souloftherose's year of (mostly) unplanned reading

Welcome to my 2015 reading thread. My name's Heather (you don't need to remember that), I'm in my mid-thirties and I live in a small town north of London in the UK with my husband and our slightly neurotic rescue cat. I read all kinds of things including a lot of older books (about a third of the books I read last year were published before 1950) but I also read contemporary books.

This year I am not planning my reading as I realised last year that I get most enjoyment from my reading when I let myself pick up whatever I feel like rather than the book I feel I should be reading. There are already some exceptions to this rule though (see below) so we'll see how long my plan for unplanned reading lasts!



Harold Gilman's Lady on a Sofa 1910 at the Tate

(This has been me post-Christmas...)

Books read in January
#1 The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker (TBR)
#2 Frost in May by Antonia White (TBR)
#3 The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (Library)
#4 The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey (Library)
#5 The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin (Omnibus)
#6a The Awakened Kingdom by N. K. Jemisin (TBR)
#6b Bloodchild (short story) by Octavia E. Butler (Free kindle)
#7 The Lost Traveller by Antonia White (TBR)
#8 Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones (TBR)
#9 A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro (TBR)
#10 Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins (Free kindle)
#11 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Library)
#12 Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (TBR)
#13 Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (Library)
#14 An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden (TBR)
#15 Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom (TBR)
#16 Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Two by Bill Willingham (Library)
#17 The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie (Reread)
#18 The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell (TBR)
#19 Arabella by Georgette Heyer (TBR)
#20 Lamentation by C. J. Sansom (TBR)

Books read in February
#21 Taltos by Steven Brust (Omnibus)
#22 Yendi by Steven Brust (Reread)
#23 Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth (TBR)
#24 The Doctor, His Wife and the Clock by Anna Katharine Green (Free kindle)
#25 What Makes This Book So Great by Jo Walton (TBR)
#26 The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope (TBR)

Paper books acquired




I need to buy fewer books.

#1 A Sea-Grape Tree by Rosamond Lehmann
#2 The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope READ
#3 What Makes This Book So Great? by Jo Walton READ
#4 The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin

Kindle books acquired

Last year I changed my buying habits by trying to only buy kindle books when I was confident I would want to read them almost straight away rather than buying lots of ebooks in the sales or daily deals and then not reading them for ages. I think it worked pretty well and I've read 80% of the kindle books I bought last year. So, the plan is to do this again this year. I'll keep track of the number I've bought and read here.




January
#1 Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom READ
#2 Deadlier Than the Male: An Investigation into Feminine Crime Writing by Jessica Mann
#3 Foxglover Summer by Ben Aaronovitch READ
#4 Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth READ
#5 Arabella by Georgette Heyer READ

February
#6 Wild Robert by Diana Wynne Jones
#7 Freaky Families by Diana Wynne Jones
#8 Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones

An idea borrowed from Liz (@lyzard), this lists ongoing series that I am actively reading. This doesn't include series where I have the first book in my TBR pile (i.e. series I haven't started reading yet aren't included). An asterisk indicates a series where I already have a copy of the next book.

Series I'm actively* reading (*for a rather lax definition of active)
*Albert Campion: Next up Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham (19/25)
*Arsène Lupin: Next up Arsène Lupin vs. Holmlock Shears by Maurice Leblanc (2/23?)
Barsetshire Books by Angela Thirkell: Reading out of order. Next up Summer Half (4/29 read)
Chalion: Next up: The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold (3/3)
*Dolphin Ring Cycle: Next up Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff (5/8)
Dr. Siri Paiboun: Next up: Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (5/9)
*Ebenezer Gryce: Next up That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green (8/13)
Fables: Next up Fables, Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham (3/21)
*Fionavar Tapestry: Next up The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kat (3/3)
Flavia de Luce: Next up The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (2/7)
*Frost in May Quartet: Next up The Sugar House by Antonia White (3/4)
Gilead: Next up Lila by Marilynne Robinson (3/3)
Howl's Castle: Next up Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones (2/3)
*Just Patty: Next up Just Patty by Jean Webster (2/2)
Les Voyages Extraordinaires: Next up From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne (4/54)
*The Long Earth: Next up The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (2/3)
Maigret: Next up The Hanged Man of Saint Pholien by Georges Simenon (4/76)
*Matthew Swift: Next up The Neon Court by Kate Griffin (3/4)
Mrs Tim: Next up Mrs Tim Carries On by D. E. Stevenson (2/4)
Old Filth: Next up Last Friends by Jane Gardam (3/3)
The Palliser Novels: Next up: Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope (4/6)
*The Prairie Trilogy: Next up The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (3/3) (Reading out of order)
Ruth Galloway: Next up A Dying Fall by Elly Grifiiths (5/6)
Small Change: Next up Ha'penny by Jo Walton (2/3)
*A Song of Ice and Fire: Next up A Dance with Dragons by G. R. R. Martin (5/7?)
*Vlad Taltos: Next up Phoenix by Steven Brust (5/14)
Wolves Chronicles: Next up Dido and Pa by Joan Aiken (7/11)

Series I've stalled on but want to get back to
*Allan Quatermain: Next up Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard (2/15)
*Barsoom: Next up The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (3/11)
Bas-Lag: Next up The Scar by China Mieville (2/3)
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache: Next up The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (8/10)
*Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox: Next up Eight Skilled Gentlemen by Barry Hughart (3/3)
*Cicero: Next up Lustrum by Robert Harris (2/2)
Code Name Verity: Next up Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (2/2)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone: Next up Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (3/3)
David Wintringham by Josephine Bell: Reading out of order (2/12 read)
The Deed of Paksenarrion: Next up Divided Allegiance by Elizabeth Moon (2/3)
*Discworld: Next up Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett (40/40)
Dragonriders of Pern: Next up Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey (2/25)
Dragonslayer: Next up The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde (3/4)
Empire Trilogy: Next up: The Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell (3/3)
*Father Brown: Next up: The Wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton (2/5)
The Girl Who: Next up The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (4/4)
Green Knowe: Next up: The Chimneys of Green Knowe by L. M. Boston (2/6)
Jimm Juree: Next up Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach by Colin Cotterill (2/2)
Julia Probyn: Next up The Portugese Escape by Ann Bridge (2/8)
The Magicians: Next up The Magician King by Lev Grossman (2/3)
The Penderwicks: Next up The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall (2/3)
*Richard Hannay: Next up The Three Hostages by John Buchan (4/5)
Romantic Poets and Nephilim: Next up A Time to Cast Away Stones in The Bible Repairman and Other Stories by Tim Powers (2/3)
Sorcery and Celia: Next up The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (2/3)
*Turtle: Next up Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver (2/2)
Wars of Light and Shadow: Next up Ships of Merior by Janny Wurts (2/10?)

Series I'm rereading
*The Chronicles of Narnia (publication order): Next up Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis
*Colonel Race: Next up Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (2/4)
*Hercule Poirot: Next up: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (9/39)
*Miss Marple: Next up The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (3/13)
*The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Next up The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (4/13)
*Superintendent Battle: Next up Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (3/5)
*Thursday Next: Next up First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde (5/8)
Tommy and Tuppence: Next up N or M? by Agatha Christie (3/5)

Up to date series
Finishing School: Latest book Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger (3/4?)
Jackson Brodie: Latest book Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (4/4)
Matthew Shardlake: Latest book Lamentation by C. J. Sansom (6/6)
Mistborn: Latest book The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (4/5)
Peter Grant: Latest book Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (5/6)
Shades of Grey: Latest book Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (1/3)
Wolf Hall: Latest book Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (2/3)

Completed series
Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones (3/3)
Inheritance Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin (4/4)

A few plans which snuck in under the radar....

The little bit of planning I'm allowing myself is Liz's tutored/group/shared reads as follows (shamelessly copied and pasted from her thread)

2015 group activities:

Tutored reads:
January: Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom
March: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
????: The Midnight Bell by Francis Lathom

Group reads:
February: The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope

Virago chronological reads:
April: Millenium Hall by Sarah Scott

Georgette Heyer:
Arabella
The Grand Sophy

Agatha Christie:
The Hound Of Death
The Listerdale Mystery

Georges Simenon:
La Tête d'un Homme (aka A Man's Head)

I think that's all I need! Welcome to any visitors!

Safe to come in?

>8 lunacat: Hi Jenny! Yes, safe now :-)

Hi Heather! I'm planning on unplanned reading this year as well ... with a few exceptions. Let's see if we can keep each other in line. :)

I'm here to drop off my star! I'll be seeing you in sime of the group and tutored reads this year. I'm excited about continuing Trollope's Palliser novels. I'll also lurk in the Mansfield Park tutored read. Instead of rereading Mansfield Park, I'll be reading Edmund Bertram's Diary (I think that's the right one.)

Hi Heather! Just claiming my place over here....

Dropping my star, Heather!

Unplanned reads are always best - like Alex (roundballz) said "like a magpie - look at the lovely shiny thing over there" or something along those lines.
Happy New reading for 2015, Heather!

Welcome back!

Hi Heather! You and I are going in opposite directions regarding planned/unplanned reading. I find my default is just to pootle along and read whatever I fancy - but because of this I think I sometimes neglect some of the more challenging fare. So I'm going to try and tackle some of that this year... hmm, we'll see how it goes.

Hi Heather! I've starred you, and I really must get on to Phineas Finn as preparation for The Eustace Diamonds...

Looking forward to following your reading again, Heather!

>4 souloftherose: Wow. I'm impressed. I still have a compulsive ebook buying problem. I would guess that I've read something like 10% of what's on my Kindle. Eek!

>5 souloftherose: This is a good idea! (That darn Liz! Always with the good ideas.) I should do something like this. I joined that site a while back, but I never visit it (and can't remember the name!), so it sort of defeats the purpose. I always look at my thread though...

Hi Heather. I've starred your thread .. that was the mistake I made last year, I didn't star it and then completely lost it once all the others in the group started to really participate.

>18 DorsVenabili: Yeah, my ideas are great; it's my follow-through that's the problem! :)

I think you mean FictFact? It works best for contemporary series so it isn't really what I need, hence the ever-growing thread-list...

Oops - sorry, Heather! Not very polite, hijacking on my first thread visit! But I've done the right thing and dropped off my star. Love your thread-topper, BTW! :)

Madeline wants to get going on Italian Mysteries so I will be setting up the thread today rather than tomorrow. No hurry about you joining in, though - and anyway, the first section of it is fairly easy going.

Hi Heather! Dropping off my star too. Love the painting up top.

The thread for Italian Mysteries is now up - here - see you there! :)

Hi Heather. Welcome Back! May 2015 be filled with many wonderful books, lots of good health and happiness.

