in the original, and I must say I found some words were not so easy to interpret even for me. Not many, mind you, but perhaps you might want to give yourself a running chance and borrow an English version for your first exposure so you aren't struggling with basic understanding. Then, if you find you like it, reading the French would probably prove more satisfactory.

Well, goodness knows I've had plenty of opportunities to write reviews today, given how short our walks are in the rain and that I'm cooped up inside, but then I'm also brain dead from too little sleep (3 hours isn't nearly enough for me!). I caught up on a few threads and now ready for bed, pretty well, but will try to hang in there and resume my regular schedule. Zzzzzzz....

Hi Ilana! Just popping in. I hope you had a good day and I hope you now get plenty of snooze-time in. Fingers crossed.

Hey Mark, thanks for dropping by. I was overfull of energy this morning and thought I could tackle any challenge, but then my body remembered it doesn't do so well on less than 9 hours sleep usually. Bummer. But no complaints, all is good. I'll be taking a whole Ativan tonight to make sure I get enough shut-eye time.

Hi there Ilana. I'm happy to get in here on your shiny new thread before it takes off and I get so behind I despair of ever getting caught up. I love that reading spot at the top!

Hi Bonnie, I know just what you mean about trying to get caught up with threads once they've really taken off. I look forward to making use of that reading spot sometimes soon!

Another one just settling into your new thread, Ilana. That rose at the top of your thread is gorgeous. I plan on spending a couple of hours outside today with my books as apparently the rain is arriving here tomorrow evening.

I LOVED The Grand Budapest Hotel!! My son and I just watched it and we were both thrilled. Funny, exciting, gorgeous to look at and Ralph Fiennes has not been this good in ages. I am already looking forward to a revisit.

^I added these comments to my thread, as well. Grins...

What a strange day it's been. I wish I could give details of why that is, but it may not be appropriate. Let me just say someone made me try a different kind of medication to try to help relieve my constant tension headache (as opposed to full-on migraine, the former being a blessing in comparison). I'm not sure it's the right way to go, but it's worth a try.

I haven't had a crush in so many years I can't remember the last time, but my carpenter neighbour just makes me swoon. I saw him around the block a few times this afternoon as he and his gf/wife (that's what he calls her, they're newlyweds but I assume they'd been together a long time) were looking for a lost cat. If only he didn't smile at me so much, I'd manage not to get too distracted, but wow! He's either an extremely friendly guy or an irredeemable flirt. Either way is fine with me. So long as he doesn't get in trouble of course. :-)

Reading today: zilch. Except for a couple of hours of The Great Fortune on audio. Too tired to do anything basically, so off to bed shortly.

>37 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy. I'm glad you like my rose pic. I took loads that day, and I know my mom is impatiently waiting for me to post a gallery of my botanical gardens photos on my blog, so I should get on it asap. We were supposed to have thunderstorms beginning in the afternoon, but nothing's come of it so far. Hope you enjoyed reading outside. I always find it to be such a treat!

>38 msf59: Oh yay! I'm not surprised you loved it, mind you. I seriously considered going back to the cinema to see The Grand Budapest Hotel again yesterday. One way or another, I'll be watching it again too!

I was able to find a gorgeous copy online, we loaded it on a flashdrive and watched it on our widescreen. I think it is out on DVD or coming soon.

>41 msf59: Mark, yes, it's in my Amazon shopping cart. I'm hopping for a price drop at some point...

Ilana, I just got the summer sale booklet from Folio, generally I can put this aside, but wow, the prices are so good. There is at least one set that I'll have to get, criminal not to when there is 70% discount.

Love that seat under the green arch in your photo up top.

Happy New Thread, Ilana!
Okay, you convinced me to give The Little Prince his 100th chance... I am not a hater, I just never cared about it and (embarrassing to say that) thought it was boring. Okay, that was many, many years ago. I tried several times, but my last attempt to read and like it was at least 25 years ago, so maybe in the meantime I "matured into it". I admit that I also didn't like much the illustrations then.

I must see that Budapest Hotel movie. Sadly I'll have to wait for Sky Italy to offer it, but maybe I'm lucky and they are as quick as they were with "The Great Gatsby" and other movies.

My mum just sent me this picture she took of what is currently a work in progress and will become the local library's book drop for free book exchanges. This is in the small town of Graulhet, France, which is 50 km east of Toulouse. I'm assuming he'll be kept somewhere dry...

>43 avatiakh: Hi Kerry, I was alerted to the sale as soon as it started over at the Folio group. The good news for me is I already have most books I want from the selection offered, so I wasn't tempted to jump in, although there are some amazing deals, as you've seen. What set are you considering getting?

>44 Deern: Hi Nathalie, and welcome! Don't feel bad if for whatever reason The Little Prince doesn't work for you next time around either. As I said, I was exposed to that book at a tender and impressionable age, so it's normal I have such a strong connection to it. I think to best appreciate it you really need to put yourself in the mind of a child. I like the illustrations a lot, but then again, I grew up looking at them.

I hope you do get to see The Grand Budapest Hotel, it's such a treat!

I'll be heading to the National Library today to pick up Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini. Caro did a great job showing that book on one of her threads this year.

From wikipedia: "originally published in 1981, is an illustrated encyclopedia of an imaginary world, created by the Italian artist, architect, and industrial designer Luigi Serafini during thirty months, from 1976 to 1978.1 The book is approximately 360 pages long (depending on edition), and written in a strange, generally unintelligible alphabet."

Should be quite a treat!

I haven't been a folio member for a couple of years so was surprised that they sent me a booklet for the sale. I've been buying the odd 1 or 2 used copies from time to time. I'll get the Katharine Brigg's Folktales of Britain: Legends set, it's 70% discount and adds to my folktales collection. I might get Orlando as well as my copy is a very discardable ex-library paperback.

Love the Serafini pics.

I brought back a huge pile of audiobooks on CD from my trip to the National Library yesterday, and now busily copying them onto my hard drive. Here are the spoils from my trip:

Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini
Patrick O'Brian's Navy by Richard O'Neill - to help me next time I attempt to tackle the Aubrey-Maturin series

On audio CDs:
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - have this in paperback since 2010, but perhaps I'll get to it faster now?
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - for a reread, this time narrated by Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame.
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie - had it at some point in ppb, but gave it away unread.
Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck - never got to this title when we had the Steinbeckathon
The Kill by Émile Zola - one of my favourites in the series so far, for a reread
La Bête Humaine / The Best Within by Zola - for when I get to that part of the series
L'oeuvre au noir / The Abyss by Marguerite Yourcenar - I've been meaning to read this French author for decades. This won the Prix Femina in 1968.
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende - another ppb that's been sitting unread on my tbr for ages...
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory - to continue the Cousins' War series I started recently.
Les inconnus dans la maison / The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon - yet another paperback that's been sitting unread on my tbr for ages... this is a multicast performance, so should be quite fun.

***

>47 avatiakh: Kerry, I just received the booklet in the mail yesterday. The Brigg Folktale sets at 70% are definitely worth it. I got them at a similar price during another sale. I think I'm fairly safe with this sale by virtue of the fact I went and bought ever single FS title I desired last year when it turned up on sale, so there are no 'new' titles for me no discounted. Which doesn't mean I might not give in and get something over the next couple of months, but I'll do my best to resist, considering I'm still paying for last year's purchases!

Finished listening to The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning and started Au bonheur des dames / Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola this afternoon. We're having gorgeous weather, which should last throughout the weekend.

Hi Ilana- Congrats on the audio book haul! I loved Middlesex. I wonder how it will work on audio. I'll be watching for your thoughts. I am curious how Sweet Thursday will sound.
Never read Zola!

>24 banjo123: wow! The bike in the shot just adds to the atmosphere. Very cool.

I am still meaning to read Middlesex, I have heard great things about it from RL and LT peeps :)

Just finished my second Inspecteur Maigret book: Le charretier de la Providence / Lock 14 by Georges Simenon.

The man had a cinematic mind. This is noir so gritty and filled with such a rich atmosphere that you can't help but be struck by this Belgian author's singular style. Wow. Guess I'll flesh this out eventually to have a decent review to show for it.

Will start on something else this evening, in print. Something light, I think. Will have to look through my bedroom tbr. Then there's always those Folio shelves too...

Guess it's time to call it a night

***

>50 msf59: Hey Mark. Middlesex won lots of awards including the Pulitzer of course (though we don't seem to be all that pleased with those people lately), and also an Audie award, which tells me putting aside personal tastes and preferences, it should make for a pretty good listen. Looking forward to listening to Steinbeck too. I'm sure he'll sound just fine! ;-)

>51 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I love that picture that Rhonda posted here too, was a nice surprise to sign in and find it there!

I've been putting off Middlesex, because vaguely apprehensive about the subject matter. I keep thinking it's about someone going through a sex-change process (which I don't think it's about actually), and I must say I'm not ready to be reading about that, so I keep pushing it away down the piles. I've got some serious personal limitations to face on that topic before I can explore it in fiction. But it seems like an extremely popular book (over 20,000 listed on LT) that has been loved by many, so I figure it's worth making time for it.

I liked Middlesex a great deal - it's one of those books too, that widens your view of what gender is.

I'm so happy you are reading the Turgenev!!

Happy weekend Ilana

Hi Ilana!

Excellent book and CD haul. I am another fan of Middlesex.

>46 Smiler69: Those illustrations are kind of intense......

I would think Agatha Christie would work well on audio.

I hope you're having a good weekend!

>53 sibylline: Hi Lucy, it seems lots of people liked Middlesex a great deal, and I'm glad you're among those Lucy. I'm keeping an open mind about it, but of course it could go several ways.

Sketches is made up of very short short stories (most around 10-12 pages), so it's good to take in here and there. I find once I've finished a story, I want to take the time to let it sink in before moving on to the next one, so it may take me a while to finish it.

>54 The_Hibernator: Thank you Rachel! Wishing you the very same.

***

I'm fighting fatigue these days, and today was the first of what is a series of very warm days. I spent as much of it outside as I could, but it was good to be on the balcony best of all, because if any chance light breeze drifted by (a rare occasion), you got a whiff of it, and cold drinks were just a couple of steps away. Picked up a hodge-podge of children's books I brought back from the library in the last few weeks, the two that pleased me most were Amphigorey Too, which I'm taking in in small delicious morsels, and I can confirm that, true to it's reputation, Codex Seraphinianus is definitely one of the strangest books ever published on this planet. The expression "far out" definitely applies here!

I'll just keep posting various images from it as I browse through slowly. I think this section was covering plants from (an)other planet(s). I'm assuming at this point the whole book is a sort of encyclopedia for aliens. The original Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy maybe??







There are entire pages of beautifully formatted hand-written text that is completely unintelligible but very intriguing to try to make out.

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:

          

✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 21: All Washed Up by by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
❉ Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey
✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev
♫ Au bonheur des dames / Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola
✔ Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
❉ Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini

I got Dare Me and Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? by Billy Crystal from the library's OverDrive collection. I never thought I'd want to pick up Dare Me, a book about cheerleaders, until I went on the author page and realised it was that Megan Abbott, who'd written it, i.e. the one who also wrote the beautiful pulp novel Queenpin, which features two female leads. Die A Little has been on my wishlist for years, and I can't understand why I haven't gotten my hands on it yet. Will have to remedy that. It's my birthday in July, so I have a good reason to treat myself.

That being said, I'm being oddly good about book purchases this week. So far only got the following from an Audible daily deal offer:

♫ The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan

They have a sale on till the end of the month, so I might get a few titles in the next couple of days.

>55 EBT1002: Sorry I skipped over you Ellen, I was busy posting other stuff and almost missed your message! Codex Seraphinianus is definitely an strange experience. I'd say strange and wonderful. Every pages is evidence of what an amazingly creative mind put it together.

Agatha Christie is perfect on audio. I have to remind myself not to turn my brain completely off so I can appreciate the books!

Hi Ilana, I hope you are getting over the fatigue thing! I will send you some rain, we have lots of it!

I just spent a couple of hours looking at the TIOLI challenges and decided I'd list some books, although I was initially not going to plan my reading at all this month, considering how moody I've been about my reading of late and wanting to pick out stuff according to passing whims. But then I couldn't resist. I went overboard as always, and I'll still let myself pick up stuff at the last minute it I so wish, but here goes:

Reading Plans for July:
☀♫ Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope - TIOLI challenge #2: Read a book with a central character who is Irish, Tutored read with Liz
☀*✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev - TIOLI #18: Read a book of short stories - Reading
☀♫ Au bonheur des dames / Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola - TIOLI #14: author has only one A in his/her name - Listening
☀✔ Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken - TIOLI #5: has on its cover some kind of geographical identifying feature: map, flag, symbol, photo, etc. Reading
☀❉ Monsieur Gallet décédé / Maigret Stonewalled by Georges Simenon TIOLI #3: Read a genre novel that has been translated to English
☀❉ Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien / Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets by Georges Simenon - TIOLI #3
☀✔ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler - TIOLI #4: Start a series and continue if you want
☀✔ Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett - (Calder Art Mysteries #1) - TIOLI #4
☀♫ Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone - by J. K. Rowling - TIOLI #4
☀♫ Legend by Marie Liu - TIOLI #4
☀♫ Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch - TIOLI #5
☀✔ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier - TIOLI #6: Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation (shared read)
☀✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jone - TIOLI #10: Read a book that has won the Alex Award
☀♫ Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman - TIOLI #10
☀♫ The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson - TIOLI #10
☀ⓔ Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - TIOLI #16: author's first and last names end with a vowel
☀♫ The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri - TIOLI #16
☀♫ Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig - TIOLI #14
☀✔ A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull - TIOLI #14

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book
ⓔ = eBook
☀ = TIOLI
* = Picked for Me challenge

>59 connie53: Hi Connie, the fatigue isn't too much of a problem, since I can sleep as much as I need. 12 hours last night! Yikes! We'll be getting rain this week here, but thanks for offering! ;-)

Wow, Ilana, that's some audio haul! That's also an intriguing list for July.
Codex Seraphinianus is - I'm not sure what it is, but thank you for continuing to post pages.
Count me as another fan of Middlesex.
I'm trying not to jump into a million new books all at once to replace *PW* - but --- the freedom! The freedom!

>60 Smiler69: That's an interesting lineup for the month. I've done the same this time round, I have about 15-20 books lined up because of TIOLI, still I make good use of the 'leave it' option so don't feel too daunted by it all. I love pulling books off the tbr shelves that have been there too long and at least by listing them I show a little committment to eventually reading them.

Yeah, that Codex Seraphinianus is strange, the illustrations that you've been posting are intriguing.

I'm up way pasts my time. Not sure where all the evening went. I think maybe Facebook, though I very rarely spend time there these days.

Finished Lucinda's Secret (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3) by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. I've been going through my stack of illustrated books borrowed from the library this weekend. This one is a very fun little children's series on faeries I'd sort of let languish, but I should really read the other books soon. Guess this is a placeholder of sorts for a mini-review.

>62 LizzieD: Yes Peggy, this particular library is a bit out of the way for me, so I always take time to thoroughly scan their audio shelves when I go as I'm sure to find some gems.
July's possible picks were mostly decided upon as I was going through the TIOLI wiki pages, aside from the ones I'm already reading, which I began before seeing the new challenges. Another Middlesex fan eh? Will be nice to see if we agree on that one or no. Either way, it's all good! :-)
I'm really happy for you that you feel liberated after finishing Palace Walk. I'm afraid to reread it now and find it lacking too as far as translation goes.

>63 avatiakh: Hi Kerry, I spotted you had listed Legend when I was lurking on your thread yesterday. I've been doing lots of that—lurking—lately here. And yes, the 'leave it' option works well for me for the exact same reasons you mention. That way all the books in the house get their fair chance.

I took some photos of Codex Seraphinianus today, but v late now, so I'll post them tomorrow. Also pics of my furry trio, which I posted on FB; I'll also post them here. Tomorrow.

G'night everyone!

And g'day for those seeing this on Monday.

I love that I can see Anansi Boys on your list for July!

Ooooo a sale? I better run over and see. Today is the last day, eh?

Hi Ilana!

Wow - the Codex Serephinianus is rather gorgeous, isn't it?

You've been reading lots of great stuff this year, and you've got great plans for July. I'm in the same boat with the TIOLI Challenges - it's so tempting to find books and fit and plan my reading, but sometimes I end up not wanting to read any of it! I may try for a sweep this month - we'll see how it goes.

Gorgeous day and very hot too. We were supposed to have a thunderstorm this afternoon and into Tuesday, but so far, no sign of it. Made my way very slowly to market with Coco, who has gotten used to trotting along tethered to my shopping cart. Slowly so I wouldn't sweat like a mofo. Got loads of fresh produce, including a tiny basket of strawberries, the first batch of the season. Got home, and not sure where the time's gone by, but it just does. I do one small thing like wash the dishes, then sit down on the balcony to catch a breeze. Strip the bed of one sheet for laundry, then sit down again next to a fan. Not very efficient, but I'm not complaining, life is good.

Might finish Ladies' Paradise someday. I can see why it's not necessarily Zola's most popular novel. Otherwise making slow progress on everything else. Even reading seems like a big effort, which I keep interrupting to get something cool to drink.

For those who are into Montalbano and who like audiobooks, Downpour.com is having a 70% sale on the whole series. Definitely worth checking out (just click on the blue link to go to their page).

>65 scaifea: Hi Amber! I really like Neil Gaiman, though not everything he does works for me. I'm a huge fan of The Graveyard Book and Neverwhere for example, but Sandman got too violent for me and I did not at all get American Gods. But yeah, I'm hoping to get to Anansi Boys this coming month. I take it you're a fan?

>66 sibylline: Hi Lucy! Now's the time to stock up on the lower priced items at Audible. Everything on the site is 50% off the original price, so you can get great deals. Hurry, it ends at 11:59 tonight!

>67 Dejah_Thoris: Hi Dejah! Thanks for dropping by. Codex is definitely fascinating. The book itself is also a beautiful object, as it's printed on this great textured paper and the illustrations look very rich on it. But you might know this already—I take it you've enjoyed it yourself before?

I don't know if I'll ever even attempt a sweep with the TIOLI challenges, but I'm certainly impressed with those who manage to do it!

***

eta: shot and posted my little trio on FB yesterday, but thought they might enliven my thread too.

Can't ever let a good audiobook sale go by without taking advantage of it, so here is my Audible stash from today:

The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood - The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 3
Sold by Patricia McCormick today's daily deal at less than $2
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote - narrated by Michael C. Hall of Dexter and Six Feet Under fame
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira - don't know a thing about this one, sort of fell on it and was intrigued
Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck by Amy Alkon - that title!

Also currently have 9 Montalbano titles in my Downpour.com cart, thinking I might do the whole series on audio over the summer. Some titles I have and some are at the library. Should I do it? Works out to around $4.62 each...

Why is it that every day I tell myself I'll write reviews, and every day I don't? I need to fix that. Tomorrow. :-)

I read the Spiderwick Chronicles to my nephew back when he was 3. He loved them. :)

>60 Smiler69: The Big Sleep is a part of a series? I had no idea. What are the following books?

I am currently listening to an audio book! (this is news, believe me). I tried one once when I was recovering from surgery and I think the drugs made it a little hard to concentrate. But I got one out for my mum and she rejected it so I decided to start listening on the way home in the car (perfect listening time seeing as I am going out to see her 3 times a week so have about 3-4 hours in the car to get there and back). It is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and I have to say- I am really enjoying it!

Hi Ilana! Just checking in. Good book haul. You'll be happy to hear, that I will finally be cracking the Little Prince and that will leave you "aghast" no longer. Well, at least I hope...smiles.

Hi Ilana!

>52 Smiler69: "The man had a cinematic mind. This is noir so gritty and filled with such a rich atmosphere that you can't help but be struck by this Belgian author's singular style." I loved that about the first Maigret book so I'm glad to hear it's also a feature of the second.

