Ellen reads 75+ in 2015 (part 2)

Xerxes (dad) and one of the three lion cubs at the Woodland Park Zoo
We'll be able to see them when the temperatures top 50F later this spring.

My Rating Scale:

= Perfect. An all-time favorite read! I shall remember this.
= A wonderful read, among my favorites of the year.
= Very good. Definitely recommended.
= Quite good, has several redeeming qualities.
= Pretty good, with a few things done well.
= Average, and life is too short to read average works.
= A bit below average. A waste of time.
= Nearly no redeeming qualities. Really rather bad.
= Among the worst books I've ever read.

American Author Challenge-II:

January: Carson McCullers - The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
February: Henry James* - Washington Square
March: Richard Ford* - The Sportswriter
April: Louise Erdrich - reread Tracks?
May: Sinclair Lewis* - Babbitt
June: Wallace Stegner - reread Angle of Repose or Crossing to Safety or both (happy sigh)
July: Ursula K. Le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea
August: Larry McMurtry - Comanche Moon
September: Flannery O' Connor - still undecided
October: Ray Bradbury - Something Wicked This Way Comes and reread The Martian Chronicles
November: Barbara Kingsolver - Reread The Bean Trees, her first and still my fave.
December: E.L. Doctorow* - Ragtime

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

British Author Challenge: (I'm obviously still doing some deciding here.)

January:
Penelope Lively* -- Moon Tiger
Kazuo Ishiguro -- The Remains of the Day
February:
Sarah Waters -- The Paying Guests
Evelyn Waugh* -- Brideshead Revisited
March:
Daphne Du Maurier* -- Rebecca
China Mieville* -- The City & the City
April:
Angela Carter* --
W. Somerset Maugham* --
May:
Margaret Drabble* --
Martin Amis* --
June:
Beryl Bainbridge* --
Anthony Burgess* -- Nothing Like the Sun
July:
Virginia Woolf -- To the Lighthouse
B. S. Johnson* --
August:
Iris Murdoch* -- The Sea, The Sea (and The Bell?)
Graham Greene* -- The End of the Affair
September:
Andrea Levy* -- The Long Song
Salman Rushdie* -- Shame (recommended by Paul)
October:
Helen Dunmore* -- The Siege
David Mitchell -- Cloud Atlas
November:
Muriel Spark* --
William Boyd* -- Restless and/or Waiting for Sunrise
December:
Hilary Mantel -- Bring Up the Bodies
P.G. Wodehouse --

* Author whose work I have not read.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'll also be loosely participating in the Australia/New Zealand challenge and the Global Reading Challenge.

Australia/New Zealand Challenge:
January: Wanting by Richard Flanagan
February: The World Beneath by Cate Kennedy

Global Reading Challenge (1st quarter = Indian Subcontinent):
The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee
On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

COMPLETED IN JANUARY

1. Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming audio
2. The Ballad of the Sad Café {stories} by Carson McCullers
3. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
4. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
5. Nemesis by Jo Nesbø
6. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
8. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY
9. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
10. Snow in May: Stories by Kseniya Melnik
11. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
12. Washington Square by Henry James
13. Eventide by Kent Haruf

COMPLETED IN MARCH
14. My Education by Susan Choi
15. Following Atticus by Tom Ryan
16. Report for Murder by Val McDermid

Currently reading:
Deleting images to reduce confusion.

Is it safe yet?
I sure hope so. :D

Happy new thread, Ellen. Our family loves the zoo and can't wait till it's warmer so we can take the boys.

Happy new thread! I am glad you had a good weekend, even if you didn't get to see the game. Nice review of Remains of the Day. It's a fab book, isn't it?

Happy new thread, Ellen! Love your thread toppers!

>2 EBT1002: That just makes me smile big! I love the Woodland Park Zoo, and support it in as many ways as I can.

That photo was worth keeping Ellen!

Congratulations on your new thread my dear.

Happy new thread, Ellen. Great thread toppers. You've done some great reading so far in January. I've added Remains of the Day to my list.

Wonderful thread toppers; congrats on the new thread!

Excellent review of the Ishiguro, btw. I love that book.

Hi Ellen! Congrats on the new thread!

Happy New Thread, Ellen! Nice to see you reading Ghosh. I am looking forward to his new one, later this year.

>7 jolerie: Very safe, Valerie! P and I are members of the Woodland Park Zoo and, while I have misgivings about the history of zoos, I like this one. They are successfully breeding several species of felines and are now building a new area for the tigers. I'm looking forward to its completion. The old one was, admittedly, a disgrace.

>8 banjo123: Hi Rhonda! I liked The Remains of the Day quite a bit. It was a great read for my National Park getaway.

>9 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie and thank you!

>10 maggie1944: Karen, there is a great video of the current litter of lion cubs. I'll try to find the link and post it here. In the meantime...

>11 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I love that photo so much, I just had to use it for my new thread topper. I may keep it all year long!

>12 BLBera: Beth, I hope you like The Remains of the Day. I didn't really know what to expect and I just loved it.

As soon as I wrap up this little bit of LT time, I will dig back into The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. So far it's another winner for my January!

>13 Matke: Hi Gail! I'm glad you liked my review of The Remains of the Day. It had been on my TBR shelves for eons and I'm pleased that Paul's BAC moved it up. It's a great novel.

>14 katiekrug: Hi Katie, and thank you! I'm glad you stopped by.

>15 msf59: Hi Mark. I'm liking The Hungry Tide quite a bit. Have you read it? I'm also looking forward to the third in his trilogy.

P and I watched our recording of last night's "Downton Abbey" episode. I'm still enjoying the series but it no longer leaves me giddy. We also watched "Grantchester," a Masterpiece Mystery series. I was skeptical but I found myself enjoying it in spite of my desire to get back to reading for the evening.

Now, to read a bit before sleep. Back to work and Real Life tomorrow. Sigh.

Happy New Thread, Ellen!!

Happy new thread Ellen!

Lovely new thread, Ellen! And you've almost convinced me to pick up Remains of the Day.....

Your National Park getaway sounds fabulous, and, of course, I love the feline photos.

Enjoy the week!

Cool toppers, Ellen.

Loved that review of The Remains of the Day.

Congratulations on that exciting and amazing Seahawks win!

Just finished reading Moon Tiger early this morning, and so I went back to your last thread to read through your review of it. Spot on. What a lovely review of such an amazing piece of writing. I gave you my thumb.

Hoping that Tuesday is being kind to you, my friend!

Happy new thread, Ellen!

I love both toppers! And >16 EBT1002:! Oh, my goodness!

Love your comments on The Remains of the Day from the previous thread - hope to get to this one soon. I loved Never Let Me Go, which is wildly different, I know, but still, I appreciate him as a writer already. I've never seen the movie (of The Remains of the Day). I think I'll wait until I read the book.

Hi Ellen, just dropping by to wish you a Happy New Thread.

...

Just realized I'd missed the last part of your former thread and your excellent review for The Remains of the Day, which I've now thumbed. That books ended up being one of my all-time favourites when I read it in 2013, and I closely followed it up with the movie, which I had never seen before. Now the book and the movie are inseparable in my mind; one of those rare cases where the movie has truly captured the spirit of the book and is equally good. I don't think I'll be able to read the book again without picturing Emma Thompson and (Sir) Anthony Hopkins, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Are reservations at the Paradise Lodge hard to get? I'd love to spend a weekend there. Sitting in front of a fire, and reading would be a fine short vacation.

Fantastic photos, I love them. Hapoy New Thread, Ellen.

>16 EBT1002: Looks to me like that cub is trying to deflate the ball!

I loved Moon Tiger. I wasn't going to finish it last night because I didn't want it to end. But then I gave in and finished it in bed early this morning - so productivity isn't real high at work today, but wow - it was worth it.

>18 EBT1002: we caught up with Grantchester on our DVR last night. The mystery wasn't as complex as, say, Inspector Lewis, but I liked the characters and it was pleasant to watch, so we'll keep tuning in.

Yay, I found you! :) I love the Seattle skyline pic, but I love the tiger ones even better. :)

What an adorable photo of the baby lion trying to climb up to be with his dad... or at least the majestic looking lion on the rock, Ellen.

I too became absorbed in Grantchester and the book I had on my lap stayed closed. I was telling the hubster that I'm glad there's another delightful duo to follow while waiting for the next season of Inspector Lewis and Hathaway

Hi Ellen! I have not read The Hungry Tide. I had not even heard of it. Glad it's been a good one.

>24 DorsVenabili: Oh, I'm glad the lion cubs evoked such a nice response. They are pretty dang cute!
The film The Remains of the Day is excellent and I think it's best to wait until you've read the novel. So: good call.

>25 Smiler69: Hi Ilana! I agree that, having seen the film, it would be very hard not to hear Emma and Sir Anthony in the leading roles. Even having seen the film eons ago, I could especially hear Emma Thompson's voice as Miss Kenton. Not a bad thing at all.

>26 maggie1944: You know, Karen, I don't think reservations at either the Paradise Lodge or the Inn at Longmire are hard to get. I've now stayed at both. Both are rustic but I think I slightly prefer the inn at Longmire. Cozier lounge with nice fire. I found myself thinking that it would be a wonderful place for a solo retreat. We had a room with an en suite bathroom but most rooms rely on the toilet and shower down the hall. Really, it was a wonderful spot.

Here is a stock photo of the Inn at Longmire.


In the summer, there are huge rocking chairs on the porch....

>27 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>28 streamsong: Hmm... I suppose the football is at some risk with those teeth, eh?
Janet, I can totally relate to staying up late to finish Moon Tiger. Now I'm making my way through The Hungry Tide. Very different, but also engaging.

>29 lauralkeet: Exactly how I felt, Laura. I think the Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis (Hathaway!), and Endeavor series are among my favorite Masterpiece Mysteries, but Grantchester was charming in its own way.

>30 saraslibrary: Hi Sara! The tigers are pretty adorable. I can't wait to see them "in person."

>31 cameling: Hey Caro. I think the photo of the cub trying to get up on the shelf with his dad is pretty cute, too. There is (of course) a video of the cubs and this is from that video. Enough to make your head explode.

Lewis and Hathaway! Especially Hathaway! I heart Hathaway. There will be more in that series?

Have I mentioned that I love Hathaway?

>32 msf59: Hi Mark. I had not heard of The Hungry Tide either but a couple of people, including Darryl, had it on their lists for the Global Reading Challenge. I got it from the library and I'm definitely enjoying it so far.

Another photo of the Inn at Longmire:

Looks a lovely cosy place to curl up in, especially in all that snow!

>34 EBT1002: oh yeah I love Hathaway too, especially how the character has matured through the series.

Oooh, the Longmire looks lovely!

Ah! Accidental alliteration!

Oh no, it happened again!

Apologies.

Thanks. I'll put it on my Bucket list!

>35 EBT1002: Oh, that's lovely. Do they have the electricity there?

ETA: Now I see that this sounds kind of snarky, but I really am curious. :-)

>33 EBT1002: & >35 EBT1002: What a beautiful inn! I always love visiting your thread. So much eye candy. :)

>34 EBT1002: When you do visit the lions "in person," will you take pictures? That'd be awesome! :)

Longmire looks really pretty! Thanks for posting---it could be a nice destination for us. Bummer about the snow, however. Climate Change!

The Longmire Inn looks great. Just the kind of place I would like to getaway to. Thanks for the pictures.

You've got me thinking about planning a weekend at Longmire.

Hmmm . . . .

>35 EBT1002: Aaah, snow and inns just go together like books, snow and inns. Don't you think?
I am thinking to hire a community lodge for my 40th *ahem* this year *ahem. There are some cheap ones that school groups use, I reckon it would be cool to invite a few friends and our collective kids and settle in for a weekend of food and laughter. But now I am wondering if I might just want to grab a room somewhere and just me and my book(s) enjoy ourselves as only we know how. :)

Vacation photos look really nice, so good to be finally caught up

What a lovely spot! A solo retreat has such appeal sometimes. Not that I've ever actually taken one...

Hope you are doing well Ellen!