Ah, what a lovely opening photo, Heather. I got such a chuckle out of your slightly neurotic rescue cat. Here's to 2015 and more fabulousness at LT!

Hi Heather! I, too am trying to plan less this year. But I agree with >16 HanGerg: - challenges make me read a greater variety. But this year I'm really going to focus on books on Mt TBR and series continuation. Perhaps I should make a series list too. :)

Hi Heather, I'm going to read just what I feel like reading this year too. I will certainly make an exception for The Eustace Diamonds in February though.

Happy New Year Heather!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, HEATHER!!! I look forward to following and maybe discussing your reading adventures for another 12 months! My planning is always not to plan, so it's my own fault when I'm not happy with what I'm reading.

Heather,



Happy New Year from your friend in Kuala Lumpur

Hi, Heather, and a Happy New Year to you!

I'm with you all the way on the non-planned reading idea...over-planning can have a bad effect on me, as I'm the rebellious sort. That said, I'll be drifting around the AACII, the BAC, and of course Liz's threads. I may read along with any or all of these, or just observe and maybe read the books at another time.

I'm still on the kindle buying jag, but am trying to get really cheap used paper copies instead. Or better yet, not buy at all. (oh, right, that's going to haopen).

Looking forward to following you this year.

Happy New Year, Heather!

Happy New Year and All the best in 2015, Heather!

Happy New Year, Heather.

Happy New Year Heather! Like your post Christmas activity!

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks to Laura, Carrie, Katie, Mamie, Bianca, Jim, Hannah, Susan, Kerri, Caroline, Liz, Pat, Linda, Nancy, Rachel, Bonnie, Peggy, Paul, Gail, Roni, Lynda, Beth and Lucy! I need to browse the group and check I have all your threads starred.

We weren't intending to stay up until midnight last night but we started playing a new board game we received for Christmas (Castle of Burgundy) and it took a little longer to work our way through the instructions than we thought! And then the midnight fireworks stopped me going to sleep but the cat let me sleep in until 8am (hopefully a New Year's resolution on her part?) so I'm only a little bit tired today.

>10 lauralkeet: 'I'm planning on unplanned reading this year as well ... with a few exceptions. Let's see if we can keep each other in line. :)'

And already we're both discussing some themed reads in the Virago group.... Ooops!

>11 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie! It's been a while since I read Mansfield Park so I will be rereading it but I also have an intriguing modern novel by Lynn Shepherd called Murder at Mansfield Park to read afterwards which completely reworks Mansfield Park and apparently adds a murder and rearranges the original characters' personalities. Could be brilliant, could be dreadful - we'll see!

>14 drachenbraut23: "like a magpie - look at the lovely shiny thing over there"

Very true!

>16 HanGerg: 'You and I are going in opposite directions regarding planned/unplanned reading.'

Looking forward to seeing how your planning goes Hannah. I have done a lot of planning in previous years but I think last year it just felt too restrictive. I'll probably change my mind again for next year!

>18 DorsVenabili: 'I still have a compulsive ebook buying problem.'

I think allowing myself to buy ebooks when I want to read them has helped me change how I think about ebooks so I don't need to store them up (like I do with paper books). And strangely, I haven't spent more money doing this - I suppose I'm buying (and reading) one £5 ebook instead of buying 5 £1 ebooks in a sale (and not reading them).

>19 cameling: Glad you found me this year :-)

>22 lyzard: Thanks Liz!

>25 The_Hibernator: I think not planning will actually leave me feeling free to choose a wider variety of books. Which possibly indicates I had been overplanning if my plans were so restrictive

>31 Matke: Looking forward to seeing where your unplanned reading takes you too, Gail.

Happy New Year, Heather! May it be filled with fabulous!

I still have some final reviews to write up on my 2014 thread but for 2015 I am currently reading:

The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker - published in 1909 this will complete my century of books challenge!

Elizabeth Taylor's Complete Short Stories - it's a big book but I'm hoping to read roughly one short story a day.

The Birth of the Messiah by Raymond E. Brown which is a fairly chunky theology textbook because apparently this is what I feel like reading when I'm not planning my reading! Quite technical but so far very interesting. My favourite thing so far is that the academic shorthand for John the Baptist is apparently 'JBap' which I think would make an awesome rapper name.

>38 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie :-)

Welcome back!

Happy New Year, Heather!

Ah, dozing off after some reading in your favorite sofa. Beautiful painting.

Interested to hear what you think of The Lady in the Shroud...but maybe it's in another genre than Dracula...

Happy new year, Heather! I'm trying not to plan my reading at all this year beyond the next couple of books. It worked when I had more reading time a few years ago but now it's just frustrating when I don't get finished anything when I think I should!

Happy New Year, Heather!

I enjoy visiting threads and seeing everyone's plans for the year. I got ambitious a year ago and joined a multitude of challenges but was quickly overwhelmed by February and dropped out. The Milagro Beanfield War defeated me yet again. And I tried Jane and the Ghosts of Netley but was so appalled by the wildly historically inaccurate characterizations that I dropped it after a couple chapters. Alas, I suspect Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and further derivative works are not for me though I can appreciate the concept.

I hope that I can do a much better job following your reading adventures. It's been a few years, and I can see that you have kept quite busy.

>37 souloftherose: Oops! You're right!

Happy New Year, Heather!

Happy New Year, Heather!

Wishing you all the best in 2015, Heather!!

Hi Heather and a happy new year to you.
I've had your thread starred for days, but what with all the Opening Day excitement I lost you for a while.

>41 scvlad: Thanks Steve!

>42 ctpress: Hi Carsten!

'Interested to hear what you think of The Lady in the Shroud...but maybe it's in another genre than Dracula...'

At first it seemed like a similar genre to Dracula but I'm nearly at the end and think it's more of a Ruritanian romance like Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda. It also has quite a bit of politics about the pre-WWI Balkan conflicts and that's reminding me a bit of John Buchan's novels. Not what I was expecting but all very interesting!

>43 cushlareads: Hi Cushla. Yes, one of the reasons I'm trying not to plan is that I end up feeling stressed and frustrated with myself if I don't meet those plans.

>44 justchris: Lovely to have you back with us again Chris :-)

>46 scaifea:, >47 DorsVenabili:, >48 EBT1002: & >49 Fourpawz2: Thanks for the New Year wishes Amber, Kerri, Ellen and Charlotte :-)

I was hoping to try and catch up with the threads today (will everyone please stop posting so much?) but I woke up with a headache which is proving a bit reluctant to vanish so I think I need to take a break from the computer.

I wanted to try and be better at keeping my own thread up to date this year with what I'm reading but I've realised that I'm a little embarrassed to admit how often I start books when I haven't finsihed the ones I'm reading.....

So, in addition to the books listed in >39 souloftherose: which I am still currently reading. I've also started Antonia White's Frost in May for this year's Virago themed read (the theme is the Seven Ages of Woman and this fits childhood) and I'm also sort of reading a spirituality book called God of Surprises by Gerard Hughes. Except I don't think I've read anything from the latter for a couple of days now.

I might actually finish The Lady of the Shroud this weekend but I guess that will depend on whether I get distracted by any other books.....

>51 souloftherose: I'm a little embarrassed to admit how often I start books when I haven't finsihed the ones I'm reading.....

I'm the same way. Trying to break the habit. Or at least to say that if I've put a book aside for a long time I should probably take it off my "currently reading" list and consider it an "I'll read later" book.

Happy weekend!

So sorry to hear about your headache. I don't like taking meds unless I absolutely have to, so when I have a headache I drink lots of water and also rub a little verbena oil on my ear lobes. Somehow that always helps clear my headache.

Hi Heather, sorry about the headache, hope it's all gone by the time you read this. I'm not at my very best myself, so only visiting a handful of threads at a time in my attempt to catch up with everyone. Might take a while at this rate, and of course the threads just keep getting longer.

Your approach to Kindle purchases gives me pause, and I wonder if I shouldn't take your example, but then I have so many to read on there already that I probably shouldn't buy any new e-books at all for the next couple of years, and how am I to prevent myself from doing that?!

I think I would have to refrain from buying books of any kind for ooh, about 5 years. Not going to happen, but I commend you on your restraint.

Hi Heather. I do exactly the same thing with the book starting thing.

Last week I was about 150 pages through Peter Ackroyd's very good book on the 17th century in England. Foundation. James I had just died when I decided I'd pick up Heartstone by CJ Sansom. I did actually finish that in one go so immediately downloaded Lamentation to my Kindle. I got 20 pages in when I thought I'd check to see what Penelope Lively e-books were in Wellington Library, so this morning I've downloaded A Stitch in Time and How it All Began and I've read about 2 pages of both. All are wonderful but all are not going to get finished quickly!!

Hope the headache is going away.

>51 souloftherose: Regarding thread-visiting, I can relate. I was caught up for one glorious moment a few days and now it's hopeless again.

I do hope you're feeling better!

Sorry about the headache, Heather. Hoping it goes away soon. And I am another who starts new books before finishing the old ones. It's all about mood for me, so sometimes I have an embarrassing amount going at the same time.

I like to have several books on the go, but most of them get their turn to be top book. Although I still have lots of short story collections listed as "currently reading" from more than 2 years ago when I started all those TIOLI challenges. I think that from next month I will pick up one of those a month and just start again reading from beginning to end, or something.

*sneaking in not remembering your name*
But....I hate to break it to you but not everyone is not remembering like I am (not remembering) ;)

>56 cushlareads: sounds like Cushla reads like I do. It's a snatch and grab around here.

Happy reading for 2015!

Heather, found you and drop a . Belated Happy New Year and Happy Reading 2015.

Whew! I've finally made it over to your new digs, Heather. I like what I see! I think we all want to be the Lady on a Sofa (or Gentleman on a Sofa for the fellas! I am happy that it happens more often than not for me on the weekends.

I admire your e-book resolve! I have successfully curtailed my buying of physical books but I am a sucker for those sales. I got better toward the end of last year by un-subscribing from all the "daily e-book deal" emails. I figure if I don't know it's on sale, I won't be tempted to buy it. It's sort of working, so far.

I'll look forward to your thoughts on the Elizabeth Taylor stories. I've only read Angel which was strange but compelling. I'd like to pick her up again this year, maybe. But that gets us into planning, which like you I am trying not to do (too much). I am going to try to read as many of the American, British, and ANZAC author challenges as I can but not stress if I decide to skip one here or there.

Whew again! Sorry for dropping such a long post on your thread. That's what I get for not catching up to you sooner. I'll try to be more moderate in the future.

Stopping by for a Sunday hello.

Hoping your headache has cleared/is clearing?

In my great old age, I'm finding it easier to complete books if I read right through--although that can be time-consuming for a doorstopper, and of course doesn't apply to volumes of short stories, poetry, or essays.

