lit_chick's 2015 Reading (1)

Welcome to my opening thread of 2015! Was there life before LT? I think there probably was, but it is harder to remember with each passing year.

I live in British Columbia’s very beautiful Okanagan Valley. My thread toppers this year will feature paintings of the area by local artist Angela Roth McIntosh.

Here’s to fabulous 2015 literary adventures, everyone. All aboard!



Angela Roth McIntosh, Clay Banks in Fall, Skaha Lake




February
12. The Patience of the Spider, Andrea Camilleri
11. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Maggie O'Farrell
10. Rounding the Mark, Andrea Camilleri

January
9. The Smell of the Night, Andrea Camilleri
8. Excursion to Tindari, Andrea Cmailleri
7. A House in the Sky, Amanda Lindhout
6. The Postmistress, Sarah Blake
5. The Voice of the Violin, Andrea Camilleri
4. Us, David Nicholls
3. The Snack Thief, Andrea Camilleri
2. A Land More Kind Than Home, Wiley Cash
1. The Terra-Cotta Dog, Andrea Camilleri

2014 Wrap-Up:

The Best:
(Top 5 Reads)
Middlemarch, George Eliot
Plainsong, Kent Haruf
The Son, Philipp Meyer
The Big Rock Candy Mountain, Wallace Stegner
Watership Down, Richard Adams

The Rest:
(Top 10 Reads)
Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively
As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
The Colour, Rose Tremain
The Meadow, James Gavin
The Idea of Perfection, Kate Grenville

Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to another fabulous year of literary adventure ...

Nancy, seeing your list of favorites from 2014 reminds me how close our reading tastes are. Looks like I'd better get to Moon Tiger and Watership Down as I've read and loved everything else on the list. I look forward to following your reading and wonderful reviews in 2015!

Taking a moment to drop off my star and wish you a happy new year, Nancy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, NANCY!!! I look forward to following and maybe discussing your reading adventures for another 12 months!

Happy New Year, Nancy! I LOVE your best of list! Any list that has Middlemarch & Plainsong. That is killer!

>4 Donna828: Hi Donna, we do share very similar reading tastes, which is wonderful : ). I hope you'll read and enjoy as much as I did both Moon Tiger and Watership Down in 2015.

>5 katiekrug: Hi Kate, looking forward to following your 2015 adventures!

>6 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy! Sentiment is the same here: looking very forward to following and discussing your 2015 bookish adventures.

>7 msf59: Thank you, Mark! I had a superlative reading year this year. So many unforgettables: Middlemarch and Plainsong among them. Yes, killer!

Nancy - there was life before LT; it just wasn't quite as good:



Happy New Year from your friend in Kuala Lumpur

FINALLY. Your 2015 Thread!

Happy New Year!

>9 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, ah, thank you for the answer to my pressing question, LOL! You're right: it just wasn't quite as good. Happy New Year, my friend.

>10 nittnut: Jenn, you can stop tapping your fingers on the tabletop now, LOL! HNY!

Happy New Year to you too Nancy. Yay for Middlemarch, The Son and The Idea of Perfection. I love that you are featuring a local artist who can illustrate your beautiful locale.

>12 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie! So delighted to have you with us again! Our reading tastes also run very similar, so I'm delighted but not surprised to hear you also loved Middlemarch, The Son, and The Idea of Perfection. In fact, there's a story behind you and Middlemarch … to do with the fog of anesthesia, I think?

Hope you and others will enjoy the local artist I've chosen. Sometimes I do not pay enough attention to what is right before my eyes.

Happy New Year, Nancy! I've been waiting for your thread, and now it's here!

Happy New Year from your Night Owl! I do love your Okanagan Thread toppers! Delightful.

I see that you are starting the New Year with A Land More Kind Than Home I really enjoyed it last year and gave it 4.5 stars. I hope you will enjoy it too! I might get to starting a thread , but not for a day or two. I am currently finished up A Man Called Ove and I'm quite enjoying it and think it will be a 4 star read.

Hello Nancy, I have been lurking on your thread for some time and just wanted to stop by to wish you a Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Nancy. What a great list of favorites for 2014! I look forward to following your reading in 2015.

Happy New Year!

ooo - I have Moontiger!! Just got it for Christmas!

I am committed to reading at least one classic a month in 2015. Middlemarch is my choice for January. I can't wait seeing you have it as the number one book read in 2014.

Welcome back!

Happy New Year, Nancy! May it be filled with fabulous! I like your favorites list - Middlemarch would make my top five also, and I remember listening to Watership Down years ago with the kids and loving it.

Starred you for 2015 Nancy!

Hello - Happy to begin another year, Nancy. Beautiful painting - I look forward to more from this artist.

Good to se two wonderful classics on your Top Five. I have for some time thought about a reread of Middlemarch.

Happy new year, Nancy! I'm looking forward to seeing what you read this year.

>14 AMQS: Thanks, Anne! You are responsible for my reread of Watership Down, which made my Top 5!

>15 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, you night owl! I am loving A Land More Kind Than Home. May even finish this one today, and it will probably be a 4.5* read. Oh, it would be wonderful if you decided to set up a thread!

>17 drachenbraut23: Hello Bianca, and welcome! I hope you will visit more. Just went to look at your profile; Ayke is gorgeous! I'll find your thread, too …

>18 BLBera: Thanks Beth, I had a wonderful 2014 reading year! As Mark says, a list with both Middlemarch and Plain Song on it is killer!

>19 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy, I am delighted you received Moon Tiger for Christmas! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

>20 Alphawoman: Hi Mary, reading one classic a month is a wonderful reading goal. Hope you will love Middlemarch as much as I did.

>21 drneutron: Thanks, Jim : ).

>22 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. My Top 5, even my Top 10, this year were fabulous, fabulous reads!

>23 SandDune: Rhian, have dropped at star at your place, too. Looking forward to your 2015 reading adventures.

>24 ctpress: Hi Carsten, I was very pleased to have found this artist’s work; she has several paintings of the Okanagan Valley which are just beautiful. Oh, I hope you do decide to reread Middlemarch. I predict you will love it, and it is read by the inimitable Juliet Stevenson.

>25 cushlareads: Thanks, Cusha! We cross-posted. Looking forward to your bookish adventures this year, too.

Happy New Year, Nancy! Lovely thread topper.... watercolour? I am looking forward to another wonderful year of you slaying me with BB's and all that other fun stuff that we LTer's get up to! ;-) Starred so that I can find my way back here. I am finding things a little confusing right now what with posts occurring in both 2014 and 2015 groups.

Love your thread topper!

Hi Nancy, hope you had a good new year my dear and I will be popping by regularly to see how things are with you.

>28 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! Not sure about the painting, but looks like watercolour to me. Looking forward to another year of you slaying me with BB's too, LOL! Speaking of which, I'm within 30 minutes of finishing The Terra-Cotta Dog. I'm finding things confusing right now, too, and am doing the same as you are in terms of starring 2015 threads I want to find again.

>29 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda : ). eta: Went looking for your thread but can't find it; will you put your name in the Threadbook?

>30 johnsimpson: Hi John, NY was quiet as planned; glad you'll be popping in regularly : ).

Nancy - I forgot to comment on the gorgeous painting. it does look like a watercolor.

Happy new year Nancy.

>32 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, yes I think watercolour, too.

>33 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Rachel : ). You, too.

1.
The Terra-Cotta Dog, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 3.5/5

2007, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Summary:from Amazon.com:
Montalbano's latest case begins with a mysterious têtê à têtê with a Mafioso, some inexplicably abandoned loot from a supermarket heist, and dying words that lead him to an illegal arms cache in a mountain cave. There, the inspector finds two young lovers, dead for fifty years and still embracing, watched over by a life-sized terra-cotta dog. Montalbano's passion to solve this old crime takes him on a journey through Sicily's past and into one family's darkest secrets. With sly wit and a keen understanding of human nature, Montalbano is a detective whose earthiness, compassion, and imagination make him totally irresistable.

My Review:
Montalbano’s keen understanding of human nature reminds me of Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache, a Canadian Inspector who, for the same reason, became irresistible to me. Here, the mystery of the fifty-years-dead young lovers, watched over by the terra-cotta dog is most intriguing – made all the more so by Montalbano’s determination to decipher the code, given its Christian as well as Arabic origins. I’ve not yet sorted out all of the the Inspector’s colleagues at the police department, and I’ve not yet quite got a handle on his assorted female company, but that’ll come. Meanwhile, I am much enjoying Camilleri’s Sicilian sun and surf, as well as his crime and politics, and I’ve come to very much appreciate Grover Gardner.

I really enjoyed the 'mystery in a mystery' that is The Terra-Cotta Dog story. Gardner has become one of my favorite narrators. He really nails the personality of Montalbano, Livia, et al and completely captures Catarella!

>36 lkernagh: Hi Lori, yes, I enjoyed the mystery within a mystery, too. And Gardner is superb as narrator for Montalbano and company. Must thank you again for setting me up with this series!

2.
A Land More Kind Than Home, Wiley Cash



Rating: 4.5/5

“People out in these parts can take hold of religion like it’s a drug, and they don’t want to give it up once they’ve got hold of it. It’s like it feeds them, and when they’re on it they’re likely to do anything these little backwoods churches tell them to do. Then they’ll turn right around and kill each other over that faith, throw out their kids, cheat on husbands and wives, break up families just as quick.” (97)

In Marshall, North Carolina, Ben and Julie Hall are raising their two sons: Christopher, the eldest at thirteen, and mute, is known as Stump by all but his mother; and Jess, who lovingly and tirelessly looks out for his older brother. Sadly, however, “If somebody would have wanted to, after Christopher was born, they could’ve just stood by and watched Julie and Ben grow apart from each other real slow. It was like a tree had sprung up between them, a tree that was just too thick to throw their arms around.” (215) Too, both Ben and Julie have different ideas as to the meaning of their having borne a mute child together. Julie believes Christopher’s muteness is a sign from God – a belief which ironically will lead her straight into the arms of Carson Chambliss, evil ex-convict and snake-handling preacher at the local church. When Stump sneaks a look at something he is not supposed to see one day, in spite of repeated warnings from his mother not to snoop, his action will have tragic consequences – Stump, too, will come to know the church of Carson Chambliss.

The story is told from the point of view of three reliable narrators: the elderly and respectable Adelaide Lyle, local midwife and moral conscience; Clem Barefield, the town’s sheriff with his own painful past; and Jess Hall. Cash’s writing is beautiful – prudent and frugal – and his use of the vernacular is superlative. I was fast in the grip of the novel from page one with its well drawn characters and intelligent plot. Carson Chambliss is the eeriest being I’ve come upon in literature for a long time – made my skin crawl.

A stunning debut novel, A Land More Kind Than Home establishes Cash as a master storyteller, one whose work I’ll be watching going forward. Very highly recommended!

“… he wanted me to come down to the church the next day, and I can say that after I did I knew for certain that I’d looked right into the face of evil." (228)

Starting the year with two great reviews, Nancy. Thumbs on the way.

A beautiful cover for the last one, but knowing a little bit of the story it becomes eerie. I don't know so much about these holy roller churches but I think I'll drive by if I ever pass one.

Hope there's some kind of redemption in the story as well.

>38 lit_chick: excellent review, Nancy -- thumbed and it's currently HOT! I agree with you about Carson Chambliss. Ick.

>38 lit_chick: Nancy, happy new year! Your thread topper is gorgeous.

A Land More Kind Than Home has gone straight on the wishlist (darned library reserve limit - ha!).

Great review of A Land More Kind Than Home. I LOVE that book. I got a chance to meet Cash in Asheville and he signed my copy. I've already passed it around to a couple of my friend/co-workers. It is always a hit. His next book is very good too!

39: I am moving the Wiley Cash book up the queue, Nancy. I loved that quote!