Ellen, you must be as busy, busy, busy as I've been. I'm barely getting enough time to finish my Lively book before February dawns. I hope we both find more time to read, and post on LT, before too much more time goes by. We of course will not be here much on Sunday.... GO HAWKS !!

Longmire Inn looks fabulous!
Is the entire city of Seattle able to function in anticipation of the Super Bowl!? I'm thinking its party central.
Fingers crossed for the Seahawks!

7. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh




The Hungry Tide is set in the tiger- and crocodile-infested Sundarbans, the large tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the Indian state of West Bengal and southern Bangladesh. Piya, an American woman with Indian heritage, arrives in the area to study river dolphins, relatives to the Puget Sound’s Orca (killer whale) and befriends Fokir, a local fisherman, and Kanai, a translator who lives in the city but has his own history with this region. Piya solicits the assistance of both men to help her track the dauphins; the result is a vaguely tense romantic triangle which provides some interpersonal tension for the real story: that of the region and people who live here. Although southern India and Bangladesh have periodically attracted the attention of world powers and have suffered oppression and great poverty, these islands remain largely unknown. “…yet, in the tide country, where life was lived on the margins of greater events, it was useful to be reminded that no place was so remote as to escape the flood of history.” This history is woven into the stories of the characters and their families.

This novel is both wonderful and awkward, suggesting a novelist still just short of his greatest potential. Ghosh tells a beautiful story but occasionally lapses into pedantic explanations of the region’s history and culture. He doubts the sophistication of his reader. Perhaps he has good reason to do so and I very much appreciated learning about this part of the world, but the result is a distracting choppiness in the narrative. Still, Ghosh tells a great story and another way to consider the unevenness is as a parallel to the tides which are so much a part of the story. The intensity of the story ebbs and flows; when it flows, the book is impossible to put down.

>36 lunacat: Hi Jenny! It is a lovely place to while away a weekend.

>37 lauralkeet: Oh good, another Hathaway fan. I agree: he's an interesting character who has developed nicely. Plus he's cute. :-)

>38 scaifea: Amber! All accidental alliteration is welcome here! No need for exuberant explanations.

>39 maggie1944: Oh yes, Karen. I believe you would love an overnight stay at Longmire!

>40 DorsVenabili: Kerri! I missed you at first. And yes, they have electricity.... It's rustic but not that rustic! :-)

>41 saraslibrary: Hi Sara. I'm glad the photos I share are enticing!

Yes, I will try to take photos of the lion cubs when I visit them "in person." It's a bit challenging because the best viewing area is glassed off from the felines. There is a place where one can look across a fence (and a moat) and if they're romping, that will sometimes offer a good shot. I'll take my good camera instead of just my phone!

>42 banjo123: Yes, Rhonda, climate change is rearing its head this winter. It's been sunny and in the 50s all week here in Seattle. Weird. But I do recommend a weekend at Longmire. The inn is lovely and it seems to attract quiet, friendly, and mellow guests.

>43 benitastrnad: Benita, next time you're out this way, I recommend a trip to Longmire. Even if you don't stay overnight, it's in the National Park. What's not to love?

>44 SuziQoregon: Juli, as I've said to others, I do recommend it.

>45 LovingLit: Megan! "...snow and inns just go together like books, snow and inns."
I SO agree! This inn is particularly appropriate for readers, I think. There were lots of us sitting in the lounge by the fire and the unspoken ethic was definitely one of "be quiet, we're reading." I loved it.

Your plans for celebrating your *ahem* 40th sound wonderful. An inn, a group of friends, good food and laughter..... maybe a bottle of wine, as well?

>46 xymon81: Glad you like the photos, xymon!

>47 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, I've never really taken a solo retreat either and I'm thinking I'd like to do so. Years ago, when I was studying for my licensure exam, P borrowed her brother's VW camper and took off for two weeks of solo camping in the California desert. I'm thinking I would just take a few days at Longmire.... :-)

>48 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie. I know I've been awol. More about that in a moment.

>49 maggie1944: Hi Karen. You've been busy, too, eh? The past week or so has been about the most intense work week of my life. I will stay busy for the next few weeks (can you say "Kauai the first week of March"??) but hopefully not like the past several days.

>50 Carmenere: Hi Lynda and thanks! Seattle is ALL SEAHAWKS these days: "12" flags everywhere (including on my front porch), blue and green lights on city buildings, folks wearing Seahawks gear every day of the week (it's not just for Fridays anymore), etc. I was saying to a friend yesterday that I know other city dwellers also love their cities, but Seattleites are IN LOVE with their city! It's quite fun.

>51 EBT1002: Great review of The Hungry Tide - feeling very tempted!

On the reading front, I finished The Hungry Tide Saturday morning and I've been vaguely reading A Test of Wills by Charles Todd (not a real person) since then. Like I said above, work has been eating my lunch this past week or so -- I worked most of the weekend and I've just been overwhelmed with trying to keep up, and trying to manage the stress associated with all that is being asked of me. Yesterday I testified before the WA Senate Committee on Higher Ed; having that behind me is a relief. Once I got there it was actually fun, but the preparation was intense.

Today I'm working (really!) at home but gave myself permission to at least catch up with my own LT thread. I don't know how soon I'll really be able to visit around, hopefully before the big Sunday game. Work is still really demanding but today I gave myself a break. I went for a run this morning and that felt wonderful.

Thanks to all who visited.

Go Hawks!

>55 evilmoose: Thanks, Megan! It was a good read and might have been even better if I hadn't been so distracted by work while I was reading it.

Howdy Ellen,

I ended up liking Nemesis slightly more than you did. Mamie said the next one is much better so I am thinking the spring to pick it up. I hope you can join me but understand if you can't.

We had discussed about reading Sacred Ground in February but I don't think I can get to it just yet. Would you be willing to postpone?

>58 luvamystery65: I will try to join you for the next Harry Hole mystery, Roberta. Just give me a shout. And I'm totally fine with postponing Sacred Ground. February is a short month and I have a number of things going.

A personal reading challenge that I've decided to tackle is to read every winner of the Booker Prize since its inception in 1969.

1969: P. H. Newby, Something to Answer For
1970: Bernice Rubens, The Elected Member
1970: J. G. Farrell, Troubles (awarded in 2010 as the Lost Man Booker Prize)
1971: V. S. Naipaul, In a Free State
1972: John Berger, G.
1973: J. G. Farrell, The Siege of Krishnapur
1974: Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist and Stanley Middleton, Holiday
1975: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust
1976: David Storey, Saville
1977: Paul Scott, Staying On
1978: Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea
1979: Penelope Fitzgerald, Offshore
1980: William Golding, Rites of Passage
1981: Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
1982: Thomas Keneally, Schindler's Ark
1983: J. M. Coetzee, Life & Times of Michael K
1984: Anita Brookner, Hotel du Lac
1985: Keri Hulme, The Bone People
1986: Kingsley Amis, The Old Devils
1987: Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger
1988: Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda
1989: Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day
1990: A. S. Byatt, Possession: A Romance
1991: Ben Okri, The Famished Road
1992: Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient and Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger
1993: Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
1994: James Kelman, How late it was, how late
1995: Pat Barker, The Ghost Road
1996: Graham Swift, Last Orders
1997: Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
1998: Ian McEwan, Amsterdam
1999: J. M. Coetzee, Disgrace
2000: Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
2001: Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang
2002: Yann Martel, Life of Pi
2003: DBC Pierre, Vernon God Little
2004: Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty
2005: John Banville, The Sea
2006: Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss
2007: Anne Enright, The Gathering
2008: Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger
2009: Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall
2010: Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question
2011: Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending
2012: Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
2013: Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
2014: Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North

>61 EBT1002: oh yay another Booker aficionado! I took on this challenge myself beginning in 2007. Like you I had already read a few. It took me a few years to finish but I was so glad I did it. Now I'm in "maintenance mode," reading each year's winner. Because, you know, it's important to be able to say I've read them all!!

>51 EBT1002: Adding The Hungry Tide to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Ellen.

>61 EBT1002: Well, I have read seven of those. I guess it's worth noting that I really enjoyed all of them.

Good Morning, Ellen! Almost Friday. Almost.

>60 EBT1002: Exactly. We spent some little time teaching youngsters that fairness doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means.

>61 EBT1002: Oh, Ellen, what a treat you have coming up (eventually) in Possession, The God of Small Things, and Bring Up the Bodies! While I am a serious FAIL at completing reading challenges, I see that I've read many Booker winners just because. Of them, the three I mentioned are books that will stay with you a long time.

And more Hathaway love here. Serious Hathaway love.

Oh, I look forward to hearing your take on the Booker winners, Ellen. I've read some, but missed many. My favorite of the ones I've read, besides The Narrow Road to the Deep North and The Remains of the Day, which you've read, is Possession. You should have a good time with that one.

Hi Ellen, you're very brave to have taken on this new challenge. I have a more general "Booker" challenge I set for myself, which is to read any Booker book, whether Short or Longlisted or actually a Booker winner, but I've not tied myself down to reading all the winners necessarily either, just the ones on the various lists I feel inspired to read for whatever reason. I guess I don't have the makings of a completist. Must obey my capricious moods too much to be able to do that! :-) I did just now take a minute to count how many of the winners I've read so far, and was surprised to find I've got 22 covered at this point, which isn't so bad considering I haven't set out to get them all.

Your little visual on equality vs justice had me reflecting on the question for a good while. Very effective.

I have too many lists going already for this year, but I have read 5 of the Bookers and I am sure more will happen...sooner or later. I have 4 others already on the shelf. And that doesn't count short-listed ones. Lists are so much fun as long as there is no have-to on it. ;)

>61 EBT1002: I'd just been thinking of starting the same thing, after realising I'd already read 8 of them, and enjoyed them all so far. I may have to join you :)

Great idea for the Booker Challenge. I'd love to do that but too many other challenges at the moment. My favourite Booker winners are Moon Tiger (it is safe to say that here isn't it?), The Remains of the Day, Possession and Rites of Passage.

Good luck with your Booker challenge, Ellen. I will echo what others said about Possession - awesome. I was looking for a new ebook to read at the gym today, and my library has a copy of How to Be Both, which I know you enjoyed. It was interesting, because the ebook allows me to choose the order in which I read the story. I'm not sure it will work as a gym book, but I thought that was a pretty cool feature.

Happy almost Friday. I hope you are able to relax over the weekend and enjoy the BIG GAME.

I loved Possession. It was simple magical.

I have also been trying to read the booker winners - both short list and winners. It is a very interesting list and some years I get more of the books read than I do in other years.

I have read 15 of the Bookers, and liked most of them. The only one I really hated was The Bone People -- which I realize is inexplicably to me popular with many.

Maybe I should take up a Booker Challenge of my own.

Looking into working out the details of a Booker Challenge, according to my calculations, there have been 49 winners (I've read 7), and 273 shortlisted books! (I've read 18). This will be quite a long challenge!

Hi Ellen, I wish you a lovely weekend.

Go Hawks!

I hope you have a great place, and good company, and excellent foods and drinks, for the Seattle's spotlight sports event, tomorrow.

>51 EBT1002: I'm interested in reading this author, but will probably start with Sea of Poppies. That seems like the way to go, right?

>60 EBT1002: True and what a helpful little graphic!

>61 EBT1002: Like many others, I too have an ongoing Booker thing (winners, shortlists, and longlists). I have no time limit and there are 2 or 3 authors I'll probably always avoid. Also, if I like a winner, sometimes I like to focus on the shortlist for that year, thinking that perhaps the judges were particularly good. However, this has not always been a successful strategy. Ha!

Go Seahawks! RIchard Sherman's significant other better wait until Monday to have the baby! :-)

Hi Ellen! I just booked a weekend at the National Park Inn at Longmire. I mentioned it and it turned out that Mrs. Banjo has "always wanted to go to Rainier." Hopefully we will get some snow!

Hi Ellen - like Kerri (#77) would start a series with the second book....

I hope you get some time to do some game-related festivities this weekend. Serena won her 19th title! I really don't care about the men's final.