I dunno. The lure of the shiny is powerful where I live.

Dropping in to see if you are feeling better today, Heather. Hoping that Sunday is kind to you.

Thanks for all the well wishes. Headache is not completely gone but has been reduced to intermittent background grumbling. I'm due back at work tomorrow and I don't feel ready (wah! why do I have to go to work?) so I expect that has something to do with it.

>52 The_Hibernator: Rachel, a while ago I copied someone else's idea and created a collection called 'Currently reading - stalled' for those books I haven't finished but haven't really been reading either. It's got quite a few books in it but occasionally I do go back and finish one. Some I think I will probably need to start again from the beginning when I get back to them.

>53 cameling: Verbana oil on earlobes?? I will have to try that! I have some kind of concoction I rub on my forehead which often helps - I think it's mainly menthol.

>54 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana. The good thing about kindle or ebook purchases is that they don't take up any space! It would probably be better if I managed to control my physical book buying more.

>56 cushlareads: 'Hi Heather. I do exactly the same thing with the book starting thing.'

I'm so glad to hear I'm not alone! I got Lamentation for Christmas which I'm looking forward to.

>57 DorsVenabili: 'I was caught up for one glorious moment a few days and now it's hopeless again.'

:-D

>58 Crazymamie: 'It's all about mood for me'

I know what you mean. Sometimes none of the books I'm currently reading quite hits the spot (too serious, too much concentration required, too sad etc.) and then I try to find something lighter. It's also rare that I'll read straight through a non-fiction book without breaks so I'll often have a novel or two on the go with a non-fiction book and then I'll also be reading something on my kindle whilst I commute. It adds up quickly!

>59 elkiedee: 'I like to have several books on the go, but most of them get their turn to be top book'

That's true. I often find one of the books is the one I'm really reading and the others may be ones that are more mood dependent.

I find it hard to remember to read from short story collections. I'm hoping reading the Elizabeth Taylor collection will get me into a good habit of reading one a day and that I can carry that on with other collections after I've finished it. It helps that I'm really enjoying her short stories.

>60 LovingLit: 'I hate to break it to you but not everyone is not remembering like I am (not remembering) ;)'

Aw, shucks :-)

>61 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara!

>62 rosalita: Julia, I need to curtail my physical book-buying so I admire your restraint there!

I love Elizabeth Taylor - she's one of my favourite authors. Angel is a very strange book and really not typical of her writing (although I liked it). So, if the Taylor mood strikes you I say go for it, but obviously no pressure.

>63 Matke: Happy Sunday Gail! So true about the lure of the shiny....

>64 Crazymamie: Thank you Mamie. Headache is not quite gone but better I think.

Thanks to time spent on sofa yesterday I have finished both The Lady of the Shroud and Frost in May and I also snuck in a very short library book, The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (only 50 pages).

Now reading The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey.

Hi Heather! Finally found my way here. Wow has the 2015 group exploded and the threads are nuts! I like your plan of reading whatever you want. Here's to just reading for reading. :)

Sofa reading is the best, but I tend to fall asleep if I get too comfy. I love the picture, though, and the fact that you finished two books yesterday! I'll try to do a better job of following your reading this year, Heather. I need to venture over the pond more frequently!

>67 jolerie: Hi Valerie! Glad you found me :-) The threads are nuts, I completel agree.

>68 Donna828: Thanks for stopping by Donna!

I finished The Girl with all the Gifts yesterday. Now reading The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin on my kindle. Not sure if I'll start another paper book today but I've picked up The Waiting Game by Bernice Rubens which I've had on loan from the library for quite a while and might start reading it.

Book #1: The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker - 3.2 stars



The final book to conclude my century of books challenge. I've been a big fan of Stoker's much more well-known novel, Dracula, for some time but I've only become aware fairly recently that he also wrote several other books. The Lady of the Shroud was one of his later works, published in 1909 and set in 1907 - 1909. It starts with a very gothic opening scene: a ship sailing off the coast of a small Baltic nation sees a coffin floating in the sea. In the coffin stands a woman, dressed in a white shroud. As they watch, the coffin and its inhabitant vanish, whether into the mist or whether they were just a vision is unclear. However, a reader expecting a purely gothic novel is likely to be disappointed as the novel almost seems to change style and genre every few chapters as if Stoker couldn't make up his mind whether this was to be another gothic/horror novel like Dracula or something else. It's told in epistolary format (through letters and diary entries) like Dracula and Stoker's love of up to date technology is also evident but The Lady of the Shroud also has elements of a Rurtanian romance (like Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda) and a political commentary on the state of the Balkan nations pre WWI. I found it all interesting but the changes in pace and style meant I found the novel as a whole rather disjointed.

The edition I read was published by Valancourt Books and contains a very helpful introduction. Interestingly, it seems that it's been quite rare for this novel to be published in an unabridged format since its original publication (the Valancourt edition is, of course, unabridged) with most publishers editing out the political commentary and other sections to leave the novel a straight Ruritanian romance. I can see how that may have made it more appealing to readers.

>51 souloftherose: I've realised that I'm a little embarrassed to admit how often I start books when I haven't finsihed the ones I'm reading.....

Don't be embarrassed, I do the same. I usually have up to 4 books on the go and I am pretty sure Luci has even more.
I think that's why I like this quote from David Mitchell as much, as it reflects exactly how I feel.

I'm usually reading several books at the same time. It's a bit like drinking tea: sometimes I want Earl Grey with lemon, sometimes caffeine, other times green or something with a bit more bitterness

>66 souloftherose: I read The Girl with All the Gifts last year and thought this was quite an enjoyable read.

I am glad to hear that your headaches are improved. They can be so debilitating, I am so glad that I rarely suffer from them.

Interesting review on The Lady in the Shroud still one of those books on my e-book TBR. Hm, interesting comments about the editions. I don't even know which one I own. I have one of the amazon kindle editions.

However, I wish you a great week.

Stopping by with New Year wishes and to see what you are up to. I have almost no reading program either, other than the occasional Murdoch or Virago....

What a lovely quote from Mitchell. I generally have one NF, one contemp/classic fiction, one genre and one audio book of any sort going! I think he has that flavor idea exactly right! My fam. think I am nuts, of course.

>71 drachenbraut23: I'm glad to hear I;m not the only one Bianca :-) I do like that quote from David Mitchell and I often end up picking another book because none of the ones I'm currently reading quite fit my mood.

>72 sibylline: Lovely to see you Lucy.

Not much reading today instead I ended up trying to teach myself a new knitting technique because I didn't read the pattern properly and therefore didn't realise I needed circular needles of a specific length to knit this particular pattern. So the technique to use when your circular needles are too long is called magic loop knitting. I think I have the hang of it now but next time I will just get double pointed needles (DPNs) instead because I think I find them easier to work with.

Book #2: Frost in May by Antonia White - 4.3 stars



The first ever Virago Modern Classic and one I've had in my TBR pile for nearly 3 years - I've lost count of the number of times I've mentally (or physically) lined this up to read 'this month' over the last few years. What prompted me to finally pick this up was the discussion around the childhood topic of the Virago group's 'Seven Ages of Women' theme read (with which I will probably be joining in with over the year which technically may count as planning but let's pass over that).

Frost in May is the story of Nanda (Fernanda) Gray and her five years at the Convent of the Five Wounds' boarding school from age 9-13. At the beginning of the book Nanda is a recent convert to Catholicism and wants to do well at school and in the Catholic faith. But throughout her time at the school Nanda finds that she cannot agree or submit to some aspects of the school's philosophy and although she is generally well-behaved this does not go unnoticed by the nuns. I thought the depiction of the nuns was well done, they aren't charicatured but the pain they inflict on Nanda was made much worse by their absolute certainty that they were doing the right thing for her and acting for her good. This is an underlying theme to the whole book and the tension slowly builds towards the ending that I knew was coming; despite this it still shocked me emotionally and I found this to be a well written and powerful novel.

As a former Catholic girl myself it reminded me more of my own time at school than I thought it would given how much I think the Catholic church has changed in the 20th century (my time at school was very post Vatican II). That could sound as if I had a dreadful time at my Catholic school whereas actually it was lovely but there were certain aspects of Catholic thought and philosophy in the novel which resonated with me.

'With a stiff curtsey, Nanda turned to the door. But instead of dropping her eyes, she looked very straight at Mother Radcliffe. The nun threw back her head and gave the merest ghost of a smile.

"You are very fond of your own way, aren't you, Nanda?"

"Yes, I suppose so, Mother."

"And do you know that no character is any good in this world unless that will has been broken completely? Broken and re-set in God's own way. I don't think your will has been quite broken, my dear child, do you?"'

I have never tried magic loop. Is that also how you knit two socks at the same time? What are you knitting? Maybe I should check out your ravelry page ...

I really liked Frost in May too and I liked the sequel, The Lost Traveller, even more - I gave it 5 stars. I can't believe I read Frost in May in 2008! It was the first VMC I read, I think. Having been to a Catholic school definitely added to my enjoyment of both books, even though the 1980s New Zealand version of Catholicism was quite different from Nanda's. It was probably a lot like your Catholic school, Heather - a less harsh version of Catholicism and in my case not much will-breaking involved, thankfully.

Hope you are feeling better today, Heather. You've been reading some interesting sounding books!

Lovely review of Frost in May, Heather. I just love the Virago covers.

Morning, Heather!

I've never been able to get comfortable with the magic loop business, either, and always just convert the patterns that use it to double pointed needles. And yes, Laura, I think that's how you can knit two socks at once.

>74 souloftherose: Nice review! I thought I had this one on the shelf, but I do not. Have you read The Land of Spices yet? Also a Catholic setting and perhaps some similar themes.

I've lost count of the number of times I've mentally (or physically) lined this up to read 'this month' over the last few years. Ha! I do the same thing with Regeneration. I really must get to it this year though.

Nice review of Frost in May, Heather. I've added to my list.

Hi Heather, I am definitely dropping a star here and hope to visit often. You look to be off to a great reading start, but trying to stay current on the threads is almost a full time job!

>73 souloftherose: souloftherose: A friend showed me how to magic loop a few years ago, and I haven't touched my DPNs since! I tend to convert patterns that call for DPNs into magic loop every time. It's interesting what everyone finds most useful.

And I'm just dropping off my star for the year.

Whoops. Don't think I stopped by to say hello yet. Hello! Good to see your thread. Maybe I won't disappear as quickly as last year. Looking forward to more of your reviews.

Weekend! Work was more stressful than I would have liked for the second half of the week but I think I got everything done that I needed to! Need to try to mentally pat myself on the back instead of automatically starting to worry about what I need to get done next week - grrr.

