Smiler Marks Her Reading Spot - Part 9

 
I discovered artist Catrin Welz-Stein through Pinterest where I have a board called Reading Love (big surprise!). More of her work at: catrinwelzstein.blogspot.ca


Table of Contents:
• Reading Plans
• Books Completed September-December
• Books Completed May-August
• Books Completed January-April
• 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:
❉ Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins
✔ Slightly Foxed: 43: The Flight in the Heather by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
✔ Love-letters between a Nobleman and his Sister by Aphra Behn (tutored read)
♫ The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
♫ The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood

        

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)
The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan
Aya by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie
A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
The Waiting Game by Bernice Reubens

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

Reading Plans for September:

✭♫ Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin - AAC - TIOLI #16: 5 reviews of less but more than 15 mentions, A Century of Books! - COMPLETED
✪ⓔ The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann - TIOLI #10: takes place in a country in which you have never set foot - COMPLETED
✭ⓔ D.V. by Diana Vreeland - TIOLI #4 (1984)
✭✔ Sophie's Choice by William Styron - TIOLI #4 (1979)
✭♫ Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck - TIOLI #4 (1954)
✪♫ The Son by Philipp Meyer - TIOLI #13: an epic
✭♫ A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens - TIOLI #16, A Century of Books! - COMPLETED
✪✔ A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr - TIOLI #11: first published after 1950 and adapted to film or tv, A Century of Books! (1980) - COMPLETED
✭♫ Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys by Billy Crystal - TIOLI #9: written by or about a comedian
✪♫ Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - TIOLI #5: a book you didn't buy - COMPLETED
✭ⓔ Ask the Dust by John Fante - TIOLI #7: didn't know was part of a series when you acquired it
✪✔ Love-letters between a Nobleman and his Sister by Aphra Behn - TIOLI #16 - Reading

September Series & Sequels:
possibilities

✭ⓔ The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (1/6 - read out of order) - TIOLI #19
✭♫ Tommo and Hawk by Bryce Courtenay (2/3) - TIOLI #16
✭♫ Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud (3/4) - TIOLI #5 - COMPLETED
✭♫ Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer (2/12) - TIOLI #14: part of a series and author's last name is five or six letters
✭✔ The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy (2/3) - TIOLI #4
✭♫ Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri (7/18) - TIOLI #11 - COMPLETED
✭♫ The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri (8/18) - TIOLI #11 - COMPLETED
✭❉ Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (5/9) - TIOLI #5
✪✔ The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell (2/3) - TIOLI #15: military term in the title - COMPLETED
✭♫ The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg (2/8) - TIOLI #2: a living author who is younger than you
✭♫ A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (3/7) - TIOLI #1: two different one-word colors in the title
✭♫ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (3/7) - August TIOLI #7 - COMPLETED
✭♫ Sons Pearl S. Buck (2/3)- TIOLI #14
✭♫ The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood (3/4) - TIOLI #12: a title that starts with a Q, U, V, X, Y, or Z - Listening
✭♫ The Right Attitude to Rain by Alexander McCall Smith (3/9) - TIOLI #14
✭♫ The Enemy by Lee Child (8/19) - TIOLI #14
✭♫ Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane (2/5 - read out of order) - TIOLI #14
✭✔ When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (3/4) - TIOLI #19
✭♫ Lehrter Station by David Downing (5/6) - TIOLI #14
✭✔ The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers (5/15) - TIOLI #12
✭❉ Maigret at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon (7/76) - TIOLI #5 - COMPLETED
✭❉ Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon (8/76) - TIOLI #5 - COMPLETED
✭♫ The Full Cupboard Of Life by Alexander McCall Smith (5/14) - TIOLI #10 - COMPLETED
✭♫ Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller (2/3) - TIOLI #19
✭♫ The Icebound Land by John Flanagan (3/12) - TIOLI #19
✭♫ The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (2/4) - TIOLI #19
✭♫ Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch (3/5) - TIOLI #19
✭❉ La joie de vivre / The Joy of Life by Émile Zola (12/20) - TIOLI #16
✭♫ Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (2/3) - TIOLI #1
✭✔ The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (2/4)
✭♫ The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (3/9) - TIOLI #14 - Listening
✭❉ The Ironwood Tree by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi (4/8) - TIOLI #19
✭♫ Firesong by William Nicholson (3/3) - TIOLI #19
✪♫ Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (2/4) - TIOLI #2 - COMPLETED
✪♫ Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (1/14) - TIOLI #11 - COMPLETED
✭♫ Night Soldiers Alan Furst (1/13) - TIOLI #15, A Century of Books! - COMPLETED
✪♫ The Looking Glass War by John Le Carre (4/8) - TIOLI #3: with a character named Adrian
✪♫ Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen - TIOLI #8: shows someone 'dressed to the nines' on the cover - COMPLETED
✭♫ A Test of Wills by Charles Todd - TIOLI #18: written by more than one author - Unfinished

Spur of the moment:
✪♫ The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - TIOLI #5 (shared read) - COMPLETED

***

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes includes:
1. A Scandal in Bohemia
2. The Red-Headed League
3. A Case of Identity
4. The Boscombe Valley Mystery
5. The Five Orange Pips
6. The Man with the Twisted Lip
7. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
8. The Adventure of the Speckled Band
9. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
10. The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
11. The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
12. The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

***

Reading Plans for October:

✪✔ Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - TIOLI #5: S and a T in the title that you've never read before
✭♫+✔ A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel - Picked for Me! - TIOLI #12: by an author whose last book you loved
✭✔ Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant - Picked for Me! - TIOLI #5
✭ⓔ Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar - Net Galley - TIOLI #5
✭♫+✔ The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton - AAC - TIOLI#4: Read a book that is older than you
✪✔ Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami - GR - TIOLI #5
✭✔ The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens - TIOLI #7: starts with a letter of HALLOWEEN in rolling order
✪✔ Greenwitch by Susan Cooper - TIOLI #14: A book that is dark
❉+♫ Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - TIOLI #13: lists magic or horror in the tags
✪♫ The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier - TIOLI #8: Re-read a book you read for the first time at least 10 years ago (shared read)
✭♫ Grave Peril by Jim Butcher - TIOLI #13
✭♫ Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor - TIOLI #13
✭♫ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling - TIOLI #13
✪♫ Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - TIOLI #6: historical fiction published prior to 1950
✪♫ Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson - TIOLI #8
✪♫ On the Road by Jack Kerouac - TIOLI #11: a book that changed the world

***

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

Books completed in September
170. ♫ The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith ★★★★
171. ✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 22: Don't Give Up the Day Job by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors) ★★★★(review)
172. ❉ La Nuit du carrefour / Maigret at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon ★★★★⅓ (review)
173. ♫ A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens ★★★½ (review)
174. ♫ Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud ★★★½
175. ⓔ The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann ★★★½ (review)
176. ♫ Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris ★★★★½
177. ♫ Night Soldiers by Alan Furst ★★★¾
178. ✔ A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr ★★★★ (review)
179. ♫ Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri ★★★½
180. ♫ Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin ★★★★
181. ♫ The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (review)
182. ♫ Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen ★★★½
183. ✔ The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell ★★★★
184. ♫ The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri ★★★½
185. ♫ Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell ★★★★⅓ (review)
186. ❉ Un Crime en Hollande / Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon ★★★½
187.

Unfinished
♫ A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

Books completed in August
142. ♫ The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri (reread) ★★★½
143. ❉ The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook by Shaun Tan ★★★★½
144. ❉ Aya by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★½ (review)
145. ♫ The Persimmon Tree by Bryce Courtennay ★★★★
146. ❉ Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★⅓ (review)
147. ♫ Cinder by Marissa Meyer ★★★★ (review)
148. ❉ Aya: The Secrets Come Out: Volume 3 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★ (review)
149. ♫ Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue by John McWhorter ★★★½ (review)
150. ✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 42: Small World by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors) ★★★½
151. ❉ Aya de Yopougon: Volume 4 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★ (review)
152. ♫ The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri ★★★★ (review)
153. ✔ A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull ★★★★½ (review)
154. ♫ The Burning Bridge: Ranger's Apprentice, Book 2 by John Flanagan ★★★½
155. ❉ Le Chien Jaune / The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon ★★★½
156. ❉ The Pilot and the Little Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry by Peter Sís ★★★★ (review)
157. ✔ Amsterdam by Ian McEwan ★★★★½ (review)
158. ♫ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (reread) ★★★½ (review)
159. ♫ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling ★★★★⅓ (Reread)
160. ✔ Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey ★★★★
161. ♫ Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri ★★★★
162. ❉ Amphigorey Again by Edward Gorey ★★★★⅓
163. ♫ The Waiting Game by Bernice Rubens ★★★★½ (review)
164. ❉ Aya de Yopougon, Tome 5 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★ (review)
165. ❉ Aya de Yopougon, Tome 6 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★ (review)
166. ♫ The Scent of the Night by Andrea Camilleri ★★★¾
167. ♫ The Good Girl by Mary Kubica ★★ (review)
168. ✔ The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje ★★★★
169. ♫ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling ★★★★

Unfinished
♫ The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

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 ★★★⅓
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 (review)
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 ★★★★ (review)
139. ♫ Lost for Words by Edward St. Abyn ★★★★
140. ♫ To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★★★ (reread)
141. ✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jone ★★★⅞ (review)

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 ★★★½ (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

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
2. ♫ The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng - picked by Donna828 - COMPLETED
3. Sketches From a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgeniev - picked by sibyx - COMPLETED
4. ♫ The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman - picked by PaulCranswick - COMPLETED
5. Love-Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister by Aphra Behn - picked by lyzard - Reading
6. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout - picked by phebj - COMPLETED
7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - picked by Crazymamie - COMPLETED
8. Coventry by Helen Humphreys - picked by Claudia - COMPLETED
9. A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck - picked by avatiakh - COMPLETED
10. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper - picked by souloftherose - COMPLETED
11. A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull - picked by Deern - COMPLETED
12. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - picked by luvamystery65 - COMPLETED
13. Rhyming Life and Death by Amos Oz - picked by Polaris - COMPLETED
14. ♫ Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed - picked my msf59 - COMPLETED
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 - COMPLETED
19. Dissolution by CJ Sansom - picked by Chatterbox - COMPLETED
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
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
♫ 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
♫ The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett - extra pick by Roberta - COMPLETED
The New York Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton - extra pick by Roberta - COMPLETED
♫ Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje - both extras from Paul Harris - COMPLETED
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 - all 9 extras from Ellen
♫ Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian - Read January/14 (unfinished)
♫ Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert - COMPLETED
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden - picked by Chatterbox - three extras from Suz

Not doing well with either of these challenges for some reason, but there's always hope I'll get back in the saddle!

American Authors Challenge

This is Mark's/msf59 baby. 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
✔ 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
♫ Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig - Completed July
♫ 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
♫ The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally (rec'd by Chatterbox) - Completed March
♫ 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

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) - Completed in August
✔ 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) - Completed in July
✔ 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) - Completed in August
✔ Felicia's Journey by William Trevor (an author I want to discover)
✔ The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje - Completed in August
✔ 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)

16/54

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 Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
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 A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens
1979
1980 A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr
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 Amsterdam Ian McEwan
1999

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) - Completed in July
✔ Anton Rider - Next up: The Devil's Oasis by Bartle Bull (3/3) - Completed in August
♫ The Australian Trilogy - Next up: Tommo and Hawk by Bryce Courtenay (2/3)
♫ Bartimaeus Trilogy - Next up: The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud (Prequel)
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 Paper Moon by Andrea Camilleri (reread) (9/18)
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 Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell (3/3)
❉♫ 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 Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling (reread) (4/7)
❉ 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 Sailors' Rendezvous by Georges Simenon (9/76)
Mapp and Lucia - Next up: Lucia in London by E. F. Benson (3/8)
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)
❉ Night Soldiers" - Next up: Dark Star by Alan Furst (2/13)
❉ The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Next up: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (6/14)
♫ The Obelisk Trilogy - Next up: Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller (2/3)
Oxford Time Travel series - Next up: Blackout by Connie Willis (3/4)
Parker - Next up: The Mourner by Richard Stark (4/24)
✔ Philip Marlowe - Next up: The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (6/9 - 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 Icebound Land by John Flanagan (3/12)
❉♫ 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)
Ruby Trilogy - Next up: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (2/3)
✔ Sally Lockhart Mysteries - Next up: The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (2/4)
♫ Sherlock Holmes: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (4/9)
♫ A Song of Ice and Fire - Next up: A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin (5/7)
❉ Sookie Stackhouse - Next up: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (2/14)
❉ 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)
✔ 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)
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (Shortlist 2007)
Amsterdam by Ian Mcewan (Booker Prize 1998)
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (Booker Prize 1992)
A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr (Shortlist 1980)
The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell (Booker Prize 1973)

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)
A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens (Shortlist 1978)
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)
Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer (Shortlist 1993)
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (Shortlist 1996)
Master Georgie by Beryl Bainbridge (Shortlist 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)
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 - FIRST CARD COMPLETED!
Only counting 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: A Café on the Nile ★★★★½
Book my friend loves: Grumpy Cat by Grumpy Cat ★★★★
Book that scares me: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman ★★★★⅓
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: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier ★★★★
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: Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling ★★★★½ (reread)
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

* = Most recent additions

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) - Completed in September
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) - Completed in August
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) - Completed in August
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 - Returned for refund

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 Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale) - Completed in July
190. ♫ The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale) - Completed in July
191. ♫ The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale) - Completed in August
192. ♫ Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
193. ♫ The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
194. ♫ The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
195. ♫ The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
196. ♫ The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri (Downpour.com sale)
197. ♫ The Dance of the Seagull 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. Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield (Bloomsbury Classics)
201. The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield (Bloomsbury Classics)
202. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (Bloomsbury Classics) - Completed in August

August
203. A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr (NYRB - used) - Completed in September
A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens (Audible replacement) - Completed in September
The Waiting Game by Bernice Rubens (Audible replacement) - Completed in August
204. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor (VMC Designer Collection)
205. A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor (VMC Designer Collection)
206. ♫ The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony & Graham Spence (Audible deal)

September
207. ⓔ Leonardo's Notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci, edited by H. Anna Suh (Kindle Deal)
208. ⓔ Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I by Peter Ackroyd (Kindle Deal)
209. ⓔ Capturing the Light by Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport (Kindle Deal)
210. ⓔ Die a Little by Megan Abbott (Kindle Monthly Deal)
211. ♫ The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier
212. ♫ The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles (Bonus credit)
213. ♫ Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster (Downpour.com Weekend Spotlight)
214. ♫ The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (Audible $4.95 sale)
215. ♫ The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Audible $4.95 sale)
216. ♫ Dissolution by C. J. Sansom (Audible $4.95 sale)
217. ♫ The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
218. ♫ The Way I Found Her by Rose Tremain
219. ♫ Trespass by Rose Tremain
220. ♫ The Ghost Writer by Robert Harris
221. ♫ A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
222. ♫ Affinity by Sarah Waters
223. ♫ The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - Completed in September
224. ♫ The Good Apprentice by Irish Murdoch
225. ♫ Flight from the Enchanter by Irish Murdoch
226. ♫ Bruno's Dream by Irish Murdoch
227. ♫ Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
228. ♫ Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
229. ♫ Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh
230. ♫ Giovanni's Room by James Balwin
231. ♫ The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
232. ♫ The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
233. ⓔ+♫ Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence (Audible/Kindle deal)
234. ⓔ+♫ The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence (Audible/Kindle deal)
235. Everything Flows by Vassili Grossman (NYRB Classics)
236. ♫ Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst (Downpour.com Deal)
237. ♫ Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark (Downpour.com Deal)
238. ♫ The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
239. ♫ The Bat: The First Inspector Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
240. ♫ The Finishing School by Muriel Spark
241. ♫ La vie en mieux by Anna Gavalda
242. ♫ Conspirata: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris
243. ♫ Solar by Ian McEwan
244. ♫ Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
245.



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

Welcome, we're open for business!

Bonjour! Hi!

Just passing thru ... Nice toppers :-)

Hi Claudia, how fitting that you should be first to visit me! :-))

Just want to point out, for those who've flown past my initial posts that I've completed my first bingo card! See post #12 (right here) to see what books got me there!

Hi Ilana! Lovely new thread. I love those toppers! Especially the one with the bird. Gorgeous. I will have to look for that artist's work.

Are you still planning on reading the Roth?

Just finished listening to The Smell of the Night, #6 in the Montalbano series. Big question now is to start or not to start on something new as I get ready for bed. I may have set myself up with a drawing so complicated that... well I don't know what. It's just awfully complicated with pattern after pattern after pattern. Yikes! Not very relaxing, that's for sure.

>20 msf59: Welcome to my new digs Mark! Glad you like Welz-Stein's work. I think it's really special. Not so keen on the Roth at this time, so maybe someday, but not now. Sorry I've been doing so poorly on your challenge lately, but I'll definitely rally when Edith Wharton comes around!

Happy New Thread, Ilana! I love the art work up top, too. And congrats on the Bingo! I've got one space left to fill, I think, on mine.

>22 scaifea: Thanks Amber! I hope they do the Reading Bingo again next year, I had fun doing it. I still have two spots left to finish the second card...

I slept with my new night guard for the first time, which obviously takes some getting used to. I don't know if it's related or not, but woke up in the middle of the night with head pounding and jaw sore (from NOT grinding teeth??) so had to take it out. Head not too good now, will take some Fiorinal right away.

On audio, have started listening to The Good Girl by Mary Kubica, which has been labeled as this summer's Gone Girl. We'll see about that. I don't have anything to lose, since I got my library to purchase it. The English Patient is really beautiful, but do I admit that half of it is going right over my head? I think my IQ took a serious dip these last few months.

Happy New Thread, Ilana! Love the art by Catrin Welz-Stein.

Are you going to read any James Baldwin for Mark's AAC? I think he's up next. I'm going to try Notes of a Native Son.

Happy new thread, Ilana! Lovely art work in your EP!

I was just thinking of the Montalbano movies today of which I saw 2 and then read those posts on your old thread. I quite liked the ones I saw although I didn't understand much (they were shown on Italian TV, so "in Sicilian" without subtitles). I thought they were darker than the books where the interaction of Montalbano and his subordinates is often used as comic relief. Quite realistic, and I like the actor who thankfully doesn't look a bit like I imagined M. I'll get some DVDs from the library and then watch with captions on.

>25 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I really dropped off Mark's challenge for a few months there. Not sure what happened with that. I'll definitely try to fit in some Baldwin. I've got Going to Meet the Man slated, which I got on audio at some point, read by Dion Graham, who is a really good black narrator. Not that it makes a difference to me what colour he is, but as I think identity is probably part of Baldwin's writing, it's probably a good thing? I signed up to the AAC mostly because I was looking forward to Edith Wharton, must admit! I've just added Baldwin to my September reading plans which I've been working on this morning now that the Sept. TIOLI thread is up and the challenges are pouring in.

>26 Deern: Hi Nathalie. I wasn't all that taken with the first 4 Montalbanos when I read and listened to them a few years back. I didn't get the humour or why he was being such a jerk. But now that I'm taking them all in closer together, they have grown on me, and I see him as a 'character', not necessarily likeable, but colourful to be sure and I'm enjoying seeing how it all progresses. It helps that I've been in the mood for lighter fare and staying away from reading which requires me to uses my brain overmuch! :-)

Hi Ilana! I requested The Good Girl on digital audio, from the library. I'll be watching for your thoughts.

Will be glad to keep you posted Mark. So far, it doesn't seem to be all that popular here on LT in any case.

I was waiting to finish the series to do a quick roundup of them all. The review for the first book can be found right here. There are ever so slight spoilers for the subsequent books, which I don't think will take away from reading pleasure. The entire series is available in English translation.



Book #146: ❉ Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★⅓
Source: Municipal library
Read for: August TIOLI #19: A book you told someone you would read
Series: Aya (2 of 6)
Edition: Gallimard Jeunesse (2006), French edition, Hardcover, 128 pages
Original publication date: 2006

The story begins with big company boss Mr. Sissoko giving an ultimatum to (Aya's friend) Adjoua's parent's to prove her newborn's son paternity within a week, as he looks nothing like his son Moussa and strangely a lot like Mamadou, an attractive, but irredeemable flirt who's been hanging around all of Aya's friends. Meanwhile, Aya's other friend Bintou falls for the suspicious charms of Grégoire, a local just arrived from his stay in Paris, where he claims to have made a fortune and is now back home staying in a luxury hotel, allegedly to find a wife with proper values. Adjoua's brother Albert has secret meetings at night in the "Hotel Under the Stars" with a mystery woman. Meanwhile all the girls in town are excited about the upcoming Miss Yopougon contest, to which seemingly every girl wants to participate except of course for Aya, and her father has a huge and not necessarily happy surprise for the whole family.





Book #148: ❉ Aya: The Secrets Come Out: Volume 3 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★
Source: Municipal library
Read for: August TIOLI #19: A book you told someone you would read
Series: Aya (3 of 6)
Edition: Gallimard Jeunesse (2007), French edition, Hardcover, 144 pages
Original publication date: 2007

The Miss Yopougon preparations are reaching a fever pitch. Bintou's father declare's he intends to take on a second wife, a girl Bintou's age who was promised to him by a friend, though Bintou's mother doesn't intend to take this news lying down. Aya discovers who the "mystery lady" of Albert's nightly rendez-vous is, but isn't in a position to reveal his secret. Meanwhile, the town's talented hairdresser, Innocent, comes out of the closet and tells her he must move to Paris so he can live his life as a gay man openly. Aya's father must work hard to regain his wife's and Aya's respect, having lost if for good reason. Moussa, who overhears a conversation his father is having and convinced the latter doesn't care about him, decides to break into his safe and take to the road.





Book #151: ❉ Aya de Yopougon: Volume 4 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★
Source: Municipal library
Read for: August TIOLI #19: A book you told someone you would read
Series: Aya (4 of 6)
Edition: Gallimard Jeunesse (2008), French edition, Hardcover, 128 pages
Original publication date: 2008

Innocent arrives in Paris, and is astounded to find his cousin no longer offers him a place to stay and that Paris is a hard hard place for immigrants, but there might be hope in sight, and among other things, he causes a fashion revolution among some African immigrant women. Aya, working hard toward her medical studies is criticized by a professor who offers her private tuition, which turns out to be an excuse for sexual harassment and a near rape. Féli, who has been living with Aya's family since childhood and won the Miss Yopougon contest, is kidnapped by her father who is convinced she has become rich, and Aya's parents are at pains to get her back. Meanwhile Mamadou, hired on at the garage of one of Aya's friends, takes it upon himself to increase business and lands himself a rich older mistress in the process, which wouldn't be a problem, save for the fact he also wants to build up a little nest with the resulting windfall with Adjoua and his son.

Book #164: ❉ Aya de Yopougon, Tome 5 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★
Source: Municipal library
Read for: August TIOLI #19: A book you told someone you would read
Series: Aya (5 of 6)
Edition: Gallimard Jeunesse (2009), French edition, Hardcover, 128 pages
Original publication date: 2009

Aya is hit by a car, but uninjured. The driver is an attractive young prosecutor and keen on staying in touch. Might he be able to help her stop the professor who attacked her from abusing female students at the university? The Sissoko parents are out on a safari hunt to find their son Moussa, who it seems, is using his father's wealth to fund good works which characteristically enough further enrages Sissoko Sr.

Grégoire, Bintou's good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend, has now landed himself into yet another scam, this time becoming a priest in a "church" called something along the lines of "God's Reformed Church of No Illness", which takes devotees' savings in return for "miracle cures". Aya's father's ex-mistress Jeanne has found herself a new man, only his mother is very much part of his household and is determined to make her life a living hell when he invites Jeanne and her children to move in with him. Innocent thinks he may have found love in Paris and is now living as Sébastien's roommate, but first there's the problem of informing Sébastien's narrow-minded parents of their son's sexual inclinations. A rescue operation is organized for Féli, but it turns into a major adventure.





Book #165: ❉ Aya de Yopougon, Tome 6 by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie ★★★★
Source: Municipal library
Read for: August TIOLI #19: A book you told someone you would read
Series: Aya (6 of 6)
Edition: Gallimard Jeunesse (2010), French edition, Hardcover, 120 pages
Original publication date: 2010

Grégoire is chased by an angry mob when he is unmasked as a fraud and very nearly risks being killed. Mr. Sissoko gets his son put in jail, but will he ever find it in his heart to forgive him? Aya is hopeful the new young man in her life might help her cause, while everyone around her is excited there is a man in her life at all, but drama ensues when she discovers the abominable abusive university professor is his godfather. Innocent, still in Paris, struggles to get his official papers in order, a cause which is nearly hopeless, but lucky for him, he's got Sébastien by his side. Albert introduces his future bride. To everyone's dismay she is dreadfully ugly and to hers, he insists on chastity before marriage—obviously something's not quite right here. This being the last instalment in the series, the various story threads are all worked out, though I can't help but hold out hope that Abouet and Oubrerie will revive the serial with these realistic characters and for a North American reader at least, definitely exotic settings.

Hi Ilana, I always look forward to seeing the artwork that you use at the top of your thread and you never fail to disappoint! I love the one of the women holding the book - gorgeous.

Congratulations on completing your first bingo card! Over at the Category Challenge we are going to design our own BingoCard for next year, many of us have submitted ideas for squares and we are all waiting for the unveiling!

I haven't been doing very well at Mark's American Author Challenge having only participated in one! I am also hoping to fit in Edith Wharton and of course, Larry Watson in December.