>62 lauralkeet: Well, of course it's important to be able to say you've read them all! Who on Earth would do this challenge and then not keep up? Only someone completely lacking in pride. Or a bit short of geeky obsessiveness. :-)

>63 alcottacre: Oh good, Stasia. I hope you like The Hungry Tide when you get around to it.

>64 Crazymamie: Well, Mamie, it turns out that I have read 13 of them. Only 34 to go. It will take me a few years.

And this was a Friday I was sooooo glad to see arrive!

>65 Matke: Gail, I'm glad you like my "comic" strip. It can be a challenging concept for folks to get. I thought this image really brought it home.

I have both Possession and Bring Up the Bodies in my TBR library and have looked forward to getting to them. I think I gave The God of Small Things a half-hearted attempt a few years ago and bailed pretty early. I will give it an honest try as I make my way through this new personal challenge.

>66 jnwelch: Another recommendation for Possession. It seems that I need to get to this one soon!

>67 Smiler69: Ilana, you'll notice that my Booker-winner challenge has no timeline associated with it. :-)
So, I'm not sure how brave I really am. I think I have approached the Bookers more like you do, allowing my whims to lead me. In real (non-reading) life, I tend to get excited about a challenge, hobby, or project and lose interest before it's done. With reading, I'm not as compulsive as some (there are oodles of unfinished series out there) but I do like the idea of this one.

Even with your whimsical approach, you've read 22 of them! That's pretty good.

I'm glad the visual gave you some good reflection time. I supervise the department on campus that provides accommodations for students with disabilities and this captures the dialogue that sometimes occurs with faculty and others.

>68 Berly: Some sick part of me wants to read all the long-listed, or at least all the short-listed Bookers, Kim. But I'm learning to be careful not to structure my reading too much or it ends up adding pressure to my life. For example, I did a few TIOLI challenges this month but I'm making myself promise not to get sucked into it again in February. They are fun but they add to my overall pressure to read certain things. I like challenges and I really want some flexibility in my reading life.

>69 evilmoose: Come on in, Megan! The water's reading's fine!

>70 SandDune: Well, Rhian, as I said to Ilana up there, I don't have a timeline for this Booker Winner Challenge. You can definitely say that Moon Tiger is among your favorites. I gave it five stars. And I note that Possession is on your list, too. Gail and Joe already mentioned it. Since it appears to be leading the informal (and absolutely unannounced) nominations, I think I'll plan to take that to Kauai with me in March.

>71 BLBera: Okay, Beth, that cements it. Four nominations from trusted reading friends. Maybe I won't even wait for the Kauai vacation to read Possession!

So, in which order did you elect to read the parallel stories in How to be both?

I'm nervous and excited about tomorrow. This city is BLUE AND GREEN. It's crazy fun.

>72 benitastrnad: Benita, you are nomination number five for Possession. It's a slam dunk.
Yeah, I've started "trying" to read all the Booker nominees in the past couple of years. So far I have not completed 100% of long-listed books. This year I purchased at least one that I have decided not to read (J, which seems not to have a touchstone -- probably because so many people have hated it - ha!).

>73 banjo123: Rhonda, if you've read 15 of them, you're about a third of the way there, right? I tried The Bone People eons ago and couldn't get into it. I'm doing a shared read of it this August, I think, and it will be interesting to see how it lands on me now.

>74 evilmoose: Oh Megan, if you take on the whole nominations list, it will indeed take a while. You could join me for the Booker Winners challenge first, and then do the non-winning short-listed books, and then wrap up with the non-winning and non-short-listed long-listed novels. It would take a while, right?

>75 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, for my weekly sheep-in-the-snow picture! I am giving myself this whole weekend with NO WORK (okay, I responded to one work email this morning). I need this break.

>76 maggie1944: Karen!! WOOT!!
We were going to stay home and do our intense (and not very pleasant for others) watching in the basement. However, last evening we attended an HRC event at the home of friends of friends -- and I decided that I really want to be sociable. I have been assured that the women attending the party will be watching the game. I just don't want to go to a party and be surrounded by non-football-fans. I think this will be a fun gathering. Especially if our Seahawks win! I hope you also have somewhere fun and friendly to watch the game!

At work yesterday, six of us were wearing Seahawks jerseys: five Wilson and one Twelve.

I plan to wear my Kam Chancellor jersey tomorrow.

GO HAWKS!

Ellen, if you're going to read Possession soon, I'm tempted to join you for a reread. I'll get it out and put it on my reread shelf... Go Seahawks.

>77 DorsVenabili: Hey Kerri! Sea of Poppies is the first in his trilogy, River of Smoke being second. So, you could read The Hungry Tide first as it is not related to those two. However, I do think that Sea of Poppies is a better novel and more challenging to read. So yes, I suggest you start there. Just don't bail too early because it improves as you move into it.

I'm glad you like the graphic!

My Booker Winner Challenge definitely has no timeline associated. I like your thinking that if a winner is particularly good, one might conclude that the judges were especially on target that year and that the long- and short-listed novels would be worth reading. I think a number of people would say that 2014, at least, definitely didn't work out that way. A couple of outstanding novels and a couple that were really sub-par.

I am anxious and excited about tomorrow. I really want this win!!

And yes to "Little Petey" waiting at least until Monday to decide to start being born!

>78 banjo123: Oh, Rhonda, I hope you have a wonderful time at Longmire. Really, even if you don't get snow, it's a lovely escape. Take reading material. Oh, and take slippers because you can wear them down to the lounge to read by the fire. They also have puzzles and games. And the staff are very friendly.

Also, summertime trips to Rainier are well worth it. The hike up to Panorama Point when the wildflowers are out -- it's just stunning.

>79 BLBera: LOL. Well, it turns out that The Hungry Tide is not part of Ghosh's trilogy so she could read it first. Still, I recommend Sea of Poppies as a starting place. :-)

We're sitting here watching the replay of Serena's win over Sharapova. P recorded it and got up this morning, watched it downstairs while I sat up in bed reading. Like you, I have no interest in the men's final this year.

>86 BLBera: Beth, I'm thinking I'll read it the first week of March, while on Kauai. I would love to have you do a reread along with me. I think it's a novel that might be well-suited to discussion. Yes?

I think it is suited for discussion although when my book club read it, I was the only person who liked it. So I've always been wary about recommending it. I think people who live among academics can appreciate it more than those who are removed from that world. At least that's one theory. I think Byatt is brilliant.

I'll pencil it in for March and if that doesn't work, no problem.

>91 BLBera: "I think people who live among academics can appreciate it more than those who are removed from that world."
Well, then I should find it interesting! It has been in my TBR library for a very long time and I've been a bit intimidated by it. But the praise around here is resounding!

I'm not going to bother with comments but I did finish two more books in the past couple of days.

7. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

8. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

Next up:

>80 EBT1002: I knew you'd understand ...

I think it's smart to have no time limit for your Booker challenge. After all, since there's a new winner every year, it's kind of a perpetual challenge isn't it?

As for the short- and long-lists, I keep track of the shortlisted books I've read but not actively trying to read them all. I don't pay much attention to the longlist after the prize is announced for that year.

Every time I read your challenges regarding Booker, and TIOLI, I chant: la la la la la with my fingers over my eyes. I need no more challenges. For example, I worked 6 hours straight at Instacart yesterday and although I made a nice "chunk of change" I am very tired this morning.

I'm picking along at the beginning of Brideshead Revisited, enjoying the writing, and thinking how very little I care about what young men were doing in their colleges in England. I know, I know, it gets better, and I will care eventually, but right now I feel like I'm doing a school assignment.

This morning I think I'll tackle the graphic fantasy book I decided to try for Fantasy February.

I am very excited to watch the football game this afternoon! I need some romping and stomping and hollering! And a great big happy win. Go Seahawks. I hope Cam is good to play, I hope the baby stays away, and I hope the team will make the Day! (whoops, I did not mean to start that silly rhyme.) Again, let me type: GO SEAHAWKS !!!!!!

Go Seahawks.

That is all.

Happy Sunday, Ellen! Looking forward to your thoughts on The Paying Guests. I think I will read The Night Watch, since I have had that one of shelf forever.

Go Seahawks!!

Hi Ellen - I'm another huge fan of Possession, but it's certainly true that it does not appeal to everyone. I'm sorry A Test of Wills didn't work for you. I read it when it was first published so I only recall it in a general way, but I liked it enough that I've read all the rest of the series. I'm on the library hold list for The Paying Guests, but I think it's going to be a while. I'm planning on Tipping the Velvet for February.

And best of luck to the Seahawks!

Becca picked up Paying Guests yesterday at ALA, Ellen, the only Sarah Waters she hasn't read. She's a big fan.

I'll bet the excitement is rising over where you are - Go Seahawks!

Have fun today, Ellen, and remember to breathe!!

>95 lauralkeet: "I keep track of the shortlisted books I've read..."
Spreadsheet?

>96 maggie1944: I'm going to read Brideshead Revisited this month, Karen. I'll be interested in how we both like it. Certainly I got lots of encouragement around here to choose that one!

The challenges can get overwhelming and my life these days is plenty overwhelming so I'm being picky about which new challenges I embrace. I know some folks are trying to read one work by every Pulitzer winner, or one book published in each year since the dawn of time, etc. I'm not even going to look at the TIOLI challenges this month!

The game today should be exciting. I am quite nervous. We're going to some friends' house up in Wallingford. I have to try not to clench my teeth through the whole thing.

>97 Matke: Yes, Gail, today that is all. :-)

>98 msf59: Mark, I hope you like The Night Watch. I just read it last year and liked it pretty well. I have heard the opinion that Fingersmith is her most satisfying.

Thanks for the cheer for my team!

>99 Dejah_Thoris: Oh Dejah, I think you're in for a treat with Tipping the Velvet. It's been a few years since I read it, but I still have some vivid images in my mind from some of the scenes.

For me, 2.5 stars is "average" so A Test of Wills was, well, average. It's not that I didn't enjoy it but I wasn't swept away and there were no moments of joy -- you know, those savory moments in reading when a passage or event or shift in character just gives you so much pleasure. It's also the case that I read A Test of Wills during one of the most stressful weeks of my life (a friend said "your work pain is just so intense right now, Ellen"), so my concentration was pretty poor. I'm not sure I could have read anything more demanding than an average mystery novel!

And thank you, m'dear, for the good luck wish for my team.

>100 jnwelch: I hope Becca likes The Paying Guests. I'm barely into it but so far it's capturing my attention and my imagination.

Seattle is giddy with excitement this weekend. Everywhere you go, folks are wearing Seahawks gear, saying "Go Hawks" as they give you change at the grocery store, etc. It's really fun.

>101 katiekrug: WOOT!! I'm hoping for some serious Legion of Boom action today, Katie. We need our defense to be solid and strong against Tom Brady and his guys. AND we need Russell Wilson to find Willson, Kearse, and Baldwin a few times. I'm a nervous wreck the closer we get to game time!

Oh. Breathe. Right. I'll remember that.

February reading plans:

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters -- currently reading
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Washington Square by Henry James
The World Beneath by Cate Kennedy
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
The Martian by Andy Weir -- currently reading (but stalled)

Not sure what else....

>60 EBT1002: *LOVE*
This is a great simple image to explain the difference.

>93 EBT1002: I guess I need to read some Carson McCullers then. Still. :)

Your boys are looking good!

I also love your idea of a formal Booker Prize challenge. Let's see...by my count I've read 21 Booker winners so far, and own 13 others.

Uh oh, the Patriots are knocking on the Seahawks' door...

*sad face*

What an idiotic play call on the goal line. Seriously, I could do better than that. :(

My God. What a stupid, stupid call.

Yeah.

>102 EBT1002: spreadsheet? Why of course!!

Sorry about the Seahawks ...

Sorry about the Seahawks, Ellen. So close! Pete Carroll was classy about the bad play call. What a catch on the sideline before that!

Hope you're doing okay. I'm sure there's a lot of disappointment in the city.

>105 LovingLit: I'm glad you like the image, Megan. I agree: simple and clear.

You really do need to read something by Carson McCullers. Just sayin'.

>106 kidzdoc: Darryl, you could tackle (ugh, bad metaphor) the Booker Winners challenge without breaking a sweat. Maybe I'll inspire you to do it!