>56 Smiler69: I'm both fascinated and weirded out by the images you're posting from Codex Seraphinianus. Keep them coming!

>68 Smiler69: The fur babies look so cute in those photos.

July 1st is Canada Day over here. Not much celebrated in Quebec, where it's the official moving day, with leases usually ending on this day. Don't see any moving trucks on my street, which is a rarity, since, along with the gentrified family homes, there are plenty of students living on my street.

I plugged in and turned on the A/C today for the first time, something which I was delaying as much as possible, since the Hydro electricity bills will be going through the roof after the record-breaking cold winter we had. It's around 40 C or 104 F today and after a really bad night trying to sleep with a loud fan on top of my covers, waking up constantly (at one point, Mimi was half on my pillow, staring at me and purring, which was a bit freaky), I woke up feeling quite poorly, though in a good mood (the two aren't mutually exclusive it seems). After a light breakfast smoothie I felt nauseous and a heavy migraine coming on, so I installed and turned on the A/C, took a couple of Fioricet, followed by a cold shower, which I let myself drip-dry from. Coco also got a proper dousing since he was panting heavily, poor thing. Feeling too listless to do much, so perhaps extra time on LT today might be justified.

I rarely, if ever do these monthly stats, but feel inspired to this month. With my birthday just 10 days away, I guess I'm in a 'taking stock' kind of headspace.


June Stats

Total books: 20

Mystery / thriller: 8
YA/Children: 5
Historical fiction: 4 (2 also in Mystery / thriller)
Fantasy: 3 (also in YA/children's)
Non-Fiction: 3
Graphic Novels: 15 (part on an anthology)
Quarterlies: 1
Series works: 14
Male : female authors: 9 : 7
Both: 1
TIOLI: 20, across 15 different challenges, 5 shared reads

Audiobooks: 7
Off the shelf: 6
Library: 3
eBook: 2
Unfinished: 1

Ratings:
5 stars: 1 + 1 (as part of anthology)
4 & up: 13
3 & up: 6

Longest work: The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir (656 pages / 22.5 hours audio)
Shortest work: Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (82 pages)

Oldest work: A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (1887)
Newest work: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (2012)

Agh, I missed the transition to a new thread.

>46 Smiler69:, >56 Smiler69: Codex Seraphinianus
Interesting, but pricey.

Any word on Little Ben?

>71 The_Hibernator: Rachel, I'm sure I would have enjoyed The Spiderwick Chronicles as a kid too, though of course they didn't exist then yet. Makes me feel like a kid reading them now, which isn't a bad thing! :-)

>72 LovingLit: Megan, The Big Sleep is book 1 of the Philip Marlowe series, of which there are 8 written by Raymond Chandler himself, and apparently Robert B. Parker wrote too. I doubt they need to be read in order, other than seeing how the writing evolves, because I don't think the main character does much, as was the style in those days of cool and detached he-men.

Congrats on enjoying your first audiobook! The Flavia de Luce books work well on audio, I agree. And of course commuting is a prefect excuse to listen!

>73 msf59: Mark, if the original Little Prince leaves you indifferent or worse, you might try the adaptation as a GN by Joann Sfar, which I'm almost certain you'd enjoy. I'm currently reading it now.

>74 souloftherose: Heather, the second on takes place on mostly on the canals, on these barges and a yacht all making their way from one lock to another. I took me a really long time to get a sense of the atmosphere because it's so unfamiliar to me, but I think Simenon did a great job of conveying it, because I was thoroughly seeped in it by the end.

'Fascinating and Weird' are definitely apt descriptions for Codex Seraphinianus!

>76 qebo: Hi Katherine! It's definitely not too late to come to my new thread, it being the beginning of the month and everything. I strongly considered purchasing the Serafini book, but given the price tag I figured it would be wiser to borrow it from the library first to decide whether it's something I'd like to keep beyond the original fascination.

No news on Little Ben unfortunately. I only heard from his former foster mum, who told me she'd heard he was doing well. But that was last week and Sophie hasn't called me back. This is the busiest time of the year for rescue associations, because hundreds of thousands of pets are abandoned every year on July 1st here in Quebec, when people move into new homes where pets are not allowed, or just as an excuse to clear the decks. Just... horrid. See >75 Smiler69: for more on July 1st.

As my first book purchases of July, I got these two highly recommended titles from the Kindle monthly deals:

The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurty - rec'd by Mark, though I'm a fan now I've read the Lonesome Dove quartet.
What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan - rec'd by Heather / souloftherose

Total books purchased to date: 179

Still wondering whether I should take the plunge on the Montalbano audio deal at Downpour.com...

Oryx and Crake
A Fine Balance

are just two of the titles offered at $5 eBooks (in Canada) from my wishlist which I just got. I found the deals via iBooks, but also on Amazon, so it seems to be across multiple platforms. I have A Fine Balance as a massive mass market paperback, but I hate that format, so an ebook for this huge volume is just the thing.

There's also

Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear ($2.99)
Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay

and many others. Worth checking if this is valid in the US too.

Total books purchased to date: 181

I was pretty good about my book reviews in May, as I managed to review most of the books read that month. I was very lazy about reviews in June, and will now try to catch up with short reviews, written out of order, as I've been doing this year. I'm aiming for short and sweet. Wish me luck!






Book #107: ♫ Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed ★★★★
Source: Library
Read for: Picked for Me! Challenge (chosen by Mark/msf59) and June TIOLI #9: A book that doesn't have a person on the cover
Edition: Random House Audio (2012), OverDrive Unabridged MP3, 13h06
Original publication date: 2012

This book made me long to put on my hiking boots and spend some time in the wild, though perhaps not for three months, nor travelling on my own on a little frequented trail carrying a backpack half my weight, as Cheryl Strayed did. After going through a difficult time when her mother, whom she was very close to was diagnosed with cancer and died very shortly after (strayed was 22, her mother, only 45), Strayed found herself sinking ever lower. First breaking up her marriage, although she loved her husband, then falling into a heroin habit and quickly going nowhere. Raised in a house with no electricity or running water as a youth, she decided roughing it in the wilds would be the best way for her to find herself again, and so with very little information save for one guide book about the PCT (this was in 1996, before the internet became anything like the resource it is today), she took off on this journey with no previous experience, a backpack which was so heavy she couldn't lift it off the ground, and boots which turned out to be too small so that each day her feet were massacred in the process. I found the first part, where she talks about her mother's illness and the dreadful weeks spent at the hospital, with her condition worsening faster than anyone had predicted to be difficult going, But as soon as she started to narrate her PCT adventure, she made me feel as though I was right alongside her sharing the thrills of the outdoors. Strayed always wanted to be a writer and she seems like a natural storyteller. She relates her experience from extensive notes and a journal she kept on her journey and narrates the tale as she progresses on the trail and mostly stumbled and bumbled about, but also had nice encounters and experiences. Definitely recommended, and I'll also look out for her essay collection Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar.

Book #105: ♫ A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle ★★★★
Source: Audible.com
Read for: June TIOLI #11: A mystery/crime thriller set in the British Isles
Series: Sherlock Holmes (1 of 9)
Edition: Brilliance Audio (2013), Unabridged MP3; 4h01
Contained in: The Complete Sherlock Holmes
Original publication date: 1887

Goodness knows why it's taken me so long to start reading this iconic series. I listened to a few short stories last year, taken out of order and enjoyed them enough, but decided I really needed to read them in publication order. A Study in Scarlet is the work which introduced the reading public to the phenomenon that is Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr Watson, who narrates the story and describes his first encounter with the great Holmes, when both were still young men and looking to share living quarters to accommodate restricted budgets. Watson, who has plenty of time on his hands, gladly assists Holmes in this first adventure. Holmes is pompous and very full of himself, but as it turns out, he is also never wrong, even though he comes to immediate conclusions and makes seemingly preposterous statements about details of the crimes and criminals while seemingly going on very little evidence. I had no idea what to expect with this story, and so was nicely surprised that it is made up of two parts. In the first part, there is a mysterious murder of an American man thought to have been poisoned in London. Then the narrative switches to the USA and relates the tale of a man and a little girl dying of thirst and hunger who are the last survivors of a large party of travellers heading out west across the desert in Salt Lake Valley, who are rescued by a party of Mormons, on their way to found Salt Lake City. They rescue John Ferrier and little Lucy on the condition that the pair adopt the Mormon religion, which, according to Doyle's wild imagination took draconian measures to punish those who didn't toe the line. And from there evolves the drama which unfolds years later in London. A really great story, though Holmes himself doesn't really interest me much so far.

Book #100: ♫ The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir ★★★★
Source: Audible.com
Read for: June TIOLI #2: A title containing a number of things, A Century of Books!
Edition: RecordedBooks (2012), Unabridged MP3, 22h30
Original publication date: 1991

I became very keen to learn all about the Tudors after reading Hilary Mantel's excellent Wolf Hall, followed by Bring Up the Bodies not long after. At that time I had very little notion about British History, and none at all about Henry VIII and his time, other than the fact he was an oft-married tyrant who had a couple of his wives beheaded. Suzanne's tutorial came in very handy for this reason. This book was just what I needed to fill some of the biggest gaps in my understanding of a) the reasons why H8 married so often b) who his wives were, with their backgrounds and personal stories and c) why he killed off two of his wives and divorced two more. I also learned in greater detail about d) how and why the break from Rome and the pope occurred, and why there were so many reversals back and forth from Catholic to Protestant beliefs, resulting in the deaths of uncounted masses of people for heresies which were determined according to ever-changing priorities and whims of the great monarch.

I felt I got quite a thorough overview of each of H8's six wives, and also that Alison Weir seemed to greatly dislike Anne Boleyn, who came across as quite an unlikeable woman, though I gather this is a widely agreed upon opinion. Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, predictably enough, came across as a saint. Ann of Cleves and Catherine Parr, as the two clever ones who survived marriage to a vile brute. And of course, plenty of information about the monarch himself and his time. Recommended for those who like me have an interest in literature about that period with little background on the topic, as I imagine a lot of the material is familiar to those who have a better grasp on English history.

Good review of "Wild", Ilana. I am so glad you enjoyed it and yes, try to track down the audio of Tiny Beautiful Things, which is narrated by Strayed and is fantastic.
Glad you snagged The Last Picture Show. It's a terrific novel and also a GREAT film. And thanks for reminding me to visit Mr. Holmes again. It's been far to long...

Like Mark, I'm really happy you enjoyed Wild: Lost and Found, Ilana, and I'm a big fan of Tiny Beautiful Things. I read it in print; she brings that clear-eyed view of hers and natural writing style to a host of other people's problems.

A Study in Scarlet! You're started on a fun road of reading. Our daughter's dog is named Sherlock, and if he were a girl, it would've been Irene (for Adler). So you can imagine where these stories stand in our house.

Book #114: ♫ Au bonheur des dames / Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola ★★★
Source: Library
Read for: July TIOLI #14: written by an author who has only one A in his/her name, Reading the complete Rougon-Macquarts
Series: Les Rougon-Macquart (11 of 20)
Edition: Brumes de Mars (2011), MP3 CDs; 15h15 (French Edition)
Original publication date: 1883

A young girl called Denise Baudu arrives in Paris from the provinces with her two younger brothers to look for work now that their parents are deceased. She pays a visit to her uncle who owns a specialty shop, hoping she can count on him to put them up and give her work, having previous experience as a salesgirl. But her uncle's business is hurting and he can't give her work, as are all the other small specialty shops on the street, thanks to the constant growth of what used to also be a small shop but has now grown into a huge new department store, The Ladies' Paradise of the title. We'd met the owner of the department store, Octave Mouret, in the previous novel Pot Luck, in which he himself had just arrived from the provinces filled with dreams and counting on making them come true by seducing rich women. Now he is a young widower and with his innovative business ideas, has made a huge success of his department store which all the rich women of Paris flock to for his large selection of merchandise and the pull of strategical low pricing. Mouret prides himself on having used women to succeed in life, and now continues to take pride that all women are now at his mercy, since he knows how to manipulate their desires to get them to become dedicated customers. Denise has little choice but to apply to the store, which is the biggest employer around and while she must suffer the unending taunts and malice of her coworkers as the unsophisticated newcomer from the provinces, is immediately drawn to Mouret, whom she admires for his big ideas. But unlike the other salesgirls who are only too glad to supplement their meagre income with help from lovers on the side and who hope Mouret will choose them as his next playthings with all the bonuses that implies, Denise is determined she won't give herself away at any price, leading Mouret to rue his success, which brings him all the riches in the world, but not the one woman he progressively and predictably enough becomes completed obsessed with. The struggle between the small business owners and this giant superstore were still a new phenomenon when this novel was published, and though this kind of thing continues into the 21st century, it is one of the most poignant parts of the story. The trouble I had with this novel is that there is very little story or character development to be had, unless you count the Ladies' Paradise itself, which is the central character, and which Zola, in his characteristic way depicts in lavish detail, with many descriptions of the merchandise and displays, but also the inner workings of the store and rivalries and gossip among what eventually grow to be thousands of employees. This in itself would have been interesting, but the lists of items described went on endlessly so that very little happened in the process, with a long drawn out paroxysm of the biggest display of all the tints of white merchandise ever seen before, which I believed went on for three chapters. It was all very pretty, but a bit tiresome in the end, much like a day spent shopping. Very glad I've finally finished this one and can now move on.

>83 msf59: Hey Mark, I just sent a purchase suggestion form to the library for Tiny Beautiful Things, hoping they add the audiobook to the OverDrive catalogue. I've been going that route lately anytime I'm interested in an audiobook, trying to save up my Audible credits for stuff I couldn't get otherwise. Glad to remind you of Holmes. I'll try to take in one of his books between other longer stuff. Maybe now that I've finished this latest audiobook? We'll see. I'm really tempted to give Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck by Amy Alkon, just acquired this week a spin!

>84 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I haven't met Irene Adler yet, as I believe she only shows up in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and I still have to get to The Sign of the Four before starting on that story collection. But I'll get there soon enough! I had now idea how I'd feel about Wild: From Lost to Found considering I've been resisting contemporary fiction lately, but I guess it doesn't apply to memoirs? In any case, I was doubtful at first when she was retelling the difficult times with her mom, but then she grabbed me as soon as she put on those hiking boots and tried to lift up 'Monster'! :-)

Book #110: ❉ Pietr le Letton / Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett by Georges Simenon ★★★★
Source: Library
Read for: June TIOLI #15: Written by a grandmaster
Series: Maigret (1 of 76!)
Edition: Omnibus (2007), Paperback, 930 pages (French edition anthology)
Original publication date: 1931

Who is the enigmatic Latvian of the title? In this first Inspecteur Maigret mystery, the famous detective gets a detailed portrayal of the man in code from the international police service, describing the criminal down to every detail of the construction of his ears (because impossible to alter with a disguise). A train arrives in Paris in which the Latvian is supposedly travelling, but his compartment contains the body of a dead man, who, but for his clothes, seems to resemble exactly the description Maigret had gotten. Only... moments before the inspector saw another man richly dressed, who also had the right earlobe shape. Hard to describe the atmosphere of this book, gritty, hardboiled noir, redolent with street lights reflected in rain puddles and cigarette smoke, or more accurately pipe smoke, one of our hero's vices, and unique in style, quite different from the American literature of this genre I've read before, this story about the hunt for what might be a ghost grabbed me right from the beginning and is a perfect introduction to the inspector.






Book #113: ❉ Le charretier de la Providence / Lock 14 by Georges Simenon ★★★★⅓
Source: Library
Read for: June TIOLI #15: Written by a grandmaster
Series: Maigret (2 of 76)
Edition: Omnibus (2007), Paperback, 930 pages (French edition anthology)
Original publication date: 1931

Amazon.com Product Description:

One rainy night, a canal worker stumbles across the strangled body of Mary Lampson in a stable near Lock 14. The dead woman's husband seems unmoved by her death and is curt and unhelpful when Maigret interviews him aboard his yacht. But gradually Maigret is able to piece together their story - a sordid tale of whisky-fuelled orgies and nomadic life on the canals. Can the answer to this crime be found aboard the yacht? Or is the murderer among the bargees, carters and lock-keepers who work the canal? In Lock 14, Simenon plunges Maigret into the unfamiliar canal world of shabby bars and shadowy towpaths, drawing together the strands of a tragic case of lost identity.

It took me a while to get into the ambiance of this book, with most of the action taking place along the unfamiliar environs of canals and locks, and the cafés and bars frequented by bargemen along the way. But Simenon has a cinematic mind, and pretty soon I felt as though I were watching a great grimy (that word again!) vintage movie. We don't know anything about Mary Lampson till the very end, and her husband's uncaring attitude makes him look guilty as hell, though Maigret knows better than to go by appearances. Hit the spot perfectly.

Ilana, I had to laugh - your reviews are beautiful and sweet, but short they are not! Even though I know you were trying to keep them brief, I want to know that I enjoyed every word of them.

I ask my favorite librarian to order upcoming books, too (print copies, in this case). It does save money and helps to keep my house a little less cluttered.

>88 Dejah_Thoris: Lol! I know what you mean Dejah, my reviews at the best of times are never short, especially when compared to one or two-liners like you seem able to stick to (I lurked, I saw, I marvelled). I keep meaning to just write something short and snappy, but before I know it I've got a great big bunch of text I don't know how to pare down beyond a word here and there. It takes a certain skill to sum up a book in a pithy fashion, one which I evidently don't possess! But "short" is relative and these recent reviews, especially the last two, are about as short as I seem able to stick to. I'll try harder next time, I promise! :-)

Always so nice to know people are reading them, so thanks for the appreciative words!

***

Finished two GNs this evening, Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey and The Little Prince Graphic Novel by Joann Sfar. Started on listening to Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck by Amy Alkon on my walk with Coco earlier this evening. I was really looking forward to it, as it seemed like a book tailor-made for me, but unfortunately it follows the typical structure of self-help books, with everything structured into a system and subcategories and jargon which always turns me off quite badly. It was very hot and muggy and Coco was being a bit of a pest, so it put me in a bad mood after just 15 minutes of listening. Definitely getting my money back on that one! Have now started listening to Legend by Marie Lu instead, which was one of my planned reads anyway.

Hi Ilana, the illustrations from Codex Serephinianus are gorgeous and so interesting. I don't know how you crank out so many good reviews all at once. You're marvelous at it. And Coco is the sweetest looking dog! I see you're reading Cafe on the Nile this month. I wish I wasn't so overbooked or I'd join you as it (along with The White Rhino Hotel) have been sitting on my shelf for ages.

Hello Dear One. I've been out of touch. As always, I so enjoy visiting here.

Hi Ilana, I've just been giving those drawings from the Codex Seraphinianus and they are seriously strange, but fascinating!

I also was glad to see you chose The Last Picture Show, I am a huge McMurtry fan, and of course, this book is the first in his series featuring Duane Moore.

>90 brenzi: Hi Bonnie, thanks so much for complimenting my reviews. All I know is I put it off forever and ages longer because I'm not in the right frame of mind, and then one day I decide it's time to put my nose to the grindstone and just do it! I'll try to put out another trio of reviews today too. I find I suffer from not reviewing books, because it helps me fix them in my mind better and also serves as notes for my horrible memory, since I forget all about them in no time at all. I really do hope to get to Café on the Nile this month. At least to get started on it, so it's very possible I'll be listing it on next month's TIOLI also and then you can join me maybe?

>91 Whisper1: Hi Linda, very nice to have your visit, but I'm guilty of having neglected your thread lately, so will have to remedy that asap!

>92 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I didn't pick up Codex for the last couple of days, so want to get back to it, though I did take pictures of it a few days ago which I'll try to post later today. It is indeed a seriously strange book! I really loved the four Larry McMurty books I read last year from the Lonesome Dove series, so I look forward to The Last Picture Show.

>89 Smiler69: Ilana, I hope you know that I truly do admire your reviews - I wish I had the patience and skill to write them like you do! I'm a slacker as far as reviews are concerned, lol.