>32 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, and welcome! Ummm, I know what you mean to say with your first sentence, but somehow, I think at the moment you are actually saying the exact opposite! :-)

Really neat that you are designing your own Bingo card over at Categories. Who decides on the winning combination? Glad to know I'm not the only bad student on Mark's AAC. With so many challenges going, I was bound to let the ball drop somewhere.

Book #163: ♫ The Waiting Game by Bernice Rubens ★★★★½
Source: Audible
Narrator: Anna Bentinck
Read for: August TIOLI #10: A title that is also catalogued by a different author
Edition: Isis Publishing (2014), Unabridged MP3; 8h47
Original publication date: 1997

This is without a doubt among the best books I've read this summer, and indeed, all year. I've been meaning to read Bernice Rubens's books for several years now, ever since Kerry (aka avatiakh) brought her to my attention. Until then, I wasn't really aware of her work. I'd heard of the movie Madame Sousatzka, based on her novel, because Shirley MacLaine had played the lead role, but had it not been for Kerry, Rubens might have gone on being completely unknown to me for decades longer, which would have been a sad loss. As it is, I've slowly been accumulating some of her books on the tbr, and was delighted to discover Isis Publishing had recently put out audiobook versions of a number of her novels, all read by very good narrators.

The Waiting Game of the title takes place at Hollyhocks, a distinguished home for the aged close to Dover, where only the gentry need apply for admission. Matron, who keeps things well in hand, has always seen to that, and she has always been able to sift the scent of class from the other less pleasant effluvia of aging. Lady Celia is queen among the patrons, being the only one of the residents holding a title, and all the other residents defer to her in all matters. Of course nobody has any idea she makes a comfortable living with a thriving blackmailing concern which she runs with the help of a partner and Mr Venables, aka The Ferret. Yet, though they all show her respect, most of the residents dislike Lady Celia because their instinct tells them she will outlast them all. Jeremy Cross has more reason than most to hate her as he's made outliving everyone his one and only obsession. He keeps a constantly updated list of those who have passed away before their time and has every intention of outliving all the other residents at Hollyhocks, especially Lady Celia.

Each resident in the house has his or her secrets and when newcomer Mrs Thackeray arrives, she and Mrs Green become friendly and embark on seemingly harmless fantasy-ridden retellings of the past. After all, Mrs Thackeray had endured a miserable and sexually abusive marriage which isn't fit to talk about, while Mrs Green, well.. she perhaps has more reasons than most to wish to reinvent herself. Of course, for the most part, only the reader is privy to everybody's secrets, though in the end a very big surprise is revealed to everyone. I admit I saw it coming, but this didn't take away from my pleasure one bit.

I'm not sure why it is I enjoy reading about elderly people so much (and here I should specify when I say 'elderly', I do mean old and frail enough to need to be in retirement homes!)—it probably has to do with the fact that having lived so long, and lived through many generations, they've inevitably accumulated life experiences, have fully blossomed into the unique individuals those experiences have forged them into, and invariably have stories to tell, and in the hands of skilled writers, these characters can yield pure magic. Two of my all-time favourite novels feature men and women who are in the winters of their lives: Memento Mori by Muriel Spark and All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West. Both gems which I intend to revisit often and heartily recommend.

I can see lots more Rubens in my future, and this was a great place to start.

>19 Smiler69: I am stuck on a few categories, now that my reading is semi-limited to psycology related stuff. I cant seem to get past "First book by a fave author" (who hasn't read their favourite author's first book!?), "Published this year" (who can afford to buy current books? ;)) and "Second book in a series" - I think I need to go to FictFact to get some ideas for that one.

I love the top image, I have a thing for the artistry of letters and words.

eta: that Colin Firth film you saw (from last thread), what was it about? I like Marcia Gay Harden (if that is her name??) from the Jackson Pollock film she was in.

>35 LovingLit: Ah! Hi Megan. Looks like we were cross-posting on ea other's threads. I'm positively brain-dead at this point. MUST get myself to bed, been dragging myself around all day. Will respond in full tomorrow, promise. Thanks for the visit and message!

Sleep tight :)

37 behind in one day on a brand new thread????? Give me a break!
Let's see. Hope you quickly grow accustomed to the teeth guard or whatever you call the thing. I ordered a B. Reubens from PBS on the strength of your comments about her on your old thread. I also have a copy of the Unsworth *RihN*; if you and Kerry decide to read it together and want a third, please give me a nudge. I've read only Sacred Hunger, and it was wonderful enough for me to want to read everything he's written.
Your purchases and reading of new purchases makes me feel not quite so guilty about my own. It's just so easy to click the mouse for $4.
Love the toppers! Happy New Thread!

>32 DeltaQueen50: OMG!! Another case where my butterfingers fail to match my mind. I hope you realize that I meant you always amaze and please me with your chosen artwork!

>34 Smiler69: I've been meaning to read Bernice Rubens for ages as well, after discovering that she was the only Welsh winner of the Booker prize. Your review has just moved her up the list!

The Waiting Game sounds wonderful and it goes straight on my WL. I love those 'elderly people' stories as well. Memento Mori is my favorite Spark. I have All Passion Spent on my shelf and will move it up now on mount tbr. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor is another example. This year I also saw two movies on Sky Italy that have that theme: Quartet and errr... the one about the ex-hotel in India being re-opened as home for elderly people from the UK. Marigold something?? I think I enjoy the combination of closed settings that allow a good focus on all the interactions and often quirky characters, a bit like those manor house murder mysteries, just without the murder.

Woke up with nasty head again. Nothing I can't deal with, and at least I can manage with the pain, so that's something. Woke up in the middle of the night and had to remove the night guard as it felt too awkward, but again, it just needs taking used to I guess.

The Good Girl is far from impressive 1/3 of the way in. Pedestrian is the word that comes to mind, and I'm only keeping going because I want to know what the big reveal is, though I suspect I've figured it out by now. And no, I wouldn't compare it to Gone Girl at all. That book was very well written, and tension crackled with every paragraph. Not so here, except when the creep Colin is speaking, and only because he's a brute. Colin being the man who abducted Mia after a one-night stand. Whatever, bleh.

I continue to be impressed and mystified by The English Patient. There was a time not long ago when I could read for a couple of hours in bed before going to sleep, and though I still give myself the time to do so now, my mind wants to shut down after barely an hour, so that nighttime reading is going extremely slowly. Just as well for a novel like this one, which is not thick, but dense, filled to the brim with matter someone more intelligent or aware than I might have fun processing. I figure my subconscious is taking in the overload. Looking forward to seeing what they did with the movie, adaptation would have been the key word here, since the book is a poem more than a story, I'd say.

>35 LovingLit: Hi Megan, I promised to get back to you and here I am!

(who hasn't read their favourite author's first book!?)

Well... me! I have so many 'favourite authors' that I can barely keep track of them, and considering the size of my tbr (something like 1,400 titles at the moment), reading their first book is a project I aim for, but haven't realised in many cases.

who can afford to buy current books?

Well if you can't, one free alternative is the library. That's where I get most of my recent publications, unless of course there are none close to where you live.

Second book in a series

With so many series around, you're right that FictFact should help you track down plenty of those. And with September Series & Sequels just around the corner, you'll have every excuse to fill up that category!



Magic in the Moonlight, set in 1928, is about a famous "Chinese" conjurer, Wei Ling Soo (Colin Firth), who few people know is actually Stanley Crawford, a British man rather full of himself who takes pride in having unmasked all the spiritualists of his age as frauds. So when his best friend tells him about the case of Sophie Baker, a young American spiritualist who seems like the genuine article, who is staying with very wealthy good friends of his in the South of France and asks him if he is willing to try to figure out her game, our Stanley is more than glad to oblige. Only, once in France, Sophie does indeed seem to possess a special gift, and Stanley who's always been a cynic and a depressive ends up finding a new lease on life. Only of course things aren't all that simple. It's all done in a lighthearted sort of way, as you'd expect from Woody Allen, but I found it all quite delightful, perhaps because I went in without expectations, knowing that audiences and some critics (like The Guardian) had panned it, and really wanting to watch Colin firth for 90 minutes or so. Marcia Gay Harden plays Sophie's stage mother, and I agree she is a fabulous actress. I found the whole cast was excellent. Oh, and it's also a gorgeous film to look at, especially if you're into that whole 1920s vibe, and they've captured some splendid bits of scenery. Did I mention Emma Stone's acting was rather flat? It was.

>38 LizzieD: 37 behind in one day on a brand new thread?????

Peggy, DO keep in mind I use up the first 15 messages for administrative purposes, so really, there were only 22 messages that counted, and even out of those, maybe half were by me, so... let's say 10 messages, which is completely acceptable, wouldn't you say? ;-)

I think The Thing is called a night guard, according to the dentist's tech, but I like The Thing much better, so that's how I'll be referring to it from now on, though most people other than you and I won't have any clue what I'm talking about. It's not especially pleasant to wear, and I can't imagine I'll have to sleep with that bit of plastic in my mouth for the rest of my life, but, I'll take it one night at a time for now.

Of course you are more than welcome to join Kerry and I for The Ruby in her Navel. Not sure when we'll slot that in, I'm thinking sometime in the fall probably? We'll find a way to fit into one of the TIOLIs. I'm glad to know you were a fan of Sacred Hunger. It's been on my wishlist for a long time, but I've added you as a recommender now so I know who to thank later.

I've been really good about book purchases this month. Mostly because I've been terrified about my Visa bill. All the same, even though I've pre-ordered another Rubens book, A Five Year Sentence, coming out on Audio in just a few days, I'm sorely tempted to spend another Audible credit on Nine Lives, another Bernice Rubens book which Kerry highly recommended, though honestly, she gave a 4-star rating to most of those she read.

>39 DeltaQueen50: No worries Judy, I knew exactly what your intention was. It just made me smile because that sort of thing happens to me all the time, nice to know I'm not the only butterfingers around! ;-)

>40 SandDune: Hi Rhian, glad to help you move Rubens up the tbr. I've had The Elected Member, for which she won the Booker prize in 1970 on the piles for a few years now and fully meant to read it this year. I'll try to fit it in. Then A Five Year Sentence was shortlisted in 1978. I guess she'd have come to my attention by virtue of her having made those lists, but still, Kerry was the most convincing agent when she was consistently reviewing and praising her books a few years back.

>41 Deern: Nathalie, I think you'll enjoy The Waiting Game. It's not a novel in which very much happens (but more than you'd expect all the same!), but rather more about the characters and observations about them and their interactions as they go about what they know to be the final years of their lives. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont had been on the wishlist for some time, but just now you prompted me to look for it, and I just discovered that Virago had put out and edition of this book in 2013 in their VMC Designer Collection, which I've been collecting. It's almost impossible to find already, but I've ordered a copy from Abe. However, they also put out a couple of other Elizabeth Taylor titles in the series which are still available at BookDepository I see: Angel, which I highly recommend and A View of the Harbour, which I've also just ordered as Heather had recommended that one a while back.

Thanks for reminding me about Quartet. I'd been meaning to go see it at the cinema when it came out and then forgot. Just found it at the library and should be getting it within a week or so. The other movie you mention is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I had in fact gone to see it at the cinema and really enjoyed it a lot. What a great cast!

Happy new thread Ilana! I love your opening pictures and congratulations on completing your first Bingo card!

>24 Smiler69: Sorry to hear your first attempt at sleeping with the mouth guard made the headache worse :-( I hope you can get used to the mouthguard soon and that it works some magic on those headaches. I had to wear one after my teenage braces finally got removed (at 18 - I was the last person to have mine taken off).

>34 Smiler69: Excellent review of The Waiting Game. I think I shall have to make that my next Bernice Rubens read. And the publication date is a date I'm missing for my century of books challenge - yippee!. I have just reserved it at the library.

Another Rubens I found excellent which also focuses on the latter stages of life is A Five Year Sentence. It's very dark humour though but I suspect a lot of her work is like that.

>41 Deern: Yes, a second recommendation for Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont from me.

>43 Smiler69: I can't remember if I commented on your last thread but Magic in the Moonlight has also piqued my interest and I will add the DVD to my rental list when it comes out.

>44 Smiler69: "even though I've pre-ordered another Rubens book, A Five Year Sentence" Yay!

Hi Ilana! Good to see all the Aya love! I will have to reread that one and start on the others. I think my library had the first one. I hope they have the others.
Have you listened to Bronson Pinchot? He is narrating my current audio and doing a terrific job.

Thanks for visits and messages. Been a bit of a tough day migraine-wise, having to deal with a bit of a crisis situation. It's all under control, but I'm dead tired. Off to work on my drawing for a bit and then straight to bed. I'll be back tomorrow with replies when my brain is more functional again.

I wake up feeling exhausted, but marginally less tired than at nighttime, and with a booster of caffeine I think my brain works better too. I'll be finishing both The Good Girl and The English Patient today, though really those two books should never be mentioned in the same sentence. I don't know why I haven't given up on The Good Girl really. It's very bad, and I've given up on perfectly good books before, and here I am holding out on this one, even though it makes me upset because of how predictable and badly written and unoriginal it is, but still, I persist. Go figure. Only an hour to go till 'the big reveal'.

Yesterday's mini migraine crisis happened when I went to market with Coco. I wasn't wearing my sunglasses because it was an overcast day. I went across the street to the discount big box supermarket to get some cereal, which made my low-grade migraine into a searing one, thanks to the obnoxiously loud colour scheme and lighting and by the time I was getting my produce and milk-stuff back at the farmer's market, I was in so much pain I started blanking out and freaked out a cashier, who, bless her heart, offered me some Advil. I couldn't bend down to put my things into my cart because of the pain, so she helped me with that, then I went and sat on a bench for a while, partially brain-dead, with dear Coco sitting quietly on my lap, watching people come and go. Nothing too horrendous. But it is scary feeling disabled when you're on your own. Thank goodness, the extreme pain subsided, and I was able to get a big load of local blueberries now the price has come down (will freeze half for later), peaches from Ontario, a strawberry-rhubarb pie, among other delectable eatables (yes, vegetables too).

>45 souloftherose: Hi Heather, nice to see you over at my new place! I'm slowly getting used to The Thing aka the night guard as I was able to sleep through most of the night with it this time. It has a nasty plasticky taste which I hope will go away. I wanted badly to wear braces as a teen to get rid of the large-ish gap between my two front teeth, but then by the time I could have gotten them for myself as an adult, decided I was happy with my unique flaw as it is. 18 does seem awfully old to get them off though as a non-adult wearer!

Seems I've got the 90s pretty well covered for the Century challenge, but I'll need to focus on all the other decades more as am lagging quite a bit behind everywhere else, but I know you've been doing well with your own. I think you'll enjoy A Five Year Sentence. I do get the strong impression black humour was a speciality of Rubens's, as it was for Muriel Spark, which is fine by me as I tend to appreciate that kind of humour best. There's a very good chance I'll be listening to A Five Year Sentence no later than next week!

>46 msf59: Hi Mark, haven't listened to Bronson Pinchot yet, though I know he's narrated quite a lot of books, and have him on Everything That Rises Must Converge (along with other narrators), a collection of short stories by Flannery O'Connor I've yet to listen to. Hope you find the whole Aya series at your library. I believe they've published all six books in two volumes in the English translation.

A few book purchases yesterday:

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont
A View of the Harbour both by Elizabeth Taylor - Virago Designer Collection
♫ The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony & Graham Spence (Audible deal)

Total books purchased to date: 206

eta: Oh, and thanks to whoever thumbed my review of The Waiting Game and helped land it on Hot Reviews, that was a nice surprise this morning! :-)

Ha - you got Mrs Palfrey and I got The Waiting Game on audio. :). The narrator's voice sounds wonderful. Will get to it as soon as I am done with the next two Bookers.

>51 Deern: Yes, I got Mrs Palfrey in an edition I wasn't aware until yesterday it had been released in. Virago has been putting out these little hardcover books with designer textile motifs, sometimes known as VMC Designer Collection, originally to celebrate their 30 year anniversary, which I like very much. I don't have them all, since I own some of the titles as Folio books and other beloved publishers, like NYRB, and some titles simply don't interest me (I wasn't a fan of Elizabeth Taylor's A Game of Hide & Seek for example), but I have close to a dozen of them by now. If you're curious, you can search my book collection with the search words "VMC Designer Collection" (including the quote marks) and you'll see those I have. Many are out of print and several are quite difficult to track down, even on the secondary market, so I've gotten a bit obsessive about them. The Guardian did a little article about them some time back, and there's a page about them on the Virago website as well, as they became quite popular, so after the original release, they came out with additional Daphne Du Maurier titles (first picture above) and last year those Elizabeth Taylor titles I've mentioned earlier.

I've reposted my homepage picture, which shows the better part of my collection (The Great Gatsby up top is an exception being a Penguin Classic hardcover), though it doesn't quite do them justice, so I'll do a proper photo shoot with them sometime to show them off and maybe devote a blog post to them to share my enthusiasm with the world wide web as a whole! :-)

As for the audiobook of The Waiting Game, Anna Bentinck is one of my favourite narrators of all, and is among those I look out for, who can make me try out a book simply for the pleasure of listening to her read it, so I hope you will enjoy the sound of her voice as much as I do. From the samples I've heard of the other Rubens books it seems the other narrators are very good as well, but I'll keep you posted.

Book #167: ♫ The Good Girl by Mary Kubica ★★
Source: National Library OverDrive Collection
Narrators: Lindy Nettleton, Johnny Heller, Tom Taylorson, Andi Arndt
Read for: August TIOLI #10: A title that is also catalogued by a different author
Edition: Blackstone Audio (2014) Unabridged MP3; 10h37
Original publication date: 2014-07-29

Product description as seen on Amazon:

"Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.

Colin's job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia's mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter.

An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, The Good Girl is a propulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems…."

Here's my take on it:

Comparisons are made with Gone Girl, but other than a surprise twist which you have to wait till the very end for and some seriously unsympathetic characters, I'd say the two don't have much in common. For one thing, Gillian Flynn's writing had me completely enthralled from the very first words to the last. Mary Kubica? Had me mostly moaning and groaning with frustration at how pedestrian and déjà vu everything about her storytelling, her prose, her characters was. Gems like "She was shaking to the point of uncontrollable" had me gritting my teeth. Then there's the narration device: the story is told from the point of view of three of the protagonists in the story; Eve, Mia's mother, Colin, her abductor, and Gabe, the Chicago detective trying to solve the case. But where's Mia in all this?

I've given up on perfectly good books within the first hour, and I've no idea what made me hold on with this one, because I felt right from the beginning that I was onto a dud, and there was nothing about it, at any moment that made me change my mind. The completely predictable Stockholm Syndrome, with Mia falling in love with her kidnapper, might please readers who are into that thing and who buy into Colin being a really good guy after all, seeing as 'he cares so much about his mom', but I thought it was all a bunch on nonsense. Call me cynical. But then, this book was released by a Harlequin imprint, so that kind of twist had to be expected. I give it an extra star because I was sure I'd figured out the ending, and so was too lazy to figure out the alternative, and when it finally arrives it does put a more interesting twist on things, but still doesn't make up for just how dull getting there was. I blame a really bad migraine that made me put up with this low grade entertainment, in the same way a tv buff would sit and watch mindless sitcoms, just because that's what happens to be on and the tv remote is out of reach so why bother? kind of thing.

I wanted a guaranteed good audio experience next, so I picked up Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It's yet another reread, and then half of the next book, The Goblet of Fire will be too, but after that they will all be new to me. It's been well over a decade since I first read this one though, so very fun revisiting.

Very quiet on the threads lately, but I guess lots of people made arrangements for the long weekend.

No long weekend for me - unless you accept the fact that every day is Saturday except Sunday for us retired ones.
Thanks for posting your lovely books. I hadn't troubled to find a picture of the Virago hardbacks; they are lovely.
Hope you had a better day today. I hadn't considered the consequences of getting caught in the world by a migraine - scary. Take care!
And I do SO love E. Taylor!

>55 LizzieD: Peggy, technically I don't fit into the 'us retired ones' category because of my age, yet that's the lifestyle I lead for health reasons, so I know what you mean about every day being Saturday. Therefore, no such thing as a long weekend for me either.
The Virago hardcovers are little gems. A little bit expensive, as can be expected of hardcovers, but truly lovely. They have stitched spines too, always a sign of quality and made to last.
I've been accumulating so many Elizabeth Taylor novels, I really need to make time to actually read them!!!

***

Finished The English Patient last night. Perhaps I'll try to write some disjointed comments on it later. I certainly don't feel capable of writing a coherent review about it, considering at least 50% of it was beyond my ken. But that which I did grasp was lovely. I've reserved the movie from the library.

Saw this on a Folio Society blog as an example of gorgeous typography from an old manuscript. Just wanted to share it.

My drawing project



I've posted a progress report on my blog of my latest drawing project, Metro Series #5: Woman with Headscarf. In it, I've posted a few images showing a progression and a short text explaining my process. Images can be seen larger and in more detail. Clink on the blue link or on the image itself to be taken to the blog (it's perfectly safe, I promise!).

>57 Smiler69: Is this where doodling originated? Looks like my high school notes. lol

>58 Smiler69: Very lovely and intricate... you are so talented.
btw, Murakami has a couple comments on talent in his new book. Let me know what you think about them.

Sorry about your migraine incident. That's why when I was younger and afflicted I never left the house w/o my meds... even to go grocery shopping. Feeling better made you hungry for a few treats ("delectable eatables"), huh? I'm so envious of your city's markets and goodies. *sigh*

I enjoyed A View of the Harbor by Taylor :-)

>59 -Cee-: Hi Claudia, if you call that doodling, then I'm seriously humbled. I'm just awed at the level of control and accuracy it takes to achieve all those intricate and precise curves and loops. Nothing random there!

I'll probably pick up the Murakami when the GR comes along within the next month or two. I believe Mark mentioned something about that, didn't he? Will have to ask him about it.

As for meds to prevent incidents when I'm out, I'd gladly carry something with me if there was anything I could rely on to actually work, but unfortunately there isn't. Usually when I'm really unwell I just make sure not to venture more than 5 mins away from my front door, but I was out of milk that day, which is an essential for me, so I forced myself off to market. I really try to avoid it on days when the pain is bad, but then what to do when there are more bad days than decent ones? Besides which, the pain wasn't quite so bad when I left home, but the visit to that darn supermarket with it's screeching colour scheme and lighting just provoked a really bad attack. Should have predicted that one. double *sigh*

Today's better, though the Fiorinal isn't as effective as I'd like it to be. I'm off to work on my drawing some more shortly, which is the best medication of all.

Happy Saturday, Ilana! Well, I have The Good Girl, on audio, from the library. Looks like I won't get getting to it any time soon. LOL.

I am really enjoying the Devil's Oasis. If it wasn't for the marvelous world of LT, this author would remain unknown, like so many others.

And yes, we are set for October for the Murakami Group read. Be there or Be Square.

Hi Mark, I don't know, you might enjoy The Good Girl, tastes differ so much, but I just though it suffered terribly in the comparison with Gone Girl, which I thought was rather brilliant in it's genre (couldn't stop listening and actually decided to clean my windows just as an excuse for listening time, something you usually have to threaten me to get me to do!). This one on the other hand felt sort of like a punishment. But again, maybe you'll end up liking it. If you do, I'll still speak to you, I promise. :-)

Glad to know you're loving The Devil's Oasis, though can't say I'm surprised. I look forward to getting to it too. Two more books of his to look forward to, you know (set in China this time).

I'll keep the new Murakami on hand for October. Somehow I was under the impression you were reading an older book of his then and not his most recent.

***

I think I'll read a Maigret story as a sort of palate cleanser tonight, as have just two stories to go to finish the omnibus edition which I'll have to return by month's end, and then am tempted to start on The Stockholm Octavo, which is quite promising.

Off to do a second short drawing session for the day, then short walk with Coco, various ablutions for us both, bed and reading, then sleep. Hopefully in that order.

Currently reading, listening to, and occasionally browsing through:

        

❉ Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins
✔ Slightly Foxed: No. 22: Don't Give Up the Day Job by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors)
♫ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
❉ La Nuit du carrefour / Maigret at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon
ⓔ The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann

I'll be finishing the Harry Potter early today. Have borrowed A Test of Wills on audio from the library's OneClickDigital collection; been meaning to start that Charles Todd series for a long time, so I think that'll be my next listen. As if I were at a loss what to listen to!

The Maigret is off to a great start, and The Stockholm Octavo, just a few chapters in, is living up to everything I expected it to be, i.e. historical fiction at it's finest.

I just finished listening to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is probably my last book of August. Now I'm sort of undecided about my next listen. I thought I'd go with the first Inspector Ian Rutledge, which I've borrowed from OneClickDigital, but I also borrowed The Night Soldiers and The Full Cupboard of Life from them about 10 days ago, and though you can renew once (for 42 days in total)... anyway, there is a time limit, though I guess it's not a huge issue since the average audiobook takes me 2-4 days to listen to, but then, I'll want to listen to audiobooks from other sources in between as well.

I guess I'll choose as I go out the door for Coco's afternoon short'n sweet walk in a minute. He did something to his foot on our earlier walk and wanted me to carry him home and now rain threatens as it has been all day, but just MORE somehow, so it'll just be a quick tour to the little park across the street.

re meds:
" I'd gladly carry something with me if there was anything I could rely on to actually work..."
I know. I'm praying someday soon you will find the magic bullet.