My boys were looking good for a while there. *sigh*

>107 maggie1944: I agree, Karen. *sad face*

>108 BLBera: One can not count the number of times I have said, or had said to me: "2nd and goal on the 1-yard line, 28 seconds in the game, you have two timeouts and one of the best running backs in the league. Don't. Throw. The. Ball." Football 101. Oh well.

>109 katiekrug: Yep. (See comment to Beth above.)

>110 ronincats: and another "what she said." It was so frustrating!

>111 lauralkeet: I really must get over my phobia of spreadsheets, Laura. And thank you for the condolences.

>112 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. It helps to have friends to lean on. Also, yes, the catch by Kearse to get us that close was incredible! He also happens to be a UW Husky so I love seeing him be successful. Had we won, that would have been the play of the game. I still saw lots of people wearing Seahawks gear today and the 12 flag still flies proudly on top of the Space Needle. We love our team still.

And just to keep things in perspective, I learned today that a dear colleague has a second recurrence of cancer and has to have surgery (again) on Wednesday. Her first bout with the evil disease was in 2005, it returned in 2012, and now it has come back again. I know she is trying hard to be optimistic but I'm feeling terribly, terribly afraid and sad. She is in her 40s and is one of the kindest, most generous souls on Earth. It certainly makes a football loss seem inconsequential.

Take care everyone. I'll check back in later this week and try to do some more thread-visiting.

Oh, and I'm enjoying The Paying Guests so far.

Take care, Ellen. Good luck to your friend.

Dear Ellen, I was going to commiserate with you about the Seahawks, but I find that I must instead extend sympathy for your friend's recurrence of cancer. Blessings upon her and her surgical team.
I put The Paying Guests on my Kindle, but picked up The Little Stranger instead..... Go figure.
Looking over the Booker winners, I can give my wholehearted recommendations for Bring Up the Bodies, Possession, The God of Small Things and The Bone People. (Don't read those last two at all close to each other.) There are some real stinkers there too, I think, but other people loved them, so I'll keep my mouth shut.

Perspective is a great gift so we can focus on the truly important matters in life. My heart goes out to you and to your friend and her friends and family. That disease is so devastating, it just breaks hearts.

I also noted how much Seattle is holding on to its love for the football boys. And Coach is the best. Sad to see some of the departures from the coaching staff because I know how successful they have been this year.

Also, so very sad to hear of your colleagues' pain at the U. of Wisconsin and their governor's decision to slice and dice the higher education institution which has shined as excellent for decades. Can't help but reflect that all these folks who consider the USA to be so "exceptional" owe much of what they are proud came from the pure research which has occurred at our fine institutions of higher learning. Another sad face *

#117
Agreed about Scott Walker and what he is doing in Wisconsin. However, I think that some of the blame for this should fall on Academe. Our leaders haven't been leading. At UA our president refuses to take on the legislature or the Governor because she doesn't want to call attention to us. I think that the lack of attention, or explanation about what we do and why, is coming back to bite us.

Hugs for both news.
You are so right about perspective.
Sending healing thoughts for your friend!

More healing thoughts being sent to your friend, Ellen. (((hugs))) to you.

>114 EBT1002: Thinking of you and your friend today, Ellen. Take care.

I would be in for a booker challenge, oh, hang on. I think I am already partaking in my own personal challenge there, but am at standstill. :(

So sorry for your friend.

...waving Hi!....

Sorry to hear about your friend, Ellen. Keep us updated.

Glad you are enjoying The Paying Guests. I am really enjoying the Night Watch, a 100 pages in.

♥ ♥ ♥

See you on Monday?

Oh Ellen, I'm so sorry to read of your colleague's relapse. Yes! it does put a lot into perspective.

I popped in to say hello, Ellen, but I see you have more pressing concerns on your mind. I am so sorry and hope that your collegue does okay. A friend of mine just lost her husband to colon cancer - a very sudden thing - diagnosed in Oct 2015 and passed away Jan 22 2015. He was just 52. It helped put things into perspective for me too.

Possible Portland Meet-Up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/187289

So sorry to hear about your friend too! Take care and hugs.

>87 EBT1002: I think a number of people would say that 2014, at least, definitely didn't work out that way. I don't think I read any of those. There was another recent year that was not great. It was the Sense of an Ending year I think. I tend to like the 70s selections a lot. 1970s Commonwealth fiction really resonates with me for some bizarre reason I couldn't even begin to articulate.

Hi everyone. No time for individual responses but thanks to Beth, Peggy, Karen, Benita, Valerie, Judy, Dejah, Megan, Rhonda, Kim, Mark, Lynda, Deb, and Kerri for your kind words and thoughts. My friend/colleague made it through the surgery beautifully and is already home resting. So, optimism rears its head again. :-)

>126 maggie1944: I hope to make it to book group on Monday, Karen. I'm at work today trying to get myself to two finish lines I have coming up (presentation to the Regents on Thursday, budget proposal due Friday). I hope to be ahead enough to come discuss Sarah Waters Monday evening!

>129 maggie1944: Well, I'll be on Kauai when that meet-up is proposed. :-)

>130 DorsVenabili: Yes, that year (2012?) was not great, either. I'll try to focus on some of the 1970s winners to see if it resonates with me, as well.

>116 LizzieD: Peggy, I'm definitely going to read Bring Up the Bodies, The Bone People, and Possession this year. It's weird. I would have sworn I had a copy of Possession in my library. I know I had a copy! I can't find it anywhere. Go figure.

In addition to the two deadlines mentioned above, the state legislature has been very busy this month. Sexual assault and suicide prevention are two issues very much on their minds and I happen to be in a leadership position that makes me one of the go-to consultants on both of these issues in higher ed. Reviewing bills, providing an assessment of fiscal impact, trying to help the lawmakers understand the plethora of federal regulations and guidelines already in place regarding these issues.... it's been crazy hectic!

Still, I have found some time for reading. The Paying Guests is not my favorite Sarah Waters for reasons I'll wait to enumerate. But it's very well-written for what it is. (How's that for cryptic?)

Okay, back to work. More later, I hope!

Ellen - You sound crazy busy, but it's important work, and you are the right person to be doing it.

Sending you the extra energy and focus wanted in your challenging days. I hope Monday works for getting to TPB to talk about Sarah Waters. I have completely failed at getting something by her finished.

I am about 100 pages into Night Watch and don't quite know what to think of it. Like you, real life is interfering with my reading life. I just got home from a weekend college course and got another batch of assignments to before the class meets again in a month.

I am taking two classes this semester. One is a philosophy of education course in which we are reading and discussing Althusser. Since I have not read Marx this is proving to be a challenge for me. But the class is fun and has a great mixture of people in it. Because it is Alabama it is a very courageous thing for the College of Education to be conducting the class. I feel privileged to be able to take it so want to do justice to actually doing all the reading. However, it is really cutting into my free time.

Waters has so far been a bit of a hit and miss experience for the B.A.C. group but slowly positive reviews are surfacing, Ellen. I have enjoyed my previous experiences with her books but I must say that my read of Affinity has met an aesthetics issue as my copy of the book is in a typeface on which the pages have not been justified and I am finding it really irritating to my sensibilities!

Have a lovely Sunday.

Popping into say hi, since I am awake. I will be interested in your comments re Paying Guests. I've not read a Sarah Waters as yet, but Paying Guests looked interesting on the store bookshelf . Not much to go by , though. So glad things are going better for your friend.

Ah! Success: I've finally read enough of Fingersmith to have been hooked! Yesterday's Instacart shift was a blast from the past: no orders came through so I spent 4 hours sitting in the car, reading and playing some games. Yeah! It was a nice "enforced resting period".

>133 BLBera: Ditto to the sentiment.

9. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters


Lesbian romance devolves into courtroom drama in post-WWI London. Waters' writing is, as always, very good and there are some lovely scenes and interesting moments, but it was agony to read, as well. A well-written slog.

"A well-written slog. " So maybe not.

Up next:



This ARC was a gift from Beth and I started it last evening when sleep was eluding me. I'm halfway through the second of these interrelated stories and so far, it's a good read.

>141 Crazymamie: Only if you are in a patient mood.

Hardly ever.

>133 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. I only wish it weren't taking its toll on my health. I know it's temporary; that helps. March 1, we're on a plane bound for Kauai and I will relax for nine consecutive days. :-)

>134 maggie1944: Karen, I plan to be there tonight! I need my RL book group. I need something that is fun, easy, no-pressure, and just because I love it.

>135 benitastrnad: Benita, I liked The Night Watch quite a bit, although I'm (finally) realizing that Waters just goes on. I still have not read Fingersmith and I want to, but I'll have to be in the right frame of mind.
You also sound very busy and I'm glad the class (one of them?) is turning out to be fun. That helps. :-|

>136 PaulCranswick: "...my copy of the book is in a typeface on which the pages have not been justified and I am finding it really irritating to my sensibilities!" That would make me crazy, Paul.

I had a lovely Sunday, and as you can see above, I finished The Paying Guests. It's my first completed read for February but that's not all Waters' fault.... ha.

>137 vancouverdeb: Deb, if you have not read any Sarah Waters yet, I wouldn't suggest starting with The Paying Guests. The premise is good and the writing is fine, but it was (see above) a bit of a slog for me. It might have been a wonderful 400-page novel but Waters' obsession with internal melodrama and ambivalence grew tiresome.

>138 maggie1944: Okay, then. Maybe I need to keep Fingersmith on my wish list.....

>139 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda. I appreciate that my LT friends are so supportive of my occasional too frequent rants about how busy and stressed I am. I still love my work but right now it's a bit overwhelming.

Thank goodness for books, family, friends, a wonderful cat, a good therapist, and LibraryThing. :-)

>144 Crazymamie: LOL -- good idea to skip The Paying Guests. I kind of like my comment above to Deb:

It might have been a wonderful 400-page novel but Waters' obsession with internal melodrama and ambivalence grew tiresome.

Well-written slog.... I like that description...ha! I'm learning patience everyday so I may give it a try. I read The Little Stranger by Waters for the BAC challenge and really enjoyed it so I'm open to her other books for comparison. :)

I will say more tonight at our book group but I'll say it here, too, for the benefit of all your pals and fans. I'm only about 1/3 of the way into Fingersmith, and I am liking it. But as I've not finished I can not vouch that there will not be spot where it could be better or worse.

Good review of The Paying Guests. My Waters reads have been limited so far to The Little Stranger and The Night Watch. I enjoyed both, preferring the gothic mystery feel of The Little Stranger to the story that plays out in The Night Watch. I think I will avoid The Paying Guests and stick with BAC plans to read Fingersmith.

Hi Ellen - I hope you enjoy Snow in May; my favorite one was the boy in the piano competition. I'm always nervous when people read something I recommended to them...

Do take care of yourself. Still, March will be here soon. Do you get President's Day off?

I haven't read Waters, but I do own Fingersmith. I think I'll skip The Paying Guests; I've heard slog used to describe it one too many times.

I just finished my first 5-star read of the year: Ghettoside; I think you might like it.

I think I will join in with Beth in skipping The Paying Guests. I do hope your next read is better for you.

>140 EBT1002: Oh dear. A "well-written slog" was how I felt about Tipping the Velvet at times, although I think I liked it overall slightly better than you did The Paying Guests. I think I'll definitely hold off on that one for a while.

Good review of The Paying Guests. It sounds like you and I had similar experiences with it.

Can I be a guest here without paying? : )

Hi Ellen, looks like you are busy with important work matters. GO you! And RL is interrupting your reading, like it is for me too. And no doubt nearly all of us!? Ok, all of us. If only we could have a day scheduled into our week that was only for reading. I would like that.
I still have not read Fingersmith or The Night Watch even though I have both. Naughty me.

I have a 120 pages left in the Night Watch and it is very good. She does go on, though. I think she needs a better editor. I will probably avoid The Paying Guests. Life is to short! Hugs to my friend.

So, Miss Ellen, are you counting the days until you get into that airplane contraption to take you to a visit to paradise?

Happy week, young lady. May your work related projects and efforts be very successful and rewarding, which might make the hard work, and stress, feel more well spent.