Amidst that I finished reading The Kingdom of Gods, the final book in N. K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy and also finished the recently released novella The Awakened Kingdom which is a short sequel to that trilogy.

I also downloaded and read Bloodchild (short story) by Octavia E. Butler (free to download from Amazon Uk atm).

I started reading (brace yourselves):

The Lost Traveller by Antonia White
The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell
Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom for the tutored read (first and still the only book purchase of the year!)

I'm about 50 pages into the Antonia White and otherwise I've been a bit too distracted to get really into any of them.

>75 lauralkeet: 'Is that also how you knit two socks at the same time?'

I had no idea so I'm glad Amber jumped in to clarify :-)

I'm trying to knit a little beanie hat for my newphew (he will be 3m old at the end of the month) and it's supposed to turn out looking something like this:



I think it's going ok but it's very chunky wool (that I'm trying to use up) on huge needles and it feels a bit messy but I don't think I really like knitting with chunky wool.

>76 cushlareads: Cushla, your comments prompted me to start reading The Lost Traveller (which I'd been considering anyway). It took me a while to get used to the change in narrative style but it seems interesting so far.

Yes, definitely no attempts at will-breaking in my primary school! No nuns either. They were quite strict about behaviour but I think sensible about it and I was the odd kind of child who liked clealry defined boundaries so I was quite happy. Quite a culture shock when I moved to a much bigger, not Catholic at all secondary school.

>77 ronincats: Thanks Roni. Headaches keep coming back a bit but I think it's because I've been worrying about work.

>78 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. Isn't it a lovely cover?

>79 scaifea: Hi Amber! I don't know why I like dpns so much, but I do.

>80 DorsVenabili: Hi Kerri. I haven't read Land of Spices but I wishlisted it last year after reading your review. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for a copy.

>81 BLBera: Hope you enjoy it Beth!

>82 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. I have your thread starred but haven't dived in yet. Hopefully this weekend.

>83 archerygirl: Welcome back! Another person whose thread is starred but unvisited. Part of my dislike for the magic loop might be the chunky wool and needles which aren't my favourite anyway. I'll try and remember to try it again with something smaller. But, yeah, it's funny how we all have different techniques we prefer to use.

>84 justchris: Thanks Chris :-)

That's a cute beanie. I haven't done much with chunky wool myself but it always seemed like projects might knit up more quickly. However, you're making a tiny object with chunky wool and that does sound more difficult, magic loop notwithstanding.

I think most kids like clearly defined boundaries - I'm sure no one would think I'm a strict mum but we do have a couple of rules, and I surprised myself on some things when I had kids and they got to be old enough to start thinking about that sort of thing.

Excellent review of Frost in May, Heather. I've not been among the Virago collectors and readers (I have one or two of them but I don't see them on the shelves around here very often). Regardless, this sounds like an interesting read.

"Headaches keep coming back a bit but I think it's because I've been worrying about work."
Well, I can certainly relate to that.

I hope you have a wonderful and restful weekend.

Heather, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

>74 souloftherose: I am glad, after putting it off for a long time, that Frost in May was worth the wait.

Have a lovely weekend, Heather.

I'm glad you read Frost in May (and enjoyed it), Heather. Maybe your excellent review will encourage me to pick it up off my shelf and read it:-)

Hi Heather! Just popping by to say hello and see what you've been up to. It sounds as though you've had some excellent reading to start the year!

I hope that this is the weekend that you truly let down, forget work, and have no headache!
I have my two socks started with the magic loop, but it's been so long since I worked on them that I'm pretty sure I've forgotten both the technique and the pattern. Oh dear.
Frost in May is the only White I've read. I do believe that I liked Land of Spices even more. Virago also has a collection called There's Something About a Convent Girl that I enjoyed.

>85 souloftherose: I love that you have three books on your "started reading" list :)

I just started The Burgess Boys and am liking what I see so far, so much in fact that I am considering leaving LT for a reading session!

>87 lauralkeet: It has been a fairly quick knit (after I figured out the technique anyway). I'm nearly finished and haven't run out of wool which is good!

>88 elkiedee: Yes, you're probably right Luci.

>89 EBT1002:, >90 Ameise1:, >91 PaulCranswick: Thank you for the weekend wishes :-)

>92 brenzi: Hope you enjoy it Bonnie. Sometimes I wonder if I should try to stop buying books when it takes me so long to get round to something but then when I read something like this I;m so glad I had it on my shelves.

>93 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah.

>94 LizzieD: Ok, Land of Spices has definitely gone on my list of books to buy!

>95 LovingLit: Megan, you should see the size of my currently reading list..... Hope you enjoyed your reading session. I haven't read anything by Elizabeth Strout so I'll be interested in your thoughts.

This weekend I finished reading Antonia White's The Lost Traveller (really good and I want to order the sequel right away!).

Started reading Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones and Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins.

I didn't realize Frost in May was the first Virago - I think it might have been the first one I read too. I have all of those, I think, although someone 'borrowed' one Antonia White from me and never returned it, but I think I replaced it eventually.

>98 sibylline: Lucy, I think I'm going to really enjoy reading the rest of the series.

I'm feeling very dozy today (and have been since Saturday) because I'm trying to reduce the anti-depressants I take and my very old, not often prescribed anti-depressants have a number of withdrawal symptoms including not sleeping properly. I feel only semi-functional at the moment and because I'm reducing the dosage so slowly (to try to avoid becoming completely non-functional) I think this could take a while. So I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself (as you can probably tell!)

Anyway, I am going to try to write some brief reviews:

Book #3: The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell - 3.7 stars



(It needs the big cover image for you to appreciate the artwork)

This was a beautifully illustrated book and I enjoyed this slightly subversive retelling of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty but it was just a short story and I would have loved this to be longer or part of a collection.

Book #4: The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey - 3.7 stars



This was apparently one of the must read books of 2014 (my library copy had one of those silly blurbs on it along the lines of 'if you only read one book this year, make it this book' which always makes me wonder how many other books the blurb writer has read in the year). As you can probably tell, I don't think this is the best book of 2014 but after a slow start, where I thought it was just another generic zombie thriller, I did enjoy this and thought the main character, a young girl of 9/10 called Melanie, was pretty awesome. Melanie is a bit like Dahl's Matilda in that her strenghts are her intelligence and her compassion/love for others especially her favourite teacher Miss Justineau. And it's Melanie that makes me wonder whether I should be rating this closer to 4 stars because she makes the novel and I think fiction could do with more Melanie/Matilda characters. Also I thought the ending was pretty good. So, I think Melanie gets at least 4 stars but the book itself gets slightly less. I don't know if that makes sense but there you go.

>99 souloftherose: Thanks for the review of The Sleeper and the Spindle, I've been wondering about that book. I've seen the cover, and a couple of pictures of beautiful artwork, but have been undecided about whether it's worth trying to acquire sight unseen.

And I agree with your review of The Girl with all the Gifts - Melanie is like Matilda isn't she? And they're both great characters. But the book did let her down a little.

>100 evilmoose: For The Sleeper and the Spindle, I think I'd try and see if the library had a copy (which was what I did). It is a beautiful book but the list price was more than I would have been willing to pay for such a slender book.

Good luck with the reduction on the anti-depressants. It seems I'm going to have to change one of mine in the near future and I'm not looking forward to the weaning of one and the starting of another. I hope the side effects ease soon.

Hi, Heather. I was just catching up over on Darryl's thread and was very interested in your comment that you were at 80% female authors last year, particularly in conjunction with your hitting 200 books. Was that planned (or a result of conscious book-type choice) or accidental? I accept that because of what I read I'm going to be slightly skewed male, but a higher percentage than usual of last year's reads were by male authors. I feel curiously caught between wanting to read more books by women and a sense that I shouldn't pick a book that way.

>86 souloftherose: I wish I knew how to knit. I'm still trying to master crochet though. Knitting will have to be put on hold until I get more even stitches on what I'm doing now.

>85 souloftherose: What did you think of "Bloodchild"? I think I have the collection that appears in somewhere (ebook that I have not cataloged?) I love her, but have never tried any of her short stories, which isn't surprising, since I'm not a big short story person, but I want to get to them one of these days.

>99 souloftherose: So sorry to read about the withdrawal symptoms! I know that can be very difficult. Take care.

Sorry to hear about the withdrawal, Heather. I hope you feel better soon!

Your Gaiman review is a book I have on my radar to borrow at the library. It's another reminder that I want another full length book from the man. I still have The Ocean at the End of the Lane but that still doesn't stop me from demanding more. ;)

Withdrawal symptoms are miserable - I hope you're over it quickly.

The Sleeper and the Spindle looks and sounds great, but alas, my library system doesn't have it available. It's going to have to wait a bit.

I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing those withdrawal symptoms, Heather. I hope that you're feeling better today.

>102 lunacat: Thanks Jenny. Sorry to hear you're going to have to change your medication - I remember that being quite stressful and not a lot of fun.

>103 lyzard: Hi Liz. It wasn't planned at all and I feel slightly embarrassed that my reading was so skewed last year. I didn't intend to read so many more books by female authors although I suppose my 2014 plans to read books by Virago authors, Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer probably didn't help! If I hadn't already stated I would not be planning this year I might be tempted to aim for a more even split this year but I'm just going to see what happens.

>104 thornton37814: I'm always intending to learn how to crochet but I still haven't done so. I remember my Nan did teach me how to do it when I was little but I always seemed to forget how to do it and seemed to pick up knitting quicker.

>105 DorsVenabili: Thanks Kerri! I'm not usually much of a short story reader either but I enjoyed Bloodchild although I still haven't decided on a final rating. I haven't read any of her novels though - which would you recommend?

>106 jolerie: Thanks Valerie! I never like Gaiman quite as much as I feel like I should - I think I still have a couple of his full length novels to read (after checking I think just one - Anansi Boys).

>107 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah. Boo to your library not having The Sleeper and the Spindle.

>108 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. Yes, feeling better today but still very tired and it's going to be quite up and down as I'm following my doctor's advice and reducing the dose for a day and then going back to my normal dose for a few days and slowly increasing the number of days I take the lower dose. I'm trying to time the lower dose with periods of not being at work like weekends or my midweek day off.

Finished read Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones, Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins and A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I think my next book is going to be The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.

Heather, my sympathies with trying to cope with lowering your anti-depressants dosages. That can't be easy for sure. I know those rare times when I forget to take my meds in the morning I get really nasty side-effects the next day, but it's good to know in your case you have your doctor supervising the whole procedure.

{{{{{Heather}}}}}

Heather, best of luck with lowering the medication. I hope the withdrawal symptoms will pass soon.

>109 souloftherose: My favorite is the Xenogenesis trilogy. The first book is Dawn.