Poor Coco... having a tough summer with boo-boos! Well, not so very poor as he has a willing and loving carrier when he needs it. It's so nice to be able to clearly imagine the two of you in your apartment and walking about town. I do have to make another visit to see your balcony though. Sorry to have missed that special place.

>65 -Cee-: not so very poor as he has a willing and loving carrier when he needs it.

That's right, especially now that he's lost a few ounces and is that much lighter to carry!

As for my balcony, of course I'd love you to see it, though there's not much to tour seeing as it's so very tiny! In the meantime, I guess I'd best enjoy it as much as possible in September before it gets shut down for the winter season. Not sure what I'll do with all my geraniums though. No room at all left by my window sills or anywhere light comes in for them, so I may have to get rid of them. Seems such a shame though.

Happy Labour Day everyone! We celebrate it here in Canada too; mostly it means the end of summer (snif!) and the turning of a new leaf.

August Stats

Total books: 28 (same as July)

Graphic Novels: 9
Mystery / thriller: 7
Literature: 4
YA: 4
Historical fiction: 2
Non-Fiction: 1
Quarterlies: 1
Series works: 17
Male : Female authors: 11 : 6
TIOLI: 28, across 12 different challenges, 3 shared reads

Audiobooks: 13
Off the shelf: 5
Library: 10
eBook: 0
Unfinished: 1

Ratings:
5 stars: 0
4 & up: 20
3 & up: 6
2 stars: 1

Longest work: The Persimmon Tree by Bryce Courtenay (27h56 audio / 711 pages)
Shortest work: The Pilot and the Little Prince by Peter Sís (48 pages)

Oldest work: Le Chien Jaune / The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon (1931)
Newest work: The Good Girl by Mary Kubica (July 29, 2014)

A Quick Summary
A long month of bad migraines left me pretty brain-dead and unable to tackle anything too complex, so graphic novels were very welcome, as were quick entertaining reads like the Montalbano and Maigret mystery series and a few YA adventure novels of the Harry Potter and the more recent Cinder varieties. I did manage to fit in a bit of literary fiction, and Amsterdam was a major hit, as was my first Bernice Rubens, with The Waiting Game, probably because both of them featured lots of black humour, whereas more poetic novels like The English Patient, though really gorgeous, left me scratching my head and wishing I had a few more working grey cells to rub together so I could fully appreciate it. Plenty more series planned for September Series & Sequels, though I will try to fit in a bit of literature there too, like the long overdue The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell, book 2 in the Empire Trilogy. Am off to a great start with The Stockholm Octavo which manages to blend historical fiction and literary mastery both.

Such a bright New Thread, Ilana! And congrats on the completed Bingo.

I love the first few pictures on top and the drawing!

>68 connie53: Hi Connie, thanks for dropping by!

Hi Ilana! Hope you are enjoying the holiday. I've done a few chores around the house but I've been doing some reading too. Only about 75 pages left in the Devil's Oasis. Another good one..

Hi, Ilana! A belated "Happy New Thread!" to you. :)

I like your deployment of Maigret as a palette-cleanser! Alas, I'm still chasing an interlibrary loan copy of Maigret Stonewalled.

Just wanted to let you know that Heather and I will finally be making a start on Love-Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister this month, probably in a couple of weeks' time. We do hope very much that you will be able to join us!

Just got back from seeing The Hundred-Foot Journey at the cinema this evening. A feel-good movie, which I'm sure I'll forget all about by tomorrow, but it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours. I always love to watch Hellen Mirren, and the star of the movie, Manish Dayal (photo above) was not at all hard on the eyes either.

Just now finished my first (audio)book of September, The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith. My first experience of this series on audio and must say I found the narrator, South African-born Lisette Lecat added that much more to the experience for me with the correct pronunciation of words and what I can only assume is an appropriate accent for dialogues. Good fun, and all the better now I know I can get the rest of the audiobooks free from OneClickDigital!

Off to bed in a moment. Will think of Dayal's dark eyes as I drift off to sleep and maybe have sweet dreams for once...

>70 msf59: Hi Mark! Holidays don't mean much to me, considering every day is like Saturday on a day-to-day basis, and if anything it just means regular services aren't available for an extra day really. But I'm happy that it makes other people happy. Really glad you've been enjoying Devil's Oasis. Looking forward to it.

>71 lyzard: Hi Liz, really been enjoying the Maigrets. Guess I'll be borrowing omnibus Vol. 2 soon for the next 8 or 9 stories and continuing to squeeze in the French detective in between other stuff here and there. Hope you can get your hands on book 3 soon, how annoying!

Speaking of squeezing things in, I guess I'll do my best to make room for 222273::LLBaNaHS too, considering we've been waiting for it all year! Thanks for letting me know about it!

Oh, I'm a fan of Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, Ilana. So good. Those special editions in >52 Smiler69: have a great look to them. I'm going to go peruse the Virago site, so thank you for the link.

I hope you enjoy the Billy Collins collection. I believe you will. He's a treat to read.

Loving the progress on your Woman with Headscarf drawing.

What better way to celebrate a new month than with a few book purchases? I was alerted to a big "Gold Box Deal" sale on Amazon.com on the The Great Booksale/E-Book Alert thread. These deals don't usually apply here in Canada, but it's always worth checking anyway because even if they aren't promoted as such, some titles are often offered at the same discounted prices.

From Amazon Kindle "Gold Box Deal" sale:
Leonardo's Notebooks: Writing and Art of the Great Master by Leonardo da Vinci, edited by H. Anna Suh
Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I by Peter Ackroyd
Capturing the Light: The Birth of Photography, a True Story of Genius and Rivalry by Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport
Described by Alison Weir as “Quite simply, stunning. . . . Chilling and poignant, this is how history books should be written.”

From Kindle Monthly Deals:
Die a Little by Megan Abbott - on my wishlist for years

Total books purchased to date: 210

Sorry to hear about your scary migraine experience whilst shopping but glad the cashier helped and Coco behaved himself very well.

>49 Smiler69: I read and loved A Five Year Sentence earlier this year and have The Waiting Game waiting for me at the library (as usual I am getting library books faster than I read them).

>57 Smiler69: Lovely!

>58 Smiler69: Really enjoyed seeing the pictures of this (as usual) and reading your narrative about drawing it. I never got into drawing or art in any way so reading about someone's experience of drawing is like a new world to me!

>72 Smiler69: Another film to add to the watch list :-)

>73 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I must say you always amaze me with the range of your reading. More specifically, with books that are often described as "women's fiction", and it pleases me immensely to have direct confirmation to know that men do read and appreciate those books as well. No reason why they shouldn't, and perhaps few admit to it, though I see no reason for it. You obviously are among the enlightened and have great taste! :-)

The VMC Designer Collection books are really gorgeous and are quite a treat. I'm not a collector of first editions or rare books by any means, and can't afford that kind of indulgence and what it costs to take care of treasures like that, but I have been enjoying collecting a smallish selection of beautiful hardcover books for the past 2-3 years and these are among my most cherished, including the Folios.

I've been enjoying Billy Collins in fits and starts. As I've told you, I'm no great reader of poetry, and a lot of it falls on deaf ears. I've been leaving bits of paper for every poem that struck my fancy so I could quote a few when I finish the book. He's definitely an original. I hope someday to learn to really appreciate poetry, especially as my collection has been steadily growing, as I keep investing in the hope that I'll acquire the taste for it eventually!

Hi Ilana, we went and saw "The Hundred Foot Journey" on Saturday night and I totally agree with you about the movie, a feel-good movie that's enjoyable at the time but probably won't linger in the mind for long. And how easy Manish Dayal is on the eyes!

>75 souloftherose: Hi Heather, didn't mean to skip over your message obviously! I was trying to decide what my next audiobook should be just now, as I'm about to step out with Coco in a minute, and I think I'll pick up A Five Year Sentence, since it was just released yesterday and I'm quite keen on another Bernice Rubens at the moment.

I'm so glad you visited my blog! It gets very, very few visitors, and sometimes I wonder if I do it just for myself (though I know my parents visit it also). I don't often take the time to describe my process, but this time it felt like a cry from the heart! I'd been really struggling for the past week or so and wondering what the hell I'd gotten myself into with this particular subject, but I think if I manage to complete this project to my satisfaction I'll feel proud of my accomplishment. Besides which, I decided to tackle this one at this time because I felt I was able to take on anything, no matter how complex at this point, having learned a lot over the last year, and I need to prove to myself that that is indeed within my reach. We'll see how much time it takes me, though of course I haven't put any sort of cap on that!

>77 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy. Glad you agree with my assessment of "The Hundred-Foot Journey". I must say that as a part Francophone, I always find it strange to watch an English-Language movie set in France, and whoever much I love Helen Mirren to bits, it was also awkward watching her play the role of a French woman (and that scene where she says to her employee to repeat something in English "so everyone here can understand" was just... weird). The movie was based on a book, and I'm sorry I didn't jump on the occasion when it came up as an Audible Daily Deal a couple of weeks ago, as I'm sure it must be much better as a novel. The movie felt very much rushed in parts, like whole portions had been abridged or simply ignored, and I chose not to focus on that because I wanted to enjoy myself, but it did annoy me a little bit. For instance, we had no way of knowing how the Indian restaurant was doing at all... it just... existed as if by magic. Maybe I'll seek out the book after all. But it was definitely worth it to see Dayal up there on the large screen. And how about that molecular gastronomy?? Can't say I was ever tempted by it myself!

On audio, am an hour into A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens, and we're off to a great start.

***



Book #171: Slightly Foxed: No. 22: Don't Give Up the Day Job by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood (Editors) ★★★★
Series: Slightly Foxed: The Real Reader's Quarterly
Edition: Slightly Foxed: The Real Reader's Quarterly (Summer 2009), Paperback, 96 pages
Original publication date: 2009

I've collected quite a few back-issues of this little quarterly which I subscribe to, just so I'll always have one on hand between the new releases, because I enjoy the articles on often (but not always) out of print books, the small format on lovely cream paper, and the small woodcuts so much. Favourites in this issue were articles on Graham Greene's Stamboul Train, one of his 'entertainments', which he wrote when he was in need of money and which was intended as a commercial book with film potential. Its great appeal, it seems, lies in its characters, and in Green's refusal to give the reader the ending he or she might expect, which was his way of not 'selling out' completely.

A pleasant surprise was an article on L'Abbé François Prévost's Manon Lescaut (1731), a book which, until last summer had only been known to me for it's title as an opera, but which I discovered and quite fell in love with when it was featured in a Coursera online course called "The Fiction of Relationship". What I found interesting is that the book itself was originally written by a Benedictine monk, and it was ostensibly intended to condemn too much emphasis on passionate love and lack of moderation, though of course those are the very things that make the story such great reading even today. As an added twist, the article was also written by a Catholic priest, though there is not the slightest soupçon of condemnation or disapproval, even when reading between the lines.

Some of my all-time favourite books are featured, such as Rogue Male, one of the great spy/survival books of all time which I discovered this year and intend to reread more than once, as well all Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Among the riches also, an article on the books of Barry Unsworth who won the Booker Prize with Sacred Hunger in 1992 (which tied with The English Patient that year). Though I've had his travel memoir Crete on the tbr for several years, I discovered Unsworth last year with his excellent Morality Play (highly recommended), and have since acquired several of his novels. He was a first-class historical fiction writer, and reading about him in one of my favourite bookish publications of course only served to strengthen my resolve to eventually read everything this author has published.

I could go ahead and pick up No. 23, but I should be receiving delivery of the latest Fall issue, No. 43 any day now. I know Heather, who lives in the UK and is a recent convert just received her copy last week, so I'll have to hold off for my further dose of SF till the mailman delivers the goods.

And I will be receiving Slightly Foxed: No. 42 (summer edition) very soon which I have just ordered. I finally broke down. And yes. I totally blame you, Ilana!

SF #22 looks great! hmm...

Oh dear, hope I like The Good Girl more than you did, as it just popped up on my list of available ARCs from Amazon Vine, and I opted to give it a whirl. I've been so starved of books from that source for the last two months, I figured what the heck? The other appealing book that suddenly showed up was the about-to-be published novel by Ian MacEwan, so that's good. but I missed out on The Bone Clocks, so added it to my Kindle today. Sigh. I'm not a fan of the changes to the Vine system, which have resulted in my being offered only two interesting books in in the last two months, and picking up about half as many as I otherwise would from the "last chance" dumpster.

Stamboul Train was, I think, my first Graham Greene novel. I'd like to have the $$ to subscribe to either Slightly Foxed or Lapham's Quarterly, but both are price commitments, atop the things that I HAVE to subscribe to for work (now that so many paywalls are up).

Love the drawing...

>80 -Cee-: Oh yay! I've made another convert. That's two so far, with you and Heather! Happy to take the blame for a good cause. And hey, if you're not happy with it after four issues, nobody's forcing you to renew, though I suspect in the meantime you'll have added a few titles to your wishlist.

>81 Chatterbox: Suz, after a few years of hanging out in this group and seeing how individual our reactions are to any given title, you could very well end up finding The Good Girl to be a great read and I wouldn't bat an eyelid. Whatever the case, I'll look forward to your reaction. I haven't read any of Greene's entertainments, and in fact have quite a few of his books on the tbr and been totally neglecting him, so will have to see to that.

Glad you like the drawing, thanks.

Just dropping by for a look and a speak........
I'm very tempted by Ackroyd's Tudors and also by Weir's Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses, but what I chose from the Kindle Month list was Necropolis: London and Its Dead. I know I'll have a month to think about the Weir; not sure about the Ackroyd. You remind me yet again that I really need to read the Farrells. *sigh*
Hope you're having a better day.
And if I haven't said so, your progress on the drawing amazes me. I always think that it was pretty well finished when you have only just begun. The detail is simply - amazing.

Hi Ilana! Just popping in. I hope you had a good day and got lost in a good book or 2.

>43 Smiler69: oh, yea, I forgot to comment on your comment to my bingo stall.ing excuses. :)
I only have 4 fave authors. And I just realised I have NOT read all their first books! Doh. ANd the current books....our libraries charge for new (popular) books, and you have probably heard me complain about the price of new books here ($35-$40). But I do come across them eventually second hand, and there is the odd book depo purchase :)

Love your Woman with Headscarf work in progress, fabulous!!

I think I've been lurking a lot here and not posting much, so I just wanted to chime in with a Hello, Ilana.

Megan - Your libraries charge for new, popular books! Here the only "fees" are the fines for late returned books. The system used to charge for "requested" books but now only charges a fine if you don't pick up that requested book once it arrives at your local branch.

And I have never understood why books are so expensive in New Zealand. I recall Cushla saying the same thing.

Finished Maigret #7 last night, Maigret at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon. Really enjoyed this one a lot, and now have only 69 books to go to complete the series...

>83 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, it looks like we have different Kindle offerings this month, because I haven't seen anything by Weir on promotion on this side of the Amazon divide. As for the Peter Ackroyd title, it was supposed to be on special only yesterday, but I just checked and I see it's still on offer at the reduced price today too. It's not totally el cheapo though, at just under $6, but as I take it, it's quite an expensive book normally.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend all that time on my drawing series—130 hours each on average, and this one is likely to take much longer because of the added complexity. I hope I can at least display it all at the local community centre when I have a dozen or more done so I have something to show for my efforts, though for all I know they might tell me there are legal issues since I haven't asked permission from my models. As if artists were supposed to ever worry themselves about these things. Simply inconceivable.

>84 msf59: Hi Mark, I took some pills yesterday and managed to keep the headache at bay that way, and yes, did get lost in a book or 2, as it happens! :-)

>85 LovingLit: Megan, I just now hurried over to your profile page to see if you'd listed your four favourite authors and, yes! I've yet to read anything by Richard Ford, though his Frank Bascombe trilogy has been on my wishlist for quite some time now. Chaim Potok is another one I haven't read yet either. New books do seem incredibly expensive in your neck of the woods, and seems unfair the library would charge a fee for them, though I would imagine (and hope) this to be a minimal fee? Thanks for the encouragement on the drawing. It's really slow going, so I'll take all the support I can get! :-)

>86 scaifea: Hi Amber, always lovely to hear from you. I'm a frequent lurker too and sometimes have to make an extra effort to let people know I've been there.

>87 catarina1: Hi Catarina! We only get fees for late books here too, which I think is right and proper, and only get fined for not picking up reservations at the National library if we don't cancel—the municipal library doesn't seem to care. I think lots of things are much more expensive in the antipodes. They're so far from the rest of the Western world and the shipping alone must hike up the prices a whole lot.

Book #172: ❉ La Nuit du carrefour / Maigret at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon ★★★★⅓
Source: Municipal Library
Read for: September TIOLI Challenge #5: read a book you didn't buy
Series: Maigret (7 of 76)
Edition: Omnibus (2007), Paperback, 930 pages (French edition anthology)
Original publication date: 1931

As the story begins, we discover Maigret and his colleague Lucas have been taking it in turns questioning a Danish man named Carl Anderson, suspected for murder, for the last 17 hours without any satisfactory results. Eventually they are forced to release him, lacking any evidence to arrest him. This is a very bizarre case. Andersen lives at a crossroads outside a small village, and a man has been found murdered in his garage, in a brand new luxury car belonging to a neighbour from one of the only two other houses at that crossroads, while Anderson's car was found at that neighbour's garage. The murder victim is a rich Jewish merchant whom Andersen claims never to have met before. If it weren't for this murdered man, one might think this case was a practical joke. In typical Maigret fashion, our inspector leaves his Paris office to investigate the scene of the crime and observe the residents of the three households at the crossroads; one which comprises a busy commercial garage where motorists frequently stop for gas and various repairs, another, the insurance broker's whose brand new car the murder victim was found in and who has since been making loud noises about wanting restitution, and the strange old house with a creepy past where Carl Anderson, a displaced and penniless aristocrat who has sought to bury himself in an anonymous little place, lives with his sister Else, whom for reasons nobody quite understands, he keeps under lock and key. Once again, I was charmed by the atmospherics Simenon imbues his stories with. It really is an immense pleasure to be able to read the stories in the original French and to imagine the dialogues spoken in the various local accents and it must be said that he is a very good writer, something which isn't always the case for mystery writers, and is doubly impressive when one considers the author's output (10 books in 1931 alone, 76 Maigret books over his career, not counting all the other novels he wrote). That being said, I am sure the English translations make for excellent reading as well, as they have become enduring classics. Definitely recommended. I'm reading these novels in publishing order, but am discovering this is not at all necessary since there is no running back story to speak of, so this is as good a place to start as any.

    

The Rat by Elise Gravel ★★★★
Read for: Early Reviewers
Series: Disgusting Critters
Edition: Tundra Books (2014), Hardcover, 32 pages
Original publication date: 2014

As the back cover informs us, Montreal writer and illustrator Elise Gravel has always been fascinated by disgusting little creatures. At three-and-a-half, she founded the Organization for the Defence of Disgusting Critters, of which she was both president and the only member. She followed through as an adult with the "Disgusting Critters" series of little books, recommended for children ages 6 to 9, so far covering *beloved* creatures from the animal world such as The Fly, The Slug, The Worm, and of course, The Rat. Originally published in French in 2013, this is an English translation. The large text is minimal an accompanies the humorous and equally bold and rather simplistic illustrations. This is not a criticism, but rather an observation: Gravel's drawing style, which I have long admired as a fellow-Montrealer has always been deliberately naïve, cartoonish and very much tongue in cheek. The book, which makes for quick reading and would probably also amuse children younger than the recommended readership, includes interesting facts on each spread about the critters being profiled. For example, among the longer entries: "The rat has four long, yellowish incisors (big teeth) that are very sharp. They can grow up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) a year. To keep them from growing too long, the rat has to file them by chewing on stuff." Yikes. I had no idea they grew at quite that rate—what a terrifying prospect! I'm sure that kind of stuff must be incredibly amusing to children. I liked the book well enough, but I'm not exactly the intended target, so I will donate this little hardcover volume to my local library and am sure it will make for hours of entertainment and good laughs for plenty of children and their parents.

I would highly recommend the book now that you've seen the movie, Ilana. Although, going to the movie just to clap eyes on Manish Dayal isn't a bad thing. :-)

I liked your review of the movie and there weren't spoilers in it for me since I had already read the book. I too, though, dislike movies set in a non-English speaking country where all the cast speak only in English, but the audience is supposed to believe they're speaking in the local language. I don't really understand why they don't just get local actors to cast and then have English subtitles.

>91 cameling: Caro, I guess subtitles are a no-go for big bit-time Hollywood movies, as the majority of movie-goers tend to avoid them, but I do find making movies the way they've made this one makes for really absurd situations. Talk about dumbing down! I had to really REALLY suspend disbelief there to let myself enjoy it, but no matter what, that aspect couldn't help but bother me as a French speaker whose been to France several times. And again, I LOVE Helen Mirren to bits, but using a British actress to play a French character was just silly. At least they used a French actress who spoke very good English as Dayal's love interest and competitor. I will definitely seek out the book. As you say, if anything, it was worth seeing the movie for Dayal's beautiful black eyes. :-)

Book #173: ♫ A Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens ★★★½
Source: Audible
Narrator: Nicolette McKenzie
Read for: September TIOLI #16: read a book with 5 reviews of less but more than 15 mentions, A Century of Books!
Edition: Isis Publishing (2014), Unabridged MP3; 7h23
Awards & Distinctions: Booker Prize Shortlist (1978)
Original publication date: 1978

On the day of her retirement from the sweets factory where she has been working for over 40 years, Miss Jean Hawkins has resolved this to be the last day of her life, and she had made all the necessary preparations to that end. Then she goes in to her last day of work and is given as a cheap retirement gift a five-year diary, and she takes this as an order from above that she's been given a five-year sentence to live, and that furthermore, she must fill a page from the diary every single day. Miss Hawkins has had up till then a rather sad and uneventful life, growing up in an orphanage, from which she took away mostly unhappy memories of the nasty Matron, who held her back from being adopted into a foster family because she was a good helper around the orphanage, and properly trampled down on any sense of self or individuality, among other minor horrors, and also of finding young Morris's body, a fellow orphan girl who took her life by hanging herself with the rags used as sanitary napkins, shortly after beginning her menstruation, after which Matron had convinced Miss Hawkins she had had a nasty nightmare and the event never took place, even though Morris was never seen again. In short, nothing since then has come into her life to make her forget these sad events, and nobody in all her decades at the factory has ever even bothered to find out what her first name was beyond the 'Miss', so that she has little to say for herself in that diary, until the day she has a sudden inspiration to give herself orders which she must follow up on and then tick off once they are accomplished. At first she starts with easy to accomplish things, such as "watch tv" or "take a long walk", and eventually she becomes more daring till she works her way up to "meet a man" then once that's accomplished, "have the man kiss you", no small thing for a woman who is still a virgin by her mid-sixties.

Rubens's writing is excellent, and her black humour just as excellently mordant as I enjoyed it to be in The Waiting Game, but somehow I couldn't enjoy this novel as much. For one thing, Miss Hawkins is such a pathetic character and so self-deluded, which in and of itself wouldn't have been so bad and might have been very amusing to me if there hadn't also been a man present to take advantage of her foolishness and rob her of all she had, a situation which I couldn't help but find unbearably sad. There's the way in which she goes about finding a man, which is initially very pathetic yet quite funny. It's mostly in the details, but in essence, she goes to the library and stands in the religious texts sections and there tries to grab the first man she sees by calling out to him "isn't it a nice day?!", and sure enough, eventually she does bump into a man and run her line by him, even though it happens to be raining by then. That he happens not to seem particularly interested and then shortly establishes that he lives with his mother who never lets him out of her sight other than to go to the library to get her lurid thriller novels which he picks out purely by how graphic the covers look doesn't deter our heroine, nor does the fact that he turns out to be a perfect cad who expects her to pay for everything. No self-respecting woman would give a man like that the time of day, but our poor Miss Hawkins has no notions of self-respect, so instead she finds him all the more appealing for it and is willing to enter into a little game with him, and furiously expends her frustrations in an endless scarf knitting project, where she puts all her anger about Matron, which has never abated, even after all these years, into every stitch, never once considering that the man who has been taking advantage of her and stealing her savings should be the target for her anger instead of all the girlish fantasies she indulges in over several years to come.

While I'm able to see the humour in the situation, it also cuts a bit too close to the bone. How many times have we women deluded ourselves to make untenable situations seem rosy just in order to keep going? In that sense, this book is truly brilliant, but I rated it based on the reading pleasure it did or did not give me, and in this case, I was rather looking forward to getting to the end of a difficult ordeal. All the same, recommended—Rubens does have such a great wicked sense of humour—but with some reservations of course.

The narrator Nicolette McKenzie was excellent on this audio version, but there is a very minor glitch, with one 3-second bit that was obviously intended to be edited out and left in by mistake.

Starting on the audio of Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud in a sec, book 3 of 4 in this series. I've really enjoyed the first two, so this should be fun!

I'm adding the Rubens to my wishlist - thanks for the great review!

Hi Ilana! Good review of "The Rat". I am really enjoying Double Cross. Macintyre excels at this stuff and John Lee is the perfect narrator. I will be reading all of his books.

Aaaw - I want The Rat, The Slug, The Worm and "The Spider"! But no Kindle Versions available, although those simple illustrations must be well transferable into ebooks.
Yes, those rodent teeth grow like crazy. I always took care to feed my guinea pigs with lots of old hard bread and hay additionally to all the veggies, and still the vet once had to shorten their teeth.