>148 jolerie: You know, Valerie, I can't remember whether I've read The Little Stranger. I know I've read Tipping the Velvet, The Night Watch, and now (of course) The Paying Guests. I am still interested in reading Fingersmith and probably The Little Stranger.

>149 maggie1944: I'll be interested in how you like it when you've finished Fingersmith, Karen.

>150 lkernagh: Hi Lori. I certainly am not going to try to persuade you to read The Paying Guests rather than your planned Fingersmith. I've not read the latter but folks who have read it seem to like it better than I liked The Paying Guests. It's not that The Paying Guests is a bad read! It really is a well-written novel and it's a bit of a slog. :-)

>151 BLBera: Beth, I liked the one about the boy in the piano competition. I'm now reading the one about the dance teacher and his promising student; so far it's my least favorite story. The author creates mood and setting very well and I like that in literature. I understand the bit of nervousness when someone reads something I've recommended. I'll go all exclamation points about a novel and then feel tempted to back-pedal. Luckily, around here we are all exquisitely aware that taste and personal experience have tremendous influence on one's reaction to any story or novel.

I do get Presidents' Day off and I'm looking forward to the 3-day weekend! We'll be spending a couple of nights in a rustic cabin in a state park on one of the islands in the Puget Sound. Walking on the beach, reading, sleeping until I wake up naturally, a couple of good grilled dinners.... it will be a nice reward for getting through the past few weeks.

I'll investigate Ghettoside.

>152 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. I'm enjoying the stories in Snow in May: Stories.
I spent three months in Poland in 1981 and this collection of stories, set largely in northeastern Russia (hence the title), is conjuring up visual memories for me in a lovely sort of way. Or I'm drawing upon that experience to develop the settings in my mind. Regardless, it's an enjoyable reading experience.

>153 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, I also liked Tipping the Velvet better than I did The Paying Guests. It may be that, for me, Waters' works are always a bit of a slog. The Night Watch had a tiny bit of that in it. Still, her writing is worth it in the long run.

>154 banjo123: Hey Rhonda. Thanks for the validation. Have you read any other works by Waters?

>155 Berly: Oh yeah, Kim, all guests are welcome here and there is no charge. I'm such a lousy thread-visitor these days that I'm surprised I still have any guests at all! My implicit goal is to visit the threads of everyone who de-lurks on my thread but this may have to wait until I'm settled into a comfy chair in our vacation rental on Kauai. :-)

>156 LovingLit: "If only we could have a day scheduled into our week that was only for reading. I would like that."
Me too! It's a lovely idea! I wonder who we can tap to implement this plan world-wide. I mean, if I were in charge....

If RL is keeping you from doing as much reading as usual, I don't necessarily recommend reading Sarah Waters. I do think she is a courageous and talented writer but, at least for me, the last thing I need when I'm having trouble finding time to read is something that feels at all sloggy. I made up a word.

>157 msf59: Mark, my friend, thank you for stopping by! I liked The Night Watch more than The Paying Guests. "I think she needs a better editor." I think I agree. But, for all we know, her editor has helped her reduce each of her novels by 100 pages or so! Heh.

>158 maggie1944: Karen, as you can well imagine, I'm very much focused on the reward that is the island of Kauai. Thank you for the kind wishes for my week. Today I'll be completely sequestered in my office, working on that budget proposal. Tomorrow I present to the Regents. After that, I should be able to relax a bit. I hope the painting project at your house is progressing smoothly and without incident.

So, I foolishly said in December that I was going to be a 100%-er in both the AAC and the BAC. I haven't given up yet (it's only February!), but I'm worried that I set the bar too high. I mean, that's only three works per month and I'll certainly read more than that, but it's a relatively high percentage to have absolutely dedicated to particular authors/works. So, I'm just reminding myself that commitments to challenges are always negotiable.

That said, I'll be starting Brideshead Revisited after I finish Snow in May: Stories and I'm waiting for my copy of Washington Square to arrive. I ordered it from Book Depository (still collecting those bookmarks) and it's taking a while to cross the pond. I expect to receive it in time to read it this month, though.

I have a 3-day weekend coming up and we'll be in a rustic cabin in an island state park, so I should have some good reading time. Yay!

Your weekend plans sound wonderful. A cabin in the woods is definitely my cuppa. The FS has several cabins (and lookouts) they rent out around here. Does the Washington FS do the same?

And on the other end of the spectrum, have you ever stayed at the lodge at the top of Snoqualamie Falls? It looks like such a luxurious splurge - saw it on a TV show last fall and it looks amazing.

I haven't started any of BAC or AAC yet this month, although Fingersmith is waiting as is the audio of Brideshead Revisited. Negotiable. Yup.

>140 EBT1002: I'm in the mixed bag Waters' camp. I loved The Night Watch and Fingersmith but gave up on The Paying Guests and was left completely underwhelmed by The Little Stranger (although to be fair, ghost stories generally I avoid, so she didn't have much chance here).

For me it was about character I think - of the first two books above both had people in them that I very quickly cared deeply about, was trying to understand through the course of the book. The second two - not at all.

& >162 EBT1002: Sign me up. I vote Wednesday, nice break in the week...

>163 EBT1002: Getting your challenges done late is still getting them done and they count. This is LT not work. It should be fun not a chore. ;-)

I vote for Wednesday, too.

I'm having an RA flare today due to my making some bad food choices, and due to over use of my hands and wrists yesterday, and well, I'm irritated with myself. Of course, the causes of RA are not discovered or understood, so my assumptions of why I have a flare might be off mark. Who knows. All I know is my hands hurt!

I unfortunately have a couple more days of kids, but I've gotten three days in a row without the shopping job, and I think I'll enjoy the less stress! More reading!

I am not making fast progress with Night Watch. When I sit down with it and start reading I enjoy it, but that isn't carrying over and making it a compelling read. So far I think that she needs an editor, but I say that about so many books that I am beginning to wonder about myself and my opinions about books. I like the idea of writing about those who served at home during WWII so I do want to read this book. I developed a cold over the weekend and am feeling all muzzy headed so perhaps that is affecting my reading as well.

I have also given up on Boneshaker for the time being. I just can't seem to get excited about it and I have lots of children's and YA books to read for my class, so I am not really missing it that much.

It's great that you get some time off, Ellen. Your plans sound wonderful. I will be catching up on grading -- and there will probably be some Scout time, too.

That Booker Challenge is impressive!

Enjoy your getaway this weekend. It's a regular ol; two day weekend for me.

Ellen, I'm wondering if you've seen Howl's Moving Castle, the animated movie by Hayao Miyazaki. If not, do find a copy and see it as soon as you can make time. It is delightful, and I think it will make you smile!

10. Snow in May: Stories by Kseniya Melnik




This collection of interwoven stories was a pleasure to read. Set in Magadan, a town in northeast Russia (hence the title), the stories are set in various points in time and told from various points of view. Together, they give us a history of Russia in the 20th century, including the brutal gulags, revolution, deprivation, hunger, bitter cold, and hope. The characters are related, more or less, and they are honest and real. Clashes of culture, generation, and gender are themes running throughout. Thanks to Beth for this reading treat.

Up next:

And, in honor of the UW's newly named (interim) president, who was born in Cuba and immigrated to the US at age three, I want to read some Cuban literature this month or next. I'm totally excited about this president. She is a strong leader dedicated to public education, social justice, and this institution. She is intellectually sharp, straightforward and direct, caring and perspicacious. And she is a psychology professor. What's not to love?

>165 charl08: and >167 maggie1944: Wednesday it is. I hereby decree it.

Ha. If only. I didn't win the $500M in the Powerball drawing, so my influence is less dramatic than I had hoped.

More later, friends. One more day and it's the weekend.

Happy Friday, Ellen! I hope you are able to connect with some excellent rest and relaxation this weekend.

I am working on both days, but only in the mornings so I think it should be less stressful. At least I will not be hunting for addresses in the dark. There will be a party afterwards, on Sunday evening and I'm sure that will be a great way to end the weekend.

Balance. That's the ticket!

>163 EBT1002: Don't let those fiendish challenges stress you out, Ellen. I may sort of administrate one of the them but it was always meant to be "negotiable" as you nicely put it.

Have a wonderful weekend, my dear.

>164 streamsong: Janet, I've not stayed at the lodge at the top of Snoqualmie Falls. I do understand that they are one of the gazillions of lodges and hotels in this area trying to capitalize on the "Fifty Shades" phenomenon.

Reading "commitments" should always be negotiable! Well, unless one is taking a class, of course.

>165 charl08: Hi Charlotte (is that right?). Hmm, so The Little Stranger is a ghost story. I neither avoid nor seek those out, I suppose. I do try to avoid reading that will exacerbate my insomnia (which does not mean I don't love a book I can't put down, just not one that disrupts my feeling of safety in my own home), but I'm thinking Sarah Waters' work would not fall into that category. In any case, other than some interest in reading Fingersmith one of these days, I'm probably not going to rush off to read more Waters any time soon.

You'll note that I've taken your advice and am hereby designating Wednesdays as stay-home-and-read days. Just tell your boss, spouse, and everyone else I said so. ;-)

>166 luvamystery65: You know, Roberta, I shouldn't need friends like you to help me with this self-care and ease-up thinking. I suppose I can give myself permission to say I'm a 100%-er on the BAC and ACC challenges if I read one work by each of the designated authors this year, regardless of whether I can finish them in the designated month.

Huh. What a concept.

>167 maggie1944: Ugh, I'm sorry the RA is acting up. I know the facts are more like speculations, but if you notice an improvement when you avoid eating certain foods, that is good enough, eh? I always say that we should not knock a good placebo effect.

Enjoy your three days off from your shopping job! It will be interesting to see how it feels to have that much of a break from that responsibility.

>168 benitastrnad: Benita, that is kind of my experience with Waters. Enjoyable while reading but I too often have to remind myself what was happening when I pick it up to resume reading. I don't think that happened with Tipping the Velvet, though.

I enjoyed Boneshaker but not enough to urge others to make it a priority. But then, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to YA lit. :-|

>169 BLBera: Yay for Scout time! And grading.... what do you have them reading and writing about this time of the academic term (you're probably on semesters, since we're one of the few left in the country clinging to the quarter system)?

>170 SuziQoregon: Well, Juli, the Booker Challenge will be impressive if I actually do it. :-)
Sorry you don't get the 3-day weekend. I remember that when I moved from Oregon to Washington, I picked up two extra paid holidays: Presidents Day and Veterans Day. It was one of the good things about the move (as with all choices, it came with gains and losses).

>171 maggie1944: I've never even heard of Howl's Moving Castle. Will investigate.

>176 maggie1944: "Balance. That's the ticket." Amen! Enjoy your afternoons off and your party Sunday evening!

>177 PaulCranswick: Paul, my friend, whose thread I have badly neglected. Oh. Wait. I've neglected everyone's threads! And thank you for joining Roberta in supporting my "negotiable" approach to the challenges. That said, of course, I started Brideshead Revisited last night and will really dig into it during my bus commute today.

Wishing you a lovely weekend, as well!

Hi Ellen! Just checking in. I think I saw that the President of UW is set to become the President of Texas A&M? Ummm, that should be quite a culture shock... both in terms of the institutions and in terms of Seattle vs. College Station!

Enjoy your weekend getaway. It sounds well deserved!

Hi, Ellen. Happy Friday!

I know it can be awfully challenging to keep up with the challenges. For Paul's, I'm just picking one of the two authors he identifies each month - Evelyn Waugh's Scoop this month. I think you'll get quite caught up in the world of Brideshead Revisited. I sure did.

Chicagoland friends!
I'll be arriving Chicago mid-afternoon on Saturday, March 28, departing by car (I assume) on Sunday. I'd love to get a group together for food, beer, and book conversation -- that Saturday? Anyone?

>181 katiekrug: Yes, Katie, our current president is headed to Texas A&M. He's only been here a bit over 3 years, was at Utah prior to that. I think he will be happier in College Station. He has certainly called out the Washington state legislature for not supporting public higher education as well as Texas is doing!

Thanks for the well-wish. I woke up this morning with delicious anticipation of the weekend in a cabin.