Hi Nancy - The Camilleri series never caught on with me, but I've heard so much good about the Cash book, that I am going to have to get to it soon. What a great start to your reading.

Glad you liked A Land More Kind Than Home, Nancy! I am a fan, too. And Mr. Cash ain't too hard on the eyes, either. He's also charming and funny in person... *sighs dreamily*

>39 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. I love the cover of A Land More Kind Than Home too. It’s not the cover of the hardback from my library, but I liked it better, so that’s the one I chose to use. Could not agree more about these holly roller churches. What’s eerie is that people such as Carson Chamblis exist and they attract others into their organizations (churches is the wrong word IMO).

>40 lauralkeet: Woot! Thanks, Laura! Isn't Carson Chambliss a fabulous character? Takes some very fine writing to create that response from me.

>41 susanj67: Hi Susan, I love that painting too; her work is very beautiful. Darned libraries and their silly “limit” rules! I hope you will enjoy A Land More Kind Than Home as much as I did.

>42 msf59: Hi Mark, you are responsible for my reading A Land More Kind Than Home, so thank you for that! Awesome that you met Cash and had him sign your copy. Must look up what his next work is and get it on the WL.

>43 Donna828: Hi Donna, I don’t think you will regret moving A Land More Kind Than Home up the queue. Glad you like the quote; there were so many …

>44 BLBera: Hi Beth, I can see that the Camilleri series would not be for everyone; I’m strictly listening to it which may make a difference, too. I think you will very much enjoy A Land More Kind Than Home, and yes, it is a fabulous start to a new reading year.

>45 katiekrug: Hi Katie, delighted you are also a fan of Cash; I remember following your and Mark’s threads last summer (?) … I think you were together when you met him? Love your post, LOL! Mr. Cash ain't too hard on the eyes, either. He's also charming and funny in person... *sighs dreamily* Ahhhh, wonder where he is appearing next for a book signing!

Happy new year Nancy and congratulations on reading two books and getting a hot review on 2 January! I've added my thumb to your review of A Land More Kind Than Home.

I read A Land More kind than Home in November (I think) and liked it too, Nancy. Chambliss was just such a greasy character. Great start to the new year.

>47 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather! I had both of these books almost finished as the new year dawned. Yes, a great start for 2015 : ).

>48 brenzi: Glad you enjoyed A Land More Kind Than Home too, Bonnie. As for Chambliss, greasy is a good word … and I can think of many more, too! A well written, memorable character.

Hi Nancy,

Apparently my head has been under a rock because I had never heard of or seen A Land more Kind than Home till 5 minutes ago! I am off to thumb your review.

>38 lit_chick: Ooh... that sounds like a creepy book, and also a good one. :)

Lovely reviews, Nancy. I love those Andrea Camilleri books (I'm ready for book 5), and good to know that the audio is a winner. I wonder if our library has those on audio. Must check. And I have A Land more Kind Than Home in the stacks; I'm hoping to get to it this year. Happy Friday to you!

>50 cushlareads: Thanks Cushla, it was Mark who introduced me to Wiley Cash and A Land More Kind Than Home. Another marvellous LT recommendation!

>51 nittnut: Hi Jenn, the pastor is creepy personified; the book is excellent!

>52 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, wonderful that you are also enjoying Camilleri. I'm just started listening to the third one today; was delighted to find so many of them at our library. I do hope you get to A Land More Kind Than Home this year, and that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Two books in two days! And nice reviews to go with them. You're off to a good start. Have a nice weekend Nancy.

>54 The_Hibernator: Yes, I had almost finished those two books before the NY, so I got a quick start! Enjoy your weekend, Rachel.

Saw this meme on Lori's (lkernagh) thread and thought it would be fun to post it here, using my 2014 list of reads.

Describe yourself: The Portrait of a Lady
Describe how you feel: Moon Tiger
Describe where you currently live: The Big Rock Candy Mountain
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Meadow
Your favorite form of transportation: Watership Down
Your best friend is: Olive Kitteridge
You and your friends are: The Idea of Perfection
What’s the weather like: Outrage
You fear: When the Devil Holds the Candle
What is the best advice you have to give: Listen to the Squawking Chicken
Thought for the day: The Beauty of Humanity Movement
How I would like to die: The Beautiful Mystery
My soul’s present condition: A Thread of Grace

OMG, you read The Meadow last year, too? (Did I know this already? Am I losing my mental capacity?) That one's on my all-time favorite list. Love your meme!

Great review of A Land More Kind that Home -- you got me.

Great meme answers and I love your best advice response!

I'm all smiles and very inspired by your meme, Nancy. Best advice: Listen to the Squawking Chicken - LOL - how often we forget that. There are many good ones there.

I dodged the BB of A Land More Kind than Home since I already have it in the BlackHole. Whew!

Happy New Year, Nancy!

>57 AMQS: LOL, Anne! I often think while trying to keep up around here that I'm losing my mental capacity, too! The Meadow was such a beautiful book. I think you'll really enjoy A Land more Kind Than Home.

>58 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! That freaking chicken!

>59 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten! We ignore the squawking chicken at our own peril!

>60 alcottacre: Happy New Year, Stasia! Hope you will enjoy A Land More Kind Than Home as much as I did.

>38 lit_chick: oooh, you have me with this one, I think. It sounds fantastic. Is that Johnny Cash's son, by any chance?

>56 lit_chick: And listen to the squawking chicken I will!! That is great advice, if ever I heard it ;)

>62 LovingLit: Hi Megan, no, not Johnny Cash's son, but I think you will really enjoy A Land More Kind Than Home. And heed the noisy chicken, LOL!

Happy New Year!

>64 LauraBrook: Thank you, and Happy New Year to you, Laura : ).

I will listen to the squawking chicken. I will.

>66 nittnut: Make sure you do, Jenn! LOL!

Why am I not surprised that I stop by to star your thread and I get whacked over the head by a BB. I should just come to your thread with my eyes closed...ha!

A Land More Kind than Home goes on my list! Thanks Nancy. :)

>68 jolerie: LOL, Val, but but but … if you come with your eyes closed, you will miss the marvellous book that is A Land More Kind Than Home. Thanks for the smile : ).

Oh I like "Listen to the Squawking Chicken!"

>70 sibylline: LOL, Lucy! It wasn't a great book, but it sure worked well with that meme!

Fortunately for me I have already read A Land More Kind than Home, so no worries that I have to dodge a book bullet! :) I'm glad you enjoyed so much , and of course I have "snuck" or " sneaked " in to thumb you earlier on. I've got his This Dark Road to Mercy on my TBR shelf, but in these dark day of winter, I'm finding that I am enjoying slightly lighter books for the moment. I really loved A Man Called Ove , which I briefly described on Carsten's thread. I'm sure that Carsten would love it, but you , not quite sure. I'm currently just starting my fav series, with Flavia de Luce, As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust . I have not actually turned a page, but I hope to enjoy it as much as his previous books.

>72 vancouverdeb: Deb, nice job on dodging the BB, LOL! I have put The Dark Road to Mercy on my WL, but don't know when I'll get to it; possibly later this year? Good to know you enjoyed A Man Called Ove so much; I'll skip over to Carsten's and see what you've written. I never did take to the Flavia de Luce novels. I read the first one but that's all; think these might be really-love and really-ho-hum, and I guess I fall into the latter category. But I know you love 'em, so enjoy!

It looks like I've been gone so long, and it's really only a day or two. You do accumulate visits, Nancy!
I'm sorry to say that I will not listen to the squawking chicken. I listened to the rooster that crowed under my window every morning at 4:30 for what I remember as years and years of my young life. Never again, I said.....meant it too.
I have accumulated a great number of new books and none of them seems to be one that you are mentioning here. I'll just have to come back later.

>74 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, the posts do accumulate, don't they? I check LT every morning quickly, and I'm always amazed at the amount of activity!

I think if you've spent years listening to a rooster, then you don't need to listen to a chicken, LOL! Look forward to hearing more about your new books.

3.
The Snack Thief, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 3.5/5

2007, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: Amazon.com:
In the third book in Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series, the urbane and perceptive Sicilian detective exposes a viper's nest of government corruption and international intrigue in a compelling new case. When an elderly man is stabbed to death in an elevator and a crewman on an Italian fishing trawler is machine-gunned by a Tunisian patrol boat off Sicily's coast, only Montalbano suspects the link between the two incidents. His investigation leads to the beautiful Karima, an impoverished housecleaner and sometime prostitute, whose young son steals other schoolchildren's midmorning snacks. But Karima disappears, and the young snack thief's life – as well as Montalbano's – is on the line ...

My Review:
Thoroughly enjoyed The Snack Thief. Particularly, I could not but laugh aloud at several humourous conversations between Montalbano and his colleague, Catarella; these two are a hoot! During the time when Karima has not yet been found and is expected by Montalbano to have been murdered, her young son, Francois, the eponymous snack thief, takes up temporary residence with the Inspector and Livia – and we get a front row seat on the domestic (or not) Montalbano. When he is not playing at domesticity, or hot on the trail of criminals, the protagonist is doing is level best to avoid promotion! But his superior officer is not certain how much longer he can hold back the tide of advancement. Will continue with this series which continues to entertain under Grover Gardner’s tutelage.

Hi Nancy, glad you enjoyed the third in the Inspector Montalbano series, I have read up to book four and thoroughly enjoy them and was very pleased when I found the television series on BBC Four just over a year ago. Hope you are well my dear and everything is fine in Canada, love and hugs to you.

Nice review, Nancy. I particularly enjoyed that one when I read it because of the character development.

The Snack Thief sounds like fun, Nancy! Thumbed and I'm going to keep and eye for his/ hear books. I generally think of Andrea as a female name, but if it's Italian , I could be wrong. Nancy, I believe I may be a snack thief -and for sure, Poppy the dog tries to be. Are you certain that the I am not an escapee from the book ? Created a thread in the 75's earlier today. :)

>77 johnsimpson: Hi John, good to have another Montalbano fan on board. I discovered that my local library has several of the DVDs, so I'm looking forward to those after I read some more of the books.

>78 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie : ). Glad you enjoyed The Snack Thief, too.

>79 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, you will have access to the Montalbano series in ebook and audiobook at BC's Library2Go!. I was tickled to discover same. All of the audiobooks are not yet available, but I think the first 7-8 are. You should check it out! (Not sure whether you already use our digital library or not, but I am haunting it on a steady basis, LOL!)

What fun to find a new detective that grows on you, ehh? This one sounds like a lot of fun. Thumb. I love the artwook they have created for the audiobooks.

I just checked for prices on the danish Montalbano-novels. 46 US dollars each (288 danish kroner). No wonder libraries are still popular in Denmark :) (my library have them, so maybe I'll try one...down the road).

>81 ctpress: Hi Carsten, yes, it is fun to find a new detective! I love the artwork on these editions, too. Going to listen to as many as our e-Library has, and then get the DVDs from my library : ).

Yikes, @ $46 US each! I do hope your library has them!

I read the first Montalbano when I was in a fog in the fall Nancy but have yet to get to the next one. I hope to do so soon as I enjoyed my first taste.

>83 brenzi: Bonnie, delighted to hear that you have also sampled Montalbano. I think he is one you would quid enjoy : ).

4.
Us, David Nicholls



Rating: 2.5/5

“I think our marriage has run its course. Douglas, I think I want to leave you.” (5)

… so Connie Peterson informs her husband, Douglas, on the first page of Us. The next 400 pages are more of Connie making up her mind, Douglas trying to change it, and their adolescent son, Albie, making it clear that he could care less what they, particularly his father, decide to do.