And I'd love to see that movie. I read about it and it sounded a bit flat and predictable, but nice. Perfect for early fall. I don't know if I missed it already or if it hasn't arrived here yet.

>95 scaifea: Great news Amber, maybe we'll start a Rubens revival on LT. I know I want to read many more of her books.

>96 msf59: Mark, between you and Kerry and Suzanne and others on LT, you've really convinced me I need to read some Ben Macintyre, and I've slowly accumulated several of his books thanks to the library's growing OverDrive collection. I've had Agent Zigzag for quite a while, very recently got them to purchase A Spy Among Friends, and you just now reminded me to borrow Double Cross. While I was at it, I put a hold on Operation Mincemeat too. I guess I'd better get cracking soon, eh? I'm way, way overbooked this month, but will make room for him in October for sure. Thanks for the reminder!

>97 Deern: Nathalie, you're right, that Elise Gravel collection of Disgusting Critters would be perfect as eBooks and I'm surprised they aren't available as such. Maybe it's just a matter of time as I see the French edition is available in a digital edition. Are you sure they have The Spider too?! I want that!!! I checked the library for it, as I happen to really like spiders, but didn't find it... maybe it'll be an upcoming title?

As for "The Hundred-Foot Journey" I know it's been out in North America for 4 weeks now, and if I'm not mistaken, movies usually come out later in the rest of the world, so you should still be able to catch it as it's still out in cinemas here. But didn't you tell us you didn't have a cinema in Merano, or has one opened since?

>98 Smiler69: You're right, I just checked amazon again. The Spider is announced for Feb 2015.
No, Merano doesn't have a theater anymore. There have been initiatives to re-establish one, at least in summer when there's nothing to do for the tourists on rainy days, but so far nothing. The one I meant is in Bolzano, not too far away (40 mins drive) but still a bit inconvenient and I have been there less than 10 times in those 5 years. They also have to take care to show about half of the movies in Italian, so often there's the same movie in 2 languages and blocks 2 screens for days/weeks.

Going to watch Medea by Euripidies this evening, the first National Theatre Live broadcasting of the season. It promises to be a rather disquieting tragedy, as this mother of two threatens to poison her children, thinking this to be the best way to get back against her unfaithful husband, Jason. I've already purchased tickets for other upcoming NTL broadcasts in September and October: A Streetcar Named Desire, a play by Tennessee Williams made famous with the movie version starring Marlon Brando in 1951; Frankenstein (which I'll have to finally READ!); and Skylight by David Hare, a play I know little about, starring Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan, which my friend Kristyna and I decided to take a chance on (synopsis to be found here for those curious about it).

Slept in very late as kept waking up and didn't sleep properly overnight, and then when got up had a nasty head, so took some pills. The Fiorinal didn't seem to work at first, so I've been drinking loads of strong coffee, and the combination seems to be working, not removing the pain completely, but at least dulling it for a good part. Phew. Off to work on my drawing shortly, then need to prepare for my "big" night out at the theatre cinema!

>99 Deern: Ah! I'm surprised it's not out in French yet, but I guess it should be coming out very shortly then, or maybe the library just hasn't acquired it yet. I'll ask them about it. I guess you really have to want to see a movie quite badly to drive out 40 minutes for it!

>88 Smiler69: Ilana, I continue to dither over the Ackroyd. If I read the reviews correctly, the physical book has a great number of pictures that don't show up in the Kindle version. If I'm still interested when that price goes down, I think that's the way I'll choose to go.
Yep. Medea was something else. Some of the most chilling lines in all literature, I think. ("He had his father's eyes," for example.) Prepare for GIANT CATHARSIS!

Hi Ilana! You might be off seeing your play. I hope you have a nice time.

I am almost finished with Double Cross. It looks like you are all set with his books. Now, you just have to start one. LOL. I have to get my mitts on Operation Mincemeat.

Yikes. Medea was something else. I knew to expect an extremely intense experience, and am grateful the play wasn't any longer than 90 minutes, because each second was both riveting and painful to watch. Really excellent too. Helen McCrory in the title role was perfect, strong, the very picture of female fury and distress and completely believable in her grief and resolve to do the unthinkable. The stage set was cleverly done, and there were some great choreographies and live music scores and vocals too. What makes this play doubly disturbing is we know from the headlines parents do actually take their children's lives as a way to get back to their wandering partners sometimes, and here we get to see how a person might be led to perform this monstrous act while being, for all intents and purposes, completely sound of mind (unless extreme grief and passionate love can be counted as a form of madness, which I believe they should—though this by no means should mean leniency when comes time for punishing these heinous crimes). I've seen Darryl rate plays he's attended before, so I shall do the same and am giving this one the full 5-stars. Really glad I went, and highly recommended, though not for the faint-hearted. ★★★★★

(In the picture to the right (or bottom, depending on your screen), Medea is holding the knife she will eventually use to kill her children, though thankfully, that portion of the play takes place off-stage.)

>102 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, well, speaking of catharsis, I couldn't help but think of my most recent experience with Bernice Rubens in A Five Year Sentence, and thinking about Medea: No shrinking violet is SHE, to be sure!, for that alone, you have to respect her, no matter what you think of her actions (and I doubt any human being could condone her crime).

Didn't know that about the Ackroyd book; I wonder why they wouldn't have included all the visual content in the eBook?? Bummer.

>103 msf59: Hey Mark, you were right, I was at that moment you posted right in the middle of the play. I definitely need to get cracking on Ben McIntyre considering how many of his books I've accumulated by now, and how long I've had the first one. As I said, October will be the month I start with him. The toughest part will be deciding which book to start with!

Oh, Medea is my very favorite of Euripides' plays! So intense and passionate, as you say, and more shocking than most people realize for its time. Euripides was a feminist way, way, way before it was cool. Interesting (to me, anyway) tidbit: some scholars (I among them) think that Euripides' play was extremely shocking for his original audience, because in the 'original' (i.e. before Euripides played with it) myth, Medea doesn't actually kill her children - he changed the ending! What a shocker that would have been, eh? I always loved teaching this play, because it still, to this day, will spark intense and heated discussions among students, and Medea has some pretty fantastic lines that still resonate today.

>106 scaifea: Amber, interesting that your theory about Euripides is he was a feminist, because they had a little documentary about the making of the play yesterday before the actual thing was shown and the question was raised on whether he was a feminist or if on the contrary he was warning men on the consequences of giving women too much freedom. What I did not know (among MANY other things!) was that women could not attend plays as spectators. Of course I did know actors were men exclusively, but not that women weren't allowed in the audience as well. Too dangerous to give them ideas to feed their minds on? Also didn't know Euripides had changed the ending. How interesting! However, once again, in light of the fact that you see this kind of news in the headlines, I think that horrifying ending makes the play all the more relevant, and yes, controversial, and I can certainly imagine heated discussions among the students!

The intense Medea sounds like quite a remarkable experience - 5 stars worth! Interesting to hear the background from you and Amber. Men only actors and women couldn't attend? What an incomplete, disconnected world they lived in.

>108 jnwelch: Joe, I did some Greek studies back in college for a couple of years and drew my own conclusions as far as the following goes (especially as I also took women's studies) but they had no great love for women as a society; their place was firmly in the home, while men had all the freedom to come and go and act as they pleased among themselves (and then some!), women bore the offspring and basically had no rights. Little better than slaves, really. The Greeks may have left us great art, plays, literature, but I certainly wouldn't want to go back (not as a woman, anyway!)

Oof. Maybe I'm used to the way we do it today, but I wouldn't want to go back to that either - an unfair setup, for starters, but boring, too.

>110 jnwelch: Spoken like a true feminist! :-)xx

The line that women were basically salves and had no rights at all is a bit too uncomplicated. No, they weren't allowed in the theater, and yes, in general we have it quite a bit better these days than women did then, but they had more power and freedoms than is generally thought. And I think that some of the speeches Euripides gives to his women characters (along with other playwrights as well) show that they knew how powerful and smart we ladies can be.

On audio, just finished listening to Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud. Wasn't my favourite book in the Bartimaeus trilogy, but Simon Jones is such a great narrator that he made the experience well worth the time and the ending was pretty exciting. I'll definitely listen to the prequel eventually, because Bartimaeus himself is an awesome character. About to start on book 1 in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Until Dark. I enjoyed the first 3 seasons of True Blood on HBO, so we'll see how I fare with the original books.

Two audiobook purchases today, using credits after I was offered a complimentary credit because of some administrative mixup on the part of the good people at Audible:

The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

Total books purchased to date: 212

eta: Oh yes, and I just downloaded Cress from the library's OverDrive audio collection today.

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>112 scaifea: Amber, I guess it's hard to judge for someone like me who is by no means a scholar, but I'd be curious to find out more on this topic.

Ooooo! Fowles! I forget how much I used to like him, and *FL'sW* is certainly one of the ones I liked!

Ilana, I just finished Cress today and loved it. This was a relief as I was not the biggest fan of the second book, Scarlet. I think the series is back on track and I am looking forward to the final volume.

>79 Smiler69: I am enjoying my current edition of Slightly Foxed so much that I am now considering getting some back issues second hand to get me through until the next magazine!

>89 Smiler69: Glad to see you're still enjoying the Maigret books so much.

>93 Smiler69: "While I'm able to see the humour in the situation, it also cuts a bit too close to the bone." I agree with you about A Five Year Sentence - I enjoyed it a lot but kept feeling that I shouldn't really be enjoying it.

>100 Smiler69: I decided Medea might be too disquieting but hope to book tickets to see an Encore screening of A Streetcar Named Desire (showing at our local cinema on Oct 28th for some reason). I saw Frankenstein last year and thought it was excellent.

>104 Smiler69: "not for the faint-hearted" Yeah, glad I skipped that one....

Happy Sunday, Ilana! I am just bopping around to a couple of threads before leaving on our trip. I will check in, when I can. It is nice to be such an early-riser. Smiles...

>113 Smiler69: Sorry to have gone right into professor mode, Ilana - I didn't mean to be lecturing you on the subject! Occupational hazard, especially on a commonly misunderstood topic such as this one, which was a frequent subject of discussion in many of my classes. I'd point you to some good reading on it, but the boos are likely difficult to come by without an academic library around and they're prohibitively expensive to purchase (as are most scholarly books, sadly). I will say that Rebecca Futo Kennedy is a good author to track down on the subject of women in classical Athens - she's an expert (and a good friend of mine!).

Beautiful day today. I guess I should go sit out on the balcony and read, as who knows how many such days we'll have left before the cold weather settles in for good? Cleaning lady is over today, a real luxury, that, as can't really afford her, but then running the vacuum cleaner and the exertions required for heavy cleaning really don't agree with my head. And then I'm just plain old lazy too. I guess I'll go out on the balcony when the Electrolux comes out (now know as Aerus) and meanwhile catch up on LT.

Just got Where Angels Fear to Tread from Downpour.com, where they're offering three E. M. Forster audio titles at $4.95 as their Weekend Spotlight promotion (http://www.downpour.com/weekend-spotlight/). I've now got 4 of his books on the tbr, so I guess I'd better start reading him soon.

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>114 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, John Fowles is among the authors I've been meaning to read literally for decades, and I've got several of his other books on the wishlist as well. I was quite young when the movie version of The French Lieutenant's Woman came out (11 or 12 in 1981), but strangely now can't remember if I watched it, though do remember it was a big deal because Meryl Streep was in the leading role. I thought it had won an Academy Award, but see now it lost to On Golden Pond, which I very clearly remember seeing at the cinema on the other hand. Funny what you do and do not remember sometimes. I think the Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda trio was that much more memorable to me then, however great an actress Streep was, and historical fiction didn't have the pull then it has on me now.

>115 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I lurked over on your thread yesterday and saw you'd posted a review of Cress, which I skipped over as I wanted to make sure I didn't accidentally get any spoilers for Scarlet, or get any sort of preconceptions on either book, since I plan on listening to Scarlet this month. I was really surprised when I found that Cinder worked for me, because it's the sort of book that often doesn't, but somehow I was happy to go along for the ride, and hopefully the second book will work for me too, but otherwise I'll keep your comment in mind and go ahead with the third book, since I got it free* already from the library anyway.

* i.e. with help from my tax contributions!

>116 souloftherose: Heather, that's exactly how it worked out with my subscription to Slightly Foxed and back issues too: I was so enchanted by my first current issue that after finishing it I found I wasn't willing to wait three whole month for more, so trawled through Abe and eBay, where I found plenty of back issues at decent prices. You'll find them at even better pricing than I ever could, considering you live where they are published and are plentiful on the secondary market. I feel a bit guilty not buying them directly from the good people at SF, who always keep them in print, but they are very expensive, especially once you factor in international shipping. However, I'll have to bite the bullet when I decide to get the first few years' worth as I've rarely, if ever, seen those come up second-hand at anything like reasonable prices.

Yes, really enjoyed this particular Maigret more than I did The Yellow Dog to be honest, which I didn't know how to review, so sorry I left you in the lurch with that one. It'll be nice to see how the stories and the character evolves over time, which is why I'm keen on continuing to read them in publishing order, which is made easy with these omnibus volumes.

I'm a bit jealous that you were able to enjoy that particular Bernice Rubens book more than I was. I can see the appeal of the guilty pleasure it presents. I guess that having been brought up as I was by an ardent feminist, I've just always had a hard time to see women in a position of subservience as being something in any way acceptable. Interestingly enough, this issue comes up in the first book of her's I read, The Waiting Game, but there, the victim in question took matters in her own hands and confronted her aggressor, which made it ok for me, whereas here... I think I'll revisit that book eventually now I know what it's all about and try to look at it from a different perspective next time.

I guess the dates for the National Theatre Live screening are really different between the UK and NA, because A Streetcar Named Desire is showing here on Sept. 16 for the "Live" version (though I wonder how that's possible, since the show is at 7 pm here, which means midnight in London!), and then an 'encore' on the 21st. I think you probably did well to skip Medea, especially as I know you try to avoid really 'heavy' material in general, and this certainly fit the bill! I remember seeing Frankenstein being advertised as part of the lineup in the UK last year and being frustrated it wasn't being aired here... seems all good things come with a little patience! :-)

>117 msf59: Hey Mark, guess you're off to your trip to paradise. Will look forward to hearing/seeing all about it!

>118 scaifea: You have nothing to apologize for Amber, I find the topic interesting, and am happy if you want to share any more here! I tried to track down your friend Rebecca Futo Kennedy at one of our library systems here, but no such luck, and as you say, any kind of scholarly volume is just excessively expensive, ouch! So yes, DO lecture away! :-)

Just popping in to say hello Ilana. I hope your migraine woes will be under control soon. It's very difficult to treat since it is so individual for everyone. Take care of yourself.

I stayed up later than my usual these days to finish The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann last night (till 1:30 a.m, which used to me my regular time!). Just wanted to get it over already. I started on what was meant to be a three-line review, but started googling stuff and now it's gotten involved, so... Anyway, I may finish it soon, or may set it aside to finish later, we'll see.

Head pretty good this morning, relatively speaking, though I dare not say it, in case it decides to prove me wrong after all! For example, awful construction work outside woke me up early and went on till about 20 minutes ago, sounded like they were sawing through an endless lot of steel so I had to close all windows to make sure I didn't launch me into one of the circles of hell.

No plans for today. Really enjoying Dead Until Dark. Like revisiting the first season of True Blood, which I really enjoyed. Only I get to visit it from Sookie's point of view, which I'm enjoying, because she really is a decent kind of girl.

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>121 luvamystery65: Hi Roberta, lovely to have a visit from you. Especially since I know you've probably been quite overwhelmed lately. Migraine woes: let's just say there are very few people to whom I would wish this sort of condition, but then, I count myself lucky that I've got the sort of pain that is tolerable enough to leave me able to function most of the time. But right now I feel pretty decent, and that's good enough for me! :-)

Decided I'll be picking up A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr next. I got this lovely second-hand NYRB edition on Abe after seeing all kinds of lovely comments on it here on LT last month. It's a short read, and end-of-summer/start of autumn seems like the perfect time for it somehow.

Just finished listening to the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Will definitely continue with the series, especially as it's available to me for free from the library's OneClickDigital collection. I rated this one 4.5 stars. Am amazed how close to the HBO show the book was (I mean, vice versa). Charlaine Harris clearly has a very fertile imagination. Reviews to comes tomorrow, as I'm totally exhausted this evening, too tired to eat dinner and would in fact gladly go to bed now if it wasn't too early to do so.

Will start on another listen soon.

Spent 3 hours on my drawing today. Not sure how to keep myself awake for the next 3 hours... tempted by a nap, but then might not be able to sleep well overnight.

Started listening to Night Soldiers by Alan Furst

Also tried watching a movie, a 1932 film version of Georges Simenon's Yellow Dog, but 40 minutes in, just too sleepy. Will start getting ready for bed and turn in early I guess.

>120 Smiler69:"I guess the dates for the National Theatre Live screening are really different between the UK and NA"

Sometimes they are but in this case it's just our local theatre as all the other UK showings are also on the 16th Sep. That suits me though as I'm busy on the 16th!

>122 Smiler69: So not a fan of The Stockholm Octavo?

Hope the construction work doesn't make your migraine worse.

Head not too bad today, though now I'm thinking about it, it's starting to bother me, so best to ignore it altogether.

I think I will put finishing touches on my Stockholm Octavo review and then spend time on my drawing.

From information I'm gathering on rights pertaining to using images of people without their consent, it's looking like I probably won't be able to show my work in a gallery setting, which is what I suspected from the start. I just refuse to become an administrator and have to take care of legal issues and try to obtain those permissions (almost a lost cause from the start considering where I'm photographing) because of how ridiculously stringent these laws have become. I'm an artist. Period. People steal images from the internet and do whatever they want with them all the time. Things are out of control. I should be able to draw whoever the heck I want to, as long as I mean them no disrespect and am not trying to make millions of dollars off them. Celebrated photographers from the past, whose work now hangs in museums around the world would never still be recognized as brilliant masters of photography if those laws had been in place then, and if things continue, the great grandchildren of those subjects in those photos on the museum walls might petition for those images to be taken down and taken out of circulation, since they weren't asked for permission back then either. It's all just totally ridiculous. I happen to be inspired by the poetry of getting "intimate" with total strangers by spending hundreds of hours drawing them in a photorealistic manner. That's my little war cry for today.

        

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>126 souloftherose: Glad the dates work out so you are able to attend, Heather.

As I said above, I'll put the finishing touches on my review for TSO and hopefully it will make clear what did and what did not work for me in that novel. It has a lot going for it, but ultimately, I felt it did not live up to expectations.

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Actually, I was going to spend time on the review, but ended up posting my little diatribe about image rights all over the internet instead, and now really want time away from the computer and want to be drawing, so that's what I'm off to do for a while

Hi, Ilana. I think A Month in the Country will be just your cuppa, and I hope you continue to enjoy the more out of left field Lunar Chronicles.

>127 Smiler69: Hani commented to me only yesterday that your Metro series of works was amazing and I have to agree with her. The legal minefield of the use of a work of art derived from someone living is one that has become more and more cluttered with bombs in recent times. Calling to mind the ridiculous submissions made on the ownership of the animal with the strange facial contortions recently. The law is an ass most definitely.

First of all - wow on the Metro series. Just plain wow.

Brave of you to go see Medea! It makes my head spin when I think about a man writing a play about a woman so furious and desperate with a man that she will kill their children - but a play that only men will see and in which only men will act, including the role of the woman! Au fond, c'est tellement bizarre!

And... you are dangerous! I am very resistant to wishlisting but I had to put the Rubens on - I am a huge fan of Muriel Spark and I loved Memento Mori and also S-W's All Passion Spent and more recently Old Filth - geezers full of vim and vigor, eh? I like it as I hope to get to be one!

Wouldn't it be interesting to write a play in which three men go home after seeing this Medea - and show how they behave around their wives and children? People interpret every experience so differently. What an exercise that would be. (I'm full of good ideas, not as good at executing them!)

Hi, Ilana! Lucy, that is a wonderful idea - and I wish you'd do it.
I just dropped out of lurk to say that I am a geezer full of vim and vigor..........I wish!

Woohoo! So many messages on my thread this morning! Someone left a really bizarre message on my art blog today pertaining to one of my old, old posts featuring a painting of a nude model, saying those paintings should never be shown beyond the confines of the art studio because if those models wanted to be seen nude outside art classes, they'd walk around naked in the streets. WHA?!?

>128 jnwelch: think A Month in the Country will be just your cuppa

Hi Joe, I'm sure it will be, only so far I haven't left myself much time to have proper reading sessions so I can really sink into AMitC. Hope to do so today. Thanks for dropping by all the way from the UK! :-)

>129 PaulCranswick: Hi dear Paul, nice to see you venturing about LT and onto my humble thread, as I know you've been busy lately. Please thank Hani for her kind comment on my work. I honestly think that people's notions of what their personal rights are have become beyond extreme, especially when you consider that to most of the human population, any one individual is just another face in a crowd. Then you add on top of that the fact we all have doppelgängers, and that we all look slightly different over different days and as the years go by, and the whole thing just becomes a bit ridiculous, this whole notion of wanting to protect one's image, especially from artists, especially in this age of internet bullying when people can and do at any time take pictures of perfect strangers in compromising or mortifying situations and deliberately post them all over the internet to be mean or offensive. When you compare that sort of thing to what I'm doing, it just seems to me incredible that anyone could possibly take offence at my kind of activity. But whatever. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. I doubt very much the cops are likely to come knocking at my door to seize my artwork and arrest me for breach of privacy. The only difference between me and 99% of artists out there is I've actually admitted I'm using photos, whereas the other 99% don't. Period.

What's this animal with the strange facial contortions you speak of? And the ownership kerfuffle? Not sure I know what you speak of, but am terribly curious about it now.

>130 sibylline: Hi Lucy, thanks for the encouragement on my drawing series (at least, that's what I take it as!)

I'm not so sure I would have gone to see Medea on my own, but when we went to see one of the last plays of the season in Spring, they had done a promo for it, not even a preview, more like a teaser really, and my friend Kristyna with whom I've been going to see all these cultural events was adamant that we must go see it. I was a bit... hesitant but she seemed to think it was something we were not to miss, so I went along with it. I'm glad I went. I surprise myself with what I am or am not able to tolerate sometimes, and this play was really magnificently well done and expertly well acted. Mais comme du dis, Au fond, c'est tellement bizarre! Very well said! :-)

I've also become quite resistant to adding things to the wishlist, but I think you won't regret adding The Waiting Game, if that's the one you speak of. "Old geezers full of vim and vigour" was exactly the category I was groping for to describe those kinds of books. Well done! :-)

>131 sibylline: >132 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! And yes Lucy, I too encourage you to do it!

And Peggy, you're too young still to be an old geezer, at least among this gang, sorry.

Book #175: ⓔ The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann ★★★½
Source: Amazon Daily Deal
Read for: September TIOLI #10: takes place in a country in which you have never set foot
Edition: Ecco (2012), Kindle Edition, 433 pages
Original publication date: 2012

A young man called Emil Larsson decides to seek for help when he is told by his boss of a new policy wherein he needs to find a wife in short order to keep his post as a bureaucrat. He puts his hopes in a French-born fortune teller who goes by the name of Mrs. Sophia Sparrow, known to give counsel to King Gustav III himself, over the course of eight days she sets out a spread of eight cards, known as the Stockholm Octavo, which are to indicate to him the eight people who are to help him along his path to fulfilling his future. But young Emil Larsson can't be sure who the eight are, and he gets lost amid the turmoil of late 18th century Stockholm, when the whole Western world is rocked by the revolution in France, and King Gustav III of Sweden is at pains to try to save Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette from the guillotine, and his own skin as well from the plots and conspiracies surrounding him. Among young Emil's eight individuals is a baroness, knows as the Uzanne, who with her connections might well lead him to his future wife. But the Uzanne is a dangerous woman and has a singular obsession with hand-held fans, which she collects in the hundreds and which she claims to manipulate with such skill that she is able to perform magic with them. The Uzanne has one goal in mind, which is to bring down King Gustav, and before he knows it, Emil Larsson is involved in a plot which suddenly has much further ramifications than the need to find a wife so he can simply hold on to his post as a sekretaire and his satisfying life of drinking and playing at cards.

This novel held promise for me. I'm a great lover of historical fiction for a start, and this story is based on true events and dangerous times: the plots against King Gustav III of Sweden and his eventual maiming by a gunshot in 1792, leading to his death when his wound got infected less than two weeks later (though here his death is attributed to other factors). The character of Mrs. Sophia Sparrow, who in the novel is obsessed with the King and acts as a foil of sorts to the Uzanne, is based on the real-life Ulrica Arfvidsson, a famous medium of the Gustavian era, who had more or less predicted to the King the attempt on his life. Engelmann devotes much of the narrative to the fans themselves, so that they become a character in their own right, what between the Uzanne and her obsession with one particular fan from her collection called Cassiopeia which she loses at cards and is then willing to literally kill for in order to reacquire, and a fan-maker from France called Nordén and his Wife who are also part of young Larsson's eight. I found this focus on fans interesting at first, but the problem I ended up having with the book is that, unlike Karen Engelmann, I haven't grown up admiring a collection of folding fans as she has, and they simply seemed to take up too much room in the narrative, so that what already seemed like a difficult story to keep together, considering the wide cast of characters encompassing various story tangents, became unwieldy. There were plenty of interesting details and incidents to keep going, but none of the characters felt especially well developed or seemed to want to lift off the page, and the whole felt somewhat disjointed, much as Emil Larsson's quest appeared to fall flat in the end. But then, I don't seem to take to devices in novels, and just as I didn't appreciate the astrological aspects in Eleanor Catton's Luminaries, I found the aspect of the Octavo distracting and perhaps didn't read into it as much as another more discerning reader might have.