>94 Dejah_Thoris: No worries Liane, your kind compliment came through quite clearly! I'm a slacker too most of the time, in more ways than one, and when it comes to reviews, I tend to put them off forever, until I decide to get going, but that little burst of energy only lasts so long. Speaking of which, I'll try to knock out a few shortly...

***

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:

        

✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 21: All Washed Up by by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev
❉ Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini
♫ Legend by Marie Lu
❉ Monsieur Gallet décédé / Maigret Stonewalled by Georges Simenon

Book #117: Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken ★★★★
Source: Bedroom TBR Pile
Read for: July TIOLI Challenge #11: People, Places, or Things Rolling Challenge; A Century of Books!
Series: Wolves Chronicles (2 of 11)
Edition: Vintage Children's Classics (2012), Paperback, 320 pages
Original publication date: 1964

Two orphans, Simon and Sophie are at the heart of this story. Simon arrives in London at the invitation of a doctor friend who wishes to encourage him in his art studies, but the good Dr Field seems to have vanished into thin air. Simon soon meets the Duke of Battersea who invites him to play chess and before he knows it, he is embroiled in a plot to depose the fictitious King James III, this series being set in an alternate reality which is a bit beyond my comprehension, having not yet sorted out who the various English kings were in reality, let alone in an alternate history version! Must admit it took me a while to get into the story and about halfway through I was ready to give up because I found there were lots of disjoined bits, none of which seemed to connect, but I was well rewarded for sticking to it till the end, when it all came together beautifully. Lots of Dickensian touches with a great big cast of London characters including an impish pest of a girl you can't help but liking, and of course, this being a children's book from the 20th century, you can expect a happy ending.

I rarely comment on the cover design, but I must say I especially love this one, though the balloon in the book is actually of a pinkish colour and no stripes are mentioned. In this case, I think artistic license works brilliantly—certainly got me to buy this particular edition!

Book #96: ♫ Slaves of the Mastery by William Nicholson ★★★★
Source: Audible.com
Read for: June TIOLI challenge #12: A body part on the cover
Series: Wind on Fire Trilogy (2 of 3)
Edition: AudioGO (2010), Unabridged MP3, 9h38
Original publication date: 2001

I read quite a few fantasy YA novels in June, and while fantasy and YA aren't usually in my comfort zone, ended up enjoying all of them. This particular trilogy only came to my attention because I've fallen in love with Samuel West's voice and narration style, and so have bought most of the audiobooks he's recorded that are likely to be of interest to me (16 of them so far). Twin sister and brother Kestrel and Bowman Hath are living peacefully in their now egalitarian society after having endured a totalitarian regime most of their lives (this is covered in book 1 of the Wind of Fire Trilogy). However this state of affairs doesn't last long when an ambitious young soldier decides to capture the entire town as slaves for the people of the Mastery. The methods used to keep captured slaves compliant are incredibly cruel, so the people have no choice but to let themselves be led to their new masters. While the raid takes place, Kestrel and Bowman are separated, with the boy and other family members taken in captivity while Kestrel is left behind to make her way to safety. Along the road, she meets a young and extremely beautiful princess travelling in great pomp who takes her under her wing. The twins each use their great intelligence and special skills to get their family back together again while also doing all they can to overthrow the oppressive regime, with the girls also having to fend off the advances of dangerously enamoured men. And exciting adventure story which is rather unique, as was the first book. Both are highly recommended.

Book #102: ✔ Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers ★★★★⅓
Source: Home office shelves TBR
Read for: June TIOLI challenge #11: A mystery/crime thriller set in the British Isles
Series: Series: Lord Peter Wimsey (4 of 15)
Edition: New English Library (1982), Paperback, 352 pages
Original publication date: 1928

This book contains twelve short stories starring Lord Peter Wimsey, the debonair aristocratic mastermind who likes to amuse himself by solving strange cases. For those who have read and enjoyed other books in this series, I can guarantee this collection of stories delivers more adventures in the witty and original DLS style. Most of the adventures are truly bizarre in character and compulsively readable. I was going to take my time reading this one, bit by bit, but ending up devouring the book in no time flat. For those who haven't yet had the pleasure of discovering this author or this particular series, this is as good a place as any to start for a taste of what her full-length novels are like. The titles of the stories make for good reading in themselves:

The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers

The Entertaining Episode of the Article in Question

The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager's Will

The Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the Bag

The Unprincipled Affair of the Practical Joker

The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention

The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran

The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste

The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head

The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach

The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face

The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba

>68 Smiler69: Cute, cute CUTE!

I read the Wind on Fire trilogy as it was being published, it came out about the time I really started reading a lot more children's lit. He's written for adults too, I have one on Mt tbr that I'd love to get round to, The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life.
I've just finished my latest YA book so will pick up Legend for my next one.

>99 banjo123: :-)

>100 avatiakh: I think I'll pick up the last book, Wind of Fire soon, if anything so I can fill the "third book in a trilogy" category on my bingo card. Will have to look at his adult books too, thanks for pointing this out Kerry. I think I'll be finishing Legend today. I found it to be a great listen, really entertaining, but I don't know that it's gotten me hooked on the series necessarily.

Books most recently completed:



Book #118: ❉ Monsieur Gallet décédé / Maigret Stonewalled by Georges Simenon ★★★★
Source: Municipal Library
Read for: July TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a genre novel that has been translated to English
Series: Maigret (3 of 76)
Edition: Omnibus (2007), Paperback, 930 pages (French edition anthology)
Original publication date: 1931

In his third case, Maigret must figure out who murdered a certain Monsieur Gallet, who has been shot in the head, destroying half his face, but actually died shortly after from a knife stab to the heart. Maigret's instincts tell him the clue to the man's killer lies in the victim himself, and he sets about trying to discover who this Mr Gallet was. The man's wife lives in a comfortable and well-appointed villa, but when he sees the man's portrait in his house, he finds something doesn't quite fit. Everything about this man and his life somehow seems second-rate and ill-fitting, including the costume he was found in after his death. His wife had thought him out on the road selling silver-plated gift articles, a job he's been doing for over 20 years, and had just recently received a postcard from her husband. But the man's body was found to have been killed in an altogether different part of the country on the day the postcard was sent, where he was staying at an inn under and assumed name, and where he was apparently a regular costumer for the last eighteen years. I'm finding these Maigret books make for compulsive reading and am glad I timed this particular library loan of an 8-volume omnibus edition with the summer season—seems like perfect 'holiday' material.

Book #119: ♫ Legend by Marie Lu ★★★⅓
Source: Municipal Library
Read for: July TIOLI Challenge #17: A book set in California
Series: Legend the Series (1 of 3)
Edition: Penguin Audio (2011), Unabridged CD; 7h48
Original publication date: 2011

This book made for great lightweight entertainment. Fifteen year-old Daniel "Day" Wing, who tells one half of the story, is an outcast and an outlaw in a future dystopian United States where the West has become a separate Republic at war with the rest of the nation. The other narrator is his nemesis, June Iparis, also 15 years old, a brilliant prodigy, and the youngest girl ever promoted to an important army rank following the murder of her older brother, who had been her sole caretaker since their parents died in an accident. June is informed her brother's murderer is Day, and she vows to track him down and take her revenge. The story was fairly predictable, within a genre that has been overdone, i.e. the YA dystopian novel, so that while the particulars were interesting enough, overall it felt like I'd been on a very similar path before. I should probably rate the book a little higher for sheer diversion value, but several details just didn't ring true to me and I felt I was being manipulated by a publisher who evidently wanted to hook in the reader to continue on yet another series. It was fun while it lasted, but this one while remain a one-book stand for me.

Weird day. Lots of disturbing dreams which I couldn't wake up from till well past noon, and my head never got cleared of it all. Feeling really lonely lately, which I guess isn't so weird, considering how rarely I spend time with human beings in the flesh. I don't get lonely very often, but the last week I've felt it more. I always do in the summer just before my b-day. Only one friend I can call on to do things with. At least I have that friend. Am I feeling sorry for myself? Maybe a little. I know there must be ways to fix this.

I'm still poring over Codex Seraphinianus once in a while. Sometimes I'm enchanted by it and how imaginative it is, and sometimes I'm freaked out by it, like "get me out of this nightmare!". Here are some pics I took the other day.



  

>68 Smiler69: All the adorable critters. So cute.

Hi Ilana!

Nice surprise last night when I checked for new audiobook arrivals on the library's OverDrive collection, and found they'd just acquired 5 new books from my huge list of suggestions (all downloading to my hard drive now):

♫ The Silkworm by Roberth Galbraith
♫ Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas père
♫ Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey
♫ Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
♫ One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

I also borrowed

♫ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern for a reread

The advantage to compulsively checking their site several times a day is I usually get to be first to borrow new titles.

Also purchased as Kindle monthly deals recently:

ⓔ Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
ⓔ The Time in Between by Maria Dueñas

Total books purchased to date: 187

>105 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! I always think of you in particular when I post pics of my cuties, maybe because you're such a fan. xx

Hi Ilana! Just popping in on this fine weekend. Nice library book haul. Are these audios ore books?
You like the Inspector Montalbano series, right? I am just wrapping up book 3. These are a lot of fun.

>108 msf59: Hi Mark, yes they're all audiobooks. I like Montalbano, and I'm considering starting over from the beginning and maybe listening to them all over the summer. There's a sale over at Downpour.com with all the audiobooks in that series priced under $5, so I'd have to get the 9 I'm missing. Just have to decide whether I'll take the plunge or not.

Nice haul from the library! I just finished The Cuckoo's Calling so I'll be interested to hear what you think of The Silkworm.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I'm jumping in tonight so you will be a little less lonely ;-)

Your reviews are fabulous as always! I'm afraid I am struck by a few book bullets. Thank goodness I don't read French or there might be more. I looked up Codex Seraphinianus on Amazon. Yeesh! Not quite ready to spend $80 - but that book is fascinating from what I can see. Of course, Maine hasn't a one in the state library system. No surprise there!

Sorry Little Ben did not work out. I did worry that it would be one more burden for you. You made the right decision and for the right reasons, imho. You gave it a shot. He is so dang cute! Ah well... there's still your sweet Coco. Maybe you will see Ben out and about from time to time.

Do you shop at the Atwater Market? How lucky to have that nearby. Cities do have their advantages. I'm thinking that will be a "must see" for me :-)

Hope you are having the same kind of beautiful summer evening we are having. Hugs xo

I was just looking again at those adorable cat pictures in message >68 Smiler69:. Especially the one on the right. That's a fantastic shot. (And of course the puppy is adorable too!) I have such a hard time getting good pictures of my cats.

Hi Ilana. I enjoyed your recent set of reviews (you have been productive).

I think I've said before that I would like to read the Rougon-Macquart books at some point and although The Ladies' Paradise wasn't one of your favourite I am intrigued by the idea of reading about the life of a department store.

I'm glad Black Hearts in Battersea worked for you in the end. You'll be pleased to hear that Dido is the star of the next 4/5 books in that particular series.

Just finished reading Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger while sitting in the little park across the street. The setting was perfect for this book somehow. As for the book itself, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read it first when I was in my teens/early 20th and shared the concerns of the protagonists. I guess I should add more comments to make this a review of sorts, but it's beautiful outside and I want to get out there again, so maybe another time.

>110 Dejah_Thoris: Liane, I've loaded The Silkworm on my iPhone and it's ready to go, as soon as I've finished listening to my current audiobook, Midnight in Europe. I'm glad you enjoyed the first book. I wasn't blown away by it, but I saw potential for the series and like Strike and his assistant, which is as good a place to start as any I guess.

>111 -Cee-: Hi Claudia, lovely to have your visit, as I know you were forced away from us for a while. Glad you're all better. I shop at Atwater Market to get all my groceries, so I'm there 2-3 times a week. It's definitely worth a visit, and I'll be glad to take you there, maybe with Sam too, since there's all kinds of goodies to be had then, so might be good to make it coincide with lunchtime.

I'm sorry it didn't work out with Ben, but a bit relieved too. I fell in love with him and didn't think through very much what it would mean to add another member to the family. So in a sense, things worked out ok for everyone I think, though I do wish I could have at least kept him on to foster for a longer period, because he was delightful to have around. But I'm told he's eating his kibble as he should with the foster parents he's with now, and that's more important.

I considered purchasing Codex Seraphinianus to add to my visual arts collection when I first learned about it when it was rereleased last year and ever since, but I'm glad I didn't spend all that money on it and decided to wait for a library copy first, because now I'm seeing it, I think it's the kind of book I may want to look at once or twice again, but not necessarily keep around. It's really brilliant, but also makes me uneasy, so it's just as well. Sorry it's not available to you from the library though. I don't imagine small library systems would keep it, and it isn't available from our municipal library system either, but our National Library branch does have a great collection of art books, so I make a trip out there once in a while, though it is a bit of a trek to get there.

We're having a very nice summer so far. Lots of beautiful days and weather varying between warm, warmer, hot, and then less hot and cool sometimes. This as opposed to one long, unending heatwave. I hope it continues well into August for your sake and mine both!

>112 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel, I must say it isn't easy getting good shots of pets. It's mostly a matter of having the camera on hand at the right moment and either a lot of luck and great timing, or persistence, taking dozens of shots to get the right one. In the case of that shot of Mimi, I had the phone in my hand and was listening to an audiobook, and she decided to sit there and stare at me, and when I caught on I should take a photo, I had the chance to grab three shots in quick succession before she moved away, and that one was the only one in focus. I'm really happy with that photo, so glad you like it too. I must say the iPhone has a great camera too, which helps a lot.

>113 souloftherose: Hi Heather, I had a little burst of productivity I'm hoping will continue to carry over, but we'll see, as at the moment I don't feel like sitting indoors and writing more reviews. If I still had a laptop I might do it while sitting outdoors, mind you. I think Ladies' Paradise is definitely worth reading in the context of Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, just that I don't think it's one of the stronger works I've read of his so far. As a stand-alone it has merit if you're intrigued about the life of a department store in the late 19th century since it delivers a LOT on that score!

I read a book description for another of the Wolves Chronicles books the other day and saw that Dido Twite was the heroine, but thanks for confirming she appears in several of the books, as the star, no less. I liked her a lot in BHiB, so will look forward to more.

Raining heavily and gloomy today, outside and all the way into my heart. I think I need to get back to my art and perhaps reacquire a few good habits, like exercising and daily writing. I just feel like I'm going around in circles and accomplishing nothing and just mulling over things I'd do better to just leave alone. On the other hand I've been doing lots of good reading. Will probably finish Midnight in Europe today, as well as Maigret novel #4, Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets by Georges Simenon. I think there's a good chance I'll finish the 8-volume omnibus by month's end, or within a few weeks anyway, as these stories are really hitting the spot.

Three new books purchased yesterday from the Kindle Daily Deals:

ⓔ Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
ⓔ The Round House by Louise Erdrich
ⓔ The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

Total books purchased to date: 188

All of them eBooks so far this month.

Book #122: ❉ Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini
Source: National Library
Read for: Sheer curiosity, TIOLI challenge #13: A book by a living author older than you are
Edition: Rizzoli (2013), Hardcover, 396 pages
Original publication date: 1981

A truly bizarre work which has often been described as the strangest book ever created, and which has to be experienced to be believed. The physical book is in itself a work of art, presented as a large format hardcover volume with countless colour illustrations printed on a high quality, thick, ridged paper, which make the coloured pencil and ink illustrations look as though they've been drawn directly on the page. The overall work has the aspect and organization of an encyclopedia, with clearly formatted pages of explanatory text and diagrams in a wholly invented language, presenting exquisite though illegible calligraphy throughout; the language of the book has defied linguists for decades, but one cannot help but try to make sense of it. Many "specimens" are shown in detailed drawings, from fantastical plant forms to local costumes, mechanical devices, architecture and landscapes, which could only exist in an alternate universe, the brain of someone on LSD, or as Serafini himself explained for this recent 2013 edition, from the mind of the cat who kept him company in the late 70s as Serafini worked feverishly on this project during 30 months, with the feline perched on his shoulders and transmitting his ideas to him telepathically. He in fact credits the cat as the true creator and himself merely as the scribe. Not surprisingly, Serafini himself is an Italian artist, architect and designer, who has, among other things worked with the famous surreal film director Federico Fellini, and his book has been compared to works by M.C. Escher and Hieronymus Bosch.

I find I cannot rate this book, for the simple reason that I was completely enchanted in the beginning, as well as astounded at the level of detail, sheer work and vivid imagination put into this huge volume, but perhaps my own mood coloured my perception as I kept turning the pages because I was at times delighted and enchanted, and on some days I felt as though I was seeing nightmarish visions. I'm glad I was able to borrow this book from our national library system and didn't go ahead and spend the $80 listed price on it, as I may want to pore over it again once or twice, but ultimately found it too disturbing to have in my permanent collection. But that's just me. Others I'm sure will be delighted to own this fantastic volume, and for good reason. I've shown many of the pages from the book throughout this thread, but here are a few more for good measure:

That books is both fascinating and strange, Ilana, and I can imagine that it could easily give one nightmares. That picture with the fish-eyes gives me the creeps!

In a case of great minds think alike, I have today also purchased 188 books this year and many of them were daily deals as well.

Weirdness! I'm not sure that I would want that in my house permanently either.....
(Hi, Ilana!)

>117 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, looks like we're on the same pace as far as book-buying this year! I only started buying eBooks since last July, since that's when I got my iPad, so I guess I'm making up for lost opportunities as far as the DDs go!

Some people seek out a regular dose of strange and bizarre things, such as the Codex, and while I enjoy a certain amount of unbridled creativity of that sort, I have my limits and quickly get a bit freaked out by it.

>118 LizzieD: As you say Peggy, I'm determined not to have material around my house that is potentially nightmare-enducing. Goodness knows my subconscious dredges up plenty of disturbing imagery on a nightly basis without having to pay for someone else's creepy imaginings! That being said, the book is definitely worth a look and quite delightful in some ways. One of my favourite parts, which I haven't shown, are the pages of text, which probably appeal to the designer and lover of typography in me:

Two books finished last night, Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets by Georges Simenon and the audio version of Midnight in Europe, my first book by Alan Furst. I've now moved to the audio version of The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith.

Regarding J. K. Rowling's pen name, I came across a conversation on one of the threads I follow, not sure which one now, where someone was asking why a female author would bother with a male pen name nowadays. For one thing, I have it on good authority that some writers feel they need to put on a different persona to write books in different genres. But I also came across a possible source for Rowling's pseudonym in the latest issue of Slightly Foxed I finished recently, which featured an article about a 1933 book by an author called J. K. Galbraith. Is it mere coincidence that our contemporary J. K. (who made up those initials to begin with) then decided to switch her last name for with another similarly initialled peer?

(Not so)* Short reviews on the way.

* edit.

Book #123: ♫ Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst ★★★★
Source: Audible
Read for: July TIOLI Challenge #13: A book by a living author older than you are
Edition: Simon & Schuster Audio (2014), Unabridged MP3; 8h13
Original publication date: 2014

Many readers must come to this book having read quite a few Alan Furst WWII spy novels. After all, as the NYT stated in a recent review, "Mr. Furst has long since carved out this turf and made it his own", and while I've long wanted to start on his Night Soldiers series, I jumped at the occasion to acquaint myself with this novelist with his latest one-off. Cristián Ferrar is a Spanish émigré living in Paris and has some clout as a lawyer working for a prestigious American law firm representing an international clientèle. When the novel starts in December 1937, the Spanish civil war is ongoing and the Republicans, fighting against General Franco's fascist army is in desperate need of munitions, and Ferrar, with his skills as a negotiator and diplomat is recruited to help in the arms deal negotiations with dangerous criminals and to ensure the shipments actually get into the proper hands. A man of not inconsiderable charms and an amorous disposition, Ferrar quickly falls for the charms of a prim and proper potential client, the Marquesa Maria Cristina. Beneath her chic veneer is a woman all too willing to fall for Ferrar's charm, but is she who she claims to be and does she have ulterior motives? Ferrar is too clever to be played like an innocent in these dangerous times, but he also doesn't miss a chance to enjoy the bounties beautiful women and life in Paris have to offer, as the novel takes him from exclusive swank nightclubs and the famous Parisian landmark, restaurant Lapérouse, to wine and dine, and potentially bribe a necessary contact. From there to negotiations with Bulgarian gangsters in Istanbul brothels and uncollaborative the train-yard inspectors in Poland, he and his collaborator, ex arms dealer Max de Lyon, must use all the finesse they can to deliver the arms to Spain or see the republicans lose to the Fascists in the bigger war that is looming ahead. It took me a while to sink into the story, in which many characters are introduced in the beginning, but once I got in the groove it was a smooth, satisfying ride with plenty of zing. My first, but not my last Furst.