Douglas Petersen is a 54 year old biochemist who lives in London with his wife, Connie, a one-time artist who I think fancies herself as something of an urbane Bohemian, and their adolescent son, Albie who regards his father with complete disdain. The summer before Albie is to enter college, Connie has the misguided idea that the three of them would enjoy a lengthy holiday together: “A Grand Tour (of Europe), to prepare you for the adult world, like in the eighteenth century.” (31) Prior to her marriage, Connie had enjoyed her own such tours, several of them, which she humourously sums up as "Been there, done him." (36) Predictably, the Tour is a disaster: Connie leaves and returns to London, but not before Albie picks up, or is picked up by, Cat in Paris – a stoned, promiscuous, gluttonous accordian player. Douglas, meanwhile, is determined to continue with The Grand Tour …

In case it is not already amply clear, Us is not one I can recommend. I suspect it might have been a good spoof/humourous read, but the thing is – it wasn't funny. What a surprise that it was nominated to the 2014 Booker Prize Longlist. On what criteria, I wonder? Readability? Some years ago I read Nicholls’ One Day and quite enjoyed it, but such was definitely not my experience here.

Thanks Nancy. I love it when LT friends tell me what I should avoid!

Just checked on here to see where I'm up to in the Montalbano series - I've read the first 6 so at the rate you're going with them you'll overtake me soon.

Haha....I was looking at that book at some point because of the Booker nomination but thanks for taking one for the team. I can safely just read other pressing books for now. ;)

I'm with Valerie - thanks for taking on for the team. I had that one out of the library, but had to return as it's due date arrived. Now I won't worry about trying to find Us in the library again. Just as well it languished in my library bag. And yes, I'm pretty sure I'm using our Library2Go. For certain I am using my Richmond Library online on my Ipad mini , but my techy son helped me set it up and he thinks that I can access both via Richmond. But I'm not entirely sure.

A friend brought that one over the day Us and I had such a pile from the library that I declined and now I'm glad I did. Just finished A Tale for the Time Being and I really liked it. It was clever, different and interesting. We visited Japan 4 years ago as our daughter was living there and it was very interesting to be able to picture places while reading the book. I loved too that it was about Cortez Island, B.C. and learned some things about the island i.e. that it has wolves and cougars. We spend time on a Gulf Island that doesn't' have those critters and I'm glad! I loved too the theme about the Buddhist nun. It was an intriguing read!

>86 cushlareads: Hi Cushla, I like to know what to avoid too; so we all help each other! My e-library only has the Montalbano series on audiobook up to 7-8, I think. I'll probably take a break then, unless the remaining books have been acquired. Eventually, I'll watch the DVDs, too.

>87 jolerie: Hi Val, yep, safe to proceed with Us … Pass Go, Collect $200, and Don't Look Back! Go Team Go!

>88 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, happy to help out the team, LOL! I always hesitate to "not" recommend a book because everyone's taste is so different; but I expect anyone who wants to read a particular book will. You can definitely use Library2Go on your iPad; it's the easiest way to borrow ebooks. The audiobooks, I use my computer, and then send the audio to my iPod through iTunes. (sounds like Greek!) Glad you have a techie son! Actually, I expect they are both techies!

>89 mdoris: Hi Mary, glad to hear that you enjoyed A Tale for the Time Being so much! I can see that cover in my mind, and I know it was nominated for the Booker last year. It's not one I've read, but certainly the themes you write about interest me. Another for the list!

A rare 2.5* - frustration when one reads on in hope of a novel getting better and it just doesn't. I don't hope the quote was a poetical highlight or was meant as showing how nuanced and intellectual the dialogue was :)

You have to turn to Italien crime to get over it.

>85 lit_chick: Oh dear, someone in my RL book club has chosen Us for their book club choice in the summer. It didn't altogether appeal before I read your review; it appeals even less now. I've read David Nicholls Starter for Ten which was OK but nothing to get too excited about: One Day never really appealed although we've got it on the shelf somewhere.

>Yes, thank goodness 2.5* is rare, Carsten. I'm sure Us will appeal to some, but I am not one of those readers. The dialogue was about as sophisticated as the quote, LOL!

You're right: I need Italian crime, and I'm over it!

>Hi Rhian, I do hope you will enjoy Us a lot more than I did. It will be interesting to see how the book club discussion goes … I found the characters very shallow. I did enjoy One Day in that I was at least interested in the story and the growth of the characters. Not so this time. *Yikes, I realize that this probably does not help, but there it is!*

So, no then. Good to know. Happy Saturday, Nancy!

>94 Crazymamie: LOL, Mamie! Well, if you're asking me, then yes, it's NO!

Happy New Year, Nancy!

Thanks for reminding me that I need to get back to the Inspector Montalbano books!

Hi Nancy! I will steer clear of Us, though what's not to love about a book with a stoned, promiscuous, gluttonous accordian player? LOL.

>96 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle, lovely to "see" you! It's wonderful to know there are so many Montalbano fans here … who knew?

>97 AMQS: LOL, Anne, one would think that a book with such an accomplished accordion player would at least be funny!

Happy Sunday Nancy.

>85 lit_chick: Skipping that one, Nancy. Thanks for taking one for the team!

>99 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. You too, my friend.

>100 alcottacre: I get such a kick out of that expression, Stasia: taking one for the team! You're welcome : ).

Hi Nancy - hope you have a good weekend. It's almost over here - I've been locked up in bad weather - which is alright since I had planned some reading this weekend :)

Maybe you don't know - but Deborah have just made a new thread for this year.... :)

>102 ctpress: Hi Carsten, it's nice to be locked up in bad weather if a reading day is planned : ). Oh my goodness, I didn't know Deb had made a thread! Thank you!

Hi Nancy! I had mentioned my new thread in post post 79, but I suspected that you had not noticed it! Good on Carsten for letting you ! Eventually I was going to mention it again, but you know, I'm not the sort to hammer one over the head . LOL! Wait til I read a book that I decide is one you simply " must read" or have I become more considered over the past year? Shy, thoughtful, not one to want to knock one over the head with my opinions ? What has happened? Has the wild Poppy Dog put me in my place? Is it my old age?

At any rate, yes I have started a new thread and indeed I am enjoying the delicious new As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust . I do understand that Flavia de Luce is one of those series that one either loves or does not care for at all, but I find it delicious fun and just a wee bit creepy! Your bouncing mouse is very cute and yet tiring - reminds me very much of wild child Poppy the 18 month old err- juvenile delinquent dog. Dave is just taking her out for her second wild off leash run for the evening, never mind that she had one earlier on - out for a couple of hours, wreaking havoc where ever she can! :)

>104 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, how perfectly unobservant of me not to notice at #79 that you had created a new thread! I answered your post and still didn't notice! What do you mean you're not the type to hammer me over the head? Who are you, and what have you done with Deb?

Delighted you are enjoying Flavia's latest adventures in As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust … will be following along on that one on your new thread, LOL! Oh, you made me laugh about Wild Child Poppy … what a girl! Roaring around off leash as many times a day as possible and wreaking havoc wherever she can!

Hi Nancy! Hope you had a good weekend!

Just trying to get caught up here...I have read the first Montalbano and really did enjoy it. One day I will get back to the series. Snack Thief sounds like a good one. Thanks for saving me the trouble on Us. Such a bummer. As it is late at night on Sunday, I am wishing you a happy Monday!

>106 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel, thank you!

> Hi Kim, if you are able to get caught up around here, you are doing better than I! I had no idea Montalbano had so many fans … seems I was last to the party, LOL! I'm sure there are readers who will like and even love Us, but I was definitely not one of them.

>85 lit_chick: oh. 2.5 stars huh. I liked reading One Day well enough, but it was candy floss rather than creme brulee.

Enjoyed the review of Us!! The quote especially!

>109 LovingLit: Hi Megan, I enjoyed One Day, too, but you're right about it being candy floss. Still, I was interested in the characters and the story and invested in its outcome. None of this happened with Us.

>110 sibylline: Glad you enjoyed, Lucy!

Nancy, I am trying to ignore the Montalbano love I see springing up here and there. I'm sure a mysterious Italian will lure me away from my dark and gloomy books and I will be forced to enjoy the sunshine and delicious food of Italy. Best I just stay away. And I still have Dr. Siri lined up waiting patiently.

Loved your reading meme...squawking chicken and all! Have a wonderful week!

>112 Donna828: Donna, are you certain you can't be tempted away from your dark and gloomy books to partake in the joie de vivre that is Italy and Sicily, and sometimes our busy Inspector Montalbano? He has a wonderfully tuned palette for fine cuisine ...

Everyone loves the squawking chicken, LOL. The book, which wasn't great, was worth the time just for the title!

Just stopping in to catch up, Nancy, and to wish you a happy Wednesday.

Thanks for your very useful review of Us, Nancy. It was the only one of last year's Booker Prize longlisted novels that I didn't buy, as I suspected that I wouldn't like it. I have no idea why the Booker juries continue to choose books like Us as finalists for the prize instead of far more worthy ones.

>114 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie : ).

>115 kidzdoc: You're welcome, Darryl. I also have no idea why, or how, Booker juries come to select something like Us given all of the material they have to choose from. It's disappointing.

Stopping by and happy to see the Montalbano love continues with you as well! I love reading your review as much as I enjoy listening to the audiobooks. Camilleri has created such wonderful characters!

Happy to dodge Us based on your review. It doesn't sound like my kind of read.

>117 lkernagh: Hi Lori, have to finish up The Voice of the Violin today or tomorrow; my listening has been lagging. You're right that Camilleri has created wonderful characters!

I think I know your tastes well enough to say that you've made a good decision in passing on Us.

5.
The Voice of the Violin, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 3.5/5

2008, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: Amazon.com:
Montalbano’s gruesome discovery of a lovely, naked young woman suffocated in her bed immediately sets him on a search for her killer. Among the suspects are her aging husband, a famous doctor; a shy admirer, now disappeared; an antiques-dealing lover from Bologna; and the victim’s friend Anna, whose charms Montalbano cannot help but appreciate. But it is a mysterious, reclusive violinist who holds the key to the murder.

My Review:
There’s no shortage of quirk in this third Montalbano installment. First, it is during an unauthorized break-in that our veritable detective discovers the victim’s body. Second, as Montalbano himself later admits, the case is a mess from the start, what with one case after another of mistaken identity: an innocent man for a murderer, a shoe for a weapon, one violin for another. Some things, however, haven’t changed: most notably, Montalbano finds himself in trouble with superiors. Alongside the crime story, challenges strike Salvo and Livia as regards Francois; he is tender and emotional when confronted with his lover’s heartbreak over the little boy. His compassion did not surprise me, but I think his tenderness did. And Camilleri discloses yet more of our main man’s character: Montalbano is a traditionalist, finding the idea of the victim’s open marriage deplorable.

Thoroughly enjoyed The Voice of the Violin and am preparing for my Excursion to Tindari with my new favourite detective. Continued kudos to Grover Gardner who excels at narrating the series.

Hi Nancy. Have you managed to track down any Montalbano DVD's? I will be interested to know what you think!

>120 mdoris: Hi Mary, our library has several of the Montalbano DVDs, but I am going to finish my audiobook run first : ).

>119 lit_chick: Glad to see you're still enjoying your forays into the Montalbano books Nancy.

I like Grover Gardner. A very prolific narrator. He has done about every genre, I think. Sounds very Agatha Christie like plot with all those suspects :)

>122 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather, yes, still enjoying Montalbano. Have you partaken of the Italian detective?

>123 ctpress: Very interesting that you know and like Grover Gardner, Carsten. I was not at all familiar with him until I stepped into Camilleri's series.

I have only read the first Montalbano. Another series I need to get back to!! Glad you are enjoying them. Happy Sunday!

Hi Nancy, hope you are having a good weekend my dear and I am glad that you enjoyed The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri, I must get to the next one myself.

>125 Berly: Hi Kim, I'm delighted at how many Montalbano fans I've found here on LT! What a great place to hang!

>126 johnsimpson: Hi John, and another Montalbano fan! Woot!