Hmmmm.....I haven't heard about The Girl with all the Gifts before - but if it is a "if-you-only-have-to-read-one-book" so, eh...but who reads only one book? Not here on LT75. I will but it on my wishlist somewhere (but I have to read Matilda first.

I do hope that the shift in medication will go well, Heather. I have a good friend who also struggle with this cutting down in medication and the things it do to her. Tricky stuff.

>111 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana. Yes, on the rare occasions I've forgotten to take them the side-effects can be quite nasty. I was a bit surprised how bad they were from only reducing the dose slightly but I took a lower dose again last night and don't feel nearly as bad today which is good. Now I start reducing the dose more frequently

>112 ronincats:, Ah, thank you Roni.

>113 connie53: Thanks Connie.

>114 DorsVenabili: Thank you, I will try Dawn Kerri.

>115 ctpress: Thanks Carsten. Matilda is a great book Carsten, I would definitely recommend it.

Book #5: The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin - 3.6 stars



This was the concluding book in a trilogy until Jemisin released a novella, The Awakened Kingdom, as a sequel. I enjoyed this, particularly as the main narrator is Sieh, who was one of my favourite characters from the first book but it wasn't my favourite of the series.

Book #6a: The Awakened Kingdom by N. K. Jemisin - 3.7 stars



A novella set some time after the events of The Kingdom of Gods and narrated by Shill, a young god trying to find her true nature.

Book #6b: Bloodchild (short story) by Octavia Butler - 3.7 stars



A free short story I downloaded (not really long enough to count as a separate book), this was an interesting look at the ways in which human colonists had adapted to survive alongside an alien race on a distant planet. It's a good story and one that's reminded me that I've been meaning to try Butler's novels for some time now.

Heather, I wish you a relaxed weekend. Thinking of you. Hugs xx

Stopping by - wishing you well with your reduction program.

I should check out these later Jemisin's - I enjoyed the first three books.

Heather, stopping in to catch up with you. SO sorry to hear about the withdrawal symptoms - no fun and what a pain to have to keep track of which dosage you need to take on which day.

I have not read either of those authors that you recently reviewed, but I have heard good things about Butler. And I am wanting to read that Gaiman, but our library system doesn't have it.

Hoping that Saturday is kind to you and comes headache-free.

Heather, I hope your medicine-reduction goes OK and your weekend is a good one.

I'm glad to see that things have improved marginally over the first few days reducing your doses. Hopefully the next week will go well as you carry on with the lesser amount.

>117 souloftherose:: I picked up The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by Jemison when it first came out, but I still haven't gotten around to reading it. Sounds like you liked the trilogy overall, so maybe I'll dust it off this year.

Regarding Octavia Butler's works, Parable of the Talents really blew me away. I read it while George W. Bush was president, and the story seemed almost prescient at the time. The prequel Parable of the Sower was good, but didn't grab me in quite the same way. I don't think I've read any of her other works yet, but I certainly mean to.

>109 souloftherose:: My partner loves, loves, loves Gaiman's writing. I consider it meh. Not bad, but not really that wonderful. I liked all of the stories I read just fine (Neverwhere, American Gods, Stardust), but none really grabbed me, and while there is some originality to each story, most of them don't have that much depth, and after a while, they start to feel like the same story with slightly different window dressing each time. Plus the lack of diversity and some stereotyping add to my lack of engagement. So I'll read them and enjoy them fine, but not interested in adding them to my personal library.

>99 souloftherose:: Sorry to hear about the side effects. I was on the same prescription for awhile. I was really sensitive to it, so the typical starting dose kept me awake for a whole week (as my psychiatrist happened to go on vacation the week after seeing me). I too had quite severe reactions to missing a dose or trying to quit. My doctor recommended breaking open the capsule to remove half the granules (or a third, or a quarter, or however little to avoid provoking a reaction) as a way to taper down. I ended up going on a weeklong trip and miscalculating how much of my meds I needed to take with me. So I ended up quitting cold turkey, since by the time I got back home I was already through the worst of the side effects. Oh well.

edited to correct comment attribution

Hi, Heather. I share others' concern and care about your med. reduction. It can be difficult and annoying. My dr. just reduced mine by a third, to see how it goes, saying if I became too nervous to take an extra half tranquilizer. So far (and it's not far) so good. The best thing is that if the drs. are thinking about reducing, they must be thinking we're getting noticeably better, right? (I know, Pollyanna is my middle name...)

Just reading through I was hit by 3 or 4 book bullets--I do love a good school story, and convent books are another favorite.

What was your impression of A Pale View of Hills? I found the ending somewhat...difficult to understand. I went online and found some interpretations that seemed a little over the top; I'd be most interested in your thoughts.

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Heather.

*drive by hug for my buddy Heather*

*drive by hug here, too, Heather*

Stopping by to say hello and hoping you're having a good weekend Heather. Good to know things are going better with the meds.

>116 souloftherose: I'm glad to hear that your withdrawal symptoms may be easing slightly, and join in the chorus of sympathy that you are having endure them. Changing medications can be such a delicate dance of trying to find the most effective medication that does the least unintentional harm. I hope this one works out for you in the end — and that the end isn't too far away!

I hope your weekend is proving mellow and pleasant - and symptom free.

Hi Heather! I loved Bloodchild when I read it. I've also read several more of the stories in the collection by the same name. They're definitely worth the read. And The Sleeper and the Spindle looks fantastic!

>118 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara

>119 sibylline: I think The Awakened Kingdom has only been released as an ebook or as part of an omnibus edition of the entire trilogy. I haven't read the two books that make up Jemisin's most recent duology, The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun, and she has a new book out later this year, The Fifth Season (possibly part of a series).

>120 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie. And yes, I had forgotten to say, no headaches for a while now!

>121 susanj67: Thanks Susan.

>122 lunacat: Thanks Jenny. Me too!

>123 justchris: Hi Chris. Yes, I enjoyed the Inheritance Trilogy, the later books never quite wowed me the way the first book did but I still enjoyed them.

I've heard of Parable of the Talents so will keep that in mind too. The local library has nothing whatsoever by Butler (which is not that unusual for American science fiction) but most of her books have been recently released as ebooks over here.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only person who never quite gets the Gaiman love :-)

Thanks for the tips about the med reduction - I hadn't thought about breaking open the capsules. Will bear it in mind to discuss with the doctor if things get hard to deal with. I'm glad you survived your cold turkey trial - there have been times when that's seemed tempting but I have to remind myself that I don't know how bad I would feel if I did that and so far I have been able to make it to work which is good.

>124 Matke: Pollyanna is always welcome, Gail :-) Yes, it is a positive step. I'm trying not to think too far ahead in terms of how much I may be able to reduce the medication - both to stop myself getting too high expectations and to stop myself feeling discouraged about how long it might take to get there.

Sorry about the BBs :-( I really enjoyed A Pale View of Hills but like you I was initially very confused by the ending. SpoilersHaving thought about it a bit I think Ishiguro was trying to leave the reader uncertain about whether Etsuko's story about Sachiko and Mariko was mostly true but that Etsuko as narrator was starting to identify with Sachiko's circumstances due to the death of her own daughter and starting to worry that she had been a bad mother, or whether Etsuko and Keiko had really been Sachiko and Mariko all along and Etsuko's narration had been evern more unreliable. I think we're not supposed to be able to tell which is true (but I'm worried that a more intelligent reader would be able to work it out).

>125 kidzdoc:, >126 lit_chick: Ah, thank you.

>126 lit_chick:, >127 Smiler69:, >128 rosalita: Thanks Ilana, Julia and Dejah.

>129 Dejah_Thoris: Hi Rachel. Frustratingly the Bloodchild collection is one that hasn't been republished over here - just the individual short story but I have lots of her novels to be getting on with. Hope you can find a copy of The Sleeper and the Spindle.

Nothing much to say, Heather. Just stopping by to see what you are up to!

>132 connie53: Thanks Connie. I have your new thread starred and will drop by to make a visit soon!

Book #7: The Lost Traveller by Antonia White - 4.2 stars



When I picked up The Lost Traveller I expected a direct sequel to Antonia White's Frost in May; and it is, and, in a way, it isn't. It's still recognisably the same characters as FiM, still a recently converted middle-class Catholic family and still largely an autobiographical novel but the characters' names have changed, some of the events in FiM such as Nanda's expulsion from school have now not happened and the story is no longer told exclusively from Nanda's point of view.

Nanda is now Clara Batchelor, a convent school girl of 15, who is brought home from school when her grandfather dies. Her relationship with her father, Claude, is a tense one; she longs for his approval but is beginning to grow up and can't continue to be the little girl he wants her to be for much longer. Clara's mother is quietly unhappy in their marriage until she runs into one of Claude's colleagues unexpectedly whilst fund-raising: a sudden attraction for one another leads her to start questioning her life and marriage more seriously.

Following on from the childhood portrayed in Frost in May, The Lost Traveller is a coming of age tale as Clara/Nanda starts to grow up and wrestles with what she might want from life and what her parents want for her. I think the characters in this book are more fully developed than FiM but I found the first book more powerful emotionally. Still, there was quite a shocking conclusion to The Lost Traveller which coupled with what I know of Antonia White's life leaves me thinking that the two sequels are unlikely to be happily-ever-after tales.

Having had to skip one of my pills on very rare occasions (if I've run out or if I'm extremely ill) I can safely say you're doing well with your gradual reduction. By the afternoon of missing the medication, I'm a complete mess and feel seriously spaced out.

Pretty scary when I see how bad the withdrawal is as it makes me wonder what on earth I'm putting into my body, but as I can't function without them, I try not to think of it too much.

I hope the next reduction is easier on you and you make some progress with it.

Sorry you're having trouble with your medication Heather. I hope you get it all straightened up. You've got me ready to start on Antonia Frost.

I would like to try Antonia White at some point but I will have to be in the right mood for her.

>134 lunacat: Thanks Jenny. I'm (very) slowly increasing the frequency of the lower dose and it's going ok. Annoying but ok.

>135 brenzi: Thanks Bonnie. I hope you enjoy Frost in May when you get to it.

>136 cbl_tn: I know what you mean about needing to be in the right mood for some books, Carrie. I think one of the reasons I took such a long time to get round to reading these books is because I thought they could be quite difficult to read (emotionally) but I found them much easier going than I expected.

I've lost track of when I last did an update about what I'm reading but I'm currently reading Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (yeah, I know, along with everyone else in the group), continuing with Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom for Liz's tutored read and have An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden and Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Two on hand for when the first two books seem too difficult.

Happy Thursday, Heather! I loved Moon Tiger even though the main character is not really likable, and I have the first Fables book on hold at the library - they just sent me a notice that it is in! Very excited about that.