Book #124: ❉ 765551::Le pendu de Saint-Pholien / Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets by Georges Simenon ★★★★
Source: Municipal Library
Read for: July TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a genre novel that has been translated to English
Series: Maigret (4 of 76)
Edition: Omnibus (2007), Paperback, 930 pages (French edition anthology)
Original publication date: 1931

George Simeon's output seems unbelievable considering there were 76 Maigret novels alone published in his lifetime, at least the first four of which saw the light in 1931 when he was merely 28 years old. It seems the character of Maigret appeared to him one day and inhabited him throughout his career, although when he fist conceived the middle-aged, 50-something Maigret, Simenon himself was only 26. Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets was one of two Maigret books offered at the launch of the new series (the other was Maigret Stonewalled) during a glittering Parisian event which included among it's many famous guests personalities such as Kiki de Montparnasse, author Colette and the Baron Philippe de Rothschild. From the first, Simenon establishes Maigret as a very human detective, fallible, compassionate and seeking answers within himself more than 'out there', and I found this 4th novel showed him as such most notably, especially in the final outcome, in which the suspects' unseen children have a large role to play in Maigret's decision on how to wrap up the case. It begins with him following a suspect on a whim, because of the man's nervous disposition and poor appearance, and the cheap, newly-bought suitcase he carries, which intrigues the inspector. On a whim, Maigret decides to purchase the exact same suitcase shortly after he sees the man leave the shop with it, and at the first occasion, makes a switch to see what might happen. Then to his great dismay, after he follows to man to a run-down hotel, and as he watches from the communicating keyhole between their rooms, he witnesses the man put a revolver in his mouth and shoot himself when the swap is discovered. From there, Maigret feels a responsibility to find out what might have led this man to suicide, who moments before showed no signs of having any intention to kill himself, as attested by the still uneaten buns he'd just bought at a bakery shortly before. Another great mystery filled with atmosphere and plenty of pipe smoke. Won't belong before I start on #5 in the series, A Man's Head; so much for reading plans!

Looks like you've gotten in a lot of really interesting books lately! Makes me want to end my book funk ASAP!

>123 The_Hibernator: Sorry to hear you're in a reading funk Rachel. Those are no fun, but bound to happen when you're practically a full-time reader like most of the 75ers are (this in comparison to casual readers who don't make books a big priority). Have you tried reaching for an old favourite as a reread? Or choosing something you know fits into your comfort zone? That can be helpful sometimes. Otherwise, time will operate it's magic, I'm sure.

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:

      

✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev
♫ The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
✔ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
❉ La Tête d'un homme / A Man's Head by Georges Simenon

Just started on My Cousin Rachel this evening, and got hooked in right from the first chapter. This promises to be a great read. All the same, I can't resist starting on the next Maigret novel, so I'll be starting on A Man's Head for my bedtime reading. This reading session is occurring earlier and earlier these days as I've been progressively moving my bedtime preparations to an earlier hour.

>77 Smiler69:: So June 1st is Canada Day and Dog Dumping Day? I simply don't understand people who move and leave pets behind. Heartless! I hope Little Ben is doing well. That would be a full-time job taking care of him. I hope he has found someone with tons of patience and the time to care for a special needs dog.

Such a lot of good reviews to read and salivate over. I am being very careful about what I wish for these days, book-wise at least. I am determined to get back to reading my own books that have been passed over time and time again. I'm sure there are some gems in there.

>120 Smiler69:: Good sleuthing, Ilana. I think you may be onto something with those J. K. similarities in the two last names. The two latest Galbraith books are on my WL. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on The Silkworm.

Hi, Ilana! I've just realized that while I've been keeping up with your thread faithfully, I haven't posted here for a good while. Just letting you know that I'm still here, lurking...

Saw my neurologist today, and am encouraged that he's starting me on a new preventative medication called Topamax. I'm trying that for three months, then seeing him again in October (unheard of, I usually see him every 6 months!), and if the migraines persist we'll try Botox injections, though he showed me the clinical study results and it seems there is only a 10% reduction of migraine episodes in the majority of cases compared to the placebo patients. So, no miracle cure there either it seems. The migraine attacks started to be more frequent again about 10 days ago, and now it's back to daily migraines for the past week. At least he agreed to prescribe some Fiorinal, so I can take that once in a while for some relief, though I can't take it more than 10-12 days per month or the drug will backfire and actually induce migraines. Sheesh!

Beautiful weather today. Warm, but not too hot, just the way I like it. It's been a great summer so far on that front.

>126 Donna828: Hi Donna, I don't know if this pet dumping is a Canada-wide phenomenon, but it's definitely a huge problem in Quebec, where the laws don't protect pets at all. I can't imagine what kind of person just abandons their pet like that, but certainly not anyone I want to have in my life. It breaks my heart just to think about it. I don't know if Little Ben has been adopted yet, but last time I got news he was doing well and eating his kibble, which in itself is great news.

I've become much more discriminate about what I add to the wishlist. It's got to really excite me, otherwise, much like you I already have so many great ones on the tbr that are waiting their turn.

>127 scaifea: Hi Amber, thanks for giving sings of life. That's much better than what I've managed. Don't know if the migraines are to blame, but I just find I don't have much to say on the threads these days.

***

Off to pop a couple of Fiorinal and settling down for a bit of reading before turning in for the night... for more reading in bed!

^Jeremy Norton

Hi Ilana! Good review of Midnight in Europe. I am glad your first Furst was a success. I've read three and will be reading many more. I have both the Galbraith books, saved on audio, so I am glad you are enjoying them.

I appreciate your comments on Downpour. We'll keep each other abreast of things over there.

>128 Smiler69: Ilana, Topamax is what I have been taking since spring that has been working pretty well for me; it certainly has dramatically cut my migraine frequency and severity. Here's hoping it does the same for you!

I'm not sure I'm a big believer in the rebound headache argument with Fiorinal. I know it's one that docs like to put forth when they don't like writing prescriptions for strong painkillers that can be addictive. I have taken four or five of these a day when I have a v. bad headache and then, when the head finally clears, I've stopped them cold turkey. No rebound headache; nada. (That said, I won't describe the impact on my stomach...)

My goal is to dramatically reduce the consumption of Fioricet, which i still use to ward off the hint of a migraine, since conventional Tylenol, etc. simply doesn't work for that purpose.

Hoping that the new medication helps, Ilana. I'm sad to read that the migraines are on the increase for you again... Dang.

>129 msf59: Hi Mark, thanks for sharing that Jeremy Norton illustration. I see he also does some pretty interesting abstract paintings. That girl with the sunken and bruised-looking eyes could be me when I've got my migraines.... with that half smile too. Very cool image.

I really enjoyed Midnight in Europe and will probably reread it sometime given it's so short so I can catch all I missed in the beginning. Not sure when I'll start on Night Soldiers and whether I'll get it on audio or borrow the eBook from OverDrive, but it's just a matter of time before I get to it.

Some of the deals on Downpour are definitely worth it. But when it comes to a subscription, it costs me less per credit with the current arrangement I have with Audible (around ($9.50 or so). I often compare prices between the two sites to get the best deal. I've gotten a bunch of books from Downpour, but have yet to listen to one of them!

>130 Chatterbox: Suzanne, I did wonder yesterday whether Topamax was the medication you were on, since the name sounded so familiar and something I'd come across recently. Hopefully it'll work as well for me as it does for you, though I hope it won't result in depression as it seems to have done for you in the beginning. It'll take 3 weeks to install and about 2 months to see if it has any effect at all, so I'll have to be patient. In the meantime, I'm back to day-and-night migraines. *sigh*. My second dose of Fiorinal didn't do a thing for me yesterday either. Whether the rebound headache theory is true or not, I'll try to stick to no more than 10-12 days per month on it, since it doesn't seem to work for me every time anyway, and I hate to rely on meds all the time, the same way I don't take sleeping pills all the time, though I often have sleeping troubles. I just don't like the idea of being completely reliant on them and potentially getting addicted. Some meds, like my mood drugs, I have no choice but to take on a daily basis, and I've come to accept that to a certain degree, but I still hate the idea of taking all these chemicals all the time, with goodness knows what long-term side effects might be in store.

Is there a difference between Fioricet and Fiorinal? I've long ago given up on Tylenol or Advil or any of those to try to treat my headaches. Completely useless. I take Advil for menstrual cramps and they work well for that, but I don't expect them to do much more for me than that.

>131 scaifea: Thanks Amber. Must say it's quite a bummer. I was getting used to being virtually pain-free for almost two whole months, and the one or two days of migraine per week seemed like no big deal at all. Thanks for the sympathy, it does mean a lot to me.

****

On the reading front, I'm absolutely LOVING My Cousin Rachel, and am very grateful to Heather, and to the TIOLI challenges, as the fact that Heather listed the book there this month encouraged me to pick it up, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to it. But then, I have lots of books in my collection like that, I'm sure. Continuing to great enjoy Simenon. Guess I'm really in the right sort of mood to enjoy noir detective fiction. For that reason I'll try to pick up The Big Sleep this month, which is one of my (many) planned reads.

Ilana
Fioricet has Tylenol in it while Fiorinal has aspirin - otherwise they are the same. Both have caffeine. Advil is brand name for ibuprofen, an nsaid - better for muscle pain (including muscle tension headaches) than for migraines. Tylenol is not an nsaid but an anti-pyretic (for fever). Confused? I think that is what the drug industry intends - that way everyone buys a bottle of each one on the market.

Fioricet/Fiorinal are the same thing, with the only difference being whether it is based on acetimenophen (Fioricet) or aspirin (Fiorinal). I don't think they make Fioricet for the Canadian market. Which Fiorinal are you taking? They have different amounts of codeine in them, and there's one variant that has no codeine at all, which strike me as slightly pointless. Mine has 30 mg, which is the same as a Tylenol #3, I suppose.

You may find that the Topamax kicks in faster than they say. I was told, too, that it would take two months to see the effect. By the time I was up to full strength -- 2x25mg, twice daily -- it had kicked in. So, with 4 weeks.

>124 Smiler69: Yeah, I usually try to read a lot of light fiction when I'm in a funk. Like YA. Something quick and exciting, but not too deep. I'll get out of the funk eventually. :)

>133 catarina1: Hi Catarina, thanks for clearing that up for me. I haven't taken straight Tylenol or Aspirin for ages, but it does seem like the Fioricet and Fiorinal are more or less the same thing, as I had suspected. I see we share lots of books; will add you to my interesting libraries right away!

>134 Chatterbox: Suz, I keep confusing the -cet and -nal, but you're right, only the Fiorinal is available in Canada. I take the one that is with codeine, though only 15 mg and I suspect I'd do better with the higher dosage because the pills don't always work. I've never taken Tylenol 3, is it available without a prescription? I'm guessing not if there's codeine in it.

As for the Topamax, I'm on 25 mg at night for a week, then morning and night for another week, then 25 mg mornings and 50 at night for a total of 75 mg a day. I don't know if that's a high dosage or not as I'm not at all familiar with that drug, yet. I've started keeping a migraine journal again, having been lax about it these last 3 months, so I'll be able to see how things progress.

>135 The_Hibernator: Rachel, that's the encouraging thing about funks, reading or otherwise; they are bound to pass. I'm not exactly sure what my go-to comfort reading is yet, because I can never seem to find a reliable formula, though I fairly consistently enjoy historical fiction.

***

I've been very bad about my artwork and took a two-month break, but have been itching to get back into it and I think today's the day, so I'm off to put finishing touches the latest portrait I let languish now, as I'm looking forward to starting on a new one.

I think that's a moderate dosage. I'm at 100 mg, which the neurologist described as average. DO keep a migraine journal. I found it was very very helpful to compare the months before and the months after.

The most noticeable side effect for me that has lasted is one of taste. Fizzy drinks, especially, no longer taste as fizzy, if that makes sense. Other things taste slightly different. Not enough to be detectable. If I take two doses too close together (nine hours or so) I notice tingling in my hands and arms. Otherwise, beyond the depression (which could have had other root causes) that has been it. I was supposed to see him in June, but couldn't get an appointment (didn't plan far enough ahead) so now am going in to see my neurologist in late August, unless there is a cancellation btwn now and then, and we'll see what comes next. I have had more frequent headaches in the last month or so, but only one or two multi-day ones, and only one that was really devastating. So, I suspect, we'll keep going with this for another three to six months. It's not cheap though: my monthly meds are costing me $200.

Happy new Thread, Ilana.

>68 Smiler69: - Awe.... Furkids! Adorable shots of all three of them.
Yikes on the heat wave you experienced.... and here I have been bemoaning the temps we have been having in the mid-20'C. I hate humid heat. There is nothing worse in my books than taking a cool shower only to find 5 minutes later I am all sweating again. Blah, I say. Glad to see the temps are more bearable for you now.

Great reading as always and you are really catching my attention with your Georges Simenon reading! Oh, and I am really enjoying the rich colours and wonderful details of the Codex Seraphinianus pics.

I'm not good at keeping up lately dear Ilana, but I couldn't let today slip by without wishing one of my favourite ladies a very happy birthday. xxxx

I have to say that I'm selfishly glad to read that your getting back to your artwork - I've been pining for some more photos!

^Hope you have a great day, Ilana! I did not realize that you shared the same b'day, as my late father. His b'day was exactly 2 weeks before mine and my little sister, was exactly 2 after mine. Was that planned or what?

Oh, Happy Birthday, lady!! I hope it's the best one yet!

Happy Birthday, Ilana.

Neat reviews of Wild and The Six Wives of Henry VIII - fascinating about the Codex too.

And here I am on exactly the right day to wish you Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Ilana. Hope you have a wonderful pain free day

Happy birthday!!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, very sweet of you all. At the moment I'm in a lot of pain, so will go lie down and wait for the Fiorinal to kick in. I took 3 for good measure. My father called from Israel to wish me a happy birthday and tell me all about the rockets flying overhead and how he feared being blown up. Very cheery birthday call, I must say. Could have done without, quite honestly. On the other hand, a friend has ordered some flowers from me; the florist called to tell me they are on the way. Something to look forward to. I've invited said friend over this evening for swordfish on the grill. She's bringing wine and cake. Yum yum.

Will be back for individual thanks later. Need to get horizontal right now.

The Fiorinal and nap seemed to have helped, thank goodness. I feel a bit spacey, but that could be due to the nap, and I much prefer it to the kind of pain I was in. The flowers came—gorgeous white orchids in a planter. I went out to Atwater Market with Coco to pick up the swordfish, strawberries and rainier cherries and mixed salad and little flower posies. It's a really beautiful day, much of the sort we've been getting this summer, sunny, warm, but not too hot and with a cooling breeze. I couldn't have asked for better, though I admit I did pray for this for several months. Could my prayers actually have been answered??

I think I'll treat myself to those 9 Montalbano audiobooks I've have in my Downpour.com shopping cart all week. At less than $5 each, they're a great deal, and since I'm enjoying detective fiction so much these days, I'm thinking maybe I'll go through the whole series over the summer. That's the plan anyway. As far as birthday gifts to myself, it'll be a much cheaper one than the iPad I bought myself last year...

>137 Chatterbox: Goodness, poor you Suz, what a huge expense for medication! We have medicare covering most of it here of course, though in my case it's my group insurance covering 90% of the bill, because otherwise I'd be paying through the nose too, considering everything I take (Effexor is really expensive too, as I recall). But then, it's not like not spending that money is an option either, given the alternative. I wish you had some help to help pay for it though. I'm really bad at detecting side-effects, for one thing because the various meds I take seem to play tricks on me at various times, the migraine condition itself has strange and varied neurological effects, as do my mood and chronic fatigue disorders, so it's always hard figuring out what's what.

>138 lkernagh: Lori, fact is, the heatwave was so brief that I don't even remember it. We've actually been spoiled with temperate weather this summer, which I'm delighted about. I've hardly had to run my A/C unit at all, and then only for short bursts too. It's really been a blessing. I don't know if this will continue into August, but I certainly hope it does. I know the forecasters had predicted a cooler than average summer, but of course you can't trust those predictions until they actually come true. I'm super happy they've been right so far!

George Simenon is really great. Highly recommended.

>139 PaulCranswick: Thanks so much for dropping by Paul. I know you haven't had leisure to do the rounds lately, so it's all the more appreciated. xx

>140 scaifea: Amber, I've taken loads of photos of this most recently completed drawing over the last few months, so I'll have to take the time to edit the photos and select those I'll post on my blog to show the progression. Of course I'll post a link once I've done so. Really looking forward to starting on a new drawing now!

>141 msf59: Thanks so much Mark. That's a cute little image.

>142 scaifea: Thanks Amber!

>143 avatiakh: Thank you Kerry

>144 sibylline: Glad you enjoyed the reviews Lucy, and thanks for the b-day wishes!

>145 calm: Thanks Calm. Seems I need help to make it a pain-free day, but at least the pills are working, though I'm cheating on the dosage...

>146 catarina1: Thank you Catarina!

***

My gf just called to say she's on the way to Atwater Market to pick up things and then will make her way to my place, so I expect she'll get here within an hour or less. Not much for me to do in the meantime, since I've planned a very simple meal; swordfish on the grill with no marinade to prepare (it arrived today at the fish market—super fresh!), green salad, and quinoa. I guess I could prepare the quinoa, but that's about it. She's brining a bottle of Moskovskaya and I bought a big tub of those huge olives (not sure what they're called) which come in green and reddish and black; I like to make filthy sort of Martinis with them, sans gin; I just crush the olives to get them to release their juices, pour the vodka over them, let sit for a short while and guzzle! We drank a whole bottle like that one night, and though I very rarely drink these days, much less drink like a fish, neither of us had hangovers, probably because of the fat content of the olives. Good stuff!

Have a great evening everyone!

Happy birthday, Ilana! I hope your dinner is as wonderful as it sounds!

Happy birthday Ilana!



So much to comment on!

>114 Smiler69: "As for the book itself, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read it first when I was in my teens/early 20th and shared the concerns of the protagonists." I always feel slightly sad that I can't go back and read some of those books at the appropriate age. How to Be a Heroine was quite positive about Franny and Zooey so I'd like to read it at some point even though I suspect it won't have quite the same effect as if I'd read it growing up. I also haven't read Catcher in the Rye.

>116 Smiler69: The Codex Seraphinianus sounds fascinating but I think it would disturb me too much.

>120 Smiler69: "But I also came across a possible source for Rowling's pseudonym in the latest issue of Slightly Foxed I finished recently, which featured an article about a 1933 book by an author called J. K. Galbraith. Is it mere coincidence that our contemporary J. K. (who made up those initials to begin with) then decided to switch her last name for with another similarly initialled peer?"

That is intriguing! Re the male pseudonym I wondered if Rowling wanted to see if writing as a male author did have any effect on the reviews or sales.

>122 Smiler69: "at least the first four of which saw the light in 1931" I was struck by that too when checking the original publication dates of the first few books. I know they're fairly short but still...

>128 Smiler69: I really hope the Topamax gives you some relief.