>182 jnwelch:. Thank you, Joe! YAY for Friday!!!!
I really got started on Brideshead Revisited on my bus ride this morning. I can hardly wait until my bus ride home; I'm loving it so far!

>178 EBT1002: Ok, framing the thread and pointing everyone in that direction when questions are asked.
Also, apologies for spoiler re The Little Stranger. I'll be more careful in future...

Ellen - How did your presentation go? I imagine brilliantly. Congrats on your new president; I hope she is everything you hope she will be. I'm so happy you liked Snow in May -- even happier I got it right! :)

Have a great, relaxing weekend.

>183 EBT1002: Cool! Unfortunately, I think we'll still be out in NYC then, but I'll check.

Happy week-end, Ellen! Nice review of Snow in Winter. I just went to wish-list it, and it was already there. Hooray!

I started Brideshead Revisited this week as well. It's pretty engaging, but they are so rich, white and male that I am withholding judgment.

I've been listening to Brideshead Revisited and unfortunately have fallen to sleep while doing so, 2X. I think I'll have to move it to the car where I'm less likely to nod off.... I hope!

*whispering*

Karla and I are sneaking a mid-month, unscheduled, trip to Third Place Books tonight for dinner and shopping. I'm taking my wish lists with me. I have no business buying more books, but it is such nice therapy.

Ellen, I hope you and P are enjoying your much-deserved three days in your cabin. It sounds like a perfect reading and relaxing spot. You certainly have a high stress job and need to get away from it to unwind. Hawaii might be just the ticket! I know you've had a great time there in the past. I'm off for a few days in Florida. With snow in the forecast here tomorrow, it will be nice to get away next week for some sun and sand.

I think I liked The Paying Guests better than you, but Fingersmith is my absolutely favorite Sarah Waters book. I am taking The Little Stranger with me on my trip and will be reading/listening to it in conjunction with another ghost story…The Turn of the Screw. An American and British author…Score!

Just stopping in to catch up with you, Ellen. Hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous! I have not yet started Brideshead Revisited, but I ma still hoping to get to it this month.

Wishing you wonderful three days in your cabine.

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend, Ellen. I'll be looking forward to seeing what Cuban lit you'll be reading!

Ellen--Hope you had a great long weekend. As to the challenges, I am alternating between the AAC and the BAC each month. Less stress and more spontaneous reading that way. Good luck figuring out the book demands!

Kim, what a great idea. I think I'm going to steal it!

11. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh




Entertaining and interesting portrait of the Marchmain family of Brideshead, as observed and narrated by Charles Ryder. Ryder meets and befriends Sebastian Marchmain, the younger son of this aristocratic old family, while the two are at Oxford. The two become intimate friends although Ryder can't keep his friend from descending into alcoholic ruin. Still, Charles' life remains inextricably intertwined with that of the family, through the 1920 and through WWII. An exploration of class and religion, the novel is both funny and wry. Waugh himself descends into a bit of moral and religious debate during which he loses his subtle and ironic touch. This detracts from the overall effect but the novel in its historical context is worth reading, preferably in a luxurious chair with a glass of port at hand.

Up next:


Washington Square by Henry James

>185 charl08: No worries about the spoiler, if one is imbedded there, Charlotte. It will be a while before I get around to reading it, in any case.

>186 BLBera: Hi Beth. The presentation went well enough (thank you for asking). It's hard for me to gauge; I'm in the group of people who are their own worst critics. My boss (VP) said he couldn't even tell I was nervous but I find that so hard to believe!

Our weekend on Camano Island was lovely. We had sunny weather, the cabin was right on the water, and we saw lots of bald eagles. During our hike on Sunday, a pair of eagles circled above us for about 20 minutes. It was one of those spiritual nature moments. I got some video of it which I will post on FB.

>187 jnwelch: Rats. Oh well, maybe next time. Nothing is going to happen if I don't get around to visiting some other threads, though.

>188 banjo123: Rhonda, I agree that the characters in Brideshead Revisited are about as far from my own experience as it can get. I tried to hear Waugh's irony and wit throughout; that helped. I'll check out your thread later today to see how the novel landed on you.

>189 maggie1944: Karen, I think Brideshead Revisited might not be well-suited to audio, but that's just my take on it.
"I have no business buying more books, but it is such nice therapy." Well, you know you'll get no argument from me!

More responses and some thread-visiting later. Must get myself to work.

The weekend sounds lovely! Glad you got such good weather. I saw the bald eagle thing on Facebook - very fantastic!

I said a few things about Brideshead Revisited on my thread. Oh, well. I have come to the conclusion that we are destined to not be freakishly thrilled about each other's favorite novels. Ha! Although, I know you did like it to some extent and 3.5 stars is good, etc.

Looking forward to your Washington Square comments. I'm between reading that and another novella with the word "paper" in the title for my James novel, but I'm too lazy to look it up right now.

>201 DorsVenabili: The Aspern Papers, perhaps? You should read both of them!

>189 maggie1944:, >199 EBT1002: Is it the Jeremy Irons version of the Brideshead audio? Because I'm listening to that one, and finding it wonderful, so I can't agree that the book "might not be well-suited to audio". I only listen in the car, but I think that makes it more likely I would lose the thread (although NOT fall asleep, I devoutly hope!) than if I were at home knitting or something. Of course, I don't knit...

Ellen - It sounds like you had a lovely weekend. I did get to spend some quality time with Scout -- my own version of an anti-depressant, anti-anxiety medication. She has 60 words now (her mama counted) in both English and Spanish and sings 4 songs. She is a prodigy. :) I'm not a James fan, but I have wanted to try Waugh for some time. One of these days...

As always, very nice comments.

Good to see you posting, Ellen and giving us book updates. I am going to revisit Brideshead Revisited, before the end of the month. I remember giving it a very good rating but do not remember anything about it.

I really liked Washington Square and I hope it works for you too!

The 28th of March sounds good. I'll probably have to work during the day, but the evening I will be free.

>190 Donna828: Donna, I hope your time in Florida is sunny and warm and restful! I grew up in that state, so I know you're in for some lovely salt air and sunshine. And some good reading -- for the BAC and AAC. I can't remember if you are trying to read at least one work by each author in both challenges.... I started with that goal and I'll complete it for these first two months (I'm about halfway through Washington Square at present), but I don't know if I'll be a purist by the end of the year!

>191 Crazymamie: Mamie, I think the two British authors this month have stirred up some controversy. I enjoyed Brideshead Revisited and am glad I read it.

>192 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. We did have a lovely time. The weather was fine (sunny, chilly, breezy) and we saw lots of Bald Eagles!

>193 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks, Dejah. Ah yes, the Cuban lit. I haven't decided yet. But thanks for the reminder. (My weekend away must have been good; I had already forgotten this plan!)

>194 Berly: Hi Kim. It seems that alternating between challenges is the route a lot of folks are taking. I will be interested to see what path I choose. :-)

>195 maggie1944: And another one. :-)

>201 DorsVenabili: "I have come to the conclusion that we are destined to not be freakishly thrilled about each other's favorite novels." True. But I always feel glad I read what you recommend. I did enjoy Brideshead Revisited, though. Don't forget that. And, when it comes down to it, my goal is expanded horizons and that is one thing you (and others around here) have provided me!

The Aspern Papers? I've never even heard of that one.
I'm rather enjoying Washington Square so far.

>202 laytonwoman3rd: Oh yeah, Linda got there before me. I had to look it up; I'm betting that you didn't, Linda!
I would expect that Jeremy Lions would shine as narrator. But regardless, I'm definitely not the one to trust with regard to evaluating audio. I loved Not My Father's Son, narrated by the author, and I was enjoying The Martian until I lost interest about three weeks ago (I do keep thinking I should start listening again). One of these days I will simply accept that I am not an audio reader.

"Of course, I don't knit..." LOL --- I tried it once or twice and decided that I'd rather read!

>203 BLBera: "...time with Scout -- my own version of an anti-depressant, anti-anxiety medication." Awesome.
And I love that she is learning both Spanish and English.

I still have my copy of Men at Arms but I don't know if reading more by Waugh will rise to the top of the list. So far, reading Washington Square is, well, okay. I just don't know if I'm cut out for reading a lot of 19th century literature. I worry that this makes me a philistine, but there you have it. I don't love reading Jane Austen, either. It doesn't mean I don't get how important her work is, but reading her is not the way I want to spend my time.

>204 msf59: Hey Mark! As I just mentioned to Beth, I'm not sure 19th century literature is my thing. Of course, Brideshead Revisited is 20th century literature..... I did like it. 3.5 stars is a good rating from me. I want my 4, 4.5, and 5-star ratings to "mean" something, so I try to be a bit stingy with them. Heh.

March 28 after work sounds good. I don't even get into the city until 3 or 4 o'clock, so dinner-time-ish will work just fine!

>207 EBT1002: Well, I didn't have to look it up because I just finished reading it...but I hadn't heard of it before that.

Oh Bald Eagles, that's fantastic. I'm glad to hear that you had a wonderful time.

>172 EBT1002: colour me interested.

The other books, not so much. (>207 EBT1002:) I am more a late 20th/21st century literaturist. (I just made up a word).

12. Washington Square by Henry James



.
.
.

What if I write something here?

Well, after all that, I ended up enjoying this more than Brideshead Revisited. I won't say I loved it, but the theme was more to my taste. Caught between her selfish and overbearing (in a genteel sort of way, but still...) father and a fiancé who may or may not want to marry her for her fortune, Catherine finds an inner strength and resolve no one knew she carried within. I'll avoid spoilerish comments but I loved the ending.

ETA: I can't figure out why part of my comments are hiding behind the image of the book cover. This is weird!!

I took out the brackets that are intended to make Brideshead Revisited into a touchstone and then all my text disappeared. I must have done something weird with the image but I swear it looks the way I always do it.....

Okay, I took out the image. Maybe I'll add it back in later. Whatever.

I figured it out! Leaving all my commentary here for possible entertainment value....

>208 laytonwoman3rd: Another wonderful example of the expanding horizons brought to us by LibraryThing.
I love it.

>209 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Seeing Bald Eagles in great numbers is still a delight, even after two decades living in this part of the world.

>210 LovingLit: Megan, I think you would enjoy Snow in May: Stories. I think I'm generally more of a 20th and 21st century literaturist (love it!) too, although you'll see from my comments above that Washington Square grew on me. :-)

Up next:



Eventide by Kent Haruf

I started it last night and I'm already totally sucked in. It brought back the delight of Plainsong which I once again recommend.

I finally have all thread Haruf books in my TBR mountain and looking forward to starting the trilogy at some point since it is such a beloved book around here.

Glad to hear you had a nice little trip, Ellen. Hope your time back hasn't been too busy and stressful! :)

>211 EBT1002: Most exciting review yet! I felt like I was right there as the struggle of creation was happening, Ellen.

(Plus I'm glad you liked Washington Square. Me, too. Easily my fave of the ones of his I've read now).

Eventide! Oh, I love those books. Benediction, too.

>213 EBT1002: happened to me, too .... So good.

Howdy Ellen. I enjoyed Brideshead Revisisted so many years ago when the BBC production came out. It's not at the top of my list but one that is nice to say you've read.

I'm on a Pride and Prejudice kick right now.

All caught up with you, Ellen. I still haven't gotten to Brideshead Revisited yet, but I remain hopeful. AND...you are reminding me that I need to get to Plainsong! Hoping that your weekend is filled with fabulous, dear!

>211 EBT1002: I applaud you for leaving the commentary. I enjoyed it. :-)

>213 EBT1002: I keep thinking I need to read Plainsong, but when it comes down to it, I lack the motivation. I feel like someone has to say something that will push me over the edge.

Please have a lovely weekend!

Hi Ellen - I hope you have planned a relaxing weekend. Nice comments on Washington Square; you are going to convince me to give James another try.

I liked, but did not love Plainsong, so Haruf isn't high on my wishlist.