Happy Thursday Heather!

>99 souloftherose: Great review of The Girl with All the Gifts. I loved the book when I read it last year and just thought this was one of these wonderful pageturners. Interesting that you mention the Melanie/Mathilda connection as I felt this at times as well.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} from me as well. I hope you will feel better soon, Heather!

>131 souloftherose: Yes, I agree with you before you open your capsules to reduce the dose you should discuss that with your doctor. There are quite a few capsules which shouldn't be opened because they are made in a way that the medication gets absorbed in the gut rather than the stomach. Sorry, that's the nurse reacting.............. However, I do hope that your withdrawal symptoms won't last too long.

Yay for nearly the weekend! I spent most of today at work feeling like I was coming down with a cold (loads of people have been off sick this week) and hoping I would either feel better or (I think hoping more) that I would feel worse so that I could legitimately call in sick tomorrow. Now I have to admit that I'm feeling a bit disappointed because I think I'm feeling better which means I do have to go work tomorrow. Boo! :-(

But we watched the first episode of Wolf Hall tonight and it was awesome. Everyone was so well cast.

>139 Crazymamie: Yeah, Claudia is not really likeable at all. I did find myself wondering how she might have been if T hadn't died. Maybe she'd have mellowed a bit? I think she'd probably have been a better mother.

Hope you enjoy Fables. I'm enjoying the volume 2 but had forgotten how dark some of the story lines can be.

>140 drachenbraut23: Thanks Nurse Bianca! :-)

I can safely promise I will not try opening those capsules without medical advice because once I got one of the small capsules stuck at the back of the roof of my mouth and before I could dislodge it the sugar coating melted and EUGH! It tasted vile. I'm not repeating that in a hurry.

Withdrawal symptoms are ok. I feel a little bit dizzy and spaced out the day after a lower dose and otherwise just tired because the pills have a sedative effect, so less pills means less sleeping until my body adjusts.

>141 souloftherose: I think my problem with Claudia wasn't her indifference towards her daughter because T had died, but was the incestuous relationship with G. It disgusted me, and I couldn't see the point of it as it didn't help the story along at all. I almost gave up on it at that point.

Good discussion over here … making me want to reread Moon Tiger!

>142 lunacat: Given how Claudia's relationship with G had been portrayed up until that point in the book, I wasn't surprised by the incest (which doesn't stop it being icky). Weirdly, given how narcissistic both of them were their incestuous relationship kind of made sense to me.

The more I think about Claudia's character the more surprised I am that she fell in love with Tom and that those feelings were reciprocated. What did he see in her?.

>143 lit_chick: Please feel free to chip in Nancy! It's definitely one I'm still ruminating on.

>144 souloftherose: Yeah, they were both so self-absorbed that it wasn't a surprise that the two characters as she'd written them would indulge in incest. I guess I was more surprised that the author went there.....yes, it 'suited' the characters but it wasn't necessary.

I got the idea that T fell for an idealised version of Claudia, and because of the circumstances he didn't get to see who she really was and how selfish she was. I couldn't see them still being together after the war if he'd survived, I think he'd have run a mile. I also didn't like how much the author seemed to use the loss of T as an excuse for her behaviour afterwards. She was horrible to begin with.

Moon Tiger is now sitting in a box ready to be donated this week. Definitely not one I want to reread.

Two books that were just good fun:

Book #8: Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones - 3.8 stars



Year of the Griffin was a humourous and surprisingly accurate look at a group of first year student misfits at university: surprising in that one of the students is a griffin and the university in question is one for wizards. It's a sequel to Dark Lord of Derkholm but I think it would work as a stand-alone novel, although to contradict that I'm wishing that I'd read *Griffin* closer to Derkholm as *Griffin* features a lot of the minor characters from *Derkholm* in larger roles and I couldn't remember the first book in that much detail.

Another strong DWJ novel which I'm happy to add to my collection and I will no doubt reread the two books at some point.

Book #12: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch - 4.3 stars



I think this is now one of my favourite books in this particular series. Peter is transplanted from London to rural Herefordshire when he offers to help in the investigation of some missing children. Of course, it turns out there's some kind of magical aspect to the investigation but what I absolutely loved was Aaronovitch's portrayal of our very surburban, Sierra Leonean PC coping with the countryside and it's 99.9% white population and vice versa. So much fun - why do I have to wait so long for the next one?

>145 lunacat: Jenny, I think you may well be right about T & C.

>133 souloftherose: Another lovely review! As I said earlier (I think), I'm very interested in Frost in May, so will keep an eye out for both.

>146 souloftherose: I think I recently saw another review of Foxglove Summer and I'd really like to check out this series.

I hope everything is going well with health and medication adjustments. Please take care.

>99 souloftherose: I saw this book at the book shop recently, and it looks beautiful. Pity I am not a Gaiman fan, well, I like him, just not most of his books. *sacrilege*

The spoiler conversation above makes me smile. Its like a secret whispered conversation :) Reading it takes me back to the reading of Moon Tiger- I had forgotten that big aspect of the story!

Sigh. I may have to break down and read Moon Tiger just so I can read all the spoiler messages.....

>146 souloftherose: I really enjoyed Foxglove Summer, too! I rather liked the focus on Peter and, shall we say, Paranormal Policing. Another year to wait.....

>146 souloftherose: I am impatiently waiting for my name to rise to the top of the holds list at the library for Foxglove Summer. I was still #14 when I checked earlier today.

>146 souloftherose:: Several of DWJ's books portray difficulties in family life from the children's viewpoint. I thought Dark Lord portrayed some of the problems of dealing with teenagers from the parents' viewpoint rather wittily. Looking forward to reading The Year of the Griffin when I've finished the Amazon Vine books (sadly not this month, perhaps in February).

Now I really like to read the Aaronovitch books! Unfortunately they are not translated (yet, I hope). If they ever will be I will be #1 to buy them!

I like reading the spoiler comments, Heather and Jenny! It's so fun to click on it and magically this whole other train of thought opens up..ha.
I for one am glad that Lively didn't dwell on the incest between the siblings. At least it was more subtly mentioned rather than graphic details. Silver linings of course.

Heather, as usual, I've missed the personal stuff, but I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better. Keep it up!
I agree with the comments about Moon Tiger. I think that C and G were likely candidates for incest - if there are such things - because they were so much alike that each probably saw the other as an extension of himself. Also, the only time their mother appeared, she was much less intelligent than either of them and all-in-all unsympathetic and uncomprehending. They were pretty horrible humans. Whether Tom would have been strong enough to take on Claudia if he had lived is another question. And, of course, if he had lived, Lisa would never have been born. That's what I think at the moment!

HI Heather. I send all good wishes that you can adjust to the medication cut back. I certainly understand about side effects.

I have been on pain medications, vicodin, and now diladid for five years. I know I will have a wicked withdrawal when/if I no longer need them.

Take care of yourself.

>148 DorsVenabili: Thanks Kerri. I'm very keen to read The Sugar House which is the next book in the Antonia White series - if I've managed to read more from my TBR pile than I've added to it then I may treat myself by ordering a copy of TSH. I think I'm on track to do that but I've not helped myself by succumbing to today's kindle daily deal (Bitter Greens).

The Peter Grant series is really good and pretty funny too. I hope you like them - the first book was published as Midnight Riot in the US.

>149 LovingLit: Hi Megan. I have been enjoying all the discussion about Moon Tiger on various threads - it's funny how we've managed to get so many discussions going on so many different threads.

>150 Dejah_Thoris: 'Another year to wait.....'

I know! Although I think I have slightly less than a year to wait in the UK - the next book is due out in Nov 2015 here.

>151 rosalita: I hope those readers before you get through the book quickly Julia.

>152 elkiedee: 'Several of DWJ's books portray difficulties in family life from the children's viewpoint. I thought Dark Lord portrayed some of the problems of dealing with teenagers from the parents' viewpoint rather wittily.'

Luci, I hadn't thought about it like that before, but I think you're right. I find DWJ's books very rereadable - I think the plots can often be so busy that I overlook some themes when first reading them.

>153 connie53: Sorry to hear they've not been translated into Dutch yet Connie :-( I follow the author's blog and he does post when the books are translated into a new language so I will keep an eye out for some Dutch translations.

>154 jolerie: Hi Valerie. I really like the spoiler feature too :-) And yes, also glad Moon Tiger didn't include detailed descriptions of that aspect of the book.

>155 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy and I think I agree with your comments about Moon Tiger.

>156 Whisper1: Lovely to see you Linda and thank you. I'm sorry to hear there are likely to be side effects to stopping your pain medications but I think I will just be so glad if you get to the point where you don't need to take the painkillers anymore. I guess that's how I feel about the anti-depressants deep-down.

It's my day off so I was planning to write some reviews but am feeling a bit dozy today so instead I think I am going to curl up on the sofa and start The Waiting Game by Bernice Rubens.

Scratch that - not really in the mood for black humour at the moment. Hmm...

Delurking to say Hi! Loving more Moon Tiger discussion and a lot of new titles! Hope you are feeling better soon.

Hoping that whatever you decide to read is just the right book for the moment, Heather. Happy Tuesday, dear!

Heather, I LOVE a day off with a good one. Enjoy!

The Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin duology are probably my very favorite of DWJ's books, which is saying a lot because I love so many of them.

And a Happy Birthday to you as well!

I see you joined up for The Hound Of Death AND Arabella - yay!

Along those lines, I don't know where you're up to with the Maigret books, but I will be adding La Tête d'un Homme to the French challenge this month, if that's any use to you? :)

ETA: Happy Birthday!!

Happy, happy birthday!

BIRTHDAY???? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEATHER!!!! Hope it's a great day introducing a great year for you! Celebrate and we'll rejoice!

It's your birthday? Hope it's a happy one, Heather.

Happy Birthday, Heather!!!!

Heather, I must say all the spoiler comments on Moon Tiger made it easier to catch up on your thread. I am debating about reading it. It is obviously a great discussion book. I may recommend it to my F2F book group.

So sorry about the side effects from reducing your medicine. I hope the end result is worth it. It doesn't appear to be affecting your reading life which is good.

I picked the right day to visit. Happy Birthday to you. I hope you have something lovely planned.

Wishing for you a birthday full of happy!

Happy Birthday, Heather! You might get *snow* for your gift! I am keeping an eye on it, so I'll let you know :-)

I picked the right day to visit, too. Happy birthday, Heather!

Happy birthday, Heather!

Happy, happy Heather and many, many more.

Happiest of Birthdays to you, Heather! Hope you have a wonderful day. :)

I'm getting a funny idea that it might be your birthday, Heather. I hope you had a splendid day!

Yep, what Julia said; I hope it was a fantastic day for you, Heather!