>132 Smiler69: Sorry to hear you're having constant migraines again :-(

>147 Smiler69: "My father called from Israel to wish me a happy birthday and tell me all about the rockets flying overhead and how he feared being blown up. Very cheery birthday call" :-(

I hope you enjoyed your meal!

We had a great time last night, though we both got sloshed from the get-go from the vodka-olive combo. The swordfish was so so so so very good, perfectly grilled, and the whole meal would probably have cost us a fortune at the restaurant (we also had a lovely white wine). There was a very rich, to die for chocolate cake, which we somehow managed to eat three-quarters of. All in all, a very nice evening.

I'm a bit worn out today, having guzzled more alcohol than I've been used to in quite some time last night. Surprisingly, my head isn't hurting right now (knock on wood), but other than doing dishes which I'd put off last night, I plan on doing nothing today but reading and napping. Oh, and maybe working on a new drawing for a bit, at least some of the preparatory stages.

>149 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Liane, dinner all hinged on not overcooking the fish and I must say it was rather perfect.

>150 -Cee-: Thank you Claudia sweetie. xx

>151 souloftherose: What a cute photo Heather! I wish I'd thought to get Coco a party hat last night! :-)

I think I must have read Catcher in the Rye in my teens and liked it well enough then, but I don't think I'll be rereading it because I think it's bound to disappoint me now. I think your instincts are probably good about Codex. I don't think it ever occurred to my father that he might want to keep the two conversation topics for separate phone conversations. Logic or consideration for others have never been his strong suit. And, this might make me sound hard-hearted, but if he was concerned about war and aerial strikes, he had no business going back to live in Israel in the first place, so that I feel like he hardly has a right to complain now. Everyone knows Israel is a conflict area, and he even had to put off going back last fall when it looked like there might be war with Syria, but somehow he chooses to ignore whatever doesn't suit him.

Yesterday's meal was rather memorable. There's nothing like ultra-fresh quality ingredients prepared simply. My friend also brought along these tiny Indian eggplants which were just slightly smaller than chicken eggs. She halved them, marinated them and we grilled them with the fish. I'm salivating just thinking about them now. It was lovely too that we had lovely pleasant weather; warm, with a nice cozy breeze.

Happy belated birthday!! Glad the weather and company and food cooperated!

Yes, it seems illogical to move to Israel if one is concerned about the possibility of ending up in a conflict zone. Realistically, this happens every few years, and it's foolish to gamble that it won't.

>128 Smiler69: You and I, Suz, and others share the unpleasant curse of wicked headaches. It is not unusual for a neurologist to try depokote or topomax.

I could not tolerate either. Fiorocet remains my blessing. I hope you are feeling better soon.

And, I love the opening photo.

Happy belated birthday! Hope you have a good Sunday to look forward to.

We're getting showers today, but I can't complain since we've had such beautiful weather on the whole. It does make walking Coco a bit more of a bother though, having to clean him up when we get home every time.

Finished The Silkworm on audio yesterday. Can't say I liked it much. It was just so extremely grotesque, but I agree with others who find Cormoran Strike carries the series. I'll probably read the next book for his and his assistant Robbin's sakes, but otherwise I wouldn't bother. Started on Rose Tremain's Merivel, as it's almost a guaranteed hit with me, and I'm due for a dose of historical fiction and literature rolled into one. Also finished My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier last night. I must have read half the book yesterday. Just couldn't put it down till I'd read the last page.

Starting on a new drawing project shortly.

>153 Chatterbox: Thanks Suz, weather, food, company, all was just perfect.

As for logic, it's not something I've ever detected the presence of in my father, and I would definitely describe him as a 'foolish' person. He wanted beaches and warmer winters. The fact they happened to be in a dangerous part of the world seemed only incidental to him, and there was no talking him out of it. What can I say?

>154 Whisper1: Hi my dear Linda, thanks so much for dropping by. I'm really hoping the topamax works for me, but if it doesn't, we're trying botox in the Fall. I'm hoping we don't have to go that route, because I'm not keen on having to get 20-30 injections every 3 months. Ugh! I've got a nasty migraine today, but trying to stay away from the Fiorinal as can't be taking it every day. Doing some artwork should keep the pain at bay, or at least, help me forget it's there.

>155 Thebookdiva: Hi Abby, thank you for the birthday wishes and for dropping by! I've been quite bad about keeping up with threads lately, and then mostly in lurking mode, but I'll make a point of dropping by your place soon.

>152 Smiler69: There was a very rich, to die for chocolate cake, which we somehow managed to eat three-quarters of.

That happens to me all the time...I'm glad you had such a nice meal.

I'm partially blaming My Cousin Rachel for the atrocious night's sleep I got last night as getting to sleep late after reading a gripping book is never a good start. It was a surprising ending in some ways.

>157 souloftherose: I'm partially blaming My Cousin Rachel for the atrocious night's sleep And I'm blaming both of you for the fact that I'm now dying to grab My Cousin Rachel from my shelf to read right now. LOL

>157 souloftherose: Heather, I was hoping for more closure somehow, so the ending left me feeling sort of unmoored. How about you? I can see how it would have set you up for a bad night's sleep. I'm always plagued with strange dreams and nightmares, so it was the usual for me. I'll have to ask my psychiatrist about switching the Wellbutrin, which, according to my neurologist is probably responsible for my nightly dose of nightmares.

>158 brenzi: Why resist Bonnie? I, on the other hand am wanting to purchase more of Du Maurier's books, even though I still have several on the tbr.

Du Maurier really knows how to build up the tension, eh?

Funny, I take the Wellies for my ADD/depressive tendencies and I think I dream less now, because my mind is calmer or something. Amazing, really, how differently our minds respond to medications. I feel very lucky this one works so well for me. Changed my life for the better, really, in so many ways.

Well, foo. I miss you for 4 days, and I'm a doctor's visit and a birthday behind. I hope that the new med kicks in sooner than predicted and does a great job for you. And I'm delighted that you had a good birthday celebration with a memorable meal! Very fresh food prepared simply - wonderful! (And belated Happy Birthday, Ilana! I hope this new year of yours takes you in a new, more pain-free direction.)
I know I've read My Cousin Rachel, but it's been so long that it's all gone. I should work it in this summer. Meanwhile, I'm recommending The Rosie Project to everybody I see for a light, amusing summer treat. My ma is enjoying it right now too.
Oh, and I envy you Merivel. On the other hand, I have Restoration on Mt. Read Now!

I spent something like 7 hours listening to Merivel yesterday. Not a record for me, but I'm definitely enamoured with it. Three of those hours were also spent doing preparatory work for my next drawing project. It's a gorgeous day out there today and again, not too hot, just like I like them, and my cleaning lady is coming over, so I've got lots to rejoice about. My head is hurting some, but not too badly, so I won't complain too much about that.

>160 sibylline: Lucy, our dear Du Maurier was certainly a master at psychological thrillers. I came close to spending a couple of Audible credits on more of her books yesterday, but then couldn't make up my mind which of the four on my wishlist I should get, so put it off to another time. I'll probably get the recently released The House on the Strand sooner than later though. But then I also want to get The Scapegoat and The Parasites. There's also the Virago Designer edition of Jamaica Inn, one of the few missing from my collection. Decisions, decisions...

That's the d—d thing about medication; there's no telling how any one individual is going to react to it. The Wellbutrin has worked for me very well for years now, but if it's to blame for my dreadful dreams it's going to have to go. I really dread having to try other things though—changing meds can be a nightmare in and of itself.

>161 LizzieD: Peggy, you're one of my most regular visitors, so I won't hold it against you for missing a few days. A relatively pain-free year is certainly something to wish for! You convinced me I need to read The Rosie Project when you first mentioned it on your thread, and I put a hold on it at the library, but in the meantime I also listened to an audio sample and really liked the narrator, so put in a purchase suggestion, in which case I'll have to be really patient, unless I break down and spend a credit on it, which just might happen.

I wouldn't let Restoration languish too long. Why deny yourself?

Recently purchased

From Downpour.com Andrea Camilleri Montalbano audiobook sale:
♫ The Smell of the Night $5.99
♫ Rounding the Mark $4.19
♫ The Patience of the Spider $4.19
♫ The Wings of the Sphinx $4.19
♫ The Potter's Field $4.19
♫ The Age of Doubt $5.99
♫ The Dance of the Seagull $4.19
♫ The Shape of Water $3.59
♫ The Terra-Cotta Dog $5.09

Audible / Kindle Whispersync deals:
ⓔ+♫ The Old Curiosity Shop
ⓔ+♫ Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

Total books purchased to date: 199

Like Liane, Ilana, I just finished (and enjoyed) The Cuckoo's Calling, so I'll look forward to your take on the follow-up The Silkworm.

I'm going to be reading Midnight in Europe soon and reviewing it as an ER copy, so I thought I'd hold off on reading that review, but I'm glad to see you gave it four stars.

I love Montalbano, as you know, so I'll be looking forward to your reaction to those audiobooks, too. Great prices.

>164 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I'll try to do a short write-up for The Silkworm tomorrow. All you need to know about my Midnight in Europe review for now is what I said about it being my first, but not my last Furst.

I've listened to a few Montalbanos. My mum introduced me to the series before I joined this group when she sent me book 5, Excursion to Tindari in the French translation, which she claimed she found better than the English. I read the first two in French and then switched to the next two on audio in English, so it's been a bit of an odd experience and felt quite disjointed. I'm planning on listening to the whole series over the summer and into the fall. We'll see how that pans out.

***

I'm really exhausted these days. Sleeping 11 hours a day, usually in bed around 10:30-11:00 and lights out by 12:00 and then have a hard time waking up before 11 a.m., and all the same, by 5 or 6ish I'm ready for a nap and it's all I can do to keep myself awake till about this time, so that I've been taking Coco out for our night walk around 9 and getting ready for bed right after that. Not sure what it's about. Maybe coincides with the return of the migraines? Would make sense.

I'm absolutely LOVING Merivel. If you like historical fiction and haven't read Restoration yet, what are you waiting for?

Right. Zzzzzzzzz....

Darn, I missed your birthday, Ilana. I'm glad it was a happy one and that the alcohol did not cause a headache for you. Your friend came through with a delicious meal. Chocolate cake sounds like the perfect ending. My husband's birthday was yesterday but we worked all weekend at switching out TVs (he got a new one) and giving a family party on Sunday. Consequently, I've had a few days of complete absence from LT.

It's good to hear that Merivel is a hit for you. I will definitely be looking for it as I want to read it while Restoration is still fresh in my memory.

 

A lovely package arrived from France in the mail yesterday. It contained a birthday gift with Chinese-style stitched cloth gift-wrapping. Inside was a lovely little book, "Drawings by Authors", a French edition with mostly French author drawings, but also American authors, such as Arthur Miller and William Burroughs and Englishman Laurence Durrell. There's a whole booklet by Jean Cocteau reproduced, among many treasures. The watercolour birds on the cover are by George Sand (I've added her to my wishlist). A real little gem.

I finished two books yesterday, Merivel by Rose Tremain, which I finished in record time (on audio) and La Tête d'un homme / A Man's Head by Georges Simenon, book 5 in the Maigret series. Just started on The Sign of the Four, the second Sherlock Holmes adventure before jumping into Phineas Finn.

It's raining today, so I'm staying indoors and I've promised myself to write a series of short reviews next to catch up on my latest books, so that'll be coming up soon.

***

>166 Donna828: No worries Donna, you didn't miss my birthday, we're just extending the celebrations, as you can see from the latest book arrival in the mail. I think you'll find Merivel is much more ponderous than the first book. He's matured and looking back on his life and hasn't lost his melancholy disposition, but I found it to be just as rich as the first book.

Another late arrival with birthday greetings for you, Ilana. I have been so absorbed in my reading lately that I am missing a lot of LT time and falling behind. Sounds like you had a lovely birthday.

I have My Cousin Rachel on my TBR shelf and when I saw it listed on the TIOLI's this month I thought about adding it to my July books, but I am struggling to get through my planned reads as it is so will have to get to "Rachel" at a later date.

Book #125: ♫ The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith ★★★
Source: National Library
Read for: July TIOLI #4: Start a series and continue if you want (shared read)
Series: Cormoran Strike (2 of 2)
Edition: Hachette Audio (2014), OverDrive Unabridged MP3; 17h16
Original publication date: 2014-06-19

When author Owen Quine goes missing for longer than his usual temper tantrums normally last, his wife hires Cormoran Strike to find him. Quine is not a popular figure and generally disliked, so the cast of possible suspect is potentially large, though when his body is eventually found in what appears to be an elaborately set ritualistic scene taken right out from his latest manuscript, the list of possible suspects is narrowed down to just those who have read the MS. Trouble is, a lot of people have read it, though they weren't supposed to, as the book has become the topic du jour, with Quine parodying everybody in the book world he's ever known and doing a very nasty job of it too.

Whereas I had trouble with the first book's inspiration being taken directly from the supermarket tabloid headlines, I thought I might take to this story about the publishing world more readily, but the crime and the contents of Quine's book itself, which are discussed at length throughout were so grotesque that I was rather turned off. On the plus side, I really enjoy the character of Cormoran Strike, a man with an interesting past and a complicated family situation, as well as his sidekick Robin who's been hired on as a secretary but has always dreamed of being a PI. And though Strike, through sheer blundering ignorance, and her fiancé Matthew, through sheer pigheaded egoism both seem to be against her realizing her dreams, she is nonetheless instrumental in solving the cases. For these two characters alone, I'll keep reading.

>168 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, thanks for the b-day wishes! I've been spending a lot less time on LT too, so perfectly understand how easy it is to fall behind on everybody's threads. It's fun that we have activities like TIOLI linking us together all the same, and encouraging us to share our reading, even if not always simultaneously. I hope you enjoy My Cousin Rachel when you get to it. There will definitely be plenty more Rebecca du Maurier in my future. Speaking of which, I'm about to punch out a review for MCR now...

Book #126: ✔ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier ★★★⅞
Source: My 'British Publishers' Shelf
Read for: July TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation (shared read), A Century of Books!
Edition: Virago Press (VMC Designer Collection) (2011), Hardcover, 352 pages
Original publication date: 1951

Philip Ashley has always looked up to his older cousin Ambrose as almost a God figure. Ambrose, haven taken in his orphaned cousin when he was just a toddler, has raised him in his image in a male-only environment, where the company of women was only tolerated when absolutely necessary. Having no other dependents, Ambrose has long ago decided Philip is to be his heir. The two have almost never been apart, save when Philip went to school and university, but when he returns home the older cousin must travel to warmer climes for health reasons, and it is decided Philip must stay behind in Cornwall to look after the estate. While away in Florence, the impossible happens, Ambrose meets a woman, half English, half Italian and a distant relation and falls in love with her, and shortly after, marries her. But things quickly take a dramatic turn, and within eighteen months, Ambrose's health has suffered a terrible decline and his letters are more and more frenzied, even accusing his wife of poisoning him. Philip hurries off to Italy at Ambrose's request, but arrives there too late, Ambrose has just been burried and his cousin, Ambrose's wife Rachel, has packed all his things and left her villa and gone no one knows where. Discouraged and in deep grief, Philiip returns to Cornwall and to the estate he will come to inherit soon, on his 25th birthday. He has vowed to take his revenge upon Rachel, whom he imagines to be a horrid old crone. Until Rachel arrives in England, and Philip feels compelled to invite her to stay over so he can exact his revenge upon her. Of course, he could not have expected he would fall in love with Rachel too, petite and unassuming, despite his terrible suspicions. And after all, it doesn't seem quite right that Ambrose hasn't made any provisions for her in his last will and testament.

This was a terrific page-turner and I felt compelled to read on to discover who this enigma that is Rachel really is. Is she an angel or a devil? Is she a little bit of both? Is she loving or calculating? Is she playing games? And what are Philip's real motives? Is he really Ambrose's clone as everyone else seems to think he is? This novel has all the suspense and taut atmosphere I loved in Rebecca, to which it has been compared to, only here we have a living woman to puzzle over as opposed to a mere ghost. All the same, she is impossible to pin down.

My rating perhaps doesn't reflect just how much enjoyment I got out of this reading experience, and perhaps leans a bit too much on the disappointment I felt with the ending, which left many questions unanswered. But as I think it over, I wonder if this doesn't on the contrary add to the charm the book operates on the reader, who might feel compelled to return to it time and time again to try work out a little bit more of the riddle that is Rachel, as is sure to be the case with me.

Coco is begging me for a walk. So off into the rain we go. More reviews later. Maybe, because I also want to put in time with my new drawing project.

What a lovely surprise for you for your birthday, a really thoughtful gift. Happy belated from me too.

Having not read much crime, I cant say I will be rushing out to read Galbraith/Rowling, but there may be time to 'turn to crime' later in life maybe? How's that for a reading (not career) aspiration!?

Hi Ilana! I, too, am late to the birthday party, but you have my sincerest wishes for a lovely extended celebration. I love that book and the pretty cloth gift-wrapping. What a wonderful way to wrap presents - lots better than paper, I would think, because you must be able to re-use it about a zillion times. I would think that it is a thin-ish fabric in order to prevent present bulkiness, no?

Hope you didn't get too wet on your trip out with Coco...

>165 Smiler69: I can't compare the French translations of the Montalbano books (and am impressed you and your mother can), Ilana. but I will say I think the English translations by Stephen Sartarelli are terrific. Can I compare them to the original Italian? Nope, can't do that either, unfortunately. The reason I like them so much is there's such a consistent and appealing flavor, and he seems to handle what must be difficult local expressions so well. Translations can be wooden and by the numbers, or too creative, but he seems to find the right groove.

The Silkworm: obviously I don't know about the grotesque parts yet, but I've seen them alluded to. I suspect I'll agree with you. For sure, what attracts me to reading these are Cormoran and Robin. I am intrigued by the publishing-insider aspect of this one, too.

I'll have to come back and read the Daphne Du Maurier review. You've been busy!

Luckily for me there was no rain at all when Coco and I went out and the ground was mostly dry so I took him along a walk on the walking path I like taking where I can leave him off the leash and have the huge joy of seeing him romp around freely. It always brings a huge smile to my face just seeing him bounce around—even his normal walk seems filled with personality—and when he runs I'm positively overjoyed to see him still filled with energy, and running like a little hare too.

Late now for more reviews if I want to get some drawing done; gardening on the balcony took up part of the evening. Just filling up pots where the soil had gotten low really, but at least I get to futz around with plants all the same.

>173 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I thought this gift was really thoughtful too, and I forgot to ask my mum if it had occurred to her when she devised the wrapping that I was likely to unwrap it one slow stitch at a time.

I'd say turning to crime later in life sounds like a sound plan! ;-)

>174 Fourpawz2: Hi Charlotte, and thanks for the b-day wishes. The cloth was actually taken from what used to be toile de jouy cotton curtains in the country house my mom used to share with her (now ex-)husband when she was still living here. She thought (rightly) that it would bring back pleasant memories. It's about the weight of what you'd use for a cotton shirt I guess, so thin enough.

>175 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I don't know if you'll end up feeling the same way about the latest Galbraith book, because many readers seem to really enjoy it. The contents of the manuscript more than the gruesome crime itself grossed me out more than anything. Definitely a book I would never want to read.

I've got all first 16 Montalbano books save for one secured on audio as of today, just waiting to get August Heat from the library, so I'm more than ready to start on my Montalbano project. I'll still end up reading the French version of Excursion to Tindari if only because that's the book my mum had originally sent me, and now I've read a few I'll be in a better position to actually compare the translations, something I wasn't really able to do before when I wasn't familiar with the series yet. I really do wish I could read these in the original, because it seems Sicilians have very unique expressions which are impossible to translate, and so no matter how good the translator is, we're still only getting an adaptation. But I guess that's still better than nothing.

***

Thanks for all the lovely visits and messages!

Hi Ilana! Just checking in. I am sorry to hear, you are feeling so fatigued. I hope that improves.