13. Eventide by Kent Haruf




I'm giving this a stingy 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it more than that. It's not great literature but Haruf has created great characters. His story-telling is wonderful and I found myself cheering (silently, of course) for particular characters and booing (also silently) others. But this one felt like a step down from the first and the ending was too transparently an ellipse for the next installment. I'm okay with a series that builds on itself but I wanted this novel to say something all on its own rather than as the middle installment in a trilogy about small-town life on the Colorado plains.

Currently reading:



The World Beneath by Cate Kennedy
This is for the ANZAC reading challenge.

Hi Ellen - It sounds like I can safely avoid Eventide. I am not familiar with Cate Kennedy, so I await your comments. The cover looks interesting. Happy Monday. I hope things are becoming more manageable.

I think I enjoyed eventide more than you did, Ellen, but I didn't rate it as highly as Plainsong either.

>221 EBT1002: Ooops; I am so looking forward to Eventide that I set it aside last month to see when I can read it undisturbed by other books. I will proceed with caution now! Missing not seeing you around quite as much as normal. xx

Well, I read one chapter of The World Beneath and set it aside. I know that's a quick abandonment, but it seemed not like something I want to read. Instead, I picked up the copy of My Education that I purchased last month and started it with my morning coffee. I think it's much more to my liking.

I'll add that I don't even think I'm going to keep The World Beneath around for future use. If anyone wants it, holler and I'll send it to you. Otherwise, it's going to the Little Free Library around the corner.

#225
I am not sure that books meant to read as a series should be "set aside." If you liked the first one in the series then read the second. Often the author is using it to set up things for the future.

As for me - I am not sure what to think of series as a literary item. I like the idea of books being stand alone. By that I mean that each novel can be read as a novel without having to read another novel to get the story. If the story is too long for one book then sell it as a multi-volume set and tell the public that is what you are doing. (OK, I know - that is the librarian in me sneaking out.)

I really miss being around and visiting threads. I'll come clean that I'm having a bit of a phobic response to LT these days. I am so far behind and I feel so busy at work and in RL that I feel like I can't even dip into LT or I'll get overwhelmed. I know that's weird, but it is what it is. The good news is that we're heading to Kauai this Sunday and I will be taking my laptop. I will start a new thread and get caught up with my LT buddies during that week of warm Pacific air and no alarm clock.

I'm also assembling the books I plan to take with me. In the running are:

Possession by AS Byatt (for my personal Booker Winner challenge)
Following Atticus by Tom Ryan (for RL book group)
Unfamiliar Fishes (if it arrives in time)
The Sportswriter by Richard Ford (for the AACII)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (for the BAC)
The City & The City by China Miéville (for the BAC)

I won't take all of those but that's the collection that is on my dresser at present.

Sorry to hear about the overwhelmingness of everything Ellen. Don't feel pressured to "keep up". Just pop in when you can for a quick hello and don't worry about that little thing called "unread messages". I know for me after a weekend away (I usually don't log in during the weekends), some of the threads grow new threads in that time frame and it can seem daunting so I just do blocks of LT and I don't pressure myself to comment on each and every thread.
Woohoo for Kauai! :D

I think I liked Eventide more than you did, too, Ellen. I love that world he created. But I wouldn't put it at the stellar level of Plainsong. Others might view it differently, but the next one, Benediction might well belong at or near that level. It's exceptionally good and quite moving.

I liked Rebecca and City & The City (my favorite Mieville) a lot, but out of your possible "take-withs", Possession would be my #1. Great book.

Kauai! Wowie! You know how to live life right.

To me, LT's just for our fun and enjoyment, so you dip in when you can and leave your toes dry when you can't. The most important thing would be to post some pics from your trip when you can. I sure enjoyed your Scotland odyssey.

>225 PaulCranswick: Don't hesitate! I enjoyed Eventide almost as much as Plainsong. The wonder of discovering a new favorite author was replaced by the comfort of settling into a world I knew I would enjoy---different sorts of satisfaction, maybe, hard to call one "better" than the other.

>232 laytonwoman3rd: Well put, Linda. I'd say much the same, Paul. Don't hesitate to read Eventide.

I agree with Joe. Possession by A. S. Byatt is a really really good book. It is sizable and has stories within the story so it is somewhat complex in structure, but I loved that book and am so glad I read it.

I will be starting Rebecca sometime later this week for the B.A.C. and will, maybe, do City & the City but if I don't get to it, I am not going to worry about it.

Ellen, I got behind with your thread - sorry to hear things are so busy at the moment. I do know that feeling when I feel so behind with LT that I feel I have to wait until I have time to 'properly' catch up and just put it off and off. I don't have a solution but I know no-one here would want you to feel worried about LT. Enjoy your weekend away! (I need to google Kauai - not a clue where that is).

Aloha! Have a great time. I hope you'll be able to read at least some of Following Atticus. I'm trying to read it while trying to finish Fingersmith and about 6 other things. Too busy! Bah humbug.

Take good care of yourself, and have a great time.

I will be going to Portland for one night in about a week and a half. I guess it does not compare, but I do get to visit Powell's. Be sure you go see the sweet folks at Talk Story Books!

Have a safe trip and a lovely relaxing vacation, Ellen!

Enjoy your holiday. Safe travel.

Have a wonderful trip, Ellen. I was on Kauai at Thanksgiving...marvelous. Please get some rest and let the world drop away.

Have a marvelous trip, Ellen! You're taking some terrific books with you - enjoy!

Take your time dear lady. Sometimes things do get on top of us and we get behind and think we'll never get back into the swing or keep up again. With my personal travails last year I felt like that often and just as regularly felt I couldn't face things or people even here. Just ease yourself back in where you feel comfortable - everyone understands - I know from experience. You are a much loved member of the group, Ellen and we all know that each of us come to the group on our own terms and are accepted as such. xx

Yeah...what Paul said there.

^ Me, too.

Yup.

Happy travels. Possession is great, and Unfamiliar Fishes would be great to read in Hawaii.

We miss you, stranger! And we will wait patiently for your return. Have a wonderful time in Hawaii. I wish I was tagging along. This prolonged winter, is beginning to drag me down...

Big Hugs, to my pal!

I'm not even trying to stay caught up with other peoples' threads, and am refusing to feel guilty about it -- so there, LT! :-)

Enjoy Hawaii, and your break, and the sun and the warmth, and your books! And ditch the guilt, and all that stuff.

Have a blast in Hawaii! And I agree, no guilt! There is enough of that in RL, we don't need it on the internet.

>248 banjo123: - I agree! Totally!

>226 EBT1002: I had exactly the same response to The World Beneath - good luck with The City & the City though, I read it last year and loved it!

bump - I believe Ellen and company left for Hawaii today! Aloha!

14. My Education by Susan Choi




This is billed as an "academic" novel and I'm not sure what that means. Several of the characters are academics. The settings are a variety of college towns or milieus, most notably a less-than-fully-disgusised Ithaca, NY (I think) and the New York neighborhood in which one can find Columbia University. Choi is clearly a scholar with an impressive vocabulary. I like that. And, in the end, her novel is a convincing exploration of the view of life from a variety of vantage points: the dramatic and intense 20s, the introspective and parentally-driven 30s, and the sage calm of the 40s and 50s.... well, I don't believe Choi has experience the 50s yet, so I don't think she captures that perspective especially well. I never cared much for any of the characters but I cared about their resolution of the various relational tensions they experienced. Choi does eroticism and the intense emotions of young adulthood beautifully: the attachment and the life-or-death feel of passion, love, and loss. And she effectively illustrates that these feelings, while reduced in intensity and less prone to melodrama, never die. Longing lives well into middle age and our need for belonging is eternal. Our ability to extend that need to the next generation is surprisingly vivid in Choi's story. I finished the novel with an unexpected sigh of pleasure.

15. Following Atticus by Tom Ryan




This is not great literature. Tom Ryan is a competent writer but his prose lacks nuance. Still, for me, it made up in inspiration what it lacked in poetry. The story of his acquisition of Atticus M. Finch, a miniature Schnauzer, and their repeated conquest of the 4,000-plus-foot mountains in New Hampshire (in winter!), is heart-warming and jubilant. If it doesn't make you want to don hiking boots and a backpack and head into your nearest mountain range (mine would be the Cascades), then you have not a bit of nature-loving soul within you. Likewise, if you don't have to fight the urge to rush out and adopt the nearest small dog in need of a home, well... heartless you are. It's a fine story and I want Atticus for my own. I also want the freedom and the determination to hike with the intensity and spiritual tenacity that Tom and Atticus brought to their endeavors. Tom's vague reconciliation with his distant and abusive father provides a loose backbone for the narrative but I never really felt that I knew his father. Perhaps this is due to Tom's own exclusion from the man's inner world, but I wanted either more or less from this trajectory. It was distracting from the main thread -- Tom's own development and his sweet relationship with Atticus -- without providing enough focus to warrant the distraction. Read this as a memoir. Read it as a warranted tribute to a special dog. Read it as an inspiration to renew your relationship with Tennyson, Emerson, and Muir.... Appreciate what Tom Ryan is able to provide: a good story, some inspiring naturalist episodes, and a spectacular little dog.

>252 EBT1002: Great review. This sounds interesting, will look out for it.

What wonderful friends I have here. Valerie, Joe, Laura, Roberta, Mamie, Kerri, Beth, Paul, Benita, Linda, Heather, Karen, Roni, Barbara, Gail, Dejah, Jim, Mark, Suz, Rhonda, Megan.... I'm not going to do the usual response to each and every post. Mostly you have each validated my need to titrate my posting, and recognized my care for this group while I also try to nurture my marriage and keep up with my job.... so thank you all for that.

I have some tales to tell. Up next.

>251 maggie1944: A special thanks for the bump, Karen.

>254 charl08: Halfway through, I wondered why I was reading it, but I ended up appreciating her work.

So, here on the isle of Kauai, one of our favorite spots is called Salt Pond Beach. It's on the south (sunny) side of the island, it's relatively sheltered, and it seems to be frequented by locals more than tourists. It's a great place to read on the beach or to float in the warm salt water. So, there we headed on Tuesday, our second full day on the island. We had each been in for a swim and had enjoyed our picnic sandwiches, were sitting in the mottled shade of a palm tree reading our respective novels, when we noticed a snorkeler approaching the lifeguard hut (that's another thing we like about the beach: it has a lifeguard!). She was pointing to her snorkeling companion out near the protective reef. The lifeguard made a call, grabbed his large "surfboard" and paddled out. We thought we might be witnessing a rescue but the two lifeguards (once he was joined by his colleague) pulled out a dead body. It was so sad and surreal to watch them pull a stiff (clearly in rigor mortis) body from the water! The medics came, covered him, and of course then the police came and put up caution tape and did initial investigation. I felt like I was watching one of my PBS mysteries except that it was real! We left before the ME arrived (apparently they really do have to leave the body until the ME comes and signs off on it) but it put an interesting damper on our vacation. On Wednesday we went out on a charter boat -- something we have never done in all our visits to the island -- and saw a delightful pod of spinner dolphins and a trio of bottlenose dolphins as well. It was too rough to make it to the Napali Coast, but I thoroughly enjoyed standing at the bow of the boat as we rushed into huge swells. They did drop anchor at a sweet cove and we snorkeled for a while. I was able to enjoy this despite the slight angst, remembering that it was snorkelers who first spotted the body of the dead man....

Tomorrow we will go on a hike and have another installment of shave ice.

Life is weird.

I don't suppose it will surprise anyone that I can't keep up with the challenges I set out for myself. I'm going to keep my focus on the AAC-II and the BAC, as well as my own personal Booker Winner challenge, but I am abandoning the ANZAC. I didn't read anything for the first two months, so I might as well read that writing on the wall!

Oh, and up next are two vacation books:

Report for Murder by Val McDermid
and
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

Rebecca, The City & the City, and The Sportswriter will be waiting for me when I return to home and work.

Wow! What a sad story. I hope it doesn't ruin your vacation. Nice reviews. I have the Choi on my shelves, and I love walking and dogs, so there's another to add to my list. Sigh.

>257 EBT1002: wow, what a story, and very sobering. Glad you are enjoying some lovely weather, shave ice, and books ... and recharging both yourself and your marriage.