I found the NY Times review pretty great: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/books/review/the-stockholm-octavo-by-karen-eng...

WOOHOO! I just landed my first portrait commission today! Thanks so much to our Pat/@phebj! I'll be drawing a pet portrait of her cairn terrier Rocky, and I'll be sharing the progress on my blog (and here on LT too once in a while) with her kind permission.

YAY!!! Good for Pat and Rocky and Good for you!!!!
Isn't LT a great place? I'll be eagerly awaiting the blog entries.
Meanwhile, you've talked me out of *Otavo* unless it falls in my lap and more and more into *Month*.

I confess I loved "Octavo", but then I found the nature of the device absolutely in keeping with the era in which the novel was set, so...

And I love Lucy's idea for a novel/play Even better, perhaps, to have three men engaged in staging Medea -- a director, an actor and a a set designer, perhaps? -- and see how their relationships morph over time, as the rehearsals progress and performances begin? Could be fun, if it wasn't handled in too heavy-handed a way.

Great news re the commission!!

How long have we been talking about this?? Since July at least, by a glance at your reading list---

I just picked up my ILL of Monsieur Gallet décédé. :D

>133 Smiler69: This is the issue I was referring to my dear - http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/22/monkey-business-macaque-selfie...

This is great news and I am looking forward to seeing the work in progress!

As we posted about those recently: I watched some minutes of Montalbano TV movie on RAI last week before I fell asleep. Maybe I'll like the books better when I picture him like the actor, bald and goodlooking (there are many bald Italians, they often shave their heads when they start losing hair and on surprisingly many that looks good). The Livia actress however imo is far too young, fragile and girlish-looking for that role.

And I wow along with Lucy for the metro series!

Congrats on the art commission, Ilana!

Add me to the wow crowd!

Just popping in on John Fowles to say that if you were thinking of reading something by him, I'd advise either The French Lieutenant's Woman or The Collector. I absolutely love The Collector despite it being very disturbing, it's one of my favourite books but not one I can reread very often as it gives me chills for days.

I never made it through TFLW, but I could see how other people would enjoy it. However, I suggest you steer well clear of The Magus which was the biggest load of twaddle I ever had inflicted on me. The only reason I made it through was because I took it to read in Mongolia as it was a) very long and b) by an author I thought I enjoyed, having already read The Collector at that point. Therefore it was the only book I had with me to read and so I valiantly battled onwards. Pretentious tripe but it had words in English!

My only addition to Jenny's comments about Fowles is that I remember liking Daniel Martin a lot! I didn't think that *Magus* was that bad, but I was a lot younger when I read it. What did I know? (What do I know?)

Wow, I guess activity has resumed to normal in our not-so-little group. It had been really quiet on the threads lately, but today I see I've gotten more message than ever in one shot, and a lot of other threads are busy too, which can only be a good thing.

Had a couple of days of respite from the really bad head thing, admittedly sometimes helped along with Fiorinal, including today when I took some pills at the first signs of trouble. It's sure is nice having that option, and also that I can better recognize trouble looming in the early stages. Still, I think perhaps the worst of the pain is maybe subsiding, though I can't be 100% sure.

Officially, I'll wait for Pat's deposit to come in before starting on Rocky's portrait, for good business practice sakes (I'm such a bad business head!) but in real life, I'm raring to go, and since I can only work on these a couple of hours at a time anyway without going quite mad, I'll start preparatory work today. There won't be much to show anyway till it's well underway. I'm really excited about this contract, coming from a friend as it does, which is the best possible scenario for me. I'm thinking if I could get 2-4 or these commissions a year, it might help me make up for what I lose in purchasing power as time goes by, considering I'm on a fixed income.

Enjoying Night Soldiers but it's so LOOOONG!!! Should be finished in a couple of days. Also enjoying A Month in the Country, though I wish I could stay awake for more than an hour at a time and really get a proper big chunk of it read and get deep into it, though I'm quite in the heart of the story now and it's been rewarding so far.

>136 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! I really hope I do Rocky justice. Every drawing has it's own built-in challenges, and this one will be the detail of his fur, which is quite wiry, and with the overall size at more or less 8x10" I'll have to find a clever way to render the fine white hairs on his darker pelt without resorting to the use of a magnifying glass! But as you've probably seen from my work so far, I obviously welcome a challenge in my work!

As you might have seen from Suzanne's comment below yours, she was quite a fan of Octavo. It did sort of fall in my lap when it came up as a Kindle Daily Deal and seeing her positive reaction to it convinced me to get it. I just feel like I wasn't properly equipped to fully appreciate it somehow, but perhaps you might be?

>137 Chatterbox: Suz, I think what I failed to make clear in my review is that I wasn't so much bothered by the device of the Octavo itself, which WAS what the book was about after all (though I wish my brain had been more attune to it and better able to process that information), so much as by the fact that the folding fans and all matter of trivia about them took up so much room in the story. It was very clear that the writer had developed a certain passion for them and wanted to find a way to make them an important part of the story, and to a certain extent that would have been ok, but I found it was simply overdone. I guess that aspect didn't bother you as much as it did me. I know wikipedia is far from being an entirely reliable source, but from what I read about fans there, the notion that there was a "secret language" of fans was supposedly made up as a marketing ploy:

It has been said that in the courts of England, Spain and elsewhere fans were used in a more or less secret, unspoken code of messages. These fan languages were a way to cope with the restricting social etiquette. However, modern research has proved that this was a marketing ploy developed in the 18th century (FANA Journal, spring 2004, Fact & Fiction about the language of the fan by J.P. Ryan) - one that has kept its appeal remarkably over the succeeding centuries. This is now used for marketing by fan makers like Cussons & Sons & Co. Ltd who produced a series of advertisements in 1954 showing "the language of the fan" with fans supplied by the well known French fan maker Duvelleroy.

I would be curious to find out more about this, since so much is made about this secret language in the novel.

>138 lyzard: I just picked up my ILL of Monsieur Gallet décédé.

Yay! And about time too! I hope the wait will have proved worthwhile for you at least! I'll be reading the final story in volume I, Un crime en Hollande before the end of the month, which is when my renewals come to an end, after which I'll probably go ahead and reserve Tout Maigret 2 for my next dose of 8 stories, starting with Au rendez-vous des Terre-Neuvas and ending with Le Fou de Bergerac. At a pace of one story/week on average with plenty of breaks in between, I could get through the whole 76-book series in less than two years... That's less time than it's taken me for much shorter ones!

>139 PaulCranswick: Ah yes! I remember that picture well! I guess I should make that portrait the subject of my next art project then, considering there will be no copyright issues to deal with! Now if only he'd been sitting on the Montreal metro when he took that selfie! :-D

>140 Deern: I wish I could watch that Montalbano TV series here Nathalie. I'll have to ask the library about ILL and hope they can obtain it somehow, because buying it is prohibitively expensive and simply out of the question for me, and isn't available otherwise. Here in Montreal, many men who are balding shave their heads too, so it's also a very common sight. You've made general comments about Livia before, and I've wanted to say, but think I forgot, that I don't think we're supposed to like her. She is generally a pain in the rear-end, and I believe we're supposed to ask ourselves why in the world Montalbano bothers with this complicated long-distance relationship with this hysterical and very annoying woman. For what it's worth, I do anyway. Once again though, I think it's just another one of those slices of real life. People put up with relationships that others wonder about all the time, don't they? I imagine Livia as older too, but then perhaps young and fragile isn't a bad interpretation of her either and might explain his attraction to her, i.e. a sexual one which defies all other explanation?

>141 scaifea: Thanks Amber! :-)

>142 drneutron: Thanks Jim! :-D

>143 lunacat: Thanks for your feedback on John Fowles Jenny. I'd say The French Lieutenant's Woman is the one that first came to my attention because of the movie which came out when I was a kid, so I'd definitely be tempted to start with that one, especially since that is the only one presently on my tbr. I recently also added The Collector to my wishlist, as well as The Magus, but will keep your comments in mind and will start with the former and only later make my way to the latter, if ever, depending how I take to his writing.

You've been to Mongolia, how exciting! How much time did you spend there? Now there's an argument for bringing more than one book on a trip!

>144 LizzieD: Peggy, I shall add Daniel Martin to the wishlist as well this minute based on your recommendation then! (What does any of us know for that matter?)

>147 Smiler69: It turns out my copy had to come from northern country NSW, so not surprising it took a while to get here.

Re: relationships you don't understand, it's one thing in real life where you're outside looking in, but in a work of fiction shouldn't the author be able to tell us what Person A sees in Person B?? :)

I was hoping to set up the tutored read thread for Love-Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister before this, but I've had a hellish week at work and it just didn't happen. However, I will be setting it up tomorrow morning, through the Virago Group, and I will drop you a note here when we're ready to go.

>148 lyzard: A well-travelled copy then!

You're right about the fact the author should explain the relationship to us, but who's to say what those crazy Sicilians are like? Maybe it's against Andrea Camilleri's personal beliefs as a Sicilian man (of 89, no less!) to explain such things, (which, for all we know, might seem obvious to him!) Or then again, perhaps that relationship is the true mystery which lies at the heart of the Montalbano series!

No worries about the Love-Letters threat thread*. Not like I haven't got plenty else keeping me busy, though I'll gladly follow along, especially since you did pick it out for me! That being said, sorry you've had a hellish week at work Liz.

* I promise you that was a typo—just happened to catch it before posting! :-)

FINALLY finished Night Soldiers by Alan Furst, which somehow felt like it lasted for ages, though I see now I posted here that I started in on Sept. 8th, so it only actually took me 4 days, which isn't so bad really for an audiobook over 18 hours long (516 pages for the Kindle edition). I do want to continue with the series, and am encouraged to do so by the fact the other books are all shorter, thank goodness. Of course, the story was an interesting one, or I wouldn't have stuck to it all this time, but it just felt like Furst had tried to put too much into this first entry in the series somehow.

>149 Smiler69: You may have been right the first time! :D

>151 lyzard: Heh, that was my subconscious typing for sure! ;-)

***

Will start on my next Montalbano as I prepare Coco and I for bed with Rounding the Mark (book 7). I'm in the mood for something short and diverting but perhaps not too too sweet after spending a few days spent fighting against the fascists and communists.

I wouldn't get too worried about the series order of the Furst books; just go for the ones that interest you most, as I think I had said earlier. They are loosely grouped, thematically, but other than the two featuring Jean Casson, there is no reason to read any of the others in any given order. Just go for what appeals to you most.

>1 Smiler69: Thanks for posting regarding this incredible illustrator!!!

Happy Day Ilana!

Book #178: ✔ A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr ★★★★
Source: Abe Books
Read for: September TIOLI #11: first published after 1950 and adapted to film or tv, A Century of Books!
Edition: NYRB Classics (2000), Paperback, 135 pages
Awards & Distinctions: Booker Prize Shortlist (1980), Guardian 1000 (Love)
Original publication date: 1980

In 1920, Tom Birkin, a young art restorer who's fought in the war and come out suffering from shell shock, is hired by a small village church in Oxgodby, Yorkshire to uncover beneath a layer of whitewash what is suspected to be a mural from the middle ages. He makes friends with another war veteran working on the grounds of the same church, archeologist Charles Moon, who has been hired with the same funds originating from a wealthy recently deceased old woman, who desired that the tomb of one of her ancestors who had been buried outside church grounds sometime in the 14th century be found. Tom is paid a pittance for his efforts, but he hardly minds this; he sees this contract as an opportunity to spend the summer in the country, away from London and the stresses of city life and an unhappy marriage to an unfaithful young woman he'd barely known when they'd married. The discomfort of sleeping almost directly on the floor just below the belfry is amply compensated for by the healing benefits of his stay in Oxgodby and his daily contact with Moon, with whom they establish a daily ritual of breakfast before setting to work. The work itself proves incredibly rewarding as he uncovers what is undoubtedly a masterpiece, but perhaps best of all are the unexpected friendships he makes with some of the village people, some of whom take him into their small community and seem to want to convince him to stay among them for good. And then of course there's the reverend's wife, Alice Keach, a young woman of great beauty, whom he knows instinctively cannot be happy with her husband, and if he only had the courage, might perhaps be willing...

My only regret with this book was that I wasn't able to fully plunge into it as I would have liked to. It's such a short work, that I felt it would have been best ingested in one or two, or three sittings at most. But I read it at night just before sleep and always fatigued as I am, couldn't keep awake beyond a dozen pages or so at a time, and it seemed to me the effect was diluted. Still, I can hardly fault the book for this, and it only gives me another excuse for revisiting it, perhaps making room for it in daytime hours next time. Perfectly charming.

eta: There was a British film version released in 1987 starring none other than Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh and Natasha Richardson which I'll simply have to get my hands on one way or another.

>153 Chatterbox: Suz, I do see now what you mean about there being no need to read the Furst books in order, especially now that I've read the first and last entries in the Night Soldiers sagas. Basically, they're books arranged around a theme more than an actual series really. In my mind, a series is when there are recurring characters (as you mention the two Jean Casson books do) or place or some thread that keeps them somehow connected in some continuous arc, but this clearly isn't the case here (with that one exception). The thing is, I just last week found I could download the first 5 books in the series on audio from the library, which always means I can access them more quickly, given I have a lot more listening time than I do reading time, for the simple reason that I somehow decreed at some point that listening is fine while I'm doing other things in the daytime, but sitting down 'just' to read is not. I'm not sure this makes sense really, but it's my way of making myself feel I'm somehow being productive I guess, given I have so little to justify my existence with in terms of career or anything or that sort.

>154 Whisper1: Hi Linda! Thanks for dropping by. The second I discovered Catrin Welz-Stein, it was just a matter of time before I was going to share her here. Isn't she just wonderful? I think her images are just dreamy and gorgeous. Glad you like her work too. xx

Ah! That's the beauty of retirement!!! It is perfectly acceptable for me to sit down 'just' to read....... My problem is that I'm not getting to do it lately.
MUST get to *Month*! MUST!!!

Hi, Ilana. I've set up the thread for Love-Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister - here - so we can start any time. Just don't let the length of the introductory stuff put you off! :)

What a good description of A Month in the Country, Ilana! So glad you enjoyed it.

I have mixed feelings about watching a movie made of it, even with such a fine cast. It's so etched in my mind from the book, I'm not sure I want to mess with it.

I had the same problem with A River Runs Through It, and never did see that movie.

Last night, picking up one of my planned reads for the month, The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell, I decided to go with the NYRB edition because it was the lighter of two options. I'd been meaning to get to this title for a long time, as I'd really loved his Troubles in 2012 and had gotten that NYRB edition back then. But when I went into my Folio collecting craze last year, I came across an 'as new' Folio copy at a good price, but last night for some reason decided I'd keep it for an eventual reread. When I started reading it though, the font seemed all garbled, and I realized I was depriving myself of beautiful paper, beautiful fonts, perfect printing, not to mention some pretty fantastic illustrations. I'll be selling that NYRB book to The Word. Up there is the frontispiece by Francis Mosley, who is among my favourite illustrators who has worked on several Folio books, of which I also own Lost Illusions, in the English translation, simply because it's a Folio book and illustrated by him!

>157 LizzieD: Peggy, that's the thing that is silly about my random decision *not* to read in the daytime; for all intents and purposes, I do lead a retired lifestyle, so it's kind of silly of me to deprive myself. In truth, I find I have very few daytime hours to do things in because I do need a lot of sleep, always have, and now between the meds and the migraines, and waking up several times at night, I certainly can't get away with less, and between time spent on the computer here on LT and doing this and that and drawing and taking Coco outside and running errands, I find days just fly right by. I have a vague notion that you have similar reasons for not taking the time to sit down and read lately, minus all the sleep perhaps? A Month in the Country is so short, you really MUST get to it!

>158 lyzard: Liz, you'll no doubt see my comment on Heather's thread about me not having read your proper intro to Love-Letters yet, but having seen your general comments and now being scared to plunge in as I hadn't thought to worry about 17th century prose before you'd warned us about it! Yikes! Now I truly am scared!

>159 jnwelch: Hi Joe, you were certainly one of the proponents for that book, and I wouldn't have wanted to disappointed with my review. Must say I'm both honoured and impressed, and slightly bemused that you'd take time while on your travels to come by and read said review... many thanks sir!

I think I know what you mean about mixed feelings about watching the movie version. I have that sense about most movies based on books I've loved, but I usually see them as quite separate in a way—as adaptations only, so they can't possibly take away from the original works, though when they are exceptionally well done, they can't help but add to the books and colour my perceptions of them. Thinking of The Remains of the Day and the original The Great Gatsby as the first two examples that come to mind. No great danger of me seeing the movie version of AMitC anytime soon though, as surprisingly enough, neither library system here has it, so other than an ILL, which could take month and months, there's little chance I'll come across it; it isn't even available on Amazon!

I didn't mean to scare you off, Ilana! I guess that was just meant as a bit of a warning so the prose didn't take anyone off-guard; it can sometimes be tough to parse because of the lack of formal writing rules at the time. But rest assured that if you have any difficulty, there will be plenty of support - and company! We're gathering an interesting group over there with some Virago newcomers as well as some familiar 75er faces. I hope to see you there soon! :)

Hi Ilana! As always, your thread is topped by some lovely art. So many of us have been reading and loving A Month in the Country lately; I'm glad you also enjoyed it.

"I happen to be inspired by the poetry of getting "intimate" with total strangers by spending hundreds of hours drawing them in a photorealistic manner." Makes sense -- and your work is really beautiful.

So, I have a photo of myself with beloved-cat-Edgar that I absolutely love. Maybe I should back-channel you about "hiring" (there must be a better word) you to draw our portrait from it....

I've been in a rather sorry state today. It started out ok, except for the fact that the magnesium I've been taking for the migraines and to help with the constant constipation because of all the meds I take has now backfired and for the past couple of days I've felt like I need to run to the bathroom every couple of minutes, with tummy rumbling violently, even after having lowered the dosage. That alone is annoying enough, but then the weather has taken a sudden plunge into frigid cold, and going out with Coco this afternoon to the market was just miserable. It was around 10 C (50 F) with constant hard rain and felt unbearable, even though I was wearing a cashmere sweater and scarf over a long-sleeve t, topped by my Barbour jacket, with sturdy rainproof boots and wool socks on. Coco had his little rainproof winter coat on, but got soaked all the same and wouldn't stop whining, which absolutely dove me up the wall.

Then I got a call from a city person, as I've been calling regularly to ask them to come and clean our street and sidewalk which are truly in an dreadrul state and constantly filthy thanks to the huge amount of student renters coming and going every year, who dump their garbage willy-nilly any day of the week and don't care if the cats and racoons get to it in the meantime. She was a supervisor of sorts and was basically calling me to tell me that I was WRONG. She's been to our street today and it was fine (obviously she doesn't live here 365 days of the year). It was up to the owners to clean in front of the houses; the city cleans the sidewalks with water once a year and the rest is up to the owners. Period. I told her if she was just calling me to let me know I was being difficult I was ending the conversation right there. Which I did. All the while, Coco had been moaning and whining, dripping wet, poor thing, and I was standing at the post-office trying to fill out a form, which didn't help my general mood.

Now I don't dare eat anything, though I took some organic chicken out of the freezer last night so will have to go prepare it shortly.

I visited my friend Liselotte last night, now 95 years old and slowly declining. She made a real feast for us, lamb chops and potatoes and cauliflower and then some delicious Portuguese natas for desert. I know for a fact she never goes out of the way for herself like that anymore, so was really touched. She never used to let anyone help her before, but now she's given in to the fact she needs to use the walker and sit and let people do things for her. Can't be easy for her because she's still got all her marbles and plenty of fire left in her.

In reading, just finished listening to Rounding the Mark, book 7 in the Montalbano series. Will start on something else while I futz around in the kitchen. I just feel like laying on the couch and putting my feet up. Argh!

At least I get to start on a new audiobook. Better make it a good one.

***

>161 lyzard: Liz, no worries, I was saying that kind of tongue in cheek. I'm too fagged out tonight to do anything requiring brain cells, but will join in tomorrow.

>162 EBT1002: Ellen, your review is what gave me the push to first buy and then jump in and read AMitC, and I'm glad I followed up on the inspiration right away, which is such a rare thing for me to do!

Thanks for the comment on my work. When it comes to 'hiring' someone for a piece of art, I think the agreed upon term is 'commission', though 'hire' isn't wrong either. There might be other terms as well that don't come to my befuddled mind right now, but that's the one I most commonly use. I'd be happy to draw a portrait of you and Edgar, as long as you aren't in a hurry for it, as I'm just getting started on a project for Pat, but if you're serious about it, message me on FB and I'll send you my private email address and we can take it from there.

I hoped you were!

I keep thinking about the moment during the Sense And Sensibility read when people were having trouble with some of Austen's sentences and I said, "I've been reading 17th century prose, so they're clear as crystal to me!" :)

Very sorry to hear of your issues - it looks like we'll be moving forward quite slowly, so don't feel compelled to hurry into the book if you don't feel like it at the moment, but join us in your own time and at your own pace. Take care!

>127 Smiler69: That is disappointing to hear that you won't be able to show your beautiful drawings and I can understand not wanting the hassle of trying to get permission to do so :-(

>134 Smiler69: I felt the same way as you about The Luminaries - I may still read The Stockholm Octavo if I come across it but cautiously....

>155 Smiler69: I read A Month in the Country yesterday and I liked it but am left wondering if I missed something as so many people love it. Still dithering over a rating, I feel like I'm tempted to rate it higher because I feel like I should have been wowed by it. I do want to see the film though (Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh can't be bad).

>160 Smiler69: I might pick up (or rather download to my kindle) The Siege of Krishnapur and join you as, like you, I've been meaning to read it since enjoying Troubles in 2012 (scary how long it takes me to get round to reading things!)

>163 Smiler69: Sorry to hear about the side effects of the magnesium and the sudden downturn in the weather :-(

Brrrr, 10C. Sounds an early start to autumn! We're having a lovely Indian summer here which is delightful, especially as the last three weeks of August were a bit lackluster. It's my mum's birthday on the 16th and she likes to claim she has a summer birthday while I maintain that the months of September, October and November are classified as autumn. It's a yearly argument, and who wins is entirely decided by the weather on the day. I fear this year I'll lose as it's supposed to be 22C on Tuesday - definitely summer temperature.

The running to the bathroom doesn't sound fun at all. Hopefully lowering the dosage will allow your system to balance itself a bit better. I'm currently going through 'I'm so bloody fed up of having to pop so many pills in order to remain functional' which will ease off soon I hope and I'll go back to being glad of living now, with good medication available to me.

Anyway, I hope the weather improves and you can have a bit of brightness before the drudgery of winter sets in. I feel rather feeble complaining about our winter when it is so mild compared to yours - especially last winter when we only had 2 days of frost. However, I'd have taken frost above the day after day of rain that managed to infiltrate everywhere and leave us all feeling like drowned rats.

Oh dear, it's 8 C (46 F) right now, now wonder I hurriedly reached for my warm slippers and cashmere cardigan the second I got up from under the covers this morning. We're expecting it to 'warm up' to 14 C (57 F) later this afternoon. I shouldn't complain really, with western Canada being plunged into the worst of winter snowstorms already, but still, I was kind of looking forward to going through all the stages of autumn and get acclimatised to the cold again.

To cheer me up, my mum sent me a link to Sister Rosetta Tharpe singing Didn't It Rain this morning, recorded live in Manchester, England in 1964: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2gR6SZC2M

In reading, I picked up Going to Meet the Man last night on audio, a collection of short stories by James Baldwin, which is my first experience of this writer, and I guess marks my rejoining the AAC, at which I'd been quite lax in the last few months. I guess I was in the mood for something more serious, and he's hitting the perfect note for me right now. An amazing writer. The stories are read by Dion Graham, who does them great justice.

***

>165 souloftherose: Hi Heather, I still need to enquire at the cultural centre nearby about whether they might be willing to show my pieces. Perhaps, given they're a non-commercial space, they might be able to disregard the rules a bit for the sake of art. In any case, inspiration is a mysterious thing and I'm still moved to continue with this series and hopefully I'll find a way to show it.

You are allowed to not have liked A Month in the Country as much as everyone else seems to! Do notice I only rated it four stars and no more. I blame it on the many reading sessions, but what do I know? Of course I was influenced by the group love too. I always admire and prefer when someone does a writeup about a book that is sincere and obviously comes from the heart, even if it happens to contradict my opinion. That being said, I know how you feel though.

I hope you do join me for The Siege of Krishnapur. I was quite encouraged while I was reading Troubles and so much enjoying it, to think the second book was the one that won the booker and was enjoyed by readers all the more. It's starting to work it's charms on me, though I'll really have to make time for it in the day as well, because once again, I tired too quickly at night to be able to read a decent amount of pages in any one sitting.

>166 lunacat: Hi Jenny, I quite like the autumn and sweater season, it's just we seem to have plunged into cold weather rather too abruptly, and I would have preferred a rather more gradual process. It was kind of funny yesterday, because predictably enough, most older people, such as myself were dressed sensibly with jackets and sweaters, while the younger kids were still wearing only t-shirts which was really absurd in that kind of weather. But I have a theory that human beings, at least in North America, don't start feeling the cold until they are in their 30s!