I am loving Middlemarch and Juliet Stevenson is the perfect narrator. Thanks for the suggestion. The only problem I am having is finding the chapter breaks on my Kindle print version. If I go to the content page, it only lists the Book Parts, not the chapters. I don't understand that.

Oh dear... I missed your birthday! Better late then never:

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:

      

✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev
✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 42: Small World by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
♫ The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
✔ Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

I just finished listening to The Sign of the Four as I was working on my latest drawing. I'll put together my blog post showing the progression of my lately completed "Man with Loaded Pen Pocket" and post a link here as soon as it's up. That's my plan for tomorrow, in any case. Off to take Coco for a last wee for the day and will start on the audio of The Shape of Water, starting over from book 1 in the Montalbano series as I get ready for bed. We'll see how many weeks/months it takes me to get through all first 16 books. Will also FINALLY pick up Chasing Vermeer which has been on my TRSS pile (To Read Real Soon) for three years or more! I'm reading the Turgenev slowly, savouring one story per day, more or less, but should finish it within the week.

>177 msf59: Hey Mark, I don't know what this fatigue is all about, but the upside is it's getting me to bed earlier!

Sounds like something is off with the Whispersync coordination. The Kindle device/app should take you to the exact spot you've left off from on the audiobook if you purchased the Kindle version that matches the audiobook. Are you sure you got the correct one? I know I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to sync it the first time, and I've only done it once so far, so not sure what else to suggest. You might call Amazon client services though and I'm sure they'll help you figure it out. Kind of important for such a long haul!

Glad you're loving Middlemarch and Juliet Stevenson's interpretation, though not surprised! ;-)

>178 lkernagh: Oh yay! More cake! Now that is always welcome, thanks Lori!

Sorry, Ilana, I should have made that clear, I am not syncing my devices. I am listening to the book on an iPod and reading it on a Kindle. It would be easier with my hardback but then I would have to drag it around and get that thing dirty.

>180 msf59: So do I take it the audiobook doesn't come from Audible? Because if it did, they should sync automatically. But if not, then no, they won't, and I see where your problem lies. Problems the modern reader must face, I guess! :-)

It could be, too, that the Kindle version is one of those Kindle freebies that doesn't sync to an Audible version, because it's not the same version... which would also explain why you can't easily find chapters. That's often one of the short-cuts the volunteers who make these freebie versions omit -- the short cut links. Sigh.

Is there any chance you can find a doc who isn't so averse to Fiorinal? If that is going to work for you? Or at least, if there's a chance it's going to end up as a significant tool in your toolbox? That's the way I look at these meds. And frankly, I'd want a doctor who is going to keep an open mind about what works and not be absolutist about stuff. Yes, the Fiorinal has issues -- there is the possibility (but not the certainty) of rebound headaches, there is the risk of addiction and there is the potential for damage to both liver and kidney function over the long haul -- but as my former neurologist put it, if you kill yourself because your in excessive pain and we could have done something about it, all that is rather academic, isn't it? I've cut down on my Fioricet and will be cutting down further, I think, as the Topamax is working, generally, but it has been effective. The problem is that I have found I need to use it EARLY in the migraine. It's not a preventative, but if I wake up early in the morning feeling like a headache is looming, take one, and then take a second three hours later, I can often ward off a headache altogether that otherwise I'd be stuck with for three days. And yes, I'd have been taking the Fioricet then, too, but it would only have managed to keep the pain under control, not get rid of it. So, it's about learning how to use the medication, which means not being afraid to take it, if that makes sense?

For me, it was the grotesque characterizations that made Silkworm less than a "wow" for me. Every single character was exaggerated. The wife was affectless and downtrodden, to an exaggerated degree. The daughter's problems were pronounced. The publisher in his disturbing country house with its bizarre art gave me the shudders. The drunken editor? The editor's assistant, so eager to pursue Cormoran? Everything is just a bit too much; too over the top. It's like being in a dance club with strobe lights.

This is a reflection on Rowling/Galbraith from a writer's pov because I bought the first Galbraith mystery yesterday - I've been thinking a lot about what Rowling is doing - trying to find a new voice, maybe? She loves to write, and Harry is done done done, but she isn't done with writing! Rich as she has become (and golly I admire and respect she gave so much away, brava!) her life is only meaningful to her when she writes, I'm guessing. It must be quite difficult, perhaps, to find a new outlet, a new way that won't 'run out' - you can write mysteries forever, as many mystery writers have proven, if you find the right glittering vein to follow. CV was overdone and depressing and somehow dull, which is interesting and these while the genre allows and demands a certain form, seem to be working better. Everything in HP was exaggerated too - funny names and extreme people... I'm hoping she will find her way to the right balance because she is indeed talented.

All that to say, I can picture her going to her probably well-appointed studio and sitting there chewing on her figurative pencil eraser, wanting to get her groove going again.

>182 Chatterbox: Suz, the Audible/Kindle thing: that's what I assumed at first, that Mark somehow didn't have the correct Kindle version. To make sure you have the right one, you really have to follow the link from the Audible page. But I think the problem is probably that he didn't get the audiobook from Audible to begin with. Guess we'll have to wait to find out from the horse's mouth!

As it turns out, my neurologist was totally ok with prescribing Fiorinal to me when I made my case for what a responsible drug user (as opposer to 'addict') I am. And I really don't use it all the time, only when the headaches are at their worst, and even then not every time, if it's one of those monsters that lasts more than three days; whether the rebound migraine thing is a reality or not, I'd rather not find out the hard way, besides which the Fiorinal doesn't always work for me. This weekend, specifically on my b-day on Friday, I took 3 pills instead of the suggested 2, because I wanted to make sure I was pain-free. I think the trouble is I got the ones with the lower dosage of codeine, so I'll have to ask him to switch my prescription to the 30 mg ones.

... just called my neuro about this and found out from his secretary he left on vacation for the summer the day after I saw him and is only returning Sept 8th! Argggghhhhh!!! Am waiting for the pharmacist to return my call about taking a higher dosage of my current prescription. Otherwise, not sure what I'll do but will have to find another solution. I woke up in the middle of the night with a rather bad one which is increasing in strength as I type this...

>182 Chatterbox: & >183 sibylline: I agree with you about everything and everyone being over the top in The Silkworm. I found this to be the case, on a different register with the first book also, and it occurred to me that Rowling had initially made her mark with a fantasy series which was very much over the top too, as Lucy points out. Can't be easy for her to find her voice after having created such a huge phenomenon that was the HP series. And then trying to sit at her desk and create something original while feeling the whole world is watching at her shoulder has got to be hugely daunting. No wonder she sought to write/publish under a pseudonym!

Going to see a movie with two of my favourite actors this afternoon: Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche in Words and Pictures. Clive Owen is one of a handful of actors I absolutely swoon over, so ultimately I don't even care what the movie is about or whether it's good or not, as long as I get to stare at him for 90 minutes or more.

Beautiful outside and head is rather bad. I'm waiting on the pharmacist to tell me whether taking a higher dose of Fiorinal is ok, because just 2 pills often doesn't work for me. Consequently, while I had planned to write more reviews today, I don't think it's going to happen. For one, I'd rather sit outside, and for two, I'm missing words—the expression I use when I literally 'lose' words which are usually perfectly within my grasp, but which migraine turns into a real treasure hunt, which turns writing even the simplest thing into a tortuous exercise.

Off I go then.

Listen to your doc -- and doesn't your doc have anyone filling in for him when he is away on holiday?? -- or your pharmacist on vacation. BUT I think the basic guidelines for Fiorinal/Fioricet are one every 4/6 hours and no more than 4 every 24 hours. I will say that I have exceeded that. BUT it will depend on what else you are taking, especially if you're taking anything that would interact with it. NO ALCOHOL. Because this is a barbituate. Linda can also weigh in on this.

You might want to think about using it to STOP a headache becoming a monster. I have found, as I noted, that that is when it is most effective. When the monster is here, I'm simply fighting a rear-guard action. Any painkiller is like using a cotton swab to clean up an oil spill. After a certain point, all you're doing is trying to contain and manage the pain, and frankly, you're better off simply going to an ER and having them hook you up to an IV. There is a combination of stuff that has worked well for me, which I NEVER seem to remember. Three different medications, which I just looked up -- toradol, Reglan, Benadryl, all administered via IV. It's like feeling the pain recede to form a kind of halo. If the first round of this doesn't work, sometimes they'll do a second round with a small amount of morphine, but I have found the first round often works for me. If you get one of these intractable ones, it's worth showing up at your local ER and seeing what they can do. It's an alternative to the old narcotic standbys of yore -- the dilaudid, the shots in the butt of demerol (which make me nauseous).

And I know what you mean about losing words. That's happening to me too, and these days I have to simply accept that it's old age and not just headaches. Unless the headaches have fried some synapses, which also is a possibility.

I'll have to keep an eye open for that film...

>159 Smiler69: I was hoping for more closure somehow"

SPOILERS I think I liked the lack of closure. Although I'd enjoyed the puzzle of Rachel I was secretly sure she would be the bad guy. Until those last few pages.

>163 Smiler69: Total books purchased to date: 199

Doesn't that tempt you to buy just one more to make it a round 200?

>165 Smiler69: If you like historical fiction and haven't read Restoration yet, what are you waiting for? *Looks sheepish*

>169 Smiler69: The generally positive reviews of the Robert Galbraith books had been tempting me but I really don't cope well with grotesque or disturbing crime novels so I may give them a miss.

>171 Smiler69: Thumbed your review of My Cousin Rachel and agree with your last sentence.

>185 Smiler69: Clive Owen is one of a handful of actors I absolutely swoon over" Mmmm mmmm.

And so frustrating about your neurologist going off on holiday like that! I hope the pharmacist can sort something out.

Just chiming in quickly to say that I also agree about Rowling going slightly over the top in the Strike books, but still enjoyable reads for me. The second was a bit gruesome in parts but I read quite a bit of gruesome in crime so not too much of a problem. Anyway so pleased that she has picked up the pen again in such a different genr, >183 sibylline: Lucy makes an excellent point.

Hope the migraines get under control. Love your beautiful present, what a fab gift, from your Mum I presume. Wasn't the best of times to move to Israel for your Dad. My daughter and her partner have booked a trip for September so I'm hoping the rockets will have stopped by then.

How was the movie, Ilana? I haven't seen Clive Owen in anything good, in quite sometime. He was red hot, a few years back.

Clive Owen is definitely swoon material.

I thought the movie was just ok. A bit formulaic maybe, but it was full of good intentions, and Clive Owen was easy on the eyes, even though he plays an alcoholic and behaves like a real s*** some of the time. Off to to work on my drawing shortly, then getting ready for bed. The migraine subsided a little with the Fiorinal, but I still feel it and it's tiring me out.

>186 Chatterbox: Nope, no one filling in Suz. My pharamcist looked into the barbiturate content of the Fiorinal and it looks like it isn't safe to take more than 2 at at time, so that's that. I might try to call my family doctor and try to convince her to change my prescription, though I know she won't like it at all. The ER isn't really a workable option. There's a minimum wait of something like 8 hours under neon lights among seriously sick people, and honestly, I choose pain in the comfort of home over those sorts of conditions. Dr. Aubé told me they have specialized migraine clinics at La Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris and also in London and wherever they have better socialized medicine basically, so that immediate treatment can be given in cases like ours, but this is far from being the case here and I'm sure they'd treat me as a low priority case.

The first true migraine I remember happened when I was 12, learning to ski in Austria in the Tyrol mountains while on vacation. Must have been the high altitude. I remember the incredible pain, but what made me cry was during the lunch break at the chalet when I wanted to ask for hot chocolate and couldn't remember the words for this basic beverage.

>187 souloftherose: I guess I sort of did get my 200th book today Heather when I ordered Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield from AbeBooks, a Bloomsbury Classic now out of print I gather. But I'll only list it when it arrives.

I haven't yet read Rose Tremain's fiction that is not historical and wonder if I will like it... will have to try it out to find out since I love her writing. In the meantime, I've still got The Colour in the tbr stacks, another work of, yes, historical fiction!

Thanks for thumbing my review, always appreciated!

The pharmacist wasn't much help finally, only confirmed I couldn't go with a higher dosage without taking a serious risk.

>188 avatiakh: Hi Kerry, yes, the gift was from my mum. It looks like my dad will be finding a place in Naharia which is safer, within a couple of days. I gave him a bit of a talking-to about calling me on my b-day ostensibly to give me his best wishes and then launching into a tirade about the air strikes, saying he could have called me the next day about those, which wouldn't have made much of a difference for him, but would have for me since it would have been nice to have peace of mind on my special day (he has a long history of ruining my b-day with highly inappropriate comments), and his response was to say he was suddenly very exhausted. Of course an apology was too much to expect.... I know I sound like a horrible insensitive daughter when I talk about him, but having such a socially inept father has always been a heavy weight to carry indeed.

>189 msf59: The movie was ok Mark, and if it hadn't been for the Owen/Binoche pairing, I wouldn't have found it all that exceptional, although the topic of words vs pictures was an interesting one. I swooned plenty, and that alone was worth the price of admission!

Clive Owen is definitely swoon material.

Hear hear! :-)

Finished listening to The Shape of Water tonight, which I enjoyed on this second reading more than the first time. I plan on fitting in a couple more Montalbanos this month. Have now started on Phineas Finn for Heather and Liz's tutorial.

Aha, I misunderstood -- thought you meant taking more than two in the same day. No taking more than two at the same time -- i.e. within an hour or so -- would NOT be a good idea. I think I have occasionally pushed the envelope and done two within 90 minutes but this is a medication I've been taking, off and on, for 30 years, so I know exactly how my body reacts to it (and I have a kind of tolerance to it, too, unfortunately.)

Re the ER, I do understand where you're coming from -- believe me, I've had my share of those experiences. Here is my 0.02, for what it is worth. You are in hell anyway, and judging from what you write here, have a fairly good chance of remaining so for day after day after day. The tradeoff is several hours of slightly worse hell, followed by treatment that has an above-average of removing that hell. I agree, getting oneself to that point is fairly drastic, and not to be contemplated in normal circumstances, but it seems as if it might be worth doing some research. For instance, not all ERs are the same. In Toronto, I found two hospitals whose ERs were much less busy, and one of those had a staff who seemed to realize that migraines, while not as life-threatening as gunshot wounds, weren't super low priority, either. I've also found that most ERs (including those in Canada) will get me out of the bright lights in the waiting room if I ask politely and say that they make me feel like vomiting. (Nobody wants to clean THAT up if there's a quick preventative to hand...)

A quick Google search turned up this, which has some specific insight into the way one new Montreal ER is treating migraine patients: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/jewish-general-hospital-unveils-new-er-1....

Gah, I don't like it when I come over here and read that your battling yet another monster headache, Ilana. I'm so sorry that you're struggling with them so much.

I agree that Owen is a cutie, but of the pair, I swoon more over Binoche. So beautiful and so talented!

Nasty bugger again today. Have taken Fiorinal just a few minutes ago and waiting for it to kick in. I think this is day 7 or 8 with Fiorinal this month, which leaves me with only 4-5 more days when I can safely take it.

I haven't made much headway with Chasing Vermeer, but so far it's not doing much for me. I guess I'll persevere because it's been so highly recommended by many LTers, but I'd honestly rather be reading something else at this point. Ah well, maybe things will turn around when the real action kicks in.

>194 Chatterbox: Thanks for sharing that article Suz. I was born at the Jewish General 45 years ago now, and have never been back since (that I know of). It's a little bit out of the way, but I might make my way there to try out their new ER facilities to see if they are all they claim to be once I've run out of 'safe' Fiorinal days. I've never actually vomited from migraine and only rarely get nausea from it either (though goodness knows I get it all the time otherwise), but it would be an argument worth using for the sake of getting out of bright lights.

>195 scaifea: Amber, in one of the final scenes (and I doubt this is a spoiler), when the two are kissing, I couldn't help but comment to my friend that Clive Owen was definitely kissable... and so was Binoche for that matter. ;-) I've had a girl crush on her since I was in my teens. Didn't realize she was only 5 years older at only 50 years old. An inspiring woman for sure.

Yup you don't need to do it, just say it's a risk. Clearly they're aware that they are serving this constituency, at least, so they should be focused on getting people like us away from bright lights, noisy TVs, etc. fairly quickly.

Fiorinal didn't do it's job today, or if it did, not enough to make a difference, or maybe pain is lessened, but I feel so out of it that it hardly makes a difference. Am I kvetching? Yes, I guess I am. Had an appointment with my occupational therapist today which I put off, because talking when I'm in a lot of pain is... painful. Just the sound of my own voice resounding in my head is extremely unpleasant. And I've been a very bad girl and not followed through on goals I'd set for myself, and even though I'm supposed to see her so she'll help me adjust things so I'll be encouraged to find ways to do so... I just like to show results, even when I'm not being graded for it. Anyway. Typing isn't good for my head right now (hearing my voice, even the silent one, is also resounding in my head), so... bye for now.

>198 Smiler69: Ilana, I really hope you can get some relief from the migraine soon.

>199 souloftherose: Thank you sweetie! xx

***

I'm too bent out of shape to put together my blog post, as it’ll take me a little while to narrow down the selection of photos to show the progression of this drawing on the blog (I’ve got 90 photos from beginning to finish right now), but here is the final drawing as I've just emailed it to my mum (you'll be able to view it larger and in detail on the blog too). Makes me feel a bit better to know that I'm actually capable of completing something, especially on days like today when I'm completely useless to the world. Off to lie down now.

>200 Smiler69: So good! Looking forward to the blog post when it's ready. That's really impressive, Ilana.

>201 jnwelch: Thank you Joe, much appreciated!

***

I powered through and finished Chasing Vermeer this afternoon, mostly because it's light reading and because I wasn't so taken with it and basically wanted to just get it done with. There's nothing wrong with it, but I guess the timing was wrong for me or something. The upside is it had been on my tbr for ages, and now it can be moved out of the house (theoretically at least), and I'm very glad I get to move on to something else. At the moment though I'll go spend some time on my new drawing which might help take off my mind from how terrible I've been feeling all day with this blasted Fiorinal-resistand migraine.

>200 Smiler69: Amazing, Ilana. I wish I had half the talent for capturing an image that you do.

>200 Smiler69: How the heck do you DO that? So awesome.

Good to see you using the right (creative) side of your brain ... *smile*

Hoping you feel better soon.

>203 Chatterbox: >204 -Cee-: Thank you so much ladies. Mostly it's just obscene amounts of time and going back and fixing errors over and over again.

The one I've started on now is quite a brain twister. It's a woman wearing a really intricately embroidered abaya (I think that's the term for it) and heavily patterned large purse. Lots of complex patterns basically, which is what attracted me about her in the first place. I'm not sure why I'm doing this to myself. Hopefully the results will have made the exercise worthwhile. I think she'll definitely add value to the series. I have no idea what to use as a title though. Don't want to make any reference to religion.

Phineas Finn isn't working for me, 10 chapters and 3 hours in. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate politics? I do, with every cell in my body, and though I know Trollope usually concentrates more on his characters, I'm not even really enjoying his style right now. But that could be the migraine talking. All the same, I think I'd better move on to something less challenging.

I'm calling it a day. Walking Coco and then need to get horizontal asap. Hopefully tomorrow won't be as punishing.

Hi Ilana! I hope you woke up feeling fresh and pain-free. Fingers crossed.

^^Love the progress on the drawing. Your detail is amazing. You go girl!

My sister worked at Jewish General - I'm going to ask her what she knows/can find out for you too. The place she works now, rehab, is associated with it.

Hi Ilana!

I've been away for a few days (reading madly and otherwise busy) and goodness but your thread has been active!

>200 Smiler69: Great work - you have a tremendous vision.

As for The Silkworm I agree with the multiple comments that characters are exaggerated - more so in than in The Cuckoo's Calling. And it was disgusting. That said, it was no more disgusting than much of the thriller / mystery writing out there and at least it wasn't gratuitous or described in such loving detail I question the sanity of the author. I frequently don't like the second book in a series as well as the first, so I'll definitely read the next one - like Joe, I want to know what happens to Robin.