Whoa, what a thing to witness, Ellen. Hugs to the both of you.

>257 EBT1002: Like an episode out of "Hawaii Five-0"! I'm glad it wasn't either of you who made the grim discovery. And I don't suppose you'll ever learn anything more about it. Just one of those many opportunities life hands us to take stock and count our blessings, right?

I smiled at this: "I thoroughly enjoyed standing at the bow of the boat as we rushed into huge swells." I'm not a good sailor. Many years ago, on a family vacation to Maine, we took a whale-watching cruise. The weather was foggy and rainy; the water was that rolling kind of not-quite-rough that is the absolute worst for the queasy among us. Husband and daughter were at the bow, having the time of their lives, while I sat miserably in the middle of the boat guarding our stuff, and trying not to notice the many passengers even worse off than I was. And no...we did not see any whales. One giant sunfish, quite dead, floated by. That's it. We got vouchers for a return, as the company does guarantee you whales...but we never redeemed it.

That is a sad story, Ellen. But part of life, I suppose, as we must admit.

I am glad you are having a great time. The next time I'm on Kaua'i I must check out Salt Pond beach. I'd like a place with some calm water. I am not much of a water baby in these days and so I seldom do more than get my feet and ankles wet. I need to try to get my whole body wet on one of these trips. I mean, how can one go to Hawaii and not spend some time in the water!

^I hope you are having a wonderful time, Ellen, despite the dead bodies, of course. Ugh!

I read/listened to Unfamiliar Fishes while I was there too. I thought it was okay.

Life IS weird, Ellen. I totally agree. Hoping that the rest of your vacation is uneventful.

Thanks for checking in, Ellen. That must have been a weird feeling with the dead guy being brought in. I hope you and P nonetheless enjoy your well-deserved time in that bit of paradise.

Oh dear, what a sad story at such a beautiful place.

I'm glad that apart of this you can enjoy such gorgeous holiday. Hugs for both of you.

Yikes! What a sad story to being your vacation with.

The boat trip sounds great.

Being in Hawaii is just about better than any place on the mainland at this point in time. I am off for my two days in beautiful Gadsden, Alabama and my weekend university course on Children's Literature. Like I need to take a class on that - but I do need the grade and the credits so I can get a job when I retire from here, so I will dance through the hoops and life will go on.

Like you I am having a hard time meeting all my reading obligations and those for the two classes I am taking. Some of the challenges will have to move to the back burner.

Wow - what a sad story - hope you can manage to not let it put too much of a damper on your vacation.

Ellen, it seems as though the Meet-Up at Powell's has been rescheduled for April 25th. Will that date work for you?

>257 EBT1002: Did any of the cops looks like Jack Lord, Ellen?

Great to see you back my dear. Have a lovely weekend.

Ellen I am sorry that you and P had to witness that. It may sound strange but I'm glad they found the person. Can you imagine in water that you could go forever being undiscovered and no one would know.

I'm glad you are not being a stickler for your challenges. You have a full plate and it is a tall order to follow multiple challenges. Remember that any of the books you choose will always be there for you. Enjoy your time off.

>260 BLBera: The incident (what else to call it?) is definitely not ruining the vacation, Beth, but it has given it an odd and rather melancholy tinge.

>261 lauralkeet: Laura, the truth is that Shave Ice is one of the world's best remedies for despondency or weirdness. If you have never had Shave Ice, it's important to know that it is not the same thing as a snow cone. The two are related as Margaux is to Boonesfarm. Or Trollope is to Nora Roberts.

>262 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. It was a sad and surreal sort of thing and I definitely find it affecting my sleep in less than ideal ways. Still, we're on vacation in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We're just recognizing even more profoundly how lucky we are.

>263 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, we found ourselves thinking ironically about "Hawaii Five-O" and had the music in our brains for a while. It seemed somehow irreverent, but music does what it does.

We did learn that he was an indigent young man who basically lived in that state park area. No idea of the circumstances of his death, though. We assume drowning and we wonder if substances were involved. That makes it no less sad.

Your un-whale-watching experience made me smile (wryly, I must say). P is susceptible to motion sickness but she took the new drug they have -- less soporific than Dramamine -- and she felt fine. This was rather remarkable because the swells and chop were significant. I would have been like a puppy sticking his head out of the front of the car regardless. They did give us 25% off since we weren't able to get up to the Napali Coast (whales are not guaranteed). The Spinner Dolphins truly made the whole cruise worthwhile.

edited to fix a typo

>264 maggie1944: Yes, Karen, this is a good reminder that death is part of life. It was sad to see someone so young being pulled from the water. I'm guessing he was in his 20s or 30s.

Salt Pond Beach is good for floating about in the water. I also like Poipu Beach Park, although it tends to be more crowded. I'm certainly more of a wimp about getting in the water than when I was a youngster growing up in Florida!

>265 msf59: Thanks, Mark! We walked to Mahaulepu Beach today (about a 3 mile hike, one way, along amazing cliffs). It is another favorite beach, though not so good for swimming.

I keep postponing Unfamiliar Fishes. I also brought Possession and The City & the City with me and both of those are calling to me.

>266 Crazymamie: Uneventful is exactly what I'm hoping for, Mamie.

>267 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. P and I are managing to enjoy ourselves. Today we walked to a somewhat isolated beach where I happily read while P waded in the water. We took some photos and if one of them turns out, I'll make it my next thread-topper.

>268 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. I truly can't complain. This island is magical and I'm letting it soak in.

>269 banjo123: It's been a trip of downs and ups, I guess. The boat ride was certainly a high point --- and both events are memorable to say the least!

>270 benitastrnad: Luckily, the challenges are just that: challenges to be adopted to whatever degree we choose. I know that everyone around here will support us in our decisions to prioritize.

>271 SuziQoregon: Thanks, Juli. It's given the vacation an odd tinge, but it has also highlighted how lucky we are!

>272 maggie1944: April 25.... That might work!

>273 PaulCranswick: Paul, we were watching for him! Alas, none were nearly so handsome. The lifeguard, though.... Boy, my heart went out to those two lifeguards. I mean, there is no telling what the details of the death were, but I imagine there is a voice inside saying "hey, we're supposed to save lives, not pull dead bodies out of the water!"

It's good to be back, Paul. I hope I can visit on a more regular basis. I know it won't do my visa bill or my bookshelf space any good, but I miss this community when I'm away.

>274 luvamystery65: Roberta, we were pretty sure he hadn't been in the water for too long, but it's hard to say. And yes, better to be found than not.

Thanks for the support around picking and choosing my participation in challenges. I have finally sworn off even visiting the TIOLI challenge threads; I have a hard time resisting them and they almost always sidetrack me. I know, I know, one can take them or leave them, but in case anyone hasn't noticed, I do have a bit of a competitive/compulsive streak....

Okay, this came from the internet rather than from my camera, but this is truly what Maha'ulepu Beach looks like. It's where we spent about 3 hours today, most of it spent either reading or gazing out to sea.

And this is Salt Pond Beach, where our unfortunate witnessing occurred. We plan to go there again tomorrow, needing to "reclaim" this favorite beach park.

Wow, Ellen, I love your photos. What a beautiful spot. I wish you a lovely weekend.

Gorgeous looking place. How lovely to be warm (and safe) enough to read on the beach. We have gorgeous beaches near us, but I think I'd have to take my own gas heater and windbreak to sit there and read for any length of time just now (and for most of the year, truth told).

Aloha, Ellen! Love the photos! So gorgeous!

Aloha, Ellen. Kind of a sobering start to your trip, but perhaps a reminder to savor every day of your life as much as you can.

We didn't make it to Salt Pond Beach, but should I ever wend my way back to Hawaii, it will be the first place we go. I love Kauai because of the contrast between the sunny and rainy sides (among many other things).

I'm among the supporters of whatever you decide about challenges. I have to avoid TIOLI lest I become sucked into the vortex.

Enjoy.

Looks wonderful, Ellen. Hope you both continue to have a great time.

Fabulous photos, Ellen! I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself in spite of that tragic discovery.

The photographs are very nice!

BTW: here's a link to the Portland Meet-Up thread in case you missed it. http://www.librarything.com/topic/187289#5083764

Beautiful photos, Ellen. I added Hawaii to my to-visit list after reading Unfamiliar Fishes.

>280 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara! I have a wonderful story to tell about our return to Salt Pond Beach and it deserves its own post.

>281 charl08: Charlotte, I need to figure out where you live.... the beaches on Kaua'i are truly spectacular. I do love this island and feel privileged to have visited it four times in the past five years.

>282 msf59: Aloha, Mark!

>283 Matke: "...perhaps a reminder to savor every day of your life...." Exactly, Gail. Today we returned to Salt Pond Beach Park and were welcomed by a whale. More about that in a moment.

>284 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe.

>285 kidzdoc: And thanks to you, as always, Darryl!

>286 maggie1944: Thanks for the link, Karen. I had seen it once but not marked it since I didn't think I could make it. I'll visit and star the thread now!

>287 BLBera: Oh, Beth, if you have not visited Hawaii, I do recommend it. I've only visited Oahu and Kaua'i. I strongly recommend Kaua'i for a laid-back reader's sort of vacation. The south beaches are sunny and warm, the middle of the island is a rain forest canyon..... I hear tell that the Big Island is also worth visiting, though.

16. Report for Murder by Val McDermid




In the 1980s a vital genre emerged: lesbian mystery novels. Val McDermid was among the best in creating these. This mystery is clever, the characters are likable if somewhat two-dimensional, and the reading experience is one of simple pleasure. PG-13 rated, for those who are concerned about such things, but this is one of a set of novels that provided visibility and validity for a subset of humans who had previously been rendered invisible by patriarchy and female desexualization. Lindsay Gordon is an appealing amateur sleuth (also a journalist, when it comes to making a living) who takes on an investigation of a grisly murder at an exclusive girls' school in Derbyshire. She outwits the police and falls in love, all while solving a murder steeped in morbid family drama.

We reclaimed Salt Pond Beach Park today. Upon arrival, as we set up our chairs in the sand, a Humpback Whale was breaching and playing offshore. It was wonderful. We see them every day when we visit this enchanted and enchanting isle, but to see one breaching and playing so close to shore is a rare treat. We felt like he was saying "come back to this beach, it is safe and it is yours." Nice.

We did a bit of snorkeling and saw some typical tropical fish.

Bluestripe Butterflyfish

Raccoon Butterflyfish

Reef Triggerfish (aka Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, the recognized state fish)

Threadfin Butterflyfish

We saw each of these and more!

I also started The City & the City by China Miéville. So far, so good.

As for our whale friend, s/he really looked like this!

Wow, Ellen, you have the most fabulous time.

Wow-- amazing. Such a special vacation spot.

What a great story! Thanks for sharing it!

Great pictures, Ellen. I have a friend who's going to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. I think most of her stay will be on Kaua'i. I'll have to ask her if she's been to Salt Pond Beach Park.

I think I read some McDermid years ago; I wonder if she deserves a revisit? I'll look forward to your comments on Mieville, an author I have never read.

That last whale picture just looks so JOYFUL. Yay!

I love the photos, Ellen. And the whale...WOW!

>298 Ameise1: We do our best, Barbara. :-)

>299 lauralkeet: Laura, I love Kaua'i more than any other place on Earth (I think... I must truly consider this as there are so many wonderful places to enjoy).

>300 Crazymamie: :-)
Hey Mamie, I hope you are well.

>301 BLBera: Beth, if your friend is coming to Kaua'i, I definitely have some recommendations!
I enjoyed the McDermid. It's one of her earlier works, less creepy than some of her later works.

I admit that Mieville is challenging me a bit. After I respond to a few posts here I plan to go check out other comments on his work.

>302 maggie1944: This evening we saw a mom and calf taking turns breaching, quite close to shore. It was joyous. Perfect word. Seeing the whales is the most spiritual aspect of this island for me. I love it.

>303 msf59: The whales are amazing, Mark. They bring out the pantheist in me. :-)

So, I'm currently reading The City & the City for the BAC.



It's good and weird so far.

I'd love your recommendations. Maybe you can PM me? I'll definitely ask her about the Salt Pond Beach.