I know how you feel when you speak of being fed up with having to take so many pills just to function. Goodness knows I've gone through that for long periods too. It still bothers me when I let it get it to me, but I mostly gave in at some point I think, just because I got tired of that particular struggle and because I don't really have a choice: if I don't take the meds, I don't get insurance coverage, and I'm basically out on the streets (well, on welfare, which to me may as well be the same) which isn't an option of course. Sometimes I get to thinking of what the long-term side-effects might be and start freaking out, but once again, what's the use when there are no other options?

Now you mention a winter of feeling like drowned rats, I think I'd still pick what we had last winter over that, even though it was pretty terrible. But drowned rats... now that sounds truly miserable. We can only hope this winter can't possibly be worse, right?

Thanks for dropping by, it's always nice hearing from you.

Commission! That is the word I was looking for!! Whew. (I'll blame it on jet lag. How long do I get to use that excuse?)

I will be in no hurry at all but I think it would be lovely to have you do a portrait of me and my boy. :-) More about that to come.

Sorry your day yesterday took such a nosedive. The med side effects sound annoying and bothersome and not fun at all. Ugh. And winter peeking in, on top of it! I mean, we all know that the seasons keep moving forward but still. I know it feels a bit like autumn here and I love autumn except that I know it is short-lived and followed by winter. I try to think about afternoons sitting in front of the fire with a mug of tea and a good book....

I just put Going to Meet the Man on hold at the library. I may not get it in time for the September AAC, but I'll read it when I get it.

>168 EBT1002: Give yourself a break Ellen, didn't you just get back? If you're me, getting over jetlag coming this way takes a solid week, if not ten days even. But then, anything to do with sleep cycles has always been off with me, and I continue to think it all has to do with having had Mono at 3.

I'll be happy to do a portrait of you and Edgar. I really hope you have a good, high res photo to work from, as that is rather essential.

I have good days and bad, and lucky for me these days, not too many bad ones, but of course the kind of physical troubles I've been having the last few days do add another dimension of difficulty that I could honestly do without. I'm in a bad mood a lot of the time because the meds make me hideously constipated so I can only 'go' to the bathroom about once a week, which means I'm really bloated all the time, which is as unpleasant as it sounds. I have a theory that probably contributes to the migraines. But now it's the opposite and I've had to take some Fiorinal just now because head was quite bad, so who knows.

I think you'll quite like Going to Meet the Man, hope you get it soon.

A Month in the Country has been on my WL since 2011!!!! Maybe time to get the book, don't you think?? Making a note that there is also a movie. But not until AFTER I've read the book.

Yes, the wow is for the intensity and emotion of the metro drawings, Ilana. You're capturing that 'in-between' people way can be on public transport too, reflective and 'off duty.' It's a revealing state, no?

My gosh, based on that comment, I should go into my wishlist and immediately acquire everything that's been on there since before 2012, which I dare not think would translate into how many books and dollars!!!

Your comment on my drawings finally made me realize, after all this time, why I am connecting to this particular subject so strongly at this time. Probably because I myself feel caught in that 'in-between' state myself so much, which is so difficult to express any other way. I think you've finally helped me put a finger on it! Thanks Lucy!

Eeek, 8C?? That is entirely unnecessary for the middle of September. I definitely couldn't live in Canada, I'm always cold as it is so if it was genuinely chilly outside rather than just by my standards I'd be scuppered. I don't think I'd leave the house without being bundled up like a mountaineer - I already wear at least two layers more than most people at any given time.

I do love autumn and being able to bundle up warm but I dread what comes after autumn!

I'm the same though and being a drowned rat is by far the worst. Give me snow over rain, or freezing clear skies rather than damp overcast warmth. Frozen ground is also far preferable to sucking mud, and leaves the horses a lot cleaner! There is nothing quite as demoralising as being soaked to the skin yourself, your horses rugs being muddy and sodden, your horse covered in sticky, horrible mud and having no way of getting them clean and dry. I wouldn't go so far as to pray for snow, but I'll certainly hope for colder temperatures than this winter.

Eeek, 8C?? That is entirely unnecessary for the middle of September.

That made me laugh for some reason. Thanks for that Jenny. Couldn't agree with you more!

Just started on my Virago edition of Love-letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister by Aphra Behn for a tutored read with Heather and Liz. I'm finding the 17th century prose not nearly as difficult as Liz made it out to be!

>127 Smiler69:: Ilana, I absolutely love your Metro drawings. Seeing them all together is a real treat! How sad that you won't be able to show them in a gallery because of a possible lawsuit. We are living in strange times when people are so quick to run to a lawyer and sue over the silliest things. There are signs all over the two major hospitals in our city restricting the use of photography in their facilities. A young mother had her phone/camera confiscated by security because she was taking pictures of her own child! It seems that someone posted a picture online that had a photograph in the background of a doctor's family and there was a threatened lawsuit. Sheesh. I am glad you are able to show off your work without worry to your online friends.

I am so glad Pat is having you draw her beloved Rocky. Can't wait to see the progress on that. Congrats on your LT commission and the interest by Ellen as well. I imagine we could keep you very busy!

>174 Smiler69: Phew! :)

I'm really glad I picked up Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin, which I just finished listening to. Had it not been for the AAC, it might have languished there for goodness knows how much longer. As it is this collection of short stories was a perfect introduction to this writer, and there will definitely be more James Baldwin in my future. I recommend anyone who is participating in the AAC this month get their hands on this one in any format and join in. Not sure what I'll pick next to listen to. Maybe something YA, maybe something silly, or both. Or neither...

***

>175 Donna828: Hi Donna, lovely to have your visit! I don't have the final word yet on the Metro series and whether or not I'll be able to show it. There might be some kind of loophole since they are drawings, but I don't know at this point for sure, just have a strong feeling there are probably difficulties ahead. Which isn't to say I'm feeling discouraged. I can sort of understand why cameras wouldn't be allowed in a hospital, but it always kills me when rules are applied to the letter without making allowances when there are obvious attenuating circumstances. That's the epitome of bureaucracy, which is one of the things that makes me hate it so much.

I guess if all the pet owners on LT decided to give me work, I could indeed be busy for quite some time to come! :-)

>176 lyzard: You just thought you'd make it sound real bad so we'd find it easy by comparison, I'm up to your tricks Liz!

>170 sibylline: Commenting on my own comment: "'in between' people way"..... whoa.... I think I meant "'in between' way people," didn't I?

I am truly glad if I was helpful. I always feel that way when traveling. Even driving....

Yes, yes, I had assumed that. I get butterfingers all the time, as Judy once so astutely put it. I've felt "in between" for the last 7 years now as I try to sort out what this phase of my life is supposed to be about. I could say more I guess, but too tired to try to work it out. Which is why drawings to replace words I guess.

The text is in German (and doesn't say much), but for obvious reasons I had to think of you and thought I'd post the link (it's a German weekly, "Der Spiegel"): http://www.spiegel.de/reise/staedte/metro-moskau-christian-schoppe-fotografiert-...
A photographer has taken those on the Moscow Metro, if you click on the pic, ther series opens. Not many portraits though.

I love the "in between" expression, because that's what those faces are. Moments of face relaxation, being in one's own thoughts, before the official life continues again somewhere above, the life that requires an official face like the constant smile of a waiter or the strictness in the face of a teacher or police officer. In the metro you're taking a break from that.

I miss the change of seasons here immensely. Absolute winter and high summer are not my cups of tea but spring promising summer and the russets and twirling smoke laden air of autumn are my favourites from memory. I really need to work hard enough to get a place where the leaves turn an autumnal hue and crunch upon the sidewalks.

Have a lovely weekend, my dear.

>180 Deern: I LOVE THOSE!!! Thanks so much for sharing Nathalie, plus these are so encouraging, because I just KNOW the photographer didn't get permission from all these people to publish the photos, and if such a large publication isn't bothering with that it's very promising for the purposes of my own project. The article doesn't mention anything about that aspect of things by any chance (though I doubt it)?

The woman who got me started on this project, "Pensive Lady" inspired me precisely because her "in between" expression was just so priceless, and she had an expression you'd hardly find anywhere else. I'd like to redraw her though, because I've evolved my style a lot since I drew her in an almost a sketchy manner in comparison to the others. I remember how strongly I felt about wanting to draw her when I was sitting across from her, and how the idea to photograph her only came to me as a last resort, last minute thing, and it was almost a miracle that the one shot I took at the ultimate last second as I was departing from the carriage was good enough to work from:



>181 PaulCranswick: Paul, I imagine I'd miss the changes of seasons a lot too if I were in your shoes. It's one of the nicer parts of living where I do, though I could wish the in-between seasons (and especially autumn) lasted longer and was more gradual.

The week is just getting started today, but I thank you for the sentiment and wish you the same! :-) xx

Well, I definitely had a Crawnswickian experience last night, even foregoing my nightly reading session in favour of online shopping for a bunch of titles that had become newly available on Audible, and got no less than eighteen books altogether, plus one pre-order. A few were from their current $4.95 sale, to which they recently added a few new entries, among which one is narrated by Colin Firth, and the first book in the Dissolution series, both of which were previously not available in Canada. The spree was set off when I saw a bunch of the books in my wishlist were suddenly not available to purchase, most of them UK titles, such as several of the Bernice Rubens titles I was intending to get (lots of rights issues come up), and it seems that as a compensation, Audible has made lots of other titles available instead. I bought lots of titles in fear of them suddenly becoming unavailable too. Here's the complete list:

From the $4.95 sale:
♫ The End of the Affair by Graham Greene - Narrated by Colin Firth (previously unavailable)
♫ The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro - for a reread (previously unavailable)
♫ Dissolution by C. J. Sansom - for a reread (previously unavailable)

For credits:
♫ The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ The Way I Found Her by Rose Tremain (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ Trespass by Rose Tremain (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ The Ghost Writer by Robert Harris (previously unavailable)
♫ A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel - to alternate with print book (previously unavailable)
♫ Affinity by Sarah Waters - one more Waters for the tbr
♫ The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - pre-order, released tomorrow, narrated by Juliet Stevenson, so had to have it!
♫ The Good Apprentice by Irish Murdoch (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ Flight from the Enchanter by Irish Murdoch (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ Bruno's Dream by Irish Murdoch (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - in English, because it's narrated by Juliet Stevenson
♫ Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh - the completed trilogy for one credit (before it becomes unavailable!)
♫ Giovanni's Room by James Balwin (before it becomes unavailable, being an AudioGO title)
♫ The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham - to get a taste for the series
♫ The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith - to complete the series

Total books purchased to date: 232

eta: Also got approved by NetGalley today for Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar. I'd better not mess around and read and review it pronto, since I never got around to reading Bellman & Black and somehow failed to review Three Graves Full last year, and got refused for a book once as a consequence, bad, bad girl that I am.

Great to hear your positive reaction to Going to Meet the Man, Ilana. My Baldwin will be Notes of a Native Son, but now I'll also keep these short stories in mind.

Way back when I thought Go Tell It on the Mountain was terrific.

Joe, I jumped on Giovanni's Room in my buying spree as my next James Baldwin yesterday, since it was the first of his books to land on my wishlist but I'll definitely add Go Tell It on the Mountain to the wishlist now based on your recommendation, thanks!

eta: actually, just saw it was already there, as had been recommended by Donna before, but I'll add you to the list!

So much going on! I do fervently hope that you are through the tummy troubles for a bit.
That book list is drool-worthy....... And I'm thinking that the people whom you've chosen to draw are never going to see themselves, but I guess I wouldn't want to risk it either. They are such personalities that nobody who knew them would ever be ambivalent about who they are.
I would so like to join the A. Behn tutored read, but with my September going the way of my August and July, I don't think I can do it. I also need to read Troubles and *AMitC*. Gosh, I hope I retain my faculties and live to an extremely ripe old age.

>167 Smiler69: 'Oh dear, it's 8 C (46 F) right now' Brrr

I've started The Siege of Krishnapur - I'm not sure how I feel about it so far and a bit worried I am going to be disappointed. But I'm not even 50 pages in yet so I'll give it a bit more time.

>174 Smiler69: "I'm finding the 17th century prose not nearly as difficult as Liz made it out to be!"

Me too!

>177 Smiler69: "You just thought you'd make it sound real bad so we'd find it easy by comparison, I'm up to your tricks Liz!"

She just thought she'd make it sound real bad so we'd do it as a tutored read. I'm wise to her!

I love all the discussion about pictures of people travelling and the in-between-ness. Sometimes I like people watching on the Underground (which is safe to do because no-one will make eye contact) and just idly wondering about all the people, who they are, where they're going, what they're reading....

>183 Smiler69: Woo hoo! That is a great list of books and some very sound reasons for acquiring them too :-)

>182 Smiler69: I read the article last night and it doesn't say anything about permission. Some of the comments asked if he just took those pics without asking.
So glad you liked the link! :)
I can't see your "Pensive Lady" anymore (might be my computer, it also refuses some of Donna's pics), but I saw her yesterday. Her expression is just wonderful!

I already asked myself how I'd react if I saw my picture somewhere. Your drawings are so great, and then they are drawings. I wouldn't be happy seeing my tired make-up free face in a book on a photo that was additionally worked on in order to look harsh and depressing. The article said he did something to give the pics a 70s look, so the light is more yellow, contrasts are sharper (and wrinkles are deeper and skin is paler). You are very friendly with your models. Looking at them I like them and would even like to know them better. Looking at that one woman in particular on the photos I just feel pity. I hope she never sees that.

The temperature has taken quite the turn there, Ilana. Just last week you were talking about enjoying the great weather and getting some reading time in on your back porch! I hope you still have some gorgeous fall weather coming your way.

We are currently experiencing beautiful weather, but I know the rains will probably start any day now.

Woo hoo on your book purchases! There must be something in the air as I opened my back door and found three lovely packages of books my mail-lady left for me. 12 more books added to my purchases for the year.

And lastly I just want to say how much I love the expression on your pensive lady, she could be pondering just about anything from major life choices to what to make for dinner that night. That series of drawings is just amazing and you should be so proud of your talent.

Well, I'd started on A Test of Wills on audio, and was perhaps 3 hours into it and just wan't getting into it at all, though can't say if it was the story which failed to grab me or the narrator or a combination of both, but since I'd gotten the latest Sarah Waters in my recent big splurge, and narrated by one of my favourites, Juliet Stevenson too, I was dying to switch to it yesterday, so now am happily into the 4th hour of The Paying Guests and not looking back. I guess that means I won't put as big a dent into my series reading as I had figured, since this is a 20+ hour audio, but quality of experience is what I aim for.



And speaking of quality of experience, I was completely blown away last night at the National Theatre Live presentation of A Streetcar Named Desire (link to NTL page), performed at London's Young Vic Theatre, with Gillian Anderson playing the lead role of Blanche DuBois. Ben Foster as Stanley Kowalksi and Vanessa Kirby as Stella were also standouts, but Gillian Anderson was so completely imbued with the character, she was actually physically transformed to the point of being unrecognisable until the very end during the standing ovation. The role of the self-deluded, blind-drunk, neurotic, loud, talkative aging beauty seemed to suit her to a T, and you had a sense she must have practiced it all her life, or that she was showing us her true personality, so totally convincing was she. Every time she downed a mouthful of "alcohol" and careened along a little, you fully believed it and felt the booze was coursing through her veins, and the intensity of her performance, down to the funny-yet heartbreaking little broken giggle she let out after every utterance didn't let up for a moment. It was truly an electrifying performance. I don't know if it helps that I never did manage to sit through the movie version when I was younger, making the material seem that much fresher to me, but I was fully invested, and the whole cast, and director Benedict Andrews of course, made this now nearly 70-year old Tennessee Williams play feel absolutely fresh and timeless. I'm even considering going to see the encore performance. Nothing light and easy about it. More blow your socks off, tear you heart out, but oh my, what powerful entertainment! And what a role of a lifetime for 46-year-old Gillian Anderson, who certainly seized the opportunity to leave her mark on an unforgettable Blanche performance. Five-and-a-half stars! ★★★★★½

Aloha, Ilana, from Oahu! Just a quick hello. Sorry the Waters book isn't grabbing you.
And WOW, that play sounds fantastic. What a stellar cast. I also love Ben Foster. He is a fiery actor.

Hope you are doing well.

Hey Mark, thanks for taking a minute while in paradise to drop by. I think you misread, because I was saying I was loving the laters Waters. It was A Test of Wills that didn't work for me. Wishing you a continued great time!

Double WOW! Good for you!!!! I am looking forward to the Waters, and I have a birthday coming up, so maybe I'll get some book $.

Loud construction work going on all morning and into the afternoon involving unrelenting deep base drilling sounds that seem to penetrate my entire apartment and makes thing vibrate, even with all windows and doors sealed shut tight. My head isn't too bad right now, but I'm thinking I should probably down some Fiorinal now anyway as a preventive measure, since this kind of thing typically launches me into several circles of hell for days on end.

It's around 16 C or 61 F out there right now. The apartment feels very cold and I'm among those who dress up most when I go outside, but I don't care, I won't pretend it's still summer when it clearly isn't anymore. I do still hope for a warm day soon so I can tidy up the balcony and clean the windows. Can't imagine doing that in this weather—it's a punishing task enough without doing it while freezing my hands off.

This evening am going with Paul and Susie, my carpenter neighbour and his wife to Ikea to pick up brackets, which is a very exciting step towards eventually getting my shelves put up. I sometimes lose hope that it'll ever happen, but seems it's still within the realm of possibilities!

***

>186 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, yesterday marked my first day of being truly back to normal, as far as tummy goes. Needless to say, I'm being cautious with my magnesium dosage now. What do you mean when you say "I guess I wouldn't want to risk it either"? My accountant came over on Monday and I showed him my Metro series and of course, before he'd even commented on the quality of the drawings the first thing he asked about was whether I'd asked permissions and I absolutely blew my top. First thing I did after launching into my thing was drag him to the computer and show him the Spiegle Online photo reportage Nathalie shared with me that day: http://www.spiegel.de/reise/staedte/metro-moskau-christian-schoppe-fotografiert-..., which now gives me a perfect argument to give people by saying WHY THE HELL SHOULD I IF THIS PHOTOGRAPHER DOES THIS AND A MAJOR PUBLICATION LIKE THAT PUTS THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS OUT THERE??? I'm absolutely certain the photographer did NOT ask permission from all these people, and he's almost gone out of his way to make them look bad, in some cases. While what I'm doing is still an interpretation after all. But no matter what, I'm keeping going with it. Sorry about the shouting. That's what I gave a dose of to my accountant too. I'm just getting tired of this being the first concern with everyone, and I came out with some interesting arguments about why this is ridiculous, which I'll put down in a rational manner at some other moment. The drilling isn't helping me feel calm and peaceful right now. (just added: see my message to Nathalie in the next post)

>187 souloftherose: It's taken me a while to get into The Siege too Heather. But as I keep going it's growing on me. Hope it does the same for you.

I had a blast with that mega book splurge I must say. I'd been so good in August, and now having this great excuse was all I needed to go at it! :-)

>188 Deern: Well, Nathalie, I'll tell you what I said to my accountant (in hopes Peggy will read this message too). I said that considering the history of humanity and how the majority of humans were treated as chattel and slaves up until the last hundred years, I find the notion of personal rights and privacy, especially in the Western world has become more than a little bit extreme, to the point of becoming outright ridiculous (saying this with reservations, please understand!). Now we are at a point of saying we own not only our bodies, our possessions and so on, which is right and proper, but our IMAGE, in an age where the camera is ubiquitous (satellite images, phone cameras, security cameras, media cameras, etc etc) and where there are so many human beings on the planet that the image of any one human is bound to turn up anywhere at any moment and basically means nothing anymore; just another face among billions. As if our image was something of inherent value, in an age when famous people have their image reproduces millions of times over, with zero control over how it is used. In an age when people stuff themselves with so much food in one part of the world that obesity has become a life-threatening issue for many nations, while other nations still face starvation, the issue of IMAGE takes precedence (I'd like to see a starving person in Africa make an objection to seeing their image used without permission!). I could go on. I just find we have become so coddled and safe and so secure with our notion of our rights to privacy and so on that we've lost all sense of proportion. When it is used for art, by one individual, it is one thing, especially when you place it in the context of a world where some individuals daily post photos on the internet with the intention to humiliate and harm and bully and abuse, and go unpunished for it. There needs to be some kind of perspective, some middle ground. Personally, I don't think my face is so unusual or so precious that if someone decided to expose it somewhere, I would have a right to object to it. I'm just one of billions of faces, period, and so few people are likely to recognise me anyway, and so what if they do?? A bit of humility please, is all I'm saying. But that's me as an artist talking, and I'm not very good at making a cohesive argument, and as an artist, maybe I'm not so humble after all, and certainly filled with contradictions. There. I've spoken my peace for now. And thanks again for sharing that article! xx

>189 DeltaQueen50: Just last week you were talking about enjoying the great weather and getting some reading time in on your back porch!

Gosh Judy, thanks for reminding me of that. The change of weather was so sudden, I'd almost forgotten about that, which shows just how sudden it was! September is always unpredictable like that, but I remember more gradual changes, or at least Summer days continuing till mid-month before the cold starts taking over. This has been rather harsh I must say. I wouldn't mind so much, because I do like cuddling up inside, but for the fact we have so many months of that coming up ahead, I wouldn't have minded more days on the balcony, but then, considering all the construction noise going on outside, perhaps I wouldn't have been able to enjoy my little green corner anyway...

Thanks so much for your comments on my drawings. That pensive lady is probably the one I'll always have a special attachment to, because she is the one who launched the whole series idea in the first place, and I'll never forget the experience of sitting across from her and how badly I tried to soak her up into my every brain cell so I could remember how to draw her afterward, before I remembered I had a camera right in my hand. That was among the most inspirational moments of my life, truly!

>193 LizzieD: Peggy, we sort of cross-posted I guess, since as you can see I was busy typing up stuff for your eyes, no "only", but that I definitely wanted you to see. I do hope for your sake you get plenty of book dollars to spend. I'm really enjoying this latest Sarah Waters. Of course, Juliet Stevenson makes any book experience that much better for me, since she's such a great actress to begin with, before being a narrator, but also, I had quite a few SW books on the tbr that had been there for a long time, and jumping on the new and shiny one sort of makes it more exciting.

Woo, that production of Streetcar sounds terrific, Ilana.

I thought Gillian Anderson was excellent in Bleak House, and pretty darn good in Great Expectations, too. I hope she's gotten rich from X-Files, but she has much more to offer as an actress than I would have guessed from that show.

Sorry about the mess-up I made on the Waters book. I am glad you are loving it. I was lukewarm on The Little Stranger, so I've been reluctant to try her again.

>197 jnwelch: It really was Joe, and if you have a chance to catch it, I recommend you do. I know the 16th was the last live presentation of A Streetcar at the Young Vic theatre, but it'll be airing in cinemas again on Sunday for an encore presentation.

I bought the DVDs of Bleak House (which came with The Old Curiosity Shop) for future viewing; I'd watched the earlier adaptation just days before, shortly after reading the novel, and needed a break, though haven't seen Great Expectations yet, and must add it to the viewing list. Believe it or not, had NOT watched the X-Files when it aired in the 90s or ever since either, but have just reserved the first season from the library yesterday, where I can get all 9 seasons of the show. Better late than never eh?

>198 msf59: No need to apologize Mark, I was just worried the wrong book would get flack. I don't think you were the only one who didn't greatly appreciate The Little Stranger. That one is still on the tbr along with several other books of hers. Have you read Fingersmith? I know that one tends to be much liked and it was my first book by her, which I found highly entertaining. I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend The Paying Guests to you either though, come to think of it, it's very much what I'd call "domestic fiction", all about subtle interactions mostly between women, which I'm not sure would be to the wide public's taste, but as I say, Fingersmith is a good bet.

Am just over halfway through The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, which had just taken a quite shocking turn as I reluctantly put the earphones down last night to move to my night reading. Am also almost halfway though The Siege of Krishnapur, which is good, but which I'm honestly struggling to convince myself I'm finding quite as good and amusing as Troubles. I keep telling myself to reserve my judgment till I've read a bit further on, but somehow I don't feel liftoff has been achieved quiet yet, while the first book took off right from the first page...



I was visiting Kerry's thread earlier, who was mentioning having read Girl, Interrupted and perhaps not having gotten all that much out of it as she had out of other books describing mental health institutions (not sure I'm summing that up correctly, Kerry?), and this prompted me to share a link with her to a short story I wrote some years back, called Crazy People Like Me: http://fromsmilerwithlove.com/2007/10/28/crazy-people-like-me/. It's been a very long time since I've done any sort of creative writing and I often wonder why I don't push myself to do more of it. But what do I want to write about in the first place? I certainly don't want to have to visit more mental wards to find my inspiration...

Going to see "Boyhood" at the cinema with my friend Kristyna in a few minutes. Looks very promising. Best hurry and get dressed, take Coco outside and head off to it then.

Okay, first of all, the once a week thing sounds miserable. I get grumpy when I miss one or two days which usually happens with significant travel. TMI, I know, but I'm just empathizing. Basic functions. They matter. (and of course this contributes to your migraines! How could it not??)

Hi Ilana!

I will pick up Going to Meet the Man at the library tomorrow along with about four other books that have come available for me all at the same time. This always happens. Something will go back to the library unread but it is what it is. I've started The Narrow Road to the Deep North which is not a low-concentration read.