6.
The Postmistress, Sarah Blake



Rating: 3/5

“War happens to people, one by one. That is really all I have to say, and it seems to me I have been saying it forever." – Martha Gellhorn, The Face of War

It’s 1940, and Iris James is the postmistress in coastal Franklin, Massachusetts. Frankie Bard, also American and an aspiring young journalist, leaves the comforts of home and travels to Europe where there is nothing between her and the war. Almost immediately, she finds herself employed in radio. Broadcasting from overseas, Frankie begs listeners to pay heed: to the London Blitz, to the unthinkable persecution of Jews right across Europe. But her story falls on the deaf ears of naiveté. Back home, the people of Franklin do not believe the war can touch them. Iris James, like Frankie, also has a story to tell about the war – stories which arrive daily and have yet to be imagined by the townspeople of Franklin. There will come a time for both women, when, in spite of their jobs, they find themselves unable to deliver the news.

What I Liked/Didn’t: Having read other novels about the London Blitz, Humphries’ Coventry comes to mind, I was familiar with several of the historical markers in The Postmistress. I like the idea that war happens to people, one by one, and I think Blake did well to choose a small town to illustrate the theme. Unfortunately, outside of Frankie, I did not find any of the characters particularly interesting. And the notion of tampering with the mail – even with good intention – is simply not one I find very credible.

Good review of The Postmistress, Nancy. I had seen mixed reviews of the book before (I haven't read it). I think stories of that time period are so compelling, and there are so many good ones out there (Coventry comes to my mind as well) that the meh ones don't motivate me to pick them up.

Hoep you have a great week.

Nice review, Nancy. I've gone back and forth on wanting to read this one. I think the audio is currently on my Overdrive wish list to borrow from the library.

>129 AMQS: Thanks, Anne. You're right: there is so much great stuff out there set in WWII that meh just does not make the cut.

>130 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I went back and forth on this one too for a long time before I finally read it. Will be curious to know what you think of it should you decide to listen.

Good review of The Postmistress, Nancy. Always nice to know what people think of books before I consider them myself.

Happy weekend!

Hi Nancy, I couldn't lurk without a hello :)

The Postmistress fell victim to my December book cull/used bookshop donation. Your review just rid me of the associated guilty feelings ... Thanks! :)

>132 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. I generally like to check a few LT reviews as well when considering a new book. I didn't with this one; it's one I had in my iPad forever, and it was just time to read it!

>134 lauralkeet: LOL, Laura, happy to be of help! I don't think you ever need to be sorry that this one was donated!

Another one I haven't heard about, Nancy. But I see it's popular. Well, I will skip that one. There are a few WW2-novels on my tbr-list already.

I read The Postmistress several years ago and I think I felt similarly to you. Ended up giving it 3.5*. :)

Hi Nancy - I think my thoughts about The Postmistress were similar to yours, also. I don't remember much about it, so there you are.

I may be the only one, but I never could get in to Montalbano. Not sure why. Oh well.
Hope you have a great week!

>136 ctpress: Hi Carsten, yes, there are much better WWII novels out there.

>137 jolerie: Hi Val, you know what they say about great minds!

>138 BLBera: Beth, I agree, The Postmistress is completely forgettable. Not a good sign.

>139 nittnut: Hi Jenn, if we were all alike, it'd be a boring world, non? Not to mention a dull LT community, and we could never have that!

I am with you on the so-so feelings about The Postmistress. Yet another book that could have been so much more. Have a good week, Nancy!

I'd been tempted by The Postmistress Nancy, but never succumbed. Looks like it was a good one to skip.

You go girl with those Camilleris.

Just unlurking to speak: "Hi, Nancy!" Now back under cover!

>141 Donna828: Hi Donna, yes, The Postmistress could certainly have been much more.

>142 brenzi: Bonnie, that's just how I felt about The Postmistress. When I finally succumbed, I discovered it was a good one to skip!

>143 LizzieD: Hi, Peggy! So glad you delurked to speak : ).

Just a quick hi ! I'll be back soon - my friends husband passed away on Saturday and today is my birthday - but when I saw that you had read the Postmistress my first thought was - oh I'm pretty sure I"ve read that and enjoyed it -but then I checked and I gave it 2. 5 stars. A book has to be very bad for me to give it less then 3 stars. Sorry that you did not enjoy it either. I'm currently about 40 % through MoonTiger . It think it's going to be a 3 - 3. 5 star read for me. I've really loved her other books How it All Began , Family Album and I'm not sure if I've read another of hers off the top of my head , but while MoonTiger beautifully written, but I don't particularly like any of the characters,which always makes a book a bit of challenge to enjoy.

Well,the cover of the Postmistress is nice, for what little that is worth :)

Too bad about Postmistress.

The issue of whether or not one likes the characters in a book is an interesting one, no? As long as the writer makes me feel strong compassion for the person, a deeper understanding of what motivates their behaviour, I find I can care about people I don't like at all! But not always!

>145 vancouverdeb: Happy birthday, Deb! I'm sorry to hear about your friend's husband; I know you will be a wonderful support to her. Had I known that you'd really not enjoyed The Postmistress, I probably would not have bothered; oh well, no harm done. Now I know … the thing has been in my iPad forever, so it's gone now, LOL! Sorry to hear you are not enjoying Moon Tiger more; I really enjoyed that one. Don't know that I liked that characters, but I must have found something relatable in them. But you know the old adage, it's a good thing we don't all like the same thing.

>146 sibylline: Hi Lucy, The Postmistress was definitely a miss. Yes, I think whether or not one likes the characters in a book is an interesting question, too. For my part, I don't think I need to like them as long as I find something in them that is relatable or redeemable. Beau in The Hard Rock Candy Mountain comes to mind; he wasn't a character I liked, yet I still rooted for him. But, as you have said, this is not always my experience when I dislike a character.

Hi Nancy. I was sure that I'd read the Postmistress, didn't enjoy it much and couldn't remember it but I've just looked back to my old threads and think I must've started it back in 2011 and never finished it, because I haven't discussed it or given it a rating. I will definitely skip it now! I don't have to like the main characters, but I definitely find it easier to like a book when I do like them.

>148 cushlareads: Hi Cushla, I'm apparently in good company with having been less than enthralled with The Postmistress. Thanks for your take on likeable characters making it easier to like a book. I think you're right about that …

7.
A House in the Sky, Admanda Lindhout/Sara Corbett



Rating: 3.5/5

A House in the Sky is the ghost-written account of Canadian Amanda Lindhout’s 450 days in captivity in Somalia in 2008-09. Possessed by a wanderlust which began in childhood, 24-year-old Lindhout quits her job as a cocktail waitress in Calgary to become a war correspondent. Problem: she has no experience, no contacts, and no education to quality her as a journalist. Thus she’ll need a breakthrough which is uber-impressive in order to make her name. Emboldened by vacations through South America, Southeast Asia, and India – she misses the point that these are not really the same as living in a war zone – she decides to travel to Pakistan, and then Afghanistan, and then Iraq. No surprise that in professional journalistic circles, she is desperately ill equipped and desperately out of place. Still, her arrogance (at this point, I am well past naivité) prompts her to make the ill-fated, foolish decision to venture into Somalia, a mess of “raging war, an impending famine, religious extremists.” (Ch 12) Lindhout is “glad for the lack of competition” there, which she figures will allow her “to do stories that mattered, that moved people—stories that would sell to the big networks. Then I’d move on to even bigger things.” (Ch 12) Incredulously, for reasons which wholly escaped me, ex-boyfriend Australian photographer Nigel Brennan agrees to join Lindhout.

Four days into her “work” in Somalia, Lindhout, and Brennan along with her, are kidnapped and held for ransom. She is brutalized in every way imaginable over the next fifteen months: starved, beaten, tortured, and raped. Having no possible way to raise the exorbitant ransom demand, her family is also terrorized –harangued and threatened almost daily by Lindhout’s Islam captors to fund their terrorist operations with Western affluence. Naturally, countless public resources are also spent by the Canadian government seeking to free her. Eventually, a deal is brokered, and both Lindhout and Brennan will live to tell their stories.

The novel was an interesting experience for me: first, it was admittedly a page turner; I just did not want to put it down. And undoubtedly, Lindhout’s determination to survive in the face of grave danger is astonishing. That said, the more I read, the less I able I was to excuse her absolute arrogant stupidity as youthful exuberance. Did she deserve what she was forced to endure in Somalia? Of course not! But I don’t think the consequences of her actions were terribly surprising. If it was a name for herself she was after, she certainly found it – at one hell of a price.

Great review of A House in the Sky and thumbs up. I've often looked at the book, but really did not know what is was about. I'll keep in mind, but I suspect like you I'll find myself feeling as you did That said, the more I read, the less I able I was to excuse her absolute arrogant stupidity as youthful exuberance. I have my issues with that sort of person too, even if I am just reading a book.

>151 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! I was not even aware of the book until my sister read it recently. I'm glad I read it: I do remember something of Lindhout's story in the news. But a bit of Googling quickly illustrated that I am not alone in the way I felt about her.

HI Nancy,
I just gave you a MAJOR thumb up on your review of A House in the Sky.. Your review was so well said and written. I have not read the book but it has been lurking in the background (Heather's picks) and from what you have said I will give it a pass. Interesting that it was riveting as a page turner but the arrogance part and the folly of youth I would have trouble with as well as "let the government pay for my release arrangements". Very good review! Very interesting that it was ghost written when Lindhout had aspirations as a journalist!

>153 mdoris: Thanks, Mary : ). It does sound like a comtradiction, doesn't it, to find something full of arrogance and folly a page turner. But I know almost nothing about Somalia, so this intrigued me, and also the jihadists guarding Lindhout and Brennan for the most part were teenage soldiers, another subject which both intrigues and saddens.

Great review on A House in the Sky, Nancy - of course I have professional interests in this area. Thumb. Fascinating story. We have a case in Denmark just now that are in a similar vein. A danish journalist from our new station who was fired because of delivering false information from Iraq. Well, to make a name for himself he travelled to Syria and dared to enter places no one else dared. He was kidnapped - released after one or two monts, and have just now published a book about it. Hmmm....

Tricky situation. I think it takes a long time of building up relationships with locals you can trust if you want to report and enter danger zones. Now a days news stations send people for a two weeks reporting trip to war zones because it's cheaper than to have journalist living in an area reporting. And then there's of course those who try to wing it themselves...for fame, fortune and what-not. Crazy.

Great review of A House in the Sky, Nancy. I definitely won't read it, though, given your comments about its author.

>155 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. Yes, of course you would have professional interests in terms of such stories as A House in the Sky and the more recent Danish case you mention. Publishing a book and securing fame, fortune, and a place on the interview circuit … all of this really irks me. I think what you say is absolutely spot-on: it takes a long time of building up relationships with locals you can trust if you want to report and enter danger zones.

>156 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. I'm not alone in my criticism of the author of A House in the Sky. It irks me that such stupidity is paid for by hardworking Canadian taxpayers. I think Lindhout (and those like her) should be forced to repay their debt to their country/fellow citizens.

Near to where I live in BC is Revelstoke, a very gorgeous area of the Rocky Mountains famous for uber-expensive heli-skiing expeditions. It is also a very dangerous avalanche area, and this danger is well-publicized daily, even updated hourly on the mountain. Still, every year several skiers are lost in avalanche and/or killed. Millions of dollar is Search and Rescue. I have an attitude about this, too: if one is wealthy enough and stupid enough to ski in a dangerous avalanche area, one can be held to reimburse taxpayers for the cost of rescue.

Wow! End of rant!

Here's Cairo, suspended off the end of my ottoman this afternoon, playing rainbow chaser, LOL! It's difficult to tell from the photo, but his little paws are actually about six inches off the floor.