I'm sorry about the headaches - and your doctor being on vacation. I hope the rest of July brings you only days of health and happiness.

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:

      

✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev
✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 42: Small World by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
♫ Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
✔ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

***

I decided to drop Phineas Finn last night. It just wasn't working for me at this time and I thought I'd do both myself and Mr Trollope a favour this way. Myself, by allowing for mood and intellectual ability to dictate what I feel like reading, and Mr Trollope, by reading him when I'm able to appreciate him. Starting the audio of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone consequently felt like letting myself sink into a warm bath, nice and familiar, warm and very pleasing. I read it for the first time in the early 2000's and remember the delight I felt at the time, and it still pretty well feels that way this time too so far, which is a nice bonus. I've also started on The Big Sleep, and as I've obviously been in the mood for classic noir fiction (all those Simenons one after the other), this is an ultimate treat too. All's well on the reading front then.

Headache is better today. Slight, but I also feel like I have a hangover, which tends to happen after huge migraines like the one I had yesterday, so I'm taking it nice and slow and dearly hoping it doesn't build up as the day progresses.

>206 msf59: Hi Mark, and thanks! I need to narrow down those 90 photos I took from one drawing session to the next to something like a dozen or so for my blog. Decisions, decisions!

>207 sibylline: Thanks Lucy, I'd appreciate that.

>208 Dejah_Thoris: Hi Liane, I'm always thrilled to have visitors and messages of course, but I keep my thread active no matter what because I use it as a tool for journaling my reading and trying to keep myself to reading plans, which I've been pretty good at this month (this not being the case a lot of the time!).

I'll most probably read the next Cormoran Strike book for the same reason as you and Joe and also out of sheer curiosity. There's no question Rowling has been a hugely influential writer and continues to be so.

As for the headaches, one blessing is that usually, no matter how bad the pain is, I can still manage to read, or if I can't, then I can still listen to audiobooks, so I need never just lie there and stare at the ceiling and can at least indulge one of my favourite hobbies. Sometimes I have no choice but to lie still and just close my eyes and try to sleep, but thankfully that's doesn't happen all the time, so I'm mostly grateful the pain isn't the kind that has me scratching at the walls. All the same, thanks for the wishes of days of health and happiness—I'll take them with gladness if they come my way! :-)

Just finished listening to Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. I really don't know why they changed it to "Sorcerer's Stone" in the North American version, very strange. Other than that, it was great fun revisiting this book. They include a 5 minute excerpt from the next book at the end and I'm very tempted to jump right in, but I think I'll go with something else.

So many options right now, can't decide between the next Montalbano, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (both of which are rereads, but somehow the McCullers seems like an August heat read), the next Ranger's Apprentice, the next Bloody Jack... and these are just a very few of the options I've narrowed my choices to. Then there's Anansi Boys, The Family Fang, The Lowland and Journey Into the Past in my planned reads to choose from, but I feel like going off the list for this next selection. Decisions, decisions.

I have a friend who works in publishing here in NZ and she says that titles get changed for the US market quite frequently as the US market seems to require more literal titles or the books just don't sell.

>212 avatiakh: Sadly, that doesn't at all surprise me. However in this case, I should think the term 'Philosopher's Stone' is quite well known and expresses what the object is, whereas if I'm not mistaken, I think 'Sorcerer's Stone' was made up especially for this book. I guess they figured kids wouldn't know what the original expression meant and would be more intrigued with the concept of sorcery than of philosophy (although it's not really to do with philosophy in the first place of course).

***



Finally, I decided to go with Anansi Boys, taking advantage of the fact that I seem to be more comfortable with fantasy lately. I was really hesitant about this particular title, which has been on my listening stacks for ages, because I didn't at all like American Gods, though I have enjoyed other books by Neil Gaiman quite a lot. I'm just about halfway through chapter 2 and so far, so good!

Ilana, I'm sorry that the headaches have been so relentless. I can't imagine trying to do anything - much less to create something as detailed as your pictures - while I was in such pain. Don't ever, ever beat yourself up about what you're doing or not doing. Meanwhile, I hope you're sleeping better than you were last week.
Meanwhile again, I still haven't started Restoration; I just really have to finish one something first. I do like her contemporary fiction; or what I guess I mean is that I love and adore The Road Home. AND you remind me of how badly I want to try Camilleri and also Anansi Boys. I did like *AGs*....
And, although I feel like the world's lowest grouch, I haven't ever gotten all the way through HP because JKR doesn't bother to clean up her writing. She may be one of the world's great story-tellers, but she doesn't seem to care about the language much. Sorry.........

>213 Smiler69: I think if you google search you'll come across a few articles at least about the need to change from'philosopher's stone'. I was on an international childlitserv for several years and these types of issues were discussed in depth, which got quite fascinating at times as the discussions involved reviewers, publishers, academics, writers, teachers, librarians and enthusiasts from around the world.

I loved the audio of Anansi Boys narrated by Lenny Henry. Gaiman said he wrote it with Henry in mind.

>85 Smiler69: I assumed that they changed the title because that folks in the U.S. were too ignorant to know what the Philosopher's Stone was - and because everyone knows Sorcerers are cooler than Philosophers!

>214 LizzieD: Peggy, I thought I'd let off moaning and groaning today, but yes, today has been another doozy. A friend invited me to spend the day poolside at her place in the suburbs today, but I kept waking up all night with this headache and nope, the idea of hanging out and having girlie time with her and a couple of her girlfriends today just didn't appeal this morning; having lots of chit-chat isn't something I feel I'm able to do when my head hurts, when I basically try to talk as little as possible. I've been really grumpy about this latest bout I must say. I fear I'm going to soon turn into one of those bitter grumpy old women made so by constant pain and too much time spent alone. At least I always have books to turn to and understanding folks here on LT who can relate.

I mean to write a few words about Merivel when my head clears a little bit. I really related to this character, who is essentially a melancholic man by nature, but also one who delights in all life has to offer (gee, he must have been bipolar/manic depressive too then, now I think of it!) and though he has plenty of faults and his blind love and devotion for the king is far from admirable, being allowed into his private reflections felt like a privilege. My, looks like I've practically written a review right there! I might just copy and paste when comes time to format the thing into the template I've created for my 'official' reviews.

No need to apologize for being a 'grouch' when it comes to HP. After all, I dropped book 4 halfway through ages ago and didn't feel particularly repentant about it, so you can't say I'm a Potter Fanatic. I couldn't say now why I left it unfinished, probably life came in the way, and probably I grew bored with the formula, as tends to happen for me with series, though there are exceptions. I do want to get through the 7 books this time to get a sense of what the whole saga was about. We'll see how that goes.

>215 avatiakh: Ah, wasn't aware of that Kerry. I googled very briefly to check that "sorcere's stone" wasn't in common usage and that "philosopher's" led to the main wikipedia article, but that was about it. Didn't know the original expression was under fire.

I did find Lenny Henry was just about perfect for this story right from the first, how interesting that Gaiman wrote it with him in mind. Needless to say I got hooked right in with his narration of a father who was such an embarrassment and a burden to him. Now I'm wondering... could my father be a god too?! Would certainly explain things neatly! ;-)

>216 Dejah_Thoris: Liane, my thinking exactly. How sad!

It is pathetic the way the US publishing industry dumbs things down.... it could have been an opportunity to push the other way, given the intense devotion to the books. Would any kid have cared about the title? And they would learn what it meant as they read the book.

I'm sorry the headaches are in a relentless phase. Not fair. You are too engaged with the world to qualify as a grumpy person - sitting around pools chatting with women is not really my idea of sociality - not since I was about 15. And even then..... I'd get an itch to go off and read a book!

>218 sibylline: There, what was I just saying to Peggy about folks here on LT who can relate? :-)

I remember going poolside last year, I was reading one of my Zolas that day and was mostly keen on keeping reading in whatever spot of shade I could find and was happiest when the other 'girls' (all of us in our mid/late 40s) gathered round in the kitchen or elsewhere and left me to my prose. I've never been keen on sitting in the sun—you've seen how pale I am, it's hopeless for me to try to get a tan, and I burn to a crisp so easily, so mostly I seek the shade. And then every time I've been at any sort of gathering where I could more or less decently bring a book (any family gathering basically), I'd be off in a quiet room, or in the middle of the action if I didn't have a choice, with nose buried deep into the spine. But I know I'm no exception among this particular LT gang! :-)

I know my friend probably planned on doing some kind of belated b-day thing for me yesterday which would probably have included one of my all-time favourites: a strawberry shortcake, which she makes especially well with strawberries soaked in aged balsamic vinegar. We've been friends on and off for nearly 20 years now, but this past year has been really difficult on our friendship and has brought to light a lot of the things that have bothered me all along, so that I don't feel I can get together with her in a spirit of lighthearted ease without clearing the air first, and this I don't know how to do. Any advice on the matter is highly appreciated. I won't go into detail about the several grievances I'm carrying, but one, which is that though she is the one who helped me get Coco from the rescue which was a good way outside Montreal, she's never considered little dogs to be 'real' dogs, having always had big dogs, so every chance she gets she's always telling me he's not a real dog and she refuses to pick him up or pet him, which can't help but hurt my feelings. Then she doesn't like me bringing him over to her house because her giant poodle behaves very badly with Coco and tries to pester him constantly, and of course she doesn't want to be forced to restrain him. This is the least of our issues, but one that gives me good reason not to want to go over there, which involves an uncomfortable long bus ride on top of everything else.

Oops, sorry, this has turned into a major rant.

Really enjoying Anansi Boys. For some reason it's reminding me of the Rivers of London series, probably because of the fantasy element and the excellent black narrator; Lenny Henry is really brilliant, as is Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

Hi Ilana- Glad you are enjoying the Anansi Boys. I've had this one on my To-Read list for ages. At least, I have it saved on audio and in print.

Hope you are feeling good this fine Sunday!

It's funny, I didn't like American Gods that much either, Ilana, and I'm a Gaiman fan. I liked Anansi Boys a lot more.

I do plan on trying American Gods again some time, because I wonder whether there was something about my timing.

>200 Smiler69: Even in a small image that looks good. Am looking forward to the blog post (but not pressure, whenever you're good and ready)

"especially on days like today when I'm completely useless to the world"

This part of the world objects strongly - not true! I get a lot of enjoyment and pleasure from reading your thread, looking at the pictures of cute pets, enjoying your artwork etc.

Your comments about Anansi Boys are tempting me to try it at some point. I have really mixed feelings about Gaiman and have enjoyed a lot of his books but, with the exception of The Graveyard Book, I never feel like I love them as much as most people do.

Friendships can be hard. I think I'm coming to realise that long-term friendships have periods where things aren't going well and conflicts arise and that's just what happens. Being a conflict avoider I'm not very good at addressing the specific conflicts that arise so no advice there but I've gained confidence that as long as I don't completely give up on the friendship we will probably get to a point where things become easier again.

And with a migraine I think a long, hot bus ride to spend hours having to make conversation is a big no.

>219 Smiler69: I am so sorry, Ilana, that you're still being waylaid by headaches. I hope they ease off soon.

As far as your friend is concerned, I'm afraid I haven't any advice. I will say, however, that her attitude toward small dogs is nothing short of bizarre. I'm primarily a cat person, but I have two rescue dogs these days - one 55lbs, the other 11lbs. It would never occur to me that one of them was more or less deserving of love, affection or respect than the other because of her size. It also seems extremely odd that a 'friend' would denigrate a beloved pet to her person; if nothing else, it's rude. I can't help but wonder if there is some additional factor at work here - some trauma relating to a small dog - that is causing her to behave so inappropriately. I realize that may sound a bit strange, but you never know. Have you told her how much you dislike comments?

Just finished Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev. I'm glad I took my time with this one. I didn't really have a choice, because it was quite dense on the whole and I found I couldn't manage to read more than one story at a time, although most of them were no longer than 10-15 pages. Now I've gotten through the book and the intro by the translator, I feel an immense sense of satisfaction. He's an author I've come to greatly appreciate in the past couple of years, and this is the work that more or less made his name. As such it's quite an education, in more ways than one. I hope I can gather my thoughts sufficiently to write an adequate review for it very soon, because I feel I owe it that much. Thanks to Lucy / sybix for picking it for me, thus getting me to read it sooner than later.

>220 msf59: Hi Mark, I'm still in pain today, but it's not too bad, though just enough to keep me from feeling like I can take on very much. All the same, it's a gorgeous, warm summer day, though not too too hot, just the way I love them, so I'm enjoying sitting out on my little balcony out back where it's nice and green with a pile of books on my coffee table and a big glass of homemade lemonade. What could be better?

I predict you'll like Lenny Henry's narration so much when you get to Anasi Boys you won't even think twice about picking up the print copy!

>221 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Thanks again for making those recommendations for Billy Collins collections on your thread. I must admit I often skip over poems when people post them, just because I have to be in a specific frame of mind to enjoy poetry, but have always found the time I took to read those you've posted by him to be well rewarded.

I don't know if I'll try AG again. It really rubbed me the wrong way, but I'm glad to hear from another Gaiman fan who also didn't love it, even if it just happened to be a timing thing.

>222 souloftherose: Hi Heather, I was just telling myself earlier that I should really edit those photos and get my blog post ready. There are two blog posts I've been putting off; the other is 6 weeks overdue, from my visit to the botanical gardens and all the gorgeous flower pics I took there. Again, loads of photos to sort through. It's too beautiful outside to spend any time on that right now though, but I'll make time for it on evenings and rainy days.

I'm glad you loved The Graveyard Book too. It was my first Gaiman book and turned me into an instant fan.

Thanks so much about your comments about me not being useless at least in your part of the world. Much appreciated, truly. Also, your comments about friendship are very helpful. True enough time is an important element, and long-term relationships go through all kinds of phases. Like you, I tend to avoid conflict with those I love (not so with strangers stepping on my toes!), and for that reason have lost many friends over the years, preferring to fade into the distance than face difficulties, which I think is what most people tend to do. The trick is keeping that point of contact; both parties have to want it equally and life does get in the way, doesn't it? I do always find your messages so uplifting. I think emotional empathy is even better than mere intellectual understanding for someone who operates on feeling so much like me.

***

Right, back to the glorious balcony I go!

So much to catch up on here, Ilana. First off, I love the latest addition to the commuter series. You have chosen such an interesting variety of travelers and done some amazing detail work. Good job!

Your thoughts on Merivel make me want to prioritize it. Maybe next month? It is available at the library right now but, as usual, I am overbooked. I enjoy introspective books and am eager to learn more about this fascinating character. I just finished The Colour. Another winner!

So sorry that the headaches continue. I hope you find a solution quickly. I certainly wouldn't be sitting by a pool with a throbbing head! Heh, I probably wouldn't be sitting by a pool under the best of circumstances...but I can see myself on an air mattress with a book and a fruity drink!

Here we go, I finally made time to edit my "work in progress" photos and put the blog post together. To view a larger version of the completed piece and some of the stages it took to get there: http://createthreesixty5.com/2014/07/21/metro-series-4-man-with-pens/ (clicking on the images above will get you there too).

>225 Donna828: Hi Donna, nice to see you in these parts, especially as I know you don't spend much time on LT these days. Merivel is so fascinating in that he is introspective and yet has so many glaring blind spots. I guess that is the case for all of us, which makes him all too real and all too human. I definitely want to read The Colour soon and will try to make room for it in the fall.

Just a quick speak - "Hi, Ilana!" I'm eager to get to the blog tomorrow when I'm awake!
Hope your new week will be less painful.

>226 Smiler69: Really cool!

Hmmmm. Sounds like the proverbial 'mixed message' as in "Here, I'll help you get this dear little dog, and then I'll make fun of it." I've never had much luck with mitigating this kind of 'fiendly', oh, I mean 'friendly' behaviour. As suggested above it usually means some sort of (unconscious/unregistered) conflict in the person, either about the friend (you in this case) or dogs or visitors or something you can't even imagine! Now and then I've been able to ask just the right question, but mostly when I encounter it now, I do the fade if I don't feel like dealing or if I think it is hopeless or I protect myself - in your case I wouldn't bring Coco and see if she asks why, and that might give you an opportunity to say something about your discomfort.

> 226 I love the final result, Ilana. Totally awestruck and speechless over how talented you are!

Sorry to see you have been having some bad headache days, Ilana. I love your "work in progress" photos! I hope you have a wonderful week.

>226 Smiler69: I love getting these behind the scenes views of the development of your artwork and it really highlights the incredible amount of detail included in these drawings.

Book #134: ♫ Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman ★★★★⅓
Source: National Library
Read for: July TIOLI #10: Read a book that has won the Alex Award
Series: American Gods (2 of 2)
Edition: BBC Audiobooks America (2006), OverDrive Unabridged MP3; 10h03
Original publication date: 2005

I wish I'd picked up this book sooner instead of letting my prejudices prevents me from doing so. I consider myself a Gaiman fan, but I hadn't at all enjoyed American Gods, and though I'd been told this one was quite different, still dawdled. But truly, other than the God theme, the two book have nothing in common and ought not to be part of the same series. When "Fat Charlie" Nancy, finds out his father, who has been a source of deep shame and embarrassment all his life has passed away, he also finds out this same father was a god. Originally born in Florida but now long living in London, saddled with that name of "Fat Charlie" by his father, even though he is not actually fat because of the old man's gift for making names stick to people and animals, Charlie if forced to travel to Florida to his father's funeral, whereupon meeting some of his father's old friends he finds out these uncomfortable details about his past. It seems he was a Spider god who owned all the stories and had certain abilities to bend reality. Strong echoes of mythology and of Aesop's fables here, as tends to be Gaiman's speciality. He further learns that he has a brother who inherited all the godly gifts in the family and who disappeared from Charlie's life when he was a small child, called Spider, and all he needs do to have him come to him is ask a spider for him. Charlie has so far led a quiet life working for a talent management agency as an accountant and is engaged to soon be married to his lovely Rosie. But after speaking to a spider one drunken night, his world soon turns upside down. Spider shows up in London out of nowhere and takes over Charlie's life, impersonating him at him job and with Rosie and suddenly, Fat Charlie's life, which was only vaguely dissatisfying before is now a living hell. Spider has uncovered serious irregularities at the talent agency and confronted Fat Charlie's boss Grahame Coats with his findings, which involve the diversion of huge sums from the accounts of their semi-famous clients to offshore accounts. Pretty soon, Graham Coats is fighting back by pinning the financial irregularities on Charlie and leaving for an island hideaway under and assumed identity, but not before leaving a dead body behind. To add insult to injury, Spider has taken a liking to Rosie, and where the young woman has always insisted she would not indulge in sex before marriage, her resolve has melted for this new version of Charlie, who, thanks to his god status, can make people see what he wants them to see.

It all seems deeply unlikely told like that, but in Neil Gaiman's hands, this all somehow comes into the realm of possibility and the melding of fantasy, murder mystery and romance is an irresistible mix, especially when you throw in Gaiman's sharp writing skills and wittiness. I think what won me over best of all was this audio version read by Lenny Henry, who did a masterful job of interpreting all the different characters and switched between the various accents, Charlie's London accent, Spider's American and the soft Caribbean lilt as needed. I was often comparing this story to what I like best about the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, narrated on audio by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Both stories have realistic urban setting and nature Gods and both black narrators have huge talent and make the writing truly come alive. Highly recommended.

  
I'm just over halfway through The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri on audio (and also a reread). I seem to be enjoying the Montalbanos better the second time around, so no complaints there!

It's going to be a scorcher here today, so I've arranged for a gf and I to go shop for some feminine essentials at a mall which is out of the way (basically across the whole metro line and then a short bus ride). I wouldn't normally go on my own, but with a gf to chat with and a sale at the other end to shop for something I hate to shop for (bras—I think most of us hate shopping for those), the trip might be worth it. There'll be the cold air of the stores, and the shop itself caters especially to well-endowed sorts, so we're sure to find our sizes. I strongly considered bringing Coco, just because I love having him with me everywhere, and, well, I can get away with it as long as I have a bag to hide him in, but I think I'll leave him in his crate today with a bowl of cool water and a fan nearby.