Hi Heather, belated Happy Birthday and I wish you a lovely weekend.

Thank you to Roni, Liz, Gail, Peggy, Charlotte, Dejah, Donna, Mamie, Susan, Nancy, archerygirl, Bonnie, Valerie, Julia, Amber and Barbara for my birthday wishes! I had the day off work but didn't feel that great so we went out for lunch and then I had an afternoon on the sofa reading C. J. Sansom's Lamentation.

>162 ronincats: 'which is saying a lot because I love so many of them.'

Yes, I find it hard to pick my favourite by DWJs. I think Dogsbody or Fire and Hemlock or Archer's Goon or......

>164 lyzard: 'I will be adding La Tête d'un Homme to the French challenge this month, if that's any use to you? :)'

Thanks for letting me know, Liz. I will try and join in - haven't decided whether I will read out of order (gasp!) or go back and read The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien as well (they are fairly short)

>169 Donna828: 'I may recommend it to my F2F book group.' Going by the discussion MT has generated in the group, Donna, it should make a great book for a F2F book group!

>179 souloftherose: I reckon an afternoon curled up reading Lamentation is a pretty wonderful way to spend a birthday, although I'm sorry you were feeling under the weather. I hope you are feeling better now.

>180 lunacat: Thanks Jenny.

Some long overdue book comments:

Book #9: A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro - 3.9 stars



A difficult book to describe: partly set in Nagasaki after WWII and partly in England 20 or so years later. Beautiful prose and the unreliability of memories is what I've taken away from this short novel.

Book #10: Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins - 3.2 stars

"She never has anyone to take her out, and goes nowhere, and yet she can't be more than twenty-seven, and really she's not bad-looking."

Patrica Brent is a spinster, living in a boarding house in London and working as a secretary for a 'rising' politician who is failing to rise. The boarding house is inhabited by a lot of catty older women and one day, in frustration, Patricia invents a fiancee, Peter Brown, and a dinner date with him the next evening. Unable to go back on her statement she is obliged to dress up and go out to dinner the next evening only to find the other inhabitants of the boarding house have followed her and she is obliged to grab the nearest male diner and ask him to pretend to be her fiancee. Conveniently, he turns out to be called Peter Bowen and immediately falls in love with Patricia. In Georgette Heyer's hands this would be a charming comedy of manners (although not her usual period) but I didn't really find the writing or the characters convincing enough to enable me to properly suspend the disbelief needed to enjoy the plot.

Book #11: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - 3.5 stars



I enjoyed my first foray into the weird and wonderful world of Flavia de Luce, 11 year old child prodigy who lives in an Addams Family-esque mansion with her two older sisters and reclusive, father. The murder mystery was a bit slight, but I think the real enjoyment in the books is in Flavia's quirky character and environment. It's supposed to be set in England in the 1950s: I say supposed to be because although there were no historical inaccuracies that I could spot, I thought it felt more American than English, possibly an American or Canadian view of Englishness? Still fun, but if there had been no mention of a King I would have said it was set in America.

Book #13: Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - 3.3 stars



I think I've now reached discussion overload on this book. I had neither a strong positive nor a strong negative reaction to it but it left me a bit cold as I just wasn't very interested in it or in the main character. (I don't need to like the characters in books but I do need to find them interesting in some way.) I can understand that other people did find her interesting but I didn't for whatever reason. I did like the way Lively told the same event from different points of view. My least favourite Lively so far but I may reread this one day to see if I can get over whatever mental block I have around Claudia.

Hi Heather - I'm trying to get caught up on threads. Happy belated birthday; I hope your day was great. I hope you're feeling better, too. I LOVE the Gaiman cover; it's gorgeous. I've added both the Antonia White and Aaronovitch books to my list. They sound worth checking out. Have a lovely weekend.

You've inspired me to WL Ishiguro's A Pale View of the Hills, Heather.

>182 souloftherose: - Interesting about your reaction to the Flavia books. I believe the author is Canadian. I considered some of the characterizations and descriptions a bit over the top but what I've heard a lot of readers rave about is how much they love the "English-ness" of it all. I'm thinking most of them are probably American/Canadian/other non-English :)

I do enjoy the series, but mostly because the audios are so well done with an excellent reader (Jane Entwhistle).

Hope you are feeling better!

Happy Sunday, Heather!
I finished and liked Moon Tiger and now I have read all your spoilers :) I enjoyed the discussions around the book, but can see why you reached the "overload" signs. :)

I hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration.

>179 souloftherose: I found The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien very disturbing (it's meant to be); I don't really expect anything different from A Man's Head. :)

>181 souloftherose: Too bad about this book, Heather. The conceit is a good one; too bad the , author couldn't do a better job with it.

>182 souloftherose: Oh, some Flavia love! I'm hoping she/I haven't run out of steam on the series. Flavia, while maddening, can also be very appealing and charming.

Glad I avoided the MT back-and-forth.

Hi Heather! Too bad you didn't like The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie better. I've heard great things about it. Still, your review was pretty positive!

>183 BLBera: Hi Beth! That Gaiman cover is gorgeous. Hope you enjoy the Antonia White and Aaronovitch books.

>184 lit_chick: Hope you enjoy it Nancy!

>185 katiekrug: 'I believe the author is Canadian.' yep. I originally wrote 'an American view of Englishness' in my review and then thought I would just double check before posting it! I agree the characterisations and descriptions were a bit over the top but I thought it was quite fun. The not quite right Englishness didn't really bother me as I didn't feel this was a book that was trying to be particularly realistic.

I can see a good narrator could really add to the enjoyment of these books.

>186 drachenbraut23: Glad you enjoyed the spoiler discussions :-)

>187 lyzard: Hmm. Ok, perhaps I will read A Man's Head first and then see if I feel up for more disturbing...

>188 Matke: Yeah, I was a bit disappointed with Patricia Brent, Spinster as a lot of people in the Virago group really, really loved it. It's a couple of decades later but I thought Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day had a similar Cinderella feel and was a better book.

And yes, Flavia was both maddening and charming. I will definitely continue with the series but I don't think I could read them back to back.

>189 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! I think it looks like it will be a fun series and one I plan to continue with. I thought I saw a few reviews which said the first book isn't the best of the series too.

Hi Heather, not much to say really, but I've lurked the last few times, then didn't wish you a Happy Birthday here because I'd done so on FB, which now sort of seems a bit... mean, so thought I'd at least just say hello and I'm thinking of you. xx

>191 Smiler69: Ah, thanks Ilana. Don't worry, I hadn't got you on a list of people who hadn't wished me happy birthday on my thread :-) Sometimes I go through phases of not really feeling like I have anything much to say on people's threads too.

Book #14: An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden - 4.2 stars



"You are making a mountain out of a molehill," said Angela. Olivia was suddenly inspired to answer, "A molehill can be a mountain to a sparrow."

Set in London, shortly after WWII, Lovejoy Mason and her mother are tenants in Catford Street, a grey, urban district where not so much as a blade of grass grows naturally. But some of the residents have window boxes and when Lovejoy's mother leaves her with their landlady whilst she tours as a singer, Lovejoy is inspired by one of the other residents to try and make a garden of her own.

Lovejoy is used to being left behind by her mother and is, on the outside, a tough little child who doesn't make friends with the other children and doesn't think twice about stealing things if she can get away with it. But in searching for the perfect place to make a small garden in bombed out London and the materials to do so she somehow recruits Tip Malone, the leader of the local gang of teenage boys, and they come up with the idea of taking the earth from one of the enclosed gardens in the nearby squares, not realising that the well-to-do residents of the square will consider this stealing.

Godden beautifully captures the lives and hopes and dreams of the residents of Catford Street: from Vincent, the restauranteur spending more than he can afford on quality ingredients in the hope that someone who appreciates his excellent cooking might chance by and turn his restaurant into a success, to the gardener who inspires Lovejoy and has been saving up for a new rose. I've loved all of Godden's books that I've read so far and this was no exception.

I have Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie sitting on my shelf Heather and you've actually made me want to pick it up. The English aspect that you found lacking probably wouldn't be apparent to me.

Heather, appreciate your remarks on The Sweetness at the Bottom, particularly that it struck you as a Canadian (Alan Bradley) view of Englishness. I could not warm to Flavia, but so many have enjoyed the series. And you're right: the charm is her quirky character and the setting.

>193 brenzi: I hope you enjoy Sweetness Bonnie, I found it a fun read and I'm sure I wouldn't notice anything wrong with a book set in America or Canada that didn't get it quite right.

>194 lit_chick: Nancy, I think Flavia is a love her or hate her kind of character and I think you probably need to love her to enjoy these books :-)

Book #15: Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom - 3.7 stars



Another classic gothic novel; I've lost track of how many classic gothic novels I've read now (by which I mean those published before about 1820) but I think this is one of the better ones (or one of the ones that it's easiest for a modern reader to enjoy which may not be the same thing). I thought Lathom's writing style was good and Italian Mysteries seemed like it was written by someone who was aware of the conventions of the gothic novel and didn't take them too seriously. It doesn't go so far as to parody the whole genre the way Northanger Abbey does but it makes the overall tone of the novel seem lighter. The Mysteries of Udolpho is still my favourite of the genre but I'm looking forward to reading more of Lathom's books (The Midnight Bell is tentatively pencilled in for this year).

Book #16: Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Two by Bill Willingham - 4 stars



Another collection of Fables stories about the characters from fairytales living as refugees in modern day New York City and I thought this volume was even better than the first.

This collection of Fables comics contains:

A Jack of the Tales story set in the American Civil War. This was probably my least favourite of the collection as I don't find Jack that interesting to read about.

A two part heist caper focusing on a Mundy threatening to expose Fabletown - Bigby comes up with quite a clever way to persuade him to keep quiet.

Storybook Love which continues the main story arc and focuses on Bigby and Snow White whilst also developing other characters. I was quite touched by this and found the ending quite sad (although it sort of had to end that way really)

A short story called Barleycorn Brides about how the male-only refugees from Lilliput got themselves some wives.

Fables: The Last Castle which is Boy Blue's story about the last defense of the Homeland before the final group of Fables had to flee. This doesn't really advance the main story arc but it gives some interesting background to what happened to the Fables before they arrived in New York.

I'm now impatiently waiting for Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Three to be returned to the library so that I can borrow it.

Book #17: The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie - 3.2 stars



A collection of slightly spooky, supernatural stories from Agatha Christie. I think Agatha was better at novels - the stories in this collection are mostly entertaining but not many stood out for me.

Book #18: The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell - 4 stars



'Dedication:

bookshops are
time machines
spaceships
story-maker
secret-keepers
dragon-tamers
dream-catchers
fact-finders
& safe places.