A darling picture of Cairo! I can see that his paws are off the ground! Such pretty (handsome ) eyes. Yes, living in BC we do see a lot of expensive rescues. I think almost daily the North Shore Search and rescue are out looking for people who have gone missing, gotten lost etc and usually they have gone out of bounds of a skiing area, or went hiking without the proper gear. I'm not sure what the solution is.

I think I see you putting up a review concerning The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and I'll be watching for it - I'm just beginning that book. I did get over to Darry's thread re Moon Tiger . Interesting discussion indeed.

Ah, just a 3 or 3.5 rating for The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - perhaps not a review? Do let me know what you think of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox since has already caught my interest!

>159 vancouverdeb:> Cairo gratefully accepts all compliments, Deb! I read The Heart is Lonely Hunter many years ago, just added it to my library and rated it based on memory. Of course, I might feel entirely different about it today, but it is not one that's on my radar to reread.

What a fine review that is of House in the Sky.

Cairo is so gorgeous!

Hi Nancy--Great, honest reviews here. And a good rant to boot! Hope you have a great week.

Aww Cairo is a cutie!!

Cairo is a gorgeous cat. Love the picture!

Happy Sunday, Nancy! I hope you had a great weekend. Cairo is a beauty!

Just came from thumbing your excellent review of House in the Sky Nancy. I can't help but agree with your rant 100%. We have a very deep gorge near us that attracts hikers every year and several times a year someone has to be air lifted out of there at taxpayer expense. Ok if you want to partake in dangerous exercises you need to be prepared to pay the piper, IMO.

Hi Nancy! What a handsome boy you have :)

Great review of House in the Sky. I remember reading about them. I'm not sure I could get past her arrogance to even read the book.

Have a great week!

>162 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy, and Cairo thanks you, too : ). He is so full of personality. My home is a different place with him here.

>163 Berly: Hi Beth, glad you enjoy honest reviews. My, but I found Lindhout’s arrogant stupidity tiresome, which I know is very obvious in my comments.

>164 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I remember you saying that Cairo is a ringer for your little Midnight!

>165 mdoris: Thank you, Mary!

>166 msf59: Hi Mark, Happy Sunday back to you, my friend. Of course, it’s well into evening here on the West coast, so I’ve probably missed you. Cairo and I both thank you.

>167 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie! Appreciate your support of my rant. With the gorge near your home, you are well aware of the expense to taxpayers of rescuing people who behave foolishly, and without any regard for the consequences their actions will have on others. I try not to go off too often here on LT, LOL, but Lindhout’s decision to visit a war zone to become a war correspondent and make a name for herself was just too much!

>168 AMQS: Thanks, Anne! I remember Lindout and Brennan in the news, too. Cairo is a handsome boy, isn’t he? He is a lovely, boy, too. Full of personality!

>139 nittnut: I have never been tempted either. I think it might be that it is a series (it is a series, isn't it?), and that i don't want to commit to many books over just one. Cos, if you read one in a series you have to read them all, don't you think!?

>150 lit_chick: yikes. What a nightmare. Enduring all that. I suppose she is a much changed person after that and I wonder if she still considers war correspondence as her future. From your review, it does sound like she went in with thoughts of reputation over much else. I'm not sure I could read it.

Awww, Cairo is so handsome!

>170 LovingLit: Hi Megan, nor can I imagine enduring what Lindhout endured during captivity. I think she now refers to herself an author and humanitarian.

>171 lunacat: Thanks, Jenny! I see your beautiful cat photos on your profile page : ).

Ah, those eyes again, love 'em. Cairo seems very observant and alert :)

What a great review for House in the Sky. I heard a lot of buzz for the book a while back but never picked it up. Was all the information about her going ahead with no experience and whatnot in the book? It's mind boggling to think why she would do something like that with no regard for the risks and dangers involved. Thumb!

>173 ctpress: Cairo and I thank you, Carsten. Yes, he is very observant and alert.

>174 jolerie: Thanks, Val. The book is Lindhout's story from childhood through release from captivity. The absence of journalistic experience, never mind war correspondent credentials, is very obvious. She finished high school, but her only job before she started travelling was slinging cocktails … not really the same thing as working as a war correspondent at all, you know?

8.
Excursion to Tindari, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 3.5/5

2009, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: from Amazon.com:
In Excursion to Tindari, Camilleri’s savvy and darkly comic take on Sicilian life leads Montalbano into his most bone-chilling case yet. In two seemingly unrelated crimes, a young Don Juan is found murdered and an elderly couple is reported missing after an excursion to the ancient site of Tindari. As Montalbano works to solve both cases, he stumbles onto Sicily’s ghastly “new age” of brutal and anonymous criminality.

My Review:
As I’ve come to expect from Camilleri, this was another subtle, difficult-to-solve mystery story. The young Don Juan, assassinated on his doorstep, is discovered to have a lot of luxurious belongings for one who comes from poverty. It is in itself a mystery as to why the elderly couple, unfriendly and not-well-liked, bothered with a tour to the historical site of Tindari at all; they did not even get off the bus until the end of the trip, and then they seemingly disappeared. What gives? Camilleri’s humour is particularly entertaining in this installment. When Don Juan’s elderly neighbour is interviewed by the police, she has this to say of young Lothario’s evening activites: the bedposts went clunkety, clunkety, clunk, the flavour-of-the-hour went ahhhh, ahhhhh – as for the venerable neighbour herself, she prayed the rosary. There’s little on the Montalbano-Livia front this time round, but Mimi Augello has fallen for a policewoman in another town, and Montalbano is upset that he may move.

You are positively gobbling up those Andrea Camilleri novels. I'm glad that you enjoy them so much. Great review and a thumb , of course!

>177 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! Keep in mind I am listening to Montalbano, and each of the novels is only five to six hours long. I'll listen to one or two (or three) more, and then I'll be ready for a change, I'm sure.

Ha, I think you do have a good handle on what I like and don't like in a book, Nancy, so you won't be surprised that I am by-passing The Postmistress. In all honesty, I love the cover - I am such a sucker for a well designed cover! - but the premise.... that is a tough call. Looks like you have solved the problem of whether or not I read The Postmistress.... of course, I still have the problem of being sucked in by other well designed book covers. ;-)

>157 lit_chick: - I agree. It is bad enough with snowboarders who decide to board outside the designated zones at ski hills. Heli-skiers on the search for perfect powder in virgin areas need to realize that they are running risks, especially given the crazy shifts in weather we have had over the past 10 years.... there is no such thing as a safe time of year to engage in these kinds of pursuits.

>158 lit_chick: - Cairo! Awe..... Cairo has a "I'm fun but also aloof when I want to be" look about him. Cats have such wonderfully complex personalities.

>179 lkernagh: Hi Lori, I'm also a sucker for a well designed book cover. It's wonderful when the book inside is as worthy as its cover, but such was not the case, IMO, with The Postmistress. You won't miss anything by skipping it, not with so much fabulous work out there!

Yay, I love it when people agree with my rants, LOL!

You've got Cairo's number! He can be perfectly aloof when it suits him. And he can go from loving and cuddly to aloof in the space of a nano-second. He does have a wonderfully complex personality.

>124 lit_chick: No, I haven't yet partaken of Montalbano but the series is on the list.

>158 lit_chick: Lovely picture of Cairo!

Impressed by the rapid pace you are devouvring those Italian crime stories, Nancy - and a little concerned. We still have strangulations and other kinds of killings in Scandinavia. Have you forgotten us entirely? A reluctant thumb this time.

>181 souloftherose: Hi Heather, I think you will enjoy Montalbano when you get to the series. Cairo and I thank you : ).

>182 ctpress: LOL, Carsten! Oh, I am just having my morning coffee, and your post made me laugh! Goodness, I had momentarily forgotten that I need to be keeping Scandinavia on my radar: horrible crime there, too! I'll just finish up what I'm doing in Italy …

On a serious note, the Montalbano audiobooks are each only 5-6 hours in length, so they are easy to devour. I'll probably listen to 2-3 more, which are available at my library, and then move on.

I really have to stop reading the threads and pick up a book....Oh.... Hi, Nancy!! Was I talking to myself?

>184 Berly: Oh, Beth, that made me laugh!

HI Nancy,
Unit One (Danish series) has just been made available in North America so it is a very recent acquisition for our local library. I am a bit sneaky as I see what the international DVD's released in the mystery area that are brought in by a company in the U.S. then I ask the library to purchase them and they do. I love the library needless to say! That's how I have been able to view the Montalbano, Donna Leon and many others. The list is long and they are all at our local library.

>186 mdoris: Hi Mary, I'm not sure what mystery area you are referring to where you find the international DVDs … do you mean the mystery area here on LT? I like the sound of Unit One, and I was just looking at the list of Donna Leon books last night.

Just popping by to say hi. I'm enjoying The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. It's very sad, but interesting. I was reading a bit about Carson McCullers and it sounds like she had a difficult life and died relatively young. I got into Chapter's in Vancouver proper yesterday and purchased one book ( forget the title for the moment) but it was fun to go into a real live bookstore since my Richmond Chapter's closed. I think most people are going to e-books and amazon - the death knell of paper books. Progress -it's a challenge at times!

Just a speak --- Hi, Nancy! Keep reading and reviewing! I'm following you.

>185 lit_chick: It's Kim as in Kim(berly). Glad you got a laugh out of it. : )

I noticed that lots of people keep reading this Italien chap. I got the first book in the series some time ago and think I really have to start giving him a go.

>85 lit_chick: Saw US in the shops, but it just didn't appeal to me at all, so I am glad to hear that my gut instinct was right.

>150 lit_chick: Thanks for the interesting review on A House in the Sky sounds like something I would enjoy as well. Have you read already The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan? I read this last year and I thought it was such a brilliant book. Something you might would enjoy as well.

>188 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, so glad you are enjoying The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Sad that McCullers herself lived a difficult life and died relatively young.

How lovely you got into Vancouver to Chapters! I'll be you miss the Richmond Chapters. I'm one who is guilty of making increasingly more use of the library and going ebook when I can … but, you're right, all of these factors are the death knell for brick and mortar bookstores.

>189 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, glad you are following. I'm doing the same at your place, my friend : ).

>190 Berly: Hi Kim! Don't know where my head was when I called you Beth. I know you are Kim as in Kim(Berly) … my favourite sister is Kimberly. So yours is the one name I should NOT have forgotten!

>191 drachenbraut23: Hi Bianca, yes, this Italien chap seems popular here on LT. I had never heard of him until Lori (lkernagh) introduced me to him on her thread.

Love it when our gut instincts are affirmed, and yours was spot-on with Us. The Underground Girls of Kabul sounds like something I would really enjoy.

Just slithering through. Should get back to Camillieri!

>193 sibylline: You made me smile with your slithering, Lucy! I'm probably good for a couple more Camilleri following The Smell of the Night, and then I'll move on.

Nancy, it's good to get caught up with you.

Re: A House in the Sky, I totally agree with the stupidity of young journalists like Amanda entering countries like Somalia in hopes of making a name for themselves. However, she took responsibility for her recklessness and didn't seek sympathy. I got caught up in the account of her 470 days in captivity and her attempt to escape and appreciated the foundation she started to help educate Somai women. As you said, it was a page-turner. I devoured the book in one day and gave it 4.8 stars.

I think your review was very fair to the book, Nancy, and well thought out and well-written as always. And 3.5 stars is not a bad rating, either. I just wanted to present another side to the story.

I used to live in CO where there were many weekend hikers and mountain climbers who had to be rescued. I believe they now bill these people if they were in restricted areas or lacking the proper skills and equipment. Sounds fair to me.

Hi Nancy - Have a great weekend. You have some great reading going on here. Cairo is beautiful, and I'm not even a cat person!