The production of A Streetcar Named Desire sounds wonderful. I adore Tennessee Williams' works and that is one of my favorites.

Sending you energy for a wonderful weekend.

That photo makes me think of this from Blackadder:



and all I want to do is go "Wibble".

>201 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, so good to have you back, though of course we all hugely benefited and enjoyed our bit of armchair travelling while you were away on your dream trip to Scotland. Very nice to have you drop by my humble thread though, I must say.

And yes, much agree basic functions and all do have a good reason for existing in the first place and shouldn't be muddled around with. Which is why the magnesium, though obviously the medications I take do persist in wanting to mess up my system, though obviously work rather well at keeping my moods reasonably stable, otherwise there would be no point at all, other than getting regular cheques from the insurance company, would there?

I hope you enjoy Going to Meet the Man as much as I did. I'm sometimes only lukewarm when it comes to short stories, but I found this lot quite excellent. I discovered Tennessee Williams in high school, probably like a lot of other people, though I remember feeling quiet a deep connection to his material and thinking finally, somebody who understands what it's like to be different, which now I come to think of it, was probably the reason they had us reading him at 13. I must repeat though, that production of Streetcar was really something else, though it's true enough that with that kind of material and decent actors it must be hard to miss. All the same, Gillian Anderson's performance is worth experiencing.

Wishing you a great weekend too my dear!

>202 lunacat: Jenny, thanks so much for posting that! I had NO IDEA what it was all about at first, but of course googled it immediately and found the clip on YouTube. Now I'll have to look up other Blackadder clips, because believe it or not, I hadn't known about this show until today. Very funny clip by the way. And yes, I can see why that pic would have reminded you of it, totally appropriate! :-)

eta: for those curious to see "A Bout of Insanity - Blackadder - BBC": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DCExerOsA

Blackadder is fantastic so I'm glad to have introduced it to you! It's a very specific kind of humour but so so clever. If you can I'd suggest watching series 2, 3 and 4 but don't bother with 1, it hadn't found it's feet then.

Series 2 is set in Elizabethan England and has the wonderful 'Nursie' to Queen Elizabeth, who recounts embarrassing tales about the Queen.

Series 3 visits Georgian England, with delights including an imbecilic Prince Regent and Stephen Fry's Duke of Wellington.

And then Blackadder Goes Forth which is where 'Wibble' comes from and is an amazing satirical look at WWI. It has been criticised recently for making children and young people think that WWI was an entirely pointless endevour with mass incompetence and destruction, and while it certainly does this, I've always found it a good 'balancer' to the glorification in the poetry and songs of the time. We watched it on a school trip to France to see the battlefields and cemeteries and not only is it hilarious, but it's a great way to get children interested and engaged in history, and I can't see that being a bad thing.

Here's and adaptation of what I wrote on FB yesterday about "Boyhood": Obviously, I didn't get it. I think it could just as well have been called "Americana" because it seemed to me to describe a USA lifestyle more than anything. The passage of time thing? Sure it's cool, but I mean... so what? In the end, I felt like I'd seen this same story told dozens of times before. I've read reviews from several major publications including The NYT, New Yorker, and Guardian, and all the reviewers were in raptures over it, so obviously, I'm missing some kind of brain chip or something, because nope, it just didn't do it for me, and I just wanted it to be over because nearly 3 hours was just way too long. Adding now: Maybe the fact that I haven't been a parent prevented me from connecting about what was, first and foremost a movie about family life. That must be it.

Somehow or other, quite a few more books came into my possession in the last couple of days:

Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence (Kindle + Audio Whispesync deal - around $4)
The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence (Kindle + Audio Whispesync deal - around $4)
Everything Flows by Vassili Grossman (NYRB Classics edition)
♫ Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst (Downpour.com Deal) - Suz rightfully suggests this series needn't be read in order
♫ Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark (Downpour.com Deal) - pulp magazine of hardboiled detective stories
♫ The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton - historical fiction set in 17th century Amsterdam

Audible has made hundreds of audiobooks previously unavailable to the Canadian market suddenly accessible overnight this week and I'm CERTAIN this is a mistake they'll correct once they've caught on, so I continue spending credits like mad in the meanwhile:
♫ The Bat: The First Inspector Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
♫ The Finishing School by Muriel Spark
♫ La vie en mieux by Anna Gavalda - A new French title by one of my favourite French authors? This is a mistake for sure, so nabbed it quick.
♫ Conspirata: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris - part 2 of which I already have part 1, as yet unread, but highly rec'd by Suzanne.
♫ Solar by Ian McEwan
♫ Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

Total books purchased to date: 244

eta: Ah yes, also ordered The RSC Shakespeare:The Complete Works in paperback for my mum's birthday today. She's 68 today and had been wanting this volume for a while since I'd mentioned ordering it for myself last year. Thanks BookDepository for making this possible without breaking the bank with shipping on a 2 kilo (nearly 5 lbs) book!

>204 lunacat: Jenny, I've just checked the library's listings and am delighted to find they have two copies available of the Complete Collector's set of Blackadder in 5 disks. I'm presently perilously close to reaching my limit as far as borrowing and reservations limits, and have just requested the first season of The X-Files as well (all 24 episodes!), so will wait a bit before requesting that one, but it will definitely be part of my plans in coming months. Thanks so much for pointing me in that direction. I still can't believe I hadn't somehow clued in before, especially considering the fantastic cast, I mean, Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie (as above), Patsy Byrne... and the fact I just ADORE British humour. Where was I all this time?? I think I must have heard about it but not really registered. And then, I've been holed up in my little cocoon most of my life, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised after all. Good thing LT friends are there to open my eyes to the good things worth spending time on out there! :-)

eta: If I get too impatient, I might also get Series II, III and Blackadder Goes Forth from iTunes... we shall see. I think it's good and healthy to counterbalance the WWI views with some healthy criticism, because there is certainly a large contingent of contemporaries who definitely thought the whole thing was pointless, and one does have to wonder why they did drag on this war of attrition for so long, considering it shouldn't have taken place to begin with, but for the fact the Germans seemed intent on invading and had to be put in their place. That's from my very humble and faulty understanding of the situation, anyway.

Hi Ilana! Yes, I have read Fingersmith and loved it. It remains my favorite of her work. The Little Stranger was a letdown.

Sorry, Boyhood didn't work for you. I love Linklater's films and I was really looking forward to this one. I probably won't see it until it comes out on DVD and check it out for myself.

Have you seen Before Sunrise?

Ilana, thanks for the movie review. I have been wanting to see it but haven't had any available time for a movie. Now, I'm not so sure. I will probably wait until it comes on HBO or Showtime. I can record it and watch it when the mood strikes.

I'm glad you are liking The Paying Guests. I think you are right that Fingersmith has more universal appeal. I haven't read a lot of books by Waters but I do admire her work. Enjoy the rest of your week end.

>163 Smiler69:..I hope you are doing better. And, how interesting that you have a 95 year old friend who is still able to cook a great meal!
I so enjoy visiting here -- great book reviews, wonderful conversations, and of course, incredible art work.

http://createthreesixty5.com/2014/09/21/portrait-commission-rocky-1st-stages/

Making slow but steady progress on my portrait of Rocky for Pat / @phebj. You can click the link above to my blog to see close-ups of the progression and a description of the project. I'll be finishing The Paying Guests today as I work on it further and maybe on my own drawing too, which I've been neglecting this week.

***

>207 msf59: Mark, all the major critics LOVED Boyhood, and it seems like audiences are loving it too and there's a good chance it might win at the Academy Awards as well apparently, so don't let my silly little critique get in the way. What do I know about family stuff anyway? I've always been out of the loop as far as that goes. Don't think I've seen any of Linklater's films before. I used to consider myself a movie buff many many years ago, but that may as well have been in another lifetime. Seems I'm out of that loop nowadays too, though I'm not averse to watching a movie here and there either, just want to spend time on my drawing and reading more, I guess.

>208 Donna828: Donna, please see my comment to Mark above. My friend Kristyna and I are both childless and both had unusual experiences both growing up and as adults, struggling with mental health issues and whatnot, so perhaps we weren't exactly the ideal target audience for this movie, which really is more of a family experience I think. Must be, because critics really raved and raved about how much there was to identify with and audiences seem to agree, if I'm to go by the ratings. I doubt I meet many demographics, considering my age, health situation/lifestyle and family situation nowadays, so there's no telling what will and what won't work for me.

The Paying Guests took quite an unexpected turn midway through, which I think gives it a wider appeal than I would have thought from the first part. I'll be reviewing it for sure. Just hope to find the right words! Thanks for dropping by busy lady. :-)

>209 Whisper1: Hi Linda, you've right, this week has been easier. Mostly the pain is between a 4 and 6. I've had a 7 here and there, but that is more occasional than regular, so I'm doing better on the whole.

On the other hand, the squirrel outside is still busily squawking away to itself, even though there is nobody out on the balcony. Not sure why it wants to be drawing attention to itself that way, but if it keeps at it, I'll probably have it screaming at us all winter long too!

My friend and great meals—I've learned from my mother the trick she uses: good ingredients and simple preparation. Can't miss! Thanks so much for stopping over. xx

Happy Sunday, Ilana! Since I really enjoyed Linklater's past work, I am planning on giving his latest a try. I hope you have a good day.

I've been following your thread with great interest lately and really feel it's time to de-lurk to say a hearty "Hi!" and I'm thinking of you.

When I first saw stage I of "Rocky" above (before I read any explanation) I wondered what the heck it was! LOL You have more patience than a saint when it comes to your art work and it shows in the beauty of the final product. That kind of concentration would drive me berserk! I love how people are all so different.

The Paying Guests sounds like a book for the WL. sigh. I did love Fingersmith - especially the unexpected turn it took midway. So, I'm a sucker for a repeat of her literary tricks ;-)

Hope the coming week brings you peace from your squirrel resident - but don't count on it. Instead you might have to make your own peace. Glad to hear the migraines are losing some of their punch and continue to hope for major relief. {{I,C,M,E}}

>210 Smiler69: portrait of Rocky for Pat / phebj
Oh, cool!

Finished The Paying Guests a short while ago, as I took advantage of the warm weather today and cleaned my windows, even though I was feeling particularly lazy and just wanting to sit back and relax, but just knowing there weren't going to be many more days like this ahead and seeing the grime that needed cleaning away finally got me going. There are 3 other large windows I can't possibly reach from outside (one of which doesn't open at all), so not sure what to do about those without hiring an expensive cleaning service. I'd love to knock out a review just now, but I just spent some 20 minutes trying to, even trying out Audible's guided questions to get me started, but no go—nothing I'm happy to share at this point, anyway.

I still need to eat supper and want to do some drawing this evening, just have to decide what new audiobook to pick now!

***

>211 msf59: Hi Mark, thanks for dropping by. It's been a good day, with a healthy mix of relaxation and productivity I'd say. I'm hoping for more warm weather in coming days so I can sort out the BBQ next!

>212 -Cee-: Hi Claudia, always good to have you over, be in in RL or online. I see what you mean about wondering what the Rocky drawing was all about. When I saw your comment I looked at it again with the eyes of someone coming to it having no idea what it was and yeah, can be very confusing for sure. I can guarantee you that I only have that kind of patience for my artwork and nothing else! Not even sure where that comes from, even. Maybe a bit of my rebellious streak? something about rebelling with these times where everyone is in a big hurry to get stuff done and computers are used to create complex images (to great effect sometimes, of course!), so I like to do it old school and slow-mo and not worry about deadlines. See how reactionary that is??

I ended up liking The Paying Guests and will probably rate it 4 stars (still thinking on it), but I do have some reservations, some of which I won't be able to share in my review without revealing major spoilers however, so my rating will and a word or two will have to do.

I'm grateful to the migraines for releasing their tights grasp on me a little. Can only hope this general trend continues... What does I,C,M,E mean??

>213 qebo: Hi Katherine, and thanks! :-)

I - Ilana
C - Coco
M - Mimi
E - Ezra

My favorite Canadians :-)

Here I was, looking up acronyms to try and work out the ICME and it was as simple as that. I even started to come up with my own:

Intriguing Canadian Musters Elegance

Illogical Cantankerous Meows Emanate

Interesting Cataclysm, Muses Elephant (ok, I went a little surreal there)

Ha! I create my own interpretations for acronyms too, Jenny. I make a game out of it with whoever wants to play. Your concoctions are pretty good ones! (even if surreal)

>216 lunacat: >217 -Cee-: You two are very funny. Very creative concoctions, I'd say, Jenny! I was too tired to try I guess, but I'm sure I wouldn't have come up with anything nearly as good anyway.

In reading, I listened to a couple of Sherlock Holmes stories after finishing the long Sarah Waters novel, namely The Red-Headed League and A Case of Identity, both part of the 12-story The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which I plan on completing this month. Then picked up Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen. Funny how timing is everything. I tried listening to that one a couple of years ago and barely made it a third of the way through, mostly hating it the whole time. Too light and fluffy, and I couldn't stand the narrator Katherine Kellgren. I've since listened to her reading some children's and YA books and have become more accepting of her highly enthusiastic delivery style and with all the light reading I did this summer, I'm now really enjoying that very same book. Go figure.

Didn't spend enough time drawing this weekend, so less time on the computer today and more time on the drawing board it is then.

The Rocky project looks very cool, Ilana. As always, I appreciate your showing us your creations in process.

"Waking Life" was the Richard Linklater film I loved, but I suspect it falls within my zone of weird enjoyment that may not be widely shared. I've seen all the raves about Boyhood, so I'm curious to see it. I may have the same reaction you did. It makes me think of the 7 Up, 14 Up, 21 Up, etc. documentary films that our daughter loves, but we haven't yet seen.

Back at last, Ilana. I looked at Rocky on your page (enjoyed your comments about the new paper) and I know that Pat is going to be thrilled.
I'll try to catch up eventually........... As to >194 Smiler69:, I don't really know what I was thinking........ It occurs to me that writers of fiction can say at the beginning of their novels "Any similarities to actual persons are completely coincidental" and go on their merry way to put their spin on any personality they encounter. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but it's close, isn't it? Or is it? I'll refrain from trying to comment again since I don't know what I'm talking about!

Just finished listening to Her Royal Spyness. Cute, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to pursue the series or anything. Off to bed in a minute to read from Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister and perhaps finish The Siege of Krishnapur, or at least get pretty close to the end.

***

>220 jnwelch: Hi Joe, thanks for your comment on the Rocky drawing. It's evolving slowly but surely, bit by bit. At some stages, it looks really surreal, which is kind of neat. I've never seen any Linklater films before, so I have nothing to compare Boyhood to, but I'm guessing his fans will probably like it.

>221 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, I know Pat seems pretty happy about seeing the evolution of her drawing from a few comment she's made. Sorry about my strong reaction to your comment about the Metro series models. It's just been every single person's reaction, and I guess it's valid enough, but my concerns as the artist of that project just lie elsewhere, and artists are known not to be practical sometimes and not to be bothered by conventions either. I was just happy to have found my inspiration and wanted to go along with that, and it seems in some parts of the world I'd have no problems showing my work as it is, but now I've verified the matter, it's official: here in Quebec I must have consent, which is something I strongly suspected already, and really didn't want to have to deal with. Now I don't know if I'll continue with the project at all. Either I do and don't/can't show it, or I quit, or I talk myself into asking permissions, which I want to do about as much as I want to walk around the metro wearing no clothes on a hockey night, considering that environment is NOT conducive to friendly conversations with strangers and I'm bound to get loads of rejection, and how thin-skinned I am to begin with. So we'll see.

Book #181: ♫ The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters ★★★★⅓
Source: Audible
Narrator: Juliet Stevenson
Read for: September TIOLI #5: Read a book you didn't buy (shared read)
Edition: Penguin Audio (2014), Unabridged MP3; 21h28
Original publication date: 2014-09-16

London, 1922. Frances Wray and her aging mother have been living together in their large villa in Camberwell, a district in south London, all on their own, ever since Frances's two brothers were killed in the war, her father's death following shortly after, leaving both her mother and her in reduced circumstances, when it was discovered Mr. Wray had made bad investments and had left his widow and daughter debts to pay. They've had to let go their servants, which is bad enough for ladies of their genteel standing, but worse still, this has left Frances no choice but to take on all the hard chores of keeping house herself, which is something too shameful to reveal even to their closest relations. Barely able to eat their fill, they've decided to take on paying guests; the word "lodgers" will not enter their vocabulary, for they refuse to think of themselves as landladies, something too common to consider without evoking disturbing feelings. Then Lily and Len Barber erupt on the scene. They've arrived a little bit later than planned with all their possessions, ready to move into the top floor, which Frances has cleared, moving her mother into what was once the dining room downstairs, and only keeping her own bedroom up next to what will be the Barber's quarters. Leonard Barber is a clerk at an insurance company, a redhead, cheery and rather loud, while Mrs. Barber seems quite young, early 20s, very pretty but obviously done up and just slightly vulgar with the bright colourful clothes and clinking accessories she wears, and soon too the decor comes to resemble her personal style, which isn't exactly to Frances's liking. Frances is dismayed by all this. She has long ago resigned herself to her life as a spinster and life-comanion to her mother, even though she is still only twenty-six, expecting few pleasures and deriving satisfaction from her responsibilities and the familiarity of the grand old house and neighbourhood she has grown up in. But the Barber's arrival brings many changes, and after the initial resistance, Frances finds herself caught up in a whirlwind, not the least of which starts with the unlikely friendship she develops with Lilian Barber across the class divide.

For the first half of the novel, we are very much observing a rather slow-paced women's domestic fiction kind of story, which is all about nuance and minute detail meticulously and beautifully observed, bringing the house and it's residents and their interactions vividly to mind. But there is passion and plenty of excitement too, which will probably keep the general fiction reader going. By the time the mid-point is reached, suddenly events take a big dramatic turn. I won't reveal the exact nature of these events to avoid any spoilers, but suffice it to say there is a crime which is transformative both for the characters and for the novel itself, which now moves from the domestic to a more public realm. Now the law and the police are involved, a scandal erupts in the newspapers, there is a famous court case, and the tension keeps mounting, and through it all, Sarah Waters keeps us wondering about the fate of our main protagonists.

I thought this was a great read, and part of the enjoyment for me was actress Juliet Stevenson's impeccable narration, during which she gave each character a very distinct personality and voice and truly made you the reader actually live through the entire experience more vividly than I know I would have, had I merely read the words on a page with my limited imagination. I found some parts were a bit slow, and some were repetitive and maybe unnecessary and made the novel overly long, but these were balanced by great story elements and some surprises thrown in. I can't say I'm overly fond of romance in any form, and that aspect of the novel, which is rather an important one as the plot basically evolves around that theme, was extremely well executed, though I was still made uneasy by the actual sexual elements, though these will no doubt tantalize many readers. In all, definitely a worthwhile read and a very well executed novel.

On audio, started on The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri, which is Inspector Montalbano book #8. I'll definitely be finishing The Siege of Krishnapur tonight, with just 30-ish pages to go, which I couldn't stay awake for last night by 12:30 or so. I'll also be starting on the last Inspecteur Maigret story in the Volume I anthology which is due back at the library in a few days, Un Crime en Hollande / Maigret in Holland.

Our handyman was around today and closed up the squirrel's condo in the structure of my balcony. I felt really badly about it—she (I'm sure it was a she now) had been working at it so hard all summer long, coming round several times a day to bring things into it, but I was really surprised she wasn't around to give a piece of her mind to Joe, as she did to me for those three months. I imagine she'd stored up loads of food supplies in there, and now poof! All gone because of those mean humans. Ah well.



I posted the above on FB today. Coco got so cozy on the library counter this afternoon when I went to pick up a book, I just HAD to ask the librarian to grab a photo!

>224 Smiler69: Aaaawww.. Coco loves the library! Is it already cap time in Montreal? This summer went past so quickly...

And that bit of Rocky is so detailed and perfectly worked out already. I always thought it would be all-rough at first and then gradually finer, but always the whole thing. It's fascinating to see that instead small bits are brought to perfection one by one.

Edit: after a normal late September morning (cool but not unusually so), temperatures here have dropped so much within 6 hours that I had to return from lunch break with a warmer jacket. I could do with a cap and gloves this afternoon - and yesterday it was above 25 degrees (Celsius) in the sun.

Yay! Coco is welcome back in the library! Can you get him a card which would make him a patron? Then there would be no question of his presence in there. hehe
Could either one of you look cuter? I doubt it.

Sorry about your squirrel. Don't worry though. There's probably a nice place in the park across the street for a new winter home. If your trees are anything like ours this year, there are LOTS of acorns around still to be gathered.

I had started The Myth of Sisyphus and other essays by Camus. It was intriguing but a little too heavy for me right now. I don't know why, but it seems every other book I pick up now is about death. Since Camus' book is about suicide and whether life is worth living I think I'll give that a pass for now. So I plod on with Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad which I have very mixed feelings about. It seems like I've been reading it forever and am only about 56% through it. I will admit it is interesting to read about traveling in the 19th century though. (Yes. I am still working on the AAC and a whole summer behind)

Hope you are well. hugs xoxo

So yes, managed to finish The Siege of Krishnapur (review to come eventually), but not to start on that Maigret story after all, which I'll be doing tonight. I need to hit the shower asap, as I'll be getting together with Kristyna soon for a bit of shopping downtown. I need to get myself some gloves, and she also wants to look at coats as she's lost close to 50 lbs over the last year or so. I had several pairs of cashmere gloves, a couple of which had been repaired, and they'd all lasted me several winters and then all decided to give up the ghost last year, so a new pair is much-needed right now. Have both The English Patient and "Quartet" movies from the library, just have to find time to watch them, now that I head to bed so early at night.

***

>225 Deern: Nathalie, Not everyone is wearing hats yet, but I feel the cold quite a lot, so I'm more comfortable with one. Plus, I was having a bad hair day yesterday, so... it was a must! :-)

There are more ways than one to tackle a drawing, and I could have done as you suggest and worked it all over more roughly and so on, but I thought I might prevent too much smudging this way, for one, and secondly it might be more exciting to see evolve this way too.

>226 -Cee-: Hi Claudia, next time I went to the library after the incident with that witch temp, I spoke to one of the regulars of the incident and she said they'd pass on my complaint to the director, and I shared my worry that if they did it might escalate the whole thing about Coco and I didn't want to make a big deal out of the comment about the dog, since I know it's a special privilege they allow me in the first place. She told me they'd made it their own branch policy to allow small dogs inside when they are being held and I shouldn't worry about it, so yes, he's more than welcome again.

As for the squirrels, no acorns in my area, I'm afraid, but they do survive on all kinds of leftovers from us humans.

Sounds like you're doing reading more from a sense of obligation these days than for pleasure and not getting much enjoyment out of it in the process. I suggest you put all that aside and pick something up just because you feel like it. How's that for a plan? :-)xoxo

Hi Ilana! I just skimmed your The Paying Guests review but I clearly see, that you loved it. Good enough for me. It looks like this will be one I'll be tracking down on audio.
Love the photo of you and Coco. Smiles...

Apparently squirrels are quite important in extending the range of oak trees as they often bury acorns and then forget about them, therefore 'planting' them! In order for an acorn to become an oak tree they generally need to travel a certain distance away from the parent tree in order to get better light and water sources and not be competing with the larger tree for soil nutrients.

Squirrels also 'test' acorns for weevils by shaking them, and don't bother burying acorns that have weevils in them as the weevil will have eaten the acorn by the time they come back. This means that a good acorn is far more likely to be buried and protected, and the squirrel taking them up to 200ft from the initial tree gives them a better chance of growing. Researchers also found that squirrels were more likely to forget where they had put them, the further from the home tree they buried them, so the further away, the better for the acorn.

A great example of codependent evolution. The oak needs the squirrel to spread it's genes, the squirrel needs the oak as a source of produce.

>224 Smiler69: I love that photo of you and Coco, Ilana. Becca's Sherlock likes to "read" the same way.

I can't resist giving you the Wikipedia summary of the Waking Life film: "The film explores a wide range of philosophical issues including the nature of reality, dreams, consciousness, the meaning of life, and free will (existentialism). Waking Life is centered on a young man who wanders through a variety of dream-like realities wherein he encounters numerous individuals who willingly engage in insightful philosophical discussions. Many questions are posed by the film: How can a person distinguish their dream life from their waking life? Do dreams have any sort of hidden significance or purpose?"

Not your usual film fare.

It reminds me of when I took a first date to the most excellent movie, "My Dinner with Andre". After the film, which I loved, she quickly and effectively made it clear that our first date was also our last.

Chiming in to add my admiration of you and Coco - excellent photo of you two!

I just sent an email to Pat telling her I was sharing the above recent development of her drawing with her eyes only, but of course can't resist sharing it on FB and here too now! At least, she gets first dibs.

It looks to be a beautiful day out there, so a trip to the market fairly soon might be a good idea, though I do want to fit in a drawing session early in the day too, so that will come first.

***

>228 msf59: Hey Mark! Just one more book to add to the tbr is all!

>229 lunacat: How fascinating Jenny. Of course I know full well that each creature has it's use in the grand scheme of things when it comes to nature. I loved oak trees and only wish we had them around my neighbourhood, but sadly, no. They might grow around the Lachine canal, which is a nice place to walk some 20 minutes away from my place, so I'll have to make my way there and take special notice and report my findings next time.