>228 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, well, yesterday started out with a medium level but very persistent migraine which I managed to break with one dose of Fiorinal around midday, which was encouraging. We're having a couple of really hot days, which isn't ideal for my head. It's quite humid and I feel like the atmosphere is quite heavy, also not great. I believe I still have 4 days this month when I can safely take those pills, and definitely feel a migraine building up this morning, so might take some again to make the shopping expedition go as smoothly as possible. Then I increase my dosage of Topamax this week, so fingers crossed.

>229 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. I'd better start taking photos of the new one I've got started, it's taking off!

>230 sibylline: Yes, you're right Lucy. Mixed messages; no wonder I'm so confused. Maybe it's her way of getting back at me for things I've left unsaid about her dog and her daughter, both of which I find are very badly spoiled and misbehaved.

>231 DeltaQueen50: Thank you so much Judy, that's really sweet of you to say.

>232 lkernagh: Lory, I really get quite a kick out of seeing those work in progress shots myself once it's done. Almost more so than the actual finished product, which I always find fault with and find lots of things that need fixing of course.

>233 souloftherose: Thanks so much Heather, and thanks so much for leaving a message on my blog too. I've been lurking on your thread and been meaning to post, but been in lurking mode lately. Do know for now that my thoughts are with you and I will come post something soon. For now I must get ready as my friend will be coming over very shortly. xx

Oh, I *love* the drawing! Amazing! And I'm so happy that you liked Ananzi Boys, too!

Would you believe that Anansi Boys leapt from the shelf into my hands this afternoon? If I start it now, I won't even complete 5 books for July. Somehow I don't care much at the moment.
Hope the headache cleared and that you were able to do what you hoped to do.

>236 scaifea: Thank you Amber. That drawing project is extremely time consuming, but highly satisfying too.

Anansi Boys was a lot of fun. The advantage to being on the fence about fantasy and never knowing what will or won't work for me is I never know when I'll be pleasantly surprised, and this was the case here for sure.

>237 LizzieD: Would you believe that Anansi Boys leapt from the shelf into my hands this afternoon?

Ha! Would that be complete coincidence or perhaps partly influenced by my review, Peggy? I wouldn't worry about how many books you complete this month either. It's July, which for most people means vacation time, and no homework.

Headache is better today, very low grade, but of the looming variety that always keeps me on edge a little, as I never know when the penny will drop and something will set if off for good. It's also that time of the month, so I'm loading up on Advil and giving myself a free pass for feeling like an utter sloth. Besides which, thanks to Liz, I've discovered sloths are actually adorable creatures. :-)

Oh my. No wonder my credit card is suffering. Might my migraines be due to financial stress? Not entirely unlikely. Several books have come into the house lately from various sources, which I will list in my next post

Shopping expedition went rather too well yesterday, with too much money spent, but great items purchased. I can't recall last time I went shopping with a gf and it's great fun. I got 4 gorgeous and super well fitting bras which came out to $30 each, at 50% off AND get a free one when you buy more than $100—they actually gifted me the most expensive one too, almost unheard of. Considering I shop for bras every 5 years or less if I can swing it, a great deal in all. In another shop, I got these superb linen pants and skirt. The skirt is knee-lenght, which is most flattering for me and kind of 50s swingy shape with a really neat pattern, both indigo blue. Both on sale of course. Got a nice long white shirt, white on white stripe to wear with leggings and also a short summer jacket at Gap, both at great bargains too. Do I really need more clothes? That's the same as do I really need more books?

Speaking of which...

Books:

Recently downloaded from the library's OverDrive collection:

♫ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
♫ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I really do have the complete series now)
♫ The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson
♫ Cinder by Marissa Meyer (since everyone's been raving about this series)
♫ Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (for a reread)
♫ Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo (from CDs, not a download)
♫ The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
♫ MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (with Oryx & Crake on Kindle, I'm all set now)

From the Audible Children's sale ending on the 24th:

♫ Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer
♫ Magyk by Angie Sage
♫ The Bad Beginning, A Multi-Voice Recording by Lemony Snicket (for a 'reread')
♫ The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Interrupted Tale (Book IV) by Maryrose Wood

From BookDepository by way of AbeBooks (cheaper):

Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield (arrived in the mail yesterday)
The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield (due to arrive next week)

These last two are a recently discovered series from the 90s from the UK, Bloomsbury Classics, which are these divine tiny books about 11.5 x 16 x 2 cm (4.5 x 6.25 x 0.75 inches) with beautiful arty covers which I want to collect for the covers alone (shown bellow). They're all out of print of course, though some are still available at Book Depo, though I'm assuming this is a stash of old stock which is bound to run out.

  

Finished The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri shortly before typing up the above reports. Now the excitement of deciding what to listen to next. Was going to write reviews, but back is hurting from sitting here too long despite Aaron chair (i.e. top of the line ergonomics) once gifted to me by long ago gone ex who could afford such gifts. If only I actually sat on it properly, it might do it's job properly.

I'm off to draw or read or something.

ta.

I agree. Those really are nice book covers. Do you know how many were in the series?

>242 catarina1: Hi Catarina, I spent hour upon hour on the Book Depo site trying to work it out yesterday, and then trying to source all I could at the best price possible on Abe (a dozen or so sitting on my cart currently). Anyway lots of time wasted, because I can't afford to buy all those books right now, but then today as is happens, just stumbled on a complete list on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Classics

I wish I could give you a handy link to a site like Book Depo or Abe to help you find them, but they don't seem to have been labelled in any specific way which allows you to search for them specifically as "Bloomsbury Classics" brings up thousands of irrelevant titles unfortunately (even on Amazon UK), but the above list should be helpful at least. DO share your favourites or whatever you end up getting!

eta: Looking more closely at the wikipedia list, which I haven't yet taken the time to study (so dangerous!) I noticed The English Patient, SO lovely, and found a copy at less than $10, so JUMPED on it. Hopefully it really will be in "very good" shape, as promised...

Currently listening to the French translation of Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig. So far, I haven't read anything by Zweig I haven't loved. This one's very short, so will probably finish it as I prepare and eat supper and I'll be starting on something else this evening as I work on my drawing.

Thanks for the Wikipedia link. I'm not sure if I'll purchase any of them but if I find some, I'll let you know. I did a little research on the covers however. Were illustrated by Jeffrey Fisher who is Australian but living in Paris now. He has also done many other book covers and a book of bird illustrations. All I have come across are pretty nice ones. It seems as though the publisher of the Bloomsbury Classics stopped issuing them about 2005. Have you looked on Ebay?

Hi Ilana! Just checking in. Nice library book haul. Glad to see you enjoyed the Montalbano. I've read the first 3 and need to stay up with them.
I LOVED Middlemarch. I think it is one of the great books!

Hi Ilana,
I bought The Big Sleep several months ago and keep thinking I must read it. It's such a classic. How is it going for you?

The Bloomsbury editions are indeed lovely. Tempting.... (like that is news).

xo

On audio, I decided to pick up the unplanned Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier yesterday as a shared read on TIOLI. I'm about ⅓ or the way through and really enjoy it as a light summer read. Really enjoying my YA this summer, and I don't always enjoy 'light' reading, so it's fun to be able to do so. Must mean I'm feeling lighthearted somehow. This one is about a young girl who discovers she has the ability to time-travel much against her will. Quite fun.

Finished The Big Sleep last night. Glad I finally got to it. As far as hardboiled goes, it's definitely tops, and it's intellectually stimulating but I can't say it does much for me emotionally. Is it supposed to? I've had the movie from iTunes for ages though and was waiting to read the book before watching it, so finally will be able to watch Bogie and Bacall have at it. I wonder how they handle the nudity in the movie though?

Am also taking my time to savour The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan. Fans of this artist, best known for The Arrival need to get their hands on this book. I borrowed it from the library, but will be getting my own copy, it's that good; the cover illustration alone is worth the price of admission.

>245 catarina1: Ah, good going on the cover research. I don't know why I didn't think to do so myself, but looking at Bliss, I see Jeff Fisher right there on the interior front flap. Hadn't realised he'd done them all. They also did an extensive poetry collection in the same vein with similar design and typography and I imagine same format, all very beautiful. Must have been given to Fisher too then. Didn't think to look on eBay, no, but probably should.

>246 msf59: Hi Mark, seems I'm enjoying the Montalbanos more the second time around. Also, reading them closer together helps me enjoy all the little things that make series fun, like the recurring characters and details, which I tend to forget about if I let too much time pass otherwise.

Not surprised you loved Middlemarch, it's definitely one of the great ones. I plan on rereading it often, even though I didn't join you this time. I got My Life in Middlemarch from the library recently, which I'd requested specially actually and will be rereading the original before getting to it so it's fresh in mind, probably sometime next year.

Must own the Bird King! Oh my, that looks and sounds good, Ilana. Not sure how it slipped past the Shaun Tan radar, but I've got a bead on it now.

My Life in Middlemarch looks really interesting, too. That may also have to go on the WL.

>238 Smiler69: thanks to Liz, I've discovered sloths are actually adorable creatures. :-)

We have so many things to thank Liz for :-)

>239 Smiler69:, >240 Smiler69: Books and bras! I need to go bra shopping but I need to get measure and I keep putting it off due to tiredness (and also due to the heat - I would rather not be drenched in sweat when I ask the nice M&S lady to measure me).

The book acquisitions look great - especially the Bloomsbury Classics which I had never heard of and look lovely.

>248 Smiler69: The new Shaun Tan book also looks lovely and you've reminded me that there are several of his older books I never got round to borrowing from the library. They sound like the sort of thing for curling up with on a summer weekend.

The Bloomsbury Classics book covers are fabulous - I completely understand why you covet them! As for bra shopping, it has to be done - and cheap bras that don't fit well are a waste of money. Besides, your purchases were on sale!

I'm sorry the migraines are still pestering you. I hope you can work out something for them soon.

Hi Joe, Heather and Liane

thanks so much for leaving messages here today. I'd love to respond but am in a lot of pain right now. Today's migraine, which was reasonably tolerable, decided to get really nasty with me this evening, and I want to get horizontal asap, so I'll be back tomorrow with individual responses.

I also want to share my excitement at my latest loot from the library today, which acquired some of my recently suggested titles. Hopefully I'll be in better shape to share the goods after a good night's sleep.

G'night friends!

Hmm, I'm not sure that hard-boiled mystery is meant to have much emotional impact. But I still need to read it before I genuinely weigh in.

>253 Smiler69: Ugh. I'm really sorry about the pain, Ilana. I hope you are able to rest tonight and that it eases before Friday morning becomes Friday afternoon.

Thinking of you, Ilana...

Here's hoping that you're feeling much better today, Ilana.

Awesome shopping spree! I am just hunting for a comfy pair of sandals. I mostly wear flip flops, but I think I need something a little more secure for traveling.

Sad to hear the migraines are hitting you so bad. I know what you mean about feeling apprehensive when they are low grade and a possible threat to getting worse. You just never know when they will clear up or when they will get worse. The odds in your case don't seem to be very good. I try hard not to take medicine too soon, but if I don't hit it soon enough it's hard to manage. Gentle hugs and prayers for good health... xo

Nice review of Anansi Boys, Ilana. I wonder if Gaiman is a bit like China Mieville in that I like some of their works and others.... not so much.

I hear you on the dreaded shopping for said item of clothing so glad to see you scored and come home with four and some lovely items as well. I love linen! I have been wearing more sleeveless tops, especially with the summer months, and had to break down and invest in some new strapless bras. Luckily, I was able to find a brand and style that fit perfectly so promptly ordered four more through the store's on-line catalogue. I don't have to venture out shopping for those for a while now! ;-)

Ilana I am so behind. I've been busy finding a new place for my mom.

Happy belated birthday.

I'm sorry you have been having recurring migranes. I hope the new medication works for you.

I can't wait to read/listen to Anansi Boys

Clive Owen is yummy and you can also add me to those who love Juliette Binoche.

Take care of yourself Ilana.

PS: I finished Dead Man's Walk on audio and I really enjoyed it. Lonesome Dove still stands tall above the rest, but this one was very enjoyable.

Headache all day. Yuck. Fiorinal was only moderately helpful, but not much. Lots of running around downtown with Coco, with time spend at Apple store. He got loads of attention of course. It's all par for the course to him.

Just finished listening to Ruby Red, the first in a YA trilogy which Kerry had recommended, which makes for good, fun, light summer reading. I got the first book from an Audible promo, but as I've been quite lucky with the library purchasing some of my suggested titles lately, I've tried my luck asking for the other two titles just now, so we'll see. Meanwhile, I get super excited whenever I can strike off titles from my Audible wishlist because I've gotten them from the library for free.

Speaking of which, four recently requested titles became available on OverDrive last night (all on audio). I keep checking obsessively throughout the day to see when new arrivals come in to be sure I have first dibs and snagged these as soon as they came in, needless to say I was super excited to see them available, like a wish come true!:

♫ The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (Book 2 in the Raven Cycle)
♫ Tiny Beautiful Things Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed - Highly recommended by Mark and narrated by the author
♫ Lost For Words by Edward St. Aubyn - Highly recommended by Suz and apparently quite funny, will start listening tonight as I get ready for bed in a moment.
♫ Blood Song Raven's Shadow Series, Book 1 by Anthony Ryan - recommended by editors of Audible for those who love Game of Thrones, we'll see about this one.

Also, I got a text message from my phone carrier yesterday for an upgrade offer I couldn't refuse. An iPhone 5C for free, so I got the 32 GB model (never have enough room on the 16 GB with all the photos I take) for a fraction of what the new iPhone 6 would have cost me in the Fall. I couldn't believe it arrived today! I've already loaded tonnes of audiobooks on it, never could have put that many on my old phone!

Answering messages next.

>200 Smiler69: >226 Smiler69: Wow. Seriously wow. That is amazing work, Ilana.

>243 Smiler69: sadly, I have yet to finish The English Patient. I really liked it initially but the feeling waned and it sits unfinished, staring at me accusingly as I pass it every time. I will finish it eventually though as I cant stand to see a half-read book.

>250 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I think you'll be quite impressed with The Bird King. It's exactly what it claims to be and gathers a bunch of sketches from many of his published works, and really exciting to see his works in progress. The man has endless amounts of imagination.

>251 souloftherose: Yes Heather, you're right, many, many things to be thankful to Liz for.

It was a really hot day when we went bra shopping, but I took a shower just before we left for the mall, and somehow wasn't sweaty by the time we hit the cool air in the shops. The lady took the measurements over our tops, so there was no trouble there, didn't break a sweat at any point, which is actually unusual for me, so I definitely see what you mean.

I'm surprised you didn't know about the Bloomsbury Classics, had assumed everyone in the UK had been busy collecting them in the mid-90s. They only came to my attention because I wanted that first collection of Katherine Mansfield stories and when the little book arrived here it occurred to me it might be part of a collection. What a find!

Some artists make me want to curl up and give up altogether, but Shaun Tan is one of the ones I find really inspiring and I can look at his stuff for a long time without tiring of it. He's got his very own unique inner world for sure!

>252 Dejah_Thoris: Hi Liane. I remember you once encouraged me to continue to turn to retail therapy, and of course, bras a a necessity, so...

Would you mind pointing me to that post you wrote about my friend and Coco? I'd like to see what I missed and respond to it, but so tired right now I can begin to imagine how I'll find it.

>254 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! Lovely to see you over here. I've been seriously neglecting your thread and will need to catch up with you.

I think you're right about hardboiled. Chandler makes such a point about making the characters unlikeable, cool and detached, so it's obvious he wasn't going for sentiment. You kind of can't help putting on a cynical half-smile on as you read him.

No luck with the migraine so far. Will try another hit of Fiorinal before bed and hope it kills the bugger.

>255 scaifea: Thanks sister.

>256 Dejah_Thoris: I wish I could fulfill your wish Liane. But aside from the pain, I was really really pleased about the OverDrive books and the new iPhone, so it certainly wasn't all bad!

>257 -Cee-: Claudia, in my working days, I used to wear heels all the time, so when I stopped working I started buying these really ugly therapeutic-type sandals. I've got loads of pairs of them now, each uglier than the next. Don't know what came over me. Mind you, most of the walking I do is with Coco on dirt paths, so it kind of makes sense. And I guess I was sort of rebelling against being a slave to fashion and beauty and wanting comfort first and foremost. Now I wouldn't mind comfort AND prettiness. But I'll have to wait till my credit card is back on track. In order to do that I plan on offering my drawing services and taking on a handful of contracts, but only by word of mouth, so you're the first person I've told about it now. I'm thinking pencil portraits based on photos. Whaddaya think? Do you think anyone would be willing to pay for those?

Blast the migraines. Beastly things. The only upside is when I don't have them I completely forget they ever existed. I do think whatever emotional turmoil I was going through before has gotten subsumed into these headaches. Not that I didn't have them before, but never like this.

>258 lkernagh: Thanks Lori, glad you liked my review. Probably Mieville and Gaiman have a willingness to experiment in common, which means that their readers are bound not to connect with everything they produce.

You now remind me I should have thought about getting a strapless bra. Ugh! Totally escaped my mind and I do have several tops that show straps in a most inelegant manner otherwise.

>259 luvamystery65: Hi Roberta! So nice to see you here! I'm sure your mum situation has kept you busy. I certainly owe you a visit. I'm very much behind on quite a lot of threads. The migraines are quite nightmarish, to be honest. The pain level isn't so bad that I'm running to the ER, but enough to cause serious discomfort, and it's been non-stop again for nearly a month now. I really hope the new medication works too.

I listened to all the books in the Lonesome Dove series and enjoyed them all, but you're right in saying that one stands above the rest. I will definitely reread it sooner rather than later.

>261 LovingLit: Thanks so much Megan!

I hope I end up enjoying The English Patient more than you. I really like Ralph Fiennes and have been waiting to read the book before watching the movie—it's been a long long time now, as you can imagine!

***

I'm dead tired. Off to bed. Thanks to all who visited, and thanks to all who posted too.

I'm taking a lot of vicarious pleasure in all your shopping victories. I'm sorry that the headaches are still persecuting you.... I'd say that not so bad that you're running to the Er is a sad way to have to encourage yourself. Hope you wake up feeling better.
Shoes! I've always loved them and hated them on my very long, very narrow feet (9½ AAAA is not anybody's idea of an attractive size). Most days I wear my monk's sandals. *sigh* That's how they look, but they do feel beautiful.

>264 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. Thanks for your sympathy, it really does mean a lot to me. Trouble is the pain varies in strength and intensity throughout the day, so I never quite know what I'll face at any moment. The atmosphere is quite heavy today and I'm in a fair bit of pain now, but I think I've met my quota of Fiorinal for the month, so that's out of the question, besides which, it didn't seem to work for me yesterday.

I can't even picture what AAAA feet must look like, especially since I don't know how that grading system works and wouldn't know what mine are. Not narrow, in any case, to my great chagrin, as I've always associated narrow feet with feminine ones. Though perhaps not large ones. Can't have it all! :-)

***

I'm off to try the one thing that always seems to work to take my mind off the pain, which is to work on my drawing. I've neglected it in the last couple of days, so I thought I'd fit it in earlier in the day to make sure I do work on it today.

I'm enjoying Lost for Words. Alex Jennings narrates most of Edward St. Aubyn's work on audio, and while this is my first St. Aubyn, I've already grown fond of Jennings over the years. He's got range and is a good actor and a meticulous reader, like the best of 'em. I'll look forward to reading and listening to the Patrick Melrose books.

Happy Saturday, Ilana! Just checking in. Hope you find time for plenty of R & R today.

Hi Mark! R&R I high on the agenda today. I'm just off to look for some images for a thread starter then will be setting up thread number 8 soon!