Just stopping by to say hi. Just a few more pages of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I'm really appreciating it! I'm not sure if enjoyment is quite the word, but it is a fascinating story and such a tragedy. I think this a brilliant written story and one I won't soon forget. So interesting how something like Moon Tiger just does not " do it for me " whereas The Heart is a Lonely Hunter does. That said, I'll be looking for something lighter for my next read! :)

Hi Nancy, just dropping by to see what the latest Camilleri is LOL. I'm glad you're enjoying that series so much. I need to find the second one so I can try to catch up to you.

>195 Donna828: Hi Donna, appreciate your view of A House in the Sky. I also got caught up in Amanda's 470 days in captivity and her attempt to escape. I knew she had started a foundation to help educate Somali women, which is admirable.

Agree wholeheartedly with CO billing hikers and climbers who venture intentionally out of bounds or skiers who venture into avalanche areas. BC needs to do more of this!

>196 BLBera: Hi Beth, Cairo and I thank you. Truly, I wasn't a cat person either until we found each other. He's my first, but I love him to pieces.

>197 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, glad you are really appreciating The Heart is a Lonely Hunter; I do remember it being very sad, and I remember that McCullers' writing was impressive. Can see why you're looking for a lighter read next up.

>198 brenzi: Hi Bonnie, yes, I'm on a roll with Camilleri. I love that the audiobooks are only 5-6 hours long each. I'll listen to a few more (my library doesn't have all of them, but it does have several). By then it will be well time to move on. Carsten has reminded me that his native Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia still need my help with crime, too!

9.
The Smell of the Night, Andrea Camilleri



2005, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: from Amazon.ca:
When a ragioniere (financier) disappears with millions of lire after defrauding many investors in a pyramid scheme, the middle-aged Sicilian detective uses both official and unofficial channels, as the mood takes him, to form, test and eventually prove his own theories … The endearing inspector is, by his own admission, both glutton and gourmand, and the meals prepared for him both at home and in restaurants are large, frequent and lavish. Sly humor, an eye for beauty, a disdain for clichés and fools plus a first-rate intelligence make him formidable both as a detective and as a companion.

My Review:
I quite enjoyed this latest Montalbano case, with its intricate plot and number of interesting characters. Emanuele Gargano, the thief behind a Ponzi scheme, disappears just as his investors are to receive payment from him. Giacomo Pellegrino, one of his staff members, is also missing. Only Gargano’s dedicated, middle-aged clerk, Mariastella Cosentino, remains at Midas Investments – for reasons of her own, we’ll later learn. As the mystery is unravelled, the relationships between the characters comes into focus – and what a focus it is! Montalbano’s relationship with Livia could use some focus – the long distance affair is wearing, and things are not good between the two. But how lovely to meet up with Francois again if only briefly.

Hi Nancy! I saw a Montalbano audio at my library the last time I went. I need to figure out (and write down) which is the first and then dive in. So glad you're enjoying them!

>201 AMQS: Hi Anne, the Montalbano series is entertaining; and for now I'm enjoying the short audiobooks. You can find the order of the books right here on LT, just click on any of the Montalbano titles.

Another Italien crime solved, Nancy. Seems that Montalbano's love life is rather complicated. Fingers crossed - hope things will get better in the next one :)

Hav a good sunday.

>203 ctpress: Hi Carsten, yes, I would venture to say Montalbano's love life is complicated. At present, I would call it on the rocks.

Love the picture of Cairo. It always makes me happy to see everyone's pets. It also makes me happy to see your book reviews, of course. ;)

>205 The_Hibernator: Aw, thank you, Rachel. I love it when others post photos of their pets, too.

Thumbed your review yesterday, Nancy! So glad you enjoying the series.
Do you listen to them as you walk, or while you mark - or cook? I love how you say " Cairo gratefully accepts all compliments. " I think Poppy takes compliments disdainfully, as they are her due. :)

>207 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb : ). Montalbano is fun, but I'll be ready to move on after the next couple. Library2Go does not have all of the collection on audio, and that's how I'm choosing to consume them, LOL. Yes, I listen to audiobooks walking and also when I crawl into bed at night.

Oh, you made me laugh with Poppy's disdainful view of compliments, them being her rightful due! She (and you) and too funny!

Still have to find a way to fit audios into my life...Glad you are enjoying the Montalbanos!

Hi Nancy, stopping by to wish you a wonderful Family Day long weekend!

>210 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. Gotta love a long weekend in February!

Update: Regarding my zero reading progress of late, I've decided to take on, hands-on, the renovation of my main bathroom, which I've never liked. A colleague who's renovated his own home is heading up the project, I'm helping, and Cairo is supervising. So, when I'm not working at my full-time job, I'm working in demolition/construction. Needless to say, none of life's other necessary chores have gone anywhere. Exhausted hardly begins to cover it. Why, you ask, would I not just hire a contractor? Ah, I did just that eight years ago … and he experience is not one I care to relive; truthfully, it should have been a lawsuit.

Well, I admire you like everything for stepping up to the project yourself. Try to leave a little down time though.

And here I thought you might have gone away for the weekend. Best of luck for a quick, successful renovation of your bathroom!

Hi Nancy! It's been a while since I've visited threads but I'm making a heroic effort to visit threads and update my own.

I started reading the Camillieri series a couple of years ago and somehow I got stalled--I think when I had to return The Snack Thief overdue to the library unread. Now I see you have surged ahead--time to catch up!

Hi Nancy. As a veteran of numerous home renovation projects, you have my sympathy. And also my admiration. It's a lot of hard work but, in the end, you're going to have something beautiful. ANd you can take pride in knowing that you had a hand in the whole updating. Good luck

Nancy, did I ever tell you of the huge home renovations we did in our first two homes? The first one was the entire house, from new drywall to new plumbing and painting, roofs , inside and outside and I cannot tell you how much . And when we first moved it, the only running water we had was from the bathtub. And I had to BBQ outside because the stove was not hooked up, due to the renovations in the kitchen? Did I tell that in that house my husband decided he would put gyp-rock over the bricks of the fire place, but after 8 months of living with the bare gyp- rock I tore off the fireplace and decided I would just paint over the fireplace? And that is what I did. Renovations for Dave and I are a touchy subject. ;) Enjoy yourself and just be glad there is not a " better half "involved in the reno! :) Dave and I are lucky to both be alive after our reno's!

Good for you for tackling such a project! Cairo must make a good supervisor. ;-)

>213 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Truthfully, as tired as I am, I'm also happy to have stepped up to the project myself. Going to enjoy some down time this evening and tomorrow.

>214 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Isn't it lovely to be talking about a long weekend in February?

>215 AnneDC: Hi Anne! Have missed you around here, so welcome back! Good to have another Montalbano fan in the group. Will come over to your thread and visit shortly.

>216 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie. It's true that I'll feel proud to have had a hand in creating a main bath I will love. And thank you for this: It's a lot of hard work but, in the end, you're going to have something beautiful.

>217 vancouverdeb: Oh, Deb, you make me laugh with your gyprock fireplace story! Thing is, I can just see you doing exactly that … and I can imagine the look on Dave's face, LOL! I can't imagine living in a house where the entirety was being renovated simultaneously. One room is enough, thanks. Well, actually, it's two rooms … because everything out of the main bath is currently pell-mell all over the place in my second bedroom.

>218 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. Funny you should ask about Cairo the supervisor … I was just about to post a photo.

Here's our fearless renovation supervisor hard at work today. He's our big idea man, LOL!

10.
Rounding the Mark, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 3.5/5

2010, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: from Amazon.com:
Camilleri's gripping seventh Inspector Montalbano mystery successfully integrates serious political themes with a hero reminiscent of Colin Dexter's beloved Inspector Morse. Frustrated by his department's repressive handling of security for the G8 summit in Genoa, Montalbano seriously considers resigning. His attempt to unwind with a casual swim along the Sicilian seashore fails when he discovers a corpse in the water. The inspector's pursuit of the cause of death intersects with another mystery – the inquiry into a hit-and-run that claimed the life of a young boy who may have been victimized by human traffickers. When Montalbano realizes that he may have inadvertently aided the boy's victimizers, his internal turmoil intensifies. Despite Camilleri's hard look at modern-day slavery and child abuse, he maintains Montalbano's gallows humor, making this far from a run-of-the-mill police procedural.

My Review:
I am particularly intrigued by human trafficking stories – modern-day slavery as noted in the Book Description – so I was easily taken with the premise of Rounding the Mark. Fiascos around the handing of G8 security is also a theme apropos of our modern world. I’m beginning to feel somewhat anxious for Montalbano and Livia, in terms of the state of their relationship – and Rounding the Mark did nothing to alleviate this feeling. I’m thinking the inspector needs to seriously step up where his personal life is concerned, but to be honest, I’m bracing for disappointment. Grover Gardner rocks!

Isn't that the way of life, trying to go for a casual swim and finding a corpse! I know that has happened to me more than once, here on the beaches of Spanish Banks and Kitsilano . Can't a girl catch a break, or this case, poor old Montalbano. ;) Great review and I can tell that you are really getting into the plot lines! I'm going to have pick up a book in the series. Grover Gardner you say. Am I too old for him? Thumb!

Nancy, you know me well if you can picture me deciding after 8 months of bare gyprock over our fireplace in the living room , and ,well, giving Dave an ultimatum -either you pull it off or I will. So despite the gyprock weighing something close to my then 105 lbs, yes, I yanked it off , nails and all. There was a quite a crash as ithit the ground. But I'd lived with it bare for 8 months. I good naturedly covered it with Christmas paper for Christmas etc, but there came a time when enough is enough. If you are going to be married for 31 years, you have to learn a few tricks to handle your stubborn husband and let them know that you mean business. I don't need any feminist tracts from Margaret Atwood. I know the ropes! :)

Cairo looks just great. Watch out or he may try to offer some help! But maybe he is a cooperative get- it- done kind of a guy!

Sounds like you're having a great time going through the Montalbano books on audio! I've been reading them and Rounding the Mark is up next for me. The DVDs are a lot of fun, at least the ones I've seen. I've only watched the ones I've read.

>220 lit_chick: lol, adorable! Good luck with your bathroom!

Love the picture of your Construction Cat Cairo. It's always great to get support for the job!

>222 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I know, I have that trouble here at our beautiful beaches too … always running into a floating corpse when I'm trying to swim. How pesky!

>223 vancouverdeb: I don't need any feminist tracts from Margaret Atwood. I know the ropes! LOL, Deb! I'm sure after 31 years of marriage, you know the ropes well, non?

>224 vancouverdeb: Cairo is a true manager, Deb … doesn't get much done but has lots to say!

>225 Copperskye: Hi Joanne, hope you enjoy Rounding the Mark too! I'm looking forward to the DVDs. My library does not have all of them, but I will certainly borrow what's there.

Cairo and I thank you for your compliment and expression of renovation luck!

>226 mdoris: LOL, Mary! That's his new name: Construction Cat Cairo! Yes, all support for the job is welcome.

>220 lit_chick: - OMG.... the hat! The perching on something I was expecting from Cairo. Did he mind the hat or is that is "what did you just put on my head" look? ;-0

>221 lit_chick: - Nice to see you are continuing to enjoy the Inspector Montablano series, Nancy. I agree, Montalbano needs to start paying attention to his personal life... in a number of ways, the man acts like a perpetual bachelor!

>229 lkernagh: Cairo's hat is clipart, which I photoshopped into the pic, Lori! He'd sit with a hat on his head for about one-one-millionth of a nanosecond.

We've had the same thoughts on Montalbano's personal life. Unfortunately, I've only got one last audiobook to listen to, The Patience of the Spider (last one Library2Go has) … so I'm not sure whether I'll see his perpetual bachelor days resolved or not. Was hoping Library2Go would get the rest of the audiobooks, but that is not happening, at least not right now.

>230 lit_chick: Cairo's hat is clipart, which I photoshopped into the pic Ha! I wondered about that! But he still looks adorable.