(this book is for those
who know this to be true)'

A round the world tour of bookshops, those who love them, those who own them and the stories behind them. Jen Campbell, who works in a bookshop herself, has interviewed authors, booksellers and booklovers about the sort of bookshops they enjoy and written the stories of how various bookshops around the world came into being. From the bookshop in Toronto which has a coin-operated vending machine which will dispense a random antiquarian book for $2 (http://www.monkeyspaw.com/the-biblio-mat/) to a bookshop on a barge in the UK this is a bookshop lover's delight. The majority of the shops featured are in English speaking countries but there are sections on Continental Europe, Central and South America and Asia. Certainly a good resource to have to hand when planning your holiday :-)

Book #19: Arabella by Georgette Heyer - 3.9 stars



This has everything I've come to expect from a good Heyer novel but what I found particularly interesting in this was the fact that the scenes of family life in a Yorkshire vicarage at the beginning of the novel, the way the heroine rescued a chimney sweep and the wonderful descriptions of a small mongrel dog (also rescued by the heroine) which were so well done.

Book #20: Lamentation by C. J. Sansom - 4 stars



Another strong instalment in the Shardlake series. King Henry VIII is coming to the end of his life and political and religious intrigues abound as the families that make up the Royal Court try to gain Henry's favour so that they will be named regent for the future Endward VI. Matthew Shardlake has kept his distance from the court since the events in Heartstone but he's drawn back into the intrigues after receving a personal plea from Catherine Parr.

I still love Matthew Shardlake and I enjoyed reading about the religious conflicts of that time. I was also fascinated by the character of Catherine Parr (or Katherine Parr) - helpfully Sansom includes a detailed historical note with suggested further reading which included some biographies of Catherine Parr and a fervant thank you to Liza Picard's Elizabethan London (which I haven't read although I have enjoyed Picard's other books).

I enjoyed this a lot but I did find myself questioning whether Shardlake would really get involved with yet another court intrigue after everything he's suffered in previous books, or rather, whether her would realistically survive another court intrigue. But it was just credible and Sansom did find a good way at the end of the book to set up future sequels, which I confess, I will look forward to even if they stretch my credibility somewhat.

January stats

20 books read
12 books read from TBR pile and only 9 books acquired! Result!

Books acquired were:

Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom READ
A Sea-Grape Tree by Rosamond Lehmann (impulse charity shop acquisition - 99p!)
Deadlier than the Male: An Investigation into Feminine Crime Writing by Jessica Mann (impulse kindle acquisition)
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch READ
Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth (Kindle daily deal but reading this month)
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope (birthday present and for group read - reading this month)
What Makes This Book So Great? by Jo Walton (birthday present and for group read - reading this month)
The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin (birthday present)
Arabella by Georgette Heyer READ

Proud of self.

3 out of 5 Rumer Godden books are now on my LT collections because of your recommendations Heather (including An Episode of Sparrows now), so it's just a matter of time before I pick one up and actually read her! I see there is only one book I can get on audio at the moment, which is Black Narcissus and looking through your RG collection it looks like you intend to read that one soon, so I'll wait for your comments before acquiring that one.

If you cover The Midnight Bell with Liz I'll definitely join you for that tutored read since I have that book in the omnibus edition I bought of The Complete Northanger Horrid Novel Collection, all of which I'd like to read before rereading NA.

Lamentation is being released on Feb. 24th here, so I've preordered the audiobook and will no doubt start listening to it that very day!

I really enjoyed Bitter Greens and hope you do too when you get to it.

>199 Smiler69: Just for you I will try and make Black Narcissus my next RG :-)

I think The Midnight Bell is planned for a tutored read with Liz and Madeline (is that right Liz?).

I've started Bitter Greens and am definitely enjoying it so far.

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To celebrate (almost) finishing my January comments, Star Wars/kitten cuteness!



More cuteness here.

>200 souloftherose: Awwwww!!!

>201 Smiler69: For those who want more I've added a link to some more of the kitten pictures.

Currently reading:

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth (kindle)
What Makes This Book So Great by Jo Walton
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope

And I did manage another small section of The Birth of the Messiah at the weekend which is very interesting but stretches my brain a lot.

>200 souloftherose: LOL!

I listened to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on audio, but could not finish it before it was due back. I was quite enjoying it, but the narrator irritated me on account of her affected voice. You win some you lose some!

>199 Smiler69: & >200 souloftherose:

We don't have any definite plans for The Midnight Bell yet but I'm sure we can fit it in, probably towards the end of the year. I will discuss it with Madeline when we get closer to the end of Italian Mysteries. BTW, glad you enjoyed that, Heather! When it takes off, it takes off, doesn't it? :)

So much reading happening over here, Heather!

I've only read the first book in the Flavia series and will get around to reading the other books when I find out how close he is to wrapping it up.
My thoughts about Moon Tiger are pretty close to yours. I didn't have any visceral reaction to the book or her characters, more just apathy, which probably means I just wasn't all that invested.

I have Bitter Greens on my TBR mountain and have heard some good things from Ilana, so will try to get to it sooner rather than later. Looking forward to your thoughts.

Glad you liked Foxglove Summer - I've heard some rumblings about it NOT being set in London, so this is balancing.

Enjoyed your frisson of disappointment when you didn't get a cold! But really, the cold isn't worth it!

I love it when so many people are reading the same book - Moon Tiger being the tome in question at the moment. Such lively discussions and different takes.

I'm a little late for your birthday, but best wishes all the same.

Look at all the reading you've been doing, Heather! I'm exhausted just reading your reading list.

Hi Heather - To echo Julia, what a lot of reading you did in Jan.! The Bookshop Book caught my attention. That looks fun.

Hi Heather! Your birthday book acquisitions are excellent! As always, your reading is very interesting to me and I love all the reviews. By any chance were you thinking of reading Black Narcissus this month? It's on my possible list - it would be a reread, but it's been a very, very long time. Let me know if you're interested.

Just catching up here...so many books!!!

Hi Heather, just wishlisted The Bookshop Book. Sounds perfect for me as I visit many when traveling and my hearts desire is to own one. Sigh, if only!
Love kitty Leia!

Hi Heather - I'm reading Lamentation at the moment and enjoying it a lot, but not getting enough time to zoom along with it.

The Bookshop Book sounds good. I haven't seen it here yet but I think I follow her entertaining Facebook feed (Weird Things People Say in Bookshops).

Have a nice weekend!

The Bookshop Book hits both my love of travel literature and books about books. I would love to visit the bookshop on the barge!

Happy belated birthday!

>198 souloftherose: Wow! 20 books in January! That's amazing!

>200 souloftherose: Thank you for this cuteness and the link to more cuteness!

>182 souloftherose: I keep thinking I might try the Flavia de Luce series, even though child protagonists aren't usually my thing. Interesting comment on seeming American, yet set in England.

Thoughts on Arabella by Georgette Heyer and Lamentation by C. J. Sansom now in msg >197 souloftherose:.

>203 LovingLit: Hi Megan. I haven't listened to audio books for a while (I don't have to drive to work anymore) but sometimes the narrator could really put me off.

>204 lyzard: Just let me know and I'll be there!

>205 jolerie: I am enjoying Bitter Greens a lot so far, Valerie, although it can be quite dark in places. Emphatically not a children's fairytale!

>206 sibylline: Hi Lucy. Yes, I think some people were a bit disappointed about the non-London setting of Foxglove Summer but I liked it.

>207 rosalita: 'I'm exhausted just reading your reading list.'

Oh no! I'm feeling a bit like that reading Jo Walton's What Makes This Book So Great. I love the way she writes about the books but I am getting so many recommendations it's sometimes a little overwhelming - I'm never going to read them all!

>208 BLBera: Hi Beth. The Bookshop Book was fun - I hope it gets released in the US.

>209 Dejah_Thoris: 'Your birthday book acquisitions are excellent!'

Thank you! Let's just say I was very specific in my requests :-)

I'll happily line Black Narcissus up for this month and let you know when I start it.

>210 Berly: *waves to Kim*

>211 Carmenere: 'my hearts desire is to own one'

Oh, then I think you will enjoy The Bookshop Book - a lot of the bookshop owners interviewed had set the bookshops up themselves.

>212 cushlareads: Yes, Jen Campbell's facebook feed is Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops (which is also a great book) and she is very entertaining.

>213 cbl_tn: Me too! It made me realise how many amazing bookshops in the UK that I haven't managed to make it to, let alone the rest of the world. I think my future holidays should be planned around the bookshops mentioned :-)

>214 DorsVenabili: Thanks Kerri. I don't know how I managed to read 20 books in one month either. Slightly concerned that it means I need to get out more.

And you're welcome re the cuteness!

Also, as a couple of people commented on The Bookshop Book, I thought I would post a link to a blogpost I saw today which gives you lots of pictures of what the book looks like.

http://victoriapichel.blogspot.com.ar/2015/01/the-bookshop-book-by-jen-campbell....

Enjoyed your thoughts on Lamentation. It will arrive on US shelves in about two weeks, and I am third in line at my library, so I expect I'll be reading it in early March.

>216 souloftherose: Excellent re: Black Narcissus! Let me know when you pick it up - or I'll let you know when I do.

Wow, lots of booktalk going on here. I was also a fan of Melanie in The girl with all the gifts and agree with your comments, a great read but not the best of the year for me either.
Loved those two DWJ books too, Dark lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin.
I just picked up Foxglove Summer from the library along with a couple of other popular reads, the latest Lee Child and The Rosie Effect, both of which I'll read first as the queues are quite long still for these two. I also picked up Mal Peet's The Murdstone Trilogy which looks promising.

So many books!!!

And kittens. Life is wonderful.

I've got the first Shardlake book on...the Nook; I really need to squeeze that in.

A couple of bb's here; but I must get back to The Eustace Diamonds...still, you've left me mightily impressed by your reading and by your self-restraint in the book buying department. Well cone, Heather!

I just picked up the first four Shardlake books this weekend because they were conveniently all there and the price was good. When, I'm actually going to get around to starting another new series is completely up in the air. It may be years before they see the light of day again.....ha!

lurking my way through, Heather!

Happy Friday, Heather!

>218 lauralkeet: Hope you enjoy Lamentation when you get hold of it Laura. It is a chunkster although it didn't feel too long to me.

>219 Dejah_Thoris: It's a deal!

>220 avatiakh: Hi Kerry. The Murdstone Trilogy is on my library list from when Rhian reviewed it so I will be interested in your thoughts.

>221 Matke: I think you would like the Shardlake books Gail :-)

>222 jolerie: I hope you enjoy the Shardlake books Valerie!

>223 ronincats: & >224 Crazymamie: *waves to Roni and Mamie*

Perhaps time for a new thread?

Please come and join me in my new thread.