>230 jnwelch: Waking Life does sound interesting Joe. Maybe I'll look for it at the library sometime. These days though, I seem to be barely able to make time for watching those movies I've already borrowed here at home, even when I've wanted to see them for a long time. Not sure what it is. For one, wanting to get out to walk Coco around 9 p.m. before getting ready for bed sort of limits ability to watch in the evenings, and then watching movies in the daytime at home seems kind of odd. Will have to figure my way around that problem before I must return the movies.

I don't think I've seen "My Dinner with Andre" either, but Louis Malle, wow! I see it's available at the library, so taking note of that one too. In any case, sounds like that date did you a favour by discouraging a second outing, didn't she?

>231 scaifea: Thanks Amber! :-)

>232 Smiler69: Yes re the date doing me a favor - the movie turned out to be a pretty good litmus test - and yes, you'd love My Dinner with Andre. Well worth your watching it if you can squeeze it in. Wallace Shawn is terrific.

>127 Smiler69: Celebrated photographers from the past, whose work now hangs in museums around the world would never still be recognized as brilliant masters of photography if those laws had been in place then
Crazy. Your work is so wonderful- it would make a fabulous exhibition. What a loss (for your community) that you can't show for legal reasons. Keep them for posterity and I bet one day they will be shown proudly!

Re: Blackadder.
(1) there was a family whose surname was Blackadder in my town growing up, I always thought they must be tough to withstand all the mocking they surely got. Not sure they got any as were a nice family :)

(2) I remember my parents watching it and cracking up. I thought they were crazy (my folks) as it just seemed like a bunch of crazy dressed up guys goofing around! (which it was).

I started listening to Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell this evening. I wasn't sure it'd work for me, being a YA title, but two hours in I'm really into it. I was 16 and 17 in 1986 and remember the music at that time fondly, and was a big-time Smiths fan, may have even gone to a concert, though I couldn't say for sure.

***

>233 jnwelch: Then I'll be sure to borrow it soon Joe. Thanks for suggesting it! I think I might watch one of my movies this evening.

>234 LovingLit: Hi Megan. I must say getting confirmation, even though I'd suspected it was pretty dispiriting. I may yet work my courage up to start asking future models for permission, but we'll see. I look forward to starting on the Blackadder series, but for now I've got the first season of The X-Files waiting for me at the library—never watched those being a sniped or two here and there when it originally aired, and watching Gillian Anderson in A Streetcar Names Desire made me want to see more of her work.

Like Joe, I also LOVED "Waking Life". It's a stellar cinematic achievement. I hope you continue to enjoy Eleanor & Park. I was also a big fan.

>236 msf59: Hey Mark, I guess this one is also my contribution to Banned Books Week. Off to listen to a little more before going to bed. Just watched Quartet which was good fun and featured gorgeous classical music.

Awww!!! The photo of you & Coco is sooooo cute. I've heard good things about The Siege of Krishnapur so will be looking forward to your review. It's not on my WL yet...

I just came by for a speak (Hello). I love watching the Rocky portrait develop. How wonderful to be able to do that!
My reading life is blah at the moment. Everything I have going is worthy of the time, but nothing is grabbing me at all. Maybe on the next page.....

Oh! Rocky is turning out so cute :-)
Gotta run. Have a great day!
{{{Ilana}}}

Got up really early (all things being relative) this morning, which is a good thing, since I'll be going to see the Fabergé exhibit at the museum of fine arts with a friend this afternoon before the show closes down next week, so I have time to do things this before then, like LT time, which is now coming to a close, and drawing time on Rocky and such. It's looking like another beautiful day in Montreal today with highs around 24 C (75 F), so even though the month started brutally, it's ending more normally now with more clement weather. The weekend promises to be nice too, so I might even be able to read and draw on the balcony again, as I did yesterday for a bit. Oh bliss!

***

>238 cammykitty: Katie, sometimes I finish a book and want to start reading it over immediately because I've loved it so much, and other times I want to reread it as soon as possible because I somehow failed to appreciate it as much as I feel I should have at first, and then it progressively grew on me, which is the case with The Siege of Krishnapur. I'm not sure how I'll review it, but I'll make an effort to do so soon, which might help me figure out a few things. It's really excellent. It just suffered in comparison to Troubles, which had me cracked up from the first pages, which isn't to say it isn't also a cracking good book, just in a different tone is all.

>239 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Always nice to have you over. It's really cool being able to share a drawing as it develops. I don't remember being able to do that years ago, and I enjoy getting feedback and encouragement, especially as it takes me so long to complete my projects given they are so detailed and take so long to complete.

Sorry to hear your reading life isn't up to the mark at the moment. The good news is that can change in a flash. One paragraph, one line, the next book, the next page, as you say, and then things are transformed. Hope that change comes for you soon.

>240 -Cee-: Hi Claudia. Rocky is a pleasure to work on. Definitely quite a challenge too, but so fun to share with you all. Wishing you a great day my dear. xx

Hi Ilana, glad to see you like The Siege of Krishnapur which I loved. I also really liked The Singapore Grip and have yet to read the one that most people seem to prefer, Troubles. I guess I may have saved the best one for last!

Finished listening to Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell last night. For some reason, I was really in doubt about whether I was going to like this one, but it ended up being a total winner for me. I wonder if someone's thought of marketing a soundtrack based on the book? I did something I've never done before, which was to listen to it at twice the regular speed, mostly because the narrators spoke so slowly, which did work with the style of the book, but I thought I'd give it a try and it wasn't so bad.

We're supposed to have some wonderful sunny and warm weather this weekend, so it's a good bet I'll be spending time on the balcony and probably taking at least one long walk with Coco to take advantage of it.

***

Hi Judy, it's funny because The Siege of Krishnapur is one of those books that just keeps on growing on me as I move further away from it. Strange how that happens sometimes, but it's a nice feeling. I need to get my hands on The Singapore Grip next. I think you'll definitely be in for a treat with Troubles, which is definitely on my to re-read list!

Hi Ilana! Glad you enjoyed Eleanor. It is definitely a YA gem.
I want to get my hands on The Siege of Krishnapur. I loved Troubles' which I finally read last year.
You listened to Siege on audio, correct? And it worked well in that format?

Book #185: ♫ Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell ★★★★⅓
Source: National Library OverDrive Collection
Narrators: Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra
Read for: September TIOLI #5: Read a book you didn't buy (shared read)
Edition: Listening Library (2013), Edition: Unabridged MP3; 8h56
Original publication date: 2013

When new girl Eleanor shows up on the school bus one day, things start out very badly for her when nobody wants to make room for her to sit, even though there are still plenty of empty seats left. She's very overweight, has long wild curly, very red hair and is dressed really strangely, and though this is 1986 and new wave music and punk rock rule for some of the kids, her kind of weirdness just doesn't fly. Park happens to be a misfit of sorts too, being the only half-Korean in an otherwise all-white or black Omaha, Nebraska, though he's managed to fly under the radar with strategic friendships and alliances, and he's not sure he's willing to compromise that for the new girl, but he can't help himself from wanting to help Eleanor when he bluntly tells her to just sit next to him on that first day, and there she'll sit henceforth on their daily trips to school and back. He doesn't find Eleanor attractive exactly, but for some reason, he starts sharing his beloved comic books with her, like the Watchmen series, and then introducing her to some of his favourite music like The Smiths and The Cure and Alphaville and Elvis Costello (the list goes on and on as the book progresses).

Eleanor has never heard any of this music, so he makes her mixed tapes, but in her typical blunt way she refuses to take the first one, till he finally figures out that she has no way of listening to it. She's just as rude to him when he offers to to loan her his walkman till his kindness and insistence wear her down. They've soon got a friendship going, based on all the things Park likes, which prove to be a salvation for Eleanor. Her home life is a living hell. Her mother's taken up with a violent alcoholic called Richie who doesn't hesitate to hit on his wife on a whim and threaten Eleanor and her four younger siblings with unnamed injuries. They're so poor they don't have a phone in the house, in which the bathroom and the kitchen aren't even separated by a door. To add to her misery, Eleanor is being bullied at school, persecuted by one of the most popular girls, and then regularly finds disgusting pornographic inscriptions on her school manuals which she has no idea who could be putting there.

As friendship progresses to declared love with Park and he invites her into his home, Eleanor knows the respite she finds there with his parents, who slowly come to accept her despite her strange appearance and awkward ways can only be temporary, because her parents, and especially Richie, are bound to find out about this relationship, which over the months she's been passing off as time spent with a fictitious girlfriend, and she knows without a doubt there'll be a price to paywhen Richie finds out. Only things keep getting better and better with Parker, who fills her life with music and makes her feel things she never knew she had the capacity to feel before.

Many people here on LT raved about this book and I remained skeptical about whether I'd like it too, but it ended up being a big winner for me. I happen to be the same age as our two main protagonists, so was just as influenced by most of the music which is mentioned in the book (The Smiths is one of my all-time favourites!), and though thankfully I never had the kind of nightmarish home life Eleanor has, I could definitely identify with her feeling like the odd girl out and the bullied misfit at school. Rainbow Rowell writes sensitively and realistically about what it feels like to be a teenager and to experience love and complete bewilderment and fear, all this in a way that also makes for compelling reading. I'd rate this book as a 4.5, only according to my rating system, that systematically means I want to reread the book, and in this case, once will be an experience I will remember and don't necessarily feel a need to repeat.

>244 msf59: Hi Mark, no, I read The Siege in book format. I have a beautiful illustrated Folio Society edition of it. I don't even think that trilogy exists on audio. But I do know they are available as NYRB editions, which are very nice ppbk editions and more affordable than FS, which only published that one title anyway.

eta: just checked Audible, and taking back what I said, because I just saw they have an unabridged edition of The Siege of Krishnapur narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith, whom I quite like as a narrator. It's only 5 hrs and 8 min long too. I think I might get it myself!

eta 2: thinking of it, that audio edition can only be an abridgement at that length, since it really should be at least twice as long, considering it's over 300 pages.

Hi Ilana! I like your comments about The Paying Guests which I believe I must read.

I dug back into The Dog Stars today, which is my long-running audio book. I had some serious weeding to do, and that is pretty much the only activity that lends itself to listening to books for me. I do hope to finish this book before the rainy season really sets in!

Eleanor & Park is tempting, too....

Happy Sunday, Ilana! Great review of Eleanor & Park. I am so glad you hung in there and finally read it, despite your conflicted feelings.

Thanks for the audio info on The Siege of Krishnapur. I might just buzz over to Audible and check it out!

Almost finished my Maigret book last night, but then I had just a dozen or so pages to go and it got to be 12:30 and I just couldn't keep my eyes open any more. So I'll finish it today because it's overdue at the library.

Going to an antique book fair today with my friend K, for which I got free tickets from the owner of The Word. Don't think I'll buy anything, but it'll be nice to go and browse for an hour or so. I just spent a small fortune on iTunes yesterday, inspired by Eleanor & Park's playlist and wanting to recreate my own "1986" collection, I based myself on Rainbow Rowell's own playlist which she posted on her blog (http://rainbowrowell.com/blog/2013/03/eleanor-park-all-the-playlists-all-the-music/); music which inspired her as she wrote the book, then another link by someone who took notes while reading the book and took down all the songs mentioned in it. Then I went and bought all my favourite Smiths songs +++ several others by A Flock of Seagulls and Shout by Tear for Fears, which I remember being a huge deal when it first came out one day at school, when everyone just went nuts over it. Not sure when I'll make time to listen to it all, what with me constantly listening to audiobooks though.

***

>247 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, glad you appreciated my review about The Paying Guests. I want to read more of her books, but I couldn't read them close together as she has one specific theme she broaches in all her books which I don't have a problem with per se, but wouldn't want too strong a dose of several times in a row.

I can't believe you still haven't finished The Dog Stars!!! You crack me up! I listen to audiobooks as much as I do because I can get through them twice as fast as regular books, because of all the listening time I have. At this point, I'm thinking even though I started it and abandoned in August while you were still at it, I'll have time to get over my apprehensions about how depressing it is and pick it up and finish it by the time you manage to get to the end! ;-)

>248 msf59: Hey Mark, glad you like my review of E&P. No thumb? :-(
The audio for The Siege is DEFINITELY an abridgement, no doubt about it. I got it because I felt I'd sort of lost my way while I was reading the book and sort of wanted a refresher so I could write a proper review and really love Tim Pigott-Smith, from which we have very few audiobooks available here, but there's so many details which make the book special being skipped over that it would be a shame if you were to pick that option really. But it's up to you of course!

Hi Ilana! Oooh - antique book fair. I'm slobbering all over myself with envy. Which sounds very weird. Can't imagine why envy should cause slobbering....

I think it is criminal that the world outside of your blog and LT will never get to see your brilliant subway drawings. We are very lucky indeed to be able to see them for they are truly wonderful.

Loving the emerging of Rocky. And Coco at the liberry is cutie cute, cute as well.

Starting from the top of your thread - that is how far behind I am! - Happy new thread! I absolutely love the thread topper pic of the girl holding the book.

>12 Smiler69: - Wow, two books to go and you will have completed both of your Bingo challenges! You go, girl!

I am hoping to try and squeeze the first Montalbano book into my October reading. I like books with interesting characters and making note that the first books weren't amazing reads for you when you first read them. I can handle a character that is a jerk when I am prepared for it!

You have caught my eye with your review of The Waiting Game. Bernice Rubens is a 'new to me' author so I must investigate further.

>57 Smiler69: - I can stare at typography like that for hours and remain completely enthralled. So beautiful!

We had a scheduling conflict and couldn't go to either the Medea or A Streetcar Named Desire screenings. Sounds like both were amazing! I am glad you went.

I love your metro series of drawings, Ilana. I understand how frustrating it must be to learn about the risks of showing them in a gallery with out permission from your subjects. There is always some busybody that may cause a stink about rights and it probably wouldn't be one of your subjects.... kind of like the dude that left that weird post on your blog earlier this month and the comment your accountant made, although I think your accountant just had your best interests at heart and wasn't trying to be troublesome.

Congratulations on the portrait commission and I love your thoughtful review of A Month in the Country. No BB as I already own a copy but nice to be reminded that I need to move that forward. I find September is always an interesting time for weather, albeit rather unpredictable, as Judy has point out. ;-)

Blackadder - love those shows! They shot different Blackadder series in different time periods. My favorite is Blackadder II which is set in the Elizabethen era. Miranda Richardson is an absolute hoot as Queen Elizabeth I! Series I and IV were kind of meh for me.

Sorry for such a long-winded post - I had a lot of catching up to do!

Happy Sunday, Ilana!

Stopping by to say 'Hello', Ilana. Enjoyed seeing your progress on Rocky's picture and the book reviews.

Boo, to abridged books, Ilana. It looks like I will stick to print.

I added my thumb to the Rowell, which I thought I had done. Thumbs are very hard to come by these days. LOL.

Good review of eleanor and Park, Ilana! Thumb from me, too.

I was one of the ravers about it, so I'm glad it worked for you.

I always appreciate it when depictions of parents in YA novels are realistic rather than one-dimensional, and that's one of the things I liked about this one, especially Park's parents, who struggle to do the right thing and to accept this strange girl Park cares about. Eleanor's parents - ouch, but unfortunately believable.

The bullying and harassment she endures and overcomes is also all too believable, and I was really pulling for Eleanor and Park - such an unusual couple.

>249 Smiler69: LOL, Ilana. I don't want to race you, because I know who would win that. Let's just say I'm determined to complete The Dog Stars in 2014....
:-D

Ok, I messed around on Facebook for a while and now it's getting late and I want to make sure I get some drawing time in before setting off for bed, so I will only post very briefly before I go. First of all MANY THANKS for all the visits and comments. I just LOVE logging on and finding all these comments on my thread; what a treat! I'll come back tomorrow to answer individually. Haven't had much computer time today what between the antique book fair and cleaning my BBQ and generally spending as much time outside as possible today, on what might be our last warm day in a good while.

Only purchased a 1939 Vogue magazine and two vintage Montreal postcards at the book fair, one of which shows a mound of ice blocks in the streets, which I will send to my mum, who was apparently shocked when I told her how much I'd spent on my new winter coat this week. Clearly, having lived in France for the past decade has made her forget what an essential investment a winter coat is in this part of the world.

I want to share the following, seen at the Montreal Antiquarian Book Fair today: "How to Be Happy Though Married" by the Reverend E. J. Hardy, first edition published in 1885. With advice clearly aimed at men. I was dying to get it, because reading excerpts proved very funny, but it was a bit too rich for my budget. I've found an online version at archive.org instead.

Antique Book Fair!!!!! Wow! I can only follow you people who live in metropolitan areas with my tongue hanging out - that book in 256 I have no words for except, "Isn't it pretty!?"
>242 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I'm glad to see that you read the Empire trilogy in the order in which I thought they were supposed to go. I've been very confused here at LT with everybody reading what I thought was exactly backwards. I've had them on Mt. Bookpile for years, but I still don't know quite where to start.
Eleanor and Park sounds very attractive - maybe someday.

Hi Ilana, your trip to the Antique Book Fair sounds like a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

>257 LizzieD: I didn't know there was an order to the Empire trilogy, I think I just picked up the books by whim. I have heard so many raves about Troubles that I am quite looking forward to it.

>256 Smiler69: *snork!* I love that title, and I can't wait to hear what you think of it!

Finished the Maigret book last night, and I guess I'll be ordering Volume 2 from the library for the next 8 books in the series. Will be reviewing it shortly. I'll be starting on Frankenstein next, since I'm going to see a National Theatre Live presentation of the play on the 15th and have never read the book. I have a lovely Folio Society edition with dramatic woodblock prints to look forward to. On audio, started The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Unseen Guest yesterday, which is book 3 in the series.

The maple tree outside my window has turned distinctly yellow overnight, with all the leaves edged in gold. Soon they'll join the other fallen leaves scattered on the sidewalk below. Part of me now looks forward to the cold weather, partly because of the new grape purple cashmere sweater I've ordered on sale from JCrew and also because of my gorgeous new winter coat I bought last week to replace my old one, which was going on more than 10 seasons and wasn't doing a good job of keeping me warm any longer.

This is my new coat, though mine is several sizes larger and reaches to my knees:

>250 Fourpawz2: Can't imagine why envy should cause slobbering....

I'm not sure how that works either, but somehow that seems to be the common reaction, so you're not alone, Charlotte! :-)

As for the Metro drawings, at this point it seems that if I want to expose them here in Montreal, I have two options: either I ask friends and acquaintances to pose for me and I snap, then draw them, or I continue snapping strangers, but then ask them to sign a release form. Needless to say, neither solution enchants me, so I'll let it stew for a while. If I go with option B, the drawings I've worked on so far will work as examples to show people what my project is all about at the very least. Honestly though, for the moment I feel like the wind has gone out of my sails. I still believe in my project, but it's just become so complicated with issues that have nothing to do with me somehow. It's just as well I have Rocky's drawing to concentrate on these days. My friend Liselotte has been making noises about drawing a portrait of her next, so we'll see if she's serious about that.

>251 lkernagh: Lori, you need never apologize to me about a lengthy comment, I love those! Plus, I've enjoyed going back on old messages I'd forgotten about, like that gorgeous example of typography, which I should have mentioned was by Jan van de Velde, I presume the Elder (1568, Antwerp – 1623, Haarlem), a Dutch calligrapher, writing teacher, and engraver.

As for the bingo, I've still got those two categories to complete! Have yet to read a book about a dragon, for which I keep meaning to read the latest in the GOT novels, A Dance With Dragons, and then it's a complete fluke I haven't somehow managed to complete a trilogy, amid all the series I've been reading and listening to lately, but I'll get there!

I'm sorry you missed those two NTL plays. They were both amazing, but Streetcar especially... in any case, if either or both are shown again, I hope you'll manage to see them. Are you planning on going to any of the upcoming presentations?

I really look forward to starting on Blackadder. I had forgotten that Heather too had mentioned the show recently on her thread too. I have to go to the library today to pick up season 1 of The X-Files, which I was inspired to start watching after seeing Gillian Anderson in Streetcar, as I never saw that show when it aired, and if I end up liking it, I might end up watching that for the next while, in which case it might take a while before I get to Blackadder, but in any case, going by your comments and Jenny's earlier recommendations, I think I won't trouble with the first season and just watch Series 2 and 3 and Blackadder Goes Forth, because I'm interested in WWI. I'm sure I'll really love the Elizabethan one too. I'll either wait to get them at the library or just get them from iTunes if that takes too long.

Thanks for taking all this time to catch up with me!

>252 souloftherose: Hi Heather! I've been enjoying following your tutorial of Love-Letters and must say I've been grateful you've been setting a rather slower reading pace on that one, as I've been struggling a bit with keeping up with my physical books. I've been going to sleep earlier than I ever have done in the last 2-3 months and ever since then my bedtime reading has really come to a crawl. I guess I should make time for paper/kindle books in the daytime now to make up for this. In any case, I had no idea what to expect from that book and it's proving lots of fun, and you're asking all the questions that come to mind!

I keep taking photos of Rocky's progress almost daily, and am really encouraged by how delighted Pat is to be involved in the process (I send her email updates more often than I update on my blog or FB). I couldn't have asked for a better first client, honestly.

I plan on writing a couple of reviews today. Hope I make it!

>253 msf59: Boo to abridged books

I'm totally with you Mark! Needless to say, I don't buy abridged audiobooks if I can help it, but have made a very few exceptions so far for books I've already read because I loved the narrators and didn't mind an abridgement for the sake of a reread and the pleasure of hearing their voices. In the case of The Siege of Krishnapur for example, Tim Pigott-Smith did all the accents and intonations perfectly, which is something I totally lack the imagination to provide for myself when I'm reading, and it really added to my enjoyment of the story, but I was also dismayed at how much they cut out which made the book so special, and even more so to see another Audible member leave a review saying her thought this was a novella. I called Audible to tell them about their mislabelling mistake. I really think it's messed up that the convention is to label UNABRIDGED books, which are, after all, the original versions whereas the abridgements have been messed with and should be the ones carrying a warning label of sorts. A pet peeve of mine.

Thanks so much for the thumb. You're right; they're hard to come by these days! :-)

>254 jnwelch: Hi Joe, another thanks for another thumb. I remember well you were raving about Eleanor & Park, and I did think I was probably going to please both you and Mark with my appreciation of it. Good observation about the realistic depictions of the parents, with all the complexities of emotions they had to deal with and how each chose to face their difficulties. I felt most sorry for Eleanor's mother, while at the same time not feeling much sympathy for her. Don't know if that's really possible. Seems she was making all the wrong compromises for all the wrong reasons. Park's parents one the other hand showed such willingness to grow and evolve, I was quite impressed there.

By the way, I saw on Rainbow Rowell's blog that she was considering writing a sequel!!! Does anyone have any further news about this?

>255 EBT1002: I don't know Ellen, I'd say the odds are pretty even, given how depressing I found The Dog Stars just partway into it when his dog passes away and he goes into even deeper mourning, when from the start he's already mourning all that he loved, beginning with his wife and then the loss of civilization and the world as we know it. It just all got way too heavy for me, and while I can deal with heavy I can't deal with literally depressing and involving the loss of a beloved dog on top of it, for obvious reasons I think, so while I'd like to get back to that book, I must say I'm feeling more than a little weary about it, so not really up to getting back to it anytime soon. So... let's not take bets on it, is all I'll say! lol.

>257 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, I guess you're right about that book being pretty, but what jumped out most to me is that title. I mean, "How to be Happy Though Married" just seems uproariously funny to me, and I can't help but wonder if the good Rev. E. J. Hardy meant it that way originally. Also, for the eternally single old cynic I've become, I must say there's something very pleasing about it. Also, while I skimmed here and there and saw how hilariously male chauvinistic it was, I couldn't help but wish there had been a female equivalent, perhaps penned by the good reverend's wife for good measure!

It never really occurred to me that there should be any other order to the Empire trilogy than that given by LT until I learned that The Siege of Krishnapur was set in 1857, whereas Troubles was set in the 1920s and then Singapore Grip as I understand it is set in 1939. But really, I guess one can read them in any order one likes, seeing as there is no link at all between the books save for the larger theme of Empire.

>258 DeltaQueen50: Judy, it was good fun. I felt it was a bit of a shame to spend a couple of hours indoors on such a beautiful day, but then too, my friend, in a bad mood the previous day, had said she wasn't up to going to look at "mouldy old books" and then she was the one who ended up taking up the most time to paw through loads of volumes, which truly delighted me, and of course I didn't let up teasing her about the "mouldy old books" both during and after! :-)

See my comment to Peggy just above about the Empire Trilogy, as I agree, now I've read two of the three there need not be a reading order.

>259 scaifea: Amber, if there was a time I wish I has Suz's speed-reading-(like) abilities, it would be today, so I could get through "How to be Happy Though Married" between two other things, review it, and move on, but I fear it'll be some while before I can get to it. All the same, I've bookmarked the site and do want to get to it eventually.

I'm beyond behind again Ilana. I wanted to come by and thank you for checking in on me.

Hi Ilana! Just a quick drive by. Hope the day is going well. I am enjoying The Bone Clocks. Now, I am curious how it would work on audio...hmmmmmmm.

>265 luvamystery65: Hi Roberta, lovely of you to drop by.

>266 msf59: Hey Mark, I know they did release TBC on audio, am surprised you didn't go for that version actually. They have Cloud Atlas on audio too, but I saw a reviewer suggest it was better to read that book in print, so I think I'll follow her advice.

eta: did you see I left you a response in >263 Smiler69:?