Cairo is adorable and I am sure the best project manager you will ever have! Good luck on the project and enjoy your last (sob) audio Montalbano.

>231 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura : ). You have been a cat servant for much longer than I, so I expect you know how willingly a cat would wear a hat!

>232 Berly: Thanks, Kim, Cairo is indeed the best Project Manager I've worked with! If our Library2Go does not eventually purchase the remaining Montalbano audiobooks, I may have to pony up and buy some of them.

And here I was thinking that Cairo is more docile than first imagined. ;-) Clip art hat still looks cute on him.

>234 lkernagh: Lori, no, definitely not more docile than first imagined, LOL! I thought the clip art hat was sweet, too!

11.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Maggie O'Farrell



Rating: 4/5

"We are all, Esme decides, just vessels through which identities pass: we are lent features, gestures, habits, then we hand them on. Nothing is our own. We begin in the world as anagrams of our antecedents." (134)

Set primarily in Scotland, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox begins in the early twentieth century, spans some eighty years, and is narrated by three women, all related: Kitty Lennox; Esme Lennox, her younger sister; and Iris Lockhart, Kitty’s granddaughter. At its heart, the novel is the story of the deep and enduring relationship between sisters, Esme and Kitty – and of the tragic decisions which sunder their connection.

Before WWII is even on the radar, sixteen-year-old Esme Lennox, who refuses to conform her behaviour to the social expectations of the day, is committed to a sanitarium by her parents – she will remain there more than sixty years. Kitty, meanwhile, marries and goes on with her life, but never does she visit her sister. Not once. Fast forward to present day (ish) Edinburgh, and Iris Lockhart, her middle-aged granddaughter, receives a call from Cauldstone, the institution which has housed Esme for so many decades, that it is closing and does she, as next of kin, wish to take in her elderly great aunt? But Iris has never heard of Esme. Kitty, now in residential care and suffering from Alzheimer’s, has always claimed to have been an only child.

I thoroughly enjoyed O’Farrell’s beautifully written novel, though truthfully I wished for more Kitty and Esme, and less Iris. I understand that Iris represents the “modern woman” that Esme wanted to be – so far ahead of her time. But I found Iris’s dysfunctional relationships with men somewhat overdone. That said, I did love the story of the sisters, and the novel’s look at the indiscriminate committal of people who did not conform behaviourally, and who were consequently put away not because they posed a danger to themselves, but because they made others uncomfortable. Well done, Maggie O’Farrell! Highly recommended.

"'You know what it says here?' She says, 'That a man used to be able to admit his daughter or wife to an asylum with just a signature from a GP.'" (72)
________________________

Further Note:
Want to include this beautiful quote which I couldn’t fit into my review. This is Kitty thinking of her sister: Kitty has just married; Esme is institutionalized:

“– when I left I thought of the bed, our bed, empty, every night. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to be married. More than happy. And I had a beautiful house. But sometimes I wanted to go back, to lie in the bed we'd shared, I wanted to be there on her side, where she'd always lain, and look up at the ceiling, but of course – (84)

>236 lit_chick: - Seriously, I had my hands on a second hand copy of that very book earlier today and I put it back on the shelf because I had heard nothing about the book and wasn't really sure based on the premise. Darn and double darn.

>236 lit_chick: >237 lkernagh: Great review! Don't you hate when you are so close and then...! Arghh.

>236 lit_chick: Interesting book. While I was at University, I had a summer job at the local mental hospital. I worked on a unit of mostly elderly people. Two of the women I helped care for had been institutionalized in their teens because their parents "couldn't manage them." It was heart breaking. They had been in that institution for over 60 years.

High Five for doing your own construction. It's a lot of work, but so satisfying. We did our basement once. It took us ages, but we got it done. :)

>220 lit_chick: Love the picture of Cairo 'assisting' you with your construction work Nancy. Our cat gets so nervous about anything like that - last year when we fitted a new cat flap (which is a fairly minor DIY job) she got so upset that she threw up... I don't like to think what her reaction would be if we did any major renovations! I hope your bathroom turns out well.

>236 lit_chick: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox sounds interesting - I haven't read any Maggie O'Farrell before.

>237 lkernagh: Oh, Lori, darn and double darn is right! I think you would really enjoy The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. How about a library copy?

>238 Berly: Thanks, Kim. Great read : ).

>239 nittnut: Hi Jenn, heartbreaking story you encountered while working during your university years. Have you read Grace Williams Says It Loud? That's another heartbreaking but absolutely beautiful book on the same subject.

The bathroom, like your basement, will take some time, that's for sure. Both of us already have full-time jobs … but it'll get done eventually.

>240 souloftherose: Hi Heather, poor cat being so nervous about installing a new cat flap. I thought Cairo would be hiding in a dark corner while all of this went on, but not so! I'm really hoping the bathroom turns out beautifully too.

I think you'd like The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.

What an achievement that you are doing the renovation by yourself, Nancy. I can't imagine how much work it is, but the satisfaction of a project done, and done well is priceless right?!?
I've had The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox on my to borrow list for awhile now. Should probably nudge it up few notches.

>241 lit_chick: - Library has both hardcover and e-book so 'whew', although I might just venture back to the store tomorrow and see if the book is still on the shelf. ;-) Hope you are having a lovely Monday. I am engaging in some unplanned wildlife observing today..... a full grown raccoon has climb the tree outside our place and settled in for a nap not 10 feet away from our balcony.

>242 jolerie: Thanks, Val, yes, the sense of accomplishment will be very worthwhile when the project is done. But we'll be months …

I'd encourage you to nudge The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. Think you'd enjoy.

>243 lkernagh: Hi Lori, let me know if you find the O'Farrell at the book store where you spotted it earlier. If not, glad your library has it. Oh my goodness, got a chuckle out of your unplanned wildlife observing.

Will do. On the unplanned wildlife observing, he/she has moved, stretched and scratched a couple of times but always settled right back down to sleep, all curled up in a ball on one of the tree limbs. Rather cute. Anticipate he/she will become more active once the sun sets. ;-)

Thanks for your great review of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox . It's been on my thinking of reading list, now I'll either purchase it or put a hold on it at the library. Thumbed of course!

>245 lkernagh: Entertaining way to spend a holiday Monday Lori!

>246 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb : ). I think you would really like Esme Lennox, and I would love to know your thoughts on it.

I liked Esme quite a bit more than you Nancy. Well ok I loved it quite a bit more than you. I guess it was just the right time for me to make Maggie O'Farrell's acquaintance, Nice review though and your points are very well taken.

>248 brenzi: Hi Bonnie, I think I remember you reading Esme Lennox. I loved it too, other than the point I've made about Iris, but it's good that you loved it even more! Yes, when the right book comes at exactly the right time … love, love, love.

You know I'll not hold back on my thoughts on Esme Lennox, Nancy! :) Actually I expect I'll enjoy it , unless of course I over identify with the sister bit and get snappish at the selfish sounding sister! LOL! In real life my kids tell me I'm a softie and a pushover, but you know, a girl's got her limits. I can give a good stern lecture. Or rip gyprock off a wall when the need arises! ;)

>250 vancouverdeb: LOL, Deb, I am well aware that you won't hold back your thoughts on Esme Lennox (or any other book for that matter!). You're right about a girl having limits, and heaven help the gyprock that gets in the way!

>236 lit_chick: I like the sound of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. I have a feeling that we might have a copy around somewhere, but I thought it was about something else completely.

The culture of putting people in institutions and literally never mentioning them again seems unbelievable looking back on it, doesn't it? On a slightly different topic my own brother-in-law who was born in 1946 had a sister with learning disabilities who was put into a home as a baby and never spoken of again. My sister had never heard of her until she died and the family was expected to attend the funeral. What on earth is the point of attending a funeral if you have never visited in life, is my view. I'm not even sure that my brother-in-law was aware of her existence.

>252 SandDune: Hi Rhian, you've put it in a nutshell here: The culture of putting people in institutions and literally never mentioning them again seems unbelievable looking back on it, doesn't it? Indeed, it does! Unbelievable, and sad, story about your BIL's sister; 1946 is not so many years ago! I had a first cousin born circa 1965 who was severely mentally challenged ("retarded" in those days), also institutionalized at a young age, but he was very much a part of our extended family, spoken of often, home for birthday and Christmas visits, etc. That's only a difference in some twenty years.

I hope you will read Esme Lennox. Would love to know what you think of it. Also, have you read Grace Williams Says It Loud, another novel on a similar subject which is excellent; it was Orange listed a few years ago.

Nancy, I have ordered Esme Lennox from amazon ca. I hope I will enjoy it. I have read Grace Williams Says It Loud - not sure which of the two of us read it first, but I enjoyed it. So I hope I will enjoy this one too. I'm very much enjoying Washington Square by Henry James. It's heart breaking and very humorous at the same time. I wasn't sure if I 'd enjoy it, but yes, quite!

Reading Rhian's post and yours about your cousin makes me feel quite fortunate. I had a great aunt who had measles at the age of 6 , back in the 1920's. She was left quite deaf and developmentally delayed. And yet my Grandma's family kept her , and no one ever mentioned that she was " slow' She was never able to work, but helped out in the family with housekeeping. She lived with my grandma til the end of her life, just as a sister and a housekeeper . A cousin of mine was born with Down Syndrome and has a IQ below 20. He was born just prior to 1970, and again, his parents insisted that they would care for him at home. Finally as he got into his twenties , they felt they could no longer handle him, so he is a community group home and his mom feels he is very well cared for. He's never learned to walk, nor can he talk.

Wow Nancy - away just a few days and your thread have gone wild with comments. First, let me warn you about cats supervising anything. I have a bad feeling about this - they are notoriously independent creatures who can wander off anytime without any notice. I hope you know what you are doing. Although I must say Cairo do look authoritative with that yellow cap and all :)

Great review of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - It really is a sad history the way people were institutionalized unnecessarily. I have just arrived home after watching "The Imitation Game" and was rather stunned to know how they also did that with homosexuals back then - or even worse - put to prison. Great movie by the way.

>254 vancouverdeb: Deb, delighted that you've ordered Esme Lennox. I'm sure you will enjoy. Appreciate your tip on Henry James and Washington Sqaure. I read The Portrait of a Lady last year hoping to love it, but such was not my experience. But I'm seeing great reviews right now on LT for different works of his, so I've got to make note of some of them.

>255 vancouverdeb: Interesting conversation, Deb, about your own family's experiences with disabled persons. Your great aunt born in the 1920s who was always cared for at home was very unfortunate, indeed. My cousin, like yours, got very difficult to care for at home; I can't remember exactly at what age he was institutionalized, probably at 10 or 11 years?

>256 ctpress: Ah, Carsten, you speak wisely about cats supervising anything. You are so right: they are notoriously independent creatures who can wander off anytime without any notice. I must really rethink having Cairo head up this renovation!

Yes, both sad and unbelievable how people were institutionalized when their behaviour became "difficult to manage" or when it began to make others uncomfortable. Woot! I really appreciate the tip about The Imitation Game; I'd heard of that movie but knew nothing about its premise.

Hi Nancy - Great comments on The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell rocks! I've read a couple of other books by her and have loved them all.

For my cousin with Down Syndrome, they literally could not physically manage him any longer. They had to put bars on his bedroom window , for fear he would break the window and jump out and he also wandered away ( on all fours ) several times. I think finally my cousin's parents, by then in the 50's and early 70's , felt that he would be better cared for in a group home and I know that his mom visits him twice a week and feels that he is well cared for - they have out trips , and it's a community based care home with about 10 or so people with similar problems. His dad is now deceased and his mom is in her early 70's, so I suppose they made a good, but difficult choice. I agree, things are so much better for people this days. Looking forward to The Vanishing Act . Okay, I have a book recommendation for you!;) You do not have to comply. :) I am really loving Washington Square by Henry James. I'm not sure if I would enjoy anything else by him, but this both cruel and tongue in cheek hilarious! And only 200 pages of so ( not that I have finished it yet ). It's kind of a class study and sarcastic look at the place of women. I think you'd enjoy - just for the prose if nothing else! :) And the hilariously pompous characters, with the exception of poor dear Catherine.

>258 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, I'm delighted to know you've read other of O'Farrell's novels and loved them all! She's one I will certainly seek out.

>259 vancouverdeb: Deb, I'm glad things worked out well for your cousin and family; sometimes the best decision is the hardest one to make. Woot! Appreciate the recommendation. Have just downloaded Washington Square from Gutenberg.org and will get it into my iPad.

>236 lit_chick: I loved that book. I remember reading (or perhaps hearing) Maggie O'Farrell talking about her experiences promoting the book, saying people kept coming up to her at readings and signings saying "That happened to my relative".

What I've not come across is novels about the experience of leaving these places (but perhaps I've just missed them!)

I read a really interesting (and readable) non-fiction book about this (and other changing attitudes) Family Secrets: living with shame from the the Victorians to the present day a couple of years ago - runs the gamut of family secret keeping, from children in homes to children in India. She argues -

There was, though, an important distinction between the stigmas families truly feared and those that they attributed chiefly to the prejudice of others. Some things mattered only if the neighbours knew about them. Easily mistaken for hypocrisy, this reaction just as often signalled the willingness of relatives to overlook an age-old bias accompanied by a fear that others would not; this is the switch-point between families and their social worlds.

(finally found a use for the Kindle note keeping site! :-)

>261 charl08: Hi Charlotte, welcome! What a fabulous post about Maggie O'Farrell's experience in talking about Esme Lennox. It doesn't surprise me that so many people could relate with "That happened to my relative." I've also not come across a novel where a person leaves an institution such as the ones we are talking about. Appreciate your letting me know about Family Secrets: Living with Shame; that is a great quote!

Well, tit for tat in the book bullet department, Nancy! I've ordered The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox from amazon , and you've downloaded Washington Square . I think Charlotte has just passed a book bullet to me - Family Secrets: Living With Shame. Onto my wishlist it goes.

>263 vancouverdeb: Yes, Charlotte's first visit to my thread, and already the bullets are flying! Expect to be hit by more if you visit her thread, too! As Lucy remarked, dangerous place. What a busy group we are!

By the way, Nancy, how did your bathroom turn out, or are you still working on it? Still working on it would be completely normal. Just wondered. Are you changing colours, faucets - or what all are you doing ? Or is that info privy? ;)

>265 vancouverdeb: Deb, bathroom will be in the works for a couple of months still, I expect. Problem is both of us on the project already work full-time. Changing tub, countertop, floor, paint, but keeping faucets.

Wow! That is a big reno, especially for two people. Interesting that of all the things you are changing , that you are keeping the faucets. Way back when in my late twenties we did that big entire house reno - including 1 1/2 bathrooms. However, though my husband was working f/t , me p/t my dad f/t and his friend , a contractor - we did have a lot of hands on deck. Well, I am glad that you have a second bathroom!

Good luck with the reno. I'm thinking of doing a bathroom; I'll be following with a lot of interest.

>267 vancouverdeb: Ah, the faucets are not original to the bathroom, Deb. This room was renovated eight years ago by a contractor I hired … and eventually fired. I had someone come in to fix the room, I've never been happy with it. I bought the faucets at that time, and they are still current (they were high-end and are quite lovely).

>268 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I'm tired of the project already, LOL, and the room is still a gutted hole. If I'd had a different experience eight years ago, I would never be taking this on myself.

Happy Friday, Nancy!

Oh, I am sorry that you are stuck with a gutted hole! Just shut the door on the whole thing and......... err, hire someone? Not the person you got last time? Oh just pretend you only have one bathroom for a while.

And I am about 50 - 60 pages into The Vanishing Act and totally loving it so far. What an interesting story, but I can see how I might like less of Iris compared to Esme and Kitty -but I'm still early on in the novel. So thanks reading it first so I could finally take the plunge. I had looked at it in the store, but was uncertain until your review hit me hard!

I was just looking at The Vanishing Act this morning on my bookshelf here in Florida! I read it a couple of years ago - great to have it brought back to mind twice in one day. Excellent review.

Kudos to you for remodeling. I have 'retired' from that kind of work except a little bit of painting or touching up . . . Did over two whole houses and that is enough for a lifetime.

>271 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, not minding the reno truthfully. I'll be glad when it is done, but I am learning so much.

Delighted you've picked up Esme Lennox and are enjoying it so far! Can't wait to hear what you think of it. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

>272 sibylline: Hi Lucy, sounds like you are supposed to be reading Esme Lennox … I love it when a book keeps claiming my attention. Thanks for kind words about my review.

I can understand why you are done with remodelling, after two whole houses. I envy you knowing how to paint; I need to learn how to do that. Trouble is I would rather not, LOL … but painters are $$$, here at least.

12.
The Patience of the Spider, Andrea Camilleri



Rating: 4/5

2010, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Grover Gardner

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.com:
Set once again in Sicily, The Patience of the Spider pits Inspector Montalbano against his greatest foe yet: the weight of his own years. Still recovering from the gunshot wound he suffered in Rounding the Mark, his recuperation is hampered by the demands of a new case: the abduction of Susanna Mistretta, an attractive university student and daughter of a geologist. Unable to trust his colleagues to handle the case properly, Montalbano focuses on subtle anomalies – such as the direction the missing girl's motorbike was pointed – that suggest the kidnapping is more than the simple extortion attempt it appears to be. A mystery unlike any other, this emotionally taut story brings the Montalbano saga to a captivating crossroads.

My Review:
Thoroughly enjoyed The Patience of the Spider. It’s an excellent mystery story: an intricate web of hatred, distortion, and family secrets. And it’s a superb character story as Montalbano comes face to face with his age and physical limitations, and “must overcome self-imposed seclusion and waxing self-doubt … in pursuit of the strangest culprit he’s ever hunted.” (italien-mysteries.com)
Considerable attention is paid to Montalbano’s inner turmoil – including his response to his strained relationship with long-time lover, Livia. Our fearless Sicilian inspector has indeed come to a captivating crossroads. I’m looking forward to discovering what he does next: will he view the crossroads as crisis or opportunity?

The Patience of the Spider sounds excellent , Nancy. One day I will get to one in the series. I looked at them at the bookstore , but then tried the library shelves and found nothing. I'll have to look into a hold or an ebook from the library. Somehow it seems I've had quite a few books vying for my attention - but I'll get there.

So glad you are in fact mostly enjoying the renovation. I learned to paint in our second house, but I confess I was doing it myself with two kids aged 4 and 9 and after I did two bedrooms with a zillion holes in them created by the previous owners kids pinning up posters, I hired a a painter for the rest of living and dining room and the bathrooms. It just got too be to much , with everything else.

>275 vancouverdeb: Deb, I think I enjoyed The Patience of the Spider the most of the Montalbano books so far. I wouldn't buy this entire series, but I'm pleased with the selection at Library2Go.

I can't imagine learning to paint and working on same with two small children. It just got to be too much … no kidding! Quite probably by the time the reno is done, I may be happy to throw some money at a painter, LOL!

So great that you are enjoying the Montalbano books. It made me want to travel to Sicily, so warm and sunny there. Have you nearly finished them all? I often like to do a "run" on a series but often you have to patiently wait until another is published.

>277 mdoris: Hi Mary, no, I'm only about half way through the Montalbano books. Going to take a short break to listen to a children's classic, Black Beauty. But I'll definitely get back to our Sicilian detective.

Hi Nancy, I see that you are enjoying the Montalbano's at the moment, hope you have had a good weekend my dear., Love and hugs from over the pond.

>279 johnsimpson: Thanks, John. Hugs to you and Karen on t'other side of that big pond : ).

Interesting discussion about how people used to be institutionalized. My ex had an uncle born around the 1930s who was institutionalized because he had epilepsy. Good thing attitudes have changed.

Interesting to follow the growing tensions in Montalbano's professional and private life. Hope he can view the crossroad as an opportunity. Give the man a brake, Camilleri :)

Ah, Black Beauty - I listened to that three or four years ago and remember liking it a lot.

>Hi Meg, welcome! Yes, good thing, indeed, that attitudes have changed.

>282 ctpress: Hi Carsten, I too hope Montalbano will take the opportunity of crossroads rather than plunge into crisis.

I've listened to probably about an hour of Black Beauty today. Such a beautiful story. You've given me the idea to explore 1001 Children's Books. I was that horse crazy little girl always dying for a pony, so this one seemed a fitting start. I've found all of CS Lewis' Narnia books, too, at Library2Go.

I've been exploring 1001 Children's Books for a while - to be honest I'm a lot happier with that list than the one for adults. I guess that shows you what my reading level is. ;) I should get back to reading them...I have a list handy so that whenever I go to a library or bookstore I can read a few of the shorter ones while there. I should start doing that again!

>257 lit_chick: Going back to the conversation above, I think sometimes there was a little more tolerance earlier in the century. I had a great- aunt Annie with learning disabilities who was born in 1910 and who lived at home until her mother died in the 1950s, but then went into an institution after a couple of years of living with her sister. From what my mother has said, her grandmother was quite strict about keeping Annie busy, making sure that she did her chores around the house properly, and sending her on errands to the local shop. When Annie's mother died her sister thought it was 'easier' to do those things herself as Annie took too long, but of course that was the worst possible approach for Annie's behaviour. She certainly wasn't put into an institution and forgotten though. All the family visited.

>284 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel, love it that you also have been exploring the 1001 Children's Books list. I've just started, but I know my LT friend Carsten (ctpress) has enjoyed some wonderful reads and rereads from it.

>257 lit_chick: Interesting comments, Rhian. I wonder whether the added tolerance earlier in the century had to do with families having more time at home. I realize that even then there were many chores to do to keep a family running smoothly, but life wasn't the incredible rush as it has increasingly come to be. It's wonderful that Annie had her chores to do for so many years, and I can see how they'd be important to her behaviourally. I'm glad all of the family visited often.

It's a difficult thing to say , isn't it Nancy, as far as how families treated those with disabilities . Poor old Esme had some pretty a couple of very bad experiences. I guess it varied from family to family and what precisely the problem was. As tolerant as my grandma and her family were of my great aunt, and she was made a part of the family, I remember my grandma telling me the story of a " terrible farm maid." The farm girl became pregnant by the farmer and husband and the girl was just 16. As my grandma told - such a terrible girl and how could she get in a situation like that? I thought - because she was boarding with a very unscrupulous man ( and his wife ) and likely forced to have sex with him. But that was not something that my grandma seemed to understand. I can very much believe that such things that happened in The Vanishing of Esme Lennox happened far more often than we know.

I hope that your bathroom / washroom is slowly coming along.

>220 lit_chick: is that hat real!?? Cute! I wonder how it stayed on?

Reading everyones stories about disabilities makes me feel very fortunate to only have minor orthopedic issues, and that my kids are healthy and happy. It can be a very different road for a lot of families out there!

Have you been listening more to audiobooks as you've been working on the renos?

>287 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I think my grandmothers would have held fairly close opinions to those of yours. Young girls, bless them, "got themselves into trouble." Yes, but certainly not BY themselves. Thank goodness those attitudes have changed.

Bathroom reno is moving very slowly right now. I've had to forgo expectations in terms of imposing time limits on this project, not realistic given we both work full time already. End of April will be 2.5 months … maybe by then?

>288 LovingLit: Hi Megan, the hat is photoshopped, LOL! It would stay on for a fraction of a nano-second if it was real. You are fortunate to have healthy and happy and beautiful children : ).

>289 jolerie: Hi Val, not listening to more audiobooks, but listening to shorter ones. The Montalbano series are only 5-6 hours each.